Got a 22-year old Kawasaki Bajaj Boxer and restored it for my commutes

Finally it came down to a 2003 model which had recently passed a fitness retest and was in fair condition. It was being used by a student who had bought it from the first owner.

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Buying and restoring a Kawasaki Bajaj Boxer AR

I need a bike!

That one thought guys have that plays like an old Windows screensaver. Go blank screen for 5 minutes and it starts running around. Regardless of whether you have 1 in your garage already. That one emotion that unites you and me. Right?

For a quick recap of sorts, like many a good soul on this forum I grew up passionately loving bikes. Followed MotoGP closely and even attended the Donington Park editions regularly while studying in England. But unlike many, I didn't actually ride a bike until well into the thirties. That was a fine afternoon, slight drizzle and all, when I was casually browsing on the mobile and an Aprilia SR 150 pre-launch booking ad randomly popped up. Aprilia! Of the wild RS 125/250 fame?! Take my money!!! Took delivery from the first lot in our district. Rode pillion all the way home because I can't ride a two-wheeler, remember! But within a couple of days I was riding in the backyard practicing the 8 around a pair of coconut trees. Promptly received my two wheeler license in no time. Fast forward - upgraded to a Yamaha FZi 150 (Malaysian spec) a few months later and then a KTM Duke 250 once back in India. The mandatory falls all came by and a hairline fracture on the thumb joint. Yeah, battle scars alright! Then came an RE Himalayan 411. We were getting well attached with some 20k plus on the odo when I traveled abroad once again. A sale was the only option, albeit half-heartedly at best or heartbreakingly. The One above had other plans and I was back in India little over another year and a half.

So, I need a bike!

Ideally I'd go and buy a Scram 411 with my eyes closed. But the budget was tighter than a Moto3 race on the opening lap. I also side glanced at a Honda CB300F with its price revision. Got rest rides on a Kawasaki W175, which I honestly liked. But the brain kept inviting me to look at the classifieds - This forum of ours, Olx, FB. If that was to be the case my choices would have been the Yamaha FZ25, a Suzuki 250 - the naked one preferably, or a Honda CBR 250. That's when I paid attention to the fact that I'd been randomly bookmarking KB Boxers and 4S Champions for a while.

Now what I had not mentioned in the recap earlier was that while I had the Aprilia scooter and the Duke 250 in my garage I had randomly bought a cheap 2009 Karizma R that I found on Olx with plans of trying my hands on restoring it. Though I had quickly fixed some niggles and had kept it in running condition, the documents were missing and I just didn't find enough time to keep the project running. It was later given away.

So time it was to start a new project. But I didn't want to go the full-restoration route this time, because small steps can sometimes be big enough. And let me not be pretentious here and admit that I'm not very mechanically literate. Also owing to the simple fact that I'm in urgent need of some form of transportation. So I commenced negotiations on a few listings. The general trend was that either they had document issues or were in suspicious conditions. I finally rounded it off to a couple of Boxer AR models. Finally it came down to a 2003 model which had recently passed a fitness retest and was in fair condition. It was being used by a student who had bought it from the first owner. The lad was passing through my town after the weekend holidays, so he agreed to stop by, with the option of closing the deal if I did like it. He was riding about a 100 kms from his home on the way to college, which wasn't far from my town anyways, so the bike can't be all that bad. So I had a quick check and he explained the issues it had and we agreed upon a deal and the money was transferred and a sale document signed.

So there I was, kick-starting my biking days all over again, literally! (Behind the scenes bonus - the guy had boarded a bus and I was standing there kicking, but it wouldnt start. Finally my brother-in-law, who I had tagged along, gave a hand, or a leg, and it finally did.) The ride home was smooth however, and my little son, perched on the tank, was already in love with the cow-a-zacky.

Now coming off a Himalayan to the Boxer AR the difference is significant, especially the weight. There was a weird moment when I had it off the stand and that very fact off my mind and almost let it go whilst standing on the kicker side, but I could just hold it without dropping it and then slowly cross a leg over it to balance it. Had it been the Himalayan it would have hit the ground before throwing me over it like a judoki. Riding the Boxer, you slot it into first gear and look around to see if there are any horses. Nope! Go to second and it squeals forward. Third, and suddenly some 5-6 horses come out of nowhere to join the party and you're riding along. Fourth, and you're galloping in quite the grandeur. But it's all so simple you'd smile. Somewhere along I read that the AR in Boxer AR stands for all-roads, since it was meant for rural usage primarily and in that sense it is a nursery Himalayan in short pants, especially with the Michelins on. We have some municipality roads that also identify themselves as off-road trails and Boxie does duty with all the shine and splendor.

