CB400 legal registration issue

[AVANTE]

Briefly:

is there nothing one can do about all those old CB400s running 250cc registration? Can't you re-register or maybe pay the extra taxes/fines and get legal 400cc documents for it? 

[kadsa98]

I have a 250cc reg cb400 and have had no issues with the cops so far. Although I do ride it extremely rarely like maybe once a year rarely haha.

AFAIK there is no way to get the registration updated unless the government runs a reg campaign like they did in 2013/2014....

[AVANTE]

Damn.. also nice to know about your cb4! what spec is yours?? One of my friends told me that if the CB4 is registered with an MC chassis number (hornet, cbr) then its a big issue, but if it's NC then its manageable. Is this true @kadsa98?

Also cops these days are smarter than ever. There were a few zoomers, a CB4 & five illegal rover mini coopers in the impound lot.

Also kadsa, what are your opinions on a Volty 250? I heard parts are a bit rare & expensive compared to hondas although engine is shared with the GN250. I want a reliable japanese 250cc with plenty of torque to replace my FZ.

Edited November 3, 2019 by □AVANTE□

[kadsa98]

On 11/1/2019 at 5:15 PM, □AVANTE□ said:

Damn.. also nice to know about your cb4! what spec is yours?? One of my friends told me that if the CB4 is registered with an MC chassis number (hornet, cbr) then its a big issue, but if it's NC then its manageable. Is this true @kadsa98?

Also cops these days are smarter than ever. There were a few zoomers, a CB4 & five illegal rover mini coopers in the impound lot.

Also kadsa, what are your opinions on a Volty 250? I heard parts are a bit rare & expensive compared to hondas although engine is shared with the GN250. I want a reliable japanese 250cc with plenty of torque to replace my FZ.

Yeah! Mine is the spec 3 model and yes your friend is correct, these days most cops and RMV officials know MC numbers are from hornets and if they catch your bike running forged docs you will definitely loose the bike! I have been stopped by cops before and the main thing they are concerned about is if you're running false docs. Fortunately for me on my book the bike name is CB4 and the only illegal thing on my bike is the "250cc" part on the book which most cops understand and usually will let it go (If you're skilled enough ). Also getting insurance for my bike is a major pain in the ass as most insurers know about the engine capacity thing so sometimes I get rejected for renewal.

TBH I don't know all that well about the tu250 bikes but a reliable 250 would be either a newer reg klx250 or something. Most bikes in SL are abused so try to find one in good nick. You can always tell how well the bike has been maintained by looking at it's chain as most kids that ride here don't know the first thing about proper chain maintenance. You can also consider the Pulsar NS200. I used a 2017 model year bike for about a year and it was great (Used mostly for travel within the city and the occasional long distance stint). Lot's of power for overtaking but a bit lacking on the low end, you have to rev it to go fast.

A new bike also depends on what you use it for so if it's daily riding, get something comfortable and economical. I would genuinely consider the NS200 as its a pretty good bike and parts are super cheap as well. (If you have the whole "Indian bikes are shit" idea then it would not be the bike for you). Also maybe try to test ride the new FZ250? I personally have no clue if its good or bad but online reviews claim that it's got a lot of torque. Stay away from KTM bikes if you want reliability after 5000km LOL

[AVANTE]

4 hours ago, kadsa98 said:

Yeah! Mine is the spec 3 model and yes your friend is correct, these days most cops and RMV officials know MC numbers are from hornets and if they catch your bike running forged docs you will definitely loose the bike! I have been stopped by cops before and the main thing they are concerned about is if you're running false docs. Fortunately for me on my book the bike name is CB4 and the only illegal thing on my bike is the "250cc" part on the book which most cops understand and usually will let it go (If you're skilled enough ). Also getting insurance for my bike is a major pain in the ass as most insurers know about the engine capacity thing so sometimes I get rejected for renewal.

