Following items I carried with me during this trip. For a new rider, it may appear like a lot, but they have been chosen over years of my riding and they serve their purpose.
The Beginning.
Motorcycle & Spares:
This is the most important thing for me, for such a ride. Thankfully it was already in decent shape, so I didn't have to do a lot of work to get it ready. However, an unexpected carburetor issue took me (and a friend) a whole day to iron out. Once fixed, it worked like a charming rest of the trip. So the effort there was well worth it.
Engine condition - Good, so no work was required
Clutch plates and springs - Got a new set, as the old ones had worn out
Clutch bearing - changed from a roller ball type to cylinder type (custom mod)
Carburetor - Reduced jet from 105 to 95
Front tire - Almost new (Michelin Sirac Street 3.25 19)
Engine oil - 1)Clutch side changed to 20W50 so that I can buy/replace on the way easily. 2) Engine side straight grade 50 (had a stock of 1.5 liters to carry along)
Suspension - No change/fix (though I wish I had the time/budget to import an off-road-tuned suspension)
Headlight - Replaced the HID bulb with a new one, as the original one conked out during rectifying some electrical issues (got a spare one to carry)
Auxiliary/Fog lights - No change
Spares - clutch wire (fitted on the bike), throttle wire, HID kit, tube, fuses, bulbs, spark plug, main jets
Standard Tool Kit - Already in bike
Puncture Tools - Already part of the tool roll, carried along
Slime Tyre Compressor - existing
Charging port - (new) Connected a water-resistant USB port near the handlebar (as I was using my iPhone 6s for navigation this time)
Emergency Box - Misc items like a steel wire, spare fuses, indicator bulbs, jump start wire, etc.
Rear Seat - Not fitted, only the rear rack to support saddle bags and tail bag
Cable Lock - existing
Motorcycle Luggage:
Cramster Saddle Bags - existing (Damn, this pair is not dying out at all!!!)
Generic Rain cover for saddle bag - existing (finally these got torn to shreds during this trip and I am happy that I can replace them now!)
Overboard 30L waterproof backpack (as the tail bag) - existing
Hein Gericke StreetLine Tank bag - existing
Double Bungee Cords with metal rings - existing
Rynox Waterproof Phone Mount - existing (became totally loose by the last day)
Nikkor 35mm f1.8 - existing (didn't get to use this one)
Manfrotto Tripod - existing
SJCAM 4000 WiFi - Bought this 2 days before the trip to try it out (before thinking of investing in a more expensive camera)
SD Cards (class 10) - 4GB, 16GB - existing
Micro SD (class 10) - 32 GB - (new) for the action cam
Storejet 160 GB HDD - existing
Kingston Wireless G2 - (new) To back-up photos and videos to an external drive, without a laptop
Clothing:
Frank Thomas All Season Riding Jacket - existing
Rynox Advento Riding Pants - existing
Altberg Waterproof Riding Boots - existing
LS2 FF386 Modular Helmet - existing
Scoyco MX Gloves - existing
Via-terra Marine Hydration Pack 1ltr - existing
Mostly carried a few full sleeve cotton t-shirts to wear inside my riding jacket, as short sleeves don't wick sweat as well, nor provide warmth when needed. New generation base layers are good I have heard, but were out of budget at this point. Other than that the usual pair of long shorts, a pair of jeans, briefs, socks, and a pair of slippers for hotel room/off-the-bike usage.
First-aid Kit:
Existing kit with first-aid medication and bandages. Few painkillers, muscle spray, etc.
Camping:
Pointless to discuss as I couldn't set up a tent anywhere along the route, due to security concerns or heavy rain.
The End Result.
Shipping of Motorcycle & Luggage: Due to a lack of time to go to the railway station and book the motorcycle and the luggage (as a parcel), I chose GATI again, albeit this time, worked with a new guy for packing and paperwork.
