jon haney

I used a 28mm 12 pt socket that I bought at Sears. I'm pretty sure it was a 28mm, can someone confirm this? You'll also need a clutch locking tool. I have a homemade one if you need it, works great. You can also an air impact to remove the nut, but make sure the gun is on its lowest setting so you don't round off the nut or socket. The nut shouldn't be on very tight. I think I used a standard size socket to remove mine last time. Not sure what size it was.

I have gold valves & springs in the front fork and a much stiffer spring for the stock rear shock. Complete de-link with bigger master cylinder was finished last week. I'll probably do the brake rotors next year. A few small improvements each winter help me to fight the urge to buy a new bike. That and the payment on my wife's new car. I didn't have to spend $4K on the wheels. I went with the magnesium/carbon combo wheels and a friend hooked me up with a guy in Texas that made me a deal I couldn't refuse. $2300 for the set w/sprocket. Yes, they are new. I should have them by the end of March.

I finally decided to blow my work bonus this year on some Dy-mag wheels for my bird. I commute, tour, and do track days with this bike. I know the wheels are supposed to make the bike handle better, but my question is: Will I need to make any suspension adjustments or changes?

I'm using RaceTech instead of the Wilber springs, but that shouldn't affect the choice of oil weight. I've never heard of anyone using 2.5W in any street bike. I started with 5W when I installed the springs and gold valves, but it was a little too cushy for track days and 10W was too hard for the street. I mixed the two and found a happy medium.

You're right. It's not really mushy, just too much travel. On a hard stop the lever will come in to about 3/4" from the grip.

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll try a 5/8". It can't be good when you have your Pazzo lever set at "6" and it still feels a little mushy.

+1 Full size nuts here.

I finally drilled the middle pistons on my front brakes and installed a bigger master cylinder. The old threads on this site say to use a CB400SF master, but what year? There are two different sizes: 14mm and 5/8". Should I have gone with the 5/8? I actually used one from a VTR1000F which is 14mm. Seems a little mushy, but I might still have a little air left in the lines.

These screws can sit a bit hard since they are in held in tension by the rubber gasket under the cover. Try to clamp down the cover a bit, knock in a torx bit in the screw head and then is should loose. Another method that will work is to use a special screwdriver that turns when you punch the back of it. I dont know the correct term for it but you can see it in the pic below. . It's called a "Hand Impact Wrench". You don't see them much anymore since air-impacts have gotten so cheap. If there is not enough meat left in the screw head for R1000's suggestions, you could carefully drill the head off of the screw to remove the cap. Then you should be able to get pliers or vice-grips on what is left. This is a delicate operation that requires patience. If that's not you, it might be easier to just buy a used one off of EBay. Which ever way you go, put a little silicone grease on the screws before tightening. This will keep out moisture and provide lubrication.

Tire mileage is like gas mileage. If you keep track of it, you'll only get more depressed. When it starts getting thin, put on a new one. Also, tire pressures can make huge differences in tire mileage. For street duty, I run 40-44 psi in the rear Dunlop Qualifier. Not sure how much mileage I'm getting because they usually have a couple of track days on them before they hit the streets.

I've never run the Shinko's but the drag racers say they offer almost as good straight line traction as the Mickey Thompson shoot-out tire with a lot longer wear time. For street duty, I would stick with what ever it is you like. For me "QUALIFIERS RULE" street or track. (when new) Yes, I've tried the Pilot Powers. Good traction, poor feedback.

Thanks Jon, I am running the stock size sprocket but an aftermarket version currently. I will keep an eye on it from now on. I did not use any lock tite but torqued to spec. I whish I would have known the chain tightening part before I cut the chain I had on there off. It probably only had about 8-10,000 miles on it and I figured it had a kink in it. Kevin Measure the width of your new sprocket at the splines and if it is the same as the stock one, you should be O.K.

Thanks guys.

Will the front wheel from a 2000 RC-51 fit on a 99 Bird? Will the BB rotors bolt up to the RC-51 wheel?

It's happened to me more than once. Luckily Honda was nice enough to put that nub on the back of the cover to keep the bolt from coming all the way out. When your chain all of a sudden seems real tight, that bolt is the first thing you should check. The reason my bolt was coming loose was because I had changed sprockets and the new one was just a little wider at the shaft than the factory sprocket. This caused the washer on the bolt to be "dished" when tightened. It was always trying to force the bolt out. Even with blue Loctite it wouldn't stay. A small spacer washer solved the problem. When the bolt is tight, the sprocket should still be able to slide back and forth on the shaft a few thousands of an inch.

VFR's all the way. They are cheaper, look better, and I like the angle better than the heli-bars. If you already have after-market brake lines, they should work with the VFR bars and the stock clutch line works also if you bend the metal tubing at the frame just a little bit.

Hmm sell it on E-bay Bet you can get your $$ out of it.. I thought about doing that, but $60 is not worth knowing that there is now one more person in the world that hates you. If it was a PC for a Hayabusa....maybe. I did contact the seller who was not actually the owner of the unit. He said it was sold "AS IS" and suggested I contact Dynojet since it was supposed to be new. That was the first time I have ever left negative feedback.

If your PC2 craps out, I guess your just screwed! Just got off the phone with Dyno-jet tech service and they said there is nothing they can do because they no longer have the equipment to even test it to find out whats wrong. I have a PC2 that I bought off of EBay for $60 that was supposed to be new. It looks new, but doesn't work. The bike won't even start because its dumping so much fuel into the cylinders. Hooked it up to my computer to look at the map and I can't do that either. It keeps telling me "I/O error 21" every time I try to get the map from the PC2. Anybody ever seen this problem? I know what you're thinkin. Why did I buy an old PC2 instead of the 3? I was looking for something that would allow me to change the ignition advance and it seemed like a good deal until now.

It doesn't mean I'm not a nice person. Oh, you mean the passenger! Duh! If you do want to ride a big'un, take the Harley.

Or.......You could just buy a 4 into 1 system and never worry about it. Yes, I know they're expensive. Almost forgot: "Friends don't let friends ride fatties."

+1 I've put on my rear tire without tire irons before. Just used a little soapy water and my hands and feet. Front tires, however, take a little more effort.

I de-linked my brakes and went with the Galfer 2-line kit. Brake feel is a lot better (i.e. firmer). De-linking the brakes should be the first thing you do to a bird. They suck. There is still plenty of brake power even if you don't drill the middle pistons in the calipers. It was nice to get rid of all the extra plumbing. I'm now in the process of re-building the calipers and drilling the middle pistons. Can't wait to feel the results.

ohm meter and resistance, book will tell correct number, i think 1.2 ohms off the top of my head Yah, What he said. Sorry I'm late.

I hope you saw the one I had for sale on EBay. The auction ended yesterday.

This does not sound like a fuel problem. Have you tried changing the coils? When a coil starts to go bad, it will not produce a hot enough spark for higher RPM. Also, check all wiring related to ignition. You may have a short somewhere. Good luck finding the problem.