TBH I don't know all that well about the tu250 bikes but a reliable 250 would be either a newer reg klx250 or something. Most bikes in SL are abused so try to find one in good nick. You can always tell how well the bike has been maintained by looking at it's chain as most kids that ride here don't know the first thing about proper chain maintenance. You can also consider the Pulsar NS200. I used a 2017 model year bike for about a year and it was great (Used mostly for travel within the city and the occasional long distance stint). Lot's of power for overtaking but a bit lacking on the low end, you have to rev it to go fast.

A new bike also depends on what you use it for so if it's daily riding, get something comfortable and economical. I would genuinely consider the NS200 as its a pretty good bike and parts are super cheap as well. (If you have the whole "Indian bikes are shit" idea then it would not be the bike for you). Also maybe try to test ride the new FZ250? I personally have no clue if its good or bad but online reviews claim that it's got a lot of torque. Stay away from KTM bikes if you want reliability after 5000km LOL

So.. do you have a chance of being denied coverage in case of an accident?CB4 is just pure awesome though. Still looking around for a Volty 250.

NS200 is awesome, and my friend had one before he bought a fireblade. I dont have that indians are shit idea. But of course the build quality is lacking and vibrations can be unbearable sometimes. Since the NS lacks torque, I had to rev it up like you said but damn it's fast! Even the prices are real cheap!

FZ25 is good but right now, the depreciation is hitting bad so I don't want something that will lose like 50k to 100k an year. Waiting for prices to drop. Have been on one as a pillion, and almost fell off the bike twice when the bugger twisted it too hard, despite grabbing the rails firmly (PURE torque monster). Also since I ride an FZ V2 right now, I have no doubts that the 250 will be the same bike except rear disk, LED head & bigger engine!

Also KTMs ? they sound like threewheelers and are painful to ride. Also, a classmate of mine crashed his 6 months old RC200 badly and DPMC is charging nearly 160k for repairs ?

 

[SanjeevMahen]

Since the topic shifted to Indian bikes, I thought to add my two cents here. The only Jap bike I've ever had was a Kawasaki Eliminator 250. Awesome bike but parts were rare and was a pain when it had issues.

Moving on to the Indian bikes that I've had, I've had a 2006 Pulsar 180, 2008 Discover 135, 2011 TVS Apache and a 2016 TVS Wego (scooter). All single cylinder engines have heavy vibration. Pretty much unavoidable as a whole but can be reduced by tightening all panels / fixtures. On the newer bikes you could go through some effort and add some dampening material to the inside of the plastic panels and get it all to smoothen down to a certain extent.

I presently have a 2017 Bajaj Dominar which is a 379cc Single cylinder, water cooled, twin-channel ABS bike. Best Indian bike I've ever ridden. Needless to say awesome power and the ABS has saved me several times on our chaotic roads. Effortless overtaking. In fact the cruising speed is too high to maintain on our inconsistent roads. Wont brag anymore abt it since you can read online reviews about it. AFAIK, DPMC brought down only one batch of 10 bikes and didn't bring down again even though the bike was a huge hit in India.

Coming to the rest of the Indian bikes, I don't like the KTMs, may be cos I'm bit too old for that sort of bikes
The Yamaha's FZ250 looks nice and I too heard about the torque but the rear seat seems unrealistically small. You may want to look at the TVS Apache RR 310. I don't have much of an idea on it. Looks more of a track bike.

Considering the cost of spares, official agent support, etc. I would recommend going with an Indian bike since they've come a long way in the last two decades. Also in the worst case, you can always get the necessary parts down from India through some contact or an importer. Way easier than the hassle of having to search for used parts for a Jap bike.

Edited November 6, 2019 by SanjeevMahen

[kadsa98]

On 11/6/2019 at 11:07 AM, □AVANTE□ said:

So.. do you have a chance of being denied coverage in case of an accident?CB4 is just pure awesome though. Still looking around for a Volty 250.