And thus little Boxie passionately started tending to commuter duties like a pro, while I noted down issues I had to attend to. The bike had just passed a PUC test less than a month before hand-over, and had had the oil changed along with the oil/air filters. Immediate requirement was a new chain and sprocket set, and a Rolon set was bought. The indicator warning light was working alone on the meter console not unlike a first-bencher on a secondary school project team and electricals overall were begging for an overhaul. One look at the tyres and you'd know how much they were contemplating retirement life so they were grateful to the pair of young Michelins who took the reins. Speaking of reins, needed new cables too.

The Boxer is known for its fuel efficiency but since the odo wasn't working I had no way to figure out current figures. Oddly enough the meter console had a fuel display but there was no actual gauge in this model. This meter came from the CT 100 then. One particular night I was on an incline and Boxie abruptly refused to climb, like an average Indian’s salary these days. It turned out the carburettor was overflowing and I had already lost some fuel and I had no idea how much I was holding.

So now the routine was to get small works like these done in the evenings but whenever I had to travel out of town, Boxie would stay over at a garage for bigger works. So on one such occasion I had the wiring harness changed to the ‘Swiss’ brand and the switch gears were changed on both sides and new Minda switches and lock set were fixed. Now the young lad whom I bought from had informed me of the electrical issues and him being a student after all had mostly relied on a friend to get some free jugaad solutions. Hence a horn weirdly placed on the cross bar and wires adorning various colour tapes crowding to take a peep at the outside world. Meanwhile a chrome handlebar took duties from the black one because it's a tough world for black handlebars in a classic bike world. The seat cover was also changed more for aesthetic reasons than anything else.

Top priorities were thus mostly met and it was time to give Boxie some beauty treatment. Now here's the dilemma. Heart says - Dismantle and paint like them youtube projects. Head says - You have insufficient balance. A friend of mine runs a painting shop and he had previously done a good job on my car. His services were sought but he had recently shifted to a new facility and couldn't take up dismantling yet. However given some extra time he could try his best the undismantled route. Of course the smaller parts would come off, but the engine and some nooks and corners will have to be dealt with masking methods. Given my situation, trusting him was worth a try. So on another one of my out of town travels I handed over the bike for painting works. I wasn't bothered about it being period correct or restored to original looks. In fact I wanted a custom look as I found the AR graphics the worst of the Boxer liveries. The AT was clean and simple but by the time the ARs came out they felt a bit overdone. Inspiration was sought from classic Kawasakis, the Z400, Z750, the H1 et al and some SE Asian spec smaller capacity models like the Binter. The Boxer tank being tiny in size on the already tiny bike was given thought and the idea was to give it better presence while keeping it retro simple. Strangely enough the Benelli Tornado Tre 900 had a cameo in the whole process as that green and grey combo always had a place in my heart. Work took longer than expected and in the meantime I joined some online groups and finally found some enthusiasts who stocked original parts like they were expecting an automobile apocalypse or something. One nice chap even had the elusive ‘Kawasaki K-Tec’ engine stickers in stock. I wasted no time and ordered one and the good guy sent me two. “Just in case”, he said. I seriously hope he doesn't get bitten by a rabid coolant dripping Super Duke if that doomsday does occur. Also got a chrome saree guard from him which is ironic since the first mod with all my last bike purchases were de-sareeguarding them and I have them all lying around in some dark corner.

Now the engine was treated to remove the flakes and given multiple coats. The fuel tank and side panels turned out nicer than I imagined. Subtle yet will make the odd person turn around. I had a moment when I rode into a Bajaj SC to get some parts and some staff gathered and admired it and took some pictures for inspiration for a Boxer AT that had just come in for restoration. They even invited me to the service area where the AT was kept.

So far I've put on some 1500 kms since the meter and odo work was done. The carb tune is still not optimal. I tried a bit of tuning by myself and did get a fairly good tune but tweeked it further and lost it altogether. Currently its still troublesome to get it going in the early mornings. The project is ongoing but right now it is running in fairly good condition by Divine grace except early mornings. So the primary function of short conveyance to the town premises, shops and the likes is not only taken care of but fun as well. I don't know if I should take it on a longer ride yet, but that's something for the future. The electricals are another area that Im trying to work on as the headlight is pretty much useless right now. In the old times my parents used to narrate a story of a blind old man who walked at night with a candle. So when the people asked him what it's for since he cannot see anyways, he'd reply that it's for others to see him. Ditto with my headlight. Also once I hit the brakes when the headlights are on the brake lights are also pretty weak. Progress is being made though.

That's the journey so far. Keep the advices and suggestions coming, my good folks.

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