Hello CB family,
I am looking into buying the Staintune slip-on exhaust Part Number: HO MS CB 11F, but I would like to hear from those who have it already before making the “big” purchase. I saw the video posted on youtube and I have seen the different posts. If you have Staintune, can you give me an update on the quality and let me know if you have had any issues with it so far?
Also, I am changing the handle bar – Thank you for the instructions ChipBeck - The only thing I would like to change on the mirrors is the stem. Anybody knows where I can find short stem mirrors that look the same as the stock ones. Or finding a shorter stem that can be used with the mirror?

Thank you all for your help!!

Just installed the Power Commander V, and as others have said it does smooth out the low/mid range, not sure it makes it more powerful, but fills in the throttle.
See screen shot of map below, the numbers are percentages of increase in fuel at given RPM.
Looks like from 1750 to 6000 RPM they are adding some fuel.

Hey folks,

I wanted to find out from those that have the Dart if they're happy with its performance.

Also, if you've had the NC wind deflector DX (the short windscreen), can you provide input on the comparisons?

For reference, I'm 5' 8" with a 30" inseam so mileage may vary with varying heights, etc.

Thanks.

I've noticed that I am not the only one afflicted with the MBS (Multiple Bike Syndrome) Which brings up the subject of insurance for all of them. Seems like I am paying way too much for insurance on my fleet of two wheelers. I carry comprehensive coverage on all of them and feel it's pretty important to have good coverage. Seems however that the insurance company (Progressive) is making out way too well considering that I can only ride one at a time. I end up putting sometimes less then a 1000 miles on each bike a year. Some more some less but the point being I'd like to pay a fair price for good coverage but seems like I deserve some consideration insuring 7 or 8 of them . A couple hundred bucks a year adds up when you have a bunch. And I know it's a terrible problem to have but just wandered if anyone has a better way to insure the multiple bikes. I don't owe anything on the bikes but they are all nice one's and I'd hate to drop to just liability (which of course would reduce the total $ Any thoughts or better yet experience with this.

http://youtu.be/AmRinCKczTE
I mounted a camera mount on my engine guards and was surprised at the amount of movement of the front wheel and the fairly stable video. Never knew the shocks worked that hard. Also it's fun to watch the spokes rotate forward, backward and sometimes stop.

Watched an episode of NCIS LA from the DVR where Deeks, who is recovering from PTSD from his torture at the hands of bad guys, comes to work on a Triumph Bonneville Steve McQueen special edition, and is informed by his co-workers that as an agent, he is not allowed to pursue such dangerous extra-curricular activities as riding a motorcycle.

Then Kensi goes on to quote the most significant cause of death among returning veterans is motorcycle accidents. So my wife and I are sitting there listening to this and I am thinking this is being a little over played and she is thinking about what her next husband will be like.

Anyone changed out a tire yet? Just curious what kind of mileage I can expect on the OEM Bridgestones.

Got my rear carrier, and installed it, along with a generic adapter for Givi and the Givi E55 Maxia3 top box. The color of the optional top plastic is just about spot-on as far as match goes. I believe this is one of the largest top boxes one can buy. It doesn't look weird to me at all, seems to fit right in, IMO. Rides the same (empty). Haven't ridden with anything in it, yet, that'll probably happen next week on the way to work when I plan on dropping my 15+lbs backback in there.

And on to the pictures (because I knew people would get PO'd if I didn't take any):

If someone with a shop manual could look up the output it would be appreciated.

Just got off the phone with Honda and they say 11amp output from the alternator. That would be 132 watts which seems real low for any bike.

Thanks

More i think about it he had to be giving me the reserve, a 55 watt bulb would eat up almost half the output. I know the St1100 has 28amp alts and most guys put in 40amp upgrades.