NS200 is awesome, and my friend had one before he bought a fireblade. I dont have that indians are shit idea. But of course the build quality is lacking and vibrations can be unbearable sometimes. Since the NS lacks torque, I had to rev it up like you said but damn it's fast! Even the prices are real cheap!

FZ25 is good but right now, the depreciation is hitting bad so I don't want something that will lose like 50k to 100k an year. Waiting for prices to drop. Have been on one as a pillion, and almost fell off the bike twice when the bugger twisted it too hard, despite grabbing the rails firmly (PURE torque monster). Also since I ride an FZ V2 right now, I have no doubts that the 250 will be the same bike except rear disk, LED head & bigger engine!

Also KTMs ? they sound like threewheelers and are painful to ride. Also, a classmate of mine crashed his 6 months old RC200 badly and DPMC is charging nearly 160k for repairs ?

 

Yeah unfortunately that is the risk you have to take when running a bike with 'unconventional' docs, that's also sort of the reason why I don't ride it as much as I used to haha

Yes the NS does have some vibration but overall I didn't really notice it unless I was paying attention to it. If you can wait a year maybe you can pick up a FZ25 that has already hit the depreciation curve. 

The RC series KTM's are literally race bikes LOL. Of course they're going to be uncomfortable to ride. Even the new yamaha R15 looks quite aggressive on the seating position.

Edited November 7, 2019 by kadsa98

[kadsa98]

On 11/6/2019 at 1:13 PM, SanjeevMahen said:

Since the topic shifted to Indian bikes, I thought to add my two cents here. The only Jap bike I've ever had was a Kawasaki Eliminator 250. Awesome bike but parts were rare and was a pain when it had issues.

Moving on to the Indian bikes that I've had, I've had a 2006 Pulsar 180, 2008 Discover 135, 2011 TVS Apache and a 2016 TVS Wego (scooter). All single cylinder engines have heavy vibration. Pretty much unavoidable as a whole but can be reduced by tightening all panels / fixtures. On the newer bikes you could go through some effort and add some dampening material to the inside of the plastic panels and get it all to smoothen down to a certain extent.

I presently have a 2017 Bajaj Dominar which is a 379cc Single cylinder, water cooled, twin-channel ABS bike. Best Indian bike I've ever ridden. Needless to say awesome power and the ABS has saved me several times on our chaotic roads. Effortless overtaking. In fact the cruising speed is too high to maintain on our inconsistent roads. Wont brag anymore abt it since you can read online reviews about it. AFAIK, DPMC brought down only one batch of 10 bikes and didn't bring down again even though the bike was a huge hit in India.

Coming to the rest of the Indian bikes, I don't like the KTMs, may be cos I'm bit too old for that sort of bikes
The Yamaha's FZ250 looks nice and I too heard about the torque but the rear seat seems unrealistically small. You may want to look at the TVS Apache RR 310. I don't have much of an idea on it. Looks more of a track bike.

Considering the cost of spares, official agent support, etc. I would recommend going with an Indian bike since they've come a long way in the last two decades. Also in the worst case, you can always get the necessary parts down from India through some contact or an importer. Way easier than the hassle of having to search for used parts for a Jap bike.

I agree! I used to have that mentality that indian bikes suck haha but I test rode a NS200 in 2017 and I loved the bike and bought it on the spot!

That's very interesting to know you have a Dominar here! I've only ever seen one and it was on the kesbewa bypass road, a BEX numbered one I think. Post some pictures if you can! What about parts for the bike? No issue there?

 

[AVANTE]

On 11/6/2019 at 1:13 PM, SanjeevMahen said:

 Considering the cost of spares, official agent support, etc. I would recommend going with an Indian bike since they've come a long way in the last two decades. Also in the worst case, you can always get the necessary parts down from India through some contact or an importer. Way easier than the hassle of having to search for used parts for a Jap bike.

