Furbird

That huge oil filter comparison that's online said that the K&N was some other brand with a nut welded on the end of it and like $5 or $6 more just because it says K&N on it. The Purolator Pure One PL14612 will work on all birds, and the PL14610 will work on some with full systems, like my D&D. Not sure if they will work on stock manifold bikes or not. It is rated at the very top, virtually tied with the Mobil One that is signifcantly more expensive.

I've had my bars raised for 42k miles, and another 4k or so on top of that with the bike on the trailer with a Canyon Dancer, which pulls on the bars. They have never slipped.

Yep, off on the 4th. And you're right, that was way more work than at work. I work on commission, and right now we are dead, which is why I'm typing this at work right now!

Man, I am wore out now. I switched out to the All Balls tapered bearings, changed the oil, and put a new chain on the bike today. That steering stem bearing job is one of those things that I think all of us dread doing, but it really isn't that bad. I figured I'd be a little different, and I did mine with all the plastics still on and it was pretty easy. The most difficult part of teardown was removing the bracket that holds up the brake lines and the factory horn. Usually it wouldn't be that bad, but I have that Stebel Nautilus in the way, so it made it marginally a PITA. The only other issue I had was the nut that holds the top triple tree on. I don't know who at Honda had the bright idea of putting that thing on with an impact wrench, but I had a 5 foot cheater pipe and I still almost stripped it out on removal. It was WAY over 76 foot pounds! After those things, everything else was a breeze. I followed the manual and the writeup on here by Pete in PA and it made life pretty simple. I actually did it with no special tools at all. I followed Pete's knock the race off with the dust seal trick and that worked great. To install the new bearing, I actually used the jack handle for my floor jack. I took the steering stem nut off with the old screwdriver and hammer trick, and tightened it back up by using the old "feeler" gauge (in other words, what felt right to me from lock to lock). I got the races out using an old jack handle from one of those 9.99 Autozone trolley jacks. Yes, I have a lot of jack handles laying around! Anyway, it's all back together, feels good with the suspension unloaded and loaded, and all without tipping the bike over! So thanks to all of you who have done this and offered your tips, and a special thanks to Pete for the use what you got in your garage tips. Miraculously, Advance Auto Parts was open today, so I was able to go score the trusty Purolator Pure One PL14612 filter (they didn't have the PL14610 in stock, dammit). No plastics off for that one either. Let me tell you something about my chain. Everybody and his brother uses rivet chains, so back at around 20k when my DID finally got to popping, I replaced it with a Tsubaki with a *shudder* clip-type master link. 22k miles later, after numerous wheelies, stoppies, dragstrip passes, nitrous runs, rainstorms, and a couple of 100 and somethinty somethin' bursts of speed, and the chain was finally ready to be replaced. Yes folks, the Tsubaki Sigma with a clip master link actually lasted that long with no issues and no lost clip after all that time. As a matter of fact, I actually had to chisel the clip off of the master link because it was on so tightly. What is so great (and so time consuming) about the Tsubaki chain is that the clip master links have a side plate that actually has to be pressed on, it's not just a slide it together, clip it on, and hope it holds. So even once I chiseled the clip off, I still had to lay the chain on the ground and drive a screwdriver between the plate and the links to get it apart. So the clip does not take the stress of holding the chain together, the side plate does, just like a rivet-type master link. The Tsubaki Sigma is also the only clip-type link chain that I've found that is rated for a Bird or a Busa, and for all of you who just aren't sure, they also offer a rivet-style master link option. It's also about $30 cheaper than the DID.

EK, RK, DID, and Tsubaki all make chains that will work on the XX. You need to go to their sites and look at their posted tensile strengths and applications to determine which ones will work. I know for a fact that the EK ZZZ, the DID ZVM, and the Tsubaki Sigma are all rated to go on an XX, and the Tsubaki is by far the least expensive of those three. I can't remember the RK one, but it is pretty expensive. I've had a Tsubaki on my bike for 22,000 miles and I have another one to go on it sitting right next to me. $110 with free shipping from www.chaparral-racing.com .

Where are you guys finding aftermarket rotors for our bikes that are cheaper? The OEM ones are like $250-300 a piece, and the Galfer wave rotors (only ones I can find) are nearly the same price! If I could find some cheaper aftermarket ones, I'd buy them.

