Clinton Horn

Here is my analog meter

I will post some pics tonight. I tried to document this as I was doing it but I over estimated the macro capabilities of a $250 digital camera. The VDO people have discontinued the one I have but I they make several others that would do. I actually found a Harley one that looked ok but I could not stomach the logo. I wish someone made a smaller dia. I looked for several days but the one I have is as small as I could find for a reasonable price. The PVC cup came from the sprinkler pipe aisle and was a perfect fit. Painting the PVC proved troublesome and I wound up just using regular Krylon. I put an O ring around the gauge body for moisture barrier and taped the leads to keep them from shorting out on the drywall anchor which would ground the + lead. It looks like something you would see on a Beemer (kinda clunky) but I don't care. It serves the purpose. I could not find any slack in the wire loom that was handy so I ran the + lead all the way to the running light in the tail. Has two bulbs so even if the tap fails, the second bulb would get you home.

I have a marine VDO that I bought new off e-bay for $18. Not as neat as the digital but 1. I mounted it in a PVC end cap that I got from Home Depot. 2. Removed the rubber button off the yoke and used a drywall expansion anchor to fasten it. If you squint, it could be a steering dampner knob. It is hard to find a gauge that is the same size as the analog Honda factory gauges, I am guessing the VDO is 1-3/4 inches in dia. Comes with green or red backlighting (reverse polarity). It is a good tool to check for RR failure. I probably notice it once or twice during an outing. The best thing is it caused no damage to the fairing by cutting holes etc. One small nick in the tail light wire is the only permanent damage I think the digital is neat but the constant readout change is annoying. My 99 is all analog anyway so I am happy.

I bought a G mat battery from Batteries Plus about 3 years ago. It was an act of desperation because the stocker was dying and the store was close to my house. I think it was $60 at the time. It has been flawless since. The Wal - Mart batteries I have purchased for jet skis and bikes have been throw aways. One season or hard cranking from kids drowning ski motor toasts them. I believe Yuasa is superior but expensive. Interesting that the Batteries Plus battery had Yuasa literature about ampacity and charging packed with it. I am sure that they contract with who ever from year to year. I bought the next size up from stock and it fits snug in the tray and offers just a fraction more reserve. I also bought a battery tender at the same time. That probably does more to help extend battery life, especially during the winter, than anything else.

I imagine you would like some clarification? The 97 is smaller with no heat sink. The 99 and up is larger, has "fins" but a different wire count and connector. There is a very good write up in the problems section. You will see that many people use an R-1 RR cause it is beefier than the 97. The 99 Honda is bigger than both of them. I do not see as many failures on the 99 on as the 97. Some one will offer more help if you need it.

I cannot respond to two-up as I ride alone most of the time. I am probably way too conservative for this bunch. I have a Blackbird that I have ridden bone stock for 3 years (15,000) miles. I wanted a better seat because as you have discovered, the stock seat is rather sad. The Corbin I got used was pretty disappointing at first. Mine is really firm and initially feels too hard. I delayed the purchase because of the expense. For me, it turned out to be a welcome relief. I think the Honda seats of 20 years ago were superior to the one that came on my bike. Some people get the set up they want right away. Others wait for the right time. If I had it to do over again. I would set the bike up with the screen, bars, springs, and seat that I wanted when I first got it. Some of these mods are basically a 0 return upon sale or actually hurt re-sale. If you keep the stock seat, you can sell the Corbin anytime. Course these bikes are getting pretty long in the tooth. I don't think accessories will hold the present values for a lot longer. The VFR bars & seat appear to be as good as cash. The people on this board are growing weary of Honda's reluctance to issue a new Blackbird and I predict many will trade in the next two years. I can enjoy this bike until I crash or get too old to throw a leg over. If you really appreciate the things this bike has to offer, get it like you want it and just try and wear it out.

