Lee 2002

You made the 600 mile trip from KC to Denver in July when the winds are from the South at 20 mph and the pavement temps are 135°F. Don't worry, you've got enough left on the right side to make it home. .... as long as you get it done before mid-October when the Arctic gales start dropping down. Then you'll be back on the same side of the tire again. This post is (unfortunately) not a joke.

[stepping into shithole] Man.... I know I'm going to regret sticking my toe in this shit hole...... RC51 - have a very similar flapper in their air box. It is interesting to note that I never saw a race-prepped RC51 with an active flapper (including Honda supported teams). However street-going RC51's sold by Mother Honda that were subject to EPA regulations did come with an active flapper. I don't think anyone has ever found the "smoking memo" signed by Soichiro, but the common consensus is that the flapper exists solely to satisfy an EPA noise regulation that are done at a certain RPM that is determined by an equivalent speed determined by gearing, or something like that. Many posters here and on the RC51 sites have modded the flapper and I don't recall anyone posting any evidence that the mod resulted in any repeatable changes in performance. It has been years since I've read any of these discussions, so I'm going off memory. Google "Motorcycle Flapper Mod" and you'll have a week's worth of reading on the subject across about 5 product lines and thirty motorcycle forums. I personally buy into the noise control thought (and my calibrated Mk 20 eardrum confirmed intake howl). Consider this.... The marketing teams would have "variable intake" on every piece of literature if it even resulted in 1 hp or 1 lb/ft benefit.... never saw a pamphlet that mentioned it. I've also never saw a dyno curve that showed any difference between before/after either. I thought this discussion ended at least fifteen years ago. Go figure? [stepping out of shithole/]

Gangsta'-slang way of saying convertible.

The Veypor <not Vapor> units had a spark sensor and a rear wheel sensor. They automatically calculated what gear you were in by the pulse ratio differential between the motor and wheel. A slipping clutch would confuse the unit --- other than that it never missed. I played with one for a while but never really used it long term. The programmable shift light was handy and the super accurate independent speedo was awesome. It could calculate real-time HP and torque during acceleration (using 3 axis G-sensors and user supplied weight values). (I found it more fun to see how high of braking forces I could generate) It was more accurate than seat-of-pants, but not good enough for publication in a magazine. With a bit of fiddling, over time, you could get pretty accurate real time MPG and range calculations. Fun to play with, but nothing I would spend money on.

It takes 5 minutes to test your stator. It should put out about 24 VAC at idle and about 60 VAC at 5,500 rpm. There should be no continuity to frame ground. My money is on the stator. I think you'll find your R/R is good. Much like Knute, don't as me how I know.

I think it's safe to say you'll never have a career as an aviation mechanic. Really, any kind of mechanic. Now I have to wonder why you even came here in the first place?

I've know of car wheels with more damage than that that were successfully repaired. But I don't know if that conveys to a motorcycle wheel. Is that a crack at the spoke root or just the paint lifting? I'll be interested to hear the outcome. As a side note that appears to be a lot of wheel weight.... but I know you're in CA so that isn't lead.... so maybe not.

I had the great pleasure of hosting Anik Mankar when he visited the USA from Mumbai, India. I was able to arrange a group ride, with him on my VFR and me on a Ninja I borrowed from my boss. That visit formed a friendship that endures to this day. I am envious of your opportunity to visit your friend at his home. VFRD -- making the World a smaller place.

I've never seen pistons lubed with grease. I'm interested in understanding your reason for doing this.

You know there is also the possibility that your master cylinder is not releasing or the pistons are not retracting. But I'm going to stick with the pins not floating. I think you would feel your brakes dragging in the other two situations. Does the wheel spin freely when the brakes are not applied?

I will be interested to hear what you find. Hopefully you find a definitive, easily fixed defect.

No, not normal. Brakes are all about converting kinetic energy to heat. The fact that each caliper only has one pad worn would indicate you're generating only half the heat you should (probably less than that in reality). The fact that only the piston side is worn means your caliper is not floating properly. You do not have full braking capacity. While the calipers may well float in your hand or mounted while you check them. They are most likely binding while under load. This could be due to worn pins, worn bush surfaces in the carrier or caliper, corrosion, lack of lubrication, or something I can't think of. With the caliper/carrier combination dismounted you should ensure that there is no movement permitted other than axial to the pins. (You should not be able to twist, flex, rotate, cant or cock the caliper to the carrier at all.) It should only slide on the pins, no other movement permitted. Pins should be of a constant diameter over the full length of the bearing surface (measure with a micrometer). I suspect once you get it apart you'll find waisted or notched or bent (not parallel) pins about 1/3 the way up their length and some corrosion. If it was me I would order 14, 15, 16, & 17 to start with. You might find you'll need the caliper and the carrier too; hopefully not. You've got an old bike and sometimes things wear out.... especially if they haven't had proper care over their life. Pins and boots should be cleaned and lubed with every pad change. (Lee's rule, not Mother Honda. But I ride in all weather and over the course of a set of pads I'll find a significant amount of grease has washed out of the boots)

Sounds like your calipers are not floating on the pins. Unevenly worn pads would indicate that you do not have full braking capability. The caliper should slide smoothly on pins (14) and (15) so that the pads stay centered over the rotor and pressure is applied evenly to both pads (not just the piston side). Pull the caliper off the carrier, clean or replace the pins as necessary, pack with high-temp grease and reassemble. Consult service manual.

Usually if my motorcycle is strapped down, it's broken down. But I had occasion to bring my wife and young daughters to a riding vacation with my brother in Texas many years ago. They were to hang with sister-in-law and cousins while we rode the Three Sisters. I catch a lot of grief every time I post this photo (some feel it is overkill), but I can tell you I drove the entire trip down and back how I wanted. I took on ramps, off ramps, corners and turns how I wanted and that bike didn't move half an inch the whole trip. I never once drove like there was a motorcycle in the back of my truck. (I was my normal guy-in-an-old-truck jerk self) Triangulation is your friend, with no one strap (or component) needing to support much load. And blocking or chocking the tires is a huge advantage and takes just a few moments with a hand saw and some wood screws. Not sure what points are available with a gen 8, but you get the idea.

It is a lateral chain guide. It is meant to keep the chain from making contact with your engine case. The boss is reamed and tapped to locate and lock down the chain guide (#2) and counter-shaft cover.