Superchicken Bird Flu
 

Hi guys. First post here. (please let me know if I'm posting in the wrong spot)

I live in Dallas, TX and am real close to pulling the trigger on a Superhawk. I have a couple of questions for the experts out there (that's you)

-Short of a different fuel tank, is there a way to actually get more mileage out of these things? Any engine tweaks etc? I'm pretty sure any engine mods will just flow more air...and fuel. I looked at some of the tank options including aftermarket carbon fiber, aluminum, getting medieval with an Intercepter tank, trying to get a post-2002 euro tank, and even adding a fuel cell. Those iffy and or costly options get more fuel on the bike, but any ways to increase efficiency? Fuel range is why I bought the Daytona over a Superhawk 6 years ago. But I just love these bikes. Looks, dirtbike-narrow fit, engine, Honda reliability. Then I rode one last Saturday, and now I've got a case of Superchicken Bird Flu. From what I've read ya'll cope quite well with the disease.

2nd question...if I buy one from far away and don't ride it back, what is the best way to ship it if the bike is
a) already built
b) crated up by a dealer/already in a crate? (I've heard Yellow Freight is good).

Also, If any of you guys are around North Texas, please let me know.

-Chris Crawford, Age 35
Dallas, TX
-Grew up on Yamaha dirt bikes and 3 wheelers,
RZ-350 in high school, then an 86 Gixxer 750 (yes, I wish I had both, but I don't)
955i Daytona about 6 years ago, didn't keep it too long.
Currently have a KTM 625SXC DP bike. But I'm Hawking it, no pun intended.

The best way to get good mileage out of the S'Hawk is to control your right wrist. I've gotten 40mpg on a regular basis when I'm taking it easy. 90 miles until RLOD on the track, about 110 in the twisties. Let the torque do the work. It's a twin after all.

Oh, and :welcome: to our forum. I moved your post to General, BTW.

Thanks for the feedback and warm welcome, and getting me straightened out. I had a feeling I was in the wrong spot.

-Chris

+1 on the right wrist. I've seen RLOD at 90ish, but I've gone to 140 without seeing it at all.....

Mind bog...but what is RLOD?

Red Light Of Death....aka. out of gas

Hmmm....mine looks orange...does it turn to red before I end up walking home?

-R

no you turn red from being so absent minded!

Red light...No reserve?
 

So is the RLOD basically a modern replacement for a reserve? I've never had anything but a mechanical reserve before. Sounds good as long as the bulb isn't burned out.

I went 1700km on a KTM 640 in Costa Rica in February and the guy we rented the bikes from said the fuel there is kinda crappy and to try not to go on reserve because the reserve fuel is old/dirty or something else that makes it "bad." I suppose that's a positive to not having reserve???

Thanks guys.
-Chris

I don't think there is much you can do to extend the range of the bike. I wouldn't slap another tank on there, they look funny IMO. I'm ready for a break anyway after cruising for 100 miles or so. I live in Arlington so if you get it and want to go for a ride, myself and some friends go out quite often on rides.

I always get over 100 miles before the low-fuel indicator illuminates. The 'Hawk can easily get 40+ mpg on the freeway. Using 3.5 gal of fuel, that's a 140+ mile range (before reserve) for sport-touring. Unless you intend to do lots of exploring in isolated areas devoid of fueling stations, the fuel range is really a non-issue. You will probably top-off your tank more often than on other bikes, but it's a small price to pay for some of the best $$ to fun ratio in all of motorcycling. The Superhawk (for me) turned out to be a far better motorcycle than I ever expected it to be.

The light is an LED so it shouldn't burn out. Yeah, it's orange but OLOD just sounds funny and doens't flow. Plus that's the way it's always been. :)

As for reserve being bad gas this is not true. If water and other contaminants get in the gas they fall to the bottom. The VTR petcock is located at the lowest part of the tank so if contaminated gas is a concern you'll see it right after you fill up. There is a small amount that will settle in the bottom of the tank and won't be drained due to the design of the strainer in the tank. On a mechanical reserve this is different since reserve does take the gas from a lower part of the tank than normal.

New to the forum, so I'm sorry for resurrecting such an old post.
I've been going crazy over my fuel range since day one.... Yes a day in the twisties will get me 38mpg b/c I usually just enjoy the low-end grunt coming out of corners. However, I sometimes commute to work 120 miles round trip @ 70-75mph and my RLOD usually comes on just as I'm turning off the highway to make the last 10 miles back to the house. Mileage ain't an issue for me. I just don't want to have to start obsessing about a gas stop every 90 miles if I'm sport touring on more open roads. Where are some resources/links for checking out larger tanks, etc. I'd like to see some pics of 'Hawks that have them mounted. TIA for any help.