No, the calipers are user friendly. If you WANT to take the front wheel off for tires etc. you HAVE to remove the calipers. I believe that you will find that getting the pin unfozen is your biggest challenge. Sometimes the pads jump into place and it is literally a 5 minute deal. Other times I have had to fiddle with them to get them just right. You will know when they are right as the pin will not go through unless they are seated. I never tried the shoe thing but it sounds good. A screw driver will compress the pistons without damage IF you take it easy on them. The shoe method sounds safer for a first time. Don't fret, this is an easy job but you will learn from your mistakes. If you had to do a second bike you would be amazed at how quick it can be. Trouble is I forget from one time to the next. I take mine out from time to time to inspect the pad material. When it gets down to dime thickness, I get a new set. You did not ask but the Galfer equivalent of OEM is driving me crazy. For a while they squeaked really bad, now they make this frying sound when you bear down on them. Some people think it is cool. I hate it. Going back to OEM

You cannot get the front wheel off without removing the caliphers. They actually mount inside the width of the rim. I know cause I yanked on the wheel until I realized all I was doing was scratching the rim. As for depressing the pucks, I think you can do it with a flat object like a screwdriver. I use a c clamp on cars but the bird caliphers do not allow room. They are small (3) and mine offered very little resistance. This is one of those jobs that may take an hour for the two fronts and 10 minutes if you had a second pair. The back is very straight forward as well. I beleive that you can slide the rears in without removing the calipher. I may be mistaken but I believe that you can slide the fronts in as well provided you remove the hex cap screw and then the slotted head pin. This pin usually sticks quite hard. An impact tool and some penetrating oil wll help. If you are using after market pads, the heat sinks (SS perforated shims) may not fit. If you can't get them in an freely rotate the wheel, leave em off. These parts are small and while not delicate, slow steady pressure on the pucks will make them retract without damage. Don't forget to apply some kind of loc tight on the bolts that actually hold the caliphers to the frame. Another unpleasant experience is how I know.

I have run dino Delvac and Syn Rotella both and can't tell a bit of difference. I am interested more in shifting at the moment. My bike's got 26000 on it and it feels rougher going from neutral to first. That clunk is starting to get on my nerves. I believe that there is a rubber piece in the motor that slows down the shaft when the clutch is engaged? Mine must be wearing out. Anyone feel that the higher moly oils improve shifting? I know some feel that the Mobile One is better in this department. If you really want to find out what oil provides the best performance, ask the guy with the suspenders on the scooter in the pub post. I guarantee you that he will find out soon or seize it. I had an S-90 when I was a kid and it coughed up two pistons on gas station oil. People who ride small bore bikes have a real concern / opinion in oil selection. Blackbird owners do not need to give it a second thought (as long as it is full) IMHO.

Well EXCUSE me. I would have figured that if you knew what would do the job, you would have used it. I too have decided "screw it" and paid the consequences. It takes a mountain of equipment to keep anything even marginally complicated (Bikes are not rocket science) up. We all have to make decisions as to how much of this stuff we want to house. Personally, I can mount and balance a tire with two $5 tire irons but It takes time and more effort than the correct stuff available. On the other hand, the chain breaker I tried to live without is the only way I know to put the #530 chain back together. Here in the "back water " States if you screw up a specialty METRIC fastener, you are SOL. until the dealer orders one. Blackbirds are fairly scarce in the states and most dealers do not bother stocking even basic parts. Nevertheless, the fastener you had trouble with is a guaranteed "big get off" if it fails. I am not into preaching. You know what it takes. If you choose otherwise you pay the consequences. You are correct about one thing, I am ignorant about S. Africa (except for James Michner's book) but terriblly interested in the day to day. I have had an impact driver forever and it has more than paid for itself but I have destroyed lots of fasteners with punches, vice grips and anything else I could get my hands on. Perserverence is the holy grail of the do it your-selfer.

I have no idea what tools are available in your part of the world but here in the states they make a tool that you strike with a hammer. It has interchangeable bits and as it is struck it pivots about 1/4 turn at the same time. Called an impact tool here locally. I am an old guy and Hondas traditionally used phillips head screws on their cases. Allen heads are a recent innovation. Anyway, the corrosion that sets up between the fastener and the case forms its on LOC-Tite over the years. This tool has been a never fail method to remove stubborn fasteners. Sometimes you ruin the screw but it always gives first. The tool is cheap and is an absolute requirement if you wrench your own bike. I have used it successfully on my Bird brakes several times.

