K-TOOL

I'm still debating that. I dont think there is a problem w/ the mechanics ability. I think the paper pushers are the ones to blame here. It would a big pain in the ass though. The motor is in a thousand pieces, literally.

First off, let me start w/, the repair will be covered by HONDA in full. Parts and labor. WOOOOOHHHOOOOO!!!!! For those interested in the story. I have been waiting very patiently. In 3 weeks I only called the dealer twice. Both times they told me that they were waitng on the HONDA rep to get back w/ them in reguards to the warranty issue. Of course going from riding every day to not riding at all I was becoming a man of very little understanding. So I decided to call the HONDA customer service number. I spoke w/ a very helpful guy named David. I gave him all of the info and explained the situation to him. He began to explain to me that it was not the dealer waiting on the rep but it was in fact the rep waiting on the dealership. He said that the rep had already notified the dealer of the repairs being covered under a " GOOD FAITH" claim. Labeled so because they were unable to find a faulty part. The rep said that the bike was running exceptionally lean. He did not believe the pipes to be at fault because the exhaust ports were not burnt up. Once agian, since there is no specific faulty part they call it a GOOD FAITH repair. While on the subject, I asked if the fix would still be covered by HONDA if I had a power commander on the bike. The answer was a defintite NO! The repairs would solely be my responsibilty. Anyways back to the story. After my conversation w/ the HONDA service dept. The dealer calls me. Unaware of my conversation w/ the rep they tell me that they have good news, that the repairs will be covered by HONDA. BUUUUTTTTT, Honda was only gonna cover 9.5 hrs of labor and it was a 15+ hrs job so they wondered if I could cover $600 to help pay the mechanic. I politely told them no and that I would call them back in a little while. Called up the Rep again and asked why the dealer wanted me to pay $600. I explained exactly what the dealer said about the hours. He was outraged and told me that he would take care of it. Ten minutes later I get a phone call from the dealership manager. He said that there was a big misunderstanding and that it would all be covered. He then proceeded to blow a bunch of smoke up my ass, what an idiot. He asked me if I would call the rep back and let him know that everything was alright. So thats what I did. When I got a hold of him he was in the process of writing the dealrship up in regaurds to the whole matter. He said that he caught the srvice manager in a bold face lie and that he was not happy with the way they handled the whole matter. Now that I've made a long story long, I have a question or two. They said the repair bill could approach approx. $6,000 dollars. They have to take the entire engine completely apart and measure all of the pieces and such. If anything is out of spec it will be replaced. At that price wouldnt it be better( more cost effective) to just drop a new motor in it? How much does a new motor cost? Either way there will be at least one new piston and some new rings( amongst many other things) so the bike will have to be broken in agian. Should I put the stock pipes back on during the break in process? I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks, Mike

SCHHHWEEETTTT! That looks great! Real clean.

YUP, dat be da one. Where did you get that pic from? The bike looks so clean not having any exhaust up high. As for the sound, it wasnt as loud as you think it would be. Definitley a unique exhaust note though. But I only heard it at idle w/ the throttle blipped just a little.

Rick, I see what your looking for now. That would be trick. Some slash pipes coming out the back of the cowling would look awsome. I saw an R1 w/ that type of pipe that exited at the bottom of the bike near the rear tire. Looked good and sounded great. I dont think that there was much of a baffle in them though. The guy said he had it tune and it didnt affect the bike a whole lot. Trust me thats not a problem...........OH wait you were talkin about the pipes. Yea..... yea, they cant be to big either. :wink:

How's about dis http://www.superblackbird.co.uk/blackb0.jpg

WOW! :grin: If that is true then its GREAT news. I have held off on getting upset until the rep has a chance to look at it. Thanks for the Thanksgiving pickme up. Everybody have a great day!

Acting on advice given by XX4me I downloaded the powercommander program and the specific map for an 03 w/ Erion slip ons and a stock air filter. The map showed that an overall leaning of the bike was need. In virtually all fields there was a need to reduce the amount of fuel. This means that putting the slip on's on alone w/out re-mapping would cause the bike to run quite a bit richer. This is contrary to the dealerships claim of the pipes being the cause of the bike running lean. I called to discuss this matter w/ the dealership. This time I actually talked to THE manager. He was singing a little different tune than the other guy I was dealing with. He was not specifically blaming the pipes as the cause. He said that they were unable to find an exact cause and that the regional rep was going to come and look at it to make the determination in regards to it being warranty. He stated that the pipes might make a difference in the decision. The manager did seem more optimistic that this would be covered. He also said that it was running lean all the way across all cylinders and that the # 4 was the one w/ detonation. I am going to take a copy of the map to the dealer to give to the rep when he comes. Hopefully he will have enough sense to realize that the pipes couldnt possibly be the cause. I am going to wait to see what the rep says. If he decides that this is not going to be covered then I will commence to kickin some ass and makin some waves. If need be I will go MOAB :twisted: on somebodies ass!!!!! Like I said, I intend on fighting this. Thanks for all of the advice. You guys have been alot of help.

