Furbird

I didn't pull any plastics at all when I did mine. Slightly harder to work on, but I still got it done pretty quickly.

If I remember correctly, the metal part goes up. I don't know what difference it makes, but it does specify that.

I have one that I switch back and forth between my bike and my car, and I went barebones. I have a camera mount on my tank, so I piggyback off of it for the GPS. I have a strong metal bracket that I have modified and added an old cell phone cradle bracket (like you would screw to your dash in the old days) and use that to mount the GPS bracket to. I also have the same cell phone bracket in my car, so all I have to do is unscrew the mount where it swivels and switch it back and forth between the bike and car. I can still run the camera on the bike as well with this setup as the GPS sits to the side. It's low and out of the way of all controls and doesn't block any gauges. The fuel filler is still fully functional also. As far as power goes, I have a cigarette lighter splitter (makes one cigarette lighter into two) that I have hardwired under the seat. I run the factory cig cord from that, under the edge of the gas tank, and out up by the truple tree up to the GPS. It literally takes me about 2 minutes to move the GPS from the car to the bike doing this. Any excess cable is left under the seat, and since the connections are all under the seat, they don't get wet.

That link is SCARY looking, but, like he said, doesn't know if it's clip or rivet type. Gold sideplates makes me think it's a DID or an EK, both of which are plenty strong (if it was actually purchased with the correct tensile strength for an XX) and neither one is available with a clip-type master link. That being the case, it means master link failure, probably caused by incorrect installation, which is EXACTLY why I don't use a rivet-type master link as I have explained in other threads. I don't have the tools or the training for that, I don't trust any of the local shops to do it (read: the dealer), and I don't know anybody around here that I would trust to do it. So that leaves me with flying in one of you guys, or putting a clip-type on. Tickets to fly into and out of Mobile cost more than my entire motorcycle, so do the math....

I had a Tsubaki clip-type on my XX for 20,000 miles and I destroyed the clip trying to get it off. It would have taken less time to cut the chain off with a grinder or use a chain breaker on another link. I now have, guess what, another clip-type Tsubaki on there.

You will eventually have to replace the factory bearings, and when you do, you can spend a fortune on factory bearings that will fail again, or get the tapered bearings and probably never have to worry about it again, and all for less money.

I'm with you on the more reliable thing, but it goes back to what you also said about the mechanic in question. I do not have the tools nor the ability to install a rivet master link. I have heard of both shadetree and professional mechanics royally screwing up a master link because of not getting it right. Since I can't do it, I don't know anybody around here who I would trust doing it for me, and if you take your own part to a shop to get something done and something happens, they tell you you're shit out of luck, I'll just stick with the chain that I can install and not mess up. Anyway, on with the show!

OK, Redbird, I guess I'll have to fix that back then. The correct wording should be "have lasted". What works for some may not work for others, and I understand that. Just like a lot of people don't think that you can put a 75 shot of nitrous on a non-modified XX engine. To each his own, I guess. Parts are always going to fail. Some people only believe in Honda oil and Honda filters, getting all their parts from Honda, having all their service done at Honda. That's fine. A lot of people throw whatever they want on their bike, Fram oil filters, full synthetic oil with moly, no air filters for more power, do all their maintenance with pliers and a Big Lots tool kit. That's fine too. So when the Honda oil filter fails and the Fram doesn't, the latter guy thinks he's smarter. When the moly oil tears up a clutch and the Honda oil doesn't, the first guy thinks he's smarter. Things are going to happen, regardless of how much you spend or how little you spend, how well you keep up with maintenance or how well you don't keep up with maintenance. Shit happens. For me, a clip-type master link has not failed. The clip-type chain lasted longer than the DID chain with very similar maintenance procedures. And I'm sorry, but I don't think any chain company would list a clip-type master link chain as safe for a Busa, XX, and ZX14 if it wasn't, because in this sue-happy country we live in, somebody would have called them on it by now. They work for me, they may not work for others. I had one on my bike for 20,000 miles, and it took me longer to take the clip off and get the sideplate loose than it would have been to just cut the chain in half with a grinder. These clip-type master links are designed to go on and stay on nowadays, not anywhere close to the ones from back when we all rode bicycles and could take them off with any tool you had close by.

