Good & Bad

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Good & Bad of the Honda 1100 XX Super Blackbird;
Good,
Overall finish of the bike
Comfortable at all speeds including very high speeds,
For a 14 year old bike it still looks modern in design,Switch & Dash layout;
Fuel economy when ridden sedately,
Wind protection from the elements.

Bad;
Hot when running at urban speeds gets up to 103 degrees on temp at lights (coolant levels are good)
A 2" high Japanese mechanic not supplied in the tool kit,
Multitude of fixings to remove fairing panels when servicing, See pics
Trying to get to the spark plugs gunna leave it semi naked & take it to the mechanic, (see 2 pics of the area pretty big job then they are deep in-between the cam covers Pics 3-4)
Cost of parts Plugs $35/ea from the shop ($24 from e-bay correct NGK ones Iridium)
Air Cleaner $75, Oil $112 for 4 liters

Information

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[30Three]

Might be worth checking the radiator efficiency. 14 years old; it could be slightly blocked. What temp does the fan cut in? you could change the switch to a lower operating temp; that would help.
A friend of mine was running a Blackbird in Abu Dhabi and we would often be out in 40°C ambient temps. I don't remember any issues with the bike even in the city.

For the plugs that are set deep in the head; once loosened, i usually use a piece of rubber hose pushed down on to the plug to spin them out. This is also great for fitting the new ones; no chance of crossing the thread as the hose will spin on the plug if it starts to jam in the thread.
if you want a big job doing plugs! try doing one of these! Engine needs to come out for the plugs and cam cover gaskets etc (about 70 hours). 10 points for anyone that can tell what car it's from?
Attachment 89913

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10 points for anyone that can tell what car it's from?

Something that would be great fun to drive or even ride in if you trusted the driver.
Do I get any points?

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On the open highway at 110 kph runs at 83 degrees Whilst I was degreasing the motor I got the hose into the fins carefully bit of dirt washed out I have to do a run shortly hopefully it will run alright temp wise as I am not sure how it will go with the fairings off as they funnel the air into the rad/oil cooler.
Thanks for the reply 30three.

Did a run of 104klm's sat at 115kmHr to a couple of short squirts to just under warp 4 temp sat at 82 degrees it still gets hot in city cycle which my VF1000R did also its the stop start that does it the fans cut in at @99-100 degrees stabilize at 103.

[30Three]

You could try and get a fan switch that cuts in around 96-97°C; they may help keep it below the 100 mark. Although being a Honda I'm sure it's been run through worse at the factory development stage!
Also what coolant are you using? Remember that water cools better than glycol; so if you've not got the seriously low temperatures in winter you can adapt the mix ratio for better cooling and still maintain the anti corrosion element. If your using 50/50 mix I would try 60 water to 40 glycol and se if that helps.

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 PM ----------

OK here's clue to identifying the motor above. It's British!

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A Cosworth as my BWAG

[30Three]

Your half way there Cinders. The engine is built by Cosworth for a road car. V12. 7,3 litre. 750 horse power.
The car was built in 2011. Small production run.

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Bikes in the shop tomorrow so will talk to the mechanic then about running temps.

Well I got one half come on you other chaps!

[30Three]

The engine is from the Aston Martin One-77.

It was one of the more interesting job's in 2017; here's an extra couple of photos.


Attachment 89935Attachment 89936

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Hopefully thats not what has to be performed each time the plugs need changing at least with the Iridiums my bike uses they are good for a supposed 50,000klm