New Bike Specifications

Free flow performance

June 25, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

The leading performance parts maker from U.S.A, Two Brothers Racing introduce a special exhaust system designed specifically for the Yamaha R15. Adhish Alawani finds out just how good it is

The YZF-R15 was launched in the Indian market more than a year ago and it raised the standard of sport biking in the country to a new level. The country’s performance motorcycle scene has been scaling new heights ever since. An appreciable change that is currently being witnessed in the Indian biker is that he has started preferring performance upgrades to the cosmetic ones these days. As a result, various options along these lines are being explored today.

After testing the performance kit from Daytona and a locally made exhaust system for the R15 in our previous issues, what we have here is the latest offering from Two Brothers Racing (TBR), USA. Specially designed for the YZF-R15, this exhaust system comes from the US manufacturer who has been making high performance racing canisters and full exhaust systems across the global range of street motorcycles, motocrossers and ATVs.

The end can of the exhaust system offered by TBR features their patented lightweight, thin wall die-cast aluminum inlets and outlets. The vertical oval canister from the M-2 series comes with the V.A.L.E. (Variable Axis Locking Exhaust) system – a method in which the muffler canister is attached to the exhaust tube without the use of welding. With the V.A.L.E. systems, the muffler assembly – the exhaust tube and canister – can be positioned perfectly on the bike before all the mounting hardware is fully tightened. Once the canister and exhaust tubes are properly aligned, the V.A.L.E. assembly locks the muffler canister to the exhaust tube assuring a perfect, leak free fit. A lot of technical science, is it? Okay, let’s talk the language a biker understands. Performance. With the data logging equipment mounted on the R15, we decided to do 0-100km/h runs on the stock bike as well as the one with the TBR system. Very frankly, we didn’t need the data logger to tell us that there was a noticeable rise in the performance of the Yammie. The R15 started pulling pretty strongly right from 5000rpm unlike the stock model which does the job from around 7000rpm. The midrange of the bike feels much stronger than the stock one making it a more tractable machine for city use. If one has to speak in terms of accurate timings then with the TBR exhaust system, the R15 managed 0-60km/h in 4.15 seconds as against 4.9 seconds of the stock bike. The R15 crossed the three digit mark in a mere 11.76 seconds with TBR which is much quicker as compared to 13.04 seconds with the stock exhaust. With an improvement of 1.28 seconds in the 0-100km/h run, the TBR system definitely does the job it is intended to do. The weight of the new exhaust system is just 2.09 kg, almost a whopping 3.5 kg lesser than the stock one, which helps in boosting performance to a considerable extent.

Apart from the fantastic performance offered by the exhaust system, there is no doubt about the cosmetics of the canister. The brilliant finishing and the upmarket styling of the muffler, like the ones on Fireblades and R1s, will definitely add glamour to your bike. However, being a pure racing product, the TBR system is loud and can technically be used only on the racetrack. Riding the R15 with this system on a daily basis in the city is not really going to be comfortable for anyone’s ears. The company claims that they will soon be coming out with the Power Tip accessory for the exhaust that will help in suppressing the sound emission to a great extent with a negligible reduction in the performance. Apart from the loud nature of the exhaust, the price is going to be another negative aspect. At Rs 19,990, the exhaust is quite expensive but then, it’s the racing performance that we are talking about and every bit of it comes at a price – especially when it is from the masters who have been delivering amazing products for quite some time in the international market. The TBR exhaust for the R15 will also be available with csarbon or titanium canisters (Rs 27,500).


Full System The kit will include the pipe as well as the canister along with all the nuts and bolts and accessories for fitment	Muffler Cap The canister comes with a neatly crafted magnesium cap

Winter riding

June 24, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

This is the best touring season when a rider may not be able to resist the temptation of going on a long ride. BIKE India tells you how to brace yourself against the chill while riding in cold weather


LAYERED CLOTHING If you are going on a long ride, arm yourself with multiple layers of warm clothes. This way you can deal well with varied temperatures across various places and at different times of the day. Most textile riding jackets come with a detachable inner layer. Use it during winters for added warmth. Inner thermals are a cheaper option to keep you warm inside the jacket.	PAPER IS A GOOD INSULATOR In case you fall short of warm clothing, grab some sheets of a newspaper and tuck it into your jacket. It acts as an excellent heat insulator and keeps the cold away. Similarly, if you are carrying a back sack along, you may carry it in front of you as a shield. Do make sure the sack doesn’t hinder your control on the bike.

