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Hello. I finally found a nice XX and joined. Need to fix front end. Advice?


ChasRummel

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I LOVE this bike. I HATE to think I could damage anything by not fixing this before riding again. There is a clunk over bumps and hard braking. Could anyone please help me determine if the "head-bolt"? needs tighting or a full (yikes) replacement. I previous owner snuck three problems by me claiming my bike needed nothing at all not even an oil change and avoiding letting me ride it out of his driveway.

There is a running flap flap flap sound that could be the chain, the cruise control does not work and maybe the nature of the model but sometimes she resists going into gear (first) from neutral.

I'm new here and low on $$, so I don't want to seem needy. I would however be indebted to anyone with advise until I can acquire a Chilton or some type of repair manual. I have had bikes on and of all my life and am handy enough to have swapped a motor in my old primered "70" GTO, so I will try to home repair as much as I can.

Here she is BTW. My new love is this 2003 CBR1100 Super (and boy do they mean!) it Super Black Bird.

post-435387-0-40933900-1439617655_thumb.

Edited by ChasRummel
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First I would do a visual check of everything on the bike that could be loose. Then you can put it up on the center stand and see if there is any front to rear play in the front wheel up into the triple tree. As far as the first gear problem, does it just not want to go in first or does it grind?

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Congrats on the purchase, Charles.

First thought when you specify a clunk following braking and bumps is indeed the steering head bearings or bearing adjustment, but it could really be just about anything that's loose. Your XX deserves a complete checkup not only to make sure its safe, but to familiarize yourself with the machine.

I recommend:

*Look and feel over the entire machine. Look for bolts that might be loose, bare metal or shiny marks that may indicate moving parts that are rubbing, and of course any broken parts or things that look cracked. Feel for parts and assemblies that have movement or seem loose.

*Get on the bike and bounce on the suspension. Can you duplicate the clunk? Try moving the bike forward and applying the brakes aggressively. Do this a couple of times, engine off so you can here. Repeat it moving the bike backwards. If its the steering head bearings, you should hear a lighter version of this clunk, or feel it in the bars.

*Put the bike on the centerstand. Have a helper sit on the rear of the seat, or place a padded jack under the oilpan (not the fairing) in order to raise the front wheel off the ground. Pull the front wheel forward and up while pushing back on the top yoke (where your key is located). Let it back and repeat this several times. If you feel movement, or hear a mechanical noise, you probably have bad or misadjusted steering head bearings. Next, turn your bars completely left and right several times. There should be steady and light resistance...enough so that if you turn the bars to the side and release, they will continue to turn, but not as quickly as if they were falling. If you feel a change in resistance, extremely low resistance, or enough resistance that a small child would have to pull to move the bars, the bearings are bad or misadjusted. Also check for a "notchy" feel when the bars are centered, and when very slightly turned, they want to return to center. Keep in mind that your cables and wiring will create some artifact in this measurement, and you have to sorta/kinda factor that in.

Your noise has the greatest probability of being steering head bearings. It may also be poorly lubricated or damaged fork internals, loose components in the braking system, or any loose part or assembly on the bike. This has been merely a guide to a quick initial diagnosis.

Any information you have about damage or accidents to the motorcycle and the manner in which the previous owner rode can certainly aid in diagnosis. Repetitive harsh jolts to the front wheel, for example, can quickly damage steering head bearings. Could be hard landings from unskilled wheelies, or the crappy roads in Philadelphia/PA.

Good luck.

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As far as your cruise control............what cruise control? If you have a throttle lock or cruise control, its an aftermarket accessory, and we would have to know what brand/model to give any helpful advice.

Fapfapfap..........how loose IS the chain?

The XX has a big strong gearbox with big strong gears. Sometimes the lower gears don't line up quite right. Try moving the bike forward and backward a bit. If your oil is dirty, you might be surprised at how an oil change will make the trans shift nicer.

Check your PM's, I sent you a link to the repair manual.

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Given the guy didn't let you test ride, you could have any number of issues.

First, check your chain slack and wear indicator. You might need a new chain/sprockets. If your adjuster is full out, a loose chain will slap from the slack.

If you pull the body panels, you can put it on its center stand and use a floor jack under the engine block to gently lift the front tire off the ground. Turn the wheel lock to lock. If it's not quiet and smooth, you may need to tighten things up and/or replace the head bearings. lock the front tire (so it won't spin) and gently pull forward and back on it. It shouldn't move at all. If it does, you have loose/worn head bearings. I don't know how easily those things wear out, but riding when things are loose will cause them to wear needlessly.

