Worn out or press on...

[dern]

Rubin215 said:

black-k1 said:

Small ‘rattles’ and ‘clunks’ will, in your mind, become precursors to major component failures which will mean that, regardless how reliable the bike is from this point on, you will start to dread each journey.

A workmate who was previously an RAF fitter told how newly qualified (and undoubtedly nervous) pilots would frequently report aircraft to have "unfamiliar noises from engine."
While every reported fault was always investigated, the standard term used in logging the action taken was; "Having listened to engine for thirty minutes, all noises produced are now familiar."

I regularly drive a 37 year old VW Beetle; if all the rattles and clunks it makes preyed on my mind I would be a nervous wreck!

The simple answer is ride it until it breaks down, fix it when you have to.

I got used to the rattles on the blade a couple of years ago. The bike resonates at 5000rpm and no matter how many times I go round the thing I can't eliminate them all. The exhaust htev valve also rattles. Even the valve train rattles (but I know all the clearances are all good). The mirror glass rattled in the plastic housing until I super-glued them in place (although one is not rattling again). The chain runs so close to the swing arm that if you get a tight spot in that it can cause it to rattle. The clunky gear change causes everything to rattle. All common complaints on the fireblade forum. Bloody things

[Hooli]

press on, its only just run in.

[dern]

smack said:

Ah no problem. Page 16-7 in the Honda one. Check for short in the alternator. Mine tested fine, but the Suzuki manual says to also check the output AC voltage, which was duff on mine, and yours by the sounds of it.

My rectifier checked out to spec and the resistance between the stator wires was fine but they are supposed to be open circuit to earth which they weren't. Pulled the stator out and there's a big break and loads of burn marks. That'll be shagged then.

[N Dentressangle]

dern said:

smack said:

Ah no problem. Page 16-7 in the Honda one. Check for short in the alternator. Mine tested fine, but the Suzuki manual says to also check the output AC voltage, which was duff on mine, and yours by the sounds of it.

My rectifier checked out to spec and the resistance between the stator wires was fine but they are supposed to be open circuit to earth which they weren't. Pulled the stator out and there's a big break and loads of burn marks. That'll be shagged then.

Yup - sounds like it!

I had a meeting in Bath this lunchtime and rode over. Bike overheated in Bristol on the way back, and was pushing up towards the red zone by the time I parked, spitting coolant on the floor.

Problem? Corroded cooling fan earth connector - cue 2 hours pissing about after work trying to find an alternative earthing route for the fan.

I feel your pain.

[smack]

dern said:

smack said:

Ah no problem. Page 16-7 in the Honda one. Check for short in the alternator. Mine tested fine, but the Suzuki manual says to also check the output AC voltage, which was duff on mine, and yours by the sounds of it.

My rectifier checked out to spec and the resistance between the stator wires was fine but they are supposed to be open circuit to earth which they weren't. Pulled the stator out and there's a big break and loads of burn marks. That'll be shagged then.

Bit late now as you found the short, but if anyone whas the same problems:
Checking my GSXR manual, turn your multimeter to ~ , and check the voltage between the three lead wires out of the generator. For a GSXR they should be more than 65V @ 5000 rpm. Two of the outputs on mine were around 20-40V or so when duff, hence not charging when the revs drop. The coating of some of the windings had been lost which resulted in the drop in efficency / volts (according the my engineering bobblehat mates).

I would expect the Blade to be in the same ball park volts wise. Come to think of it, it must have been around 33k that I had this problem with mine, which is close to the mileage of your Blade.

Try fleabay / breakers for one, as with luck they are common part over a few years and different models so easy to pick up and cheap rather than from your local Honda Stealer.

[dern]

smack said:

Try fleabay / breakers for one, as with luck they are common part over a few years and different models so easy to pick up and cheap rather than from your local Honda Stealer.

There's a company just down the road that does replacement stators (they also have an ebay shop). I'm picking one up from there this afternoon for 88 inc vat.

Finally tomorrow I have to go back to honda to pick up a paper gasket (I can't see a way I can get to both today annoyingly) for which they want to charge £5 plus vat. It's almost funny.

[dern]

N Dentressangle said:

I had a meeting in Bath this lunchtime and rode over. Bike overheated in Bristol on the way back, and was pushing up towards the red zone by the time I parked, spitting coolant on the floor.

Problem? Corroded cooling fan earth connector - cue 2 hours pissing about after work trying to find an alternative earthing route for the fan.

I feel your pain.

I feel a bit happier about the bike this morning as I've found the problem and have a new stator waiting for me.

I'm just a bit arsed off with unreliable transport at the moment. I recently sold a ducati which was perfectly reliable which left me with a honda fireblade and a subaru impreza both japanese and supposedly dead reliable. The blade lunched its forks and then its alternator and the impreza lunched its engine. Frustrating really, lol.