I replace my seals everytime, but somebody had mentioned saving the seal because they couldn't get one, so I was just giving them a tip. BTW, you can't use the old bearing to drive in the new bearing because you will start driving in the old bearing because they sit in to the wheel too deep. You need to use a bearing driver or a socket. Been there, done that too! If the front end is growling or whining, it's the bearings. It's most noticeable under a side load, like when in a corner at 40 or so before the wind noise overrides the bearing noise. I don't know how you guys are getting so many miles out of bearings, but more power to you. They're not very expensive and once you've done it as much as I have it becomes very easy. The screwball part is I've gone through 3 sets of front wheel bearings but my steering head bearings have given me no problems as of yet. They are still tight, even at 41k and some change.

Wow, I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but apparently I must be real hard on front wheel bearings. Since I seem to be the guy with the most experience at this, let me give you my take on this replacement process. The first thing you need to do is determine how you're gonna lift the front of the bike. I use the centerstand and a floorjack with a board under it and raise the front of the bike slightly off the floor by jacking on the bottom of the engine. I've also attempted it on the centerstand and using an engine lift and a chain pulling up on the triple trees, but that was about as safe as the LA riots, so I recommend the floor jack method. Anyway, break all the bolts loose BEFORE you lift the bike. It's steady when the front tire is up, but not steady enough for you to be bowing up on stuff. You'll need to break loose the 4 bolts at the ends of the forks, the axle bolt, and the right side caliper bolts. Remove the front fender, right caliper, loosen the 4 fork bolts (might have to pry them open with a prybar or screwdriver) and the axle nut itself. Slide the axle out, remove the front wheel (you don't have to remove the left caliper, the wheel will come out with it still on the bike). Once the wheel is off, the fun begins. Me personally, I take the rotors off at this point. I then lay down a sheet of cardboard or a board, or even an old blanket. Find a socket that is about the same diameter as the inner part of the bearing, and a Big Fuckin' Hammer (BFH). Line the socket up and whack it one good lick with the BFH. This transfers the force through the center bushing and actually pushes the opposite bearing out a little from the wheel. It also makes the bushing movable between the bearings. Then, you can take a big screwdriver, slide it down in the opening, and hammer the bearing the rest of the way out of the wheel. This also pushes the seal out without damaging it. Once that bearing is out, you can remove the center bushing and the other bearing is super easy to remove. To install, you're either going to want an actual tool that installs bearings, or you're gonna need a big socket that lines up with the outer edge of the new bearings. Then you hammer it in, flip the wheel over, reinstall that center bushing you removed, and hammer in the other side. From centerstand up to centerstand down, I can do this, even searching for tools, in about 30 minutes. Like I said before, I haven't done a rear wheel yet, but I can tell you that you need to pull the sprocket and cush drive side off first. Once the wheel is removed, there is nothing holding that cush drive in. Sometimes it slides right off, sometimes it doesn't and you actually have to pull on it. Make sure you keep those rubber bushings clean because if they get dirt on them, it makes it difficult to slide the sprocket drive back on the wheel. As you can tell, I've been there, done that.

Dude, I wish I got 40K out of front bearings. I'm on my third set now, and have a 4th set in the garage waiting for me to put them in because they are already roaring a little. I'm at 41K miles, but I'm a fat kid too. The rear ones are fine, but I switched out rear wheels somewhere along the way (I have like 3 rear wheels) so that's not exactly accurate mileage on those.

I use the long oil filter on my 99, but I have a full exhaust system so it gives me more room than the stock manifold had. It's tight, but I got it on just fine, and I don't remove any plastics. But back on subject, I'm definitely interested in hearing about this fuel filter. The next time I get a chance I'll change mine out just for maintenance's sake.

I don't know if I'd call us uber cheapo, I'd say more like "not gonna pay Honda's jacked up parts prices for the exact same filter they use with the exception of the brand name painted on the side". It's kinda like why pay $6,7,8 a quart for GN4 when you could use Mobil 1 or Rotella which are both better for half the price? Or why use a Honda filter when the Purolator Pure One is the best you can get for 1/3 less money?

