SBBXX

If you noticed it soon after you changed the plugs, could be you cracked one while putting it in. Also, make sure they're the right ones. CR9EHIX-9, and not IMR9A-9H for your year. Different heat range I imagine, but most will notice a difference with the wrong one. A leaky valve cover gasket will not give you the symptoms you describe. good luck marty

What I'm saying is that chances are your battery was going first. When they age the plates start to warp inside, which causes them to short together. Not only does it draw more current from your system, but the battery heats up more and causes more plates to warp. The battery also loses it's charge faster, and takes more of the reserve just to start the bike. Eventually the battery will become the biggest load on your electrical system, and the excess current it demands will exceed maximum and create heat everywhere: the stator and regulator, as well as the Connectors and wiring. All this is happening without you having a clue because the battery still has more than enough in it to start the bike. To answer your question, the stator and R/R should last forever if they operate within specifications. Heat is a solid-state device's worst enemy. Same with the stator. As it heats up, the enamel coating on the wires burns off, and the wires short together. this creates even more heat and you can see how the system can self destruct quite quickly. Those who recommend a voltmeter have the right idea.

You didn't say if you reset the computer. If you haven't, maybe you should try that first.

First thing HID headlight. That should give you room to spare for whatever you want to plug in.

Ya learn sumpin new every day. I never really thought for a second there was an actual sensor. I believed it was just a program in the fuel injection.

Righhht.... We're still expecting that TPS report. Are you sure you got that memo on the changes? I have an extra copy.

The Mesh that you are speaking of is aftermarket. My 01' didn't come with any such thing. Exactly. The 97/98 have the screen, the FI models don't. Or are you saying that your 01 has mesh on the intake vents now? I sure hope not because I'm pretty sure they were removed to unrestrict the airflow for your ram-air.

PM Mikey. There are two different CCts for the 97 depending on the ser #, and they're not interchangable. Ask him how he knows. If you put the wrong one in, you'll know soon enough, so hang on to the old one. marty BTW, I've got 99,000 km (62,000 miles) on my 97 and not even a peep from the original CCT.

Most likely it was the other way around. Think about it.

4 years? Do yourself a favour and replace it anyway. At the very least, get it checked out. I've a new one this year even though I never had problems. Just because it continues to start the bike, does not mean it's good. They get small internal shorts between the plates that reduce internal resistance and increase the load on your Stator and Regulator. Mileage has absolutely nothing to do with battery life BTW. marty :icon_thumbsup: Not just an opinion. It's fact. Never charge a dead battery in your bike/car. You're asking for trouble. Also, chances are if a L/A battery has been drained fully even only once, it's been damaged.

Ok, That's wayyyyy to much information. I really didn't need to know that.

+1 Yup. those 100w bulbs will eventually take it's toll on your electrical system. Strongly suggest you swap them out for HID.

Mike, very few coax connectors are soldered anymore. Most of them are crimped, for which you need the tool. Soldered connections are a pain in the ass, especially if you've never done them before. If you don't do it quite right, you may lose more signal in the connection, than in that extra length of cable you have. It's not like a CB though, where the length of the AE cable does some of the impedance matching. My suggestion as well, is to leave it, or try and buy the length you need. marty

Finally got the brake pads in on Friday and installed them that evening. Saturday Corynne and I were going for a ride. I'm working both the front and back at slow speed to pump up the calipers and seat the pads a bit. The front is really soft and does not stop well. I turn around, drop Corynne off at the house and take it out myself. I'm working the brakes like crazy, thinking I need to seat them a bit more. It's much better after that but still doesn't feel right. I take a good look and what do I see? The inside right pad is not in the notch in the front. It's hanging down a tad and some of the pad is not even on the rotor. I didn't even check when I installed them. I figured that if I was able to get the pin in the back, the front had to be in the correct position. Good thing I checked. BTW. I was down to metal on the back. The rotor is grooved a bit, but they feel ok. That should be alright eh? marty

Joe, I think you hit the nail right on the head here. I'm willing to bet that's exactly what happened. A combination of both no doubt. Clean to get rid of dirt and sand, not oil. I use WD-40, and rarely at that. Spray on - wipe-off. For lube I use gear oil. Messy, but my chains last a long time. 80,000 km and my second chain is still in pretty good shape. Your chain is too tight. It should never tighten up like that when on the centre stand. It will bind up even more when you drop it down and put weight on it. When you're adjusting, err on the side of loose everytime, especially if you've installed a shim and you're two-up and loaded a lot.

:icon_think: F.I. XX do but does the 97-98 also have the sensor? I would think so. Mine's a 97, so I guess that answers that question.

Nudged one of the GIVIs against my wife’s van while backing out of the driveway, and over it went. It shut down before anything touched. I couldn’t keep it from going down because most of the driveway is mud-hole right now, which is why I was trying to navigate a narrow strip in the centre. Lightly rested on the left bag and the stator cover. No damage at all, all mud remember, but it sure was a bitch to get up. Still it was not a good start to my morning.

HID high beam is only better if you don't cycle it all the time... I live out in the country, but there are oncoming cars on occasion, so I end up cycling my high beam on and off all the time, and not only will this burn out an HID bulb VERY QUICKLY, it'll burn up your factory wiring, because for the first ~10 seconds you turn HID on, it's drawing in the neighborhood of 20 amps, which is like 280 watts... I have HID low beam, and a 2100lumen, 65W high beam and couldn't be happier! Mike Yup, HID low and a stock high beam. I'm out in the boonies too. I ride at night all the time but rarely do I get to use my high-beam for extended periods of time. It would get flipped on/off about 8-12 times during my 20 min ride home from work.

+1 I'm sure if you run the engine just before you change the oil, not only will the oil drain faster but there will be plently still dripping into the pan.

Nobody's worried that the ignition switch may not be designed for the added current? It very well may be I wouldn't know, but it's the one thing that holds me back from doing this. Has anyone looked into what the starting relay draws and what the switch is rated for? marty

Had the pretty much same problem, (when I throttled up from idle) so I raised the idle up a touch. Didn't need much at all but made a big difference. marty

Don't pass up a good deal on a 97/98 in great shape. They run cooler and tend to get better gas milage. For more info on the different years, check this out. Me, I don't mind using a choke in the morning. Most 97/98 owners, like me, love their carbed blackbirds. And since mine's from Canada, it's a Super BlackBird. marty

95,000 km on my 97 with the original CCT

Mike Just kind of bogs down a bit. There's still some acceleration, but not near what I used to get. The plugs are new last year. The air filter is new, the end of last year but there's been a lot of this fine pollen in the air lately.

On Saturday I noticed that at 7k, where I should see a surge, I get a power drop-off instead. Same thing this morning. If I run something through to clean the jets/carb, am I far off base? If so, any recommendations as to what? If not, what else do you think it could be? I know there must be a fuel filter somewhere but I've never changed it, nor (I have to admit) do I know where it is. It's a 97 with about 95,000 km. thanks marty