[Discussion] General Queries From Newbies

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Buying a Phantom? I'll target an old one go there act like an old hag and make issues with every tiny little detail such as...

 

"Why is your fork brace so badly scratched"

"Why is your exhaust silencer mounting corroded? Never cover in rain is it?"

"Why is the engine cover so tarnished in appearance?"

"Why does your overhead cam make so much noise, when's the last time you did your valve clearance?"

and the all important question "What's your fuel economy and top speed?"

 

The point of the above interrogation is not to scare the seller but face it, it's a second hand bike. You need to know if that guy knows his stuff and if he's being honest about his machine.

 

To put it in another way you are going to live with his "partner" for at least 2 years after the sale and you deserve to know all about machine performance and any outstanding maintenence issues.

 

If the price is suspiciously low, don't buy it.

If the seller is unable to explain in satisfactory detail and start saying things like "Oh this bike very good, aiyah, old bike like that one lah", then honesty FAIL.

 

If the bike is priced $3,000.00 and it's a 2003 model, the seller has just came back from a major breakdown/accident and wants to get rid of the bike to reclaim costs. Of course the usual claim is that it's a bulletproof bike... but $3,000.00 for a veteran Phantom? I'd expect that to be FULLY rebuilt frame-up, full anti corrosion treatment and rechroming!

 

Main thing is, get him to start the engine and listen. Cold start on a problem Phantom, due to the naked engine and 1980s engineering, will produce a lot of funny sounds that you can use to diagnose the motor.

 

Better yet, view first don't decide yet. Record the sound of the engine running, post pics and/or video review on this forum, and you will have lots of opinions in no time

[leonlo1984]

Hihi There. Just want to check with ur.I just got the TA150 recently. where is a good place to do servicing on the phantom? preferably in the West Side or alexandra?

Thanks alot. PM me if u have an answer THANKS!

[devil.L]

Hihi There. Just want to check with ur.I just got the TA150 recently. where is a good place to do servicing on the phantom? preferably in the West Side or alexandra?

Thanks alot. PM me if u have an answer THANKS!

 

2 places you'r likely to see ard here.

1) ah koon 2) ah chong.

koon is at redhill, chong is at ubi (correct me if im wrong, plane+ regular)

[TheYasMan]

Buying a Phantom? I'll target an old one go there act like an old hag and make issues with every tiny little detail such as...

 

"Why is your fork brace so badly scratched"

"Why is your exhaust silencer mounting corroded? Never cover in rain is it?"

"Why is the engine cover so tarnished in appearance?"

"Why does your overhead cam make so much noise, when's the last time you did your valve clearance?"

and the all important question "What's your fuel economy and top speed?"

 

The point of the above interrogation is not to scare the seller but face it, it's a second hand bike. You need to know if that guy knows his stuff and if he's being honest about his machine.

 

That may not 'scare' him, it may piss him off, hehe.

IMO its a little rude to word them out like that... If you know your stuff, especially the like-duh aspects, dont need to ask unless necessary. If youre really keen, negotiate the price and state the imperfections spotted as reason.

 

Oh and a high top speed can be both good and bad

[naim]

hi guys.. been riding for these 2 days now... however... i do have an issue..

 

whenever i stop, i can smell this burning kind of smell.. not like normal exhaust smell.. kind of worried.. but no probs wif d bike though...

 

and 1 more thing... how to get a good estimation of how much fuel inside tank? cux i open, i see this metal thing... dun see any petrol.. i only know inside have is when i shake shake the bike, hear the petrol slosh inside... any tips?

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Yasman - agreed ; be a bit more polite in real life And seconded on the tuning aspect. I don't really like the "bored and stroked" engines as the powerband is just in the wrong place for street riding. Stock works great for reliability, too!

2 places you'r likely to see ard here. 1) ah koon 2) ah chong. koon is at redhill, chong is at ubi (correct me if im wrong, plane+ regular)

Poke around Ubi for Planet Motor Cycles. One test ride is all Chong needs to return you a nicely tuned Phantom. He may not like other bikes... Go at 9am (or even before he opens) for the best customer service possible.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

hi guys.. been riding for these 2 days now... however... i do have an issue..

 

whenever i stop, i can smell this burning kind of smell.. not like normal exhaust smell.. kind of worried.. but no probs wif d bike though...

 

and 1 more thing... how to get a good estimation of how much fuel inside tank? cux i open, i see this metal thing... dun see any petrol.. i only know inside have is when i shake shake the bike, hear the petrol slosh inside... any tips?

 

1. Burning smell from exhaust indicates engine oil overheating.

 

The most direct explanation is the carb fuel/air mixture is set too lean. A lean mixture provides more horsepower but you also run very hot. As we don't have a liquid cooling system or an advanced engine reinforced for lean running, get your mech to richen the mixture accordingly.

