Seeing as the Alternator Damper in my CBR1000F is on the way out AND it is NLA I am wondering where CBR1000F enthusiasts are going to go when the second hand parts dry up. I have had my spare (faulty and out of my first CBR) apart and it is a pretty straightforward device. Honda won't supply me with the torque at which the clutch slips so hard to repair and know it will continue to work.
Any ideas? Am aware of the 1mm shim. My idea is to measure the clutch pack out of my two dampers and select the least worn and rough up the intermediate plates like I do on clutches,

 

Well now that I have my second HUGE order from them completed (a total of almost US$2K), I suppose that I will spill the beans (and probably regret it). By way of reference I have a 2006 model with a little over 70K miles on it, and I've poured a TON of money into fully restoring, then building it into an amazingly-capable long-distance sport tourer. As in - literally everything done to it that you can do.

The motor has never been opened up, and for one (at least) the alternator chain is rattling like crazy. So I have ALL of the parts ordered to replace every wear item in the motor (all chains, tensioners, guides, seals, o-rings, gaskets, pistons, rings, bearings, etc). Planning on doing it thoroughly and doing it once, and the thing should then be good for life.

So anyway, you are aware that MANY critical parts (like the starter damper) are unavailable. There are so many discontinued parts that owning one of there is really only marginally viable - I have though about dumping it and upgrading for some time. So for this build I checked the usual sources (Ron Ayers Motorsports for direct-from-Honda parts and Ebay for the rest) and was really discouraged. FYI - when I checked last there WAS one NOS starter damper for sale at basically MSRP.

I'm a rabid MotoGP fan and I had a brief moment of inspiration - I've always wondered about that big logo that Crutchlow carried on the tail of his bike, visible in the onboard camera shot. The cartoonish winking guy with the wrench in his hand from some company called CMS. So I logged onto the CMSNL.com website (based in the Netherlands) and I'll be damned - they have practically every single part (literally) for our bikes, in stock. Sure, some of the rarest/most prized ones are missing (like the outboard carb-to-head adapters or the airbox-to-carb adapters or the front fairing stay or most of the decals), but as far as the guts of the engine go, it's all there.

You're (all) welcome.

 

You had me salivating at first. I immediately checked for a water pump, don't need it yet but I know I should have one. Not available, maybe the stock comes and goes?

 

Bike is fixed and starts well. I found a couple of steel plates had scratching on them. Replaced them with undamaged plates from my spare damper. Measured clutches and they were all similar, There is one plate different from all the others and both my dampers had it. Tried to get extra shim in but wouldn't go in.
My way of thinking is that the failure of this may be due to contamination causing scratches when the damper slips. Might be why the later damper is enclosed unlike the first model with everything exposed???

 

so did anyone actually find a repair for this? I cant start my bike at all, i can only push start it and its driving me crazy..

 

I am in the terminal stages of reassembly of my engine with basically everything new, including the "damper" (it is actually more of a clutch).

Bad news #1 - you are going to have to drop the motor out of the frame and split the cases to do this repair. It's a big job. And once you are in there, you might as well service/replace everything else (and I mean "everything").

Bad news #2 - CMSNL is sold out on the part. I have no idea where you are going to find a new one (you probably aren't).

Only good news - you might be able to service yours via the methods discussed on this site. And you can find used ones on Ebay pretty easily. WORST case scenario I might be convinced to sell you my (perfectly functioning) used on I just pulled out of the motor. Last resort, mind you.

But you're going to have to tear the motor apart, so it's a BIG commitment for an old, fully depreciated (to say the least) motorcycle.

 

"Bad news #1 - you are going to have to drop the motor out of the frame and split the cases to do this repair. It's a big job."......Yes Mike, but there is a way to do it in situ. I did. Many years ago now, when there was a link here to an active webpage that documented the precarious operation in great detail.

It invovled using a stiff wire to hold one of the chains that run from the alternator shaft, accessed via the starter motor chamber (I've forgotten it all now, and that website is gone!). It was all touch and go, but all I wanted to do at the time was replace the failed "damper" with a new one (they were readily available then).

Happily it worked! and the new "damper" will hopefully see out my life with the bike.

I agree that if you're doing serious engine work, and you don't know the age of the "damper", it makes sense to put it on your list of items to be replaced (if you can get your hands on a new one!)

Cheers,

Dennis

 

i don’t understand why i would need to open my engine? when I can easily access it through the alternator assembly?

I took it apart multiple times and i did some work to ut outside the engine then reassembled.

also im not even sure thats the problem, there might be a problem with engine itself since today i took the side cover to access my crankshaft and i tried to rotate it using a ratchet and it was too hard to my liking.. so i think i have a problem with my crankshaft bearings..?

 

I suppose it is possible to do something without splitting the cases, but it's going to be a very tricky job. Apart from not dropping anything into the bowels of the motor, the big task is going to be manipulating the alternator chain tensioner (which on most bikes is already failing/failed). You will have to slacken it off fully (which involves manipulating the ratcheting mechanism, not easily visible/accessible from the top), pinching it all the way slack, then pinning it in that position with a thin wire. After all of the work has been completed (in VERY cramped quarters and with bad visibility/access), pull the wire, releasing the tensioner.

If you don't pin the tensioner full slack, it will spring to full tight once the chain is released from the alternator/starter shaft. This will prevent reassembly, at least SAFE reassembly. You might be able to force a stretched chain in to position with a big pry bar, and then the fun begins.

 

Thanks Mike, for that thorough explanation of the risks involved. Guess I just got lucky when I did it many years ago, now. When I started up the engine after the damper replacement in situ, I recall that there was a strange new engine sound. Must have been the alternator chain tensioner. As luck would have it, it went away pretty quickly, and the bike's been running fine ever since.

Cheers