petewoody1965 Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 hi all .leaving motocross and getting back into road bikes . im trying to get as much info on the blackbirds as i will be getting one about september time .reading through the forum i noticed that the regulators can be a problem ,is this related to certain years as i will be looking at about 2002 year bikes .thanks for any help ...woody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Welcome Woody, 2001 up have the last upgrade to the regulator. I've been lucky so far on my 01, but who knows after I write this. The attached LINK is from the useful threads section. It shows the changes over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petewoody1965 Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 cheers for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmacza Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Hi Woody - welcome to the forum From what I can pick up, ALL years have a crap RR. I replaced my RR 3 times over 6 years, replaced the stator once, and probably 4 batteries. Yesterday I cracked and replaced the stator and battery with upgraded units, and put a 2001 Yamaha R1 RR on. The most immediate difference after riding for 20 minutes is the RR was only warm. My previous RRs have always been blistering hot by comparison. As mods go, the R1 RR, HID headlamp upgrade, and a 6mm shim on the rear shock mount are pretty much essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkxx Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Not all people had those troubles. My 97 had the factory battery for seven years and the second one is still in there. I changed my R/R to a R-1 unit a year or two ago just in case but had no trouble with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Not all people had those troubles. My 97 had the factory battery for seven years and the second one is still in there. I changed my R/R to a R-1 unit a year or two ago just in case but had no trouble with it. +1 No problems yet, 50K miles on my '99. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petewoody1965 Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 cheers all .as im going to tour on it i will budget for a r1 anyway as thats the last thing i want miles from home . brian can you please tell me what the 6mm shim is for, is it to quicken the steering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I see Philip logged on so he may beat me to it. 6mm shim raises the rear about 1 inch and makes the bike turn faster. You could do the same thing by lowering the forks in the clamps, but it puts the lower plastics very close to the ground. 6mm shim is a very effective, very cheap mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon haney Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 I see Philip logged on so he may beat me to it. 6mm shim raises the rear about 1 inch and makes the bike turn faster. You could do the same thing by lowering the forks in the clamps, but it puts the lower plastics very close to the ground. 6mm shim is a very effective, very cheap mod. If you are vertically challenged, like less than 5'-7", you might want to go with a 3-4 mm shim for the shock and then lower the front just a little bit. Also, if gravity is a challenge for you (>180 lbs), might want to budget for heavier shock and fork springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petewoody1965 Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 im 6/2 jon so thats no problem .when someone gets a chance could they put up a photo of the shim please and how to do it ..cheers woody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Important and useful threads LINK . I used a 5.5 mm aluminum washer, some people have bought a stack of washers that came close to 6mm. Or you can go to and he has some that are notched and slip in. Get some push pins and helmet ears while your there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John01XX Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Important and useful threads LINK . I used a 5.5 mm aluminum washer, some people have bought a stack of washers that came close to 6mm. Or you can go to and he has some that are notched and slip in. Get some push pins and helmet ears while your there. Why thank you Craig, :-) You probably won't find pics of the 6mm Ride Height Spacer due to it being very easy to install. At least if you buy the notched one like I sell :-) Jack up slightly under the engine just enough to get the rear tire off the ground about 3 inches. Loosen the top shock nut under the front of the seat, allowing the shock to drop a minimum of 6mm. Slide the shim into place above the shock and under the frame around the top shock shaft. Tighten the nut back tight and lower jack and ...Done ! Careful the first turn as you will drop in much quicker without loosing any high speed stability. John . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I cheated on getting the wheel off the ground. I had a couple of long 2x10's. I pulled the bike up on them. Then put the bike on the center stand, on top of the boards. I just let the wheel hang off the end of the boards. You can do the same thing at the edge of a sidewalk. That is unless you live in the sticks like me. Don't go much over the 6 mm. Too much and the bike will be less stable. And get to a MEAT. Rich, Eddy, and Tim are great about checking SAG. Mine was off from the factory. ( Couldn't be that I'm fat). Setting the SAG too really helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petewoody1965 Posted June 9, 2010 Author Share Posted June 9, 2010 cheers everyone ..cant wait to get it now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwimack Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 why would you get the slow 2002 model? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 why would you get the slow 2002 model? One year too late. RED is the fastest color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petewoody1965 Posted June 10, 2010 Author Share Posted June 10, 2010 i think the only thing slow about the bike will be me .i save all my racing for the track ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CALCXX Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Not all people had those troubles. My 97 had the factory battery for seven years and the second one is still in there. I changed my R/R to a R-1 unit a year or two ago just in case but had no trouble with it. Nine years on the 98 OEM battery and also installed a Yamaha R1 R/R and Mikes harness adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 I had the original R/R on my 98 go at ~40 000km and the upgraded one is still going OK @ ~100 300km Changed the battery just before that as I thought that was the problem and that's still OK as is the OEM stator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.