 

You do not want an overheating & later predetonating engine! Especially on a 2B bike where you need to rev like hell to reach highway speeds.

 

2. Keep a record of the odometer reading. If you got a full tank at "46550" you can safely expect to run until "46900" before fuel pressure starts dropping forcing you to switch to reserve.

 

As you ride the bike you will know the exact fuel economy you're getting from your engine. Note emphasis on YOUR, as no two custom Phantom is alike!

 

3. Your reserve tank should last you more than 60km, even in the worst carb settings imaginable. Enough to go all the way across Singapore

[naim]

ooh... alrite.. wow.. very detailed explanation thr bro! alrite.. will have it checked out soon... will ride more gently for now 1st... dun want to overheat it too much...

 

and i will start keeping tabs on my odometer reading.. new rider la.. get on d bike straight away go.. nv check odometer one.. excited to go on d road! and im glad i got phantom.. so relaxing.... ride from cck to sengkang to visit gf oso not tiring..

 

thanks again bro for d advice.. sure i got more question coming wif the coming weeks as i learn more about the bike.. hope u don mind!

[devil.L]

ooh... alrite.. wow.. very detailed explanation thr bro! alrite.. will have it checked out soon... will ride more gently for now 1st... dun want to overheat it too much...

 

and i will start keeping tabs on my odometer reading.. new rider la.. get on d bike straight away go.. nv check odometer one.. excited to go on d road! and im glad i got phantom.. so relaxing.... ride from cck to sengkang to visit gf oso not tiring..

 

thanks again bro for d advice.. sure i got more question coming wif the coming weeks as i learn more about the bike.. hope u don mind!

 

 

is your bike, very new?

as in, just bought it..

thr's a slightly possibility for th 'burnt' smell, cld be previous owner use low quality paint to spray th bike befor selling.

 

fuel wise, if you'r riding a custom4, thr's a fuel indicator in your meter.

pre custom4 wise, i believe th rough estimation wld be jurong to changi, 7 trips.

estimate from thr..

1L about 30? or was it 20. (senior, advice pls)

take tht multiply by th amount you pump from kosong to full tank.

anthr way is to jus top up every once 3day. (tht's if you dont ride alot)

 

 

tht's bout it tht i can share,

ima new rider here too. i need advice from seniors.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

The Phantom is a great bike and as far as cruisers go, they all seem to get better with age

 

dun want to overheat it too much... http://172.31.254.243/www.singaporebikes.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

You appear to have the chanced upon rare talent of engine management We're not flying WW2 era piston engined aircraft but the right mixture setting can make or break a carburetted motorcycle's performance.

 

Personally I'm running lean (partly due to DIY cold air intake), which forces me to monitor engine temps. I cruise no more than 70-80kph and keep maximum torque as a reserve for being first to get away from traffic lights and overtaking without holding up traffic.

 

That and I love the crisp throttle response of a lean setting, extended range and with the intake mod, the sound!

 

History lesson:

 

The WW2 vintage A6M2 "Zero" fighter was renown for its very long range because pilots developed a technique of running their engines very lean and flying at very high altitudes where air is colder and less dense.

 

Present day (1990s onwards):

 

Mitsubishi, a major manufacturer of aircraft engines in WW2, is one of the forefounders of car engines designed ground up to run super-lean mixtures for superior fuel economy, efficiency and power, with their GDI (gasoline direct injection) system.

 

The optimal air fuel ratio is 14:1. GDI engines run 28:1 or today, possibly even more.

 

Lean-burning engines are today commonplace and A Good Thing with today's fuel prices.

 

But we're in the 80s, literally, when it comes to the Phantom's engine. Not the newest in town, but robust, torquey and very efficient. Just change the oil a bit more often than other bikes (Motul 3000 is only $10!).

[devil.L]

OT OT OT, off topic off topic off topic. -.-

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

is your bike, very new?

as in, just bought it..

thr's a slightly possibility for th 'burnt' smell, cld be previous owner use low quality paint to spray th bike befor selling.

 

fuel wise, if you'r riding a custom4, thr's a fuel indicator in your meter.

pre custom4 wise, i believe th rough estimation wld be jurong to changi, 7 trips.

estimate from thr..

1L about 30? or was it 20. (senior, advice pls)

take tht multiply by th amount you pump from kosong to full tank.

anthr way is to jus top up every once 3day. (tht's if you dont ride alot)

 

 

tht's bout it tht i can share,

ima new rider here too. i need advice from seniors.

 

A good discussion as always

 

Burnt smell can also come from trying to use chrome polish on hot engine parts. Or polishing then racing off home.

 

Adjust our diagnosis to your individual situation

 

TA200 worst fuel economy is probably 30km/l with a full set of boxes, heavyweight accessories, wide bars, etc.