Gentlemen,

Not exactly another bike but I thought some of you might enjoy this anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtX01zufCDU

I received a note on Facebook yesterday from a friend of mine named Vic Cleary. Vic was one of the organizers of the Cox Communications Phoenix 500 Air Races held in 1999 at Williams Gateway Airport in Arizona. In addition to the air racing there were some airshow performances scheduled that included United States Air Force Captain Matt Beal flying a demonstration in the F-15 Eagle and yours truly performing in my Glasair III. During the pilot briefing the morning of the show Matt and I found out that we would be flying back to back. He had become a good friend over the previous two years as we had performed many airshows together and I had even let him take my Glasair III up to show him what a REAL aerobatic aircraft could do! :-)

I could not resist the temptation, given that we would be in the air at the same time, to suggest that we should do a very high speed formation flyby in between our two performances. This stunt would be most illegal and obviously very public to boot. US military pilots are strictly forbidden from flying formation with civilian aircraft with one exception. World War II military fighters whose owners have undergone special training are allowed to perform what are called "Heritage Flights" where current modern military jets do a formation pass at an airshow to display past and present military aircraft together in a patriotic display.

My Glasair III was obviously not a military aircraft, I had not undergone the Air Forces mandatory training, Captain Beal had not gone through Heritage Flight training either, and the on-field FAA monitors when neither aware nor had they given their authorization for such an off-the-cuff stunt. Given all that, Matt's answer to my suggestion was, "Hell yeah, that's exactly what we should do!".

I watched Captain Beals aerobatic performance in the F-15 Eagle from above as I was flying a holding pattern in the staging area just outside where he was performing. When he finished he pointed his F-15 in my direction and hit the afterburner to join up with me. My plane is very small, painted white, and against the clear blue sky he couldn't see me. Closing in fast at about 500 mph I radioed him and said "Matt do you have me in sight? You are about to center punch me! " "I can't see you" he called back and so I turned on my smoke briefly. The moment he had me in sight I started a wide left-hand turn and pointed the nose of my little aircraft downhill. Matt joined up on my left wing at about 275 mph. Throttle, mixture, and prop pitch all to the firewall and as I headed downhill toward the runway threshold we passed through 300, 325, 350, and neared 400 mph as we reach the approach end of the runway and I leveled off at about 30 feet and turned my smoke on again. The F-15 looked and felt enormous off my left wing. I could hear and feel the shock wave from its monstrous engines and when I looked over Matt was grinning ear to ear and so was I.

To quote the great philosopher Ferris Bueller during his day off, "Sometimes you just have to say, What the ****!" I knew there would be hell to pay when I finally got back on the ground after my performance and Matt knew he would have some explaining to do as well. But here we were, the first, the last, and the only time anyone would ever see an experimental, nonmilitary, civilian aircraft performing in an airshow with a current United States military fighter. It was freaking awesome and every other performer in the show was pissed that they were not a part of it.

On the ground, my propeller had not even stopped before the FAA monitors got to my aircraft to ask me what the hell I was doing. I didn't want to tell them the truth which was of course that it is always easier to seek forgiveness than permission. A permission that in this case, would never have been granted. And so I blundered through a series of feigned ignorance and apologies hoping they would not violate me or suspend my license.

Captain Beal self-reported himself to his commanding officer before he could be reported. He told his CO that he had made an error in judgment. That the airshow had some dead space in between two acts and asked him if he would mind doing a flyby with Chip Beck, a pilot that he knew well and who he knew would be safe to fly close formation with. That on the spur of the moment he had agreed to help the show out. But upon reflection he knew that it was a mistake that he would never repeat. His commanding officer gave him a mild reprimand and told him he appreciated his self-reporting and that that the incident was over. I ended up receiving a tongue lashing but no violation. All's well that ends well.

The entire event was videotaped but at the end the show organizers told me that the cameras were not rolling in between Matt's and my performances because they did not know we would be ad-libbing a formation flyby so I thought the incident was lost for posterity. Until last night when Vic Cleary was reviewing some old airshow footage and he came across it and put it up on Facebook. So here it is, the most unique Heritage Flight ever performed at an airshow in the United States and one that will never be repeated. Chip Beck and Captain Matt Beal doing a 400 mile-per-hour formation pass at the Phoenix 500 Air Races.

"Life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop and look around once in a while, it just might miss it".

Chip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtX01zufCDU