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What have you done to your bird lately?

678K views 6K replies 418 participants last post by  smokeyfish 
#1 · (Edited)
I've seen these threads on other sites and have decided to blatantly rip them off.

I will start:

Tore the rear shock out to take to my local suspension guru to use as a baseline in the rebuild of my 'blade shock. Pulled all the plastics to find a spot for the shock reservoir, change the R/R to a mosfet unit, and do a bunch of stuff up front. Changed the upper fairing stay as the old one had a slight tweak (anyone who wants the old one can have it for shipping $), fabbed up a bracket and installed my Stebel Nautilus (thanks Twisted Throttle for the on-line install guide, it saved me a bunch of noodling to find an appropriate mounting point), tidied up the gaggle of wiring, relays and circuit breakers I have stuffed behind the gauge cluster, and (finally) installed my indiglo XX tach face. Forks are coming off and new springs and gold valves will go in when they arrive.

Thoughts:

The stock horn is anemic and pointless. My twin Fiamms were LOUD. The Nautilus is GAWDAWFUL LOUD. I love it.

The tach face overlay required a wire be run out the back of the cluster which was made easier by releasing the actuator motor from the PCB. I did this without paying close attention to the motor's orientation and had a 50/50
chance of putting it back in the right way. Reassembled and test fired. Tach now runs backwards. Aargh. Man card revoked. IQ downgraded to "sometimes remembers to breathe without reminding and doesn't drool on self. Much".

So what have YOU done to your bird lately?
 
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#94 · (Edited)
Calcs are pretty simple. I'll post them for your amusement when I get home.

*edit* Okay, so the spacer calcs: measure distance from top of spring/washer to top of fully extended fork. Measure distance from underside of top cap flange to bottom of cap plus the thickness of top washer and subtract the result from the first measurement. This is the zero preload spacer length. Race Tech specs 20mm of preload when using their recommended spring rate, with a minimum of 5mm and maximum 35mm. I have enough spacer material to cut at least 2 sets, and I can always cut down the originals in a pinch, combined with the extra washers included in the kit. I'll have a little experimenting to do tomorrow once everything is back together.
 
#95 ·
Forks filled with oil (142mm), spacers cut (125mm) and everything reassembled. Changed the stem bearings to tapered ones. Forks back in, clip-ons on, front wheel back on and everything torqued up. Except the axle clamp bolts on the forks, can't do them until I can get the bike back off the centre stand which means I need my damn shock. Hopefully I will have that tomorrow or Friday.
 
#97 ·
So (yes I'm gonna ask...) what brand of pads r u running, Bordo? ...and what tires do u run, at what pressure, what oil? Chortle. EBC-HH pads are simply the dogs bollocks IMHO. Gaz.
 
#99 ·
Gazz, are you starting a new tire, oil and brake pad thread?
 
#100 ·
Got tired of fighting with stuff so did some mods. One: trimmed plastic around the upper shock clevis nut to allow a socket onto the nut as I may want to try different size shims Auto part
then cut the side off a 4.5mm washer to allow it to fit against the clevis locating lip and installed it on the clevis Finger Hand
then got ready to install these: Blue Cobalt blue Electric blue
Here is where it went Auto part Brake Vehicle brake
and I was more than a little nervous taking a pair of cutters to that expensive hose. All went well though, and I installed a fitting in both the pressure line and the return line. Auto part Automotive lighting Hand
Tank removal is now a 15 second undertaking and drama-free. I can't believe I waited so long to do this. The ease of removal means no more precariously balancing the tank atop a rubber mallet and waiting for it to drop on my body bits.

I know some of you are wondering about the fittings' ability to handle the pressure. So was I, so before I went ahead with the install I did a little research. I called Motion Pro and asked them what the pressure rating was on these things. They wouldn't tell me. Literally. Their company line is that the fittings are for carberetor supply lines and are not sold for fuel injection systems. When I asked again what pressure they were rated for, the rep actually stone-walled me. They are either involved in a lawsuit, were recently involved in a lawsuit, or are afraid of a future lawsuit, but whatever the case, they will not, under any circumstances, state a pressure rating. It was actually laughable and that's what I did. At the rep. He did not think it as funny as I did.
Luckily, the fittings are manufactured by Colder (they were kind enough to cast their web address into the fitting bodies) and a little digging around their website netted me an answer: they are rated for 100psi, more than enough for our bikes. They are double valved as well, so only a few drips of fuel escape when they are disconnected so the mess is minimal. I am very pleased.
 