Things I carried in flight:
Clothes, camera, electronic accessories, and helmet
This post is a beginner/intermediate-level introduction to engine oils. The concept of engine oil and its use is the same for all possible types of engines; may it be a motorcycle or a propeller-type aircraft and of course anything in between (e.g. car?!). Cars are the most common type of motor vehicle in the world and hence most of the information on internal combustion engines or associated products (like motor oil) found on the internet is to do with cars. In this post, I have tried my best to explain the concepts/details about engine oil, keeping motorcycles in mind. However as one can presume, most of the informative videos/animations I could find online, to explain a particular point, are mostly based on car engines. This is really not an issue though, as long as the subject of discussion is about basic properties and the use of 'Engine Oil'. Still, you can find some videos and animations shared in this post, which are specifically created for motorcycles. This will not only help you understand how engine oils work but also will enhance your general knowledge of the internal working of a motorcycle. Having said that, do keep in mind that the videos and other information (especially from the external sources/youtube) shared in this post belong to their respective publishers/authors and are possibly copyrighted. Also based on only the information given in this blog, you shouldn't be trying out anything with your motorcycle which may harm the engine or the vehicle as a whole. In such case, nobody but you would be responsible for the same. Now with the disclaimer out of the way, without further ado, let's get cracking.
Why does my motorcycle need engine oil?
Our motorcycles are driven by 'motors', which are nothing but a form of internal combustion engines. Simply put, it is a collection of mechanical parts which operate together to generate rotational power by burning a mixture of fuel and air. Now when I say mechanical parts operating together, that also means there would certainly be some form of physical contact between various parts which are mostly made up of metal (e.g. iron or other forms of alloy). Let's call the interaction between the parts 'the rub'. Now if you imagine two metals rubbing against each other, you can guess that there will be some sparks coming out and there will be a lot of heat and then, eventually the contact points involved in the friction will end up with some sort of wear and tear. Now an engine has no other go, to operate it has to function as a whole, i.e. an assembly of hundreds of (or more) mechanical parts. Parts that roll on or slide over other metal components and based on the duration the engine runs for or the RPM it is ridden at, the amount of friction will vary.
Let us consider a bullet (cast iron) engine for example. Now when it is idle (say waiting at a signal and not giving any throttle), the engine is revving close to 1000 rpm, that is 1000 rotations per minute. If you look at a 4-stroke engine diagram/animation, you would know how the piston, main shaft, crankshaft, flywheel, valves, push rods, cams (and all other components of the engine), all work together just to complete one rotation cycle. Now multiply that by 1000 and imagine this happening in just 60 seconds. Which means roughly 16 rotations per second. Wow!!! I too was startled by this figure, the very first time I realized it. These are gems of an invention, aren't they?!! Now just to knock you off your seat, here is one more amazing fact:
MotoGP bikes reach up to 17000 RPM during the race.
I know. it's quite difficult to imagine such a fast rate of movement happening inside those small boxy motorcycle engines, isn't it ?!! Why don't to have a look for yourself in the following video clip and decide.
BMW S1000RR: Overhead cams (operating valves) at 14000 RPM
I am sure you got the point now. With such kind of friction/interaction between metal components (various parts of the engine) put inside a metal container (engine casing), imagine the kind of heat it must be generating and the level of catastrophic wear and tear it can cause if it had to run dry (read along and shortly you will know what it means). Now to keep such a contraption in operating condition, a solution was required, which should be able to reduce the friction between metal parts to the minimum, which in turn will make the components generate less heat and reduce wear and tear.
To achieve this, a thick oil-based lubricant was invented, which is commonly known as 'Engine Oil' or 'Motor Oil'. It is a thick fluid created by adding synthetic components to the base oil. This lubricant was filled inside the crankcase so that all operating parts stays dipped inside it during operation. Also, there were channels and a pump to push it all the way up to valve heads (and cams). The engine oil circulates all around the engine (except inside the combustion chamber) and keeps all the moving components covered and hence avoiding metal-to-metal contact. During operation, when the engine starts to heat up, engine oil retains the thickness (i.e. viscosity) up to a certain temperature and carries the heat away as it flows through to the sump (a storage area at the bottom of the crankcase. This keeps the engine components lubricated and relatively cool at all times of operation.
