jrdxx

Download the shop manual (if you haven't already) and read through section 5 (PGM-FI self diagnostic procedures). Work carefully through the troubleshooting steps and the bike may literally tell you what's wrong. And it may be as simple and cheap a fix as cleaning and reseating a dirty or loose connector.

Key switch maybe?

A normally functioning motorcycle clutch can still transmit some power even when disengaged, due to some stiction between the plates and the viscosity of the oil, and is not necessarily an indicator of a clutch problem. The usual indicator of a failing clutch is one that slips under load when fully engaged. The motorcycle transmission is not synchromesh because of size and weight constraints, but uses a set of dogs and dog slots to match gear speeds and transmit power. The good news is the use of dogs allows for clutchless up and downshifts; the bad news is that clutchless shifting, if done without some technique to match gear and engine speeds, can eventually round off or undercut the teeth on the dogs, making for balky shifts or causing the bike to jump out of gear. You are the best judge if mileage and wear and tear is contributing to your symptoms. Technique may also be at play here. In your last post you mention disengaging the clutch and SLOWLY pressing the lever to select first gear. Don't try to ease into gear. When you are selecting a gear stab the shift lever with authority. If the transmission makes a solid clunk and goes into gear, I wouldn't worry about it further. If it continues to be balky, you have issues with the transmission gears or shift forks, and need to find a reliable repair shop.

K&N's test procedure utilizes a flow bench in a controlled ambient environment, which would eliminate most variables (even back-to-back dyno runs can vary due to ambient weather conditions, motor temperature, etc.), and is well documented on their website. Users have to understand their baseline conditions. If the bike in stock configuration already runs like crap, the addition of a K&N filter won't magically improve performance unless the source of the mistuned condition happens to be a clogged air filter. If the mistune is in another area, the addition of the filter could indeed make the bike run worse, and lead to a mistaken assumption that the filter is not flowing more air. All other things being equal, the addition of a K&N filter to an otherwise stock blackbird would likely have a negligible effect on performance, mostly because the engine is a balanced system-balanced between the volume of the intake airbox on the one side, and the exhaust system on the other. Any gain in airflow is negated by the backpressure of the exhaust. The same thing happens on the other side-an aftermarket exhaust on an otherwise stock blackbird will make more noise, but without other modifications not necessarily make more power. A stock carbureted engine tuned to sea level will run richer with increases with altitude. If the intake filter is changed and (possibly) the exhaust is modified, that makes for three variables. Rejet the carburetors, then tell us how the bike runs.

Caveat emptor. Look at it this way: If you are satisfied with the repair, and you think the expense is reasonable for the work performed, then for the purchase price plus six hundred bucks, you have a really fine motorcycle...happy riding.

Sounded like a stator issue to me before, and it still does. Get a good multimeter and check the resistance between the three yellow wires from the stator leading to the R/R. "Zero" the test leads by shorting them together, and noting the readout on the meter. If it is any value greater than zero, subtract that amount from the subsequent readings. 1. Measure between each of the three yellow wires to each other (three measurements). What you are doing is measuring each of the three windings in the stator. It should be a low resistance-a fraction of an ohm-but should be measureable, and all three measurements should be about the same. Any single measurement that is high or totally short is an indication of a bad winding. 2. Measure between each yellow wire to vehicle ground. All three measurements should indicate infinity, or open. Any resistance measurement or short indication is evidence that the stator winding has shorted to the motor case. 3. If these measurements check out OK, then the problem has to be downstream (the R/R, possibly).

...or you can just run the bike until the engine quits, thus finding out how accurate the gauge is.

I would just stick with the easy answer you already mentioned. It's good practice to check steering head bearing adjustment and front tire wear and balance, but I think anything else is overkill, and probably not worth the bother. There is an inverse relationship between stability and maneuverability with motorcycles, just as with aircraft. Front line fighters and aerobatic aircraft are inherently unstable, but this allows them to be highly maneuverable. Inherently stable aircraft, like transport category aircraft, maneuver like trucks-very large trucks. The same is true with motorcycles. The manufacturer must strike a balance between stability and maneuverability using steering head angle, rake and trail measurements according to the expected use of the particular model. I have noticed the oscillation at approximately the same speed on many road bikes, and as long as I can dampen and control the oscillation with light hand pressure on the bars, I don't worry about it. Now if the bike wanted to go into a tankslapper or weave at that speed, I would truly be concerned.

Do a search on the forum for wire loom issues. The problem is associated with an accumulation of corrosion, and may be a contributor to your woes. Check your grounds as well.

Go to the top of this forum and open the thread titled "Not automatic...." Download the file and save it on your computer, or open it and look for the wiring schematic for the '99 'Bird, get a voltmeter and work your way from the battery. Just a SWAG would be an intermittent fault around the ignition key. Check your battery connections.

