[Xaos636]

Long story short, I want to welcome every readers to my review and ownership experience of my Honda CBR 650F in Pearl Metalloid White, also called back then as the HRC Racing color or simply the tricolor.

A few months before the pandemic, I was just about finalizing and looking at a few street triple 765's, CBR 650F's and a distant look at the Z900's as well. I did not want to go and get a new one, simply because I get bored of machines in 3-4 years of time and I could lose a big chunk of money right there, and for the fun to ride exponential bikes at great deals, where I myself can work on it because its not new and it wont match my OCD levels whatsoever. So it has to go through 'change' and me, along with a few very close auto enthusiasts are very much interested in working on automobiles, learning a few things, breaking a few things, re-learning it and the story goes on.

When my searches for a good bike led me to no mans land as expected, I decided to drop the plan altogether in the wake of covid-19 outbreak as there was an unpredictable future lying around, atleast I thought so. Months passed, lockdowns passed and I moved back to Kerala, my hometown and R3 was stuck at Bangalore because just before the lockdown, I had to drive my car to Kerala because I had a lot of luggage. I did not handover the keys of my bike to anyone as an old troll suggested, the amount of people I trust with my automobiles are very miniscule

The lockdowns were eased, but entry to other states had a lot of things running. Hence I decided to courier the R3 keys to a trusted friend who promised me that he will deliver my bike to the border checkpost as his hometown was close by Coorg. Hence me @krishnaprasadgg started on the Tiger and went and collected the R3. I was so happy to saddle back on my own 2 wheels and perhaps this was the longest time that I did not ride a motorcycle, all thanks to the pandemic. Everything going smooth and sound with the R3(I decided to give her a pamper too, documented here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4901107 (My journey from a Ninja 300 to a Yamaha YZF-R3)), I came across and ad with a very decent quote for the Honda CBR 650F and I immediately sent the details to my contacts in Bangalore to get the service history of the bike and also discussed with a few close friends on the same.

To be honest, the main motivation came from @krishnaprasadgg itself and he was pushing me to get it and he was ready for a ride to Bangalore to checkout the bike immediately. What I did was, sent my friendly neighborhood mech from Highlander to see the bike, ride it and tell me the opinion on it. Hats off to the mech for taking time to go there after his work late night and a big thanks to the ex-owner who was kind enough to show the bike and allow my mech to check all the details, so late into the day. Mech gave a big thumbs up for the bike as the bike had a clean history(Apart from a small fall and fork replacement done at Bigwing Bangalore). The owner showed me all the pics of damage and there was a very miniscule bend on the fork tube and suspecting a fork damage, he decided to claim insurance and change both forks to the 2018 version one which had a slightly different design on the top cap and a different spring usage. Either way, the damage was limited to that and there was no damages even to fairings and hence they weren't replaced. The bike was literally decal-less as the previous owner said he did not like the stickers on the bike. The tank sticker cannot be removed as its clear coated and hence the rest of the stickers made way for a cleaner look. I have a pic of the bike before the fork change without stickers, so chances of doubts whether the stickers was removed after the fall can be taken off. Either way, we decided to get the machine after checking all the service history, owner being so open about the history of the bike and to the fact that the bike had new unused Pirelli tyres and a full system Akrapovic exhaust on it.

I decided to trade my R3 for funding issues because I did not have an option here. Everything was quick and being part of various riders groups helped and the R3 was sold in one day flat. The new owner taking it away was a heart breaking scene to me as any other enthusiast would feel. The last picture of it is below.


Here we go. Me and @krishnaprasadgg decided to take the tiger and a friend's R3(which had to be dropped at Bangalore) and ride back on the Tiger and the CBR.


The Tiger even though not mine had a big part to play in my life as always. What a bike.


Meanwhile to reduce time at the pitstop at Bangalore, I had asked my mech to take delivery of the CBR from the owner after me transferring the entire payment amount to the ex-owner so that my mech can do a detailed check on the bike and see what lies where. I decided to change the oil and oil filter(even though the service history said it was changed just 2k kms ago), change the air filter to BMC stock replacement filter, clean the chain, adjust slack and ride back.

This was my first face to face meetup with my new steed. It was lying naked, getting pampered when we reached Bangalore. A diagnostic run was done and everything seemed normal.


