Ben’s Honda CBR954 Maintenance Update

Ern Reeders asked me to continue the second half of my personal bike history, the first half completed a couple of years ago. And he suggested an update on aspects of keeping a high mileage sports bike on the road. My bike has done 223,000 km. Ern acknowledges self interest here – he has a similar vintage 954. Well, with the tilers chucking tiles off the roof into the skip and making a hell of a racket, I’m inside filling in time. The washing is done and the washing up can keep. I’ll have a shot at the 954 update; the bike history is hard to prioritise up the ladder so will have to keep for a bit more.

Back in October 2009 I swapped out the 172,146 km old 954 motor with one from a wreck I had been keeping for this purpose with only 6,000 km on the clock – if it had one. The work was done by C&C Engineering in Thomastown – just off Settlement Road. I have known the guys for a long time. They are an engineering firm that specialises in race bikes, and can make just about anything. In past years they have run the Honda Australia Race Team – the mechanical side. They don’t sell bikes or accessories – but can get anything you need… I used to get tyres (but now importing from America) and other consumables. I even purchased my Honda mower through them!

The motor changeover went perfectly – from my point of view. A racer had borrowed the cams at some point (gave me a set of tyres in exchange) to get more lift on his CBR1000 race motor. Unfortunately, when he returned the cams to my donor motor he reset the cam timing out by one tooth on the exhaust sprocket resulting in lots of smoke and poor running and extra cost as the bike had to be stripped down again to diagnose and fix the timing. So a $700 job became a $945 job. Still cheap for a fresh motor.

I reused the fuel pressure regulator from the old motor as the new one had a pin hole in it. I also swapped over the regulator/rectifier unit and the throttle bodies, the originals very gummed up. I also swapped over bits and pieces of the wiring loom around the headlight cause if I don’t use them now, I never will!

I installed a new genuine Honda stator, now becoming very expensive ($504). A stator is the copper windings which generate three phase power when a permanent (rare earth) magnet spins past them. Honda 929 and 954 stators fail about every 50-70,000 km. Even the 2004 CBR1000s seem to have a stator issue. The stator sits on the end of the crank and swims in “cooling” engine oil. The windings change from bright honey yellow to dark brown as they slowly cook, the insulation eventually breaking down and shorting out a phase. I have tried various alternative solutions. Rewinding is an expensive exercise and only lasts 30,000 km. Importing from China is cheap ($160) and lasts … 2,100km before a massive short melting the cables a foot away from the stator. If you include my old yellow 929, my previous bike with its 194,046 km (5 yrs, 8 months from new December 2000), which I swapped with a mate for his 954, that is a lot of stators. There are a couple of second hand ones in there as well. I keep a new one on the shelf, ready to swap out at a moment’s notice.

Soon after I replaced the radiator as it was starting to run hot – hotter than normal. Rob Jones’ mate Bart came to the rescue with a slightly damaged one – a few bent fins from stone chips. Compared to mine, it was mint. Mine was gummed up with tar and stones, but more likely internally clogged. The new one dropped the running temperature by three or four degrees and it took much longer to get hot in traffic. Good result.

Around 180,000 km I replaced the gear change linkage with a spare one – complete with bracket, footpeg and heel guard. The original linkage was getting slightly sloppy as the bush started to wear.

At the 203,000 km mark (July 2010) I had the issue with the starter button sticking intermittently which lead me on a merry goose chase. It exhibited as a head light issue – as the headlight dims when you hit the starter button to provide extra power to the starter motor – given the miniature batteries fitted. It took me about a week to resolve and some hairy moments in peak hour traffic with the motor starting immediately I turned the ignition key on. It eventually burnt out the main starter motor relay requiring an auto electrician to diagnose (but I figured it out in the middle of the night). I had a spare of course, so only $140 in labour to repair the oxidised wiring.

Last month saw the motor come up for its “first service” at 50,000 km - 222,000 km bike life. After stripping off the fairings I trailered the bike to C&C for shims, plugs and throttle body synchronisation. I only check the shims every 50,000 km. The manual says check at 24,000 km intervals but it is a complete waste of time. Sure enough, no shim adjustment was required. All within spec.