 

TA200 best fuel economy appears to be (from user feedback) 40km/l with no boxes.

 

My TA200 is capable of 45km/l stock with side panniers maintaining speed discipline

 

Cold air intake mod (mixture enriched to compensate) and max. throttle riding dumped it right back to average, at 35-38km/l.

[naim]

dun tink so... paintwork looks original to me.. the silver n blue kind.. very common one i see around..

 

and yep.. will keep an estimation of how far i travel, n how much i need to top up oso.. thanks for advice as well bro!

[devil.L]

dun tink so... paintwork looks original to me.. the silver n blue kind.. very common one i see around..

 

and yep.. will keep an estimation of how far i travel, n how much i need to top up oso.. thanks for advice as well bro!

 

as in, not th tank & fenders..

look at th engine block, th pipe etc..

some people wld spray it silver, grey , chrome befor selling to make it looks flawless..

 

some crazy people spray it to make it look like a hotrod. -__________-

 

no worries. (:

ride safe, cya otr.

[naim]

hahaha.. okok.. i get it nw.. will check it out in d morning.. thanks! gonna slp la.. tired alr.. haha.. nites guys! ride safely!

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

some crazy people spray it to make it look like a hotrod. -__________-

 

That's it, gonna do a 'Scarlett Johanssen' engine block

 

Good night Adiknaim

[Fried Rice]

one good way would b to get e seller to meet at a bike shop... let e mechanic test ride n give his verdict...

 

for my steed, thats what i did... i told e seller i would buy it if he willing to meet me at planet motors to let ah chong test ride and give me the green light... he said ok, n we let up, ah chong rode n said all good! so immediately go down to lta to transfer...

 

b4 my steed i wanted to get a different bike. e person put e price $4.2k, he told me his highest offer is $3.8k, if i go higher it will b mie... i told e person i offer u $4k but wanna meet up at bike shop to have a quick check, immediately e person was like erm so mafan, forget it... so i also say forget it lor, cause to me e person's bike sure got problem... willing to travel down to lta just to do transfer but not willing to meet me at a nearby bike shop for awhile to do simple checking... haha!

 

that a good idea. i could use it someday. thanks for the valuable advice!

 

 

Buying a Phantom? I'll target an old one go there act like an old hag and make issues with every tiny little detail such as...

 

"Why is your fork brace so badly scratched"

"Why is your exhaust silencer mounting corroded? Never cover in rain is it?"

"Why is the engine cover so tarnished in appearance?"

"Why does your overhead cam make so much noise, when's the last time you did your valve clearance?"

and the all important question "What's your fuel economy and top speed?"

 

The point of the above interrogation is not to scare the seller but face it, it's a second hand bike. You need to know if that guy knows his stuff and if he's being honest about his machine.

 

To put it in another way you are going to live with his "partner" for at least 2 years after the sale and you deserve to know all about machine performance and any outstanding maintenence issues.

 

If the price is suspiciously low, don't buy it.

If the seller is unable to explain in satisfactory detail and start saying things like "Oh this bike very good, aiyah, old bike like that one lah", then honesty FAIL.

 

If the bike is priced $3,000.00 and it's a 2003 model, the seller has just came back from a major breakdown/accident and wants to get rid of the bike to reclaim costs. Of course the usual claim is that it's a bulletproof bike... but $3,000.00 for a veteran Phantom? I'd expect that to be FULLY rebuilt frame-up, full anti corrosion treatment and rechroming!

 

Main thing is, get him to start the engine and listen. Cold start on a problem Phantom, due to the naked engine and 1980s engineering, will produce a lot of funny sounds that you can use to diagnose the motor.

 

Better yet, view first don't decide yet. Record the sound of the engine running, post pics and/or video review on this forum, and you will have lots of opinions in no time

 

okay i get your point.

 

the video/pics/sound review is a good idea too.

 

i will consider it. haha thank you!

[leirbag]

Hi everyone, i've been riding my ta200 for a week now and it's been more or less great. however right now there are a few minor niggles that i need your expert opinion on...

 

first of all, i have a problem shifting into neutral when the engine is idling and bike is stationary. The gear lever takes a lot of effort to kick up and usually goes straight into second gear than neutral. this problem disappears when the bike is moving or when the engine speed is increased slightly. what could be the cause? i'm told could be engine oil. In my case the oil is rather clean and fresh (changed 3 weeks ago) but has been overfilled (the level indicated on the dipstick is some ways higher than recommended) by the previous owner. Could that be the cause?

 

Also, i checked my fuel consumption at roughly 41km/l on my 2nd fill-up. My bike has no crashbar and panniers installed. I read somewhere that this could be because the mixture is too lean and could cause overheating. if that is the case, i'd like to tweak my fuel mixture a bit so that it runs a bit richer. I have some experience with R/C glow fuel engines so this is not completely foreign to me. i'd like to know where the neccessary adjustment screws (low speed, high speed, if thats what they are called) are located on our carbs?

