ironmike

Joe, I had some folks, whom I hold in very high regard on vehicle electronic issues, review this thread... and the consensus was that the clue was in your statement that your tech tested the battery, pronounced it OK - but added that it needed a charge. By process of elimination, based upon the reported symptoms, the jury alleges that the battery is your prime suspect. It is most likely a comromised cell plate or two that, given the right circumstances, will give you periodic grief, while otherwise appearing to act normally. The good news is that this is a relatively easy and inexpensive fix.

... is to check the simplest (least expensive) stuff first. - all connections; tight, corrosion free, etc. - wiring; good integrity, no breaks/shorts, etc. - battery; full capacity charge, within specs with/without load - rectifier/regulator; run test protocols (shop manual) for values within specs - alternator; run test protocols (shop manual) etc. That's pretty much it. The closer to the top of the list you find and correct the problem, the less impact it has on your finances. :wink:

I've been hearing generally good things about these helmets, but for disparaging comments about the wind noise. Good venting is essential to me in the Deep South, and that is always gonna have an impact on wind noise... Any other observations worthy of consideration or comments..? OK, ...besides the low prices...?

Thanks Paully! Ok guys... Anybody within a reasonable distance of Shreveport, LA (no, we're not flooded, that's just the humidity) with PP gonna take a ride on this group-buy train... and can help a brother out..? PM me or answer here... Thanks. 8)

I'm glad to have been of help. But I can't really take any credit. It took a very sharp tech to finally solve the issue, as there had been no prior record of that particular component failing. In a conversation after the repair he speculated that the current quality of available fuel - and more likely the age of it and its additive packages - may have contributed to the membrane deterioration... he was certainly no fan of ethanol/reformulated fuels, FWIW. 8)

I'm willing to go for the whole (2-bulb) kit... 5300K/H7s at $185 shipped.. but I don't have Pay Pal any longer. What can we work out..? I'm sure I'm not the only one without PP... Any ideas folks..?

... but it's temporary... Auto store stuff - Get some (heat resistant, if possible) rubber o-rings of suitable size, stretch & slip one over the lips of the rivet. Using o-rings on both sides of the rivet tend to center the disc & carrier. This minimizes the sloppy clearance but still allows the disc to "float"... and is much quieter. The o-rings won't last forever, although the heat resistant variety may surprise you. If the clearance/slop is severe, the metal edges will take their toll of the rubber in due course... but a handfull of o-rings are cheap. It's a band aid measure for sure... until you can spring for replacement parts, but it does work. 8)

My '99 exhibited similar symptoms... bottom line - it was the fuel pressure regulator (on the end of the fuel rail). There's a membrane that was compromised, developed a perforation. At first, the bike would fire up fine, then it would start missing, and finally cylinders 2 & 3 would stop firing altogether. Pressurized fuel was leaking past the regulator membrane and entering the the vacuum lines to cylinders 2 & 3, flooding them out... raw gas into the exhaust, white smoke/vapor, heavy gas smell (if you felt like sticking your face in it). It drove me nuts for a while. I tried everything mentioned above - and then some (even a "borrowed" new ECM form a "new" unsold '03). I found out the coils are damn near bullerproof, and barring a loose connection are hardly ever a problem. The ECM is pretty tough , too... unless you crack the case which will invite moisture in. As my regulator diaphragm further deteriorated, more fuel flooded 2 & 3 more quickly, so it reached the point that it would only start and run on two cylinders. A very sharp tech at the Shreveport delareship (G&C Honda) - I gave up and sought professional help - figured it all out. Check your vacuum lines for raw fuel (key on, fuel pump operating). Lines should be dry; fuel presence indicates an internal system leak - the pressure regulator is the most likely suspect. The good news - it was all covered under Honda's five-year emissions warranty... look in the owner's manual for a copy.

.. to give some more members a chance to participate - especially after a long dark ride home post-NEXXT... might even bump the numbers into another "discount range" ..? Good idea! At any rate, Rich, I'm in for a single (5000K, H7). Whenever you settle on the date, PM me with your snail-mail info; it'll be a check - I closed my PP account last year after it was hacked. 8)

... let's make it ten... I'd go with Warchild's advice... 5000K (single) low beam application. I'd jumped in earlier, but I've been somewhat busy with H. Katrina's legacy.

...I have the MagKnight carbon fibre "look" protector. I don't have issue with the tank protector itself, but I think the carbon fiber "look" leaves something to be desired... If I had it to do over, I'd go with the gloss black on my black 'Bird. The other... well, it's just cheesy looking. :oops:

... that doesn't even sound reasonable or logical...

+1 Yeah, I'd be interested as well...

.. check all the cable connections (a poor ground can give that symptom), and the condition of any wiring exposed to the elements - corrosion can occur within the insulation if water gains access. You can seemingly have sufficient juice to run almost everything - but the starter... which is the first symptomatic casualty of a poor ground. For your sake, may it be something this simple...

