CB1100 Idle speed instability problem

[Cormanus]

How very frustrating for you pdedse. Intermittent faults that won't happen when you need them to are just the pits.

In answer to your question, there are some female CB110 riders. A woman calling herself danger girl was an early member of the forum. Another called Shy Sue bought a DLX< posted a few times and then vanished. Finally a member elemenopi also bought a DLX and posted occasionally. She's not been around for a month or so. Her bike was nicely modded and there are some pictures of it on the Worldwide Honda CB1100 and CB1100DLX Facebook page.

[pdedse]

How very frustrating for you pdedse. Intermittent faults that won't happen when you need them to are just the pits.

In answer to your question, there are some female CB110 riders. A woman calling herself danger girl was an early member of the forum. Another called Shy Sue bought a DLX< posted a few times and then vanished. Finally a member elemenopi also bought a DLX and posted occasionally. She's not been around for a month or so. Her bike was nicely modded and there are some pictures of it on the Worldwide Honda CB1100 and CB1100DLX Facebook page.

Good to hear! A few years back I was riding my KLR up in the mountains in Washington on the other side of the Columbia River dividing OR and WA when I saw an exact KLR in year and color bouncing up the forest trail opposite of me. Of course we stopped to chat having the same bike and we both pulled off helmets and it was a lady rider...we started talking and found out we were practically neighbors! and we realized that we had seen each other several times riding in our neighborhood. Very cool.

I have yet to see another CB1100 "in the wild" except for a planned ride with area riders.

[johnf514_imp]

LOL intermittent problems are just the worst. In the mid 70's I was the manager of a Kawasaki shop. I had a customer complain that sometimes his bike would not start, but just sometimes. I told him to bring it. I gave it to my head mechanic. Over the next couple of days he tried starting the bike 50 times and every time varrom. Every time he walked past it, he would turn the key, hit the button and varrom. I called the customer and told him we could not duplicate his problem. He came and picked it up. The next day he called and said it wouldn't start. Bring it back in. We then over the next few days proceeded to start it 100 times. Every time varrom. We could not get it not to start. Customer came and got it and we never heard from him again. Don't know if it quit again or not, but it never would as long as we had it.

That's funny! But that's what I'm afraid will happen if I leave the bike with service, particularly with the cooler temps. They'll do their $115 diagnostic and will say "can't replicate issue" because they it won't act up on a test ride of 5-10 miles.

For the couple of members who had the IACV replaced or the throttle assembly, I wonder how the techs went about determining that. Was the bike hooked up to a computer? Was the high / low idle issue replicated while at the shop? Did they physically "open things up" and test parts? I know Riko had a video, and I think that's what I'll do and show them before leaving bike for any extended time.

When I brought my bike into the shop (for the 3rd time) with the high idle issue, I turned the bike on and showed them how the bike idled. Sometimes, the bike would start as normal, but in my case, once the high idle condition presented itself, it would undoubtedly return, even if the bike exhibited normal behavior.

The tech tested the bike, figured out the IACV was faulty (I seem to recall some issue with there being a bad connection between the IACV and the ECU), and replaced the IACV (5 months before the extended warranty ran out).

I was very happy I bought a used bike with an extended, transferrable warranty.

[postoak_imp]

That's interesting johnf514 -- the part about it being maybe a bad connection between the IACV and the ECU. Perhaps those who still have the problem could check that connection.

[pdedse]

LOL intermittent problems are just the worst. In the mid 70's I was the manager of a Kawasaki shop. I had a customer complain that sometimes his bike would not start, but just sometimes. I told him to bring it. I gave it to my head mechanic. Over the next couple of days he tried starting the bike 50 times and every time varrom. Every time he walked past it, he would turn the key, hit the button and varrom. I called the customer and told him we could not duplicate his problem. He came and picked it up. The next day he called and said it wouldn't start. Bring it back in. We then over the next few days proceeded to start it 100 times. Every time varrom. We could not get it not to start. Customer came and got it and we never heard from him again. Don't know if it quit again or not, but it never would as long as we had it.

That's funny! But that's what I'm afraid will happen if I leave the bike with service, particularly with the cooler temps. They'll do their $115 diagnostic and will say "can't replicate issue" because they it won't act up on a test ride of 5-10 miles.

For the couple of members who had the IACV replaced or the throttle assembly, I wonder how the techs went about determining that. Was the bike hooked up to a computer? Was the high / low idle issue replicated while at the shop? Did they physically "open things up" and test parts? I know Riko had a video, and I think that's what I'll do and show them before leaving bike for any extended time.

When I brought my bike into the shop (for the 3rd time) with the high idle issue, I turned the bike on and showed them how the bike idled. Sometimes, the bike would start as normal, but in my case, once the high idle condition presented itself, it would undoubtedly return, even if the bike exhibited normal behavior.

The tech tested the bike, figured out the IACV was faulty (I seem to recall some issue with there being a bad connection between the IACV and the ECU), and replaced the IACV (5 months before the extended warranty ran out).

I was very happy I bought a used bike with an extended, transferrable warranty.

I've never purchased an extended warranty on anything, and I've never been in a position where had I had one, I would have benefited. I figured all that money I saved could be used if I ever did have an issue outside of warranty.

Well, here I am : )

Thanks, johnf514, for that extra bit of info. I hope to talk to the service manager tomorrow--hopefully he has read the letter I left for him and we can talk about how to go about diagnosing an intermittent problem.

[736cc_imp]

A very common idle problem (and fix) w/ automobiles is replacing a defective O2 sensor. Has anybody tried that remedy to our idle puzzle? They get cooked in the cat and throw-off the computer mix.
Also, there’s a widget called a lamba loop thingamajig
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=948

[Riko_imp]

A very common idle problem (and fix) w/ automobiles is replacing a defective O2 sensor. Has anybody tried that remedy to our idle puzzle? They get cooked in the cat and throw-off the computer mix.
Also, there’s a widget called a lamba loop thingamajig
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=948

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..

[736cc_imp]

A very common idle problem (and fix) w/ automobiles is replacing a defective O2 sensor. Has anybody tried that remedy to our idle puzzle? They get cooked in the cat and throw-off the computer mix.
Also, there’s a widget called a lamba loop thingamajig
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=948

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..
Has anybody in fact had the idle issue and replaced the O2 sensor (or lamba loop) and reported the actual results here in the 51 pages?

[the Ferret]

We can disagree as long as we are not disagreeable. When it degnerates to name calling I will and did delete all offending posts. Please refrain from doing so in the future.

[peterbaron]

A very common idle problem (and fix) w/ automobiles is replacing a defective O2 sensor. Has anybody tried that remedy to our idle puzzle? They get cooked in the cat and throw-off the computer mix.
Also, there’s a widget called a lamba loop thingamajig
http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=948

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..
Has anybody in fact had the idle issue and replaced the O2 sensor (or lamba loop) and reported the actual results here in the 51 pages?

if that would be the root cause, it would have been spotted that easily, but no

If it was the lambda sensor we wouldn't have 51 pages and counting..
Has anybody in fact had the idle issue and replaced the O2 sensor (or lamba loop) and reported the actual results here in the 51 pages?
If O2 fails, I am more than certain that MIL would be on, with history, pending or present/active DTC.. and Honda dealer would not have any problem to replace faulty Lambda sensor at all.