[smack]

dern said:

I feel a bit happier about the bike this morning as I've found the problem and have a new stator waiting for me.

I'm just a bit arsed off with unreliable transport at the moment. I recently sold a ducati which was perfectly reliable which left me with a honda fireblade and a subaru impreza both japanese and supposedly dead reliable. The blade lunched its forks and then its alternator and the impreza lunched its engine. Frustrating really, lol.

Good news! Make sure you say some kind words to her once back fixed, so it doesn't get the hump and let some other part die.

Mine lost the bar end weight one ride late last year - that was after 9 days riding around Europe, and I swore at it for making me lose all fealing in 3 fingers for 3 weeks. But a bundle of replacement parts are arriving next week, so that should make it happy (and my hand, as it has the stiffest clutch I have ever rode atm.)

Subys are not exactly relable - although the one I had (for not that long) during about 10 years ago was ok, every one of my mates spent alot of time in garages. And the STi's ran lean and holed pistons on race tracks. Oh the legal fights with Subaru where fun....

[dern]

fking thing broke down on me again... on the way to work this morning. So since the stator repair I've had to do the front discs and get recover when the fuel pump died. Today it's stopped charging again so either the stator has burnt out again or the rectifier has died this time.

I feel a bonfire coming on.

Edited by dern on Thursday 11th September 13:33

[StevRS]

dern said:

The main issue is being left at the side of the road

This is exceptionally rare if you keep on top of the bike - I think you've just been unlucky

[road_rager]

HEY

My 60K mile 2001 929 had the EXACT same problem! It's what made me sell it! My bike kept on burning out the generators I went through half a dozen! and then finally sold the fking thing earlier this year, as it was getting on my tits! It's a problem with these bikes from that year, that get used a lot in traffic... Sell the fker

[dern]

StevRS said:

dern said:

The main issue is being left at the side of the road

This is exceptionally rare if you keep on top of the bike - I think you've just been unlucky

I do regularly service it (not just oil but a proper job) and keep replacing worn out bits as and when needed... the only thing I don't do is clean it. I think you're right... but I still want to burn it

[dern]

road_rager said:

HEY

My 60K mile 2001 929 had the EXACT same problem! It's what made me sell it! My bike kept on burning out the generators I went through half a dozen! and then finally sold the fking thing earlier this year, as it was getting on my tits! It's a problem with these bikes from that year, that get used a lot in traffic... Sell the fker

Hmm... mine was fine up to 35k miles though on the original stator coil and then it blew.

[road_rager]

dern said:

road_rager said:

HEY

My 60K mile 2001 929 had the EXACT same problem! It's what made me sell it! My bike kept on burning out the generators I went through half a dozen! and then finally sold the fking thing earlier this year, as it was getting on my tits! It's a problem with these bikes from that year, that get used a lot in traffic... Sell the fker

Hmm... mine was fine up to 35k miles though on the original stator coil and then it blew.

Mine was fine till about 30Kish too... My bike had no modifications at all and had several shops look at it, I even had a heavy duty generator wound for me, and that lasted longer but still burnt out! With a bit of asking about it seems that VFR's of same vintage had similar problems, my bike left me stranded about 5 or six times with no warning what so ever, I got so fked off with it in the middle of winter that I rode it home in the dark on the M25 with no lights on just so I didn't have to wait hours for the RAC

[dern]

road_rager said:

dern said:

road_rager said:

HEY

My 60K mile 2001 929 had the EXACT same problem! It's what made me sell it! My bike kept on burning out the generators I went through half a dozen! and then finally sold the fking thing earlier this year, as it was getting on my tits! It's a problem with these bikes from that year, that get used a lot in traffic... Sell the fker

Hmm... mine was fine up to 35k miles though on the original stator coil and then it blew.

Mine was fine till about 30Kish too... My bike had no modifications at all and had several shops look at it, I even had a heavy duty generator wound for me, and that lasted longer but still burnt out! With a bit of asking about it seems that VFR's of same vintage had similar problems, my bike left me stranded about 5 or six times with no warning what so ever, I got so fked off with it in the middle of winter that I rode it home in the dark on the M25 with no lights on just so I didn't have to wait hours for the RAC

Christ, that's not encouraging

[Fire99]

Not a Honda but my TL broke down in Rotterdam last year on the way to the MotoGP.. Believe me i could of set fire to it on the spot.. Previously it had broken down at home once when the side-stand relay packed up.

Anyway Generator had a phase out and the rectifier was playing up. I had both replaced and a year later.. all good.

These things can be annoying but unless you're gonna replace with a new bike with a warranty with a 'Blade' i'd still be of a mind 'Better the devil you know'