Friday, June 29, 2007

Rear Disk Brake Issues - Resolved

Finally, the rear disk brake issue has been resolved. Khivraj Service Bangalore received a new brake kit from Pune. The new kit is of the same make (KBX, Kalyani). The rear disk looks different, and it does not have a grove ring the previous one had. Also the ventilation holes pattern is same as the front disk. The old kit was removed after taking off the side panels. The rear wheel had to be taken off to replace the disk.

On the first run after the new kit was installed, the brakes did not work well even after pressing the brake lever down hard. And the disk got very very hot. The engineers then took the bike in again, and did rear wheel alignment. The logic here was that if the wheel is not aligned correctly, the disk (which is mounted directly on the wheel) would cause excessive friction with the brake pads, which are mounted separately. This idea worked, and on the 2nd run, the brakes worked perfectly.

I did another 150Km, a wet ride to Nandi Hills on the next day, and the rear brakes work like a charm. My only complaint is that the disk pad assembly is not covered from the top. That may allow guk and mud to go in and damage the assembly. Not sure why Bajaj did not put a simple rubber cap to cover it.

Thanks to prompt Bajaj service, for resolving this brake issue.

Monday, June 25, 2007

First ride in the rain

It's been raining here in Bangalore since a couple of days now. The roads are wet n muddy, just the way the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi likes them. After a 15 km rain ride on the Hosur road highway to Electronics city, I came to know more about the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi than before. The Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi not only loves the rain, but also loves to get dirty in the mud, just like a small kid while mommy is looking away.

Get dirty in the mud? Literally! After 15 Km of good highway (no pot holes, no un-even road surfaces making water puddles), the bike was covered in dirt and mud all over. The guk is all over the lower parts of the engine, the lower parts of the front faring, and even some on the seats. And I'm not talking about my dirty jeans yet.

The front wheel threading efficiently keep the water away from the wheel, but all over the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi. I find this different from the P180, and even the good-ol' Caliber.

Besides the dirt-all-over-the-bike issue, the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi is very very stable in mud/water/guk. I rode at almost 75Kmph, and had no stability or handling problems at all. One new thing I noticed was I could control the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi by working on the front disks, and sliding the rear wheel in whichever direction I wanted. But obviously at low speeds of <10kmph.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Rear disk brake issues - some good news

The rear brake is back to being bad. Its not sticking, but the efficiency is badly hit. It feels like its a drum brake, with badly worn out brake pads.

Good news: Received an email from Khivraj Bangalore, saying that Bajaj Pune has dispatched a new rear disk kit for my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi. I would be informed once it arrives here. Phew.. some relief after all this rear brake stress! Thanks Bajaj Auto :)

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Rear disk brake issues - Update

Took my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi again back to Khivraj service as the rear disk brake is going bad. The engineers there then worked on the disk system. They opened it, and concluded that the brake pads need to be cleaned. So sand papered the asbestos pads, and even the rear disk. Although the rear brake assembly is different from the front one, they gave it a shot at fixing it (reverse engineered it). They put back everything in the sequence it was taken off. Some more brake oil was lost, but was not topped up today.

After this exercise, the brakes are definitely better, but I would say only 50% efficiency as the original ones. Lets see how it goes now..

BTW, no email update from Bajaj service. Sent a reminder again. My Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi sadly waits for parts..

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Rear disk brake issues.

Some more developments on my Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi .. w.r.t. the rear disk brakes.

First some history:
-The rear disk brake got stuck one day after approx 250Km. The whole rear disk brake assembly was replaced promptly by Shirode Auto Pune by a newer kit. There was slight heating up of the rear disk during normal running (even when rear disk was not used at all). Engineers at Shirode Auto Pune told me that this is normal in the beginning and I should not worry much about it.

-After that my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi was serviced (1st free) at Shirode Auto Pune at 583Km. The brake was still sticking slightly and heating up negligibly (even if rear brake was not applied) after this service.

-After this servicing, I took my Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi to Bangalore. I soon noticed that the rear disk brake was sticking and heating up much more than before. The free running of the wheel had reduced (checked in neutral, engine Off and bike up on main stand). There was also audible noise of the rear disk sticking. To resolve this issue, I took the P220 (at 1122Km) to Khivraj Motors Service division, Kasturba Road, Bangalore, who are authorized Pro Biking service center in Bangalore.

