gourmet

Can't physically ride my 2000 Blackbird anymore so am selling it but am willing to sell the TiForce exhaust seperately if anyone is interested. Full single sided exhaust, very very light weight. I could be mistaken and haven't ever bothered to weigh it but the whole thing weighs about the same as one OEM can. Phenomenal sound. Never been down. Exhaust has about 25,000 kilometers on it or for my American friends about 15,500 miles. Price new still seems to be in the high $1100's, price for mine is $750.00. If interested e-mail me at bgarvey70@gmail.com or call 905-691-2665. brian

Rudy, sorry I didn't reply to your email but my emailprogram died and I lost your email, I am asking $6300 with all the extras. I have the oem exhaust but not the oem screen. my email is working again if you want to email me again for more info or to arrange to see it. Brian

I know you said a 2002 - 2005, all original, silver etc but thought I would reply with a 2000, black,72,000 kms, never down, comes with givi E41 keyless (like brand new - used twice), givi wingrack 2 (means ready for a topbox as well) givitouring screen, throttlemeister throttlelock, ohlins fully adjustable rear shock, racetech valving for rebound and damping upfront, TiForce full exhaust, hugger, HID low beam, brand new (less than 150kms ) Sportec M3 front and rear , recent new chain and sprockets, powerlet socket hard wired to battery, clear signals and bulbs and clear taillight. There is a small dent on top center of front part of gas tank from an attempt at mounting a camera holder.Paint is not perfect, some light scratches from tank bag and soft saddle bags I used to use. I also happen to be in Ontario. Georgetown. Reason I am selling is I only ride my C14 as my knees are shite. If interested let me know, email is bgarvey1@cogeco.ca Brian

I have a TiForce full Titatnium exhaust system for sale. Paid $1100 new one year ago, put 8000 kilometers on it last season. Never been down, great shape, incredible sound and the weight savings are huge - I think 26 lbs if I remember correctly. I am in Ontario Canada and would like $700. Let me know if you are interested. Brian

Listen to what all thes guys are saying and don't worry about knee down on the Bird on the street. I had a '98 Fireblade before the Bird and didn't have to think about it whereas on the Bird I have never had the knees down in 72000 k's of riding it. The track is the only place to do it if you are hell bent on it. Brian

In Canada the 2000 Bird was only available in Blue or Black. ood luck on the sale. Brian

For years I ran the Metzler Sportec M1, got about 5000 kilometers out of the rear and 10000 k's out of the front. Have for the past year and a half been using the M3's, great tire, stick well in all conditions and get about the same mileage. I don't mind spending the extra $$ on tires as they instill confidence and are cheaper than dropping the bird. Oh, and I hate all Dunlop tires. Tried them once and took them off well before they were done. Brian

I have two spots where the pipe was touching the fairing, barely, one I let melt the other I "trimmed". Hasn't been a problem. Brian

bpg: Concours 14 come stock with 021's on them. From what I am reading on other forums they are not a good tire in the rain - some even call them dangerous. Dry they are good. As for longevity from a report I read (sorry no link) The PR2's are supposed to be superior in grip, mileage, handling etc. I don't have enough miles on mine yet to make a decision. Brian

Ok just back from dealer. The header bolts were only finger tightened at best. It appears that I am not the only one with this problem. That took care of the tciking noise. As for the smoke, took the exhaust off, looks like something was in the pipe that was not supposed to be there. Possibly a piece of plastic, animal etc who knows as whatever it was is now very black and in pieces. It looks like the white in the oil window was condensation. Changed the oil at the same time as fixing the header bolts and let it warm well and it is not there now. This is it's first oil change. The oil in the glass now shows it at the top level line whereas when I picked it up from the dealer new it was barely at the bottom level line. Thanks for the help. I will stop running it in the garage needlessly Brian

Thanks for the reply guys. I am not doing anything with it - it is going to the dealer, not only am I not smart enough but that is what a warranty is for. When the bike was first started and started to make the noise I noticed a few drops of water drop on the garage floor from the bottom of the engine. At the time I couldn't understand why. Reading your reply's makes me see. The water seemed like straight water. I haven't and am not going to check if they put only water in the cooling system. I will mention it to them and let them dig it apart. There is white foamy oil under the oil fill cap, pretty sure that it is water in the engine and things are not good in there. This pisses me off big time. Thanks for the help. Brian

I have 290 kms on my C14. Started it up this morning, could hear a loud ticking noise from the engine that was not there yesterday. Let it warm up, blipped throttle a couple of times, noise did not go away. Shut it down and smoke poured out of the exhaust. Oil can be seen in the glass of the engine case. Problem is the top of the glass seems to have gone white. Thoughts, comments, diagnosis. Yes, I know, shoulda bought a Honda. Thank god I decided to keep the Bird as well. Brian