C&C also do my rear Ohlin shock rebuilds – every 25-30,000 km. New oil and regassing. I took a week off to mind the guys doing the roof and planned to work on the bike. That was last week. As it rained and rained every day for 7 days straight, and flooded two thirds of Queensland and a quarter of Victoria, the roof didn’t get done – until this week. But I had plenty of time in the shed.

Dropped the bike off Tuesday night, ready Wednesday arvo, picked it up Thursday lunchtime – in the pouring rain, and put it together that afternoon. Riding to work the next day the bike felt low. And putting down the side stand left the bike too vertical. Shock? It turned out that I had reinstalled the triangular bracket at the bottom of the shock 120 degrees out of phase. Three holes, 3 bolts, how hard can it be? After reading the manual (thanks Ern Reeders for providing a hard copy from the web a few years ago) it noted arrows etched into the plates pointing to the bottom eye of the shock. Hmm. I measured the free length of the shock to confirm it was 286 mm, and then rotated the plates.

Getting the shock out is a pain – remove fairing, raise tank, remove heel plates, rear master cylinder, rear wheel, mudguard. And standard rear wheel lift stands don’t work as they use the swingarm, which is attached to the shock absorber. I use T stands in the swing arm pivot. It takes about two and a half hours to swap the shock in and out, by the time you clean the plates of crud and regrease the three needle bearings in the pivot points. Luckily, just to rotate the plates took ‘only” an hour. I measured the ride height at the axle before and after and the difference was 50 mm! Much happier now!

Ern asked about the value or benefits of an Ohlins shock versus the original. As I swap back to the original shock when the Ohlins is getting serviced (even though it is usually done in a day – cost $150 last three times) I am in a fairly good position to feel the difference. The Ohlin’s shock supplies a plush ride and is fantastic over rough roads. The damping doesn’t fade due to temperature sensitive internals that compensate for the oil heating up – though I am less sure of this now. The result is that the rear tyre doesn’t have to work as hard, stays cooler, grips better for longer, and doesn’t slide around as the shock “goes off”.

The shock is designed specifically for this bike and was $1650 when I bought it at the 18,000 km mark on the 929. It transferred directly to the 954 – different link brackets but same free length. So the shock has done over 350,000 km. Of course I didn’t pay full price but traded the Ohlin’s off my Kawasaki ZXR which was in near perfect condition, despite well over 100,000 km. Changeover price was $800. The shock is basic by modern standards but was top of the line back then – hydraulic ride height adjuster, 22 compression clicks and about the same number of rebound clicks. It doesn’t have high, medium and low speed damping adjustments. It came with the exact settings for my weight – and they are spot on. I have varied one click either side and always come back to the recommended settings. Set and forget. It’s only failure has been the bottom rose bearing, a $50 part, only because it was a funny size. Press out, press in.

Though expensive, the rear shock holds its value and is transferrable from bike to bike. It is a very good investment. The other option is to rebuild the standard shock which many people do. I don’t think you ever get the “ride quality”. Or the bling status.

The front end is standard except for a set of heavier fork springs. The stock ones are too soft, as most bikes were back then. It is only in recent years that bikes have come out with strong fork springs, but back in the early 2000s it was normal to replace the springs. The standard ones are so soft and you can’t set the ride height. 954s are meant to be flighty but I kept reducing the fork oil level to increase the air gap. The air gap acts like a non-linear spring which gets very hard at the end of the stroke, effectively reducing the fork travel. (As the fork compresses, pressure (force over area) goes up as a cube since volume is length by width by height.) Honda designed the system to use a soft spring for the first part of the travel and the air gap for the top part of the travel. By putting stiffer springs and increasing the air gap (by reducing the fork oil level) I got a much more linear response – and full travel. And no tank slappers. I think I have had two in the bike’s life after hitting massive bumps mid corner – the worst possible scenario. Hence, no steering damper required. I use 460 ml per leg.