Let's rephrase that comment to "use a clip-type master link in error thinking it was a rivet-type." I know for a fact that a clip-type with the clip in it will last 20,000 miles on an XX.

University Motors (www.umotorsfargo.com) on the stator. You will NOT find anybody who will sell you one cheaper. I bought mine for nearly half the price of the local Honda shop and a good bit less than Ron Ayers. On the regulator, I have an R1 unit but have not installed it yet. My original one lasted almost 6 years and I was in a bind, so I got a Honda one from another board member. But when the Honda one takes a dump (which it will) the R1 one will go on. University Motors probably has the best price on that unit as well, but I haven't checked.

Yes and no on the water pump. Most everybody on here is in agreement that when you are in stop and go traffic, keep the RPM's around 2,000 or so. This makes the water flow faster, and helps keep the bike cooler, but only when the fan is on. The thing is, the bike isn't designed to sit in traffic. So the longer it sits, the more the fan runs, the more you have to keep it at 2g's, the more heat it creates, etc. etc. When you are driving down the interstate, the front end design forces the air that the bike needs to keep the engine cool into the radiator, but not so much to cause it to slow it down due to aero drag. When you are sitting in traffic, the only airflow is what the fan gives it, and the fan design works but is not the greatest. Honda made it so it keeps the bike cool enough to not overheat for most climates. Those of us in extreme heat areas kinda push those limits. If I had deep pockets, I would have a new aluminum radiator built that went further down into the V, and use a 2 fan setup with as low of an amperage draw as I could find. This would create more airflow over more of the radiator surface while pulling the same or perhaps slightly more amperage than the factory fan. Of course,you are talking about more draw on an already borderline system, but with more CFM over more area of the radiator, it would cool the bike faster and the fans would actually run less. It would spike more power, but overall use less power, and more efficiently. What I would like to know is if anybody on here has ceramic coated headers, like Jett-Hot. With the exhaust design being so close to the radiator, having coated headers has got to help lower the water temperature. After this summer, I'm definitely considering having this done, because this heat has been unusually bad this year.

I've added a second fan to mine in the past, and the increased strain on the charging system is not worth the little effect it makes in cooling differences. I eventually just took it off the bike because it was draining the battery down. If somebody made a bigger radiator that went farther down towards the V at the bottom, that would help, but you would still have to find a way to make room for a second fan or it would do you no good in traffic. Even then, you're still faced with the charging issue, and nobody makes a stator that puts out more power.

...and while you're doing that, go ahead and replace the fork seals, then the fluid, oh yeah, don't forget steering stem bearings, and since you're that far, go ahead and tear the motor out and turbo that, then you have to extend the swingarm.....

I leave both old pads in and use them to pry the pistons back in. You're throwing them away anyway so it's no loss.

And while you are checking all of the above recommendations, you might as well ask him if the wiring harness loom problem has been fixed yet. That could be the source of everything.

Good to hear. I'm pretty sure that the pesky light will be gone for good. Mine came on and off intermittently from about 2003-this year until I finally broke down and eliminated that connector. Of course, I already had the bike in pieces because my stator took a crap so I just took care of a lot of little problems at one time.

I hope no shop is drilling and tapping a bird's steering neck. That would be one hella mess when it comes time to change the bearings!

I run 38 in my Conti's with no issues. Anything less than that feels too soft to me.

The cleaning connector thing only delays the inevitable. The connector needs to be completely removed from the equation.