NECK INSULATION
Most riders leave their neck portion uncovered and exposed to the elements hoping that the jacket collar and helmet will provide sufficient protection from the wind. Only after riding in cold weather do they realize that they were wrong. Remember that the main arteries supplying blood to the brain pass through your neck. With constant exposure to cold wind, you might start feeling dizzy pretty soon. Besides, it might stiffen your neck. It’s best to invest in a good quality balaclava. Top end products like the featured Alpinestars balaclava come with a waterproofing layer as well. You can also wrap a muffler to protect your neck.

GO FOR LONG WRIST GLOVES
The main idea is not to have any parts of your skin exposed. If you have a pair of long wrist gloves, you can tuck your jacket sleeves into it. On the other hand if you wear gloves with short wrist, cold air will enter right into your arms while riding. If the weather is extremely cold, it is also advisable to wear a pair of surgical gloves under the riding gloves.

DRINK HOT BEVERAGES
A cup of hot tea or coffee can certainly help you warm up. They can be a good source of heat for your palms as well. However, they are not the best liquids to rehydrate your body as the diuretrics actually make you urinate more frequently and you end up losing water fast. On the other hand, you can count on hot soups as excellent energy sources as well as rehydration agents. Stay away from drinking any amount of alcohol.

MAINTAIN CLEAR VISION
Besides atmospheric fog, cold weather also results in fogging inside your helmet. This could be disastrous at night and equally disturbing during day rides. Usually you are left with no choice but to open up the visor a bit and let the chilly wind hit your face. An anti-fogging visor is the best solution here. If you cannot lay your hands on such a product, clean both the inside and outside of your existing visor with a mild soap solution such as Colin. Then spray some more of it on the inside of the visor and let it dry without wiping it off. The dried layer will help prevent fogging to an extent.

DEALING WITH FOG
Fog is the worst nightmare of a rider in the winter. If you encounter mild fog, switch on your headlight with low beam. Use high beam and turn on the left indicator if the fog is thick. However, never use high beam during foggy nights as it will further reduce your visibility. Use low beam along with the indicator. Whether day or night, if the visibility level falls significantly, slow down to a speed that is comfortable for you to react in case of an eventuality. If you need to park your bike by the roadside, leave the indicator on so that other approaching vehicles can notice you.

TRACTION ON MOIST ROAD
Mist and fog can often moisten roads and consequently tyres.The probability of loss of traction increases during the wee hours of the morning. This becomes even more dangerous in snowy areas where skidding is common. Preferably go for a set of specialized tyres. Reduce your speed and avoid leaning at extreme angles. For riding on snow covered roads, find sections such as tracks of bigger vehicles on the road that offer better traction and go gentle on the throttle and brakes.

OTHER PRECAUTIONS
If the weather is really extreme, take frequent breaks to regain body heat. Temperatures slightly below normal can play havoc if you ride fast. A very important factor called the wind chill factor should never be ignored. As speeds ride, the apparent temperature or the wind chill factor felt on exposed skin due to the wind can surprisingly be very low. Even when the outside air temperatue is around 15 degrees, at 50km/h, the wind hitting your body feels very chilly. Learn to recognize symptoms of hypothermia. Feeling dizzy, seemingly funny mistakes in vehicle manoeuvre, etc. are primitive symptoms. If your shivering stops even when it’s cold outside you must take immediate action to warm yourself up. If you can find a warm place, take off your jacket so that your body can soak in some heat. If riding through a snowy area, make sure that your external clothing is waterproof. You must get rid of any wet cloth inside while riding in cold weather. While we suggest you wear enough warm clothes, you must enusure that the clothing doesn’t hinder your vehicle manoeuvring ability. Don’t forget to carry along high energy snacks including chocolates and rehydrating liquids such as Gatorade.