Leave the exhaust on. On a carbed bike, you'd have to rejet and retune the bike for no exhaust. Not to mention, most tracks require you to run an exhaust system of some sort, even if it is fake looking.

Header wraps can trap moisture and cause the headpipes to rust out. Don't recommend you trying that. I have actually added a second radiator fan to my bike and the amperage draw was so great it requires you to increase RPM's to keep it running, which kills any cooling effect. I tried two different size fans, and it did very little to cool the bike because you had to rev it up to 3,000+ to keep the lights from going dim. I have yet to find anybody who makes a replacement blade for our bikes that would increase airflow through the radiator. That would be the best option I think. The little radiator you speak of is the engine oil cooler.

http://www.cbr1100xx.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=30555 You will not find anybody who will sell it to you cheaper. They were about $75 cheaper than the dealer. These guys ROCK, but have it shipped ground as their overnight stuff is high.

The coiled wire is on the inlet side where the fuel rail outlet port goes back to the tank. There is an actual metal filter between the pump and the outlet side of the tank going to the fuel rail.

Regardless of how careful you are, how well you treat the bike, storing it with a full tank, whatever, it's GOING to get stuff in the tank and it's GOING to have to have the filter replaced eventually. No matter how new the station, there will always be trash in those tanks. The tanks are open when they are filled, which means dust, sand, and whatever else is in the air goes in every time it's opened. The older they get, the less sealed they are, so that allows water into the in-ground tanks. Fuel filling pumps wear out, and those old rotten hoses AFTER the fuel filter have to spit those little rubber pieces somewhere. Then, your tank is open when you fill it up. Every time, little particles getting in there. Humidity changes, temperature changes, all these things cause internal sweating with water getting in the fuel and little particles of who knows what in your gas. The fuel filter is the last thing between your motor and what's in that fuel, so eventually you will see decreased performance. Less flow means the pump works harder, which means eventually either fuel flow will decrease so much as to noticeable lack of power or the pump just quits due to being overworked. I've seen never replaced fuel filters pour perfectly clean gas out of either end, and I've seen some with 10k miles on them that looked like oily mud was pouring out of it. Yes, it does need to be replaced. The problem is that a) it's a bit of a pain to replace, and the part is incredibly expensive. If we can eliminate the b part, then it makes the a part easier to endure. It's those double whammies that make people disregard it.

You can use one of the online part number crossovers and convert the NGK number printed on the plug into a 4 digit number to be used at a car parts store. The stores have access to this info, but some can be a PITA to work with. Oreilly stocks the NGK plug around here in both iridium and regular platinum. Ditto on the White Buffalo Racing for the chain. As far as tools go, my chain breaker is called a die grinder!

It's funny this post came up. I was just painting my backup body set this weekend and had to transfer the pump over to the new tank. It's a straight fuel filter, nothing special, made out of metal, but just STUPID expensive. There are no markings on it of any relevance, and I checked around (while this board was down) and only found one thread on the VFR board that had the same part number as the 99-up bike takes. They seem to have been sporadically updating the thread for like a year and nobody has been able to cross it over to any aftermarket part number. I don't know of any reason why you shouldn't be able to use any other EFI, in-tank capable fuel filter to replace it. My bike is about to turn 40,000 miles, and I haven't had any problems yet, so I guess I won't worry about it right now. You'd think somebody would have run into this problem by now, but I can't find anything about it. I do know that I will not be buying the Honda one for this one, as there is no way I would spend that much on a fuel filter!! This ain't Mercedes or Lamborghini!!!!

Well, following the flow chart, I have come to the stopping point at a bad stator. Ran the bike to 5g's and checked AC voltage output. None of them put out the same voltage (which means a bad stator), and one set of wires put out a grand total of 1.2 volts! That sucks, as I'm 99.9% sure that none of the local dealers are going to have it in stock, which means I'll be waiting a week by the time I get it ordered online and shipped. I have close access to 4 dealers, so I'll be blowing up the phone tomorrow morning and praying somebody has it, regardless of the price. Cheapest I've found online so far is 158.63 from mrcycles.com for part #31120-MAT-E01 which they are showing to be the correct part for the 99 model. I'll also need the gasket, but if push comes to shove I can invent something if the stator is available locally. I've got to find that new Yamaha R1 rectifier I have because I'm going to go ahead and put it on while I've got the bike in about 15 pieces. I sure do wish somebody made an upgraded stator that puts out more power because now would definitely be the time to do it. Oh yeah. To prevent future discharged battery problems (and not have to get pushed off by Harley guys) I disassembled an old jump pack I had and have it permanently installed on the bike. No shit. It also has 36" long cables on it so I can jump off other bikes if need be. I don't plan on ever having to use it, but it sure is nice to know it's back there!