I'm gonna fight this thing toothand nail. Hopefully I wont need it, but I'll PM him just in case. Thanks to XX4me also for the extra ammo to fight this thing w/.

If the rep says no warranty then I'm gonna gather all of the pieces and take it somewhere else. They have the motor apart. He said it's really obvious that its been running hot. Said the exhaust ports on #4 cyl look like somebody spray painted them white. He said that initially they thought that nitrous was used, but after checking the airbox they found that that was not the case. He wanted me to come and look at it but I wasnt able to make it today. Just found out that the regional rep is on vacation till after Thanksgiving. So it will be at least a week or two before he can look at it.

UPDATE: Dealer says a rough estimate is about $3-$4000 for parts and labor. WWWWOOOOOWWWWW!!!! Can you say ROYALLY FUCKED? He's gonna call the HONDA rep in to see if it can be covered under warranty. But, service manager says he's 99.9% sure that the rep will say no warranty. I told him that if it's not covered under warranty to stop working on it cause I sure the fuck aint got that kinda money. Kinda up shit creek...... bird was my primary transportation (and the love of my life)!

Just keeps gettin better and better. Now the dealership is saying that because I put slip ons on w/out remapping the engine ran so lean and hot it was collapsing the piston. Said I need a new piston and crank, bearings , seals and other shiat.. WTF? I need some advice.

The service guy asked me if I do a lot of wheelies. Which I dont, just the occasional powerwheelie. Kg4fku said that he thought somebody on the board had a similar problem w/ an 03. Does anybody remember this?

Dealer called this morning w/ horrible news. Apparently the bike threw a rod and now needs a new crank. G.D....... M.F'n.......S.O.B :evil: !!!!!!!!!!! Said it will be a week or two before it will be done. Most of the time will be waiting for parts, 7-10 days at the least. In the mean time I picked up a new battery for my Aprilia 650. I guess that will have to hold me over for a while. Keep ya'll posted

Changed the CCT over to the x-11 @ about 17,000. Only thing thats been done recently was a new chain. Sprockets are good. Definetly sounds like its coming from the valves or possibly the cam chain. Yes it does increase as the RPM's do. I aint lookin for sympathy just a lil advice. I'll keep ya'll informed as to what the dealer finds. Thanks

Rode up to see Kg4fku (Chuck) today. About 165mile ride. The Bird ran flawlessly on the way up. After meeting up we went out to do some .......shall we say spirited riding. After a couple of near top speed runs we came to a stop. I immediately noticed a horrible ticking sound coming from my bike. When at idle it sounds like it really needs a valve adjustment. But when under load the noise really increases. To make a long story short, I limped the bird home 165mi, keeping it at or under 3,000rpm( my ears couldnt take any more than that). After the trip home the noise is still there but doesnt sound any worse. I am dropping the bike off at the dealership tom. I know its difficult to tell w/out hearing it, but any thoughts on what it could be? It's an 03 that has about 20,000 miles on it. Up to this point it was as quite and smooth as a sewing machine. I was going to have the valves done at 16,000 but was told that this was probably a waste of $$. Now I'm thinking maybe I should have. Will this affect the warranty. This should be covered under warrany , right? I would like to be a little knowledgeable on the subject before I hear what the dealer has to say. Any thoughts are appreciated. Probably should have posted this in the Garage but I figured it more vies here in the PUB Thanks Mike

Knob Creek, Makers Mark, Cuervo 1800, What a fine selection of Spirits. If I'm every in the neighborhood I know where to find a STIFF :wink: drink. The house looks great. Job well done!

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auctio...16853408086.jpg much better! 15 bucks from the local MC shop.

About a month or two ago I put some ERION slipon's on. Absolutely LOVE them. They look and sound incredible. Great sound at idle (nice and low) , then around 5,000rpm they start to scream. They were described to me as F-1 sound, and thats exactly what they are. Performance wise, I did notice the bike seems to be alot more free revving, w/ a more noticeable in both the mid range and upper rpm. Now she pulls all the way to redline, where as before there was a decrease at about 10,000. Arent you in Florida? I could bring it by or we could meet. Give you a chance to see and hear em in person. You could also measure to see if they would fit or not. PM me and let me know. Good luck

Why do you need a full sys? Arent there any slip ons that will fit w/ the B bags?

Yes and Yes. I am due for the 16,000 service. After I get that done I'll let you guys know if it goes away.

Thank you for the quick accurate response, wanna be my service manager.HEHEHE EL cheque will be coming soon ROCK! Thanks

Typical of that gas? Could it be running rich? BTW its stock except for a -1 tooth front sprocket.

After a couple of different group rides I have had people tell me that when I really get on it it smells sweet. They say that theres no smoke or anything, just smells . My bike is an 03 w/ 16,000 miles. I only use AMOCO (BP) 93 oct premium white gas and only use Mobil 1 15-50. Any ideas?

My 03 has done that since day one at about 45mph. I'm gonna do the tappered bearings one of these days.