How does the engine oil work inside the engine?
Have a look at the following video, which puts the earlier explanations into some perspective and gives a visual answer to this question:
Importance of Engine Oil in motorcycles (compared to other 4-wheeled vehicles)
A very informative video on Engine oils (basic to advanced)
You would have understood by now that today date that almost all vehicle manufacturers (may it be cars or motorcycles) recommend multi-grade engine oil for all their vehicles. What multi-grade means is, the viscosity (or thickness) of the engine oil varies depending on atmospheric temperature, in different/extreme seasons (summer/winter). Before we get into multi-grade, let us first understand what mono-grade engine oil is.
Mono-grade Engine Oil:
This is the earlier version of engine oil which comes with a specified level of viscosity and retains the same up to a certain level of the temperature range. Above which the oil thins out and below which the oil thickens beyond use, either way reducing the protection level. The issue with mono or single-grade oil was, in winters, during extremely low temperatures the engine oil would thicken further and at times become like semi-solid wax, making it difficult for the engine to start. Again in peak summer, a single-grade oil will lose its viscosity once the temperature around gets hotter than the standard operating temperature specified for the oil. So to deal with these 2 extreme weather conditions, manufacturers started using two different single-grade oils, one during summer and one during winter. This means as a vehicle owner you had to get the oil changed to better suit the season you are going to be riding in.
In the present day mono-grade engine oils are used in commercial or special cases where the environment the engine is intended to perform, doesn't vary much in temperature. PS: I am trying out a mono-grade engine oil on my vintage motorcycle currently. I will try and post an update on the experience in near future.
Multi-grade Engine Oil:
Single-grade engine oils were the thing until a technological breakthrough was made and a new type of motor oil was developed, called multi-grade engine oil. This had the amazing property to have a lower viscosity when the temperature outside was low and achieves a predefined level of viscosity (i.e. gets thicker) when the temperature increases up to a specified range. This may sound strange contradicting the usual concept of physics, but this was made possible by introducing some form of polymer into the base oil. When the temperature increases, the molecules of the polymer expand, in turn thickening the oil and increasing the viscosity. So there you go, now you know how it all works.
Engine oil viscosity explained in detail
What do those numbers on an engine oil container mean?
Most brands of engine oil you would come across in the market today (2015) would be some form of multi-grade engine oil. In India (and in almost any other country), if you walk into an automobile spare parts store and pick up a can of motorcycle engine oil in hand, it would have something like SAE 15W 40(4T)written on it. Here is what it means:
SAE Society of Automotive Engineers
15 Lowest operational temperature range
W Winter
40 Highest operational temperature range
4T Suitable for Four Stroke engines
As a thumb rule, the following are the operational temperature range for various rated oils:
Informational video from Motul explaining viscosity levels and their corresponding use
Other than SAE, here are a few other international motorcycle engine oil standards you may find: JASO: Japanese Automobile Standards Organization API: American Petroleum Institute (no formal approval process exists) ISO: International Organization for Standardization (no formal approval process exists)
What is this synthetic engine oil that I am hearing about lately?
Depending on the type of base oil used, engine oils can be broadly categorized into the following types:
Conventional Mineral Oil (most widely used)
Synthetic Engine Oil
First and the traditional category of base oil is developed from petroleum-based crude oil. Synthetic oil is basically a highly processed form of crude oil (and some parts of it chemically manufactured), which is more refined than mineral oil and supposedly possesses higher capability and performance. Synthetic lubricants are more expensive that their conventional counterpart.
