barncat

hey all- nice website.

got a deal the other day on a new-looking ride with just 15K miles on it (seat off in pic), Devil high mount carbon cans, must be jetted, really rocks. love all that torque. you'd need quite a stretch of road to use 6th for anything other than major overdrive... no owners manual or shop manual with it.

are there any fuses other than the black box under the seat, and what must be the main 30A fuse at the starter solenoid?

also on another thread i see that the reg/rec is prone to toasting on these. the unit on it is SH-693-12 and i'm assuming it's original? should i be worried? i was considering a long trip to carve up some favorite northern PA backroads...

have not owned a bike with hydraulic clutch actuator before- i assume the sprocket cover just unbolts w/o any hassles with actuator? want to get a look at the sprocket to count teeth, which leads to final question- what front/rear teeth combos are suggested for mainly twisties instead of interstates?

thanks.

aja

The sprocket cover can come off with the actuator still attached. One bolt that holds the actuator on has to come out, then the other 3 around the sprocket cover. 16f 41r works just fine for me, although it puts me at 4500 rpm @ 70mph in 6th gear so its a little high for any commuting faster than that.

aja

I am assuming it is a 98 since it is red. If that's the case, replace the r/r before you plan any long trips unless you have free towing.

7moore7

a) Yes, the r/r is probably not in good condition. Look up Tweety's MOSFET R/R thread for a very complete read. You will not be disappointed.
b) No more fuses. You found them all!
c) I can't remember if you need to do anything when removing the sprocket cover. I think you just take it off. If you're removing the slave cylinder from the cover, you should zip tie the clutch lever to the handle bar to avoid needing to bleed the clutch.
d) Perhaps most importantly, you should replace your CCT's. They are known to go bad, it's hard to diagnose if they're going bad and since you don't know the history of the bike it's better to be safe than sorry. Failure of them can turn the inside of your motor into a bent up mess
e) owner's manual: http://www.superhawk996.net/Honda_VT...ice_Manual.pdf

f) The sprocket question has not been answered yet. It's never ending personal preference. Personally, I run a 4 tooth front and 95 tooth rear. The mileage takes a small hit, but it works very well for hauling my horse trailer around.

Jk, I'm running 16/42, have seen very good arguments for 16/43. Many people swear by 15/43, but in terms of wheelbase, life of sprockets (wear), usable first gear, and gear ratios... 16/43 wins. If you search threads you'll find more than enough opinions to form your own. Where are you located?

7moore7

4500rpm is high? This is a sportbike not a diesel!

aja

You should tie your clutch lever to the grip either way, as one bolt that holds the slave has to come out and the slave becomes a little loose.

4500 isn't exactly high, but for freeway cruising I would prefer to be around 3.5-4 for fuel economy and so it didn't feel so strung out.

Tweety

Actually, if you want fuel mileage, keep it at 4k or there abouts... 3.5k is not fuel mileage revs...

Wolverine

aja's posts sound confusing(to me). Let this bolt in:



remove the rest.

Welcome to the forum!

Wolverine

I think he doesn't want to separate the slave. Am I right Barncat?

barncat

thanks for all the tips guys. i've not owned a later model bike for a while- i mostly build 70's cafe bikes.

bike is a 2001 model. i did read through Tweety's impressive reg/rec post which is why i figured unit might be best replaced preemptively. runs perfectly at the moment, but you don't want to get stranded by some unobtanium part 400 miles out...

yes, just want to pop the sprocket cover off to take a quick look. it's probably stock final ratio- it is 41 on the back. clutch works great. may gear it down as it needs a new chain before long.

took it out for it's first thrashing this afternoon. they should have spaced the gearbox closer and not so high at the top, wee bit of clunk from 1st to 2nd but clutchless upshifts great after that, front forks leave a bit to be desired as is generally acknowledged, and shock is sort of harsh, but a good motor and overall fun ride. at 54 i knew it would be less than pleasant on my neck after 100 miles, but that's always a tradeoff.

i make my own ultralight 6061 aluminum exhaust cans, so i might put a couple of couple of those on and fab some short low mount midpipes, and put the mint condition Devils up for sale to offset purchase price- even though they look cool and sound great. will see.

barncat

also, 7moore7, thanks for shop manual link. did not download the whole thing yet...

dumb question but will just ask to save time- by CCT's you probably mean cam chain tensioners? and are they known to fail on the '01 model?

