Category: Bike Maintenance

Excessive gear lever play on the Pulsar 200NS

During my recent Sunday Morning Ride to Layang-layang, I experienced a gear shift issue on the Pulsar. Well, for some time now, I thought the gearshift on the 200NS felt strange. After the recent 2,000km run to Betong, Thailand and back, I thought that the gearshift felt kind of harsh. Initially, I attributed it to possibly spent oil. Although it was a mere 2,000km, I was running at high RPM’s for extended periods of time. And so when I returned to Singapore, I performed an engine oil change. Unfortunately, even the fresh oil – Motul’s fully synthetic 7100 – didn’t bring me the once-familiar super-smooth gear shift experience.

During the Layang-layang ride, it got worse.

Much worse.

At a juncture, I couldn’t downshift my bike! And I was forced to pull off from stationary on gear 2. Oh gosh! I hope it isn’t a gearbox issue. Now, THAT will be expensive repair.

So when I got back home, I visually inspected the gear shift area, and realised that Continue reading “Excessive gear lever play on the Pulsar 200NS”

Pulsar 200NS Rear Monoshock Settings

The Pulsar 200NS comes with an adjustable nitrox-charged monoshock rear suspension. Although the damping is not adjustable, the spring preload is.

At my recent tour to Betong, and because I was riding with a group, I realised that when it came to corners, I seem to hesitate quite a bit more than the other bikes. It could be a case of chicken, or that my Pulsar was the most underpowered bike. But when I was discussing this issue with a fellow biker, he suggested that it could be due to the suspension setup of my motorcycle.

The Pulsar 200NS rear gas-charged mono suspension comes with NINE (9) levels of adjustment settings, with 1 being the softest and 9 being the hardest spring preload. The factory default setting is a very soft level 2. While this may be suitable for most “average sized” solo riders, heavier riders (like me) or riders with pillion and / or luggage should increase the preload for better damping.

Level 2 – the default rear shock preload setting on the Pulsar 200NS.

I tried borrowing various suspension wrenches from various people, but unfortunately Continue reading “Pulsar 200NS Rear Monoshock Settings”

Motul C3 (Off Road) Chain Lube Review

Some of you would know that I have been using Motul’s very popular C2 (Road) chain lube for a very long time. It was also my primary chain lubricant when I did my 11,000km over 49 days SE Asia Tour in 2016. While the topic of chain lube – like engine oil – is very much a controversial subject when it comes to “which one is the best”, everyone has their own favourite lube. Personally, when it comes to chain lube, my opinion is that as long as you clean and lube frequently, I suspect most brand-name chain lubes would work well to protect the chain and keep it running.

But of course, there are differences.

While I’m pretty certain that the Motul C2 Chain Lube kept my chain well lubed, it also tend to attract A LOT of gunk. A HELL LOT!! I’ve previously blogged about the gooey mess that have accumulated on my chain and front sprocket after I returned from my long tour. Yes, admittedly, I had traveled on some challenging terrains – including the dusty roads of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. But I suspect the accumulated gunk might have somewhat contributed to accelerated wear on my chain – leading to an eventual uneven distribution of wear along the chain length.

Notice the gooey paste on the chain and around the sprocket? That’s a concoction of Motul C2 + lots of dirt.

Continue reading “Motul C3 (Off Road) Chain Lube Review”

Pulsar 200NS Engine Oil Anomaly

This is crazy… At the Sunday Morning Ride, I was just talking to a fellow biker about carrying an extra bottle of engine oil for a long trip. And when I returned home after the ride, washed and waxed by bike, I realized that my oil inspection window was… EMPTY!

I had initially thought it was still “warm” after the ride and allowed some time pass to allow the oil to flow back down. But checked the oil window the next morning, still empty – no matter how I tilted my bike. 🙁

So I thought the high RPM run on Sunday might have something to do with it. No external oil leak was observed. So my worst fear was an internal engine oil consumption – aka oil “burning” up. Was it an engine gasket issue? Perhaps a valve oil seal failure? But it was only 17,000km since my engine was rebuilt in Chiang Mai, and I’d be very disappointed if an oil leak or oil consumption occurred.

As a temporary measure, I added Continue reading “Pulsar 200NS Engine Oil Anomaly”

Detailing the 200NS Exhaust

Yes, I’ll admit it. I pamper my ride. A lot. And it isn’t just my motorcycle. I do that on all my previous cars too.

The 200NS comes with a black-painted exhaust header instead of some shiny stainless steel. It’s been some months since I painted the exhaust header on my 200NS, and there are some new signs of very, very light corrosion. I’ve had good experience with Rustoleum’s High Heat paint on the exhaust and still have more than a half-can remaining.

Rusty exhaust header on my Pulsar 200NS during my 2016 SE Asia Tour.

I recall someone asked me if the exhaust stays black (forever) after the Rustoleum High Heat paint treatment. While I would love for it to be the case, the truth is that I will have to periodically repaint it. Well, that person subsequently mentioned that it was too much of a trouble for him and he was really looking for a more “permanent” solution. Dude! It doesn’t exist! Even polish and wax have to be periodically re-applied! Unless, of course, your machine is a showpiece and remains perpetually in display and not used at all. Continue reading “Detailing the 200NS Exhaust”

WD-40 as a motorcycle chain cleaner

Motorcycle chain cleaning is an essential maintenance procedure on all chain-driven bikes. While everybody have their favorite chain cleaner, the topic of the suitability of WD-40 as a chain cleaner (and as a chain lube) is amongst the most controversial ones in chain maintenance chats. Some swear by it, while others swear at it.

The biggest concern motorcycle owners have on the choice of cleaning fluids on their o-ring (or x-ring, or z-ring) sealed chain is the effect of the fluid on the o-ring itself. The 0-rings serve as a seal that locks lubricating grease between the pin and the roller of the chain, significantly increase the chain’s useful life as compared to non-o-ring chains. Any deterioration of this rubber o-ring will allow grease to escape and contaminants such as dirt, mud and other yucky stuff  into the tiny crevices inside the chain, leading to a drastically reduced chain life.

The idea that WD-40 reacts with rubber, swelling, softening and making it brittle has been debunked. MC Garage produced an excellent video to demonstrate this:

Still not convinced? Continue reading “WD-40 as a motorcycle chain cleaner”

Front sprocket gooey grime (again) at 800km

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…

Accumulated blob of grim at the bottom of the removed 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”

DID 520VX2 X-ring Chain on the Pulsar 200NS

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.

The set of original Bajaj chain and sprockets set purchased from Bajaj Phnom Penh.

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”

When was your last motorcycle cable maintenance?

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.

Updated Pulsar 200NS Recommended Service Intervals

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”

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