Cbr150 Help

[momosan]

Just got myself a 2003 model and I have absolutely zero idea how to look after it. I'll just be mainly using it to commute to work. So I've lots to ask and please keep in mind that what I said about knowing nothing

1. What kind of petrol should I be filling the tank with?

2. When cleaning the thing myself is using one of those car wash solutions and a sponge and going over everything okay?

3. What are some of the things that I should be checking myself day to day and watching out for?

4. Any sort of basic maintenance that I can or should be performing myself?

5. When/how often should I take it in to be serviced and what kind of things should be done and when?

6. The bike is in a very reasonably decent condition (about 80-85%) but what are some things that can be done to make it look spiffy and emasculate again?

Any help with any of these would be GREATLY appreciated since I've got no idea where to even start

[T_Dog]

1. What kind of petrol should I be filling the tank with?

91 Benzene. No Gasohol.

2. When cleaning the thing myself is using one of those car wash solutions and a sponge and going over everything okay?

Yes. Or pay the carwash 30 or 40 baht to do it for you.

3. What are some of the things that I should be checking myself day to day and watching out for?

Oil level weekly, chain tightness weekly. Also check if you tail lights and head lights work. Pay attention to the tires and brake performance.

4. Any sort of basic maintenance that I can or should be performing myself?

If you are asking these questions here, probably not more than washing the bike.

5. When/how often should I take it in to be serviced and what kind of things should be done and when?

I take mine in when something does not work, or when I have put 3 or 4 KM on the clock. You need to find a good shop that will find the problems for you.

6. The bike is in a very reasonably decent condition (about 80-85%) but what are some things that can be done to make it look spiffy and emasculate again?

Find a good repair shop and they will take care of it pretty well. Also, do a search on the TV forum and you will find a very long and informative thread on the CBR150. Get rid of the IRC tires as soon as you can.

Have fun!

[momosan]

Find a good repair shop and they will take care of it pretty well. Also, do a search on the TV forum and you will find a very long and informative thread on the CBR150. Get rid of the IRC tires as soon as you can.

What on earth are IRC tires? Other than that some very good information. Thanks!

[dave_boo]

Just got myself a 2003 model and I have absolutely zero idea how to look after it. I'll just be mainly using it to commute to work. So I've lots to ask and please keep in mind that what I said about knowing nothing

1. What kind of petrol should I be filling the tank with?

2. When cleaning the thing myself is using one of those car wash solutions and a sponge and going over everything okay?

3. What are some of the things that I should be checking myself day to day and watching out for?

4. Any sort of basic maintenance that I can or should be performing myself?

5. When/how often should I take it in to be serviced and what kind of things should be done and when?

6. The bike is in a very reasonably decent condition (about 80-85%) but what are some things that can be done to make it look spiffy and emasculate again?

Any help with any of these would be GREATLY appreciated since I've got no idea where to even start

Firstly, congratulations on your bike.

1. Stay away from gasahol. I prefer to use 95, but general consensus is that if it only calls for 91....
   
2. That method of cleaning is perfectly fine. I would recommend stripping off the fairing and using a pressure washer now and again, especially if it can have a 'fan' style spray, to get the road gunk that builds up.
   
3. Check your tyre pressure with a gage! Do NOT trust a Thai to put the correct amount in; not even a Honda dealership. Funny story about that I was cruising around Nakhon Sawan looking for a place to buy a stem version of the gage and I stopped in the Honda dealership to ask. Apparently the over-helpful shop greasehead decided that since he heard 'tyre' and 'air' that I needed more air in them. Came back to tyres that would double as cutting boards they were so hard. Check how well oiled your chain is. I usually wash my bike at the end of the day and about a kilometer away from home pull over and dump some lube on the sprocket/chain. A very low speed makes sure that I'm not slinging oil everywhere (plus it's amazing what you can hear from your bike at that low speed). Check your oil resevoir. Don't ever want to run out of that dino lube. Check your brake fluid. In fact I'd recommend replacing it; brake fluid is very hydroscopic and in a humid climate like Thailand probably should be changed out yearly.
   