@SanjeevMahen Yes this is the utmost point. Also damn, nice to hear from a dominar owner! I know about it, brother is a big fan of it. The new ones have a nice green paintjob and USD forks. A bajaj salesman told me the other day that due to the japanese market, no one is ready to pay 1 million for a bajaj. You could get a legal reg, 2007 CBR-600 or CB4 for that price. But I saw one pass by and its a muscular bike ofc. Only the intruder comes close in the muscle department. Also do post some pics!

Also, 310RR (concept named Akula) is a damn nice thing. Co-engineered by BMW too! Shame that Kusal Mendis had to drop one infront of a huge audience ?

I love the ride quality of my FZ, so I'd wait for the 250 to get cheaper.

Also @kadsa98 I too ride an unconventional bike, a Honda zoomer 50 without any documents? police ayya has warned me on three different occasions! Have been riding for more than an year now and it's a fun little bugger.

 

We should open a sub-topic related to motorbikes and all?

[SanjeevMahen]

On 11/7/2019 at 9:16 PM, kadsa98 said:

I agree! I used to have that mentality that indian bikes suck haha but I test rode a NS200 in 2017 and I loved the bike and bought it on the spot!

That's very interesting to know you have a Dominar here! I've only ever seen one and it was on the kesbewa bypass road, a BEX numbered one I think. Post some pictures if you can! What about parts for the bike? No issue there?

 

The number of Dominars here being just a handful and at the price they cost, I doubt they are being daily ridden or being ridden to go to grab something from the shop at the junction. Rather I presume they'd be ridden mostly for pleasure.

Other than mine, the only other one I've seen (twice) is in the Wellawatte area.

Coming to spares, touch wood, I haven't had the necessity as yet. The oil filter is the same as in the NS and I use Liqui moly 15w50. Clean and lube the chain with LM products and all has been well so far.

Edited November 18, 2019 by SanjeevMahen

[SanjeevMahen]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 11:07 PM, □AVANTE□ said:

@SanjeevMahen Yes this is the utmost point. Also damn, nice to hear from a dominar owner! I know about it, brother is a big fan of it. The new ones have a nice green paintjob and USD forks. A bajaj salesman told me the other day that due to the japanese market, no one is ready to pay 1 million for a bajaj. You could get a legal reg, 2007 CBR-600 or CB4 for that price. But I saw one pass by and its a muscular bike ofc. Only the intruder comes close in the muscle department. Also do post some pics!

Also, 310RR (concept named Akula) is a damn nice thing. Co-engineered by BMW too! Shame that Kusal Mendis had to drop one infront of a huge audience ?

I love the ride quality of my FZ, so I'd wait for the 250 to get cheaper.

Yeah I agree that the new ones looks awesome in green with USD forks. Don't like the split exhaust canister though. With the present situ, do not see it being brought down by DPMC.

I guess the younger generation prefer the radical looks of the KTM. Also the price of the Dominar is quite beyond most, similar to the KTM 390 (the engine that is shared with the Dominar with some differences).
Hence from a sales perspective DPMC did the correct thing by bringing in KTM and its lower capacity varieties.

Havent ridden a FZ, so don't know much about it.

Indian bikes still have some distance to go to but as I said considering the ease of maintenance, I'd prefer them over any grey import jap for the time being.

[AVANTE]

1 hour ago, SanjeevMahen said:

Yeah I agree that the new ones looks awesome in green with USD forks. Don't like the split exhaust canister though. With the present situ, do not see it being brought down by DPMC.

I guess the younger generation prefer the radical looks of the KTM. Also the price of the Dominar is quite beyond most, similar to the KTM 390 (the engine that is shared with the Dominar with some differences).
Hence from a sales perspective DPMC did the correct thing by bringing in KTM and its lower capacity varieties.

Havent ridden a FZ, so don't know much about it.