I have been reading a lot about how good these tires were of late. There was an independent test(sorry no link) that showed it to be the best fo the sport touring tires in the dry and the wet with great mileage. I plan to put them on my Bird and C 14 next. Keep letting us know how these are wearing if possible. Thanks, Brian

+ 1, I have only had false neutrals since my left knee was operated on and wasn't shifting hard enough. Brian

I've a 2000 with the Ohlins done and the Racetec Gold Valves for rebound and compression up front. These two things helped immensely with stability in corners at high rates of speed. I have also lowered the triple trees to 43 mm to circlip and raised the clip ons to sitting just above the notch. It felt good in the twisties but the latest thing I did was a full TiForce exhaust whihc really lightens the bird and makes it feel easier to toss around. I haven't weighed the parts to be exact but I would say one OEM can weighs as much or more than the entire TiForce system. Having seen the difference the weight makes I am now seriously considering the Carozzeria wheels for the unsprung weight savings. Having had mine since new and now with 67000 km on it I thought about buying a new bike like the C14 or FJR but I realized not only is it cheaper to improve the bird to what I want but it also doesn't make sense for me to go to a heavier bike. I have taken some track courses and love the twisties so a heavier bike is out and a repliracer is out since I am getting old and the joints don't work as well so that leaves lightening up the bird some more. Good luck, Brian

Sounds to me like a chain and or sprocket issue. When my last chain was going I felt pretty much the same thing in my left peg, new chain and OEM sprockets and it went away. Brian

Exactly what Byrdman said. Based on mostly on what Northman said on this forum I bought one and love it. Sounds great, much lighter than stock and seat of the pants tells me it is a quicker bike. Brian

Had a Metzler M3 rear go flat at about 50 miles per hour heading into a corner. Felt strange and unstable but there was no issue with slowing down with out using the brakes much. At the lower speeds it felt way more unstable and like a very very heavy bike. Glad to hear you had no issues with getting it stopped. Brian

I know what you mean about the stubby pipe look, I love it too but could not find anything on it so went to the TiForce full system. World of difference in the bike. The weight difference is definitely noticeable, the sound is great, and the bike feels more alive. Ok the last part may be a bit of my imagination but it is a great feeling bike now. Brian

I'm on my 3rd set of M3's, great tires, better mileage than the M1's although it still isn't going to get you more than 4000 miles depending on the style of riding you do. Great in the wet, great in the twisties and in cooler weather. I run 42 on the rear and 36 up front as I do a lot of slabbing. If you run Metzler sport tires at less than 36 on the front the bike will feel heavier and not as agile. At 42 on the rear I haven't had an issue with traction. Good tires, I highly recommend them, Brian

Keith, Thanks for that, I will adjust forks to the 1.5" as you say. Being the lazy bastard that I am it saves me the time looking it up Hopefully tomorrow as I need to ride for my sanity. Brian

Joe, and all else who responded, thank-you very much for clearing that up. I can adjust the forks on my own, it was the spacer that ws causing me deep concern. Especially since it is 70 here today. I will loosen the axle to see if the spacer is there, it is pretty thin if it is there. It will give me peace of mind before riding. I've really got to start doing my own wrenching. Brian

Took my 2000 bird in for a fork oil change, it is now sitting in my garage and when I looked there is no spacer on the left side between the fork and the wheel. As dumb as I am mechanically me thinks there should be one there as there is on the right side (When sitting on bike). Correct??? How bad is this going to be for me to ride it the 30 kilometers back to the shop?? I rode it today and didn't notice a problem but I also didn't do a lot of leaned over cornering at speed. I also noticed the forks do not come through the clips ons by the same amount, again how much damage am I going to do to it by riding it at all? I can probably fix this problem myself by loosening the lower and upper triple clamp and adjusting to correct levels but I would like to take it back to the shop and show them their quality work. Oh yeah, this is the Motorcycle shop in Etobicoke Ontario Canada. Any help appreciated, Brian

Redbird, thanks for that, I was just thinking about putting loctite on the Givi where it connects to the handrail, glad you mentioned it when you did. Brian

BTW, if you come back to VA or WV send me a PM. If?????? You mean when....I am in Love with VA, TN, NC, PA etc. It was a great trip and will definitely be back again. Don't know if it will be this year or not as I now have an itch to get out to Northern California on the bike. And thanks, when we get back down that way I will definitely hook up with you for a drink or 9, this past trip was a fly by the seat of the pants deal. Brian