4. Oil levels, tyre pressure, brake fluid replacement (don't use fluid from an open container!), tightening your chain.
   
5. Every 5 000 km. On a high milage bike you should probably have them adjust the timing chain, clean the carb, check the valves, change the spark plugs, and change the spark lead. The parts are cheap as chips and labour's even less.
   
6. I hope you mean immaculate and not emasculate (unless you want to ride a poof's bike). A good wash and wax does wonders for a bike; one place I've noticed rust on mine is the bolts on top of the forks--was going to have them re-chromed but I'm too lazy. You may also want to look at purchasing new lenses for all the lighting bits, to include turn indicators, along with getting some type of Armor-All product for the black plastic parts.
   

[dave_boo]

Find a good repair shop and they will take care of it pretty well. Also, do a search on the TV forum and you will find a very long and informative thread on the CBR150. Get rid of the IRC tires as soon as you can.

What on earth are IRC tires? Other than that some very good information. Thanks!

IRC are the brand tyres. Look on the sidewall; wouldn't surprise me to find out that you're still running the OEM. dam_n things on my bike still haven't worn out.

[T_Dog]

Find a good repair shop and they will take care of it pretty well. Also, do a search on the TV forum and you will find a very long and informative thread on the CBR150. Get rid of the IRC tires as soon as you can.

What on earth are IRC tires? Other than that some very good information. Thanks!

Congrats on buying a very fine bike for Thailand. The original equipment tires on your bike are made by a company called IRC. They are a fair tire, but in wet weather they have very poor traction, and I had one fail in a rather dangerous way. They are probably okay for commuting, but if you like to go fast or turn or ride in the mountains, then get something better like Dunlops or Michelins.

You need to go the CBR-150 topic below and try to read every post. Some very good info there on the bike.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Honda-Cbr150-t117958.html

[visions]

Just got myself a 2003 model and I have absolutely zero idea how to look after it. I'll just be mainly using it to commute to work. So I've lots to ask and please keep in mind that what I said about knowing nothing

1. What kind of petrol should I be filling the tank with?

2. When cleaning the thing myself is using one of those car wash solutions and a sponge and going over everything okay?

3. What are some of the things that I should be checking myself day to day and watching out for?

4. Any sort of basic maintenance that I can or should be performing myself?

5. When/how often should I take it in to be serviced and what kind of things should be done and when?

6. The bike is in a very reasonably decent condition (about 80-85%) but what are some things that can be done to make it look spiffy and emasculate again?

Any help with any of these would be GREATLY appreciated since I've got no idea where to even start

Great bike, Im sure u will be happy with it. Great in traffic and even ok for a long trip (Ive done 600km non stop except for 2 gas stops and can still walk ok)

1 I always try use Caltex 91 finding it best for my bike. (Im sure others will have other opinions )

2 Cleaning......I tried and gave up..... trying to get into all the nooks and crannys...much easier to pay 50B and sit back and watch the fun...who is going to ride a bike with a clutch!

3 You dont mention the mileage?? Check the oil. They hold less than 1 litre of oil, any leaks or usage can deplete that quickly and mean loss of lubrication. I dont need add what happens then!!

4 Take the bike in to a honda shop for a full service.....oilchange, air filter, brakes, chain etc. Cheap in the long run if u want worry free riding. Then u know where u are, and can time service points accordingly.

5 Decorate.....there are many add ons can be found in the mod shops. A simple touch up respray on scratched areas etc is cheap to do at a good spray shop.

Ive done 50,000km on mine in just over 2 years and commute about 50km to work everyday.

But after a week riding a 600cc sport bike.....life on the 150 will never be the same....

[CanInBKK]

1. I usually wash my bike at the end of the day and about a kilometer away from home pull over and dump some lube on the sprocket/chain. A very low speed makes sure that I'm not slinging oil everywhere (plus it's amazing what you can hear from your bike at that low speed).

