Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy
Adventures and micro-adventures on a motorcycle
I was going about my usual day activity this afternoon when my iPhone suddenly buzzed. Turns out, I received a facebook page comment and a private message at about the same time.
The facebook page comment read:
“Please share with everyone the technical details of your finding on this subject!!!! backed up with ISO testing not just you saying this is shampoo.”
At the same time, I received a private message from the same Continue reading “Lupromax, really? Why you so scared?”
I’ve resisted this modification for awhile. But after reading reports of failing regulators / rectifiers (RR) and stator coils – not just on the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, but not an uncommon failure on almost any motorcycles, I’ve decided to add a voltmeter to the bike so that I can keep a constant eye on the health of my motorcycle’s electrical system.
By the way, did you know that the number one cause for RR and stator coil failures is NOT the addition of electrical accessories, but rather a bad battery? The typical electrical loads additional (reasonable) accessories demand from the bike’s electrical system is usually very, very well within what the electrical generation system can handle. But when a battery goes bad, and if a single cell within the 12V lead acid battery shorts (a typical 12V battery has 6 cells), this draws a significantly increased amount of current from the bike’s electrical generation system. This large current draw puts a tremendous strain on the electrical system until something – typically either the RR or the stator, or both – gives way and burns up. So remember this – periodically replacing a battery BEFORE it goes bad is good preventive maintenance for your bike’s electrical system. And this is one reason why I choose to replace old batteries instead of waiting for them to go bad.
With a new chain on, I decided to take a peek at my front sprocket.Some of you might have remembered that I performed a deep cleaning of my front sprocket only about 800km ago. And so I expected it to be relatively clean now. But when I popped open the sprocket cover…
Eeew! Yucks! Phhht!
There’s a MASSIVE blob of sticky, gooey grime at the bottom of the sprocket cover! And when I dug around the sprocket shield further… Continue reading “Front sprocket gooey grime (again) at 800km”
At 12,000km, the chain on my Pulsar 200NS had developed an uneven wear across the length of the chain. This set of original Bajaj sprocket and chain was replaced for US$45 in Phnom Penh’s Bajaj dealership when I was touring Cambodia.
Apart from regularly cleaning and lubing the chain, I did not have to adjust the chain slack for the first 9,000km or so. And then I did something really stupid – I Continue reading “DID 520VX2 X-ring Chain on the Pulsar 200NS”
In this digital age, content appear to be abundantly available online. A quick Google or Yahoo (does anybody actually use this term?) for something, and you’ll find useful and relevant content. But did you know that in the internet world, it is estimated that only 1% of people GENERATE content while 99% of the people CONSUME it? It’s called the “1% rule” in internet culture. (See wikipedia article here.)
It takes time and effort to generate content – digital or otherwise. And after it is generated, have you actually considered WHERE you host that content?
You see, when I first got my Pulsar 200NS last year, I joined the Pulsarians Singapore facebook group. Continue reading “Goodbye Pulsarians Singapore FB Group”
The Singapore Budget 2017 was announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat yesterday. And in view of the recent lamentations from the motorcycling community of the record high Certificate of Entitlement (COE) prices for motorcycles – especially affecting the smaller motorcycles – the government has announced a tiered Additional Registration Fee (ARF) tax structure on motorcycles.
Under the existing tax structure, motorcycles are taxed Continue reading “Singapore Introduces Luxury Tax on Motorcycles”
Com’on! Be truthful! When did you last maintain your motorcycle cables? Your clutch cable? Throttle cable?
What? NEVER?!?
Just a couple of days ago, as I was on the road, I spotted someone pushing his motorcycle along the side of the road. I wasn’t in a rush for time, and I pulled over to check out what was wrong with his machine and also see if I could offer any assistance. Turns out, his clutch cable had snapped and he was pushing his bike along to the nearest workshop to get it replaced.
I couldn’t leave a fellow rider in the lurch and offered to help him push. So with one foot on my motorcycle and the other one on his, I maintained a slow speed and pushed his Yamaha along until 3 junctions down the road. He then told me the workshop was just round the corner and he could push it the rest of the way. So I wished him luck and rode off.
When I got back that evening, a startling realisation dawned upon me – I have NEVER lubricated my clutch cable nor my throttle cable. Heck! I didn’t even know how to access it!
So when I got back home, I played with the clutch lever and throttle handle. Lo and behold! I did notice that my cables are beginning to feel “stiff” and slightly “sticky”. So I flipped through the 200NS service manual, whipped out my set of tools and can of WD40 and started squirting generously at both ends of both cables. I also took the opportunity to lube the clutch and throttle springs as a rust preventive maintenance.
Ah! So much smoother now…
Reminder to self – Don’t get stranded. Periodically lube the cables!
*Picture of frayed cable from internet. Thankfully, that is NOT my cable.
I’ve come across a couple of engine oil / oil additives companies that use the timken bearing test – also sometimes known as the “one arm bandit” test or bearing lubricity test – to display the efficacy of their oil or oil additive. I must admit that the test, being very visual, is extremely convincing. But did you know that this non-standardised test is practically useless in demonstrating the efficiency of oils? In fact, it can actually be (unscrupulously) manipulated.
So, the next time before you’re convinced of the “superiority” of any engine oils or oil additives using this demonstration, remember this – you might actually be better off using shampoo*!!
*on the bearing test only please. Do NOT use shampoo in your engine!
If you’ve been following my blog, my previous Lazer Corsica Z-Line modular convertible helmet had some quality issues. And so I contacted Lazer and asked if the helmet was repairable. After some email exchanges, the friendly customer support guy at Lazer Helmet informed me that the helmet is likely not repairable and since the Corsica Z-Line is now discontinued, he offered me the newly released 2017 Lazer JH-3 Long Jet helmet as a replacement instead.
This is my 2nd open-face helmet – the first being a cheap $30 MHR helmet I purchased at the driving centre when I first started learning how to ride. Being a safety freak that I am, I have always preferred the protection of a chinbar – either from a modular, or a full-face helmet. But in this part of the world where it’s perpetually summer, I do notice that the majority of motorcycle riders use open-face helmet for the extra ventilation it offers over their full-face cousins. Continue reading “Lazer JH-3 Long Jet Helmet Review”
The Bajaj Pulsar 200NS was introduced in 2012 with much fanfare then. It was the first 200cc triple-sparked single-cylinder engine that the Indian company ever produced – a technology revolution at that time. As with every new engine, service intervals called out in the owners manual tend to be on the conservative side for some checks. Take the valve / tappet clearance for example – it was recommended to check and adjust if necessary at every 5,000km!
Since 2012, Bajaj has sold a healthy number of 200NS and thus their engineering team also has a better idea of the performance and tolerances of the parts. In the latest version of the 200NS owner’s manual (combined as a 200NS and 200AS owner’s manual), some notable difference from the original Rev 1 (May 12) version of the 200NS manual as follows: Continue reading “Updated Pulsar 200NS Recommended Service Intervals”