#101 ·
Now that is one mod that I have been meaning to do to Duck every time I've had to take the tank off. I never feel totally happy collapsing the pipes with clamps always concerned about internal damage.
Thanks for the kicking in the naughty bits Shewie, I need to JFDI (just ......... do it)


Anyway I posted a couple of pages back that I had replaced the clock unit
http://www.cbrxx.com/general-cbr-xx...e-you-done-your-bird-lately-5.html#post258792
All went well for three days, perfect time keeping .............. and then on day 4 at 5.50am when I jumped on daily bird I noticed the clock said 2.23! Problem returned, loosing hours every day.

Absolutely no idea on this one! Fairings and nosecone off, check fitment and connections no problems, decide to repositon radar dectector ariel (big black box) as far as possible away from the rear of the clocks, decide to check the wiring (a few false readings recently) found a little corrosion in one connector. Left clock for a day, keeping perfect time again!

All bodywork back on and a day later the clock is still reading correctly. I have actually zero confidence that I have found the issue but since it happens with two circuit boards I am as confident as I can be that it is 'in the wiring'. Appears to work correctly when simply feeding off the battery but something is amiss with the ignition turned on side .......... but then it worked perfectly for 3 days.

Don't understand, not logical and the sad thing is that having a working clock is far from important .......... but this just niggles my perfectionist nature!
 
#102 ·
Shewie, Are those connectors different size.. if the are not then the only thing i may have done differently is to alternate the connectors (male/female) on each line to make sure that you cannot plug them together wrong..

Mr. Duck, i hear ya on the perfectionist front.. wasnt the daily bird the bike that you had problems with the ignition. Is it possible then when you turn the key that power is being interupted long enough on occasion to simply reset the clock...
 
#106 ·
Shewie, Are those connectors different size.. if the are not then the only thing i may have done differently is to alternate the connectors (male/female) on each line to make sure that you cannot plug them together
They are different sizes. The supply is 5/16" ID while the return is 1/4" ID. I did think of alternating but the size difference is quite obvious and their current orientation makes them easier to disconnect one-handed while holding the tank up with the other.

The supply needs to be shortened by the length of the connector bodies to prevent kinking so there isn't a lot of hose left which limits the height the tank can be lifted, although it's the vent hose that still seems to be the first to get tight.
 
#103 ·
Mr. Duck, i hear ya on the perfectionist front.. wasnt the daily bird the bike that you had problems with the ignition. Is it possible then when you turn the key that power is being interupted long enough on occasion to simply reset the clock...
yes same bike but no the clock is not zeroing, I've checked every switch and every wire to see if this is what is happening (ignition on and off) and apart from pulling the fuse I cannot force the clock to zero. Really wierd, the bike has been parked for the weekend and kept perfect time (bodywork both on and off) yet 4 nights after fitting the new circuit board it started loosing time ........... and the weather has been dry here so I can rule out rain for once! Perhaps 'daily Bird' can't understand the concept of 'dry' :smilebig:
 
#108 ·
Added some stuff to Blackie ....

Rear sub frame, new fairing stay (Antlers!), new Stator cover + stator + Mosfet R/R + battery.

Mini rear indicators.

Also welded up shewies old Gianelli zorst's and put them on ... loud! I think carbs will need a re-jet.

Todo is get a decent left side panel, get some 2pak black base coat + thinners and paint all the panels (new unpainted nose cone sat in a box under the workbench :D)

Quality of the pics isn't great .. sorry chaps.

Electrical wiring Wire Auto part Engine Technology
Auto part Vehicle Gauge Car Motorcycle accessories
Motor vehicle Auto part Vehicle Suspension part Automotive tire
Motor vehicle Vehicle Auto part Tire Car
Bumper Automotive exterior Auto part Wire Vehicle
Auto part Vehicle Motor vehicle Suspension Car
Wire Electrical wiring Technology Electronic device Auto part
Automotive exterior Auto part Bumper Motor vehicle Vehicle
Auto part Vehicle Engine Motor vehicle Car
Auto part Automotive exterior Bumper Vehicle Suspension
Motor vehicle Auto part Engine Vehicle Car
Auto part Engine Motor vehicle Vehicle Fuel line
Auto part Engine Automotive engine part Vehicle Car
Motor vehicle Vehicle Auto part Engine Car


And this short avi clip doesn't really give you the loudness but you'll get the idea ...

View attachment DSCF7126.AVI
 
#109 ·
Also welded up shewies old Gianelli zorst's and put them on ... loud!
Yep, they aren't your best bet for making friends with the neighbours. :)

Just because I like doing stuff twice and I got fidgety while waiting for my shock...