I purchased a 97 left front rotor off e-bay for $0.25 in an attempt to swap the disc onto my stock 99 carrier. This will NOT work. The 97 has 6 mounting points from carrier to disc and the 99 has 7. Most of you probably know this but to those who don't, it is not workable. In addition, the carrier rivets are pressed on with some big ass press and they appear to be formidable. I would guess that a machine shop might get them out but replacing them looks like a real specialty process. Bottom line: I have a 97 rotor with 5,000 miles, no visible wear and advertised as " carrier bent". If it is bent, I cannot detect it but it don't take much. I will donate it to a good cause for the cost of the shipping. Don't get in a big hurry as I will ship it when I get time. I live in Atlanta

I may be a one-off case here but the xx I have enjoyed greatly for 3 years came to me as a "rebuildable" total because the upper - lower fairing mount was punched out of the frame on a low- side crash. As silly as it sounds, the insurance companies view this as a damaged frame and not repairable. A 5/16 bolt, double nut, drill bit and metric tap solved this huge crisis for me. No doubt my resale is affected. I will remember that after I put another 50,000 on it.

I have a 99 xx with the large finned RR. I thought it might be in trouble because the voltage fluctuates quite a bit from cold start to warmed up. In any case, I bought a 2000 or 2001 (breaker was not sure) R-1 rectifier from an oriental guy in Canada. This guy got so pissed off at my request for a tracking number, he finally pronounced me a "true moron" for which I reported him to e- bay. Nothing will come of it for either of us I am sure. The part took two weeks by ' Canadian Express post". Bottom line If you want it I have $ 10 in the part and $10 in "express shipping". I have NO IDEA whether it works or not since I decided to keep the stock unit. If it doesn't work. Just call him up and I am sure that he will be glad to hang up in your face. He was livid that it brought so little in the first place. Can you say" free market" If you are willing to make me whole including shipping to you, it is yours. Be careful installing it and if it is bogus, I will cheerfully refund your money less your shipping charge as it was junk to me in the first place. For all of you bad mouthing the Honda unit, you should know that the guts of the Honda and Yamaha are approx the same size. The FI Honda heat sink fins are about 25% bigger. Now if I knew why they mounted the fins perpendicular to the air flow? Good Luck either way.

You sniped me out of them on E - Bay but you are welcome to them. Mine is a 99 and I would have to change the carriers to use them. I believe they begin life at 5 mm and are past service at 4 mm. Mine are about 4.5 with 24 M on the clock. The aggressive pads a lot of these guys run are pretty hard on them. I think you got a deal either way. Good luck

Same problem here. I got the shims on the rear and rode about 5 miles. Disc was boiling and I think warped slightly. Fronts were no contest. I am going to re-insert the shims now after 3000 miles. The Galfers squeak worse than a Volvo. My next set will be OEM.

Recently, I had to replace my factory DID endless chain with an e-bay sourced take off chain (RK XSO) and I was an idiot for thinking that all Blackbird chains were DID. Several mail order master links later, I am back in business. In retrospect, it would have been MUCH easier to buy a new chain. I am now in the market for a back up and the people at White Buffalo were so helpful, I will probably get it there. Nevertheless, if you hate to overpay, the attached looks like sensible advice. I do not know these people but their argument looks good. www.quality-cycle.com/truth_about_motorcycle_chains.htm

Lot of people here are stoked on a product called Seafoam Fuel cleaner. I use Stabil over the winter. Carbed bikes appear to have a rougher time. I think the drain the tank / fresh fuel idea is good advice. Starting fluid is a lifesaver for stubborn starts. BE VERY CAREFUL with this stuff. It is HIGHLY flammable, causes knock if you spray too much. I would be careful around the intake ducts, it might damage the finish. If you have spark, this stuff is a guaranteed fire. A little goes a long way.

