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[the Ferret]

I can't tell you how many times in the old days (and even in the new days still) people would complain their bike wouldn't start only to be told to check the kill switch and DOH!

An old trick to pull on someone was to walk by their bike and flip the kill switch then watch them go ballistic trying to figure out why it wouldn't start.

just out of curiosity, why would you want to turn off and turn on 2 different switches to stop or start your bike?

 

[Inhouse Bob]

I can't tell you how many times in the old days (and even in the new days still) people would complain their bike wouldn't start only to be told to check the kill switch and DOH!

An old trick to pull on someone was to walk by their bike and flip the kill switch then watch them go ballistic trying to figure out why it wouldn't start.

just out of curiosity, why would you want to turn off and turn on 2 different switches to stop or start your bike?

I just like buttons
I may or may not have spent a minute or two a couple of times trying to figure out what's wrong with my bike.
One problem with using the kill switch is that you can easily leave the lights on and walk away, draining the battery. Ask me how I know.
Old habits die hard.

 

[Juancho76_imp]

Excellent points to consider!


I have been using the kill switch myself as well. Most of the offroad/motorcross bikes i have owned do not have keys but rather switches. Just reading over the thread made me realize i'm doing this! lol

The seat comment killed me, i had to watch a youtube video to learn the secret latch!

 

[Stichill]

I use the kill switch. The main reason I do it is that I want the engine to be off in first gear before I let go of the clutch (obviously) or the front brake (less obvious, but usually at a full stop I have both feet down, not using rear brake pedal.)

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I can't tell you how many times in the old days (and even in the new days still) people would complain their bike wouldn't start only to be told to check the kill switch and DOH!

An old trick to pull on someone was to walk by their bike and flip the kill switch then watch them go ballistic trying to figure out why it wouldn't start.

just out of curiosity, why would you want to turn off and turn on 2 different switches to stop or start your bike?

I just like buttons
I may or may not have spent a minute or two a couple of times trying to figure out what's wrong with my bike.
One problem with using the kill switch is that you can easily leave the lights on and walk away, draining the battery. Ask me how I know.
Old habits die hard.

That is likely true for some riders. Individual "mileage may vary" for sure.

I guess my brain is such wired that I have never left the ignition on and just walked away.

 

[PowerDubs_imp]

Excellent points to consider!


I have been using the kill switch myself as well. Most of the offroad/motorcross bikes i have owned do not have keys but rather switches. Just reading over the thread made me realize i'm doing this! lol

The seat comment killed me, i had to watch a youtube video to learn the secret latch!

Most of my old dirtbikes simply had a push-to-kill button as well.

No key, no switch (as switch dictates a change in position)

Just a momentary push to kill.


Funny story though-

In my teenage years I had a lot of dirtbikes. Many bought local, spur of the moment, when a good deal arrived from some friend or person I ran into that I had cash, and cash was king- especially when I had no fear I could fix whatever was wrong with whatever I bought= even never having seen whatever before.

So- at one point I owned an old beater Kawaskai F11 250 - probably a '1972 if memory serves correctly. Odd dual plug head.

Strange bike, as when I acquired it had already been stripped of any & all street gear and had a MASSIVE rear sprocket- larger than a Frisbee...it was geared very short, so even given it's relatively low power, heavy weight, and near bald rear tire- would happily stand up given the chance to meet something solid like a root or rock!

Rode this in the woods for a while around as a beater= at some point I parked it and cannibalized something- maybe the handlebars for another bike I forget....and a neighbor kid came along at some point and wanted to buy it. He wanted a bike, and I had several, in various condition.

I told him it needed bars- he wasn't concerned- and neither was I- so I didn't pay much attention as he bolted on something from something somewhere I had in spare parts boxes- and pushed the bike down the street to get approval from his dad - who apparently would be paying.

Remember- I was probably 15-16 at this time, the kid was probably 13-14.

I walked beside him as he pushed the (heavy) bike 6-7 house down from mine.

Stood in the dirt lane next to his garage as he was in the backyard talking to his father (who was known to have a very short temper and anger with his kids ALL the time, so god only knows in retrospect adult viewpoint- and modern times what his behavoir was towards his wife)....

The kid excitedly- something along the lines of- dad I want this dirtbike...father grumble grumble...kid- BUT DAAAD.. (and at that time, I was probably selling it for $50/75 at most)...

Memory tells me that the time played out like this- dad wanted to hear the bike run... young kid- probably hard time holding the bike up, a relatively big heavy kick start bike- kicked it many many time awkwardly...at some point I walked over- still being a young teenager- wanting a sale and money, but I was still a young kid next to a big 'old man'... saw he had the kill switch off...

I walked over- flipped the kill switch- said something like try it now- walked away...

He kicked another 2-3 times- probably had flooded it a bit..and then it fired up- immediately went to WOT as apparently he had not secured the 2 screws tightly that were holding the throttle housing and it had spun on the bars during his repeated attempts- pulling all the slack out of the cable....

So the bike roared to life- immediately screaming loudly to high revs- and the kid, not familiar with bikes- and not in frame of mind to think 'push the kill button'- defaulted to 'dump the clutch to kill it'- which abruptly, and in the blink of an eye- stood the bike straight up- dumped him off the back -while it proceeded right for his father who had chose somehow to be right in front of the killer motorcycle his son had brought home.

All I remember is the bike WOT- loud noise, blue smoke- wheelie, father jumping out of the way- bike fell on it's side- wheel still spinning, dirt flinging, engine screaming...I ran over to hit the kill- his father reached out and yanked the spark plug cap...and with no hesitation instantly pivoted in the other direction, screaming and pummel his crying child.

I quickly picked up the bike and hurriedly pushed it back to my house...never to be spoken about again.

 

[Stichill]

 

[Lord Popgun]

Need the Cool Starry Bra Meme

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Jeez. Images of the mid-70s abound.

 

[hmac_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?

 

[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.
Another Failed K&N Oil Filter

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.
Observed Valve Clearance

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.
Another Failed K&N Oil Filter

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.
Observed Valve Clearance

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.

:celebrate:

 

[Nachodaddy]

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