...I took the front wheel back off. Then I replaced the bearings and seals, pulled the front tire off, mounted and balanced a new PP and put the wheel back on.
 
#110 ·
While getting my new tyre, The bike shop has a DB meter, they dont do an official noise test as such, but will as a service, test your bike if you ask them for free,

So I pulled up on the line, and trying to hold it on 3500 revs, Which I found was quite difficult to hold steady on, even holding my left thumb on the twist grip, it still went up and down,

Any way that all aside, we finally got a reading close enough,

92 Decibells at 3500 revs, 96 is the current maximum reading. So I am happy with that, I now know what it is if I am pulled over and asked about it,

I really didnt think it would be that high tho, It doesnt sound loud when just listening to it, Must have some thing to do with the intensity or tone of it,
 
#112 · (Edited)
Called the suspension shop, was told it would be another week(!) as there was a hold-up on the custom hose. Decided to put the bird back together (had to unbox the stock shock, sorry John) so I could ride while I waited. Literally popping in the last fairing button when the suspension guy calls to say I will have my shock tomorrow. (really need a face palm emoticon)
Took her for a spin. Got caught in a short deluge. All the bugs are washed off my leathers.

Gold valved and resprung forks: yum. All the harshness is gone. No more clunky bottoming. Supple and tight.

Very worthy mod. I guess I will yank the rear shock back out tonight. I sure hope the new one is as much an improvement as the forks as the poor state of the stocker is really noticeable now that the front is working so well.
 
#114 · (Edited)
I started her up to warm up the engine for a few minutes as I haven't ridden in a few days. The old "bag of marbles" was back. CCT lasted about 10k miles. Ordered one, got it Tuesday and couldn't remember how long the last one took to install. Total time, about 35 minutes. All I had to do was loosen the right lower fairing a bit and wallah, there she was. Buttoned everything back up and wiped her down with some detailer and that was it. Was going to take pictures but most know the drill. Nice and quiet again.

Also, I was chasing a slightly mushy feeling in my rear brake system for a while. Bled, re bled. No go. Decided to take a BA screwdriver and gently move the pistons back into their seats and let it sit over night(s). Gently, slowly pushed brake pedal to refill and reset. Test drove yesterday after the CCT and it was as tight as it's ever been.

We should invent clear brake line that looks good so we can see where the bubbles are. Or just have x-ray vision.

-smurf
 
#115 ·
oiled the chain, changed over the rego label,

Had a bit off a Drool at it,

Tomorrow, in the pissing rain, I am going on a 3 day ride to Eden, Yeeaaahhhhh, Flooded roads, covered in crap, Potholes, Who cares, I am going,

See ya's again in about 2000 kays time,
 
#119 · (Edited)
Got my "new" 900RR shock back from Accelerated Technologies. If you look closely you will see that they cleverly installed an O-ring on the rod to assist in set-up. Brilliant idea. Auto part Suspension Coil spring Suspension part Spark plug


The rebuild included that meaty 1200lb Eibach spring, a bearing on the adjuster end of the spring which makes it much easier to adjust preload, new valves, seals, lengthened reservoir hose and synthetic fluid. Here it is beside the stock pogo stick: Suspension part Coil spring Auto part Suspension Shock absorber
Note the substantial difference in spring lengths.

The reservoir is comfortably located under the seat for easy access to the compression damping adjustment. I'm still in the process of dialing it in but it is already an improvement over the jell-o log it's replacing.

Not as blingy as an Elka or Ohlins, but bling is kind of wasted on a bird shock anyway and this was done for one third the cost.
 
#120 ·
36,000 km service, including coolant and brake fluid. (Well I didn't do it but I paid for it so it still counts!!)

In the process of planning a trip around the South Island of NZ next Feb / Mar, so I get to use the full Givi set up. Look out Ghazzah here I come (taking my bro on his SV650 too.........)
 
#121 ·
Dialed the rear shock in. Then rode to Accelerated Technologies and had John fine tune it. VAST improvement over the worn out stock marshmallow. It works so well I was treated to a nice chat with a representative from the local constabulary who advised me of the posted speed limit and how contrary it was to the speed he alleged I was going. I didn't have the heart to tell him I had already slowed down when he happened along, particularly when, after he so intently informed me that one more kph over would have garnered a stunting charge, he handed my papers back and politely advised me to back it down a notch before climbing into his Tahoe and heading off. Thank you very much indeed, Officer. :cool:
 
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#125 ·
Yes but did the officer admire the shock:idunno:




Pleased to hear you have got a 'result'.


As for what have I done to my Bird, the usual 600 mile week, 450 in rain, washed and checked ready for next week .............
 
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