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I've got the Heli-bars with a Ram mount for the Garmin 2610 as shown in the above picture, but it is mounted to my clutch reservoir. It has two swivel points so I can maneuver it anyway I want. I check clearances at full left and right locks, then set it and forget it. I'll see if I can post the two pictures I took. Tony Edited: Clear of all gages. Direct connect to the battery with fuse in-line.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Didn't think to check while I was in there, but everything was surprisingly clean. I'll definitely check next time. Thanks again. Tony

Hey all, I'm one to usually ride the Bird rather than work on her, but I took a chance and figured out how to get the front cover off to see the front sprocket. (Small stuff, I know.) So after cleaning it out and putting it back together, I noticed in the manual that the same bolts to get the cover off are the same bolts to open up the clutch hydraulics. The cover with the banjo fittings never detached from the sprocket cover though and I didn't notice any hydraulic leaks. Is there the chance that I may have gotten air in the clutch hydraulics or is it sealed some other way? I have the manual but it wasn't clear. NOTE: I was able to shift the gears into first, second and back to neutral with the bike off after I was done. The clutch fluid level looks fine. I just don't want to go for a ride and then the clutch gives out. Could end up to be a bad situation. Thanks for your help. Tony

McMaster Carr. They have sheets of all types of foams and rubber. I am not sure of the material that Honda uses, but my assumption is that it's there to prevent rattle. Whatever you purchase, make sure it is heat resistant. You don't want the foam melting onto the engine when it gets hot. Please post up when you find what works. Tony

I just got the Garmin 2610 and love it. It has all the bells and whistles, but if you're looking for a basic unit, the Garmin V is a good way to go. It has it's shortcomings I've read regarding speed and memory size, but it all depends on what you want one for. Good luck and there are a ton of sites that review these things. I got alot out of amazon.com and the reviews from people that have bought one. TJ

I get the same temps you get with Amsoil 10W-40. Looks normal. Never overheated ... yet.

Do a search and find Warchild's instructions on how to change the oil on the 'Bird. Changed mine about a month ago following his instructions and they were dead on. I even was a good boy and changed the washer for the first time. Everything you need to know is in his write-up.

The 1st, 2nd clunk is a characteristic of the 'Bird. To minimize the clunk, hold in the clutch 2-3 seconds, then shift into 1st. Sometimes its quieter, sometimes it's not.

Just wanted to say a thank you to Carlos for hosting this site and everyone on the board who freely shares information on their Bird. Over the past month, I've changed the oil (Amsoil 10W-40), oil filter, air filter, spark plugs (great write up Warchild), put a new tank bra on, and cleaned and lubed the chain with WD-40 and Chainwax respectively. Easy stuff for most here I think, but for me it was a new experience and an eye opener as to what I've learned from everyone here. I even went for a 200 mile ride afterwards and nothing fell off nor did the bike ever die on me. 8) So I just wanted to say thank you and without this board, I don't think I would have ever made it without broken knuckles, alot of swearing, and a broken bike when I was done. Thank you. Tony

Chrome Turtle Wax once a year. O.K. Maybe twice. Cleaned cover residue off of an older bike where the previous owner put a cover on it before the pipes were cool. Good stuff.

+1

Thanks for the tips. I'll go through the manual and tighten up all the structural points as was suggested. The deeper sound seems apparent all the time, but the vibration is most noticeable when in gear. Disappears when I pull in the clutch. Vibration seems more apparent at the upper RPM's (>3000). No noticeable differences in vibration with speed, gears or when cornering. Something I believe is unrelated but might be: I took the bike around the block w/o ear plugs and a helmet and heard the chain clicking on the front sprocket. That is something I've never heard before. And the brakes have always sound like their gliding on the rotors. Unsure on how to adjust for that or if its just to be expected. Chain tension is good. Thanks again for the advice.

Ditto what Nik stated. (Just not as well. ). I've had the same thing happen. Ordering a second set sounds like a good idea. I'm going to have to go do that.

Hey all, Got an odd-ball circumstance that occurred and was wondering/hoping that someone else had a similar experience. A few days ago in the middle of a ride, the sound of the bike became deeper and it seems to resonate throughout the bike so it's not as smooth as it was. I started her again yesterday and this deeper sound and resonance is still there. It seems the dynamics of the bike have changed slightly and though a deeper sound is nice, I don't want to trade the smoothness for it. It's a 2001, stock, and I just hit 7,000 miles. Original plugs and air filter, so I'm going to start there, but I've also seen posts that the pipes eventually burn in and give a throatier sound. Though I thought that would be around 3000 - 4000 miles. Lastly, should I be looking at the fuel such as the filter or running some fuel injection cleaner. I don't feel much of a power loss though, so this is probably not it. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for the tips. If you twist the screwdriver between the old brake pad and rotor, isn't it possible to gouge the rotor with the screwdriver? I suppose one could get a piece of thin plastic to protect the rotor and then twist against both. I'm just curious. That's a great idea about re-seating the brakes every once in awhile. I will be reseating the accordian boot in the reservoir as soon as I get home. I actually wasn't kidding about putting some grease on the pistons, but if that's a dumb thing to do, then I obviously won't. My thoughts were that maybe the pistons are not sliding as well as they should due to my brakes always rubbing, so by lubricating them, they slide a little easier. From your post though, I think I've made some assumptions I shouldn't have and will just leave it alone until I look at the service manual a little more carefully. Thanks again.