This is me right here calling my wife and telling how the bike sounds with an Akrapovic without DB killer. Clicked as expected by @krishnaprasadgg


The brand new BMC air filter


Chain needed replacement. It cannot go more than 4k-5k kms by any chance. Notice the faux carbon fiber swingarm cover.


The fairings put back on(Note : Akra sticker removed thanks to cops going all hell loose. Cant deny the fact that now it looked like stock)








Getting a first feel of the bike


The keys. One key was never used at all and it felt like Honda just handed it over to me.


We finished all the necessary RTO formalities for ownership transfer and the plan was to set off to the hotel, take rest and then ride the next day early morning back to Kerala through Salem, Avinashi, Coimbatore, Palakkad and Kozhikode through @kp's home meeting the mighty R1 on the way. This is the longest route I can take to reach home, but as both of us wanted to try the 650, we decided to take the longest route and I ended up more often on the Tiger and what a ride it was. Never thought the cruise control on a motorcycle could help this massively.


Setting off the next day early at 3:00AM


Pics en route






At @krishnaprasadgg's home . A shy R1 is hiding under the wraps


A disaster when I missed a huge stone in the middle of the highway. Least expected and couldn't avoid the front wheel but somehow avoided the rear wheel. This was the first time something like this has happened to me.


Got back home and first thing first. Straightened the bend as a new wheel wasn't in stock either at Bigwing Bangalore or at Bigwing Cochin. Wheel was balanced and all well till date. But still thinking if I should replace it or not and opinions are welcome on the same. Very less fork travel doesn't help the bike at all.


One most important thing which I purchased right away was the Pyramid Plastic fender extender. It saves almost everything that is thrown by the front tire to the radiator. I thought a radiator guard wasn't required here, but how wrong I could be(More on that later).






Removed the rim stripes and this is how it looked. One hell of a task.


Final look after reaching hometown




To all my surprise, my Dad decided that he needs a ride.


Pampering already started the next day.

[Xaos636]

Everyone knows everything about this motorcycle. Still I will try to explain my way of seeing things. Perhaps some might feel that my view is a bit different from others. I am almost at 10k kms in the last 8 months after owning this bike, out of which 70% would be touring and the rest 30% being city runs. I am not talking much numbers here, as most of the readers already knows the power figures, fork diameters, how the shocks work or what tire pressures are to be used. I will save the time to let you know how the bike runs, and who should be buying these, be the F or the R as they are very identical in their characters.

Likes
-The engine. Sweet sweet motor.
-The cheaper spare parts.
-Tourer friendly
-Pillion friendly
-Brakes are decent, could have done with a bit more bite. But that aside, it stops well.
-ABS as standard.
-Decent fuel economy of 23-26 even inside city limits.
-The sound. Cherry on the cake with an Akrapovic(with DB killer as I don't intend to be the friendly neighborhood nincompoop without it)
-Can do highway runs all day long. Decent seating cushion too.

Dislikes
-The instrument console. Could have been designed better.
-Headlights again could easily have been better.
-Slip-ons not possible as the exhaust is a big single unit.
-Fork travel is very less for our roads. One big unnoticed pothole and you are looking at bend alloys.
-Uncharacteristically vibey for a Honda at certain rpm's.

Build Quality, Performance and Handling
The build quality is too good. The switches on both handles work perfectly as expected from a Honda and the feel is definitely premium. Bike is almost 5 years old and all of these looks the same as day 1. So these have aged really well. Just as everyone complains, I too have an issue with the position of the horn and indicator as their positions are reversed from normal bikes. The panel gaps are even I have not noticed any wider gaps so far. The seat is a long piece single unit which is quite wide and gives plenty of room to move around for all kinds or riding styles. The sitting posture is very relaxed and I felt home immediately after coming from an R3. The tank is very well designed to make way for even the biggest of legs to seat-in comfortably and its very easy to lock your legs there to find a perfect riding position. The pillion too is going to love their area as its sufficiently wide and comfortable compared to other bikes in its class. There are a couple of bunchee chord hooks if anyone wants to use it and I have tried and used it happily. There are vibes, but very minimal at handlebar and left footpeg at certain rpm's. Its more like a character of the bike now as I would call it, as everyone has this issue. A heavier bar end weight eliminates the handlebar vibes, but I still did not get the feel to use it as the vibes aren't unsettling me in any way, yet!

