HANKSXXX

Yes, that's correct, and I guess the stock setup would be just fine if you weighed 150 lbs or so and packed light. Most complain of the front being soft or mushy and if you want to know how your combo is, check the sag, front and rear.

Blackbird forks are under sprung and over damped. Thinner fork oil and a good cleaning, along with stiffer springs or at least setting the sag front and rear are a step in the right direction. The rebound damper assy is on the bottom of the rod that is affixed to the fork cap and goes up and down in the cartridge. The compression damper assy is in the bottom of the cartridge.

You may also give Rick a call at Cogent Dynamics. He's very familiar with BB suspension and mentioned he could cut the group guy guys a super deal on Ohlin's fork valves, both compression and rebound. The pair is cheaper than you think and with Rick setting the shim stacks, you'll end up with a professional setup that compliments the Ohlins on the rear. FWIW, my 97 turbo BB had a great setup, done by Rick, but the icing on the cake was when he put the shock and the forks on his dyno....

Small can of Plexus?

Glad it was something that simple...Hank

Shewie mentioned on the Premier site that Elke would custom engineer dedicated BB shock if 10 people were interested and that they would offer some deep discounts. I'd guess from their point of view, they'll be adding another model to their lineup.

If it ran fine when the kit was installed, what changed? Did you go to a K&N air filter? Has the bike sat without being used for a while? How many miles on the plugs? ETC... Sounds to me like a K& N filter or dirty pilot jets.... Try turning the screws out to 3 turns and see if it improves...if it does, it is probably dirty pilots...

Idle drop method is roughly this and presumes valves are set, carbs are synced, etc. With the idle speed lowered to 950 or so, and a precision tach hooked up that reads small increments, start by adjusting the screws to highes most even idle and then lean out #1 fuel screw till the idle drops 50 RPM's, then richen it the minimum amount needed to get the 50 RPM's back..adjust each screw the same way. This is a precise, strenuous way to set the fuel screws which I'm not if the factory even uses as the spec in the shop manual refers to number of turns out. My thought is it's an unnecessary complication resulting in little discernible difference. Hank

The gauges are used to synchronize the carbs, not adjust the fuel screws. Adjusting the fuel screws can be done with the idle drop method but I've always set them to the same number of turns out and called it good.

When you do, ask Rick about the test he did on a Mosfet unit. Then see if he offers one...yet. Don't get me wrong, Rick is a great guy and runs a good business but he tested a Mosfet for one of the guys here and it produced 50 more watts than the stock unit and is much more durable. Jack's kit supplies new connectors than when compared to the OEM connectors, are far, far superior.

Set them all to 2 1/2 turns from out to start and adjust 1/4 turn out (for richer) or in (for leaner) as required. The screws require a special tool which is D shaped and comes with some jet kits.

Wrong year John, isn't it? The 97-98 were the first design. Most people replace it with a Mosfet unit from Jack at Roadstercycle.

Carlos, I'm not trying to be argumentative but I just don't follow you. How bout an example..I put the DDM 55 watt, 5000k kit in my BB. The BB reflector has a very pronounced cut off design which results in a horizontal line, below which is brightly illuminated and above which not so much. I aimed the headlight so that line was below the top of the trunk line on compact cars. It illuminated everything below the line like daylight and never once, in 4 years and 40,000 miles, resulted in an oncoming driver flashing his lights for me to go to low beam. When switching to high beam, it lit everything up both way down the road as well as out to both sides. I live where there are a lot of animals running around and the lighting made for a much more relaxed ride after dark. So, what did I learn? 1. The 55 watt setup didn't blind oncoming drivers. 2. If there was a 100 watt kit, I'd buy that. Why? Because in this case, more IS better. BTW, I did a bit of Googling and read some articles on bulb degradation when using both the 55 watt and 35 watt ballasts. The 55 puts out more light but the bulb degrades to a point where it equals the 35 but continues to degrade to failure which happens much quicker than the 35; something like 1000 hours vrs 4500 hours. This might be worth considering but is less an obstacle when the DDM ballasts and bulbs come with a lifetime warranty. If you happen to have a link to something that would clarify things better (for me), I'd be interested in seeing it. For now, I'm sticking with my actual experiences and resulting conclusions.

How is a properly aimed headlight, regardless of the output, going to blind anyone?

From the DDMTuning website: "3,200- 3,400 Lumens at 35 Watt and an astonishing 5,000 Lumens at 55 Watt" Carlos, maybe you know more about this stuff than I, so please clarify.

OK, I think you're talking about 2 different things. The ballasts are available in 35 watt or 55 watt sizes. The 55 watt ballast is supposedly 40% brighter than the 35 watt, using the same bulb...IIRC. Bulb color is a different animal with 4300 being closest to sunlight light, 5000 being a bit white, and higher numbers go from blue to purple hue, giving off less effective light.

My ZX-14 has 2 low beams and 2 hi beams. If I installed 4 HID's with the 35 watt ballasts, I'd pick up 80 extra watts of power. I had the 55 watt ballasts in my BB and just loved it so I'm not sure what to do. Last winter, I rode with heated liner, pants and gloves and the charging system was fine but a little extra wattage cant hurt.

Dammit, the bike's to nice to be jerkin around...order a new one and stay the hell out of the wing joints...

Hyperpro is a true progressive wound spring and as such is not sold for individual rider weight. I've used them in both front and rear and always felt it was a nice upgrade at an affordable pricepoint. Check here for more info: http://www.hyperpro.com/ Hank

Worse case scenario, you could always put an FI (99-03) header on it. They should be readily available but I don't think that will be necessary. Good luck. Hank

I have a couple sets of coils left, complete with wires and spark plug caps. Both from carbed bikes and while not sure, I believe them to be the same as the ones used on FI bikes. Lemme know... Hank

Odd...I've never seen kids on Prom nite lay down with clothes on... Rotate the pic, Pal!

I have pegs and brackets and also have a brand new set of Buell lowering pegs with the adapter made. Some filing is required which takes 10-15 minutes per side but the increase in comfort is dramatic. I son't use the feelers so the net is the pegs locate about where the original feelers were.

I have a Puig on the bike...not for sale and no shortened kickstand...Sorry. Probably ought to hang on to them so I can sell the motor complete....Sorry.