I don't know what you mean by "hard braking." If the clutch and brake fluids have never been replaced, that's a likely problem. Normally you flush the system(s) every 2-3 years to deal with any contamination that gets into the system.

Definitely do an oil and filter change. I have more of an issue going into neutral from 1st or 2nd (especially if stopped), but never a problem going into gear. If your clutch fluid is contaminated or low, you may be getting inadequate application of the clutch, which is more critical going into 1st gear from neutral than slipping up and down the higher gears.

ALSO, POST YOUR MILES!

Knowing how much is on the clock will give us an idea of what should or shouldn't be an issue.

Edited by Aunt Sylvia
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Congrats and welcome.

These bikes have a clutch brake of sorts, don't recall it's actual name. If you hold the clutch handle fully in the clutch may stop spinning so depending on the positions of the gears it may not go in. Honda added this to get rid of the clunk usually observed when going into gear. If you let off just a bit on the clutch while holding the shifter it should drop in. This is all assuming that it's not grinding or some other weird thing but just won't go into gear.

Check the chain tension as you rotate the tire looking for tight/loose parts and make sure it's lubed. The noise could be the chain or the cush drive rubbers, maybe something else.

Throttle locks have an adjustment, at least the ones I've seen, so it may just need a tweak.

Tho private sales are "as is" in most states, if the seller made statements about it being all good they are generally taken as an expressed guarantee so if you want to return it or get the repairs paid for you may have legal leverage.

Too late for this go-round, but always get a test ride. If the seller requires to hold the cash and/or draw up an agreement that's acceptable, if he absolutely refuses a ride then he's likely hiding something. When I bought the Duc the seller insisted on cash in hand to ride, everyone else has just handed me keys. I went on a pre-purchase inspection for a friend where the seller wouldn't allow a ride and the buyer wanted the bike anyway, my inspection revealed a lot of issues so the deal didn't happen.

Where do you live?

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blackhawkxx Thank you. Will do checks u mentioned. 2) No gring just needs hard kick down sometimes like klift your foot 4 inches up THEN mash it down. Once it seemed to hit "netural between 3-4 I could be wroing but I thought i was already upshifting from 3rd.
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superhawk996

Thank I live in Richboro, PA just 1/2 hour north of NE Philly. Will check as you suggested. I agree on sale test ride answer, but he was "odd" from the get go and the bike had not even a smuge on it. In addition owner lives two blocks away and I have no other transportation. Needless to say it's a SBB XX so I HAD to buy it. We all know that. :-) My God it is so fun to ride it's like straping on Spiderman's venom suit or one of those Alien movie type robots you climb in. Except when I forget to park where I don't have to back out. I'm 5'10 and am on my toes ity feels like I'm trying to push a car ourt of a ditch by myself.

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A couple of thoughts. My 01 clunked on bumps when my fender was loose. 4 Allen head screws to tighten. Or pull it off and see if the clunk goes away.

My poor little SV was lowered by pulling the spacers above the fork springs out. There was zero preload, and it bottomed out, even with easy braking. A stock XX has a soft suspension, but the front won't dive too far.

if it dives allot, then the forks might be worth a look.

Edit, another mod that we often do is put a 10 mm shim under the top mount of the rear shock.

This makes the bike turn in faster, but it raises the rear more than 10mm. I'm only a bit taller than you. The mob helped the steering, but it is harder to park or back up. It would be worth looking at the shock to see if the shim is there.

Caution: don't go more than 10 mm.

Cruise control.

A few of us added Audiovox CS100 cruise to our bikes. It is a full cruise, with a small controller console that is usually mounted on the handle bars. A led on the console should come on when you push the on button.

If this is the style that you have, I would look at the light first (power ). Next would be vacuum connections, or the cable and ball chain from the servo to the throttle assembly.

These cruise work well, but were not made for motorcycles. Each installation was custom, (or rigged).

The audiovox manual is available on line, if that is what you have.

And most important.

WELCOME

Edited by redxxrdr
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My God it is so fun to ride it's like straping on Spiderman's venom suit or one of those Alien movie type robots you climb in.

You don't so much "strap" on Venom as it possess you.

"strap on" :wub: Plenty of Pa riders around. The XX has always been one of the smoothest throttled and smoothest shifting bikes imho. May want to get someone to look at it for you, shifting issues are a pita, luckily only oil negligence has effected mine in the past. Oh, and the bike EATS chains for snacks, so keep er lubed before you Strap-on... Sry couldnt resist, specially when it comes out of or goes in Aunt Sylvia's Mouth... On a side note, you should perhaps open a new thread or search old threads in the garage and Pub. If nothing else, theres some interesting reads... again, welcome.