Honda is Honda. Period. Their engines are butter smooth and this inline-4 is no different. This bike isn't going to scare anyone. Its comfortable, its torquey and it can do miles all day long. If you want to run at 40kph in 6th gear, you can, and if you want to do 200kph at 6th gear, you can do that too and that too without burning your legs even in the heaviest of traffics. After riding other inline 3's/4's, this bike heats up way too less than any of them. Yes the radiator fan diverts a bit of hot air onto the rider, but nothing uncomfortable in any sense. The gearbox is really smooth. I am yet to experience even a false neutral, such is the precision.

The bike picks up easily in first gear and it roars to triple digit speeds in no time. I am not talking supersport liter class speeds here, but the transition is decent as it climbs the revs. Once you are not revving, the bike is very similar to an R3. There is no power scaring you if you act normal to it. Even if an amateur rider ring the throttle hard, it's not going to throw him/her off the bike. Highway manners are exquisite. There is no drama here and the bike is really well planted as long as you have the right tires. Same for corners and twisties too. Its no supersport alright, and cant expect to kneedrag at your first corner on a trackday. But work on it and you can. Once you understand the dynamics of any bike, I believe you can do anything with it. I ran the Pirelli Angel ST for most of my use and they are strictly average once the tires are a bit squared off. You lose confidence at corners and the tire has to be replaced if so. Tires are everything. At a time where a pair costs around 50k, I can see a ton of superbike users going for used and older tires. Its just putting them and other users on the road at risk and I believe that's not the right thing to do. If you don't have good tires, save up and buy a pair, rather than using abused tires which God knows what it went through.



Hope these helps. I have a lot of things planned with the bike which I will post here in due time.

Wishing happy and safe riding to everyone. Cheers.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[krishnaprasadgg]

Finally, the thread is live!! There couldn't be a more accurate title to sum up the 650F/R lineup.

@Xaos636, now let the posts keep rolling!


Cheers
Krishna

[neil.jericho]

Xaos636, congratulations on your CBR650F and finally your thread is here! The bike looks so nice when it is minus its decals. A paint job to make it fully red will make the CBR look smashing. Just saying!

That pyramid fender extender is one of the better after market accessories that I have installed on my bikes. The shift to Pirelli tires meant that the front end was throwing up a lot of dirt onto the radiator of my Triumph, but after installing the fender extender, there is hardly any dirt that is finding its way onto the bike.

I spotted you and Krishna riding into town on Saturday morning. Im looking forward to your feedback on your new tires.

I know quite a few TBHPians who have owned the CBR650F and not once has anyone said a bad word about the product. It is such a sensible but fun motorcycle for the type of roads that we have in South India and Honda's reliability is legendary. The great after sales service (especially in Bangalore) and the low cost of spares is the icing on the cake.

If we forget the paper specifications, these Honda middleweights do so many things so well, that it is difficult to find a perfect next bike. I know you mentioned that you get bored of your motorcycles but Im interested to see how long you will own the CBR and if you do move on from this, what your next bike will be. For now though, looking forward to more exciting updates on the Honda.

[GoBlue]

Congrats Xaos636! The Honda CBR650F is a brilliant motorcycle. Wishing you a happy ownership and memorable rides.

May be just me, but the de-stickering has worked in favor of increasing the aesthetic appeal of the motorcycle. While the stickering on the CBR650F was done fairly well by Honda, CBR650R's stickering looks overdone. Great call on removing the rim tape, it could've looked gaudy.

Sharing perspectives on some of the observations mentioned in the post.

While fork rim bends are a common nuisance on our roads, I believe that the material used in the alloy construction and the process of construction could also be a contributing factor with respect to how susceptible the alloys are to bending, besides the fork travel/damping characteristics of the fork.

Despite going through the worst craters that the state of Maharashtra has on offer (on my erstwhile GSX S750), did not encounter any alloy damage. Do note that some of these impacts were at unmentionable speeds. While the fork travel on the GSX was 120 mm (roadster-bike-typical travel), I believe the damping characteristics of the fork itself were different (in addition to it being a USD fork) along with the alloy composition/construction. In addition, I make it a point to check the cold air pressure before every ride (without fail). This may be a trivial aspect, but having correct/expected tire pressure could also help mitigate this (to an extent).

Having said that, CFR1100L owners have reported rim bends (despite having tubeless spoked wheels), so it does seem like fate has a role to play too.

