When you spend all your hard earned money to buy a superbike, the thought of it not performing at 100% is a painful one. Today’s bikes are so well engineered that it requires very little maintenance for it to keep going. Having said that its a crime to neglect the bike. Truth be told you give it a little love it would serve you loyally for years to come, ignore it for more than it likes then you're in for a real hard time.
Maintaining a superbike in India comes with a few special challenges that our counterparts in the west don’t face. Firstly, We are severely short on good knowledgeable mechanics. The ones who are good are so short of time. It’s often hard to get a good second opinion also. Secondly, Our riding conditions are hardly ideal. I don’t even think the big companies ever test their bikes in conditions such as ours. Badly laid, pothole filled roads, Incredible amount of dust and grime are that of our roads. The weather is wet and humid and finally the traffic. These are exactly the conditions a superbike is not made for. However since we don’t have a choice but to live with these conditions its very important that the bikes are looked after very well.
Based on inputs from mechanics, owners and my personal experience the following are the issues to look out for.
Trouble due to poor fuel.
All superbike engines have high compression ratios. For such an engine to work optimally, it needs fuel that is designed for it. All bikes that are now sold in India require 95 octane or higher. In my experience I have not come across any brand but BP who makes premium fuel. Speed 97 is however not available in many pumps and often one needs to take a detour to just fill gas. Using regular fuel tends to make the engine knock. Certain engines have a knock sensors and will adjust automatically. The main issue with regular fuel is that usually its contaminated. This would lead to the injectors getting clogged, throttle bodies getting dirty. Bikes will refuse to start, sometimes they will start and immediately shut down and sometimes the idling gets erratic.If you leave the bike standing for more than a month, ensure that it’s topped up with fuel. Empty spaces in the tank can lead to rusting.
Tips to solve this
1.Use premium fuel as far as possible
2.Use an injector cleaner(STP etc) The will keep you injectors clean
3.Ensure the entire throttle body gets cleaned every time you service the bike.
Trouble cause due to dusty/dirty roads
Our roads are usually too dusty, dirty and filled with small pebbles. These will bother the bike in various ways.
Airfilter: The fundamental job of the filter is to keep the dust from entering the combustion chamber. They are usually made of high grade paper, Each filter is designed to last around 10000KM. But when it comes to our conditions they usually clog up in half the time.
Tips to solve this
Ensure your filter gets replaced every service and not just cleaned. Sometimes they spray a jet of compressed air to remove the dust. This does not work for the bikes. Else use a free flow filter like K&N. they let more air pass and can be re used. Its been argued that free flow filters don’t filter very efficiently. I have been using on for a 5000km. its been good so far.
Chain
A much ignored component on the bike is the chain. All chains come with lubrication on it. While it keeps the sprocket assembly in good running condition its also a dirt magnet.
Tips to solve this
Motul has a product called chain lube and another called chain cleaner. After every 1000 KM the chain must be compulsorily cleaned and lubed. In case the chain is running dry without any lube, soon it would start to rust and can damage your sprockets. Constant use of the bike will make the chain run loose. At every service ensure you get your mechanic to tighten the chain. Else this will lead to the chain wearing out too soon.
Radiator/Fairing Chipping
Small pebbles and other matter can prove to be vicious to the bike while travelling at high speeds. They usually begin to chip the fine grooves of the radiator and you’ll find loss of paint on the front fairings. While this is not completely avoidable there are minor solutions to it
Tips to solve this
Buy a pebble guard for the radiator. This is available as an aftermarket accessory. On the faring you can paste a 3M anti scratch clear vinyl coating. This will take the brunt of most of the damage.
Trouble Caused due to bumpy/uneven/pot holed roads
One major issue that crops up is the oil seal failure on the front suspension. This can be a painful sight to see and getting the oil seal is also not an easy procedure. One needs a trained mechanic to set it right also. Often the reason the oilseals gives up is not just the roads. It could be because of the suspension not being set up properly. Bad roads could take a toll on the tires and wear them out faster. In extreme cases this would impact the steering bearings and that is an expensive affair. As far as possible keep the bike on good tarmac or ride as slowly as you can on bad roads.
Troubles caused by traffic
These machines hate traffic, ideally they need to be ridden fast and the bike would thank you for that. Traffic leads to the engine heating up and its not uncommon for the engine to shut down completely for a while till the coolant temperature reaches normal limits. Most bikes have a tolerance of upto 125 degrees beyond that it would give up. However a lesser known issue thanks to traffic is the fact that the machine is always in low revs and the battery tends to not get enough charge. There is huge pressure on the regulator and alternator. Stories of bikes having a busted regulator is commonplace. Fixing this is an ordeal as any electrical issue can turn out to be a nightmare. Once a bike has electrical issues then the chances are that it would keep cropping up again.
Tips to solve this
Ensure you ride the bike for distance at decent speeds if you have spent a lot of time in traffic this will cool your engine as well as help charge your battery. Replace your battery if its showing sigs of ageing.
I’m sure there are other issues that I might have overlooked. If you have faced any such issues and know the solution to it, kindly post them in the comments. I read a line somewhere that goes like this… “Keep your bike well maintained.. riding shoes are not very comfortable to walk in”
With Inputs from Kaulson Racing(KRP).
you can contact them on kaulson@vsnl.com, else if your're in Delhi you could drop into their workshop in Naraina.