Edited by Hooplehead
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superhawk996

Thank I live in Richboro, PA just 1/2 hour north of NE Philly. Will check as you suggested. I agree on sale test ride answer, but he was "odd" from the get go and the bike had not even a smuge on it. In addition owner lives two blocks away and I have no other transportation. Needless to say it's a SBB XX so I HAD to buy it. We all know that. :-) My God it is so fun to ride it's like straping on Spiderman's venom suit or one of those Alien movie type robots you climb in. Except when I forget to park where I don't have to back out. I'm 5'10 and am on my toes ity feels like I'm trying to push a car ourt of a ditch by myself.

My house is just outside of Philly in Lower Montgo. I'll be back in the states in September. PM me and I'll try to see if I can help you with the diagnostics if not done by then. - Check the wheel bearings as well. Also, the push rod that connects the slave cylinder on the clutch to the clutch assay. easily gums up and should be removed and lubricated. You should do the whole fluids changeout- but the oil needs to be first.

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The clutch rod can be cleaned while doing a chain replacement.

Rich did a good thread on how to get to the chain.http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=53782

I didn't notice a post of the miles on your bike.

I typically get 18-22K miles on a chain with fair clean and lube. I pushed one to 28K, and it made a flap flap noise, but was not at the stretch limit,or pumping out orange rust.

If you do find a chain bad, make sure that you replace it with a 530, or bigger I guess. And make sure that it is a rivet chain, not a keeper clip.

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2) No gring just needs hard kick down sometimes like klift your foot 4 inches up THEN mash it down. Once it seemed to hit "netural between 3-4 I could be wroing but I thought i was already upshifting from 3rd.

NEVER do That. Ever!!!!

Now you're the guy that fucked it up.... not whomever you bought it from.

If you can't get it to shift, you need to roll the bike a little, or let the clutch out a little, to get the gears spining, just a little, so that the gears will align and slip together like butter. Trust me... it works everytime.

No Mashy or Kicking.... ie: abusing the fuck out of it needed.

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Congrats on the purchase, Charles.

First thought when you specify a clunk following braking and bumps is indeed the steering head bearings or bearing adjustment, but it could really be just about anything that's loose. Your XX deserves a complete checkup not only to make sure its safe, but to familiarize yourself with the machine.

I recommend:

*Look and feel over the entire machine. Look for bolts that might be loose, bare metal or shiny marks that may indicate moving parts that are rubbing, and of course any broken parts or things that look cracked. Feel for parts and assemblies that have movement or seem loose.

*Get on the bike and bounce on the suspension. Can you duplicate the clunk? Try moving the bike forward and applying the brakes aggressively. Do this a couple of times, engine off so you can here. Repeat it moving the bike backwards. If its the steering head bearings, you should hear a lighter version of this clunk, or feel it in the bars.

*Put the bike on the centerstand. Have a helper sit on the rear of the seat, or place a padded jack under the oilpan (not the fairing) in order to raise the front wheel off the ground. Pull the front wheel forward and up while pushing back on the top yoke (where your key is located). Let it back and repeat this several times. If you feel movement, or hear a mechanical noise, you probably have bad or misadjusted steering head bearings. Next, turn your bars completely left and right several times. There should be steady and light resistance...enough so that if you turn the bars to the side and release, they will continue to turn, but not as quickly as if they were falling. If you feel a change in resistance, extremely low resistance, or enough resistance that a small child would have to pull to move the bars, the bearings are bad or misadjusted. Also check for a "notchy" feel when the bars are centered, and when very slightly turned, they want to return to center. Keep in mind that your cables and wiring will create some artifact in this measurement, and you have to sorta/kinda factor that in.

Your noise has the greatest probability of being steering head bearings. It may also be poorly lubricated or damaged fork internals, loose components in the braking system, or any loose part or assembly on the bike. This has been merely a guide to a quick initial diagnosis.

Any information you have about damage or accidents to the motorcycle and the manner in which the previous owner rode can certainly aid in diagnosis. Repetitive harsh jolts to the front wheel, for example, can quickly damage steering head bearings. Could be hard landings from unskilled wheelies, or the crappy roads in Philadelphia/PA.

Good luck.

I continued to preform the checks you kindly shared with me RockMe, I backed down a hill and applied the front break. Yes, There IS a slight click much less then the one going forward over bumps. When going forward, the clunk is always there on bumps but almost undetectable with breaking. Another symptom is when I let go of the bars (ride no hands) I can go only a few secs b4 they start a violent wobble that would no doubt throw me. How can I determine if this the bearing as a culprit if it needs tightening or replacement?