I'm always surprised how little fuel gets back into the tank w/ the brace submerged when I've stopped cause the bar is flashing (RLOD on a LCD meter 2003 bike). Usually around 3 gallons. That's about 117 miles avg.

high compression pistons will actually increase your gas mileage, squeezing more power/energy out of the same air fuel mixture. My hawk has made it around 130-140 miles before the RLOD came on. Most i've seen at fill up is 155 miles. Now this week my RLOD stopped working, so i just watch my mileage, need to check wires when i'm doing my CCT swap

I'm into hypermiling in my car, and it kinda carried over to my bike. I do mostly city driving (to and from work) and I usually get around 40MPG, but I usually keep it in 5th or 6th gear around 2.5-3K RPM.

And folks wonder why they blow up stock CCTs....... running the bike in those gears and at those rpms is really lugging the engine.

This isn't a push rod cruiser motor. It's a DOHC set up and IMHO you should never go below 3k rpm unless your in 1st gear.

So you can put around like this but put some APEs in first because the stock ones will fail (I still run the auto units and have 80k miles on them, yes I have changed them once, and have never had a problem) and also the motor will be full of carbon deposits. Or you can use a little more fuel, rev the thing a little bit and have a clean, happy motor. Also it keeps the poor thing from dying of boredom ......:shock:

Actually I'm pretty sure it will use less fuel at 3k-4k... And be a lot happier in all other respects as well... It's most efficient just above being lugged, and 5'th gear under 3k is definetly lugging...

mine runs happily at 55mph @ 3000rpm. It's just above lugging speed, as I can easily roll on the throttle and accelerate away at that speed, but I've still got stock gearing.

Quite correct... The fact is that somewhere around 3k is the lower limit of efficiency of our engine... Going below 3k is lugging it... Going down to 3k is fine...

I'm down there myself those rare times I go on the highway cruising for long periods... But neither me nor my bike likes that very much... Yawn... We like 7.5k, full throttle, full lean angle better...;)

Well, after checking some other threads, it looks like the available solutions just depend on the amount of $$$ you have to throw at the project.
I think that I'll consider a swap to a larger tank from a VFR or ST but I'm not sure what the market price is for an undamaged one from either bike. I'll check EBay again, but I didn't see anything listed under "honda fuel tank" a couple of days ago.
I could also be interested in going for a european tank. I don't have the resources to do any welding or machine work myself. There's also issues with raising seat height to accomplish a tank swap.... I've got about a 29" or 30" inseam and don't want to feel like I'm on a motocrosser.

Oh, I also forgot. When it comes time for a new chain, what about new sprockets?
I suppose I could drop a couple of teeth from the rear or add one to the front. That could get my RPM in 6th gear down below 4000 at 70-74mph and add a little more mileage, couldn't it? 'Course as someone used to say, "Ye canna change the laws o' physics." I'll never cheat the throttle difference needed to fight the higher aerodynamic drag, thoough.
I don't think I'd notice the difference in low-end acceleration, as I am often surprised to find myself in 5th instead of 6th when running through sweepers.
One of the things I love about the 'Hawk. I don't have to count gears up and down to make sure that I'm in the powerband, unlike most of the high-revving inline fours.
Has anybody tried this?

Changing to -1 at the front and/or +2 at the back is common. It will make your speedometer more inaccurate. Some use a Speedohealer to correct it. There are lots of threads on the subject.

I'll offer it to you like I do for every squid that comes along. I have the VFR gas tank that Superbling modded to the Superhawk. The kit includes the seat to fit. It's a bolt on deal. It has never been opened and is in airtight packaging.

Shortly after aquiring this piece of artwork I found a similar deal that included the rest of the motorcycle. My 97 VFR is just what I need to get out to the country. The VTR is great around town or at least within 80 miles of its favorite gas station.

contacting for further info
 

Squid... I might possibly resemble that remark....
am inquiring further by PM. BTW, I live in the lower 48.
Thanx!

I'm new to working on motorcycles. Will someone please explain what a CCT is, how it works, what it does, etc.? Also, same deal for R/R.

200 km (125 miles) bone dry and that isn't driving all that slow either (120kph). If you twist the throttle any more than that, range will go down from there. The range is certainly on the low side but manageable.

Well searching would give you all the answers......

but a CCT is a Cam Chain Tensioner. As the name implies, it keeps tension on the cam chain. This keeps the chain from jumping teeth. An auto tensioner uses a spring and a ratchet to keep tension. Though if the spring breaks your FUBAR. A manual tesioner does the same job but is jsut a long threaded rod, so it can't fail but you have to keep it adjusted properly.

A Regulator\Rectifies takes the AC voltage from the stator. Rectifies it into DC voltage and Regulates the amount of voltage your battery & electronics receive.