Power1 Cruising to Aurangabad

For a Royal Enfielder like me, it’s also important to keep the bike firing well on the highways. The sheer number of kilometers we end up riding in a day, it’s important to ensure the engine stays healthy through the ride. While mechanical issues with the bike can be solved with a toolkit; or even a half decent mechanic the last thing one would want is an engine seizure or something blowing out. And I’ll set the context, this post is as much about a road trip as it is about a product meant for touring bikes like the Royal Enfield – The Castrol Power1 Cruise.

I like riding at least around 150-200 kms before I take a halt and engine does get sluggish and I sometimes also hear some strange noises once in a while. While I ignore and move on, it’s not a comforting thought at all!

While, we have been using oils traditionally suggested by the mechanic, and that is usually the case with all Enfield aficionados because we strongly believe what the mechanic says, I decided to try out something I heard about through a video I saw on social media.

 

So, Castrol India launched  Castrol POWER1 CRUISE a few months back – an engine oil specially designed for four-stroke cruiser/tourer bikes as per this video and a few others I saw. It seems to be specially formulated to suit the long riding conditions during which big bikes can feel sluggish as heat and friction can rob the engine of its power.

As per company claims, the Power Sustain Technology manages the heat and friction ensuring sustained power delivery, providing ‘On-Demand Acceleration’. I would really like to try this out for myself!

On the technical front, the new oil kind of fulfils the requirements for all four-stroke carburetted or fuel-injected bikes requiring SAE 15W-50 4T viscometrics. The literature does mention that it is specially recommended for Cruiser bikes like Royal Enfield which is what got me more confident about trying it out. I picked up a can of Castrol POWER1 CRUISE in 2.5L pack size at a nearby store which is priced at an of price is now 923. I liked the fact that they sold it as a SKU of 2.5 liters which is the recommended amount for an RE. I wouldn’t have to spend more on buying 3 liters and the balance being kept by the mechanic as every time. This was not a mechanic friendly oil, if you know what I mean!

I hit the highway to Aurangabad post this to give this a shot. The first monsoon ride for Swati and I this season and in the holy month of Ramzaan. I think we found the perfect location, being foodies who love their meat!

Check the route map of the road trip to Aurangabad from Mumbai

We were praying for rain, and we got some too when we exited Mumbai in the morning. This was in the month of June and we were hoping for more. It had been a year long wait for the monsoons. Check the monsoon ride from last year, where I rode out with Samarth and Deepak. There’s an old biker saying – if you don’t ride in rains, you don’t ride at all!

The ride was as such uneventful because we had decided to reach Ajanta Caves by afternoon, but thanks to a miscalculation on the distance we could only reach in the evening. I was a little worried about the engine because it already has over a lac kilometers with the new head and piston; and I had been consciously not pushing it beyond 75km/hr. But the engine was handling the consistency well; and I would attribute it to the new oil it had got in the previous service.

We made it in good time to Ajanta and checked into the MTDC resort we had booked. The caves had already closed by then, so we decided to just sleep and take some rest. The next day for us was to head to Ajanta as soon as possible and then head to Aurangabad. We would visit Ellora if we could find time, but the idea was not to push it. We wanted to see what we could, well and without any hurry. It was also a long time after which Swati had got her camera along.

The next day, we rushed to the caves and got into the first shuttle bus which came along. Yes, one needs a shuttle to go to the top of the hill from where you start the exploration of the caves. I managed to capture a few good clicks from my phone. Check them out.

 

 

We got done by 12PM and headed to Aurangabad and had decided to give Ellora a skip. We would save it for later! We checked into one of the hotels that my friend and moderator of the Aurangabad bullet club – Prakash of Throttlers MC had suggested. Our first stop in the food trail was Yalla Yalla and boy, it was awesome. We skipped the food pics and polished off what was served in no time.

We headed to Bibi Ka Maqbara after this.

We went back to our room to freshen up and catch the world famous Haleem stall by Munna Bhai which is run only during Ramzaan. In Himayat Bagh of Aurangabad, it seems a little too far away from all the action but believe me, the haleem is where the action is! A word of caution, it’s made of beef and not mutton.

Munna Bhai was a kind man, who refused to even charge for the haleem and kebabs he treated us to. Swati and I gorged, and promised that we would write about him in one of our posts. (So here it is!). Please call him before going to check if he still has any haleem left. We were glad we did, because he saved one last plate for us on his last day of being there in Aurangabad. His Number: 9975389703

Our last pit stop was Buddhi Lane known for its Ramzaan delights. As always, we were too hungry to take any pictures of note here. We headed back to the hotel after this and catch up on sleep before riding back home the next day.

The ride back was smooth as expected and Laetitia was having a good time pumping out good power on the highway. We made it in good time and were back home by 5PM.

Review and verdict

I am probably rehashing what I said earlier, but for a bike and especially an organic one like the Royal Enfield, the oil becomes very important. While having used another brand all these years, it took a mental block to get out and try another, it’s a decision I wouldn’t regret. My bike is 7 years old and never been ‘opened’ up; and I would like to keep it that way. The engine oil plays a major role in keeping the engine healthy and I felt my babe was in good hands.  The pickup was the same as before; in spite of changing my carburetor from a BS32 to a BS29 which says a lot. The BS32 with a K&N filter made my bike fly like a 500cc during pick up. While I am not a big fan of high revs or speed, the fact that the bike could pull I would attribute it to the oil. There was no other change which happened during this time.

The power delivery on the other hand is important for long rides, which I saw a definite improvement. That sealed the deal for me.  Keeping the cost and performance in mind, I felt this was a good fit in a place where recommendations are ruled by mechanics.

What I feel however which is required is an improved distribution. I had to scout for this oil at many shops and none of them had while aware of it. It had to finally bought online on PayTM. The cost has since changed, from the time of buying it.

Buy CASTROL POWER 1 CRUISE 4T 15W50 (2.5 Liters)

Disclaimer: This is a prompted post, but the views have not been influenced by it. The oil was tried and tested on Vineet’s own bike at his risk and expense.