Changing the fork oil takes about an hour. Remove front wheel, mudguard, callipers, forks, back off all the damping and preload settings to a minimum. Loosen top cap and drain oil. Refill, reset preload – 8 turns in from fully out, compression (bottom) 3 turns out from all the way in, rebound (top), 2 turns out from fully in. Put it all back together.

If I start chasing the fork clickers, it’s time to change the oil – about every 12,000 km or so. I’ve varied these settings plus or minus up to a turn either way in increments of an eighth of a turn, but these settings are the best compromise. Damping should be as “soft” as possible to keep the wheels controlled. Rebound is critical for how heavy the steering is – too much and it feels really heavy on change of direction.

Other than fork seals at roughly every 100,000 km, (110,000 and 207,000) the only other issue I have had with the forks is oil mist out the top. Replacing a little O-ring fixed that. I also replaced the bushes at the same time – used some spare ones from my fork collection! They slowly give up copper material as they sacrificially wear, making the fork oil dirty. Eventually they wear out.

If you carry a pillion, go up a couple a click or two on the rebound on the rear.

I acquired a set of front brake disks at a very reasonable $300 a pair, still in their original Honda packaging. So I replaced the original disks after 222,000 km. They were undersize but not by much – I need to convert inches to mm to make sense of my old man’s micrometer reading. The new disks improved the braking power and feel immediately – less fluid in the system and larger pad contact patch. Cliff reckons it shouldn’t have made any difference as brake fluid is not compressible. Maybe in perfect conditions, but all the additives and the fact that brake is hydroscopic – absorbs water – changes its behaviour. I know the power was improved and the lever travel is less.

The real point is that the disks lasted a very long time. I use the front brakes fairly hard, braking late and deep in to corners. I have only ever used standard pads. Power, feel, pad life and wet weather performance are second to none, and they don’t tear up the disks like some aftermarket pads do. They are just so expensive - $200 a front set for around 30-40,000 km. America here I come.

Chains and sprockets. There are many theories on chain and sprocket wear management. I rotate the front sprocket around 20,000 km, if I remember. Chain (RK HFO 530) lasts 30-35,000 km including two up city commuting five days a week. Rear sprocket lasts 100,000 km without rotation. Lube it whenever it needs it. Lubrication is only about saving sprocket wear and keeping the heat out of the chain. O-rings are designed to stop lubricant escaping. Strangely enough they also stop it entering. Lubrication is only about the contact between the rollers and the sprocket. A chain will get very, very hot (I have burned myself) if not lubricated and will boil out the lubricant on the pins, speeding up wear dramatically. Metal to metal rubbing will hasten sprocket wear, particularly the front sprocket as it has one third the number of teeth and pulls the chain around a much tighter radius loading up the teeth to a higher degree than the rear sprocket. As the front sprocket is symmetrical, and only wears on the leading edge, it can be flipped over and it will feel like new.

Don’t run the chain tight. Run it at the loose end of the allowable adjustment. A tight chain will wear out very quickly. Swingarm travel will use all the chain freeplay due to the swing arm pivot and front sprocket/final drive shaft not being co-located. Get someone to sit on your bike and see how much of the slack disappears. Hit a bump and the last bit will be used up. Modern chains require almost no adjustment. I haven’t touched this one for 20,000 km.

Back on the engine. I change the plugs no earlier than 50,000 km, and only because the next visit inside the motor will be another 50,000 km. Air filter is not a victim of a pressurised airbox and hence sucks air rather than having it rammed. In summer it is barely dirty at 30,000 km. I have gone back to the original filter as the after-market one I had was not as good a fit and the foam filter is messy with oil. Performance difference is not noticeable with the standard “stealth” pipe. Rob Jones gave me his old mint standard muffler to replace mine which was starting to sound rorty as the internals rotted out . The standard one is Titanium and aluminium, so very light. It is restrictive around 6,000 rpm and no doubt throttle response would be improved with an aftermarket item. I am happy to live with the compromise and save my hearing.