Maintaining a superbike in India comes with a few special challenges that our counterparts in the west don’t face. Firstly, We are severely short on good knowledgeable mechanics. The ones who are good are so short of time. It’s often hard to get a good second opinion also. Secondly, Our riding conditions are hardly ideal. I don’t even think the big companies ever test their bikes in conditions such as ours. Badly laid, pothole filled roads, Incredible amount of dust and grime are that of our roads. The weather is wet and humid and finally the traffic. These are exactly the conditions a superbike is not made for. However since we don’t have a choice but to live with these conditions its very important that the bikes are looked after very well.
Based on inputs from mechanics, owners and my personal experience the following are the issues to look out for.
Trouble due to poor fuel.
All superbike engines have high compression ratios. For such an engine to work optimally, it needs fuel that is designed for it. All bikes that are now sold in India require 95 octane or higher. In my experience I have not come across any brand but BP who makes premium fuel. Speed 97 is however not available in many pumps and often one needs to take a detour to just fill gas. Using regular fuel tends to make the engine knock. Certain engines have a knock sensors and will adjust automatically. The main issue with regular fuel is that usually its contaminated. This would lead to the injectors getting clogged, throttle bodies getting dirty. Bikes will refuse to start, sometimes they will start and immediately shut down and sometimes the idling gets erratic.If you leave the bike standing for more than a month, ensure that it’s topped up with fuel. Empty spaces in the tank can lead to rusting.
Tips to solve this
1.Use premium fuel as far as possible
2.Use an injector cleaner(STP etc) The will keep you injectors clean
3.Ensure the entire throttle body gets cleaned every time you service the bike.
Trouble cause due to dusty/dirty roads
Our roads are usually too dusty, dirty and filled with small pebbles. These will bother the bike in various ways.
Airfilter: The fundamental job of the filter is to keep the dust from entering the combustion chamber. They are usually made of high grade paper, Each filter is designed to last around 10000KM. But when it comes to our conditions they usually clog up in half the time.
Tips to solve this
Ensure your filter gets replaced every service and not just cleaned. Sometimes they spray a jet of compressed air to remove the dust. This does not work for the bikes. Else use a free flow filter like K&N. they let more air pass and can be re used. Its been argued that free flow filters don’t filter very efficiently. I have been using on for a 5000km. its been good so far.
Chain
A much ignored component on the bike is the chain. All chains come with lubrication on it. While it keeps the sprocket assembly in good running condition its also a dirt magnet.
Tips to solve this
Motul has a product called chain lube and another called chain cleaner. After every 1000 KM the chain must be compulsorily cleaned and lubed. In case the chain is running dry without any lube, soon it would start to rust and can damage your sprockets. Constant use of the bike will make the chain run loose. At every service ensure you get your mechanic to tighten the chain. Else this will lead to the chain wearing out too soon.
Radiator/Fairing Chipping
Small pebbles and other matter can prove to be vicious to the bike while travelling at high speeds. They usually begin to chip the fine grooves of the radiator and you’ll find loss of paint on the front fairings. While this is not completely avoidable there are minor solutions to it
Tips to solve this
Buy a pebble guard for the radiator. This is available as an aftermarket accessory. On the faring you can paste a 3M anti scratch clear vinyl coating. This will take the brunt of most of the damage.
Trouble Caused due to bumpy/uneven/pot holed roads
One major issue that crops up is the oil seal failure on the front suspension. This can be a painful sight to see and getting the oil seal is also not an easy procedure. One needs a trained mechanic to set it right also. Often the reason the oilseals gives up is not just the roads. It could be because of the suspension not being set up properly. Bad roads could take a toll on the tires and wear them out faster. In extreme cases this would impact the steering bearings and that is an expensive affair. As far as possible keep the bike on good tarmac or ride as slowly as you can on bad roads.
Troubles caused by traffic
These machines hate traffic, ideally they need to be ridden fast and the bike would thank you for that. Traffic leads to the engine heating up and its not uncommon for the engine to shut down completely for a while till the coolant temperature reaches normal limits. Most bikes have a tolerance of upto 125 degrees beyond that it would give up. However a lesser known issue thanks to traffic is the fact that the machine is always in low revs and the battery tends to not get enough charge. There is huge pressure on the regulator and alternator. Stories of bikes having a busted regulator is commonplace. Fixing this is an ordeal as any electrical issue can turn out to be a nightmare. Once a bike has electrical issues then the chances are that it would keep cropping up again.
Tips to solve this
Ensure you ride the bike for distance at decent speeds if you have spent a lot of time in traffic this will cool your engine as well as help charge your battery. Replace your battery if its showing sigs of ageing.
I’m sure there are other issues that I might have overlooked. If you have faced any such issues and know the solution to it, kindly post them in the comments. I read a line somewhere that goes like this… “Keep your bike well maintained.. riding shoes are not very comfortable to walk in”
With Inputs from Kaulson Racing(KRP).
you can contact them on kaulson@vsnl.com, else if your're in Delhi you could drop into their workshop in Naraina.
Very Useful Tips Vijay
ReplyDeleteThanks for compiling this useful info
Great Job
thanks ram :)
ReplyDeletequite usefull,ezpecially for bikers like who have a big bike but no service backup.... from zeeshan iqbal
ReplyDeleteone problem with busa that i faced- sometimes if your busa engine shuts off due to improper release of clutch, the radiator fan does not shut-down and remains on.. starting the bike while the radiator fan is ON will drain your busa's battery immediately..
ReplyDeletea possible remedy is to turn off the ignition and turn it on again in 5 seconds.. it shuts off the radiator.. and u can start ur busa again..
I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
ReplyDeleteBike Spa Services in Mumbai