For the wheel bearings, yes you need to replace the bearings and the seals. Sometimes you can luck up and the local dealer will have them. You can save money online, but if the only thing you have left to get is the bearings, you might as well get them local. You can also go with All Balls bearings, available through several online suppliers, but also on ebay. If you do go factory, and want to order them without using the local dealer, University Motors beats the hell out of Ron Ayers and anybody else on price, especially when you tell them you are a member of this board. www.umotorsfargo.com . Chains and sprockets, you need to go with steel sprockets, once again, you will want to aftermarket on this as the dealer is outrageous. I personally run Sunstar or JT sprockets, but as long as it's steel, it doesn't really matter. On the chain, I run a Tsubaki Sigma, which is about 20-30% cheaper than the factory DID 530 ZVM chain. If you go Tsubaki, www.chaparral-racing.com . If you go with the DID, www.whitebuffaloracing.com . Both of these companies also offer the sprockets as well. The EK ZZZ chain is higher than giraffe's ass. On the overheating thing, the first thing you should check is all the fuses. I had my fan fuse blow during a parade ride and I still haven't figured out why because I've been in much hotter riding situations than that one. But with the bike sitting up, I would say a coolant flush is in order. Don't know about the thermostat thing though, never heard of anybody having to replace that. And yes you definitely want to change the oil, fuel, and I would go ahead and flush out the brake and clutch lines as well.

Ditto what Mekanix said. The very first thing you need to do is completely eliminate that connector altogether. It sounds to me like it has gotten moisture well into the wire and is continuously breaking contact, so you are looking at a job. I had to cut about an inch or so back from the connector to get good wiring, and that makes things tight. I was a professional 12 volt installer for 9 years, and still do my own stuff and help friends out with their stuff, not to mention 3 years of messing with racing RC cars, and that job was difficult for me due to the area you are working in. If I had it to do over again, I would pull the rear subframe out so you would have plenty of room (once again, big job, but it will make life much easier if it's gone). I can almost guarantee you that eliminating that connector will take care of your problem.

I'm currently on 15/45 and that puppy is a monster. It takes some getting used to, as the speedo is WAY off and you have to shift more, but the power is always there. The downside is that you end up wearing out front sprockets faster than chains, so I won't do it again. I actually have a 12/47 combo in the garage that is used for my slick/wheelie bar combo, but it's only been on the bike one time. You better be on your toes when you get on that combo, as gear changes come very rapidly! The part where the chain rides is nearly flush with the output shaft sprocket, as it is the smallest sprocket that will fit a bird.

Mr. Badexxample makes an excellent point about the fuel, I didn't think about that. My folks and I took a trip to Florida a few weeks ago, and the Florida-blended gas ran way better and resulted in better mileage in the van than the fuel we get in Mobile. It may be that virtually all of Florida is within 100 miles of the coast and only about 15% or so of Alabama is, so our fuel may be blended for less humidity or higher altitudes. There is no low-humidity or high-altitude areas in Florida, so the fuel runs the same regardless of where you are. But in Alabama, you have a beach and 100% humidity versus mile-high mountains with 10% humidity in the same state, so our fuel has to be blended differently. Regardless of all that, it still won't fix the pinging issue the original poster is having, because you can't exactly go ride down south a few states to get better gas. I would do two things, change your gas station and try a different brand and see if it goes away, then change spark plugs. One is significantly easier to accomplish......

I hear ya on the mid 90's, unfortunately for us we can have mid 90's nearly anytime of the year. Today it was 92-ish with a heat index of 104-ish. So we have the 90+ heat and the 90+% humidity, and that combined with my fat ass should ping like crazy. But I keep my RPM's up, and only get into 6th from about 70 or so on up, which means interstate only. I would suggest 6th only be used in a similar situation, unless you are out on open road and off the interstate, or on the interstate but in a limited traffic situation. Having the power available when you need it by running higher RPM's is much more important than gas mileage, IMO.

The bird is factory tuned for 87 octane. Anything more than that and you're throwing money away. What do you guys say is a safe RPM to ride around at? I typically keep mine around 4200-4500 cruising, as I can hit the throttle at that RPM and the engine not bog down. Anybody running way higher or way lower than that?