Reno's CB1000R

[Guth_imp]

You'll quickly grow to love the single sided swing arm. It's an awesome feature.

Personally, I was never sure that the call on the Hawk GT forum for a super slack chain had anything to do with SSSA's specifically, or the Hawk's geometry in particular. More than likely, it is because so many people there raised up the rear-end of their Hawks with suspension mods, creating the need for a more slack chain to accommodate the change in geometry.

[redReno_imp]

So it has been a week now with the CB1000R and I have racked up 626 miles on her.

The dealership was too busy to do the 600 mile service (I forgot to schedule it) but I went ahead and changed the oil and cleaned and lubed the chain. Couldn't adjust the chain because I need some kind of spanner and the only tools it came with was a fuse puller and a 5mm "hex wrench"
I put the missing oems tools on order as well as a service manual.
Hopefully I can get the safety inspection done when I pick them up and make sure everything is breaking in nicely.

I used Honda GN4 10W-30 like the manual specifies and it says I am good until 8K miles but I will switch to either Amsoil or Honda's Synthetic at 4K miles.

[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/832/55x2.jpg/]

I have been getting some good leans in and the bike is amazing, does everything I want it to do.
Wider tires and a bigger tank (4.5 gal).
I've been filling up at around 145 miles on the trip meter. First two tanks were just under 40 mpg and the last one was 42! I have been hitting up open road this whole time though, I expect my gas mileage to go down once I get back into my routine.

I really had to focus on taking it slow and relaxing. I had a pretty tight grip the first 100 miles or so, once I started getting used to her, I relaxed my grip and dipping into turns has been easier.
I hear it is easy to "accidentally" do a wheelie, I have been taking it easy though.

I've been riding just going by ear and how I used to ride the CB11, I look down at the speedo and I end up going over 50mph and I am either in 4th or 5th gear.

I'd like to keep her stock, but I am gonna have to add a few things:
I need mirror extenders so I see more then just my shoulders and I can look out for cops and hopefully keep my license.
I will be adding R&G Frame and Engine Sliders soon.

I really enjoy this bike and I am glad I switched.
I will miss all the compliments I got at pretty much every red light though.

redReno, if the chain is adjusted with a slotted, round eccentric like the Hawk GT -- and I bet it is -- it is super easy to do once you understand how it works. Loosen the pinch bolt on the swingarm, place the spanner in one of the slots of the eccentric adjuster, and tap the spanner (very) lightly to adjust the chain tension. One way tightens, the opposite way loosens. Once adjusted just tighten the pinch bolt and you're done. One of the best things about the single sided swing arm is that you don't ever have to worry at all about wheel alignment when adjusting the chain -- it is always perfectly aligned.

A couple of other things to keep in mind:
1.) Test the spanner before you buy it for reach around the hub into the adjusting slots on the eccentric. Not all spanners will be to spec.
2.) Chain tension on a single sided swing arm is generally a good deal 'looser' than it is on a double sided swingarm, looser even than the service manual recommends, at least that's unanimously agreed on in the Hawk GT community. I would do some research on any CB1000R forums you can find to see what people experienced with the bike have to say.

Oh, and forget to mention, congrats on the new ride. Cool bike!

redReno, if the chain is adjusted with a slotted, round eccentric like the Hawk GT -- and I bet it is -- it is super easy to do once you understand how it works. Loosen the pinch bolt on the swingarm, place the spanner in one of the slots of the eccentric adjuster, and tap the spanner (very) lightly to adjust the chain tension. One way tightens, the opposite way loosens. Once adjusted just tighten the pinch bolt and you're done. One of the best things about the single sided swing arm is that you don't ever have to worry at all about wheel alignment when adjusting the chain -- it is always perfectly aligned.

A couple of other things to keep in mind:
1.) Test the spanner before you buy it for reach around the hub into the adjusting slots on the eccentric. Not all spanners will be to spec.
2.) Chain tension on a single sided swing arm is generally a good deal 'looser' than it is on a double sided swingarm, looser even than the service manual recommends, at least that's unanimously agreed on in the Hawk GT community. I would do some research on any CB1000R forums you can find to see what people experienced with the bike have to say.

Oh, and forget to mention, congrats on the new ride. Cool bike!
Awesome advice! thanks

You'll quickly grow to love the single sided swing arm. It's an awesome feature.

Personally, I was never sure that the call on the Hawk GT forum for a super slack chain had anything to do with SSSA's specifically, or the Hawk's geometry in particular. More than likely, it is because so many people there raised up the rear-end of their Hawks with suspension mods, creating the need for a more slack chain to accommodate the change in geometry.

Thanks, I'll be looking into it.

Yep, that factory exhaust is not doing the bike any favors at all from a visual standpoint. By the way, I personally much prefer the looks of the CB1000R in the white that you went with Reno.