-The engineers concluded that the rear disk is bent by visually inspecting the disk. I requested them to replace the part, as
according to me its a part defect. But as they did not have the spares and neither any knowledge of what to do.., to solve the problem they hammered the disk after removing the brake pad assembly. After much hard work, the disk appeared to be better then before. The engineers had difficulties putting back the brake pad assembly, and a lot of brake oil was lost, which of course they topped up.

-Now, the problem with the disk sticking has definitely reduced. The audible sound is also gone now. The heating is reduced, but it still does heat up (although lesser then before) even if the rear brake is not used in normal riding even after a run of 10Km. But the rear brake response is reduced a lot, and I have to press really hard down to make it work even a bit (something like a worn out disk pads on a drum brake). The rear brake is almost useless now.

- I was charged a fee of Rs.100 + tax for the disk brake problem by Khivraj Motors, Bangalore. The person in charge with whom I have interacted with (Service Adviser) says that the disk is not covered in warranty, as its normal wear and tear. Isn't the rear disk bend a defect, which should be covered under warranty? Any idea guys ?

-I have now written a email to all concerned bajaj email id's, with no response yet. I again called up Bajaj Pune Pro, asked for their email and forwarded the mail to them. No response yet.

What do you think about the issues...
1] disk brake sticking, and heating.. is it normal ?
2] disk's do bend and have to be hammered back to normalcy ?
2] should this be covered under warranty ?

Will the Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi be ridden with such issues, or are they just teething issues?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Report - 1000 Km done

My Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi was serviced for the first time (after ~550Km) in Pune, and then got it here in Bangalore. I had a chance to do ~400Km this Sunday from Bangalore to Shivasamudram (water falls) off Mysore Road, and back in a day. The road is a 4 lane expressway quality road, except a few Km near the falls.

Ride Comfort: The Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi is very comfortable for long rides. Only issue noticed was pain in the legs due to the bent position and driving for long stretches. Even the better half was happy with the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi'soverall. One major problem I faced was pain in the left hand the next day. The left thumb and palms are aching badly due to the hard clutch. But I soon realized that I held the handle in a wrong way and constantly stressed on the palms, holding the thumbs down hard. Now after correcting my hand position, the hand is good to go.

Ride quality: The wide profile and tubeless tires and nitrox shock absorbers are a boon on dirt roads or going off track. I had a chance to do some off-roading on the way for around 3 Km. The road was dug out and had rocks all over. I could comfortably keep a speed of 45-50 in 4th gear. This even surprised my wife when we easily over took others safely and painlessly on that terrain. The tread of the tires is good enough to provide sufficient traction and control in mud/sand and wet 'kichad'.

Engine Response: The engine is very responsive even in 5th gears, and overtaking and highway handling is great. One issue noticed was as the speed increases, the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi feels a bit lighter in weight. After the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi did 1000Km, I tried running at a speed of 100Kmph for around 1 Km distance, just to test it out. It achieved that speed of 100Kmph from my normal cruising speed of 65Kmph easily. But the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi felt very light weighted at that speed. I don't know if thats good or bad. I tried increasing speed further over 100, but the response was reduced at that point, and I could feel the Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi starting to strain after 105. I reduced the speed back to 65 after a distance of 1Km. I'm sure the engine will do better after the second servicing. But the vibrations and stability was very good at the high speed.

Issues: Another issue, which has been troubling me since day 1, is the rear disk brake sticking slightly. Already replaced once, the rear disk brake has started making audiable noise on applying the brake. It also heats up due to friction, even in normal running and not application of the brakes. Need to consult Bajaj Pro soon.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Initial owner report - 500 Km done.

The Bajaj Pulsar 220 is a very very refined machine. With well designed gear ratios, it easily picks up even in top gear (5th). It just wants to go faster, but I did not exceed 70 (recommended was 60-65) before 1st servicing. I guess the limit should have been on RPM (4000?) than on speed.


