Stealth - 2002 Honda Dio

[deville_56]

Dream versus Destiny - A Simple True Story

Back in 2009, my dream was Honda Dio at the time of getting Barricade. Shattered by the unethical Honda dealer. Settled for FZ, but always had Dio in my heart and envied anyone having one before moving on with life.

Booked the Yellow-Black combo and already christened it the Bumble Bee. Still have the brochure with me.

Craziness was running so high that I went straight to the Yamaha dealer and got pair of R15 mirrors without even thinking how or where to install them.

Downloaded every Dio snap available on Orkut and Google, thousands of them. Confused over what mods to do, which team to join, etc. Then, the dealer kicked in and ruined my dreams after making me wait three whole months.

Fast-forward to 2019, I visited aunt's house monthly to start up the Beat (my Skid before I bought it) and the Polo (bought to replace the Skid) as they settled out of town. I would start them, drive for 4-5 km and wash and park them back. Dio was sitting in the corner unattended as I didn't have the key. As time go by, condition was getting worse and finally when they came home, gave the key and told me to keep it. By this time, my lust for Dio had settled down and didn't had much enthusiasm. Battery was drained with no response to self start. Kicked and it started in around 4-5 attempts after sitting idle for 2+ years. Took home, washed it. Gave it for service, all sponsored program. Came the lock-down, and I had one more to idle.

Skip to 2021, came the good news, "keep it, it's all yours" and there starts my ownership review.

Glimpse of the present time. Two shades of grey.

Past and present will ensue in the following posts.

 

[deville_56]

Agone Time

2011 - Oldest photo I could dig up. Originally, it was silver. Pristinely maintained till sissy started using it. Eventually had a fall breaking some panels.

Honda parts were scarce then (2011) and both dealers here were hopeless. Made a trip to Vahini Motors in Kollam as they were trust worthier than Trivandrum dealers.

Hauled a boxful on Barricade, 140 km up and down.

When the waiting period for Activa and Unicorn was almost a year down here, they had surplus stock.

The parts. Front bottom panel and left running board panel. A pair of clear lens front indicators. Rear clear lens assembly wasn't available even then. Can't find one even now.

Installed DIY. My first DIY on the Dio.

With my boy.

2012 - Had a bigger crash and ended up replacing most of the panels and gone were the clear lens indicators. Spent around 20k on restoration. Done by Karthik Honda, same guy used to service my Kiney back then. He managed to source panels somehow. DIY number plate. My default font then.

and carbon-fibre hand-cut Ganapathy on request, my other cuts were usually skulls

2019 - The condition when I picked it up.

Attacked by furious dogs.

 

[deville_56]

Came with the original owner's manual.

Original expired first aid kit.

Even got the original invoice and tax token.

On-road ₹37,499.00 in 2002. It was around 42k in 2009 when I booked one. Now around 80k.

Same dealer who betrayed me.

Serviced at authorized service centre only till 2010. It broke down once due to compression loss and it was my first ride behind a pickup truck. Since then, it was serviced by Karthik Motors until it was parked.

 

[deville_56]

2021 - Quick Recap

Dio has been my main ride during the lockdown period with haulage of loads of groceries. It took 5 bagfuls on the front platform overloaded, two on the pillion handle and some under the seat. Balancing was a bit difficult. Replaced front sticker number plate with proper plates. Cops were okay with my reason for travel, but not with the number plate.

Wanted to get rid of the pillion footrest the first.
1. I don't want anybody sitting sideways, the real reason.
2. It was hindering the air filter cover.
3. It pretty much rusted.

Five 12-mm bolts and the whole rear comes off. Dio used to have all around crash-guard. Convinced to remove during the grey conversion, and the Dio suddenly became compact for them. Forgot mentioning, replaced original RVMs with current generation Dio's. Old ones' pivots were rusty and stuck. First generation Activa owners/users would know. Zero adjustable mirrors. New ones were properly adjustable.

Two 12-mm bolts and the foot rest comes off, weight reduction . Now, the air filter cover easily removable without any hindrance.

The air filter was old paper type. The 2009 facelift version came with new viscous type and the second generation launched the same year had another type. I had impression that Bajaj made the most UGs, but there has been 14 iterations of Dio in 3 generations till 2020 BS6 variant.

Bought Yamalube Sporty Premium fully synthetic 10W40. Original grade was 20W40 with Honda changing that to 10W30. Recommended spec was JASO-MB, but no harm using JASO-MA. MB is used when engine and clutch/gearbox use separate oils and MA when everything shared the same oil. Not recommended using the other way. Don't know much into their technicalities. Paid ₹ 430.00.

First time changing oil on any scooter, so the first time on the Dio. The drain plug sits just under the exhaust.

Oil cap location was a bit tricky. None of my funnels fitted that space and I was least prepared.

One of the niece's medicine bottle came to rescue, jugaad.

Side stand spring broke off while riding. New spring was only ₹20.

Popped it in easily.

The original spark plug was Champion FRZ9HC.

Replaced with my favourite, NGK G-Power. CR6HGP - ₹ 189.00

Customary new vs old.

