AXXKicker

don't waste your time loosening bolts and screws! do this the effective way! take one of these: shove it under the lip of the triple and just go crazy. the tank makes a great leverage point. don't worry about chipping the paint, i have it on good authority that honda made your tank out of unobtanium metal that doesn't bend or flex. if that doesn't work, turn the bars all the way in either direction and use the upper fairing for the fulcrum. those things are like iron- they aren't going anyplace. if neither of those work, put the bike on the center stand, stand on the gas-tank and wrap your fingers around the lip of the top triple. yank until you hear or see something snap or give. if it was the triple, you're done. if it was you, then you'll have more important issues to worry about.

thank you. i was concerned that this would be a cut, drill, laser-align, bs-filled installation. glad to hear it isn't.

just snagged one from a good guy in jersey- looking to see how complicated the install is gonna be.

this dealership wants $45 per tire off the bike, $189 plus tax on the bike for the change. 'we really try to discourage people from buying tires elsewhere and having us put them on.' 'well, the last time i needed a front tire, it was over $200 installed. and as a benefit, you scratched my rim so badly, i had to touch it up'. 'youll have to speak to parts about tire prices'. assholes. anyway, i thought i'd give 'em the benefit of the doubt and see what it would run me if i bought the tires at the dealership. after discussing my wants with the parts guy, and reassuring him that an m1 front and z6 rear wouldn't cause unstable handling, i was given his best price: $140 for the front, $221 for the rear. i have ordered my set from swmototires for $216- shipped. 'do you pricematch?' 'no'. thanks a pantload. i would have purchased the tire mounting stuff, but i literally have no place to put it. so for now, i'll have to be creative.

i've been reading motorcycle magazines for over 25 years at this point. and i thought i knew wtf i was doing/looking at, but apparently not. could someone PLEASE explain to me what trail is, with regard to suspension? i have several theories, but everytime i read another article or magazine, it seems to cancel sections out of it. thank you in advance. ceiling cat watched me give myself a dirty sanchez.

i've not yet received my shipment from swmoto (m1 & z6), but in anticipation of their arrival, i called the dealership i had to use last time. a front tire (i just brought 'em the wheel) purchased, mounted & balanced cost me around $200. and for my trouble, they scratched the shit out of my front rim. to mount 2 tires (if i brought 'em the bike) would be $189 and if i bring just the wheels, they want $45 each. thoughts? brc.

absolutely excellent writeup. we honestly need to have a forum exclusively for helpful hints like this. perhaps a faq section or something. brett

not to beat a dead horse into the ground, but could it also sound like a front wheel bearing? i'm at just less than 10k on my 2003, and i can hear it at lower speeds.

i've had that happen in cars- it was carburetor icing then. no clue what could be causing this though.

first the goddamn tool strap, and now this? wtf, honda? over.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

not to hijack, but there HAS to be a kit somewhere that is reasonably priced with an assortment of metric bolts, allen bolts (if that's their proper term), washers, nuts, etc. i just haven't found one. and auto zone/pep boys/napa is ZERO help with anything metric. as evidenced by the calvin peeing on the 10mm wrench decal available at all of the above.

:shock:. *thats* a fucking impressive picture.

i had the same exact problem on my magna. i'd gas it, and it'd die. at idle, everything was fine. it got to the point that just revving the engine at a stoplight wasn't possible. the culprit was loose/corroded battery terminal leads. a little emory cloth, a screwdriver, and i was in business.

n either y

oh, and can we get 'em in the states and how much?

ho-lee shit. if i ever went up to a motorcycle and saw a chain that looked like this, i'd keep walking. not to mention the high-quality spelling of their page header: Facts you should no about Motorcycle Chains!:

i was going to suggest this as the possible source:

good information here. after some looking around, and a cooperative family, i have received a zero gravity st screen for xmas this year. on another topic: how complicated are these things to put on? are there things i need to look out for? thanks.

well, since no-one else has chimed in, and it's been two days.... when i used to work at home depot, i worked in the paint department, which makes me an authority on such questions. the average coverage for a gallon of flat exterior housepaint is 400 square feet per gallon. so if you bought two, you'd have plenty for the initial paint job and touch-ups here and there. :grin:.

the bike goes in for the 5000 mile checkup this thursday. i see that the fluids need to be changed, and read somewhere about dot 5.1 instead of using 4.0. the maintenance moron at the dealership mentioned that i'd have to change all of the plumbing and seals if i went to 5.1. so the question is this: "is said mechanic full of shit?" feel free to discuss in any way that suits you. brett

what they said. i thought for a day or so that my gearbox was noisy, but i just needed to adjust my chain and lube it up. after that, it was smooth as hell as always.

well, there are some widely varying opinions about plugging tires. many on the board are against the idea- they plug tires only to get them to a garage where a replacement can be installed. others have no problem running plugs and maybe just dont push the bikes quite as hard. whenever i had a puncture, depending on it's location, (never ever plug a sidewall) i've ridden a few days with a plug and then replaced it at the first opportunity. there are a few threads on here that might help you, but i didnt search them out. hope this helped. brc

feel free to flame on, but i go for entire rides without even touching the rear brake lever. its not that i ride slowly (only where appropriate), and its not that i don't push the bike at all (again, only where appropriate), but i find that using the front/rear combo that LBS allows works just fine for me. i suppose that i got into the habit on dirtbikes, exascerbated it on the magna (with the dubious drum rear) and just carried it over to the 'bird. when i really need to haul down from speed, i hit it, and also when i practice my braking (emergency and otherwise), but rarely in actual practice. just my riding style, i suppose. brett

if your bike is an american model (damn metric canadians :grin:), the temp gauge doesnt even register until it hits 95 degrees FARENHEIT. if i'm sitting in traffic on my '03 (easy enough to do in dc), it'll sometimes read upwards of 223 FARENHEIT. once i get moving after such prolonged stops, it'll slowly drift down towards 210 or so. rarely does it dip much below that, even moving right along in cooler weather. some folks use different chemicals to cool the system down further, and have good results with that. i use the mixture that came with the bike when new (i'm at around 4200 miles right now). hope that helps :grin:. brc