... on my '99, but it came on more quickly... ran poorly, horrible mileage, finally losing fire entirely in #2 & #3. I'm thinking (groan) ECM issues... After much anguish and frustration it turned out to be compromised integrity of the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm (the regulator is mounted on the right side end of the fuel rail). The originally small perforation allowed an escalating volume of fuel to enter the vacuum line system which initially over richened #2 & #3. But over time the hole got bigger, thus fouling those two plugs... leaving me running on two cylinders (#1 & #4). After a few days of seemingly endless troubleshooting and utter frustration, I took it to the Honda shop. A very sharp tech finally caught the problem (after fully flooding the cases...) - and get this - it was fully covered under Honda's 5-year emmissions warranty... (whew) :roll:

Man, that brings back memories... Don't even consider using it in your 'Bird - it's for older air/oil cooled V-Twins with cast iron cylinders... think flatheads through shovelheads & ironhead sportsters... This is the stuff we'd use in the hottest part of the summer.. or for a daylight desert crossing... :wink:

..if you're gonna let it sit for any length of time... Get and use a "smart" trickle charger, to let the battery "live long and prosper"... Fresh fuel (sitting too long, it'll go "stale"), and add a fuel stabilizer (Sea Foam Sta-Bil, etc..) to keep the fuel healthier longer...

When I started riding some 40 years ago, in addition to your home/shop tools, one always had a personal tool roll on the bike. It was usually composed of those things you knew (from hard earned experience) that either you or one of your riding buddies would likely need. Since you had to anticipate problems with mostly American (SAE), European (metric) and some British (Whitworth.. whoa, anybody remeber them?) bikes the tools in that roll had to be pretty generic and adaptable - plus the old stand-bys; flashlight, duct/electrician's tape, bailing wire, & spare spark plugs. One learned very quickly not only to acquire quality tools with lifetime warranties, but get those that could be exchanged (no questions asked) when they failed or were damaged at convenient locations... If one was on the road, away from one's home stomping grounds, that aspect became a critical consideration. Craftsman was (and still is) good quality - and you could/can find a Sears in almost any city/town (of any significant size) in the continental US; just look in a phone book. I love Snap-On, MAC, etc.. all those high quality (and expensive) tools, and I've acquired quite a bit over the years... but I use and rely on my Craftsman stuff far more frequently. And without a doubt, whenever I've had to seek a warranty replacement (all tools can break, notwithstanding manufacturers' claims,... mainly 'cause we tend to abuse 'em) at Sears it's always been a painless exchange (no questions)... I really hate it when I have to find my Snap-On man in a hurry.. :roll: Nik, I know you're looking for a basic home/shop tool set, but consider the offered warranty carefully - and the ability to make good on it - anywhere.

The closest I've seen (believe it or not) was a flat/matte black aerosol by Rustoleum from a hardware store. Spray it into a paper cup and use a Q-tip as an applicator. Multiple applications (allow drying time) can even fill slight depressions & nicks. It's not perfect, but it's an old cheap trick... and we just love old cheap tricks... :wink:

... if you don't want to - just remove the two screws holding it to the air box/housing. Lift it straight up and it'll clear the housing with no problem. Rather than just let it dangle on its wiring, just tuck it out of the way (I stick it in a plastic sandwitch bag with the two screws - that I don't wanna lose - close the bag around the wire and snug it with a rubber band). You'll never forget to re-install it with that bag hanging right there. :wink:

I've had Castrol foam up in more than one application (auto and bike), whereas Valvoline has never foamed in similar circumstances. It's moot in the 'Bird as it gets a synthetic diet. :wink:

... contact Part Monster (via his link on this board - visit the Sales Floor). He can get you the right link (Pro Tek) at about $100. :wink:

... but are you certain about the year on that bike..? :???: It's my understanding that the CBR1100XX was introduced in late 1996, as a '97 model...

The primary culprit was a diaphram membrane in the fuel pressure regulator (16740-MAT-E01 6112572) that was slowly deteriorating. Symptoms were not even noticable in the early stages; it wasn't until sufficient fuel began getting past the membrane that the problem presented as over-fueling cylinders #2 & #3 through the attached vacuum lines. In the early stages, the bike would start and run for some time at normal operating temps, but within less and less time (minutes) the plugs in #2 & #3 would start to foul and eventually cease to fire. The ECM doesn't have a fuel pressure sensor, so it had no specific input as to the overfueling issue, but the rest of the senror array readings deviated sufficiently from the norm that the ECM went into its "fail-safe" (limp home) mode (Manual 5-2) but didn't record ("throw") a code. So, the ECM initially seemed to be part of the problem. As the membrane lost more of its integrity, more fuel escaped into the vacuum lines runninng directly to cylinders #2 & #3... and the severity of the symptoms escalated until #2 & #3 wouldn't fire shortly after starting. Kudos to Northman, he suspected the right track to investigate... while we on the scene were predisposed (and fully expected) to find a purely electrical problem/solution. It was the testing of individual injectors that led to the pressure regulator. According to Honda USA, this is the first such regulator failure on a CBR1100XX... that hasn't been... uh, "enhanced" for performance purposes. As for the hydo-locking, that happened when the tech was trying to start the engine and over-pressurized fuel filled cylinders #2 & #3 - the starter couldn't overcome that. The engine was checked for any damage, none was found; but if any such evidence presents later, it'll likely be related to this event and therefore covered as a shop fault/error. And the best news - all parts, labor, and diagnostic testing was covered under the 5-year emissions warranty. Of course, I fully tested the bike upon its discharge from the shop today.... oh yes, it is quite healthy. :wink: My thanks to all for your suggestions, feedback, and support. We have a great little community here! Happy Holidays!

... by pulling the plugs (unecessary if the head really is off..), put it in gear and manually rotate the engine (by wrench if the rear wheel is off as well)... if it spins free, then go hunt your electrical gremlins. If it won't rotate, look for something mechanical interfering, binding, or broken...