Dave_boo, what's your recommended/preferred brand of chain lube?

[dave_boo]

1. I usually wash my bike at the end of the day and about a kilometer away from home pull over and dump some lube on the sprocket/chain. A very low speed makes sure that I'm not slinging oil everywhere (plus it's amazing what you can hear from your bike at that low speed).

Dave_boo, what's your recommended/preferred brand of chain lube?

I prefer PJ1 or Belray, but sometimes that's hard to find (although it's much easier to find Belray in Thailand), but there's one that comes in an orange can, IIRC it's a German product that's more widely spread and has been recommended by other posters.

I've also used lithium grease in the younger dumber days, and while it does stick pretty good and not get washed off, it also increases resistance and when it gets gunked up with road crap it's a real bear to get cleaned off.

I believe the Honda recommended is heavy (80-90w) rear end lubricant; I'd stay away from that-not because it's bad, but rather because it needs applied more often and will get slung up on the machine.

I've also heard crazy talk about washing your chain out with a powerful solvent and than taking an old aluminium pot used for rice and slowly melting down king-pin grease in it (the grease put in between a lorrie's pad and the trailer) and than dunking your chain in there multiple times not unlike making a candle. Each dunk would deposit that melted grease deeply into the chain and it would cool down into a nice layer that will more or less stay put. I would think that after spirited riding it would get pretty messy, but I've heard some guys swear by this method.

[MaiChai]

Honda servicing is good. Its going to cost more than your local Somchai, but at least it will be done properly with quality parts. I found the common used Honda parts/consumables are quite reasonable. Often you will find Honda original parts sold in your local bike shop; you pay a bit more but you know you are getting a quality part.

[momosan]

Know where I can find a local Honda service centre? Are the service locations from honda.co.th only for cars? Because that's what they seem to be.

[Richard-BKK]

The http://www.aphonda.co.th, it is the distributor for Honda motorcycles in Thailand

[momosan]

What's the difference between STAINLESS RACING EXHAUST & NMF RACING EXHAUST on faddybike? There's only a 500B difference between the two, which would be more recommended?

[visions]

Haing your bke verviced by an accredited Honda Dealer has to beat having the local "somchai" work on your bike.......when this happens!!!!!

[dave_boo]

What's the difference between STAINLESS RACING EXHAUST & NMF RACING EXHAUST on faddybike? There's only a 500B difference between the two, which would be more recommended?

You may want to check out goodspeed's offerings:

As you can see it's quite varied. Prices are good and the gentleman speaks english. Click here for contact details. I'd go with the branded (even if it's probably a knock-off) silencer....it's probably better constructed.

[momosan]

As you can see it's quite varied. Prices are good and the gentleman speaks english. Click here for contact details. I'd go with the branded (even if it's probably a knock-off) silencer....it's probably better constructed.

Thanks for that, the guy recommended NMF exhaust + aluminum muffler + noise killer all for 3,500 thb.Which is what I'll probably get, the reason I want it is not performance gains but because of aesthetics. The current stock muffler is alright (new and still shiny) but the exhaust looks very icky to me. It's constantly looking like it's caked with dried mud even though it's been throughly cleaned.

Another matter with this is when I take the bike in to do the tax and it gets inspected is there gonna be any problems?

[dave_boo]

Thanks for that, the guy recommended NMF exhaust + aluminum muffler + noise killer all for 3,500 thb.Which is what I'll probably get, the reason I want it is not performance gains but because of aesthetics. The current stock muffler is alright (new and still shiny) but the exhaust looks very icky to me. It's constantly looking like it's caked with dried mud even though it's been throughly cleaned.

Another matter with this is when I take the bike in to do the tax and it gets inspected is there gonna be any problems?

Not too bad of a price; I've noticed the same thing on my CBR as far as the can looking dingy. In fact even with some fairly deep scratches on it from a trip to the track (which haven't rusted) it still looks good when you get it cleaned. I think that getting a rear hugger would probably solve your problem; it's most likely cheaper and you don't have to worry about the tax man either.