7moore7

Yes, the cam chain tensioners are known to fail on every Superhawk model with not insignificant damage. When one goes, the valves give the cylinders a little metal kiss and you're looking at rebuilding a head. You can replace with manual ones and never have to worry again, or replace with OEM auto ones at select service intervals (can't remember what it is at the moment)

And the 2nd gear clunk is pretty common, nothing to worry about

HRCA#1

I've got dibs on the Devil's!!

+1 on the manual cct's check SuperdutyD for his.

aaugsbu

Welcome to the forum. Keep the Devil exhaust you won't be disappointed.

aja

Sorry, its been a while since ive taken it off. Just look at it and you will see which bolts need to come off and which ones can stay.

Sounds like you are handy, you can make your own manual ccts out of the stock housings for less than $5, save yourself $100.

barncat

yeah, i know what can happen when cam chains skip or break. did not expect potential issues with those and reg/rec right off the bat.... at least i checked in here first.

there must be a link to the manual cam chain mod here somewhere...

jury is out on the Devil cans, though they look great no question. may not get to fabbing an alternate setup right away as i have a couple other project bikes to get sold.

thanks all for the advice thus far.

7moore7

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...-manual-27539/

Here's the link... I've done it, works great when installed. Make sure to drill the hole straight (I learned that one the hard way)

The good thing is once you fix the cct's and R/R, you've got a bike that will run 100K miles. The two problems are relatively easy and cheap fixes.

barncat

7m7- just read the link. thanks. i'm not sure i've come across stainless carriage bolts before, but will find a couple. this type of DIY mod is right up my alley- only issue with this repair is the stress of insuring that the chains stay put. pull the covers and zip tie i guess.

not having taken them apart yet- what does the convex bolt head interface with? evidently this is the optimum shape for the adjuster?

and i would probably pin or double nut hex on the outside end as opposed to welding in case you ever want to get the nylock off...

and btw, glad that 2nd gear engagement is normal. nothing major certainly, just surprising for a Honda... i always use the clutch from 1st to 2nd on my bikes rather than beat on them too hard.

7moore7

It presses against a plastic slider, which is the chain guide (#3 in the diagram). It's not in direct contact with the chain like many people think at first. The shape actually isn't super important... just that it's not abrasive and holds the slider. The OEM CCT tip is an arched looking thing (#6). The convex bolt head is just the most convenient way to do this. It's used commonly in race bikes so is nothing to worry about.



And I can't see why you would ever need to get the nylock off... not that a pin wouldn't work fine, I'm just sayin'

barncat

thanks for the elaborate detail. i knew the bolt heads would not be in direct contact with the chains as they'd be shredded in short order. evidently the plastic guides hold up well over time.

took it out for another spin today. still wish they had compressed the gear range at the top but it's a fun motor :-)

aja

I got my stainless hardware at Ace, any hardware store should have them, even home depot. I originally wanted to go with the pin instead of welding also, but welding was easier and I cant think of a reason to get the lock nut off of the bolt so it didnt matter to me. I got 6" carriage bolts that I used in that write up, I could have trimmed 1- 1 1/2 inches off of them as they are a little long making the front difficult to get a wrench on the welded nut. Other than that, ive put 10000 miles on since install and have not touched them yet, way better than paying $48 each for the APE sets.

And I strongly recommend using a zip tie to hold the chain to one of the sprockets while doing this, it will save you a lot of head ache, like dropping the chain into the head then dropping a bolt into the head like I did, in the event that you remove the cct without being at TDC.

barncat

i've not been up to Lowe's or HDepot yet, they probably stock some stainless bolts for pressure treated deck work...

duly noted on the zip ties, and well worth it to remove the covers and verify pressure is off the lobes. i've rebuilt some CB450/500 top ends, and had a GS1000 chain skip a couple teeth once when i'd forgotten i had the tensioner out.... fixed it right away but hassles best avoided.