Coming to the engine heating characteristics, I believe Honda does a remarkable job in general with most of their machines. The CRF1100L does not heat up at all even in dense city traffic (tested in scorching summer/42 degrees+ heat). The temperature gauge does not rise even beyond the halfway mark. Now while this can be attributed to the fact that there are two radiators with individual cooling systems, there are other bikes which have similar split radiators which do tend to heat up. In addition, the radiator fan vents are designed to direct the flow away from the rider's legs. There are 3 (basic) aspects to motorcycle heat - how much does the engine heat up in worst case scenarios, how efficient the cooling system is in dissipating that heat, how well designed the cooling vents are in ensuring that (the dissipated) heat is not directed towards the rider. There's (most certainly) remarkable engineering at work here, thanks to Honda.

The gear-shifts are butter smooth on the CRF too. It's uncanny how smooth they feel. While it is Suzuki that is known for some of the best motorcycle gear-boxes ever made, I did not find gear shifts on the GSX to be as smooth as that of the CRF.

While I am personally a fan of Japanese motorcycles, there's something to be said about the charm of simple things executed well, like - smooth shifting, negligible heating, balanced ride quality and good build quality (in case of the CRF1100L, in my humble opinion, the build quality exceeds that of comparable European machines). While there are tradeoffs to be made in terms of cycle parts (think steel braided lines, Brembo brake systems, Ohlins suspension, electronic suspension et all), that does not take away from an engaging ownership experience.

Always happy to see a motorcycle enthusiast acquire a superb machine! Ride safe.

[Lambydude]

congratulations! Ride safe
The footpath tiles in some of your pictures looks very similar to the one near my home ( in Kozhikode). By any chance, do you live anywhere near to Easthill, Kozhikode?

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

Honda is Honda. Period.

Even if an amateur rider ring the throttle hard, it's not going to throw him/her off the bike.

Tires are everything.

Perfectly summed up brother!! This is a bike that will fulfill most needs of most people and will do it really well.

Not to sound like a Honda fan boy, which to be honest, I wasn't until I owned one. (2 actually as my previous bike was a Karizma). Honda is Honda and their engineering prowess just shows in everything you touch and feel. Calibration of so many things is just spot on.

After buying Pirelli Diablo Rosso3s, I stand by that statement as well, Tires are everything. Before spending money on any major upgrade on a bike, just switch to better tires and you will see the benefits in riding experience.

Wishing you many many happy miles with her brother!!

CHEERS!!

Rachit

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by krishnaprasadgg

Finally, the thread is live!! There couldn't be a more accurate title to sum up the 650F/R lineup.

@Xaos636, now let the posts keep rolling!

Its because of you the bike is here with me. And yeah, I want to post the updates ASAP. But work plus babysitting is giving me a tough one

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Xaos636, congratulations on your CBR650F and finally your thread is here! The bike looks so nice when it is minus its decals. A paint job to make it fully red will make the CBR look smashing. Just saying!

Thanks brother. We should be meeting up again. Yeah agree to the fact that the bike looks more meaner without the decals, but the decals are back now and will post the details in a few days.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

That pyramid fender extender is one of the better after market accessories that I have installed on my bikes. The shift to Pirelli tires meant that the front end was throwing up a lot of dirt onto the radiator of my Triumph, but after installing the fender extender, there is hardly any dirt that is finding its way onto the bike.

Absolutely agree on that. I had the extender from Pyramid back in 2014 on my Ninja 300 and I understood the importance well back then and my first buy for the 650 was none other than the fender extender.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I spotted you and Krishna riding into town on Saturday morning. Im looking forward to your feedback on your new tires.

Yes, Krishna told me you guys spoke and yeah, the tyre update is also coming up soon.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I know quite a few TBHPians who have owned the CBR650F and not once has anyone said a bad word about the product. It is such a sensible but fun motorcycle for the type of roads that we have in South India and Honda's reliability is legendary. The great after sales service (especially in Bangalore) and the low cost of spares is the icing on the cake.

Very true. This is a motorcycle where you cant go wrong. Fair to say I had an eye on it when it was launched back in 2015. And here is a pic of me test riding it back in the day. Who would have thought I would own one years down the line.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

If we forget the paper specifications, these Honda middleweights do so many things so well, that it is difficult to find a perfect next bike. I know you mentioned that you get bored of your motorcycles but Im interested to see how long you will own the CBR and if you do move on from this, what your next bike will be. For now though, looking forward to more exciting updates on the Honda.