The control-handling is a bit different because its definitely heavy. I did speed trials on the Taljai-Bhutbangala (Pune) hill roads. Handling is initially a bit tough on sharp turns at high speeds. I almost went off track, only once out of 6 runs (@60Kmph, 4th gear), on a narrow 90 degree sharp left turn. But got scared of falling off the hills after that and stopped :) . The bikes weight comes in play here, and it gave me a feel of loosing control due to that. I have good enough experience of falling of on a variety of bikes :P

Initial issues (cribs) noticed..

-The mirrors are for aesthetic purpose only. Although I'm 5-10, I can see only 30% of the rear in riding position, compared to 90% of the P150/180. But, the mirrors can be folded back from the base, giving it a very sexy aerodynamic look. Also, the mirrors themselves vibrate a lot, as they are mounted on a fiber front faring, which helps transmit the vibrations to the ends (tuning fork theory).

-The pillion sitting position is not very comfortable (according to wife, and compared with my old Caliber and P150), perhaps some getting used to is needed.

-The split seat is a good feature for the rider. But if you have your GF behind you, forget body surface contact (unless you brake hard on the front disks ;). That's because the normal rider position is leaning ahead, and the pillion is straight up. So guys will hate this, and girls who ask for lift's will love this.

-The oil cooled engine heats up very soon (even after 2-3Km) (obviously, its 220 cc's) and you can feel the heat even through thick jeans while waiting at signals. While riding, its a non issue. I think the oil cooler is only useful in such waiting situations. Otherwise the standard air cooling while riding must be sufficient. BTW, the oil cooler is just an 'oil only' cooler, to maintain viscosity of the oil, marginally stabilizing performance of the engine even after long hours of riding. It does not seem to have an active role in engine cooling. Judging by its size and design, I would say a meager 5-10% of engine temperature reduction over normal. I'm planning to install a active air cooling DC brush less fan system as a mod to the oil cooler radiator block. Design ideas are welcome..

-The front faring is not so efficient in creating a low air pressure envelope at high speeds (@70Kmph) for the rider. The air hits just below the helmet and above the chest in the neck area. This forces the air under the helmet and into the eyes, causing difficulty in vision at high speeds. Don't know if water will also rush in, in the same way under heavy rain-wind-speed combinations. That would be bad! Solution: Eye protection gear.. enclosed type.

-Rear disk brakes jammed up one fine day, after 250Km. Suddenly after driving for 8Km, they just froze up. Calling the PRO's, they sent a mechanic duo under 15 min, who removed the rear disk assembly on the road. They drove the bike and me back to the garage. 10 min after calling Bajaj main office, they decided to replace the whole assembly. A new one was put (design looks different, even materials look different). The rear disks although don't feel different. Now I have a fear of a re-occurrence in mind while doing a long trip. Problem - If Bajaj knew about the issue, they should have pro actively called 220 customers and replaced rather than wait for incidents.

-On day 2, the front wheel started making funny noises .. something like qui-qui-qui. Got scared and ran to PRO. They removed the wheel, and greased the wheel, speedo sensor assembly and center rod (axle ?). The noise reoccurred after 10 days. They put grease like crazy, and the noise is gone for ever. No recurrence yet.

-You can't see the front wheel at all, so its visually difficult, but easy to get used to.

-Digital fuel indicator is funny. I topped up the tank, the indicator shows two marks till full. Later, while the tank was say 30-40% used, the digital fuel indicator started fluctuating like crazy for a few min scaring me. I guess fuzzy-logic went fuzzy then? or a badly designed threshold. No issues after that incident.

-The side stand is in a really silly position. You just cant do a smooth cowboy like side-stand-&-walk-away like on a caliber or P150. I had to search for it visually every time, and the space to boot-in the stand is so very narrow. Also no side stand down indicator on this baby.

-The bike 'boots' up. So there is a waiting time of a few seconds for the Fuel-Injection pump to get started. It makes a nice sound reminding me of the 1.2"/1.44" floppy disk drives making a sound at PC boot up.

-The silencer cylinder has a nice shiny polish. The manual recommends that it should not come in contact with oil/grease to avoid permanent marks. Also the silencer tube is turning chromatic gold in color near the engine side due to heating. Manual says this is OK. PRO guys say this is good, as the bike looks nice with the gold shades... and it does.