Another variety is slowly making becoming mainstream, called Semi-synthetic lubricants for motorcycles. Which is nothing but a blend between the main two types of base oils, giving some benefits of modern synthetic lubricants yet costing slightly higher than mineral oil-based lubricants.
One point to note here is, synthetic engine oil is the next big thing in the automobile consumer market and hence has a huge revenue generation potential. This is the reason you would find all big manufacturers (Mobil, Valvoline, Castrol, etc) are using most of their marketing budget to promote this product, this doesn't necessarily mean for all motorcycles (say vintage or iron barrel like Royal Enfield cast iron models) synthetic is a good idea. The reason for this is beyond the scope of this post, so I will leave it here. Maybe when I get to write about what engine oil I use for my motorcycle, I can shed some light on that.
Does engine oil need to be changed at all?
The two major responsibility of the engine oil is to 1) lubricate all parts of the engine and avoid metal-to-metal contact (e.g. piston rings, cams, etc) 2) carry the heat off the components during circulation
Now during the day-to-day operation of a motorcycle, the engine oil is exposed to a lot of heat, and over a while (say after the motorcycle has done 3000-5000 KMs or so), the oil starts losing its efficiency to lubricate, as well as to disperse the heat. This condition is further supplemented by the deposit of other particles like soot generated due to combustion, fine particles generated due to metal corrosion inside the engine, etc. All these factors together render the engine oil to be less effective to the point, where the engine's performance starts to deteriorate. Which in turn results in overheating of the engine, low fuel economy, etc. The following animation will help you understand, how the engine oil gets contaminated over a prolonged period of use:
How/why engine oil efficiency reduces over prolonged use
In the worst of cases, if due to dirty deposits if the path of the oil is restricted to a certain part of the engine, it may result in engine failure or much worst: in a totaled motorcycle. So for motorcyclists, it highly recommends changing the engine oil in the manufacturer's recommended duration (or mileage). Replacing old engine oil with new one, not only makes your engine run much smoother, it prolongs the life of the engine components hence ensuring a long trouble free life for your beloved two-wheeled beauty ;)
These days I use my motorcycle for long-distance touring only and the rest of the days it remains in parking. Usually, I forget to make a note of my odometer during an oil change. Instead what I do is, try to check the condition of the oil before a ride and if looks fine to me for enduring the distance I wish to cover, I continue my way with a spare bottle to top up from (if required). Else I replace the engine and clutch oil with new ones. This method I don't recommend this to newbies or if you have no idea what to look for in used oil. Not that I am an expert in this, but I have a fair idea from my experience with my bike, on how the oil looks like before I know that it won't do the job anymore. If and when I switch to a modern motorcycle in the future, I would possibly stick to the manufacturer's recommendation for the initial few years.
Is engine oil for motorcycles any different from that of cars?
Well, as you would have learned by now, in terms of the basic properties of the engine oil, it's the same. However, due to changes to the engine design of cars from that of the motorcycles, there have been changes to the engine oils as well. Historically speaking, up until 1998 car engine oils were used as a base for motorcycle engines. As the cars had mostly different oil for the engine, clutch, and gearbox, as the technology evolved, the engine oils for car engines started to have more and more friction modifier agents. This was good for cars but was not good for motorcycle clutches and gearboxes. Modern motorcycle engines to be compact use a single case for the engine, clutch, and gearbox. Hence such car engine oils could cause the clutch to slip under higher revs. It may also cause issues with the motorcycle gearbox. This issue led the Japanese Automobile Standards Organisation (JASO) to come up with the following motorcycle-specific standards:
JASO introduced 2 ratings for 4-stroke motorcycle oils:
JASO MA – This was the standard for single unit engines where the wet clutch, gearbox and engine used the same oil. JASO-MA oils don’t contain friction modifiers.
JASO MB – This lower standard was for bikes that use separate oils for the engine, clutch and gearbox (e.g Harley Davidson’s and BMW’s).
Then in 2006, JASO introduced…..
