So the only thing i have yet to do is adjust my chain. I don't think it's out of spec yet but does anyone have a visual tutorial on how to adjust your chain? This has me paranoid I'll mess something up. It's my first chain driven bike and I don't want to have to go to my mechanic every 500 miles.

As previously posted, I picked up a '14 DLX on Saturday from Powersports East in Bear, Delaware. Nothing but good things to say about the staff there.
I enjoyed my first ride on the CB this morning on the way to work. This ride included secondary roads, city streets and 10 minutes of highway. She was completely refined, smooth, quiet and seamless. The clutch, throttle response and gearbox are as docile as a puppy. I have to get used to the location of the turn signals as I honked the horn a couple of times by accident. I can see why anybody over 5'9" may not like the bike as she did feel a bit compact; not as tight as my old Ducati Monster but certainly not as roomy as my BMW GS.
I don't like the looks of the windshield ($220 new +s/h) and genuine Honda rear top box from Samurider ($460 new+ s/h), even though they are very functional and the fact that the top box will hold a full face helment, I just don't like the looks of the them. I am going to try them out for another week or so but will most likely offer them for sale here pretty soon. I just need to reseach what would be fair prices for them. What are your thoughts? They are both in mint, like new condition.
After only 30 minutes, I was thinking that a aftermarket saddle may be needed as this one won't cut it for me for long rides. Any idea what a fair price would be for a like new Deluxe saddle?

If any of you have seen the other oil thread, you'll know I am an advocate of better oils as proven by UOAs. I have used Amsoil in a ton of bikes with superb results, had analysis done, and know a thing or two about lubricants. Recently though, I conceded.

I've been running Amsoil 5W-30 (as Honda suggests) in my CB. Since this change, I have had an alarming (but non-threatening) rattle coming from the oil pan when warming up. Didn't bother me, I just let it warm up and it went away. What is not negotiable though is the weeping I now have at the valve cover gasket. Yup. Around 3k miles and the gasket is leaking. I KNOW this is not right. My bike doesn't have an easy life (hot, traffic, beating on it, etc) but I have never pushed the bike beyond what the manufacturer allows, never gotten an overtemp light and have used a KNOWN good performer oil. Something about the weight of the Honda oil is lying. I'm nearly certain. It's VERY thin when cold as many of you can observe it dripping back quicker. Contrary to popular belief though, this is not beneficial. As long as you have adequate oil pressure, you want the oil to be sticking to non-pressurized, high wear items like your cams, wrist pins, transmission, etc. And when hot, it doesn't thin enough to weep through the valve cover. I will be doing a UOA on this oil to verify the weight though once I can get a few cycles through the engine.

I'm sad that I have to change oils due to a leak and rattle, but this could be the intended purpose of Honda using their oil. In the same way that certain Mobil oils test thinner than advertised, Honda oils may not have the same weight range as advertised. While I do not think any damage has been done to my engine, I can't tolerate what this oil is doing. To everyone I argued with, I'm sorry haha There was more to this than meets the eye.

My wife is an accountant and, like many in her profession, some of her Sundays prior to April 15th are consumed with preparing income tax returns for friends and family members. Today was her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew's turn to stop by the house with their paperwork and drink beer and watch basketball while she crunched numbers. Her father also decided to stop by, although he is a retired accountant himself and so has no need for Cheryl's assistance or, for that matter, that of any fancy computer program. I love her family, I do, but the weather looked good and once I heard "I have to work. Just be back for dinner because my brother is buying", I was out the door.

Like my friend Mentalyguitarded recently reported, I had no particular route in mind as I pressed my left grip and turned my CB1100 northbound out of my driveway. There was a fair amount of traffic for a Sunday afternoon and i decided that I'd just scoot on down to Sheridan Road for a ride along the shore of Lake Michigan. I could check out how The Ravines survived the winter and still be back in time for potstickers and Hot Pepper Beef from our favorite Chinese place. Probably a beer to wish it down, too.

As I meandered along typically boring suburban streets, I thought about Cheryl balancing debits and credits or whatever it is that accountants do. It dawned on me that, even in traffic on boring roads, riding sure beats working. This "sure beats workin'" phrase kept popping into my head with each car stopping to turn into a shopping center and with each green light that turned to red before I could get through the intersection. It became my day's riding mantra, I guess.

I had mantra'd my way across Niles, Morton Grove, the Village of Golf, Skokie, and a little sliver of Evanston. I was heading east through Wilmette when i realized that I was within just a few blocks of where I first started working and within just a few miles of the second place. I figure that my mantra put this notion into my head. A slight change in route took me past both places.

My first place of employment. Mid-Central Printing and Mailing. I kept the place clean, drove deliveries, fetched ink for the pressmen, and sometimes got to run some of the machines. My boss, John, was strict, but fair. I learned to be on time and to do my best here.


I worked there for a few years after school, weekends, and summers. I was lured away by the glamor of being a pump jockey at a gas station in my hometown of Winnetka, just up Green Bay Road a piece.

Fred's Winnetka 76 (although it's now a Mobil station). Fred passed away very recently. He was a very good man. He treated his customers and employees with respect and expected to be treated the same way in return; and usually was. He taught me the value of quality customer service and that the key to providing it was having empathy. In those days, we checked the oil and cleaned the windows on every car. Fun Fact: For reasons unknown, it typically takes 20% longer than average to clean a windshield on convertible with a pretty girl behind the wheel.


