shovelstrokeed

Way to go, Pete. I can get 40 but I really have to ride at boring speeds. Read the foregoing as riding up I-81 through VA with my radar detector disconnected and in my saddle bag. One of these days, I'm just gonna attatch a bulkhead fitting into the bag and leave it connected in there. I have both the remote display and the remote audio for my V1 so all I need is to install a RJ11 pass through on the underside of my tail trunk. I'll lose lidar but that is just a signal to pull over anyway.

Mine...............1000-1200 miles. Geeze, I go 5000 between changes and don't feel guilty at all. I would go 6 but the math is easier at 5. Turned 35K on the way home from NJ last week, I'll probably change my oil on Saturday. Anyone got a cross over on the oil filter that I can pick up at NAPA? No Fram, please.

13.1:1 is too rich, as your down fuel milage and sooty pipes would indicate. Gasoline is stoichiometric at 13.8:1 ratio. Oxygenated fuels a little richer. I would set for that across the board and, shoot for a gradually enriched condition from say 8000RPM up winding up at around 13:1 at redline and full power. The XX has some pretty good combustion chambers and pretty low surface area at the piston crowns. It will tolerate leaner mixtures quite well. You really have to get most motors radically lean before piston burning and the like will happen. Ditto ping and detonation so long as carbon buildup hasn't gotten too bad. You'll see best economy up around 15:1 but power will be down. You can't mess around with very high compression engines like that. Big piston domes increase surface area and to some extent combustion pressures but a street engine like the XX, it shouldn't be much of an issue.

Man, that sure looks better than the standard wingrack that I have. The tilt on the bags is much nicer too as they kinda flow with the lines of the bike.

Modern gas is actually pretty stable stuff and an EFI bike has a mostly sealed fuel system. When the filler is closed, there is no vent to the atmosphere for the gas. You would have to fashion a plug for the EFI line but a tapered chunk of wood should do the job. For reference, my '99 540i sat for 2.5 years with 1/4 tank of gas in it outside in mostly 90% humidity and it started and ran fine with nothing more than a new battery. Thanks, for once, to the EPA for the way they limited evaporative emissions, thereby preserving most of the character of the gas inside the closed system. I wouldn't do this or even recommend it if your local gas contains alcohol. That stuff will find moisture wherever it can.

With the head off, it would be a simple matter for any competent machinest to install a Timecert or helicoil in the head. I would be very wary of anyone who suggests welding up the hole and then remachining. The valve seats are way too close to the sparkplug hole for any of that. Both of the above mentioned systems come in varying lengths and you should get one that provides full thread engagement. One thing to be wary of when drilling the oversized hole to accomodate the insert is the sealing ring on the spark plug will now be operating with a reduced area. A flanged device will really help in this. A really good machinest could fashion an insert with a flange on the top and the proper internal thread, machine the head such that the flange was at the original height/location and then do a proper install.

Another thought, if they all move at the same time there must be some sliding bar or other type linkage to activate them. You might want to check that there is some freedom in the mechanism and no dirt causing, perhaps, one or two of them to not fully go to the closed position. A little rock or any other debris could allow one to close prematurely and thereby keep the others open a tad. Flipping the carbs over and removing the float bowls should reveal the passage for the enrichener circuit. You could then (gently) blow through the passage with the enrichener lever pushed closed and see if one or more of them offers less resistance than the others. The plunger should seal completly and you should not be able to do more than build a little pressure. A soda straw or one of those extender tubes from a chain lube or WD-40 can might help get you a good enough seal to test.

Don't know how they are built but I would assume that you need a vacuum signal through the body of the carb and fuel in the float bowls. The ones I have seen are nothing more than a plunger that opens an additional passage within the body of the carb and lets extra fuel get sucked up from the float bowl. Just cause the plunger is fully against its seat doesn't mean it is not leaking. Might get pretty complex to check but you should be able to remove each of the plungers and examine the sealing surface. If you are sure that your jetting is pretty much on, you could use a multgas exhaust sniffer to check idle mixture. HC and CO should probably be way high at idle and then drop off once the throttle tips in but, if the leak is bad enough, that may not work. Just talking in generalities here as I have zero experience with carbed 'birds. Is there something in the service manual about them? Honda is pretty good about providing procedures for checking stuff like that.

Pete, Mine is EFI so I don't know from carbed blackbirds but I have messed with a bunch of carbs over the years. Is it possible that your enrichment circuit is leaking a bit? T'would explain both the ease of cold start and the crappy fuel economy.

