shovelstrokeed

This one is easy, measure from the edge of the tire to the chain. That's the maximum clearance you have without going to an offset sprocket or shaving the edge of the tire. Moving the wheel off center, within reason, won't hurt a thing so you could play with spacers if needed.

OK, got a look at the avatar. Probably your best bet is gonna be to go for a new rear wheel. Check out RC Components. You are gonna need at least a 6" rim and maybe a 6.5 to get the 200 into the shape you want. That may well bring on other problems in re chain clearance to tire and tire clearance within the swing arm although with that stretched arm that might not be an issue. I'm not down at the bike right now but I'm not sure how much front sprocket offset the stock frame will accept. If that becomes the limiting factor you can always play with rear wheel spacers and the like to get the chain in line. A little, up to say 1/2", offset of the wheel center line will not grossly bother the straight line stability up to 180 or so.

The wider tire and rim will not really improve handling unless you are already riding off the edges of your current tires. In fact, it will make for slower and more tippy feel to the turn in. The geometry of the bike is pretty well set for the tires that are on there. If you really are riding hard enough to feel the need for more traction at the rear you can go to a softer compound rear tire, at the expense of milage, of course. Stick an M1 on the back or your favorite brand of sticky rubber and you will be more than pleased unless you are riding well out of the margin a sane street rider should maintain.

This would be a great time to pick up a degree wheel and some slotted cam sprockets and degree your cams while you are at it. There are numerous instructions for finding lobe centers on the web and it really isn't all that hard. Nice gains to be picked up in the mid range by spreading out the lobe centers a bit. Check out Erion Racing or Muzzy performance for the sprockets. They usually come with instructions as well. Orient Express might be another good source. Take your time, read the manual at least twice and get a good picture of what you are doing before applying the wrenches and all will be well. Good Luck

Mine came with a set of Heli bars on it, as well as a Corbin GL seat and Gilles rear sets. I just got the package from the dealer with all the stock stuff. Once I'm done with laundry, I'm gonna give the stock seat a try. The Corbin is comfy but too wide in the thigh area while stopped and locks me too much into one position. I'll put the stock bars back on as I feel the Heli bars have me too erect and up into the wind. There doesn't appear to be much more than an inch of difference between them but that can be a crucial inch. I notice the stock bars have a locating tang so they are more or less locked into one position. Not so with the Heli bars. I like to ba able to play with the lateral adjustment to get my wrist angles where I want them. Within reason, you can probably do whatever. Currently, on my bike, with the Heli bars, my hands get too close to the tank on full lock low speed stuff. Hopefully the stockers will correct for that. No way I'm giving up those Gilles though. Really nice piece of work.

The throttle position sensor is one of the primary inputs to the ECU to determine mapping. The other is engine RPM. The symptoms you describe could indeed point to a bad TPS. Good advise so far, get the wiring diagram and a meter (learn how to use it first) and check things out. I have no direct experience with the Honda setup but I would be surprised if the output wasn't zero to 5 VDC with about 0.4 volts at idle. That is pretty standard. The workshop manual should have values for this. The important thing to look for is a smooth transition from minimum to maximum with no holes or sharp changes in voltage as the throttle (engine off, key on) is smoothly turned from idle to WFO.

To my knowledge, there are no after-market ABS systems available. There are comanies who operate as more or less independent entities that build ABS systems, such as Delphi, Bosch and Continental Teves, but they only sell to OEMs. Best way to get an ABS bike is to buy one new anyway. There is a lot more to the technology than meets the eye. Integrating one of those systems into a modern motorcycle is no trivial task.