[momosan]

Not too bad of a price; I've noticed the same thing on my CBR as far as the can looking dingy. In fact even with some fairly deep scratches on it from a trip to the track (which haven't rusted) it still looks good when you get it cleaned. I think that getting a rear hugger would probably solve your problem; it's most likely cheaper and you don't have to worry about the tax man either.

Thanks for the suggestion I'll order that as well.

Last night when looking at CBR pics on the net I noticed something odd about one of the parts on my bike:

The ones in the pictures seem to all be black but mine is silver I don't even know what part the thing actually is except that you're supposed to check the front break liquid levels by looking at the round window on the side of it. The bike also came with a remote alarm/start/stop system which when I first saw I thought was standard as well but found out later wasn't. Now I'm starting to wonder if there's anything under the hood that's not standard as well

[dave_boo]

Not too bad of a price; I've noticed the same thing on my CBR as far as the can looking dingy. In fact even with some fairly deep scratches on it from a trip to the track (which haven't rusted) it still looks good when you get it cleaned. I think that getting a rear hugger would probably solve your problem; it's most likely cheaper and you don't have to worry about the tax man either.

Thanks for the suggestion I'll order that as well.

Last night when looking at CBR pics on the net I noticed something odd about one of the parts on my bike:

The ones in the pictures seem to all be black but mine is silver I don't even know what part the thing actually is except that you're supposed to check the front break liquid levels by looking at the round window on the side of it. The bike also came with a remote alarm/start/stop system which when I first saw I thought was standard as well but found out later wasn't. Now I'm starting to wonder if there's anything under the hood that's not standard as well

That's your brake resevoir's cap; a little bit of bling-bling added by the last owner. Should be nothing wrong with it, as long as it's air-tight and thus keeping the mositure out. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts water. This is bad for two reasons; one it lowers the boiling point for the fluid and two it reduces how much the fluid lubricates and keeps the bits and bobs from corroding. The first point is quite dangerous-just imagine what would happen if you have been doing quite a bit of intensive riding and grab a lot of brake in a panic stop and the lever travels to the handlebar. Muy no bueno senor. The second is still problematic in that it could cause sticition. Sticition (static friction) could cause resistance in your brake caliper's piston that would keep it from moving smoothly in response to input but rather slapping out after enough pressure built behind it.....very, very bad. Interestingly your braking system is always absorbing water through the brake lines and the seals; preventing as much as possible and changing the fluid regularly is the best we can do.

There's probably a lot under the hood that not standard; but is it doing its job?

[momosan]

That's your brake resevoir's cap; a little bit of bling-bling added by the last owner. Should be nothing wrong with it, as long as it's air-tight and thus keeping the mositure out. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts water. This is bad for two reasons; one it lowers the boiling point for the fluid and two it reduces how much the fluid lubricates and keeps the bits and bobs from corroding. The first point is quite dangerous-just imagine what would happen if you have been doing quite a bit of intensive riding and grab a lot of brake in a panic stop and the lever travels to the handlebar. Muy no bueno senor. The second is still problematic in that it could cause sticition. Sticition (static friction) could cause resistance in your brake caliper's piston that would keep it from moving smoothly in response to input but rather slapping out after enough pressure built behind it.....very, very bad. Interestingly your braking system is always absorbing water through the brake lines and the seals; preventing as much as possible and changing the fluid regularly is the best we can do.

Seriously nice info, cheers. But kinda disconcerting though don't you think, that's basically the whole of the bike. Prevention by checking and doing maintenance on the bike to prevent any major catastrophe. But at the end of the day it's still not going to be 100%. Any of the parts can have a major failure for no reason whatsoever. Kinda gets your heart pumping when you're going down the road at 140 with such a little thing between you and the road

There's probably a lot under the hood that not standard; but is it doing its job?

Very, very reliable bike since I've had it. Starts every time and gets me from A to B with no problems whatsoever. Very surprising for an almost 6 year old bike