The suspension is lacking at both ends, but is worst at the front-you at least have SOME adjustability at the rear. I would recommend working on the front first. I went to heavier springs (1.05 Kg/mm) and 5W fork oil, keeping the stock shim stacks, in order to make the front end more compliant. If you like the results of your endeavours on the front, then move to the rear. I believe the cost/benefit ratio of going to an aftermarket rear shock makes the swap less worthwhile, so I intend to stick with the stock assembly, at least until the stock unit wears out.

The first thing I would try would be to physically swap the ignition coils, and see if the problem is transferred to the other two cylinders. If the problem moves, then you have at least narrowed the source down to that part of the ignition system, and possibly the coil itself.

Like Joe says, reducing the number of variables will make your troubleshooting a whole lot easier. Try and work backward from the present, because some of the work you have already performed may be contributing to the symptoms. I believe the plugs with catalyst plating (platinum and iridium, for example) come pregapped, and the attempt to regap the plugs may damage the plating to a degree that the plugs' performance may be degraded, so you may be changing the plugs again. The stumbling sounds like a fuel delivery issue, but it may be as simple as a pinched fuel tank vent hose. Have you lifted the tank lately? An easy way to check is to ride until the bike starts to misbehave, then park the bike and SLOWLY open the fuel fill cap with you ear close by. If you hear the sound of air being sucked into the tank, the vent line is obstructed.

Here's a direct link to a writeup on the wire loom issue: http://www.bikersoracle.com/blackbird/foru...light=wire+loom It is in fact a test connector; I was under the impression that it was a conection that corroded, but that is not the case...anyway, my '99 has not yet started to misbehave. I just hope I can remember to check this area if it ever does.

This may also be related to the wire loom connector issue already covered in detail on this site and others. Before replacing any hardware it might pay to open, clean, inspect, remate and weatherproof the connector.

You might also want to spray the nut with some penetrating oil and wait a day or so before you try to loosen the nut again, just in case you have some corrosion or galling going on.

The fluctuation you see may also be an artifact of the sampling rate of the detector. The detector is taking instantaneous snapshots of the regulated output, where most meters may display a voltage averaged over time.

Removal of the Akro badge would be a permanent alteration which would diminish the resale value of the exhaust should you ever decide to sell...why not cover the badge with tape or a light coat of paint, something that could be removed?

Relax. Get rid of the Death Grip. Instead of clenching with the fingers, try resting on the bars with a little forward pressure distributed across the palms. A little pressure with the thumb is all the contact presure you need in most circumstances. Cover the levers with your fingertips; if you can drum your fingertips across the tops of the levers, the pressure is about right. Slightly change your hand position frequently. Try some thicker (foam) handgrips.

It may be only be a normal dip in the stock map designed in by Honda to give the best emissions readings at that rpm range, which would work out to around 55 mph in top gear.

Successive dyno runs taken immediately after making a single change (say, an air filter, for instance), when other variables are kept to a minimum, may offer some real empirical information regarding performance gain or loss. Runs taken years and thousands of miles and mods apart offer nothing more than snapshots of current performance, and that's not factoring in dyno calibration or ambient weather conditions. I wouldn't sweat it. The XX motor is getting old, technically speaking, but is still quite a horse.

The torque is for the nut that attaches to the stud. Since the nut and stud in question seem to be fused together, if you can't get them separated, you might want to replace both.

If you have a manual, look at pages 1-14 and 1-15. It doesn't call out a torque value for the stud. Instead, it appears to call out a seating depth of 1.52 to 1.54 inches. The expanded, unthreaded center of the stud bottoms in the hole in the head until the seating depth is reached. A tapered tap should work fine. Just measure the depth of the hole with a Q-tip and place a wrap of tape around the tap at the same distance, and don't exceed the distance when you run the tap in. Use WD-40 or light oil like 3-in-one to lubricate the tap and clean out the hole afterward. Get the header out of the way so you can make sure you're perpendicular to the head when you run the tap. If the threads on the nut stud are really bad, don't try to reuse it. Get a replacement. Studs are 8mm.

Step back, take a deep breath, and relax. You still have time to finish and ride this weekend. Take the header off, to get it out of the way. Use a tap to clean the threads on the head. Replace the bolt, or run it through a die to clean it's threads. In any event use a bolt with good threads to go back into the suspect hole. Don't tighten any bolts on the headpipe until all bolts are started, and threaded in at least a couple of turns. Rather than Locktite, I would recommend an anti-sieze lubricant for this application.

I believe the changed cylinder pairing was an attempt to distribute the engine's output through a broader rpm range.