The plug cap wasn't fitting well. Could hear spark leaking kinda noise while riding, increasing with rpm. I was dumb enough to check with hand for any loose part going into twinkle-twinkle-little-star mode. There was 1-2 finger breadth gap between the plug and the cap while the engine was still running fine, only the noise. Replaced with Varroc cap, which conked off in a week and started making the noise again. Most shops had only the same Varroc. Honda GP stores had no stock. Went straight to Diya Hero, the Hero parts distributor. Bought one for Pleasure, thanks to parts sharing. Honda one costs almost twice the Hero. Replaced and living happily thereafter.

Noise Suppressor Cap Assembly (Hero) - 30700KTP951S - ₹ 149.00

 

[deville_56]

2021 - Recap Continues

Throttle was closing slowly or not closing properly, suspecting dirt build-up.

Removed the carb. Carb was Keihin (Fie) make.

Seems it hasn't been touched in ages. Valve wasn't closing properly.

Packing was in real bad shape.

Bowl was clean with no muck.

Cleaned inside out with Magsol TB cleaner.

Jet sizes 38 and 75, for reference.

Had to buy half kit for the single packing. Available as individual part at Honda, but last minute Sunday job ends like this. Costed only ₹ 55, but the rest of the pack gets wasted. The same happened with Kiney kit as well.

Half Engine Gasket Kit - SKZX ACT002A - ₹ 57.00

New vs old.

O-ring also needed replacement, but the neighbourhood spare shop didn't have them.

Installed any way.

Void for the carb.

Was in hurry, so no snaps of cleaning and install. Started off as a quick visual inspection.

 

[deville_56]

2021 - Added Passby Switch

My finger irked every time some idiot ran straight into me. Sorely missed the pass-by (and engine kill) switch(es). This has been a common upgrade, we have one in TAI too. We had our national switch (like national engine) on Honda Activa, that had been on duty on most of the scooters sold in India till recent time. Those were actually introduced on Kinetic Honda Marvel, confirmed/corrected by @bikerharis. Marvel even had park light function, eliminated by Honda till a few years back. These switches were really cheap and easily available. Pass-by feature came in Hero Duet and TVS Jupiter on the same national switch, may be more of them had that. Procured on from Kathir TVS. Inquired about park light assembly on TVS XL, approx ₹1200, but per the sales guy, then never stocked or sold a single piece nor anyone ever came asking for one.

Pass-by Switch (TVS Jupiter) - TVS K6160470 - ₹ 109.00

The switch assembly.

Made by UNO Minda.

Normal ones didn't have wires and the connector was moulded on the switch assembly and the connector plugged directly. This one came with a 4-pin connector with extra connection to battery/constant DC for pass-by.

Compared to stock switch.

TVS switch was thicker too.

Actually, it had 5 wires, 3 wires for normal high/low function and a separate part for pass-by. You can drive an aux lamp for pass function by separating the yellow and green wires and connecting it to the latter. Forgot drawing schematics.

Orange - Input/DC supply for pass-by.
Green - Output pass-by (connected to high beam).
Yellow with green stripe - Connection from headlight switch/switch input.
Yellow - To high beam.
White with red stripe - To low beam,

Stock connector.

Brown - Input/connection from headlight switch.
Blue - To high beam.
White - To low beam.

Had only 2.8 mm male connectors with me, which didn't fit in. I think those were 2.2 mm.

Bent a couple of LED leads and soldered and made something that would fit in.

Sleeved and ready to install.

There wasn't much depth like other scooters. Switch would hit below and pop out of place. Need to shave the edges by about a millimetre to accommodate the switch.

Mated with the stock wiring.

Bought a fuse case for Hero bikes.
Fuse Case - Minda FW-2002 - ₹ 31.00

Fed the pass-by input directly to battery via the fuse. Might get it switched through ignition sometime later, but I liked this setup. Helps me locate stuff in car porch during late night work.

Done.

Tested okay.

And came good news. Shared them photos/videos of the add-on, and the reply was the scooter is Mine.

 

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Is the console from old activa (Pre HET or HET model)or ?

 

[deville_56]

Is the console from old activa (Pre HET or HET model)or ?

It was actually Dio console that made its way into Activas. There were umpteen face changes. This one was replaced later, so might be from later Activa or Dio, most parts were common. Many Activa owners asked the same question.

 

[deville_56]

October 2021 - First Incident with MY DIO

During a drizzle, I was waiting for a right turn and Wagon R banged into me. It was an uncle with a misty windshield (without demister). He wasn't fast enough that I could stay on my feet while the scooter slid away from me. Made sure I was okay and exchanged our number, and we parted away. He called the night and next morning and agreed to pay for the repair cost. Didn't pursue further, as the scooter already wasn't perfect cosmetically.

The tail panel took the hit and broke off.

Side get deeper scars.

Luckily, the light assembly was intact. Bottom panel that was replaced recently was also spared. Only the tail end needed replacement. Rest was all mendable.

Toured every Honda ASC and spare parts shops in town and understood getting body parts for Dio was next to impossible. Mechanical parts and light assemblies were available. Lens covers were no more available as child part. After searching the local used part market and getting redirected many times, finally got a used tail panel. Paid ₹ 150.00. He had a clear lens tail lamp assembly, but insisted mine was newer and in better condition.