Vulcan God of Fire

June 24, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

A cool, custom built cruiser based on the RD350
Story Mihir Gadre

Shirish Kakatikar, a young lad from Belgaum and a jeweler by profession, has a passion for big cruiser bikes. He has always dreamt of owning a big cruising machine. His dream seemed to be materializing when he approached AMC (Amit Moto Co) run by Amit Sawant, a mechanic who specializes in modifying bikes. At AMC, Amit and his team started working on a Yamaha RD350.

Selecting the RD as the donor bike was definitely the right choice as the 32bhp, two-stroke engine had more than enough power to propel a heavy cruiser. Moreover, the sonorous exhaust note of the twin cylinders would make sure that the finished product would grab attention on the road with ease. The Vulcan, as Shirish calls his customized bike, is full of exquisitely detailed, eye catching features. It features a custom made tank with twin lids like the Indian Chief, a chrome plated instrument panel and a flame paint job, which is a common sight on most custom bikes.

A lot of modifications had to be made in order to fit a wide Bridgestone 190/17R tyre at the rear. A rim that could house this wide tyre was sourced from the Tata Sumo and was altered by taking off the center portion and making a provision for the hub and spokes. A special swingarm that was wide enough to house the wheel along with a custom made wide fender had to be fabricated. Even the chassis had to be widened at the rear to house the huge rear fender. The paint job on both the fenders and the tank is another center of attraction. The flame job on the bike is the reason it is named after the Roman God of Fire, Vulcan. The chrome plated engine, the rims, the forks, the footrest assembly, the rear shocks and the wide handlebar make the bike more attractive.

The Vulcan features a host of other modifications as well. The clutch operation system is changed from a normal cable system to a hydraulic one, using the hydraulic pump of a Honda bought from a junkyard, which was found to be working fine on the RD. The same bike’s front disc’s hydraulic pump was picked up to do duty here. The ignition system has been changed from the normal point setting type to an electronic ignition using separate coils for each cylinder. The front and rear discs are taken from the Honda Unicorn, the front caliper is of a Pulsar and the rear caliper is of some sports bike, bought from a junkyard.

The twin exhaust pipes are merged into a single pipe, firing out sound notes somewhat similar to a Harley. But using the exhaust of a four-stroke motorcycle on a two-stroke engine doesn’t make it a technically sound proposition. The front footrests, the brakes and the gearshift paddle have been sourced from the Yamaha Enticer. The stock front forks have been raised by two inches. The rear suspension is taken from the Bajaj Eliminator. The front tyre is a Dunlop with a 120mm wide section. The head lamp and the speedometer are taken from the Bajaj Eliminator. The Vulcan, like all custom motorcycles, offers the ultimate poser value and guarantees exclusivity that can’t be had with any mass produced bike.


RD350 engine with electronic ignition	Rear disc from the Unicorn	RD350 engine with electronic ignition

Prudent Commuting

June 23, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

This month we bring you guidelines on how to be responsible in city environs

You may be the type of rider who would want to keep the speed and lean angles for the racetrack or a weekend ride and would rather be slow while on city streets. Or you could simply be the kind who is not attracted to speed and looks at a motorcycle as a convenient way to travel from point A to point B. Either way, you prefer maintaining slow speeds in city environs. But going slow is not the only way to being safe or responsible. In fact, going slow can be hazardous if not implemented in a proper manner. So this time around we are compiling a few tips on how to be a socially responsible commuter.

Do not use your mobile phones while riding
Use of mobile phones while riding is dangerous as it leads to a lack of concentration on the road and traffic. Some people who do away with the use of a hands free device tend to adopt different techniques of placing the mobile in the helmet or hold it between the ear and shoulder further increasing the chances of an accident. Hence it is recommended that you pull over to the side of the road while not disturbing the traffic flow and completing your conversation.