I was originally thinking battery too, but now I'm thinking otherwise. When it died, I got a couple of guys to push me off. I rode back to the trailer (about 20 miles) and by then the battery was charged back up because I kept the RPM's around 5g's the whole way back. I cranked the bike once I got back home (about 2.5 hours later) with no issues. I cranked it last night (it's been sitting since this past Saturday) with no issues. If it was the battery, it wouldn't have started. Also, with a multimeter on the battery, you can see that it is not charging below 4500 at all, as the entire bike is running off of battery power alone. Once you get around 4500 the voltage increases to high 12's, low 13's. Once you drop below 4500, the voltage drops down at a consistent rate, until eventually stuff starts shutting off (headlight, gauges, etc.).

Here's the situation. About 6-8 months ago my rectifier took a dump on a Patriot Guard mission. I got another stock one from Bajjer and put it in and also ordered an R1 rectifier. I figured, the stock one lasted from 2000-2006, this new stock one should last plenty long enough and I can have the R1 one just in case. Well, this past weekend it happened again, but this is a little different. At idle up to about 4500 RPM's, the battery will either not charge or barely charge, the dash lights stay dim, the horn doesn't work (just a little weak beep sound), and anytime the cooling fan comes on the HID starts strobing then shuts off (safety feature built into the HID unit). If you stay above 4500, everything is fine. I've been a lazy butt and never did the harness repair on my bike, so I figured that probably has something to do with it, as I have had an intermittent FI light a few times over the past couple of years. Sure enough, I pulled the bike down tonight, and it was corroded. So I fixed all of that, but I'm still having the same problem. I've checked continuity between all the connectors on the stator at the rectifier and I have continuity (did not check it to ground yet though). The thing is though, if it was the rectifier, shouldn't it just not work at all, not intermittently like it's doing? Does anybody know what the ohm readings are supposed to be between the terminals on the stator so I can make sure that it's correct? Anybody got any other ideas as to what it could be?

If you go Conti, go Contiforce. I've had 2 sets of them, and they are great. I got 10k plus out of one set of them, and just put a new set on about 1k ago.

The HID conversion works wonders, no doubt. That combined with adjusting the headlight up some makes a HUGE difference in cornering light. I would recommend sticking with a halgoen high beam, as the HID's heat time won't help you if you need to use the high beam in a corner. I have a 100 watt high beam (because I rarely use it) and that with the HID in a hard corner rivals sunlight! I also agree with everybody else, stay away from the extra lighting. On a cold morning, or if I haven't started the bird in about a week, the HID will strobe until I bring it up to above 2g's, so that extra power soon dwindles once you start adding stuff on. I already have the running lights bypassed in the mirrors and am going to change to LED's eventually in the taillights and turn signals as well. I just wish somebody could come up with a way to rig some other bikes stator or something to our bikes to increase output.

If the spark plug tube seals come separate I would order those as well. But you will need to get the exhaust gaskets, as those are definitely not reusable. Also need to have coolant and oil on standby along with a new oil filter. Wet/dry shop vac with a small attachment would help too, because no matter what you do, coolant will go everywhere.

Let me know when you want to tackle this and I'll load up the toolboxes and everything I can think of in the trailer and head your way. Make sure it's a weekend that I'm off though, or we'll be stuck to a Sunday thing. I've seen posts of this PAIR valve thing before, but have no idea what or where it is. Bajjer is 97 and I'm 99 and I don't think either one of us have whatever this thing is. Best I can figure out it's an exhaust thing, but neither one of us are 50 state legal. Hell, I'm only 1 state legal!!