JASO-MA2 – This specification was introduced in 2006 for modern motorcycle engines. As well as being a higher standard of oil the JASO-MA2 approval means the oil is suitable for use in bikes with catalytic converts in the exhaust system.
Engine oil label with JASO. API and SAE ratings
Now it doesn't mean all non-JASO (e.g. SAE) standardized engine oils are meant for both cars and motorcycles. Irrespective of which brand you pick, each bottle/container of engine oil will specify which type of vehicle it is best suited to. It should also provide information on the type of additives it has and what are the possible benefits. So while selecting a particular engine oil, do read the information on the container.
I hope the information provided here was educational for you and you learned something, which you didn't know about engine oils today. In my opinion, from a motorcycle rider's perspective, this much background knowledge about engine oil would be more than sufficient for you. However now as you have learned how important engine oil is for the heart of the motorcycle (i.e. the engine), you might feel like going through the user manual again. And I highly recommend you that to better understand the needs for your specific make/model of the motorcycle. Lastly, I am closing this post with a few links to some more relevant videos and articles on this topic, which might be of interest to you. 5 Engine Oil Myths: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/5-engine-oil-myths1.htm Don't Destroy Your Engine With Bad Motor Oil:[Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXdaitlxzGM Choosing Engine Oil (with details on API S/C standards):[Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUPsjIG8Mio Update[18/11/2016]: Finally I have run out of Veedol HDB 50 oil and am not able to procure any from the Veedol dealer in Bangalore. So in my pursuit of the next engine oil, am trying out an unusual 20W50 CNG grade oil which is meant (as per the information on the can) for a 10,000 KMs service interval. Using the motorcycle every day to the office for the last week and planning to continue riding. Traffic is testing my clutch cable as well as my patience every day. Regarding the oil, I will update you after a long ride. Meanwhile, I found this video useful for sharing:
Here is a step-by-step process to remove the sprag clutch. The sequence of disassembly is as follows:
1. Remove the Left side rider's foot-rest
2. Remove the Gear clip
3. Unplug the wiring coming from the clutch case (/dynamo)
4. Remove the Clutch case
5. Remove magneto's center nut
6. Remove clutch plates
7. Slide out (carefully!) the main sprocket connected to the crankshaft along with the primary chain and clutch plate holder assembly
8. Remove the center nut in the clutch assembly
9. Remove allen screws and bolt holding the clutch case
10. Remove the remaining part of the clutch case
11. Open the Allen screws to expose the sprag clutch
Unplug two connectors linked to the wiring loom coming out of the clutch case. You may need to remove the battery cover for this. Also, ensure that the clutch oil drains into the pan, or else it will be a mess, especially if you are doing it at home.
Not recommended though: Mech is using a rod to lock the primary chain/clutch assembly from rotating so that the screws can be opened. Use specialized tools if you have access to them.
Clutch plates are removed already. The remaining part of the clutch assembly will only come out only when the primary sprocket comes out. This may take time if it's very tight (thanks to RE's quality of manufacturing/assembly) like mine. Be patient at this stage, as any damage due to rush will be costly and painfully time-consuming.
Special spanner to remove the center bolt holding the magnet in place.
Magneto comes out.
Now is the pain part of this whole process. Didn't know it would be so tight. I was happy that it's been untouched to date and was a bit grumpy that the mech didn't have any specialized tool to remove a tight sprocket.
It hurts to watch him do this to my bike ;(
Arrrgghhh had enough. Asked him, and got an obvious answer, that there is no specialized tool and it is actually supposed to be easy to pop out. Well..whatever!
Finally, after the visual torture and a few scuffs inside my clutch case, the damn thing came out. Along with the main sprocket came out the primary chain and the other side connected to the clutch assembly
One more bolt to go before the remaining part of the case can be removed.
3 allen screws around the crankshaft and one bolt on the right-hand side of the gear shaft
It may need a soft head hammer to loosen the case from all sides, especially around the crankshaft and starter motor area.
