Saturday 29 November 2008

How to disconnect TPFC in CBZ



Look at the photos. The cable where my finger is, is the TPFC cable. If you trace this cable to its lower end, you will see that it has a knob fitted into a Y-slot and operates a plunger which sprays extra petrol when throttle is opened.
Just remove the knob out of the Y-slot and the TPFC will become non-functional and mileage will improve.
However, by doing this you might have starting troubble and engine dying at low idling which is LAW OF NATURE and cannot be helped.

BIKE INSTABILITY

If bike wobbles / unstable / skid / pull to one side, then could be one or more of following reasons.

You have to check each faktor one-by-one. It is a lot of work, but no other way.

1 Chassis bend.
2 Rim bend
3 Incorrect tyre fitment.
4 Swing-arm bearing worn
5 Axle bearings (both--either / or) worn
6 Loose mountings or very tight mountings (i.e.less or more tight than that recommended and done by torque wrench) of engine, forks, shockabs, bushes etc.
7 Worn or unequal suspensions (both front and rear).
8 Untrue wheel alignment of rear wheel.
9 Loose spokes / broken spokes / missing spokes (both wheels)
10 If Mag-Alloy wheels, then could be non-uniform metal spread / distribution. In which case, nothing can be done. Either live with it or replace.
11 Front fork bent.
12 Steering cone ball bearings
13 Swing arm bent

Night Rider's Guide

NIGHT RIDING

Riding in the night calls for an additional set of skills to meet new contingencies and to make allowances for the reduced visibility. This month we shall elaborate on riding in the night and what contingencies to look out for.

Oncoming traffic is heralded by headlamp glare. Flash ahead to warn of your approach and dip your lights to see better and avoid blinding oncoming drivers. Vehicles on the inside of a bend create dazzle before the lights of a vehicle on the outside.

In the past few editions, we have focused on riding in the wet and making the best of terrible road conditions. In this edition we will focus on riding in the night, which demands adjusting to a whole new set of conditions. Riding in the night not only restricts your visibility but your visibility to other road users is also reduced. Your judgement of speed and distance is drastically altered by both incomplete vision of other vehicles and the inability to judge perspective and dimensions from roadside objects.

A solo motorcycle as it passes behind an obstruction, can be overlooked by another road user stationary at a road junction. Even though you are wearing a reflective jacket, if you are physically out of view you will not be seen by others and will not enter into their consideration and judgement, at least not until it is too late.

Electrical system faults usually become apparent at night. Check equipment regularly and correct any faults before onset of the rains.
While riding in the night, seeing and being seen should be your number one priority. Start right at the basics; check your lights, never assume that the lights are all in order. Check them thoroughly and regularly. Terminals can get dirty, wires can work loose and nothing is more dangerous than all the lighting blacking out on a dark or dimly lit road. Even a dirty headlamp lens will cut down the limit of your visibility to other road users. A motorcyclist has less excuse for not noticing a lamp failure - and more reason to rectify it. The efficiency of lenses can deteriorate imperceptibly with the daily build up of road dirt and the resulting decline in light value may go unnoticed. Also another reason for you lazy bums to clean your bike - a clean machine is not only a more reliable machine, as defects are discovered as matter of course during regular cleaning. Also shining paintwork and metalwork will reflect surrounding light. If your bike has side-mounted amber reflectors, keep them clean and if you don't have them, install them.


At over 100kmph the main beam will not illuminate the braking distance. Readjust the beam when carrying a load or passenger.
Set up headlamps correctly, always bearing in mind that a pillion passenger will alter the line of your lamp beam. Remember that on a bumpy road, particularly on lightweight 100cc machines, the headlamp can bounce up and down quite considerably. Always set a dipped beam to cut in well to the near side to save others the discomfort of being dazzled.

Whatever message you want to convey, never flash your main beam into the face of other road users. A dazzled driver becomes disoriented and may quite rapidly collide with you or any other road user. This kind of discourteous behaviour is commonly observed among road users in our country and should be avoided. Also never take another driver's flashed signal for granted. The lights may have been switched on by accident.

Ride so that you are not shielded from view by your close proximity to other vehicles. Keep out from the kerb to improve your vision ahead and avoid the risk of colliding with a suddenly opened car door. Remember that you are less visible at night and make allowances for it.

Don't pass another vehicle until you can see the road ahead of it. Flash a warning before overtaking. Headlamps, particularly a motorcycle light that is high enough to blind drivers easily, should dip to the near side.

Ever been dazzled by the lights of oncoming vehicles? The trick is never to look straight into oncoming headlamps. When traffic is approaching, always dip your headlamps and look away from the glare of oncoming headlights. Stay in from the centre of the road. The vehicle may have an overhang that obstructs your part of the road or it may be hiding a vehicle running with only the near side lights on. This is particularly important when the road is narrow. There is no point being angry about unlit vehicles, loads or road obstructions, simply be alert enough to avoid them and stay alive.

Expect to be dazzled by the lights of vehicles approaching over the brow of a hill, on a bridge or undulating roads, whether they are on main beam or dip. If a driver refuses to dip, slow down and look away - to the near side preferably. Don't try to out-dazzle him; he may have badly adjusted lights which are already dipped and which he could flash with blinding effect.