I experienced that front end dive this evening when I was testing out the brakes. I never really noticed it before until now. And it happened when I hit the back brake :shock: LBS I guess. I would love to re-do the suspension. I just don't have the $ for something like that .... yet. The front brakes didn't have shims in them like the back brake did. If they were supposed to, I probably wouldn't have used them anyways. I just took the brakes out of the package with the sheet metal plate on the back and installed it. (They come with their own.) I didn't use the shim on the back. The only thing I'm slightly concerned about and need to keep an eye on is my front brakes rubbing. And this occurred with my old brakes as well. No matter what I do, it seems that my front brakes are always skimming the surface of the rotor. This may be normal, but I still need to keep an eye on it. Maybe some brake grease on the pistons will help.

No, I left the caps on. That might have been why it was more difficult, but I was too worried about putting pressure on the brake, the wheel turning mid push, and then brake fluid going all over the bike. Instead, I just put my palm to the brake caliper, cupped my hand underneath, and my fingers on the back of the rotor. Then slowly squeezed. Just go slow. If you remove the brake pad, which is very easy, you can put your fingers in there and feel the 3 plungers and how far they need to move before their flush. Once their flush, it's gravy. Good luck and your going to love the EBC's.

Let me just say you guys are the best!!! It was just a matter of me pushing the pistons back in. I feel like a du-fuss, but at least the bird's back on the launch pad. :grin: I actually do have a manual before anyone tells me to get one and did read the part about pushing the brake pads in, but looking at the diagram on 15-12, there is no way I was going to get the pistons in with the hand grip shown. I had to wrap my fingers around that sucker and push pretty hard before the pistons reset. So thank you for emphasizing the piston reset. By the way, the EBC-HH brakes are completely awesome! Like others have stated, the Bird now brakes like she is supposed to. I actually have a back brake now that works. Again, thanks for everyones help. This is one hell of a group to be a part of! TJ

This stems from a previous post and these brakes are starting to PISS ME OFF! Any help would be greatly appreciated and thanks to Joe in the previous thread for explaining the basics. 1.) How screwed am I when I can't get new EBC-HH brakes in either front caliper because they won't fit. The old worn down brakes fit just fine. Replaced back brake with no problems. Looks like the front brakes barely squeeze when applied. 2.) What chemicals do I need when I change out the pads? I've read brake cleaner, brake grease, cleaning brake pins and where do I get this shite? At an automotive store, or better yet, Walmart? And what kind of floss do I need to clean that crack between the caliper and disk? It's the 3rd day I've screwed w/ these f*ckers which is too long to be screwing around with brakes. :evil: Most of the guys here would have rebuilt their whole bike by now. Help!!!!

I got to the store and bought 3 sets of the EBC HH pads for both fronts and the rear. (After reading the other posts, they sound what I've been looking for.) I installed the back w/o the shim with no problems. Easy.(Couldn't fit them in with the shims installed.) I then try to install them in the front and they won't fit in either side. I can't get either of the front calipers far enough apart to get the new pads in. And this is without the shims. After reviewing other posts, no others listed problems of getting the new pads in, so I think I found my main problem, but I'm not sure of the solution. Do I: a.) Bleed the brakes. (Though I don't know how this would help.) b.) Bang harder on the calipers to get them farther apart. (Rubber mallet-don't really want to do) c.) Replace calipers. (God I hope not!) d.) Hookers (Always good, but still have the brake problem.) I opened the front master cylinder just to see what I could see. Brake fluid is clean and has a good level. Please just tell me I forgot to do something simple.

See. Joe reads and understands the manual. Me, I just look at the pretty pictures.

Thanks for the explanation. A far more efficient design from what I was originally thinking and makes sense. The brakes wore in the same way you described. Front-left was the worse, then the back, and the front-right was the best. Hopefully this is normal wear for the city riding I do. Pads will be ordered today. Round 2. Thanks again.

At least I got the back and front part right. Thanks for the help. If I can't find a pinched brake line though, is there anything else you can think of that might cause this problem? Edited: BigBird ... Whether the brakes are supposed to retract or not was just speculation on my part. You can probably tell already that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Just looking for some advice on why my brakes have to be replaced at 1/2 their life.

Thanks Rock. The oddball break was the front-right when looking from the front of the bike. Front-left when looking from the cockpit. Hopefully we're talking about the same thing.