Chizuck

I've got a tank for a 2001 redbird that is still perfectly functional and about 90% of it's surface is in very good condition. The other 10% is a dent that was added by a street-cleaning truck bumping it while it was parked on the street. Insurance bought me a new one and now I've got this thing sitting around taking up space: Make me an offer. In a separate incident I managed to rash up a left lower and alternator cover. Same deal - I've got new ones on the bike now and need to get rid of the old ones: Anybody got a use for these? I've got a couple more close-up shots of damage if it would be helpful.

I left by bike parked on the street in front of my house and someone backed into it. They didn't leave a note or anything, so I'm having to deal with it through my insurance. I hope the karmic scorekeeper is paying attention...

Anyone know if it's possible to buy an OEM fuel tank already painted (red) with all the stickers and everything on it? And if so, where? Thanks, Chuck

rosedalesam - in your search for a right-side lower fairing for a redbird, did you ever come across a left-side lower? I may be in the market and am just starting to look around. Thanks, Chuck

You're right - it's a 2001. Not sure where that mental slip came from. Thanks for the catch.

After an embarrassing excursion onto a shoulder that was a lot muddier and softer than I thought, I may be in the market for a lower left fairing for my redbird. I haven't completely decided if it's worth it or not - the damage is only cosmetic - but I figured I would at least ask if anyone has one for sale. Anybody?

PM received. Matt, you're right that it would be nice to have a '99 or newer fender to make the interface with the wiring harness and ECU easier, but I'm not sure about how it would work with the '97-'98 subframe and seat cowl I already have. I figured it would be cheaper to get an older fender and get creative with zip ties to hold the various sensors and ECU in place.

Howdy all, I recently helped a friend purchase a 2000 Titanium bird from a board member. The bike was reasonably priced since it had been wrecked, but most of the replacement parts needed to get it back on the road had already been purchased and came with it. We've started going through it to see what else will need to be acquired to make it complete and compiled a list of items, most of which could be found at a dealer, on ebay, or from Honda Direct. Before looking into those options though I figured I would post them on here and see if I could help anyone free up a little shelf space in their garage. Parts needed: From this picture we need: Parts 11, 12 - in the service manual they call these the inner panels Part 13 - the little plug under the nose - not really necessary, but if you've got it lying around Parts 21, 22, 23, 25, 27 - basically these are the nuts and bolts that hold the windscreen in place From this picture we need: Parts 3, 18, 19 - these are the front turn signal bulb holder (just need 1) and the pigtails that plug the bulb into the wiring harness (need right and left) From this picture we need: Parts 3, 5 - these are the bulb holder for the headlight and the dust boot that goes around it (need two of each) Parts 7, 8, 9 - these are the bolts and nut clips that hold the headlight assembly to the front cowl (need all of them) From this picture we need: Parts 1, 6 - the hardware that holds the seat release lock cylinder in place and connects it to the release cable Additional items needed: Tail light assembly from a 97-98 - For whatever reason this bike appears to have a rear subframe, fender, and seat cowl from a first-generation blackbird. I think this will require a little modification of the 2000 wiring harness to connect it to the older tail light assembly, but we'll manage. Bank Angle Sensor - It seems to be missing. We can jumper it for now, but will need to add a BAS eventually. Also any mounting hardware. Rear fender from a 97-98 - The one on it is pretty badly cracked. It's most likely salvageable, but if a better one could be had for cheap it would be worth replacing That's all we've come up with so far. Let me know if you think you've got any of these parts for sale. Also, on the port side there is a stud that sticks off the frame that a bolt for the left lower goes into and it has a broken-off bolt in it. Does anyone have any advice for how to get it out? There isn't quite enough to grab onto with a needle-nose vice grip. Thanks a lot, Chuck

Just a quick update: I managed to get almost everything done that I needed to last Saturday. I installed a new ZVM2 chain and two new sprockets (big thanks to SD Marc for use of his chain tool), cleaned the clutch rod, replaced the coolant, worked through some new clutch and brake fluid, put in some new spark plugs (those things are expensive!), installed a K&N air filter, changed the oil and filter, checked wheel bearings, and did some general cleaning. About the only things I didn't accomplish that people recommended were to replace the fork fluid and check the valve clearances - another day. I do notice some more chain noise with the undamped sprocket - sort of sounds like a hissing noise under power - but it's way better than the creaking and popping the old chain was making. I'd like to say the new air filter and spark plugs added some power, but I'm guessing the perceived increase stems from the fact that I've been riding a ninja 500 around for the last couple weeks. Whatever the cause it's been fun to be back on the bird. Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips, and again thanks to SD Marc for the tool help. -Chuck

Thanks Joe - I did give the clutch pushrod a good cleaning with solvent. With the amount of junk that came off of it and out of the space around it I'm hoping that will solve the weird clutch lever feel. If not I guess my next step will be to disassemble and clean the clutch slave cylinder.