First and most important adjustment is spring rate and, as Jason stated, at 154 lbs you probably have more than enough spring in your front fork. Sag, or preload asjustment helps to fine tune the spring rate to the individual rider. Basically it is the difference between the unladen fork or the just the bike weight fork position and that with the rider aboard. A good starting point would be about a 20 mm difference between the bike only sag and rider aboard sag. From there, changes in fork rake and trail due to rear shock shims, raising or lowering fork tubes in the triples can make subtle to dramatic changes in the way the bike steers or turns in and in the stability of the bike during transitions from heeled over to straight up. It can also, if taken too far, have a really bad effect on straight line stability. The Blackbird can certainly benefit from a little quicker steering, IMHO, but it is not really bad in that respect when you take its long wheelbase into account. Damping can benefit from adjustment of fork oil weight as the bike does seem to have far too much compression damping on the front. You may also adjust the level of oil in the forks to get a bit of "air spring" effect which, in your case, probably is not needed.

Can of Techron every now and then. Usually a tank or so B4 an oil change.

I'm considering some suspension upgrades to my '01 with 14K on it. I'm fairly pleased with the stock rear and will upgrade the front springs and oil. So long as I'm at it though, will an F4 shock bolt right in? Adjustable compression and rebound damping would be a step up for sure and it will give me something to work with as I save the money for an Ohlins or Penske. :?:

The larger front makes for a more efficient setup for a given gear ratio as chain friction is greatly reduced, as is chain wear. Gearing is more or less gearing. Shorter or numerically larger ratios will give better acceleration, taller ratios may give higher top speed. Torque has little to do with it, it's about HP at that point.

Doubt the problem is in your thermostat. Your pressure cap may be getting a bit weak though. That will cause a bit of overflow as the temps climb. It is important to check that and keep it up to snuff. The XX has a pretty small, about 3.8l capacity cooling system and will quickly heat to tempertures where the pressure can start causing the cap to bleed. 104 deg C is normal for the cooling fans and corresponds to the temperatures I see on my bike. You should not be seeing coolant burping till the temps approach 121 deg C. To sum up, check your pressure cap.

Could it be that he broke the end of the crankshaft where the alternator mounts? Used to be a problem back in the day. Usually doesn't make a clank after it breaks though. Rod bearing? Broken rod? Hard to tell, from what I have seen of the inside of these things they are built like a tank motor. Pretty hard to crunch one unless you run without lubricant.

We work around this problem on drag bikes by building the air box large enough to fully enclose the carbs. You start at the head spigots and just work your way around everything resulting in a snorkel up at the front. Not worth all the effort IMHO. We did pick up a couple of mph on my nitrous bike when we tried it but it made getting to things a large PITA. The Pro Stock boys are real big on this stuff but they hardly ever go into the box.

I'm very new to the 1100XX having ridden BMW's for most of my life. I do own and ride an '00 VFR 800 so I thought I would make the transition pretty easily. This bike uses the front tire harder when cornering than anything I have ever ridden, including my old Bultaco 250 road racer. WTF? In even moderate turns at quite a ways off what I consider a really sporting pace, I am right to the edge of the front tire and still have a good 1/2" of chicken strip left on the back. I actually washed out the front end today on my first ride. Cold tires and an sudden transition into off camber 1/2 way into the turn. I caugt it so, no harm no foul. My BMW 1100S has the same tire and wheel combination (Z6's) and I run right to the edge of the rear and leave a good 1/2" of chicken strip on the front. I can also seem to wait longer before turn in on the Beemer. That just might be my general unwilliingness to toss it in there yet. Bike is '01 (red) with 13K on it, I don't think the fork springs are really sagged although I am certain I could use a new set being 230 lbs or so in my skivvies. I'm not complaining about the handling, it feels really light and stable in high speed sweepers and the like, just on tight little stuff the front doesn't feel planted. I do turn in pretty late and hard and that may be part of the problem, maybe I just need to roll it in a little sooner and a bit more gently. It's gonna take a little transition time to adjust to the power anyway. Hmm,, may have just answered my own questions. The BMW's with their relativley soft motors allow you to get on the throttle right at corner entry, this thing might not like that as it lightens the front end just when you are asking it to start biting. Gotta rethink a bit, I guess.