Kawasaki Bajaj Rouser 135LS ( aka Pulsar 135LS in India ) Part 2

I have another motorcycle which is an underbone.  To justify the purchase, I was hoping that the Bajaj Rouser will be better than my Honda Bravo.

In terms of power, it is indeed more powerful.  It pulls harder and 80kph is easily attainable.  While the little bike's top speed is around 90kph, the Rouser cruises at this speed with no problem.

Braking is also more confident and I believe this has something to do with the chassis.  Although the frame that comes with the Rouser may not be the best chassis design out there, it is way better than the underbone.

One aspect in which the underbone is probably marginally better is on curves.  Note that this is very subjective.  My theory is that the weight difference is coming into play since the Rouser is 25kgs heavier.  Some people say that underbones are notoriously known for their excessive body roll but I find it easier to throw the UB bike on corners.  But then as I mentioned earlier, it could be just me, the rider.

On the average, Rouser consumes 45km/L which is about 5km/L less than what I would normally get on the Bravo.  But for the pull and speed that it is able to give it is not a big deal.  Besides, in comparison to other brands with similar displacement it is at par if not better in terms of frugality.

Tires are MRFs which most users find slippery.  I thought the same too but my front tire lasted for 50,000 kms.  I replaced it only when the thread center line ran out.  I remember we had a group ride wherein I was designated as the spear.  We traveled a twisty mountain road while it was raining.  I thought I was riding cautiously but when we had to stop some guys told me I was fast.  And I was on stock front tire.

I believe the choice of tires has a huge effect on a bike's handling.  I've tried replacing the rear MRF with FDR Genzi 100/80 and it felt more stable.  But one good thing about the stock MRF is its durability.   Front tire lasted for 3 years while the rear lasted for about 2 and a half years.  I never had a flat on those tires.

Headlight is also good.  Often times, motorists from the opposite lane would give me flashing signal perhaps thinking I was on high beam even though the headlight is on low.  I also like the dual horns.

One thing which I haven't been able to figure out is the adjustment of the side mirrors.  I'm not really a big guy and my shoulders are not that wide but it would cover half of the view on both mirrors.

As of this writing, the odometer reads ~64,000 kms and 3+ years of owning the machine  I will be trying to recall my experience with this bike from memory.  This is the 2nd installment on the same topic and for the third and final post, I plan on writing about the problems encountered on this bike and maybe share the lessons learned.

Rouser Part 1

Honda Bravo After 5+ Years

Well, I have this motorcycle for five and a half years with no major problems.  I was just doing regular maintenance which is basically changing oil every 2,000 kms and that's it.  I don't even bother checking on the spark plug.

BRAKES AND SUSPENSION
On the front side, the Wave 100 forks are still attached.  I remember replacing the fork oil at least twice but not on specific intervals.  When I feel that the motorcycle dives too much, that's the time to do it.
Rear shocks has been replaced with those coming from XRM 125 for 1k php.  I believe it is more durable compared to stock and it rides quite sporty (read : stiff.)  It is also shorter by some mm so the Bravo is now "lowered" .  Same brakes as in the last update but I've replaced the front pads one time.  The disc rotor by the way is showing signs of pitting.  Not sure if it is the proper term.  Since I am using parts from another motorcyle, the pads and disc are not matched mechanically and the outer portion of the disc is not in contact with the padss.  Therefore only the inside part is being worn out while that outside portion is not used up so it is thicker compared to the inside area.

RIMS AND TIRES
No changes in the rims but the tires are now 70/80 and 80/80 front-rear, respectively.  It seems to to give the bike a more flickable feeling.

ELECTRICALS
The stock Yuasa finally gave up after 4 years.  I replaced it with a gel type with some sort of battery health monitoring capability.  Simply press the button and the corresponding LED lights up.  You always want it to be green.  Maybe orange is still fine but definitely you shouldn't want it in red.
Except for the tail lights which is still AC powered, the motorcycle is almost a full-DC system including the headlight which now sports an LED bulb.  It was a pain to install because there is a fan and heat sink attached to this bulb and there was very little space inside the head light cowling.  I had to relocate the horn just to be able to complete the installation.

ENGINE
I can see leaks in the cylinder head and on the valve covers but not that much and therefore I am not worried.  My other motorcycle actually has a more serious leak problem.  The Bravo still pulls OK and can achieve the same top speed.  The current odometer reading is 27,000+ kms.  Bear in mind that this is actually 127,000+ kms since the meter can only display up to 99,999kms.  Yes, this motorcycle is getting old but it can still do 50kms to a liter.


Honda Bravo After 3 Years

Motorcycle Accidents

On a fateful evening of October last year (2009), I met an accident involving a jeepney.  

I was traversing the National Highway with my wife at around 8PM.   I was following a car perhaps about 3 to 4 cars length.  The road by the way was a long straight and a slight downgrade.  The car signaled that it was turning right so I slowed down a bit and moved to the left.  All of sudden I saw the jeepney's front right after the car has completed its turn.  It was coming from where the car is going and it was turning left. I don't know if the driver didn't look on the oncoming traffic or he was looking on the other lane.  Probably he thought that it was only a car and never cared to look again.

Since the jeepney's front has completely blocked my lane and I am pretty sure that hard braking will not be enough, I steered the bike to the left while braking hard.  Now I am on the opposite lane.  But the f----g jeepney didn't stop.  To make the story short, the bike's front wheel hit the jeepney's left front wheel.  My head banged on the jeep's fender.  I was pushed by the weight of my wife to the front and I felt pain on my left wrist.  It started to swell after a few minutes.

I am not a violent person but I thought that it was the best time to have a gun on hand.  The driver of the jeep acted as if we're at fault although he's the one who cut me off.  I am supposed to have the right of way.  He was telling me that since it was my motorcycle that hit his jeep, therefore I am at fault.  As if I did it intentionally which is 180 degrees of what we usually call common sense.

Kawasaki Bajaj Rouser 135LS ( aka Pulsar 135LS in India ) Part 1

Previously, I've posted about Honda CB110 because I was interested in buying one.  That was in 2010.  However, due to various reasons, that plan didn't materialize.

In November 2011, I crashed during that year's edition of the Manila-Matnog-Manila Endurance Challenge and I was forced to use the car for my daily commute since it was too risky to ride the Honda Bravo due to its damaged steering.  That incident gave me an additional motivation to acquire another motorcycle.  I love riding more than driving.

Although I've been eyeing the CB110, I am very concerned about its power ( or lack of it .)  Sure I can rev it hard but this might shorten the engine lifespan.  I knew that Kawasaki-Bajaj has been offering the Rouser locally -- first in 200cc and then 220cc (2010) later.  Any of the two should be more than enough for may power craving.   However, I am just a poor boy and I don't want to spend 100k php or so for my daily commuter.  Aside from that, fuel consumption is a potential turn off as well.

Then came the Rouser 135:LS (end of 2010.)  It was well received in the Philippines and it didn't take long before it became a common sight.  However, it is plagued with issues with owners reporting a lot of problems on local motorcycle forums.  In MCP which is probably the most popular, Rouser 135LS ' technical thread is probably the record holder for the most number of pages.  Fortunately, there were dedicated users/forumers who shared their learnings on how they were able to tame their machines.

On December 2011, I decided to get one for myself.  It was like a love and hate relationship.

Rouser 135LS Part 2