Got myself a CBR1100 to rescue.

Just got myself an XX-3 with 12k miles and one previous owner from new, sounds great so far doesn't it, BUT, here's the reality, it been stood for 4 years.
It was owned by a retired police man who covered 12 k miles in 10 years before deciding it was getting to much for him, he parked it in his garage for 3 years before managing to get an allowance for it against a new BMW car from Williams BMW in Manchester were it then stood for a further 12 months.
A local car dealer then took the bike as part of some deal from Williams and advertised it at £3.5 k so yesterday having searched and looked at quite a few over the last few weeks I decided to drop in to check it out, it was around 4.45pm when I got there and it appeared they were ready to call it a day, I asked to see it and was led to it by the apprentice who basically left me to look over it, after 5 mins the owner appeared and asked what I thought? Well he asked so I obliged, I said it needed a big spend on it which seemed to confuse him somewhat as he asked me to detail where it needed spend. I started with the front forks which need new chrome or replacing as they are badly pitted, the rear shock was pretty rough, I mentioned the age of the tyres and basically laid it on large about the fact that although low miles it had deteriorated large. Make me an offer he says, Well I wouldn't want to embarrass us but it will be low says I, try me he says, ok well £2k says I, there then came the predicted embarrassing silence before he asks am I trader? The offer is refused as he says it owes him £2750 minimum, I stroke my chin as I open the fuel cap, oh dear I say, inside the tank is pretty poor and will also need spend as it appears rusty which could mean further fuel related issue so, the best I could offer is £2.3k, Again the guy refuses so I give a bit of a sigh and mention the cash in my pocket is burning so its a shame that we couldn't agree, I also dropped a hint that It was fast approaching the end of the biker season for most so there's a chance it would be taking up space for some time, look he says I will be honest, It stands me at £2400 as I had it MOTd and put a new battery on it, I need to keep the lights on in this place so how's £2.5k sound? £2450 and I will pay you now says I? Do you want a job he says laughing, you have a bike.
So I paid him up used his insurance to get me home and here it is.
I must say I painted a pretty grim picture of the bike but in reality it is only half as bad as it sounds, what I intend over the next few weeks is to run it as is and start collecting replacement parts ready for a bit of a winter make over.
I guess I will be on here regularly now for info and support and to start with here are my opening questions.
Forks - These are pretty poor from the furry bottoms to the pitted chrome so I need to paint the bottoms but am not sure which way to go with the stanchions, do I re chrome or use new replacements such as the ones advertised at JAWS that have the spring upgrade kit included, or are there other options I should consider?
Shock - Lots available but is there much difference between say Hagon, YSS, Hyperpro, Nitron, I suppose what I am asking is are the YSS any good at the price or for £150 more do I go for Hyperpro for example? My riding is all road at sensible speed and rider only.
Oil cooler lines - H E L ?
Tyres - For the riding style I mention to cover 4 to 5k miles per year?
Consumables - Oils, fluids, etc. Hoping Karen at JAWS is going to be best but are there options?
DONT DO IT ! - Any thing or suppliers you would avoid?

Now I know by the time I have spent on parts I could have bought a completed newer model, but for me its the pleasure of knowing I have done it, a kind of achievement...................................After all, its only money!
Thanks in advance and pics to follow shortly.

I'm glad your happy with your purchase I'll touch on a few things but most are easily found through search

Fork lower legs are not chrome, they can be replaced, Karen at Jaws sell replacements but in here you will see the general reconditioning is by the owner of rubbing down prepping and properly painted with an undercoat first then top coat. You can also use heli tape on the front leading edge to protect them once done

rear shock, given your stated type of riding the John/Jaws would have been my recommendation as the price is very good and it is matched for your weight use and type of riding but I suspect John will be out of commission for a few months. The rest are all okay, I'm sure some will feedback where they have used them, given it's age the front might benefit from the spring kit too

oil cooler lines are worth replacing but whatever you use, start lubricating the threads/screwed in ends regularly and for a couple of weeks. It doesn't stop them snapping off in the unit but it can greatly reduce it, remember to tighten it slightly, a mm or 2 not much more, to break the seal before trying to undo