This will be my first riveted chain but I have purchased and trashed many cheap chains for various bikes through the years. I can see no reason to punish the glorified C clamp I bought for lack of 15 seconds with an angle grinder. It is not like the old chain has any salvage value. The breaker has a staking pin with it. I could easily center punch the pin out but I will get my money's worth and press it out. The cover is really my biggest concern. If the slave will stay intact, the rest is gravy.I cannot imagine hacksawing that 530 chain in two (as some have ) but each to his own. I am religious about lubing the chain. Takes 5 seconds and lasts 200-300 miles. I have never had a shaft bike but I don't understand all the wailing about chain maintenance/ repair. With luck, I will keep both sprockets. The rear is shows absolutely no wear compared with the take- off. If the front is reversible, I may turn it over and get the best out of the other side of the teeth. Course I run $1.99 Wal - Mart Filters too and I sleep like a baby. I guess it is all in your viewpoint. I AM scared to death of bald tires.

I guess maintenance runs in cycles. I have seen numerous chain / sprocket questions lately. Please forgive me if I missed this one. My "official" Honda service manual skips over the part about getting the front sprocket cover off. In the motor disassembly section, it plainly states that the clutch? slave cylinder must be removed first. Since I never needed to, I did not notice that the cover and the slave housing are one and the same. The book talks about draining / refilling, bleeding etc. The fluid is fine. If I am careful and do not mash any levers, do I have a prayer of easing all of that spring loaded assembly out and carefully let it hang until I get the new chain installed? I am hoping for a good looking sprocket but if not. any thoughts on the $18 ones versus the $45 OEM or Renthal? I am a huge fan of OEM. Chain began popping at 23,000. I have a new DID factory takeoff with the factory rear sprocket. Someone on E-bay had more money than sense and went to a 520/ aluminum set up right out of the box. $50 for both was a price I could pay. Chain still has that nickel color. After reading horror stories here, I reluctantly sprung for a Chinese (I am sure) chain breaker. For the $50 I paid I was sorely tempted to peen the master back on with a hammer and a piece of solid 4" round stock that is handy for that purpose. I had vsions of binding the link too tight so I gave in. Anyway, advice would be appreciated.

Re: WalMart: Yesterday, I bought a gallon jug of Shell Rotella Syn 5W/ 40 for about $13 and a few of their 6067 ($2) filters that fit the Bird nicely. I really debated about the $5/ quart 15,000 mile Mobile but honestly, I have run Delvac, Dyno Rotella and Syn Rotella. I cannot say that I notice any difference between them. I run the Rotella as a concession to my conscience but I believe Delvac at 1/2 the price is more than sufficient.

Re: Noise at idle I do not know how you could have survived this long without at least a dozen people answering but the symptoms are classic for the cam chain adjuster. This is a weak link in an other wise fine package. Lots of us have replaced them with green dot models and the naked bike 1100 xx had a slightly different model that I installed (import only). It has reduced the problem but I can tell you that it sounds identical to your description. That chain slaps around in the cavity until you get some rpm. God knows what it is doing at speed but at least you can't hear it. The replacements come pre loaded (that is they are a screw jack and spring arrangement. Some rocket scientist should be able to calculate the proper number of turns to increase the tension on the faulty ones. We all have old ones in our garages that are perfect except they just don't pack quite enough punch to tension the cam chain. There are several good write ups on this board. It is a very simple procedure to replace one. DO NOT remove the cheesy little key in the top UNTIL you have it bolted in