For reference, I've been running 37/39 on my Pilot Roads for everyday riding. I kick the rear up to 40 for long travel with luggage (freeway). Drop off to 34/36 when I get to the good stuff which is rare as I live in the land of 311 miles and 11 turns. 7K on the set so far and the rear is slightly squared and a little raised ridge on the front. I should get an easy 2K more out of them. I really like these tires and will probably go with them again.

So far, I have tried 4 different oils in my Blackbird, this in the 23K miles I have put on it since I bought the thing with 13K on it a little less than a year ago. I change oil and filter at roughly 6K intervals. I bought it from a BMW dealer and it had BMW 20w50 in it when I got it. Shifted well if a little clunky. Put in my then normal for me Castrol Syntech 20w50 semi synthetic and it shifted great. New chain may have had something to do with that as well. Last change but one was Honda HP4 and I was not impressed with the shifting. Most recent was Rotella 15w40 dino and it shifted quite well and you just can't beat the price. The oil seems to be holding up well and doesn't discolor as much as the others I have used. I have about 4K on this batch and will send it out for analysis after the change. I'll probably toss another gallon of the Shell in there. I buy it by the case of gallons at the local NAPA store and plan on using it in all my bikes from here on out.

A bit of apples to oranges here as mine is a 2001 and EFI. The 'bird fuel consumption is not what I would call stellar but you have to pay for that power some way. Running at 5000 RPM in 6th, I normally get around 38 mpg and see the warning light start flashing at about 170 miles. On my bike, that means I have a gallon or so left in the tank. I just rode through VA on the way up to NJ (no radar detectors allowed) so I kept my speed down a bit at around 4400 RPM (GPS 72 mph). Went well into the 200 miles till the warning flash. A bit shy of 41 mpg. Around town, I seldom see above 35. Stock gearing, stock pipes and my 200 lb self and 110 lbs of luggage. 2 Givi E360 side cases and an E460 top case along with a soft bag on the seat. A lot has to do with your throttle hand and how it is twisted.

Just like the stock filter except it will let more dust into your motor. No need for any modifications to the fuel system as it doesn't flow any more air than the stock filter.

BG, I just bought a set of fork pipes for my VFR through Ron Ayers. They were about 130 bucks each. I cannot imagine the 'bird pipe being that much more expensive. Add in the cost of new seal and your still under 150. Back after a check and I was wrong. $190 bux with the bottom bearing. 2mm on the OD must be really pricey.

Yeah, Gilles Machine. I have a set on my '01. Adjustable in about 15 different positions and switching from race pattern to street pattern is about a 10 minute job. I pretty much stay with the stock pattern all the time. When you have a half dozen bikes in the garage you want them all to shift the same. Very few adventures will get your attention like winding the piss out of third gear and executing a firm shift into second cause you forgot what you were riding. Yeah, I know it shouldn't go in but it can and did to me one time. Expensive error what with the broken motor and trying to get the shit stains out of my leathers from the rear wheel slide generated.

Now I know its definitely worth pursuing. That's a whole other can of worms. I'm 5'10", 200 lbs, 33" sleeve, 30" inseam. I had a set of Heli bars on my bike, about the same as the VFR bars, when I bought it. Rode it 800 miles home and couldn't wait to put the stock bars back on. Sat me up too straight and didn't work worth a darn with the Gilles Tooling rearsets. Stock bars for me and this way I didn't have to spring for a taller windscreen. I also dumped the Corbin seat it came with and went back to the stocker. Love my bird now. I'm gonna do a BBG 1500 in a couple of weeks just cause the opportunity is there. Oak Ridge, TN to Palm Beach, FL via Nashville, Mobile, and then back, I'll pick up whatever miles I need by running down to the Keys and back.

Just a data point on the long curve of this thread. Back when I was running my nitrous bike, I had a slider clutch in it. For those of you who have never seen or heard of one, it is a full centrifugal clutch (no lever). You set these clutches up by varying spring pressure (which holds the clutch disengaged) and balancing that against weights on lever arms which, as the motor gains RPM, force the plates into engagement. They are known for their consistency and ability to repeat launch characteristics. I still have some old data sheets around somewhere that show 20 runs of between 8.08 and 8.17 seconds in the quarter. This, over 4 sessions at the track on different days/nights, so you could say the bike was consistent. Switched one day from the Torco 5w20 dino oil I had been running in the motor to a similar weight synthetic from the same folks. The bike fell off into the high 8.40's and the 60' times rose from the low 1.20's to the mid 1.30's. That difference is dramatic. There was no other change to the thing but the oil. Went back to the dino oil after one session but, I wound up having to change all the friction plates to get back where I was. My conclusion, that particular synthetic certainly did change the friction characteristic of the clutch on that particular bike. It actually does make sense. Now, that bike made a pretty good amount of power and was not all that light at around 430 lbs. Interesting other point is that the mph never did fall off very much so the clutch wasn't actually slipping, just a different friction characteristic.