A couple of thoughts. My 01 clunked on bumps when my fender was loose. 4 Allen head screws to tighten. Or pull it off and see if the clunk goes away.

My poor little SV was lowered by pulling the spacers above the fork springs out. There was zero preload, and it bottomed out, even with easy braking. A stock XX has a soft suspension, but the front won't dive too far.

if it dives allot, then the forks might be worth a look.

Edit, another mod that we often do is put a 10 mm shim under the top mount of the rear shock.

This makes the bike turn in faster, but it raises the rear more than 10mm. I'm only a bit taller than you. The mob helped the steering, but it is harder to park or back up. It would be worth looking at the shock to see if the shim is there.

Caution: don't go more than 10 mm.

Cruise control.

A few of us added Audiovox CS100 cruise to our bikes. It is a full cruise, with a small controller console that is usually mounted on the handle bars. A led on the console should come on when you push the on button.

If this is the style that you have, I would look at the light first (power ). Next would be vacuum connections, or the cable and ball chain from the servo to the throttle assembly.

These cruise work well, but were not made for motorcycles. Each installation was custom, (or rigged).

The audiovox manual is available on lin unable to do so againne, if that is what you have.

And most important.

WELCOME

The Cruise is a small black unit with soft rectangle button/switches that glow from backlighting

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Given the guy didn't let you test ride, you could have any number of issues.

First, check your chain slack and wear indicator. You might need a new chain/sprockets. If your adjuster is full out, a loose chain will slap from the slack.

If you pull the body panels, you can put it on its center stand and use a floor jack under the engine block to gently lift the front tire off the ground. Turn the wheel lock to lock. If it's not quiet and smooth, you may need to tighten things up and/or replace the head bearings. lock the front tire (so it won't spin) and gently pull forward and back on it. It shouldn't move at all. If it does, you have loose/worn head bearings. I don't know how easily those things wear out, but riding when things are loose will cause them to wear needlessly.

I don't know what you mean by "hard braking." If the clutch and brake fluids have never been replaced, that's a likely problem. Normally you flush the system(s) every 2-3 years to deal with any contamination that gets into the system.

Definitely do an oil and filter change. I have more of an issue going into neutral from 1st or 2nd (especially if stopped), but never a problem going into gear. If your clutch fluid is contaminated or low, you may be getting inadequate application of the clutch, which is more critical going into 1st gear from neutral than slipping up and down the higher gears.

ALSO, POST YOUR MILES!

Knowing how much is on the clock will give us an idea of what should or shouldn't be an issue.

My Blackbird has 21,000 miles on it.

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Another symptom is when I let go of the bars (ride no hands) I can go only a few secs b4 they start a violent wobble that would no doubt throw me.

The first thing that I always think of when this happens is the front tire. On my Wing, when the front tire is at the end of it's life, if you let go of the bars as the bike slows down, it gets to a point the bars start doing the same thing. I put new tire on and this never happens. There may be multiple things going on.

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Another symptom is when I let go of the bars (ride no hands) I can go only a few secs b4 they start a violent wobble that would no doubt throw me.

The first thing that I always think of when this happens is the front tire. On my Wing, when the front tire is at the end of it's life, if you let go of the bars as the bike slows down, it gets to a point the bars start doing the same thing. I put new tire on and this never happens. There may be multiple things going on.

Thank you for your input. That's a cool thing to know and I never would have suspected tire wear. I think in this case the front is good. I think I'll need a rear tire soon. Sport bike tires are new to me, they sure don't many groves in them. post-435387-0-20862500-1440456086_thumb.post-435387-0-23729100-1440456111_thumb.

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This is my first attempt to attach a photo on the new board.

This is the control for the cs100 cruise. You mentioned backlight. If there is backlight, then there is power.

You then need a vacuum source ( and a accumulator with check valve). Plus there is a connection from the cruise to the throttle linkage. The connection MUST use a ball chain, like used on ceiling fan.

My ball chain came off my cruise one year at Racer XX.

As to wobble,

21k miles is about the limit for a OEM front tire. A worn one, or cheap replacement could be the problem.

Also look at how much of your fork extends above the clip ones. Mine are not stock, but kinda, sort of close.

Another lowering trick, is to drop the forks. But this can decrease the suspension rake so much that you can get wobble. Or worse, tank slap.

This is the same reason that we only put 10mm of shim in the rear.

Post images of your tire, cruise, clip on's etc.

At the very least we can get the response ...... Your Tires Are Cupped.

post-2281-0-29673700-1440455375_thumb.jp

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post-435387-0-88106600-1440456357_thumb.