-The bike it toooo fast for city driving; you are at 60Kmph under 6-7 secs casually. Good? No! BAD... the wife (pillion) is scared soon, and that affects incentives/benefits at home ;) So new rule for me - keep under 3000 rpm when with wife and riding in the city. Also the females (pillion) will tend to be jealous of the bike due to extra attention showered on the bike, by owner as well as 'public'.

-The rear split grab rail is just a big show off. It is very unpractical and difficult to hold on to, while pulling the heavy (140Kg gross) bike on the main stand. Also the pillion rider cant hold it as effectively.

Initial '+' points noticed..

-Lights are tooo good. The low beam (projection) has a very sharp cut off, comparable to any C class sedan one...! The high beam is a bit high (off target by 1/2 feet vertically, over a 15 feet horizontal ahead), and perhaps needs adjustment. I also wish both the lamps could be turned on for highway riding, may be a patch/loop can do it. The front parking (fox eye) lamps are white-light 5W each.

-Main lights turn on for a few sec even when the bike is not running. Good feature, although it will drain battery.

-Indicators auto cancel after a successful turn, or time out.

-PRO bike mechanics are technically competent, who understand what they do. They passed my 'tests' on all occasions. I guess they have been trained to reply in Hindi, although most seem to be Marathi speaking natives, and do occasionally speak in English too.

-Thankfully the rear disk brake has a lesser bite than the front, but enough to give a crisp disk feel whenever needed.

-The firing sound is a WOW at low and cruise RPM's. No need of shouting to speak with pillion. At high RPM's the sound of the wind keeps the firing sound muffled. The vibrations are also less giving the bike a smooth and refined feel.

-The user manual is pretty good, emphasizing biking safety everywhere. Technically well documented too, with only 1 or 2 non-factual errors.

-Finding neutral is a no-brainer, and the gear shifting is smooth 'n nice.

-The bike is a looker, and every one (even Skoda and Audi walas :) stare.. Common questions .. Is it modified? Whats the price? Mileage? Does it go fast? (Duh !?!)

-Virtually no engine knocking even in higher gears and low RPM's, thanks to good ECU maps.

-Engine equipped with an 8 bit microprocessor ECU core, so chance of hacking/flashing the ECP maps using over-the-shelf kits and understanding of ECU MAP's. (May void warranty). Good discussion on P220 and ECU here.

-Sensors galore. There are just too many sensors to list them all here. An unheard one is 'engine kill on bike fall'.

-Its a lot of electronics underneath. Lots of wires every, going into sturdy black enclosures. The 'missing' carburetor (so no choke too) gives the underneath a strange but futuristic look. Disadvantage - road side mechanics can be useless or worst.. my end up damaging something.

-The bike which is electric start only (no kick), even starts in any gear with a clutch pull. Not sure if electric start will work reliably on chilling cold Pune winter mornings (also Leh). PRO says it will, on second or third crank. But it also dhakka/push starts easily (ya I tried to be sure), of course fuel pump must be on and bike must have booted up. So a dead battery, and you go nowhere!

-Descent mileage of 35Kmph and 36Kmph on 1st and 2nd runs, before 1st servicing. But then I use BPCL Speed (Octane 93). Then manual even recommends Petrol with an Octane rating of 87 and above. FYI.. Higher Octane only means lesser knocking, and a cleaner fuel system, highly recommended for fuel injections systems as they have pumps involved.

-Fuel injection, means better efficiency of burning fuel, hence a lean engine. So less loss wasted fuel, better emission control, so a less polluted planet :) .

-Broader tubeless tires give the bike an overall good grip on the road. The rear tyre has a soft rubber feel, and wears off easily after skidding or hard rear braking. The broader tyre also allows a steeper lean angle. Although I did not exceed my current caliber/pulsar 150 angles.

-Front forks are pretty strong. The design is reinforced with circular ring-cylinder designs. It is looks way stronger then the P200's fork. So in spite of looking at the scary pics of broken 200 forks, these ones only inspire confidence.

Thats it for now. More reporting after 2nd servicing. Please do leave any comments/ questions/ advise.