My new front and rear sprockets just arrived today from White Buffalo Racing so I started taking the old stuff off. When I pulled the old front sprocket out I noticed it has large rubber pieces bonded to either side of the sprocket, while the replacement does not. Should this concern me? The replacement does have a couple tapped thru holes on it - is something supposed to attach there? I think I took about 5 pounds of gravel, sand, and chain wax (50,000 miles worth) out of the cavity in there - should feel like I've gained 1 or 2 hp. -Chuck

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll set aside the coming Saturday to get started on the long overdue maintenance. The amount of noise coming from the chain has me a little worried so I've been riding the wife's ninja 500 the last few days - what a change of pace! It's kind of fun screaming around town on it (I try to overcome the lack of power by never letting the revs drop below 7000) but I wish I had a sign on it or something indicating that it belongs to my wife. This morning I got smoked at a stop light by a guy driving a souped up Mini Cooper - that's some embarrassing shit right there. At the next light I had to stop myself from tapping on his window and explaining to him that I normally ride a much cooler bike. Once again, thanks for all the input and Marc I appreciate the offer to help. I'll hit you up with a PM about tool questions. -Chuck

Howdy all, My 99 blackbird is about 2 weeks away from rolling over the big 50,000. Since I bought it with 12,000 in '04 it's been a dream of a commuter. Aside from gas, oil, and tires the only things I've replaced have been the chain (thanks again, Joe), and the brake pads. The chain is starting to make a popping noise again, so I guess I'm due to replace it, and I'd like to get some feedback on a few other things: Coolant - still the original. No complaints, I'm just wondering if it's something I should replace just because it's old. Brake fluid - still the original. Again no complaints, but in the little window on the MC it looks kind of brownish. Clutch fluid - still the original. Also looks a little brownish, and I've noticed the clutch lever doesn't always go all the way out on release. Doesn't affect clutch engagement, it's just a little weird. Fork oil - still the original. My riding isn't really at a level where I have handling complaints, I just wonder if 50K miles is too much for the fork oil. The seals seem to be intact. Wheel bearings - is there any need to add grease to or clean the wheel bearings? Compared to my wife's ninja my bike seems to have a lot of rolling resistance in neutral. Air filter - I took it out and knocked some dust off it once. I certainly don't notice a lack of power or anything and the FI light doesn't come on. Without a doubt my favorite part about this bike is how maintenance-free it has been, but I'm starting to feel guilty, like maybe I should be doing a little more to it. Am I worrying about nothing or should I spend a weekend doing a little wrenching? Any thoughts are appreciated, Chuck

Howdy all, I just bought a '94 Kawa ninja 500 for the little lady to start riding on. She recently took the MSF course and is hell-bent on learning to ride, so what can I do. I bought this bike for $1K from a guy who said a female friend gave it to him after she bought it new, rode it for several years (15K miles), then let it sit outdoors for a year or two. It didn't run great, but I looked it over and the frame and everything looked straight, there's no evidence of it ever being laid down, and it looks very stock, like the woman who owned it never really did much messing around with it. So now I'm starting to check some things over, rebuilt the carbs, forks, brake calipers, etc. Then tonight I checked all the valve clearances and did a compression check, and discovered that it may have compression issues. One cylinder seems good - it runs up to about 160psi after the engine turns over 10 times. The other side is not so good - more like 125psi. I dribbled a little oil in the cylinders and then they were both up over 200psi. Based on this my first guess is that the cylinder walls are pitted from sitting so long, and this leaves me with a dilemna. One option is to put it all back together and just let my woman ride it as is (slightly under-powered and idle is a little rough) and hope it might wear itself in a little over time. The other option is to go ahead and tear into it further, although I'm guessing this will mean several hundred more dollars after boring and buying oversized rings and pistons, new head and cylinder gaskets, etc. Anybody have any cheap tricks to get better compression? Is it possible that just replacing rings or a gasket could fix this? Or should I just put it back together and let her ride it as is? Any thoughts are welcome...

For the first time ever I had a breakdown on my '99 bird this morning, although as it turned out it wasn't Honda's fault. I was cruising along about 60mph when the engine just suddenly died. Luckily I was able to roll onto a side street and get it up on the sidewalk before coming to a stop. I suspected an electrical failure and once I started poking around I found a wire (the orange with black stripe) that had separated from the back of the connector going from the Power Commander into the ECU. So I pulled the power commander off the bike and hooked the connectors back up OEM-style and it started right back up. I sent an email to the Dyno-Jet people an hour ago and already got a response saying that even though it's technically no longer under warrantee they'll repair it if I send it to them. What I'm wondering now is how big a deal is it to ride with the stock map? The bike has a K&N filter and a full exhaust system (Two Brothers shotgun exhaust) with carbon fiber slip-ons. I didn't really notice any difference in the remmainder of my morning commute - would there be any issue with riding for a couple weeks without the Power Commander?