As far as your cruise control............what cruise control? If you have a throttle lock or cruise control, its an aftermarket accessory, and we would have to know what brand/model to give any helpful advice.

Fapfapfap..........how loose IS the chain?

The XX has a big strong gearbox with big strong gears. Sometimes the lower gears don't line up quite right. Try moving the bike forward and backward a bit. If your oil is dirty, you might be surprised at how an oil change will make the trans shift nicer.

Check your PM's, I sent you a link to the repair manual.


Given the guy didn't let you test ride, you could have any number of issues.

First, check your chain slack and wear indicator. You might need a new chain/sprockets. If your adjuster is full out, a loose chain will slap from the slack.

If you pull the body panels, you can put it on its center stand and use a floor jack under the engine block to gently lift the front tire off the ground. Turn the wheel lock to lock. If it's not quiet and smooth, you may need to tighten things up and/or replace the head bearings. lock the front tire (so it won't spin) and gently pull forward and back on it. It shouldn't move at all. If it does, you have loose/worn head bearings. I don't know how easily those things wear out, but riding when things are loose will cause them to wear needlessly.

I don't know what you mean by "hard braking." If the clutch and brake fluids have never been replaced, that's a likely problem. Normally you flush the system(s) every 2-3 years to deal with any contamination that gets into the system.

Definitely do an oil and filter change. I have more of an issue going into neutral from 1st or 2nd (especially if stopped), but never a problem going into gear. If your clutch fluid is contaminated or low, you may be getting inadequate application of the clutch, which is more critical going into 1st gear from neutral than slipping up and down the higher gears.

ALSO, POST YOUR MILES!

Knowing how much is on the clock will give us an idea of what should or shouldn't be an issue.

My Blackbird has 21,000 miles on it.

Here is the indicator: it looks grim as the chain is rubbing on the center stand or was until I used a magnet 1/4 inch thick to shim it away until I find sockets the right size. I assume they are part of the tool kit that is NOT under my seat and prob in someones tool box.


attachicon.gifWP_20150824_18_04_41_Pro.jpg

As far as your cruise control............what cruise control? If you have a throttle lock or cruise control, its an aftermarket accessory, and we would have to know what brand/model to give any helpful advice.

Fapfapfap..........how loose IS the chain?

The XX has a big strong gearbox with big strong gears. Sometimes the lower gears don't line up quite right. Try moving the bike forward and backward a bit. If your oil is dirty, you might be surprised at how an oil change will make the trans shift nicer.

Check your PM's, I sent you a link to the repair manual.


Given the guy didn't let you test ride, you could have any number of issues.

First, check your chain slack and wear indicator. You might need a new chain/sprockets. If your adjuster is full out, a loose chain will slap from the slack.

If you pull the body panels, you can put it on its center stand and use a floor jack under the engine block to gently lift the front tire off the ground. Turn the wheel lock to lock. If it's not quiet and smooth, you may need to tighten things up and/or replace the head bearings. lock the front tire (so it won't spin) and gently pull forward and back on it. It shouldn't move at all. If it does, you have loose/worn head bearings. I don't know how easily those things wear out, but riding when things are loose will cause them to wear needlessly.

I don't know what you mean by "hard braking." If the clutch and brake fluids have never been replaced, that's a likely problem. Normally you flush the system(s) every 2-3 years to deal with any contamination that gets into the system.

Definitely do an oil and filter change. I have more of an issue going into neutral from 1st or 2nd (especially if stopped), but never a problem going into gear. If your clutch fluid is contaminated or low, you may be getting inadequate application of the clutch, which is more critical going into 1st gear from neutral than slipping up and down the higher gears.

ALSO, POST YOUR MILES!

Knowing how much is on the clock will give us an idea of what should or shouldn't be an issue.

My Blackbird has 21,000 miles on it.

Here is the indicator: it looks grim as the chain is rubbing on the center stand or was until I used a magnet 1/4 inch thick to shim it away until I find sockets the right size. I assume they are part of the tool kit that is NOT under my seat and prob in someones tool box. I checked chain wear the old way as shown in pic 2 where it doesnot seem to pull too far from sprocket but the slack compaired to the indicator seem to tell a different story.

post-435387-0-54248200-1440456492_thumb.

post-435387-0-73289700-1440456503_thumb.

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Looks like a audiovox cruise to me.

No fair posting a nice clean bike after my dirty bike post.

Forks look to be stock height. But if you had seen my SV when I bought it, then you would understand my concern.

I would also suspect the tire.

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