Three weeks later and this article is still not complete, originally planned for the February magazine. But life intervened. The roof is on but the storm water drainage pipes are all blocked. And Victoria has had another weather event with more floods, the creek higher than ever. The power line in to the block is pulling the facia off the house as the light pole looks ever more like the leaning tower of Pizza, and so the last piece of flashing can’t be completed. And I need a plumber to replace the storm water pipes but he can’t find them and has gone off to the council to get the plans – and that was two weeks ago! Now the neighbours have just come in to say the water meter is spraying a mist, a pin hole in the copper pipe – on our side.

Another 5,000 is on the odometer, bringing the total up to 228,000 km. Speaking of odometers, they stop working at 99,999 km. Not sure what Honda was thinking. I used to track down second hand ones (thanks Paul Southwell for one) but after chewing through 4 or 5, I now just record the trip meter readings every fill and log them in a maintenance book. The 929 had the same issue. It will be interesting to see what the modern CBR1000s do. Misho is up to 75,000 km.

On the 20^th January at 223, 615 km the stator blew (!), Flemington Road, peak hour traffic, Julie on the back, late for work, Jindabyne shindig five days away. Of course, the fault exhibits as a low battery – cranks but won’t catch. Enough juice to fire the starter motor but not the black box ignition. Julie started walking to work. Stinking hot and humid. Bump started first stab when I got my brain around the problem. Rode back home, tested with multimeter (13.25V across battery with motor going, should have been 14.4V, equals stator failure). Swapped out stators with brand new one sitting on the shelf as previously noted. Good as gold. 14.5V. Back to work by 11 am. That stator lasted 55,100 km. Another $500.

The following Sunday’s ride start at Yarra Glen saw an oil drip out of the left hand side engine cover. It is always a challenge not tearing the paper gasket and it must be cut at one point to allow the fitting of the new stator – it bolts to the inside of the engine cover. I had put a dob of goop where I cut it, and that was fine. It was leaking elsewhere. By the end of the ride it had stopped leaking – well I forgot about it. During the week it came good and it has been fine every since, including the 3,000 km Jindabyne 5 day epic.

Tuesday 8th Feb, 227,820 km and ignition turned off at Flemington Road lights to prevent the engine getting hot. The motor wouldn't restart. Stator again? Peak hour, five lanes of traffic dodging me stranded in the middle of the road with the Julie on the back (It is never dull!). Bump started okay.  Stator tested ok that night. After talking to former long-term member Rhys Williams who owns a Battery R Us store, he was almost certain the battery was at end of life. “They are really only good for a couple of years.” The fact I ride the bike every day prolongs the battery life, so long as I don't ask too much of it.  I have been using two batteries, YTZ10S (original replacement, possibly 5 years old), and another YTZ 9, marked 2005. Time for a new one! The 10 stands for 10 Amps cranking output. Better than 9, but $100 dearer!  So be it. Rhys dropped if off on his way to the airport a couple of days later. That’s service!

Tyres. According to the Excel spreadsheet the 954 has consumed 43 rears and 42 fronts. There have been a lot of second hand tyres, usually ex-race, amongst those. I change my own tyres, as more and more members are now doing – Misho (for Pina and Damir), Cliff, Bill and Mark Copeland to note a few. I bought a tyre jig off the web, Lyn Duncan loaned me her compressor, Misho made me a bead breaker, Geoff Jones gave me his static wheel balance, and Peter Jones was the last member to donate a few second hand tyres to a worthy cause – me! At 40,000 km a year, I keep a watchful eye on the tyre rack, planning what will do Dargo, what will do Christmas, what will do Jindabyne, and now what will do Tassy. With the Australian dollar at parity with the US, now is the best time to purchase tyres from overseas, usually a saving of hundreds per set. See previous articles describing this process. The Google group is awash with the same thread.

Hopefully, with all this work, the bike will be reliable for Tassy.

How am I going, Ern?

Ben Warden