Indian bikes still have some distance to go to but as I said considering the ease of maintenance, I'd prefer them over any grey import jap for the time being.

The time has come for japan grey imports, bikes like the TZR, Bandits, Zeal, Balius, Virago, Rebel, etc..are suffering a shortage of parts & demand. The only bikes that can still live on are the mopeds, roadmaster/benly, fireblades & hornets.

Triumph has sealed the deal with bajaj so expect some high capacity indians in 2 years time. Bajaj CEO himself said that they are working on the development of a 400+ cc already. Thinking if gota would allow high capacity bikes like last time ?

Also, is there a way we can import a used dominar for cheap? Or are we forced to go to DPMC to do that (as in, do they have strict rights to be the only importers of a bajaj vehicle?)

 

[AVANTE]

4 hours ago, SanjeevMahen said:

The number of Dominars here being just a handful and at the price they cost, I doubt they are being daily ridden or being ridden to go to grab something from the shop at the junction. Rather I presume they'd be ridden mostly for pleasure.

Other than mine, the only other one I've seen (twice) is in the Wellawatte area.

Coming to spares, touch wood, I haven't had the necessity as yet. The oil filter is the same as in the NS and I use Liqui moly 15w50. Clean and lube the chain with LM products and all has been well so far.

Sweet bike btw! Must be getting lots of attention? Also do you do long trips or just short rides?

[SanjeevMahen]

19 hours ago, □AVANTE□ said:

The time has come for japan grey imports, bikes like the TZR, Bandits, Zeal, Balius, Virago, Rebel, etc..are suffering a shortage of parts & demand. The only bikes that can still live on are the mopeds, roadmaster/benly, fireblades & hornets.

Triumph has sealed the deal with bajaj so expect some high capacity indians in 2 years time. Bajaj CEO himself said that they are working on the development of a 400+ cc already. Thinking if gota would allow high capacity bikes like last time ?

Also, is there a way we can import a used dominar for cheap? Or are we forced to go to DPMC to do that (as in, do they have strict rights to be the only importers of a bajaj vehicle?)

 

Sorry bro not aware of much detail on the importation and its nitty-gritties. You could check with someone who is in to the auto import trade. I doubt if its possible cos otherwise all the Indian manufactured Toyotas and Mitsubishis as well as several brands of motorbikes (low cc ones), intended for their local market would have made their way here. Also never heard of anyone having imported any bikes from India on their own. But not saying its not possible. You can make inquiries and see. However, you'd have to pay considerable amount of tax for sure.

If really interested, you could check with DPMC on whether they are willing to import a Dominar for you on special order. Should not be impossible since they already brought down a batch and also service the same. Pricing might be an issue. Another thing you could do is to hunt down one of those already sold and try to buy from the present owner. I'm not selling for now  I remember seeing one for sale on the quick site abt three months ago, but that was in Jaffna and was asking 900k.

Edited November 19, 2019 by SanjeevMahen

[AVANTE]

51 minutes ago, SanjeevMahen said:

Sorry bro not aware of much detail on the importation and its nitty-gritties. You could check with someone who is in to the auto import trade. I doubt if its possible cos otherwise all the Indian manufactured Toyotas and Mitsubishis as well as several brands of motorbikes (low cc ones), intended for their local market would have made their way here. Also never heard of anyone having imported any bikes from India on their own. But not saying its not possible. You can make inquiries and see. However, you'd have to pay considerable amount of tax for sure.

If really interested, you could check with DPMC on whether they are willing to import a Dominar for you on special order. Should not be impossible since they already brought down a batch and also service the same. Pricing might be an issue. Another thing you could do is to hunt down one of those already sold and try to buy from the present owner. I'm not selling for now  I remember seeing one for sale on the quick site abt three months ago, but that was in Jaffna and was asking 900k.

Yes I remember seeing that too! A grey one. Sucks ti be an enthusiast here because the cheapest performance vehicles tend to be rare here!