New members tips

[Cormanus]

Welcome to the forum hmac.

[peterbaron]

Hmac, welcome to the forum

[the Ferret]

Very useful thread, thank you! Newbie here.

For someone who is looking at a used 2014 Standard model with ~10,000 miles today after work, anything in particular I should be looking out for besides the standard tires/lines/battery?

I'd ask age of the battery, ask about service records, then just look for any signs of crash damage. I also hate buying bikes with performance mods and or electrical mods. These bikes are pretty under stressed from the factory (unless the owner stresses it) and should last a long time. We have several on the forum over 100,000 miles and a few others close to that. There are no common/recurring problems. The exhaust header pipes may be dark from running because they are stainless steel and not double walled chrome.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Very useful thread, thank you! Newbie here.

For someone who is looking at a used 2014 Standard model with ~10,000 miles today after work, anything in particular I should be looking out for besides the standard tires/lines/battery?

Excellent choice hmac, and welcome to this fine Forum!

The '14 is a solid choice. If the battery is indeed on its way out, you will be given one or two start-up warnings - and that's it. However, the CB can be easily bump started if stranded.

[Lord Popgun]

By the book it’s past time for a valve check (easy) or adjustment (not easy), and brake and clutch fluid change, if not done (every 2 years). Those are easy too.

[bvictory_imp]

NEW MEMBERS TIPS;

1 Be aware that k&n oil filters with a hex nut are prone to sudden failure spilling oil under the rear tyre and loosing oil pressure as a result, reported by several members.
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=16756

2 Ticking noise after oil change, if the oil is replaced by oil other than 10w30 it is possible the harmonic balancer becomes a bit more " rattleyer " , nothing to worry about but something that comes up in conversation from time to time.

3 The cb1100 is very capable of reaching well in excess of 200 000 km's as some members have reported.

4 Valve clearance is not a high priority in this engine, according to the accumulated spread sheet the first check is advised at around 30 000 km. have a look and inform yourself of what others have found over time.
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14124

5 There can be some oil weeping from the valve cover, several members have this and it is not a leak but you can check if any of the bolts are loose by checking anti-clockwise with a light amount of movement but don't try to tighten them up, these bolts have a "shoulder" which bottoms out and prevents over tightening the valve cover, are likely to break or damage the thread and it is very expensive to repair as there are no spare parts except a complete new cylinder head.

6 Oil level checks should be done according to the manual; check the oil level after the engine has warmed up, shut off and left on the centerstand for 5 minutes, any sooner and the oil may not have settled enough to have an accurate indication in the oil level window, if over filled let the engine cool, place an oil pan under the drainplug and slowly undo the drain plug until the oil starts to flow into the pan, after enough oil has been drained replace the plug and correct the oil level.
Do not re-use the drained oil, it's not worth the risk of contamination for 5 dollar's worth of oil.

7 Emergency cutoff switch failure; we have had the occasional problem with the red engine stop switch on the right handle bar, symptoms are sweeping meters but no fuel pump priming the system as usual on startup - AND - the start button does not operate.
This is a result of moisture in the switch and can sometimes be temporarily fixed by rocking the switch on and off in an attempt to clean the contacts.
It is good practice to operate this switch from time to time to keep these contacts clean and check proper operation and no, you won't wear it out this way.

This is meant to be just a short list of re-occurring questions and by no means covers all situations but these may be interesting topics to be aware off that could be of help to the newer members of the cb1100 forum, we welcome all questions and discussions though but it could be a heads up initially based on previous experiences.

Bummer about the K&N oil filters. I have been using them for years with no trouble. I never use the nut to tighten it though. So, maybe that is why.

[Cormanus]

Your call, bvictory. I doubt all the ones that failed were tightened using the nut, but who'd know? I suspect it was a single dodgy batch and the problem may never recur. If it had been a major, ongoing problem, plenty of service shops would have stopped stocking them. However, having sen one fail, I'm not prepared to take the chance on them ever again.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Your call, bvictory. I doubt all the ones that failed were tightened using the nut, but who'd know? I suspect it was a single dodgy batch and the problem may never recur. If it had been a major, ongoing problem, plenty of service shops would have stopped stocking them. However, having sen one fail, I'm not prepared to take the chance on them ever again.

Totally agree. Not knowing why all of a sudden one is losing its rear is scary.

I once had a lower engine gearbox seal go and spewed oil to the rear tire. I was fortunate a driver pointed it out at a red stoplight.

[emptysea]

NEW MEMBERS TIPS;

1 Be aware that k&n oil filters with a hex nut are prone to sudden failure spilling oil under the rear tyre and loosing oil pressure as a result, reported by several members.
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=16756

2 Ticking noise after oil change, if the oil is replaced by oil other than 10w30 it is possible the harmonic balancer becomes a bit more " rattleyer " , nothing to worry about but something that comes up in conversation from time to time.

3 The cb1100 is very capable of reaching well in excess of 200 000 km's as some members have reported.

4 Valve clearance is not a high priority in this engine, according to the accumulated spread sheet the first check is advised at around 30 000 km. have a look and inform yourself of what others have found over time.
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14124

5 There can be some oil weeping from the valve cover, several members have this and it is not a leak but you can check if any of the bolts are loose by checking anti-clockwise with a light amount of movement but don't try to tighten them up, these bolts have a "shoulder" which bottoms out and prevents over tightening the valve cover, are likely to break or damage the thread and it is very expensive to repair as there are no spare parts except a complete new cylinder head.

6 Oil level checks should be done according to the manual; check the oil level after the engine has warmed up, shut off and left on the centerstand for 5 minutes, any sooner and the oil may not have settled enough to have an accurate indication in the oil level window, if over filled let the engine cool, place an oil pan under the drainplug and slowly undo the drain plug until the oil starts to flow into the pan, after enough oil has been drained replace the plug and correct the oil level.
Do not re-use the drained oil, it's not worth the risk of contamination for 5 dollar's worth of oil.

7 Emergency cutoff switch failure; we have had the occasional problem with the red engine stop switch on the right handle bar, symptoms are sweeping meters but no fuel pump priming the system as usual on startup - AND - the start button does not operate.
This is a result of moisture in the switch and can sometimes be temporarily fixed by rocking the switch on and off in an attempt to clean the contacts.
It is good practice to operate this switch from time to time to keep these contacts clean and check proper operation and no, you won't wear it out this way.

This is meant to be just a short list of re-occurring questions and by no means covers all situations but these may be interesting topics to be aware off that could be of help to the newer members of the cb1100 forum, we welcome all questions and discussions though but it could be a heads up initially based on previous experiences.

As for #7...am I the only one here that turns off their bikes with it. I have been doing this for years. Too lazy to reach for the key I guess.

That's how I roll as well. I've heard (on other forums) that you shouldn't use the kill switch to turn off the engine 'cause it'll wear out. But, um, I use the turn signal switch a zillion more times and it doesn't seem to wear out, so I call BS.

That's how I roll as well. I've heard (on other forums) that you shouldn't use the kill switch to turn off the engine 'cause it'll wear out. But, um, I use the turn signal switch a zillion more times and it doesn't seem to wear out, so I call BS.
If I recall, you use the ON half of the switch a bit more than the OFF half.

[Nachodaddy]

Good thread - thank you. Mandatory reading for those of us new to this bike.