2003 'Bird with 20,400 miles. And I will always be thankful to the seller for admitting he had fitted the bike with a 6 mm shim placed above the rear shock. I knew nothing about this mod. He'd heard that it increased handling responsiveness.
If so, it would have been hard to tell during my initial, 3 mile test ride. But I bought the bike. Took it to a local, reputable shop for a full - and I mean FULL - service. New fluids, tires, brakes and a thorough shake-down ride. They blessed it as a solid, low-mileage machine.
Okay. Fast forward; 20 canyon rides and a few thousand freeway miles later.
I didn't like this bike.
It was twitchy, nervous at all speeds - always wanting to fall in to or out of a turn . . . refusing to maintain a steady line through fast sweepers . . . requiring constant correction at the bars. In my memory, the only bikes I owned that ever handled worse were an 82 Kaw LTD with that "spaghetti" frame, and an 84 gPZ that wanted to stand up if the brakes were touched while leaned over.
But this wasn't a Kawasaki. It was a Honda. 30 years of experience has taught me that shade-tree engineers and quick-buck aftermarket supply houses are no match for the engineering acumen and testing resources of a billion dollar manufacturer. There was something better there, waiting for me. I needed to get this bike back to stock. Yesterday.
So the shim came out. Chain, reload and damping re-adjusted. Tires set to spec. Couldn't wait for Sunday.
As the tires warmed and we re-acquainted ourselves with the Angeles Crest, a slight smile turned to a grin. The bike now held its line through the turns, tightening or expanding the radius ONLY in response to my input at the bars. No more nervous, twitchy behaviour. This CBR 1100 xx - this Blackbird is now the bike it always could have been. . . the bike it once was.
I'd offer you a free 6 mm shim for the cost of shipping. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it is at the moment. And I don't care.
If so, it would have been hard to tell during my initial, 3 mile test ride. But I bought the bike. Took it to a local, reputable shop for a full - and I mean FULL - service. New fluids, tires, brakes and a thorough shake-down ride. They blessed it as a solid, low-mileage machine.
Okay. Fast forward; 20 canyon rides and a few thousand freeway miles later.
I didn't like this bike.
It was twitchy, nervous at all speeds - always wanting to fall in to or out of a turn . . . refusing to maintain a steady line through fast sweepers . . . requiring constant correction at the bars. In my memory, the only bikes I owned that ever handled worse were an 82 Kaw LTD with that "spaghetti" frame, and an 84 gPZ that wanted to stand up if the brakes were touched while leaned over.
But this wasn't a Kawasaki. It was a Honda. 30 years of experience has taught me that shade-tree engineers and quick-buck aftermarket supply houses are no match for the engineering acumen and testing resources of a billion dollar manufacturer. There was something better there, waiting for me. I needed to get this bike back to stock. Yesterday.
So the shim came out. Chain, reload and damping re-adjusted. Tires set to spec. Couldn't wait for Sunday.
As the tires warmed and we re-acquainted ourselves with the Angeles Crest, a slight smile turned to a grin. The bike now held its line through the turns, tightening or expanding the radius ONLY in response to my input at the bars. No more nervous, twitchy behaviour. This CBR 1100 xx - this Blackbird is now the bike it always could have been. . . the bike it once was.
I'd offer you a free 6 mm shim for the cost of shipping. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it is at the moment. And I don't care.