Doing just a bit of exploring, here are my top exhaust choices that fit with the styling of the bike (it's always fun helping other people spend their money).

The Yoshimura R-55 slip on exhaust:


The BOS slip on exhaust:

Ha!

Just browsing different exhausts on youtube, I stumbled upon this funny video.





This happens to be the one I am interested in, but I would like to hold off and enjoy it stock. Maybe once I have the $$ to go all out, I'll get it along with a K&N air filter and some kind of air/fuel control system like a Power Commander or what Bazzazz has.

[Guth_imp]

A 60 db increase? That's pretty funny.

Really glad that you're happy with the CB1000R! I'm sure it's a blast.

[Yoyodyne_imp]

You'll quickly grow to love the single sided swing arm. It's an awesome feature.

Personally, I was never sure that the call on the Hawk GT forum for a super slack chain had anything to do with SSSA's specifically, or the Hawk's geometry in particular. More than likely, it is because so many people there raised up the rear-end of their Hawks with suspension mods, creating the need for a more slack chain to accommodate the change in geometry.

Ideally the swing arm pivot and the countershaft are concentric, so as the swing arm moves through its range of motion the tension on the chain never changes. In practice virtually all chain-driven bikes see the tension on the chain vary depending on the swing arm's movement.

For example, the Hawk sees the greatest chain tension when the suspension is fully compressed and the swing arm has moved up as far as it will go. If the chain is adjusted too tightly it can actually prevent the suspension from compressing fully, not good on big bumps! And a too-tight chain puts extra strain on the countershaft splines, in extreme cases damaging them. (The repair for that requires a full engine tear-down, ugh.)

Aftermarket shocks are frequently used to increase the Hawk's rear ride height, which effectively pushes the swing arm down relative to the chassis. This puts the rear axle/sprocket closer to the countershaft than they are when the bike is equipped with the stock shock absorber. In such cases the chain should be adjusted extra loose, because the distance between the rear sprocket and countershaft increases—even more than the stock setup—as the suspension is fully compressed, and thus chain tension will increase more too.

Whether or not the CB1000R is similarly sensitive to chain tensioning depends on where the swing arm pivot is in relation to the countershaft, and I have no info/experience on that subject.

[Bayoucityrider_imp]

Redreno,
I pulled the opposite move you did. I traded my cb1000r in on the cb1100.I had the cb1r for about a year and half and enjoyed riding it but i was a little cramped on it,but im 6'2 280lbs. At 45 with arthritis i was looking for a more comfortable and relaxing ride. One thing i wanted to warn you about with aftermarket exhaust on the cb1r. A buddy of mine purchased a 2012 cb1r right after i got mine and he installed the exact yoshi exhaust (shown in the above vid) and a power commander v with the auto tune. He weighs about 80lbs less than i do and when you take the difference in weight savings from the exhaust and factor in the new there was around 100lbs difference between the both of us. We both have about the same past riding experience ( he is good rider). We lined both those bikes up on quite a few occasions and my stock bike would pull him by atleast 8-10 bike lengths. He just could not catch me. And i am 100 lbs more. Needless to say after spending 12-1300 more on trick exhaust and fuel management he was not happy. The cb1r is all about low to midrange torque. Honda spent many hours on r&d on exhaust flow and back pressure to provide the most USABLE torque and power curves with that engine. I would think twice before spending hard earned cash on so called performance parts that give you less in return. YES, i know there are dyno plots that show different results but real world and dyno plots on paper are different. The 8-10 hp gains in the upper rpm registers may not be worth the money. Besides how often are you riding at +7k rpm. Enjoy that cb1r stock for awhile , its great bike. I would still have mine if i were comfortable on it.
One thing i will say about that yoshi exhaust.It sounded really good. But it sound really good behind me. So if this is more of an emotional thing for you to consider louder exhaust then by all means go for it. It sounds good and looks good on that bike. Man.....im starting to miss that bike already,but im diggn the cb1100.

[redReno_imp]

That's too bad for your buddy Bayoucityrider, I'll definitely keep all that in mind. I'll throw my cash at the loan instead and pay it off quicker.
What year did you have?
And luckily for me, I am 23 and only at 5'6" I haven't experienced any real discomfort on any bike I have been on. Hopefully I'll still be able to say that years from now.

[Bayoucityrider_imp]

That's too bad for your buddy Bayoucityrider, I'll definitely keep all that in mind. I'll throw my cash at the loan instead and pay it off quicker.
What year did you have?
And luckily for me, I am 23 and only at 5'6" I haven't experienced any real discomfort on any bike I have been on. Hopefully I'll still be able to say that years from now.

I had a 2011 model. You could get it in any color you want as long as it was black.It was cool paint in the sun,it had fine metal flakes in red,blue,purple and silver, i think.
It was magic dust black thats what color it was. Thats why mine was faster.