True that. It can do everything without tearing apart your pockets. That in a way is fun too as most inline 4 spare parts are expensive and I always have tension in my mind when I ride a superbike through congested traffic on whether someone would bump into me. The feel has been erased now for good. And yeah, I hope I don't get bored of this soon. First thing is I will be out of house(though Krishna will accommodate me). Lets see how it will unfold.

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Congrats Xaos636! The Honda CBR650F is a brilliant motorcycle. Wishing you a happy ownership and memorable rides.
Great call on removing the rim tape, it could've looked gaudy.

Thank you and agree to that. I was and never will be a fan of rim stripes.

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Sharing perspectives on some of the observations mentioned in the post.

While fork rim bends are a common nuisance on our roads, I believe that the material used in the alloy construction and the process of construction could also be a contributing factor with respect to how susceptible the alloys are to bending, besides the fork travel/damping characteristics of the fork.

Despite going through the worst craters that the state of Maharashtra has on offer (on my erstwhile GSX S750), did not encounter any alloy damage. Do note that some of these impacts were at unmentionable speeds. While the fork travel on the GSX was 120 mm (roadster-bike-typical travel), I believe the damping characteristics of the fork itself were different (in addition to it being a USD fork) along with the alloy composition/construction. In addition, I make it a point to check the cold air pressure before every ride (without fail). This may be a trivial aspect, but having correct/expected tire pressure could also help mitigate this (to an extent).

Having said that, CFR1100L owners have reported rim bends (despite having tubeless spoked wheels), so it does seem like fate has a role to play too.

While I read through your lines, I am made to think that Honda have used inferior materials in alloy construction or simply, it was not made keeping Inidan roads in mind. I have gone through worse potholes on Ninja 300, R3, R15 etc. and have never bend an alloy, ever. So I think that what you said could be right and its not just the lesser fork travel that is a contributing factor, its the rim itself.
And yeah, I have a habit of checking cold air pressure before every single ride. I do check it weekly even if there are no rides happening.

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Coming to the engine heating characteristics, I believe Honda does a remarkable job in general with most of their machines. The CRF1100L does not heat up at all even in dense city traffic (tested in scorching summer/42 degrees+ heat). The temperature gauge does not rise even beyond the halfway mark. Now while this can be attributed to the fact that there are two radiators with individual cooling systems, there are other bikes which have similar split radiators which do tend to heat up. In addition, the radiator fan vents are designed to direct the flow away from the rider's legs. There are 3 (basic) aspects to motorcycle heat - how much does the engine heat up in worst case scenarios, how efficient the cooling system is in dissipating that heat, how well designed the cooling vents are in ensuring that (the dissipated) heat is not directed towards the rider. There's (most certainly) remarkable engineering at work here, thanks to Honda.

The gear-shifts are butter smooth on the CRF too. It's uncanny how smooth they feel. While it is Suzuki that is known for some of the best motorcycle gear-boxes ever made, I did not find gear shifts on the GSX to be as smooth as that of the CRF.

While I am personally a fan of Japanese motorcycles, there's something to be said about the charm of simple things executed well, like - smooth shifting, negligible heating, balanced ride quality and good build quality (in case of the CRF1100L, in my humble opinion, the build quality exceeds that of comparable European machines). While there are tradeoffs to be made in terms of cycle parts (think steel braided lines, Brembo brake systems, Ohlins suspension, electronic suspension et all), that does not take away from an engaging ownership experience.

Always happy to see a motorcycle enthusiast acquire a superb machine! Ride safe.

Well, you have explained these remarkably well, better than I ever could. You are also in a better situation than me to explain these as well. Thank you for taking the time for that.
I have flushed and changed the coolant and stuck with Honda Ultra coolant. I will soon post updates on that. New coolant, new brake fluids and almost everything on the bike is new. I am not a guy who intends to wait for the part to fail and replace, I am a bit more pro-active when it comes to automobiles.

And I completely agree with your thoughts on the CRF1100L. I recently had a chance to ring it through the dense Bangalore traffic and it surprisingly doesn't even heat up as my then R3. It felt more like - 'Made for India'. A memory is below.

Originally Posted by Lambydude

congratulations! Ride safe
The footpath tiles in some of your pictures looks very similar to the one near my home ( in Kozhikode). By any chance, do you live anywhere near to Easthill, Kozhikode?

Thank you and you have a PM.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Perfectly summed up brother!! This is a bike that will fulfill most needs of most people and will do it really well.

