How many clicks do you have on your horse Bluebird? It sounds to me like these trannys only get 75-100 Km on them before they start to show problems. What type and weight of oil do you run in your bike?

 

Well folks, took it to local mechanic and he wasn't even interested in taking it for a ride, as soon as I told him I was entering sixth below 100kph he was telling me "that's your problem, you shouldn't be in such a high gear at that speed. Most bikes (particularly hondas he said) will have a certain level of whining in the higher gears at very low speeds, it's just the nature of a lot of gearboxes on them".

I'm allergic to bs so his opinion didn't fair too well with me. I refuse to believe it's normal. Though he did admit the whine may now be more apparent given there's inevitably some level of wear after 70,000 clicks.

However, on the upside I took the bike for a good spirited ride that afternoon (did more kms on it in one day than i'd done in over 8 months prior) and it seems to have quietened down back to the level it used to be at... perhaps it just didn't like sitting in the garage for months on end without any use. Though i'm not sure how the 'blowing the cobwebs out' treatment helps allieviate a a problem such as this one.

I should learn to stop being in sixth gear so often, I use it far more than any other gear due to the way that I ride.I always keep my revs very low (the bike never sees above 4,500rpm and even thats very rare.. the average is between 2,800 to 4,000rpm and that includes acceleration from a standstill through the gears to the speed limit (i change gears very quickly).

I've just come to love the huge amount of torque these engines have so i feel i can get away with putting her into sixth very early on. But if it's worn from 70,000kms of country open road travelling by the previous owner then perhaps i shouldlearn to prolong its life more by staying in fourth or fifth unless i'm above 100kph, whereas i've been making my way into sixth in suburban streets doing as low as 65kph.

 

Change your mechanic IMHO - mine's done 60000+ k's - never a hint of a whine - except the odd pillion when I go a bit too quickly....... "Blowing the cobwebs out has probably dumped a small amount of oil into the bearing, resulting in it becoming a bit quieter. I'd take Gill and Bluebeard's advice and give your mechanic the boot. I'd also pull the box down at the first opportunity and replace the bearings, checking any possible oil feed blockages at the same time, and wear on the teeth.
Also, these motors DON'T LIKE TO BE STRESSED AT LOW REVS, particularly BELOW 3000RPM. Start changing at around 5000RPM, and stop riding like a Grandpa ( I can say that because I am one, I just don't ride like one...he he) Had the bike at 200 KPH fifteen minutes back[8D]

 

Shadows absolutly right, my comfortable crusing speed is no less than 5,000 RPM. under that for any length of time and your doing more damage than good. These engines are designed to be run at a high RPM. Its not a car, its benn engineered to be run higher. The alternators on these bikes wont even put out proper voltage under 2,000 to 2,500 RPM. I'm surprised you dont go through a battery every year CBRMARK! Also driving at lower RPM's will cause excessive fuel to "wash" away oil from your cylinder wall and valve train prematurely. If your a engine buff you 'll know it as "cylinder wash". Your oil pump also needs to have a minimum RPM to maintain proper oil pressure. I would love it Honda would put a oil pressure guage in the instrument panel so you could see first hand, how much the pressure is actually at. Trust me, if you want your engines to last, dont under-lag them. Or go out and buy a Harley......Ugggh, I cant believe I said that....
Getting back to the 6th gear though which makes me think that you have more of a "gear/tooth" problem and not a bearing. The gear is actually splined/press-fitted to the shaft and therfore, doesnt spin independently. The shaft has more than one gear pressed onto it, so if your having a bearing problem, you would indeed hear the bearing in all the gears that are on that shaft. I think off the top of my head its 2, 4, and 6. You would be hearing the "whine" in those other gears too as your spinning the shaft that has the load on it. Here's somthing to try. When you hear the noise, take your load off the bike, and let it decellerate in 6th gear. Do you notice it go away or what? If I had to bet my ex-wife's life on it, I would say its the gear and not the bearing...heh

 

Run the thing up! Mine spent MANY of its 122,000 miles between 6,000 and redline. Track riddenaverage once a month up to 95,000. Not on the track, spirited mountain riding once a week for 500 mile days in second,third, fourth. Again, at 6k to redline most of the way.

They don't like to be lugged. The only thing mine did in that mileage was cam chain tensioners at 43,000 and chain every other one (after the first one when I learned more than I ever wanted to know about them).

By 95,000 it showed its first oil consumption. Not objectionable but noticeable when runningcontinuously up toredline. Maybe 1/2 quart in 500 miles. Still no bottom end noises or problems. Also began to have a shift issue, not going into third but again, only at redline and only occasionally. That's when I quit track riding it but as far as reliability, suffice to say I turned 100,000 on a cross-country trip, east to west coast USA. Still runs nice and reliable but hasn't been run for a couple of years now. And why, you might ask? Did it break something? NO! I crashed the daylights out of it at 100 MPH or so on another one of those brisk mountain rides.Fear not, though. It's mechanically repaired with E-Bay swingarm, caliper,rear wheel, handlebar,exhaust, etc.and test ridden, but needs EVERYTHING cosmetically.

Regular oil changes and maintenance as required. Valve adjustments every 20 to 25,000 miles after the all critical first one at about 7,000. This bike has been so excellent that I bought another one! Same bike, same color, low mileage, 14,000.A '90 in the silver/gray color combo and all stock. My favorite street bike ever. This oneisn't likely tosee track time because I have since become a full time race track instructor and have a track only race prepped bikefor that purpose.

Hope that helps to alleviate any concerns about winding it up.

 

Ha ! Another silver & grey one, Dad, I thought the rest were extinct.....Pics of your baby please !
(And I agree with everything you said....)

 

These pics show the bike at the track with the pipe covers and centerstand removed for additional corner clearance, lights taped, mirrors removed. Bike is stock and with 90,000 miles. Running in advanced group with the race bikes. Surprised more than a few with what you could get out of it.

[IMG]local://upfiles/3449/E88E54A9FEA645A6B25AB2AF5086600D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/3449/34682E6DC6F14663921974B2978DD47D.jpg[/IMG]


And finally, one of my track only school teaching bike. It's a brand "X" but quite fun!
[IMG]local://upfiles/3449/35FB77231E9844EA9A615354912B7438.jpg[/IMG]


And if you need more, here's a link to an old thread about the track with some pics and interesting banter. It'll help to underscore the part about "don't be afraid to wind it up!"

https://cbrforum.com/m_124154/tm.htm

 

Thanks for sharing Dad. Did the bike slip out on you a bit there on the last lap? Could of been the camera view, I couldnt tell.

Does anyone have any links to information on obtaining info on how to track ride? I hoping on going to a track soon fora testrunand thought if I could find any helpful information/tips on the net, it would help.

One more thing...If I dont remove the center stand from the bike, will the stand touch on turns. I didnt want to find out the hard way!

Cheers

 

There's a DVD produced by the British Motorcycle Federation called
" a street, a track, an open road", runs for 98 minutes, and the track section is hosted by Chris Walker. It sells on e-Bay for about US$2 plus postage, and IMHO is worth the effort and money.
The road and street sections are also very good, I learned a good deal about anticipation on the street section in particular. Sorry I can't post it anywhere, it's about 4Gb !!

 

cough cough Divx cough cough........