Fred's is about a mile from the lake, so I was quickly back on my unplanned planned route. As I approached Sheridan Road, I noticed that the street I was on continued east across it and looked like it might provide me a path down to the lake. Alas, it dead-ended at a private drive. Some of the wealthiest people in Illinois live along Sheridan Road and membership in that club includes "on premises" access to one of the most magnificent bodies of water on the planet.
"Entry Prohibited"


The Ravines survived the winter better than I expected, but the road really is in desperate need of resurfacing and the snow, ice, and the removal thereof have left tiny scree fields along the shoulders. The bare trees reveal the beautiful homes planted on the hillsides that are virtually invisible from the road from May through November.

There's a distinct lack of places to stop along this short stretch of curvy roads, so I attempted to capture a few pictures while on my "test run" through the ravines. I managed take a few more passes at speed, but still a bit slower than had it been mid-June, before turning west and south to complete my counterclockwise loop for the day.



The last interesting road on this loop is Forest Way Drive, it sweeps along to the east of the Skokie Lagoons, which are not in Skokie and, as far as I can tell, are not even lagoons. They are pretty, though. My bike is parked on the bicycle path for this picture. Coincidentally, my brother rode his bicycle along this path within an hour of when I parked on it. In a few days, maybe a week, my sister will be kayaking on the water beyond; just as soon as it becomes water again. I felt pleasantly connected to them both while posing my bike for the picture.


I found a new route back home that avoided, for the most part, the suburban grid with traffic lights every 1/4 mile. It took a little longer, but it was prettier, just not photo worthy. I arrived home with time to spare ahead of dinner. My IPA paired nicely with the Chinese food and they both paired nicely with time on my bike and some time with my family, too. Sure beats workin'.

Hello all, finally had a good weekend. I picked my CB up Feb. 14, then it snowed every day for 3 weeks. So yesterday I headed out all afternoon. Went just shy of 200 mi. Too cold in the mtns. so went out on the prairie 80 mi. to Limon, Co. I know, not very exciting, but at least I was on my bike!! Didn't get many pics, too busy enjoying the ride. When I was leaving the city, I went east out of town on a road I haven't been in ages to find it under construction. So I got to see how a CB11 does off road. There is some interesting stuff in some of the small towns. Here is Strasburg, Co. 30 or so mi. from Denver. There was a small park mere feet from a railroad track that luckily had a porta jon. Anyway, just had a great time. I now have a whole 577 mi. on my CB. I must say I really love this bike. After taking a long ride, at least for me, not sure how well I am gonna get along with that seat. Gonna wait and see, but it seems a bit hard. Gas mileage is getting worse, was 53 when new, now upper 40's. But I admit, the throttle is getting opened up a bit more as it's breaking in. Hopefully I can get out soon and go somewhere a little more scenic. Later, Doug.

Tonight while looking my bike over I noticed some goo in the overflow hose on the bottom of the air box. Fix was easy. Slide the overflow hose off it's nipple, squeeze the cap clamp with some pliers and move it up the tube, pull the cap, dump any fluid onto a paper towel, roll up another paper towel and slide it up into the tube from both directions and spin it around a couple of times to clean up the hose, then put the cap back in, slide the clamp back on using the pliers, slip the hose back over the nipple and you are done.

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/2013_05020004_zpsc2eea6e9.jpg.html]

Checked the other overflow hose under the bike and it was clean and empty.

Bike has just over 9000 miles on it.

I thought that I had things under control. This forum started innocently enough. But in short time, it began to have an impact on me. While I didn't deviate too far from stock, I did purchase a few accessories for my CB. Nothing too outlandish with the exception of the Staintune which I have to admit was definitely a bit extravagant.

But now I've really done it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to look myself in the mirror tomorrow. I've never been one to give in to peer pressure, or so I thought. I also thought that I could go at least two full years without these. I guess I was wrong.



That's right, another one falls prey to RLET Fever.

I have the Honda engine guards coming. Has anyone ever attached highway pegs to the guards? If so, what brand? Price? Vendor? Any pics?

From the Nighthawk Forum

http://motorcycle-central.com/why-do-mot...ts-expire/

Thought I'd upload a few pictures of my newly installed Road Comet 1 for anyone on the fence about getting one.

Before and After 1:
[url=http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/jasonxerri/media/CB1100/Before%20and%20After%20-%201_zpsusnnnfnc.jpg.html]

Before and After 2:
[url=http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/jasonxerri/media/CB1100/Before%20and%20After%20-%202_zpsmo8v7fvt.jpg.html]
[url=http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/jasonxerri/media/CB1100/Faired%20-%203_zpsrnqvbf46.jpg.html]

[url=http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/jasonxerri/media/CB1100/Faired%20-%204_zpsfaz1ymf6.jpg.html]
My K&H High seat just shipped out Friday and will probably be here the middle of next week. Much thanks to Takashi for the procurement and quick shipment of my farkles.

I think I'm going to end up switching back to the stock mirrors. I like how sporty the new ones look, but I think I prefer the more old school style of the round ones.