Not to sound like a Honda fan boy, which to be honest, I wasn't until I owned one. (2 actually as my previous bike was a Karizma). Honda is Honda and their engineering prowess just shows in everything you touch and feel. Calibration of so many things is just spot on.

After buying Pirelli Diablo Rosso3s, I stand by that statement as well, Tires are everything. Before spending money on any major upgrade on a bike, just switch to better tires and you will see the benefits in riding experience.

Wishing you many many happy miles with her brother!!

CHEERS!!

Rachit

Very true that Rachit. You have owned the 650 much longer than me and should know the bike better too. I hope the bike continues to serve me for years to come as I am completely happy with it. More so if I feel for a change, I have @krishnaprasadgg's YZF R1 to rattle a few feathers and you know exaclty how a crossplane can wake you up from the dead Wishing you safer miles as well.

Cheers

[Eraser]

Congratulations Xaos636!! Incidentally, I picked up a 2018 model a few weeks back which replaced my Ninja 650. I was looking for an inline 4 and a Honda CBR650f was kind of a no-brainer decision for me with the excellent reliability, service costs etc.

I will be following your thread closely to get tips on what I can do to maintain/accessorize the bike.

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by Eraser

Congratulations Xaos636!! Incidentally, I picked up a 2018 model a few weeks back which replaced my Ninja 650. I was looking for an inline 4 and a Honda CBR650f was kind of a no-brainer decision for me with the excellent reliability, service costs etc.

I will be following your thread closely to get tips on what I can do to maintain/accessorize the bike.

Thank you, and congrats to you as well. Happy riding

First update.
A few things that needed attention were chain and sprockets, coolant and fork oil, along with cables and spark plugs. Only a few people works on my bike usually, one is Sanju from F Motors Cochin, Karthik from Highlander, Bangalore and myself and @krishnaprasadgg.

After waiting months to get chain sprocket kit from Bigwing Cochin, what they gave me was front sprocket alone and nothing else. No rear sprocket or chain. How disastrous is that now, after 3 months of waiting(Lockdown + farmers strike in North were blamed). Yes they had given me the stickers for fairing and a few other nuts and bolts, but not the most important parts. I still waited a month extra and still they couldn't provide me any important parts like chain sprocket kit, accelerator cable or clutch cable or even spark plugs.

After carefully checking the service history of the bike, I was made aware that the clutch and accelerator cables are still stock on the bike and I do not want them to break on my long trips and I wanted to replace them. But Bigwing Cochin says NO, you cannot replace it till we give it to you. Fair enough. There is a whole lot story behind this and I will update the same in due course of time. Called up the Bangalore dealer and they said I need to bring the bike there and they will replace it and give the bike back. Fair enough again. I told them I will give the labor costs and asked them to give me at least the cables and all they said was a big NO.

With the help of Speed Motorrad Cochin, I had my hands on RK chain and sprocket kit for the 650F. They were really good to deal with and provided me a decent deal of the same too. I decided not to wait for Bigwing Cochin to get the rear sprocket and chain. I spoke to them asking if it can be cancelled and they were cool with it. But note that I already got the front sprocket from them and that is lying here at home.

The ride start. I travelled to KP's home early and we go again from there to F Motors.




On the way


At Cochin


The chitchats.


Noticed a strange thing after a small drizzle. Fogging of left side console.


Work starts


Time to replace the chain and sprockets. But before that here is a story. We dint have the tool to rivet the chain masterlink back then and we headed to a reputed workshop in Cochin to do the same. Just to rivet the chain masterlink, they made us wait for hours together and did a horrible job at it. More on that later.


The RK Chain sprocket kit


We tried to remove the fork cap but it was in vain. Took measurements and searched everywhere to find it, but we couldn't get hold of the exact tool to remove the same and fork oil replacement was postponed.


Coolant change. Old coolant was removed and distilled water was used to flush. I had changed to Motocool in between, but thanks to Bhpian @hgps, he made me aware that the motocool contained silicate content and Honda does ask to not use coolant with silicate as they have a tendency to eat up water pump gaskets. Hence inside 400kms, I reverted back to Honda coolant. It was cheap and did the job well and hence did not opt for engine ice.






I used a can of Honda coolant to flush out the distilled water. Call me mad


Heavy rider test in heaviest of traffics to see coolant consumption and everything went well. Just a shade above 2L was used if my memory serves right.