The crash came as a blessing in disguise. I was planning a step-by-step restoration due to funding issues and ended up in full resurrection due to the crash.

 

[deville_56]

November 2021 - The Stealth was Born

Consulted 2-3 body shops and all quoted (now) standard rate of ₹6500.00, two of whom wanted the scooter dismantled and brought in parts of whom one would paint only the body panels and would charge extra for trims. Post COVID, everyone hiked their rates. Back to Vinayak Honda, where I got the Dio serviced last time and who arranged painting for Kinetic body panels 5 years back for retest. He quoted ₹4500.00, but would take care of dismantling. Entrusted him with the job. He called me to the body shop for picking the colour after the prepping was done. I was shocked to see the Dio was fully stripped and everything was painted, the plastic trims, chassis, rims, even the engine casing wasn't spared. Thought only body will be covered for that rate. I gave a vague idea of silver or grey during our first talk. Saw the new grey Suzuki Access at Suzuki dealer and mistook it as matt grey due to the lighting and insisted him I want that grey only. They searched for that specific matt grey without any success. I even argued there existed such a grey. Understanding my mistake, asked them if matt or satin finish on that same grey was possible, if not, would go with matt silver of the same Access. I wanted handle cowl to be gloss black irrespective of the body colour.

And the outcome was

Paint finishing was beyond my expectation. Wanted black rims, but can manage with silver for the time being.

Bought Honda stickers from the new neighbourhood parts store, Moto Spare Tech, ₹ 15.00 each. Cheaper than vinyl shop, where I was planning to do.

Stuck on the cowl. Rear one looked out of place, so removed,

Expenses

Painting - ₹ 4,500.00
Labour for disassembling, reassembling, wash, and a quick service - ₹ 1,200.00
Number Plate Stickering - ₹ 120.00
Headlight Switch (with Park Light) - ₹ 80.00
Indicator Switch - ₹ 77.00

Total - ₹5750 (after rounding off ₹227).

 

[deville_56]

November 2021 - New Rear Tyre - Michelin Pilot Street 2

Got a sweet deal on a piece of Michelin Pilot Street 2 90/100-10 from Vijesh, a close biker friend of mine, whose family runs a tyre business on the other end of the stat, Yogi Tyres. Sent the tyre on a long-haul bus and got it delivered next morning.

August 2021 make.

Bidirectional.

Installed. Wanted to install as tubeless, but the rim was rusty inside, ending up reusing old tube.

 

[deville_56]

November 2021 - Added DRLs

The AC rear park light was feeble during idling and always feared getting rear ended and it happened. Brightening it up was of priority.

During the paint job, they replaced some switches, as mentioned previously, and the headlight switch was from newer Hondas with park light function.

The new switch had 5 pins.

Top row was for headlight and the bottom was standalone for park light.

Pulled out the speedo backlit to find the wiring colour and turned out to be brown. Green was the negative.

Checked all the way to rear to confirm it was the same brown wire.

Search all the way and found this junction.

44

There were three wires coupled together.

One for backlit and one for rear park light and the remaining one was the input for the high/low switch.

Split the ones to backlit and rear park and retained the connection to the high/low switch. Taped them out of harm's way.

Removed the key set coupler and found the switched positive and tapped it.

Used small spades and connected to the switch.

Since the front end was open, removed the headlight to tint the corners, as I felt the silver part was too prominent and ugly.

Used headlight tints instead of opaque vinyl.

Just a quick job. Headlight needs polishing and needs redoing later.

Idea for front DRLs came up. Same setup as in Kiney, 0.5W SMDs x 3, while Kiney gets warm white.

Added an extra spade for plug and play connectivity at the headlight connector end.

Installed and connected to the bunch to the park light switch.

Rear working as well. LED conversion next.

How the front end turned out.

 

[deville_56]

December 2021 - Renewed Insurance

Got Acko again. They offer comprehensive policy for older vehicles too, don't know how it goes in case of a claim. In between, changed ownership and changing details on insurance was as simple as editing an Excel cell.

Policy Details:

Own Damage Premium - ₹84.00
NCB - 50%
Third-Party Premium - ₹752.00
Net Premium - ₹937.00

IDV - ₹16,250.00

 

[deville_56]

December 2021 - New Black Tubeless Rim

Tube in brand-new tubeless tyre was irking me a lot. I went in for other spares at Spark and casually inquired the price and black rim for new Dio was under 750. Same in silver was over ₹1000. Bought it right away.

Rim Set - 42660KZK900 - ₹ 744.00

Klassic is the vendor. Would be a bit cheaper in their packing.

Came with Triton tubeless valve.

Installed. Next task would be to colour match everything.

Condition of old rim.

 

[deville_56]

December 2021 - Black Out

Painted rims and hubs as planned.

Used Samurai Kurobushi gloss black.

Reacted with the existing paint, but hardly noticeable once dried up.

Wheel drum still 2002 part, KU brand.

OE Honda brake shoes also made by ASK.

Reassembled.

Stealth look complete.