Restrict use of high beam In most cities, street lighting is enough for clear visibility at night. Where it isn’t adequate, the headlights of your vehicle as well as the ones around you make up for it. There are very rare situations when you really need to have the bike’s high beam activated in city environs for visibility. These beams can blind the oncoming traffic and can make the oncoming vehicles steer straight towards you, resulting in a fatal accident.	Carry necessary documents As per the RTO rules, it is mandatory to carry valid documents like your driving license, bike registration and tax papers/smartcard, insurance and P.U.C certificate at all times. In most cities, photocopies are allowed too, however, failure to carry any of these necessary documents may lead to monetary fines.

Be patient in traffic jams Traffic jams usually happen due to an accident, broken down vehicle or the lack of proper traffic signals at an intersection. It gets worse when vehicles try to slot themselves into each and every inch of space available, thus making the jam even more difficult to declog. The easiest solution is to stick to your lane and maintain enough distance for the vehicles in front to move around and negotiate the jam easily.	Do not ride with objects hanging from the bike As mentioned earlier, it is not recommended to hang bags or other luggage from the handlebar or your shoulder when riding. Such hanging objects can swing around while riding, can unsettle your balance and can obstruct the view for the riders or drivers following your vehicle. Such objects can even get entangled with the handlebars or rear view mirrors of bikes around you, thus causing an accident. Other such examples are helmets hung around the elbow, open zippers of riding jackets, holy cloth/threads on the handlebars, etc.

Give proper indications While it is one of the most basic rules, most people tend to ignore it in day-to-day traffic. Showing hand signals and indicators while turning is not mandatory only at the license test but also while commuting on the street. Make sure you give proper signals to the traffic with regard to turning, overtaking and any other riding maneuver you are about to attempt. This will not only help the traffic behind you to understand your manoeuvre, but will also avoid chances of an accident.	Stop that noise Do not unnecessarily honk. Be it a signal turning green or a traffic jam, continuous honking won’t do any good. The traffic will still move at its own pace and hence it’s better to move along than cause nuisance and sound pollution.

Bullet Veed!

June 23, 2010 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

No, that’s not a new Royal Enfield model for the overseas market but the result of a passionate biker’s dream of making a V-twin

For Aniket Vardhan, it was his love and passion for Harley-Davidsons (and their awesome V sound) together with a dream to visit the legendary bike maker’s homeland that lured this Delhi-born bike nut to the States. But before he left India, he had enough time to toy around with his own bike, a Bullet and try to gather whatever information he could on V-twins. In 2002, he went to the States finally to pursue a Masters in Industrial Design. The idea of picking up an old Bullet engine, while on a trip back home in 2003 helped him kick off the whole V-twin dream project – the final result of which you see on these pages. Yes, that an actual working V-twin motor made by using, well, two 350cc Royal Enfield engines!

After months of patience, hard work as well as a few minor setbacks, Aniket was about to give up when he thought of getting back to the basics. For instance, he kept the engine stock – same old tappets, stock piston, oil pump, etc. Tweaking the oil filter slightly, having external copper oil pipes and keeping the same single downtube frame were some of the things that were essential for Aniket. He also had to learn machining and thus sought the help of Mr. Boggs who was kind enough to let him use his workshop. After a year of machining, one fine day, unbelievably, the lump of metal, err, the V-twin fired up on the very first try! Mild Bullet cams have been retained and the compression ratio is a low 7:1. Power modifications are in the pipeline but even without them, the bike pulls cleanly from as low as 30km/h with the stock four-speed gearbox which Aniket intends to replace with a new five-speed one. The second piston also helps cut the vibes to an extent which means that this bike makes fewer vibs than Aniket’s Triumph Bonny!

On the mechanical front, the two cylinders share the same crank and transmission. The oil pumps are stock but the flow rate has gone up by four times. Aniket is looking at raising the compression ratio, fitting lumpier cams, some porting job and of course bigger carburetors. All these changes should make the new engine churn out around 50 horses!

The Musket, as he lovingly calls his bike, is a rare outcome of a biker’s dream and passion of doing something. Words can’t describe what this bike sounds like. So log onto www.bikeindia.in and listen to the lovely beat of the two cylinders on the move.