On an unlit road, always momentarily dip your headlamp as you approach a bend or corner. This will enable you to detect the glare of an approaching set of headlamps. This early warning could be denied if your main beam has outflared them.

Always dip the headlights on the approach to the brow of a hill. If the main beam shines into the open sky ahead and is bounced back as a white glare, and vision is lost.

Remember to read every cue at night. Take nothing for granted. If you cannot see, don't go. If you are not sure of the situation, don't go. Never ride into a position from which there is no visible exit. Never overtake when you cannot see what is in front of the vehicle to be passed.

That's it for night riding. In the next edition we shall look at the importance of and how to be conspicuous at all times. Till then happy riding and don't forget that helmet.


[Author: Sirish Chandran] SourceClick here for subscription November 2001

Thursday 13 November 2008

Unleash the Beast


Tadahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Here's the pic as I had promised:)

Cheers!!!!

Saturday 8 November 2008

Head Shot



Hello dear readers,
howz life been so far, pretty good eh?!! So is mine[:)] but we all know more is never enough, especially when it comes to tinkering ur bike[:p] (am trying to hide the visible set of projections on mah head). Well before ur eager ears get to hear how I messed up in the process(as I aslways do, just like any other great scientist the world admires most!), and finally triumphed over the typical indian standards to come out with a state of the art(n Cool of course!) utility mod, I need to share few other things about my life in past couple of months...well being a biker doesn't mean he'll be in his leathers all the time. duh!!
Lemme tell you, when am not me, am a software professional. ya ya...not even a typical 9 to 5 job. You must be having some idea about the global economic meltdown n how badly all industries are hit, same with my industry too!! Am lucky that I got to work on projets which keeps me on my toes, unlike my few other friends who are bored of being bored and are yet being paid...lol.(it's not that bad though if u prefer such a lifestyle!) With job comes responsibilties, expectations, stress n frustration and at the end satisfaction, provided u faced the previous things honestly, enthusiastically and of course smartly!!![Try to read between the lines, else ask someone who's been in the industry for a while[;)] ] Journey from the first day till today was kinda tupsy turvy, learned a lot many things, which while being a student I never understood! hmm....enough I said about my work life(as it has taken 110% of my time for past few months), now lets get back to business, Biking!!!! this blog finally got a breath of fresh air, or for the more gear head kinds, this article is like watching the sunrise on the chrome tank!! oh yeah...
So being busy shouldn't be an excuse for not being active!! Office does demand a lot, but I can't deny the late night rides I owe it!!! Each one was worth a story, cause I never miss to enjoy the rides!
So the last thing(biggest mistake, DO NOT TRY ON YOUR BIKE kinds) that I did was upgraded my front tyres to a 100/90 18 zapper. Indeed it looks cool, but to have a mud flap to cover it took me 3 months and 3 grands:( , but anyways all is well that ends well:)! Then I got inspired by Punisher(a chopper from Walz Hardcore Cycle) and I wanted that mean look, and upon that I was alread a die hard fan of Buell XB9S, so ??? So went ahead and removed the sexy silver cbz front head assembly and went for a black, small, bright n ultra cool head light. Which looked somethin like this..
Go ahead.....u r allowed to drool for a while...... :)
Ok now come back, u'll get more of such moments in this blog. So..., this was the look of my steed for a while, when this one day, I was driving a bit too fast(I don't usually do that), I came across a pothole or u could say a T-Rex footprint. Damn, my front mud flap cracked. It was so irritating, when every mod seems to work fine, something comes outta blue and gives u a sour taste! It sucks! am sorry for being filthy in that last couple of lines, but I really felt that way and am sure u wud feel the same if it had happened to ur bike. But challenges are part of life:p, n a true biker fights back and so did I:) I asked a mech to design a mud flap to suit the bike, and finally I got one!!! It's a imported one and hence quite strong(unlike typical JC road stuff) and well designed one. But he made the colour scheme as black with silver touch ups. Which am not much impressed with, so planning to make it silver with black touch ups. Am sure it wud look cool. But the dawg(dude) charged me two grands for the whole affair:( and upon that he burnt the filament of my ultra cool light:( :( I wasn't sure whether I could get it fixed & I already had plans for a powerful beam for highway rides, so I asked him to enquire about it. And I too did a search online and found this gorgeous piece:D

I thought as if it's OEM accessory of Ducati beast(hope u know what it is). Damn, I want it soooo badly!!! U know what?!! next day was saturday and I wasn't that busy for a change, so there's hardly anything left to guess. I went to JC road, but got dissapointed immediately as I couldn't find this cool hella piece, nor any such thing:( but then, one guy from Royal Motors made few phone calls and asked me to wait........it was killling me as I already know patience is definately not one of my virtues. hmmm.....I checked out few accessories, had a chat with a R15 owner who was checking out exhaust cans for his steed..Then the guy at the shop counter asked me to take a look at something......n this is wot he showed....

Gawwwsh......couldn't believe that i found it. It wasn't a pair of Hella though, but projection lamps aren't that common yet, even from a chinese or malaysian vendor. Few more pics as I unpacked it...

Tomorrow I've got an appointment from a pro welder, who can clamp it up!! Soon I'll upload the pics of my bike with these projection lamps in place.....till then be hungry:p