Fishy

I found a 99 Superhawk at the dealer in town (29k miles) and since I didn't want to spend a ton on my first motorcycle, I got it. To make the long story short, 5 days after I got my license, the cam tensioner went out and they had to go in and replace valves and all sorts of crap. I got my bike back yesterday (5 weeks later) and when I was riding around yesterday I heard a sort of clicking whenever I got the engine up around 3000 rpms or so, but only if the bike was moving. If I am sitting still and rev the engine, I don't hear it. Any ideas?

I'm still working on learning about engines, so I don't know what to expect. Not to mention being nervous about this bike since it broke down on me 2 weeks after I bought it. I'd prefer to fix it myself because I don't want the dealer to get another penny of my money after they took 5 weeks repairing my bike and scratched the gas tank in the process (they are going to fix that though). So I'll hope that it is nothing major and I'll be able to ride the rest of the summer, and this winter I want to replace the OEM cam tensioners with the manual tensioners. I just have a lot to learn yet, and can't afford more costly repairs at the moment.

Thanks!

Little_Horse

Thats a horrible way to start with a new bike. Replacing the oem cct's isn't too hard, there is a write up on the forum that details it quite well. Now go out and enjoy the bike!

Fishy

Also, I was going to wait for boots because I can't really afford them right now, but then I saw pictures in another thread .

Ordering boots today!

Fishy

cornandp, should I be worried about that clicking when I get around 3000 rpms?

lazn

How loud is the clicking? The engine is a noisy one, and mine has a similar sound to it (though I get mine when not moving too). One culprit is the slides, they clack a fair bit.

The fact that you only get the sound when moving is a clue, but I am not sure of what exactly. Is the sound RPM or speed related? If you pull the clutch in does the sound change, or does it change in a different gear?

Did you get OEM or APE ccts? If OEM, you might want to replace them eventually to prevent a repeat.

FYI: The only other weak point on our bikes than the CCTs is the R/R. With those two things taken care of, these bikes will last a LONG time.

Stevebis1

Fishy - Welcome to the forum. Good choice of bike, careful though she is not a 500. Being new to riding, take it easy for a bit.
Did you have to pay for the rebuild? Doesn't the shop selling the bike typically have at least a 30day warranty?

cbrfreak

Hey fishy,Welcome!!!
I know it's tough to come up with the money for riding gear, but PLEASE get some.
It doesn't have to be motorcycle specific at first just to get you started. Wear some good work boots, work gloves, and Carhart pants. Get a used leather motorcycle jacket and a decent helmet. You should be able to get yourself set up for around $200 on Craig's List. Then slowly upgrade your riding gear as you can afford it.

Fishy

Thanks for all the replies!

The clicking isn't super loud, and almost sounds like a plastic clicking, but doesn't seem to be any of the fairings or anything. It gets faster with higher RPMs.

They replaced the CCTs with the OEM ones, but I'm going to swap them out for the APE ones this winter. I don't want a repeat of what happened. They paid for half of the cost of fixing it.

I do take it easy on the riding. I was a bit afraid of buying a bike this size for my first ride, but I just ride it nice and easy, nothing fast. I got a Shift jacket, Alpinestar gloves (which irritate my hands, I need a different pair), and an Icon Airframe helmet. I just need some boots yet and perhaps a pair of pants.

lazn

FYI: I was hit by an old lady back in May, and I didn't have my riding pants on.. The only part of me that got more than bruises were my knees because jeans do nothing to protect you. (staples in one knee, and road rash on the other) Mind you some of the bruises were BAD, but bruises are better than blood loss.

Kators

Welcome Fishy! I am new to the bike myself, not to riding though. Take it slow, the bikes front wheel can grow wings. As for the riding gear, check out www.newenough.com They have a lot of gear, some cheap, some higher. My fiance got her a cortech leather jacket from there for 90 bucks and a Scorpion, older model, for 60. Good stuff. Have fun and be safe.

Fishy

I just ran down to another motorcycle shop in town and found some Alpinestar boots that I like and that won't look weird if I wear them to work once I replace the toe sliders with black instead of red. I picked those up, so I just have to deal with my gloves that irritate my hands and the pants issue. Would some knee armor be easiest so I can throw those on for the commute to work also?

Fishy

Also, I might just get out some old road cycling gloves for the time being.

cbrfreak

If you are talking about bicycle gloves, you might as well be wearing nothing at all. They will not hold up to a get off from your motorcycle. and as for the armor, it will slide around too much and does nothing to prevent rash on your butt, hips, and thighs.

Forde

get some real gloves

wouldnt bother wearing your riding boots to work they usually arent great to walk in even for a short while, just put normal boots in a backpack or tail pack

swordfish

what kind of gloves did you get that hurt your hands? if they are Astars, they need to be broken in. mine hurt my knuckles at first but eventually they flex an stretch. now they don't hurt anymore.

Fishy

I got Alpinestar gloves, but they don't hurt. They cause red bumps on my wrists and knuckles. I've washed them a few times, thinking there was maybe some chemical residue left on them from the factory or something, but to no avail. The red bumps are coming back after one day.

k-d-williams

nuhawk

Capt. Chaos turned me on to his answer for business attire with proper leg armor for commuting. I've crash tested it and have turned local friends on to it and they use them now too. MX knee/shin guards are easy and inconspicuous to wear under your jeans but provide a huge amount of protection with little hassle.

I put them on in the morning, commute to the office, go to the men's can, drop trou and take them off. I put them in my tankbag/briefcase/ or whatever and nobody knows I even had them on. If I have to go out on the bike during the day (oh **** - not again) I'm out the door with crash ready legs.

I wear boots like yours, too. They look like street shoes - they just got all the MC features that help keep you safe.

In terms of the probs you are having with your gloves, this is not unheard of around here. Our prob turned out not to be the gloves but the grips leaking some kind of residue that was gradually disolving the surface of the glove.

Yours just sound too small or the fingers are just to short so the armor is placing undue pressure on your knuckles. Make sure you're not squeezing the bacon out of the bars as you ride.

It's good that you are sorting this out because if you do it now it will not be a distraction later when you need it to perfom top knotch. Everybody talks about the spine and head injuries but the most common serious injuries are to hands and feet.

Gear up - be happy!

Wolverine

I just picked up riding pants @ my local shop on clearance for $41 (1/2 off)! Fieldsheer brand, kevlar behind the knee's and butt:

They have a 34x34 and 36x34 left @ that price. I'd be willing to pick them up for anyone who wanted a great deal. I wanted the Cortech denim, but the cheapest I found them was around $75.
As mentioned above, Carhart makes a double knee pant that is popular with the motorcycle crowd. Regular blue jeans aren't going to give much protection.

swordfish

nice price. my icons were $95 I think.