 

Ive read about the cam chain tensioner on this bike, which apparently is prone to failure. any bros here have advice or experience on that?

 

thanks in advance!

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Hi Leirbag,

 

Nice to see more new Phantom pilots on the road

 

Okay don't worry too much on the gearbox, each bike has it's own "pattern" and you'll get used to low to zero speed gear handling in time.

 

Mine dislikes being put into neutral for any reason other than shutting down the bike, as otherwise the gear will become stuck until bike is pushed. My advise for the Phantom is to ride like in driving school - don't use neutral unless stopping the bike for long periods.

 

And yes, you hit the nail on the spot, sometimes poking the throttle slightly can help the gears to mesh.

 

So we conclude its a mechanical issue, not a lube one for now.

 

As for oil level, recommend draining to one litre (1.2 at most) asap as otherwise engine pressure is excessively high. May cause seal leakage in minor cases along with very sluggish/jerky throttle response, and worst case is mechanical failure in the long run due to excessive manifold pressure (there, aircraft term )

 

Fuel consumption - 41km/l is GOOD and I'm only alarmed with the mixture if you smell burning engine oil out of the exhaust. Excessively lean mixture and fast highway running means a hot powerplant and that's not good for long term reliability. It's possible to run lean for power and long range if you know a bit of engine management (cruise slow, keep thermal reserve for when you need the torque)

 

Mixture settings are easily altered on the fly with that screw at the bottom. turn anticlockwise to richen (decrease restriction) and screw clockwise to lean.

 

Mine runs with that setting fully lean (45km/l) if using stock airbox, and a quarter-turn richer with the cold air intake modded airbox (35-38km/l).

 

Ps I don't know a lot about carb settings (Phantom is my first 'open concept' bike) but that screw is logically positioned to control mixture, and it works. It's not the idling knob, it's the horizontal screw at the bottom.

 

Cam chain tensioner - please practise preventive maintenence by checking on it in the shop every 20,000km. Otherwise should not cause you issues unless you hear very loud and distinctive knocking noises coming from the top end of the block.

[leirbag]

thanks for the advice kalyan! i'll keep all that in mind.

 

right now i don't hear any noises of that sort from my engine block, but i guess it's still safe to check? i think a replacement cam chain tensioner costs about $60, but any idea on service charges relating to this type of engine check?

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

I will suggest treating the bike nice and gentle, just to keep your smooth and silent running engine that way. Once you start doing full throttle drag starts and max RPM gear shifts, things start to come loose and sometimes will sound like Comfort Taxi (like mine)

 

Don't worry about being ambushed by mech. failure, as the Phantom will tell you very loudly if anything's wrong. The only less obvious bits are of course items like engine oil level; which you have to check at least weekly.

 

Some oil like to evaporate when they break down (such as synthetics), others degrade and become sludge-like thereby eventually reducing the EO level.

 

If the bike sounds 'different' after a while start checking EO.

 

Otherwise regular servicing should keep your bike healthy for a long time to come.

 

If I wanted shop to check chain tensioner etc I would probably ask them to do some sort of 'top service' pointing at the valve assembly or something.

 

I get blur looks from even such as Ah Chong (Planet Motor) if I told him straight away "Inspect chain tensioner pls".

 

Have seen Phantoms continue running for 7-8 years with horrigible grinding noises cos absolutely NO servicing done at all. Hondas are incredible so long as we don't ill-treat them deliberately.

 

As for costs, nope, chain tensioner is not expensive with reference to the parts thread. I'm a newbie to Phantom (March until now) too so I haven't gone for anything more than EO and plug change.

 

One sign the chain tensioner has gone bad is a super loud TAK TAK TAK sound when the engine is running, no matter how hot or cold the motor is. Like I said, really obvious.

[leirbag]

i see. alright then! so far its been an adventure..its like getting to know a new girl - every day you learn something new about her - both good and bad. makes it all the more fun and interesting.

[leonlo1984]

2 places you'r likely to see ard here.

1) ah koon 2) ah chong.

koon is at redhill, chong is at ubi (correct me if im wrong, plane+ regular)

 

Okok...so that means to say i can only go to ah koon if I dun want to go too far? I stay in Jurong by the way. How about hup hin? or is there any other reliable shop for Phantom TA150 maintenance? Thanks! =)

[VidaK]

what hint??

 

you have quoted a post from a different thread in a different forum.

[VidaK]

just to highlight to leonlo...

becareful..this is the experience of another biker..at

h.. h shop

 

oh... aiya you should have quoted leonlo's post as well ma... I thought you posted something out of the blue...