Coupla questions and comments. Define cold, 0 C?, 10 C, 20C? What was the temp when you inflated the tires to 42 PSI.? When was the last time you checked the tire pressure? To give you some food for thought. P1/T1=P2/T2 with temperature in degrees K and pressure in absolute value but basically unitless. So, using some assumptions. P1 = absolute inflation pressure 42+14.7=56.7 PSIA T1 = 25 deg C or maybe 80 degrees F anyway, 298.15 deg K. T2 = 10 deg C or roughly 50 degrees F = 283.15 Change in pressure due to temperature = 56.7 * 283.15/298.15= 53.84 PSIA - 14.7 = 39.14 PSIG Pretty much the same change in pressure would occur at any reasonable inflation pressure. Certainly would make a small change in feel but not a large one. Don't have that problem at all with my Pilot Roads but so far this year, I've only seen a low of 56 deg F.

A quality, well maintained chain, on new sprockets, should go about 16K miles, not Km. I have 33K on my OEM brake pads and they still have more than 1/2 original thickness. I do take lots of long trips though. I remember a dealer in San Diego telling me my GS Adv needed brake pads at 55K miles, sold it at 71K still with the original pads.

Mike, I never mentioned the synthetic. I use the dino version. I really don't see any need for a synthetic oil in my bike even though it does get hot down here. I got turned on to the stuff by a friend who runs a fleet of vehicles from lawn mowers to big excavators. Same oil in all his stuff and never a breakdown related to oil. He actually buys it by the 55 gallon drum as there are about 50 vehicles in his fleet. In a pinch, I just head over to his shop and change the oil there.

Let's see. $12/qt for Amsoil and let's be generous and give it a 10K change interval with a filter change at 5K. That's $68/10K miles or $272 at 40K when you are due for another $68 change. I pay $12/gallon for Shell Rotella 15w40 at my local NAPA and get a filter there for $5. Change oil at 5K miles, so, at the end of 40K, I'll have spent $68 and be due for another $17 change. I can't imagine my engine showing any more wear using an oil designed for heavy duty applications. I could be wrong though, I'll let you know in a couple of years when I have over 100K on it.

My experience so far is that about 15 or 16K is it. Bought bike with 13K on it. New chain at 18K, another at 28K, this time with front sprocket. 34K now and at 40, I'll change the full set. Front, rear and chain. Alignment is critical as is proper lube. I'm using 90w140 synthetic gear oil now. It's messy to put on but clings like hell and really does a nice job. I carry a little squeeze bottle in the left bag and lube after one week of local riding or at the end of the day when on a trip. This chain seems to be holding up really well. DID X-ring, I don't remember the mode but it's gold in color. I have only had to adjust it 3 times in 6K miles.

I'm in. I'll get my fuel milage where it should be, finally. I'm here every day so just announce when we have enough folk.

A couple of rules and a tip or two. First off, don't forget to pack the flutes of the drill bit with grease as well as those of the tap. You don't want chips in the crank case. You will be tapping aluminum, go to a good hardware store or get on the internet and order a tapping fluid specifically designed for that job. I like Tap Free but there are other products. Aluminum tends to gall and tear rather than cut at even the very low speeds of hand tapping. The lubricant makes all the difference, in particular on the first couple of threads. With a multi-flute tap, you should "break chip", back out the tap about 90 degrees for every 90 degrees that you cut. Getting in a hurry here can ruin both the job and your day. Finally, should have been first but I just now thought of it, beware the drill bit grabbing and twisting your stuff up just as you break through the bottom of the hole. Really ease up on the pressure as you approach the end of the cut. You probably don't have much in the way of wall thickness to work with here so that grab can come quicker than you'd expect.

Just spent about 6 hours in the garage. A couple of years ago, I got stupid and T-boned a truck going about 40 mph, him not me, I was going maybe 5. Bent the forks, smashed the headlight, dinged a little of the body work and broke off a footpeg. Broke my hand as well. Anyway, the bike has been sitting for a while and I got tired of looking at the poor thing. Ordered the parts from Ron Ayers. Took it apart today and installed the new fork tubes, etc. Slipped (more like fought) the new tubes up into the trees and got ready to put the front wheel on. WTF? With the bars straight ahead, the left tube is higher and more forward than the right. No way this is gonna work. Back to Ron Ayers on Monday for a set of triples. Grrrrrr!!! Just venting a bit. I was hoping to get it back to a roller stage today.