GUMBYBOB

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Factory Honda service manual for a 1997 Blackbird. Used VERY little. Not abused. A little oily around the fork tube pages and that's it. $30.00 firm plus shipping to the 48 states. Pics on request. Email response to: RPROCTOR@LL.MIT.EDU

I've always changed mine just before storing so it has fresh oil sitting in it thru the winter.

I'm with squareman357. If you just work on the front tire, just put a jack under the oil pan and lift it a bit. Front comes right up and back stays on the floor. It's not REAL solid, but good enough to work on.

Left hand thread or right hand? Thanks in advance....

Other than having 26,000 miles on my current chain, what other symptoms are there? I'm right at the end of the adjustment range at the adjusters. I just ran 700 miles on a trip that included a few hours of rain. So it's really dry, dirty and needs lubing, obviously. I noticed on the way home from the trip that there was an inconsistant sounding "clunking/clattering" from the chain area during acceleration. It ran flawlessly otherwise. When I pulled the clutch in and reved it a bit, I heard nothing so I "think" it's the chain. I'll clean/lube/tighten it and give it another run to see if I still hear it. Any thoughts?

That sounds JUST like it, DeaconXX. And the same year & milage bike. That's what I'm going with right now. Thanks. I'll let you know the results....

Yes, it's always there. I popped off the left side fairing and the fan seems clear. But it's LOUD man, like too loud to be coming from inside the engine. If something's caught in the fan, it's a BOLT....not a leaf. It's that loud. It starts and runs fine but sounds horrible. I'll do more investigation for sure but there's no rush, I guess. It's snowing today and tomorrow.

So there I was, out for my last ride of the season today. Actually going to the bike shop to pick up some gasoline stabilizer, change the oil & put it away today. Ten miles from home, sitting at a red light in neutral and all of a sudden, a loud mechanical "whirring" noise coming from the engine. At first I thought it was a truck's engine brake pulling up behind me. Scared the shit out of me as I looked in the mirrors. But it was me. It increases frequency slightly as the engine revs, also. I got it home and it ran just fine, although I never reved it up beyond the minimum to get it home. It's a '97 with 25,000 miles. I haven't changed the cam chain tensioner yet. Being non mechanically inclined (bike wise) that's the only thing I can think of. Any suggestions????

175lbs bare-assed.

If I order the correct stiffness springs from Racetech, will I need to increase the stock spacer length? What spacer length did you guys use versus your weight to achieve the 1.5" sag? That will help us that haven't tackled this yet. I'm thinking that if I order the stiffer springs, I won't need to play around with spacer length. Also, if someone with a manual could post a picture of a couple scanned pictures from the manual of what I'll see when I pop the caps off, I would be indebted. Thanks

I'll be there, Pete, and will look you up. I bought my Givi shield there several years ago and love it. Givi even shipped my stock shield back home for me so I didn't have to load it on the bike for the return trip (which is also 4 hours away, but 4 hours East instead of South like Dave).

Dave, Are you going to Americade up in Lake George next month? They usually have all that stuff there.

HERBXX What have you done with your front suspension? And do the springs come out WITH the top caps? What's the cartridge consist of that is attached to the caps?

I have 23,000 miles .

I'm attempting (for the first time) the basic fork oil replacement. I really don't know what to expect. I'm just planning on popping off the caps and filling that way. Not removing the forks. It sounds like when the caps come out, a damping rod comes out with it but I don't know. 1. Should I drain one fork at a time so it's easier to pump out the oil? 2. Isn't the stock weight 7.5? Carlos's instructions specify 10, I believe. I only ride one-up so I may not need heavier oil. I weight 175 lbs. 3. Is this a 2 man job? 4. How tight are the fork caps on? Will I struggle with a breaker bar if the've never been off before? 5. What's the most accurate way of knowing how much oil to put in? Measure volume of what I'm dumping in or measure the distance of the existing oil level with the cap and damping rod out and fill it up to that level? I may have other questions as I think about this more. Thanks for your help.

Nope. Just reach right under from the bottom with the channel locks. Be carefull not to touch the hot pipes. That's how I do it.

Same thing happened with an old Concours I had. Pissed antifreeze all over the road at a red light during a hot summer day. I let it cool for an hour or so and drove it home. The fan wiring was burnt out. Therefore, the fan wasn't working..........like previous posts mentioned. Fixed fan/wiring and bike ran fine for thousands of miles after.

Makes a great vaginal lube also, I hear.

Mine had a 190 when I bought it (used). Felt great till I replaced it with a 180. BIG improvement. Much quicker turn-in in corners. The 190 needed more force to put it in corners. Looked cool, though.

Ever look at the XX and wonder why the fairing screws aren't the same color as the fairing? I mean, after all, it's a beautifull "slab sided" fairing free of non-essential lines and "boy racer" graphics. But those damn screws stick out like a sore thumb. So I got some touchup paint (black for my '97). I went to Walmart and got what looks like a lipstick container with its own little brush inside. Backed off the screws a bit, painted the edges, tightened them back up again, then dobbed some in the hex hole. Sure, next time I put a wrench to the screw, I'll need to touch up the paint in the hex holes, but man, those screws now blend in perfect. No silver DOTS on the fairing and around the windshield. I also did a few toward the rear of the bike, too. Anyone else anal enough to even notice those silver screws while admiring their machines? O.K. if you have a silver XX, you're excused....

I'm on my 2nd set of Pilot Sports in a row and love 'em.

I'm about to remove the rear tire for the first time myself. Is there anything I need to be very aware of? Does the caliper need to be removed before or is it OK where it is? How long does it take to do? And do I need to loosen the chain adjuster screws to take the wheel off? Sorry for all the questions but It's a first time thing for me. Thanks.

I'm needing a back tire real soon. Thinking of the Pilot Road but now have Pilot Sports front and back. Anyone see any major problem putting the Road on the back and leaving the Sport on the front 'till it wears out?

Big Jeff, I assume you have a black XX like me. Once you get the extenda installed with the little phillips head screws, dab a little black paint on the screws. They stand out like a sore thumb if you don't. You'll never notice them after that.