I have an older FI Bird (99) and I have read here and other places that the R/R and or stator are subject to failure over time / mileage. Numerous people have installed digital voltmeters to monitor charging out put. My bike has 23,000 miles on it and as such is probably ripe for failure. I found several versions , both LCD and LED that would work well but they are pricey (around $60-75). I hate cutting anything into the bike so I searched e -bay and found several analog gauges. They are almost all 2" diameter. I would have preferred a smaller gage but they would be bike specific and that limits the selection and raises the price. The one I bought is a VDO marine gage. I think I have $23 in total cost. It had a choice of red and green backlighting and is supposed to be waterproof. I went to Home Depot and bought a PVC pipe cap that neatly houses the gage and makes a suitable mount. I drilled two small holes. One in the center for attachment and one at 6 o'clock to exit with the wiring. I looked everywhere on the dash for a good spot. I finally relented and used a yellow metal picture hanger for drywall (Home Depot again) removed the small rubber plug right in the center of the yoke. The drywall mount crushes and expands in the hole and really grabs hold. It makes no damage and if you decide to remove the install later. unscrew the mount and the hanger can be deformed with pliers and removed. Replace the rubber plug and you are back to stock. I wired the gage to the rear tail light. There are probably closer places but the harness is really compact and I wanted a spot to do the least damage. There are many types of wire splicers at Home Depot (of course). I will attempt to post pictures. This won't win any design awards but I cannot ignore the readout. At warm idle with the fan running, voltage drops to 11 with a good gel battery that stays on a tender. At 1500-1800, the stator goes full bore and will maintin 14.5 volts steady on. Guess that is why the heater vest guys crank up the idle speed in winter. Anyway the whole thing is less than $35 and much cheaper than rectifiers, stators, and ECU.

For all of you who considered changing your on tires, here is my story. Bought new rear Avon St 46 from Southwest Moto. Tire came promptly to my door. I rode it around in my car for a week or two before finally giving in an approaching a small indepent "hawg" dealer near my work. Me" do you change AND balance motorcycle tires?" Him "I got a state of the art changer with computer balance blah blah blah". Me "How much to mount my tire on my rim?" Him " where did you purchase the tire?" Me : (no fooling this guy) " I got it off the internet" Him" we have a special rate for people who buy mail order tires" Me" ok How much?" Him " $30." I am thinking boy this guy is really rubbing it in. But I want to ride so I say OK. I start opening my trunk and he (in a surprised voice)" you have it off the bike? Yeah Nimrod I took it off myself. I realize now that I have just performed 1/2 of his work for free. Anyway he takes it in and I wait carefully pointing out that it is a directional tire. He says his guys knows but he goes to tell him anyway (I am guessing he did not know). I have to endure the "went cross country on that machine there, pulled a trailer, you know if you had bought that tire from me it would have been cheaper to have it mounted." I said I did not want a whitewall and he (getting pissed) says "I can order anything you want." No shit, that is what I just did. Anywaaaaay I start to see thread on my FRONT tire the other day. Sphincter tightened up and ordered another tire (matching Avon front tire). This time I decide to "do it yourself". Here is the meat of the whole story. I took the cardboard box that the tire came in for a soft platform. Bought two tire spoons (made in China) for 4.95 each at Northern Tools Used a large C clamp for a bead breaker. Bead breaking was a little stubborn (if I had been patient and just went even 1/2 way round the tire but NO) I take a box cutter and split the tire from center to sidewall. Here is a hint, I think the bead is reinforced with wire. Box cutter slids across the wire and box cutter stabs thigh. Blood starts to pool. You know the question, gee I wonder how bad that is beneath my jeans? Happy to report the wound was not severe. But to continue, the c clamp really worked well after I vented a 4" long section from the tire (bead still intact though). Once the beads fell to the center of the rim, My Chinese spoons made childs play out of getting it off. You can use almost anything as a rim protector. I used leather. If you soap the rims AND pay attention to the directional arrow, you can install all but the last 1/4 circle of the second side with your hands and feet. The spoon levers the tire on and after 30# of air both sidewalls seated (watch your fingers). I balanced using the axel and two saw horses. Stick on weights are $12%$^&*#@ dollars so either melt down some of those old .45 slugs or save you weights like I did. It takes about 2 beers to really do a good job on the weights. Final warning: You cannot pull the front rim hard enough to break the mounting bolts in half and dislodge the calipers. It is much simpler to remove them FIRST and then slide the tire out. If you really want to make it easy, slip off the fender. In closing, yeah it probably was worth the $30 in the long run, but I would do it again myself in a heart beat.

I was so curious, I got a flashlight and went and looked. You are right to voice concern. It evidently did not touch (no scarring on the header) but it would have to be close to the stock header. I could see it raising the filter casing temperature considerably. I buy a sack full of both filter numbers and use them as I have need. I think from now on I will stay with the smaller for the bird. The Max has oodles of clearance. So forget the extra length for the bird (but it will fit and clear)