I own a Hero Honda CBZ Xtreme since 2011 and am been quite satisfied with the bike. The vehicle provides a good combination of power and efficiency. I was very proud of owing this bike for about 18 moths(while in warranty) and had gone on long rides like Bangalore to Chennai, Bangalore to Madurai and rode across Coorg.
My woes however started after all the free services were over and paid services started. The fuel efficiency started reducing gradually from 54km/litre to 38km/litre. This was reported during every service after Nov 2012 and at various service centers across Bangalore and there seemed no effort made to identify the problem and rectify it. Everytime this was reported, a service technician would just take the bike into the shop and tweak the RPM settings a little and say that the vehicle is alright but nothing actually improved.
As an engineer myself I can say that this problem cannot be rectified by adjusting the idle RPM alone and one has to identify the probable cause of fuel wastage. I then suspected that there was a problem with the carburetor and even asked the service technicians to check its status. Everytime the technicians just nodded their heads but I’m not sure whether they really checked it. At times the bike would stop abruptly after service and wouldn’t start soon.This dismay continued for nearly a year. I discovered while I tried to examine the vehicle by myself that that the metal clip on the fuel hose was missing and this probably caused some leaks which increased over a period of time. This was just a suspicion that I had but I wonder how could the service technicians of Hero Authorized Service Centers overlook this and that too while I complained of reduction on fuel efficiency?
I took the bike to another service center this time i.e. 18 August 2014 while the bike again stopped abruptly and needed many attempts to start the engine again. This service center does not have a sales cell and all the technicians are dedicated to service. The service center is run by "Bangalore Press" and they have a fuel station in the same premises. I just told the technician "Sathya" about the abrupt stopping issue and unlike those in the other service centers I had been before, Sathya did not just adjust the RPM. He rightly guessed that there could be water in the suction tube that wouldn’t have been drained after a wash while the bike was serviced(just 3 working days ago). He drained the water and cleaned the carburetor. The problem of abrupt turning off was solved. I went to him again on the next day with a hope that he would analyze the low fuel efficiency problem . The first thing he did was to check the fuel delivery hose and the outlet from the fuel tank. He also identified that the locking clip on the hose was missing. I felt that I met a real technician for the first time since I bought this bike. He then checked the fuel outlet valve from the tank and showed me its minor leak while kept at "Off" position. He then replaced this with a new one that had a key which can help prevent fuel theft. It costed about Rs. 140. He checked for leaks thoroughly till he was convinced that this control valve was alright. After the replacement, he then tuned the engine and said with a smile "It should now be ok sir!". My beast recovered indeed.
The efficiency is now back to its original value of around 54 kmpl, the power is back. I suggest that Hero motors conduct an audit of their service centers and reward good and passionate technicians like "Sathya" and also initiate remedial measures at other service centers where the quality of service is unsatisfactory which are also letting down the reputation of Hero Motors.
This good service center is located near Chamarajapet on Mysore road under the Fly Over and is in the same premises as a ’Bharat Petroleum" fuel station and is run by "Bangalore Press".This is the only Hero Service Center in Bangalore that I recommend after riding a Hero Honda Xtreme for nearly 3 years.
Best Regards,
Prasidh