Bit of a crowbar method. Make sure not to overdo it.
Comes out finally.
All the chain lubrication and dirt have been piling up around the drive sprocket which stays outside the case.
Inspect the case for any signs of unusual marks, etc.
Remove all the Allen screws on the sprag clutch case.
Again a light use of a soft head hammer would loosen the case.
The sprag clutch assembly is visible now.
Take out all the 3 sprockets and a stainless steel axle rod.
These two make the sprag clutch kit. One on the right-hand side slides inside the sprocket kept on the left side.
Notice the tooth structure of the bearing visible here.
In a completely damaged sprag clutch, the bearing loses those metal teeth (pieces) inside the clutch case. That's bad and it will cause further implications. Imagine the primary chain rotating at a high speed and these metal pieces fall all over it.
This is the damaged part. The area near my thumb supposed to be smooth, but it was developed grooves in the shape of the tooth seen inside the other bearing. Hence it doesn't slide, during the reverse rotation of the sprag clutch.
NOTE: After removing the complete sprag clutch set along with the main gear connected to the starter motor, the case remains completely hollow with no parts in it. So every time the start button is pushed the starter motor spins freely inside this case.
INSPECTION & CLEAN UP: As it's not every day that you get to open the clutch box and get to see the primary chain, sprocket, etc, take this opportunity to inspect every part that you can. For example, I could notice the following: 1. My primary chain adjuster has run its best life and now there is a small packing underneath. Maybe in the next overhaul, I need to replace the set. 2. Sprocket internal locking thread on my bike is too tight (even after grinding it a bit). I need to compare it to a new spare if it's an odd one that came from the factory, then this also needs to go. Note: Being tightly connected to the crankshaft is actually not a problem in the bike's operation, it's just difficult to remove when needed. Which is again once in a blue moon. 3. My main sprocket is in decent condition for the now but I better replace it (along with the chain-sprocket set) sometime after the ride. 4. My clutch assembly looks spankingly new :D Just bragging!! Now while at it, I would prefer to clean up the areas visible. As once all parts are put back in place, certain areas of the bike (like the front drive sprocket) wouldn't be accessible from outside. So do the necessary clean-up at this stage. RE-ASSEMBLY: Follow the same process in reverse. Additionally, you may use glue (mostly fevicol) on top of certain washers to ensure there is no chance of oil leakage. In my case, we used a little bit of the washer around the crankshaft.
Fill 400-500ml of 20w50 oil once the clutch case is assembled.
TEST-RIDE & ADJUSTMENT: After the bike got ready I did a test ride and the riding was fine, but I found the kicker was not working properly. Kickers basically felt kinda spongy. For this, I had to get the clutch cable adjusted. Then it was all fine and I could feel the kicker rotating the crankshaft (/piston) inside. After a few attempts to kick-start the bike successfully, I called it a day. Sometime in the coming months, I am planning to put on the new sprag clutch myself. This guide will come in handy for sure. Hope you enjoyed going through this photo guide and that it helps you not only to understand the mechanics of the bullet better but also to perform DIY jobs at a home garage. Keep Rolling, Sid
To start this thread with the correct mindset about CI engine bulls (like mine), lemme make this very clear:
" Bullets break down. Bullets get back up again. It just gotta be with a person who is patient and knowledgeable. "
Now if you have been following my posts or have seen my bike, it's a no-brainer to guess this baby (forgive me for saying this about the Bull which enjoys a macho status in India) is taken care of well. Well.. just to brag a bit more about our relationship, lemme say we take care of each other well, through thick and thin. It never gave up on me during any big rides and I return the kindness by taking care of its needs at the right time. Actually, it's quite common if you consider any biker who loves riding. There, I said it :D
Last Year:
Now before the eyeballs start rolling, let's get back to the topic; Sprag clutch. Well, I got to know about it a year back when I was trying to switch start the bike for going to work. There was this loud (relative, to other noises I usually hear from the bike) 'clang' from the engine (wasn't sure from where) when the switch didn't really start the bike. Though knowing bullets are an ancient tech, a noise once in a while is nothing new. But a metal-hitting noise was a bit too much for me to ignore. So I called up my mech and got to know it could be the starter gear and its nothing to do with the engine. That was a relief. So I decided to continue with my day and get that noise checked once I get some free time.