Next up was throttle body cleaning and it was done well too.


Meal in between. More than the ride, we go to Cochin to have extraordinary meals, irrespective of what diet plans we had. Here is @krishnaprasadgg gulping up a famous burger.


Next up. Stickers. Yes, they are back. I liked it without it, but other half said something was missing. As these are cheap, I decided to give it a shot.


Cleaning and ready for application.




Brake fluid was replaced too. By the end of everything, it was past midnight as we took our own sweet time to perfect everything we did.


Final look at midnight


On the way back, met a few friends.


Notice the front stickers which replicated the park lights.


Immediately removed as I dint like them. Cat photobombed it.


The final look back home. Notice the tank grips on the side. Its a cheap Indian made product as Techspec wasn't available back then.


Continued in next post.

[Xaos636]

Chain issue continued. I am not naming the shop which have riveted this so poorly onto my bike. I usually don't give my bike to some Tom, Dick or Harry to work on, irrespective if its my scooter or motorcycle, but this day was quite tiring as I had to reach back home ASAP and seeing their reviews online, I thought I dint have any other option. Something as important as a chain on a superbike and the rivet locks have cracks on it. I don't have a clue on how these guys are qualified as a technician. The crack was very minimal after work and it started getting bigger after every ride. Not to mention, my peace of mind was gone right there.
Either way, I started the hunt for a new master link alone and as expected, I had a tough time finding one. Decided to continue with the same setup till I get one as I was assured by a few friends that it wont give up so easily. But no one want to try their luck on a chain.






How it should have been. Sorry for the poor quality picture.


The next issue I had was with mirrors. The hard water in Bangalore had taken a toll on the mirrors. Whatever way I tried, I cannot see what's happening behind in dark conditions because all I was seeing was the hard water spots and they scattered the night view. Its worse in rain with zero visibility. Here is me trying baking soda and other stuff to try to remove the hard water spot. I even tried the CarPro Spotless but still the hard water spots stayed on. New mirrors ordered, no other go.


Deep cleaning session at home. Especially the headers and behind the headers. It was unbelievably mucky and I had a hard time to get it back to this.






Akra still needs a bit more cleaning


Kept aside safely. One fairings lower clip had cracked and fallen off. I cant blame anyone here as ground clearance is so low and the first one which hits is the fairing. Blame my extreme OCD, I ordered the fairings. Mind you, the fairings costs half of what Ninja 650's one side sticker costs.


Deep cleaning completed. More to follow

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

Time to replace the chain and sprockets. But before that here is a story. We dint have the tool to rivet the chain masterlink back then and we headed to a reputed workshop in Cochin to do the same. Just to rivet the chain masterlink, they made us wait for hours together and did a horrible job at it. More on that later.

If I had to guess, this reputed workshop in Cochin is on the bypass and is located along the Thkoodam bridge. Ive heard some complaints about their work before, which is why I havent gone there yet. That said, some of my friends take their bikes to them for regular services.

Originally Posted by Xaos636

And yeah, I hope I don't get bored of this soon. First thing is I will be out of house(though Krishna will accommodate me). Lets see how it will unfold.

A friend in need, in a friend indeed !

[Xaos636]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

If I had to guess, this reputed workshop in Cochin is on the bypass and is located along the Thkoodam bridge. Ive heard some complaints about their work before, which is why I havent gone there yet. That said, some of my friends take their bikes to them for regular services.

That is correct. Maybe if I had told them the issue, they would have given me a new masterlink. But the overall experience was below average on that day and I wont go there ever again even if I manage to break-down in front of this workshop.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by Xaos636

How disastrous is that now, after 3 months of waiting(Lockdown + farmers strike in North were blamed).

Xaos, finally, the review we had waited for. I am late for the party as I had a lot of things going on and did not check the forum for weeks.

You and Krishna should run a youtube channel on bike repairs and servicing. The work you guys do are really epic and speak a lot about your passion and dedication.

For the chain sprocket kit, I can't believe the dealer used farmer's protest as an excuse. If you need help with parts, give me a shout next time. Usually my contacts here have stuff lying around and can send out.

Anyways, having had my recent experience with a dealership + a brand, and the way they changed stories and conducted a full blown media spin, I have to say, most corporates + dealers in India have 0 ethics and do not care at all for customers.

In the end, the biking community in India has to DIY everything and seeing threads like yours and Krishna's provides hope.