During the next servicing, I got the following update from Sami (my previous mech):
The starter gear (that's what my then mech referred to it as) slipping mechanism is faulty and the noise comes when the engine backfires. So every time I switch to start (or even kick) and if it causes a 'kick back', the crank is trying to rotate the starter gear backward (which should ideally rotate in only one direction and slip in the other). As the slipping mechanism is not working, the starter gear is rotating during kickback. It has to be replaced, however, I can continue using it and in case of a breakdown, kick start can be used.
Upon searching online for more details on the sprag clutch I came across the following post which made some sense to me:
Royal Enfield recommends 420ml of oil in the primary case(clutch case). While this is the right amount of oil for a CI/AVL Bullet without an electric start, it is insufficient for Bullets with electric starters. The reason is the fact that bullets with electric starters need more oil to lubricate the sprag clutch bearings and gear assembly for the electric start.
Bulleteers in the UK and the USA have been instructed by their dealers to use 1 liter of oil in the primary case since a large number of sprag bearing failures have been attributed to lack/insufficient lubrication. So, the Bulleteers abroad have been following this advisory with good results.
As far as my little knowledge goes, Royal Enfield India for its part has not circulated this advisory in India either through the dealers or through any means of communication, amongst the large number of owners who own electric start-equipped CI/AVL Bullets.
I had a word with a well-known and highly respected Royal Enfield dealer and mechanic from the US of A, who strongly advised the usage of 1 liter of oil in the primary case. Hence, I thought I'd let fellow bulleteers know about this as this could save many sprag clutch/electric start failures which otherwise could have resulted due to the lack of sufficient lubrication.
Note: This advisory does not apply to the Unit Construction Engined(UCE) bullets.
I brought this topic up with Nandan (my mentor in bullet maintenance, whom I approach occasionally when I need to know the engineering-centric explanation for certain bullet behavior, which is usually beyond a mechanic's cup of tea), and here is what he had to say:
What is good for preventing jamming, will be bad for gripping. The sprag itself has to grip in one direction & slip in another. The clutch has to grip well, or else you may as well buy a 100cc bike with mileage-problems! And even with small amounts of oil in the bike, it leaks. In my opinion, extra oil is too much headache for a very small problem! The best way is to avoid the starter and learn to kick-start the bike. You can buy an ignition unit...the OLD model TCI, which did not skip a spark like the new models. It will make starting even easier. This unit can be kept as a spare.
After the above discussion, I continued with my rides on my bike, and other than occasional 'clangs' nothing really happened.
Last Month:
I was looking for a new mech (as the old one is no good for my work anymore), and I came across Nizam from BSK. Very humble guy and currently the chosen one to put their hands on my bike. Even he told the same fear of a defective sprag clutch. Better to remove it for my Ladakh ride or replace it completely. However, he would still have a look at the clutch during servicing and let me know of any hope of repairing it.
Yesterday:
As part of some fabrication work getting done for my fuel tank, I was speaking with Imran (a well-known bullet mechanic who also travels with groups as a support mech). Even he suggested removing the 'sprag clutch' for the trip and using a kicker. That's the safest thing to do and commonly done by other CI bullets as well. Apart from that he was quite impressed with my bike's looks and the condition of the engine ;)
Reference Links: The best and simple description of detecting known behavior of a bad sprag:
So I have decided to remove my sprag clutch assembly for my upcoming ride to the mountains. I will try and record the removal process for my own reference.