Tyres types change often so I'm sure others will express their favourites and why

oils etc, I just buy the required grade at the best price but on other consumables you have options. Karen at Jaws motorcycles covers most of the birds needs at reasonable prices. Honda dealers surprisingly can sometimes sell brand new parts cheaper than ebay or a secondary seller and some often use david silver spares as a good help

The only don't do that pops up often seems to be Delkevic exhaust front pipes, they seem to adversely effect the bird but their end cans seem to be okay

Good negotiating skills!

Are you sure the rear shock needs replacing? It might look screen fry but an OEM unit should be usable for 30k or so, accepting that they start degrading from mile one. Otherwise I would endorse the above comment about JAWS exchange items - really good value and worth hanging on until John is back in action.

Might be worth doing a couple of quick oil changes if there has been oil sitting for four years - likely to have been some settlement and separation - one change to give it a good flush out, second change to get fresh stuff in. I used Halfords own brand semi-synthetic motorcycle oil for the best part of 200,000 miles and it was fine. Frequently on offer. Some problems have been experienced with clutch slipping on Birds if fully synthetic used, best avoided.

For what it costs a coolant change would be sensible,- again the Halfords stuff is fine. I was always tempted by the 'waterless' coolant, flipping expensive though and never got round to it.

The JAWS fork lowers are refurbished powder coated items and are very nice. The front spring change is worthwhile, the only way I can describe it is that the front end feels 'plusher'.

The tyres really should be replaced as they degrade over time. I found Avon Storms to be excellent all rounders on my Birds, although I did ride like a pussy. 42 psi both ends for road use, ignore anything you hear elsewhere.

Enjoy the bike, although you would be better off with a car.

noobie said:

I'm glad your happy with your purchase I'll touch on a few things but most are easily found through search

Fork lower legs are not chrome, they can be replaced, Karen at Jaws sell replacements but in here you will see the general reconditioning is by the owner of rubbing down prepping and properly painted with an undercoat first then top coat. You can also use heli tape on the front leading edge to protect them once done

rear shock, given your stated type of riding the John/Jaws would have been my recommendation as the price is very good and it is matched for your weight use and type of riding but I suspect John will be out of commission for a few months. The rest are all okay, I'm sure some will feedback where they have used them, given it's age the front might benefit from the spring kit too

oil cooler lines are worth replacing but whatever you use, start lubricating the threads/screwed in ends regularly and for a couple of weeks. It doesn't stop them snapping off in the unit but it can greatly reduce it, remember to tighten it slightly, a mm or 2 not much more, to break the seal before trying to undo

Tyres types change often so I'm sure others will express their favourites and why

oils etc, I just buy the required grade at the best price but on other consumables you have options. Karen at Jaws motorcycles covers most of the birds needs at reasonable prices. Honda dealers surprisingly can sometimes sell brand new parts cheaper than ebay or a secondary seller and some often use david silver spares as a good help

The only don't do that pops up often seems to be Delkevic exhaust front pipes, they seem to adversely effect the bird but their end cans seem to be okay

Click to expand...

Thanks Noobie,
Its the chrome on the stanchions that's the concern, painting the lowers is not a problem however, I have just taken the complete legs out and reckon the chrome can be recovered which is a bonus, can just do the spring , seals and oil upgrade now.
John did my last shock and a great job too but I reckon a new one is the way to go this time especially as I have the budget.
Luckily for me, Karen is just up the road so very convenient for parts etc.
I haver tried Avon tyres but have heard good thing however I have had and do like PR3s so likely to use again.
Fortunately the headers will come good and I like the standard cans so again a bonus.
What is becoming apparent is that under the neglect appears to be something pretty decent, whats even better is I can now use my budget to buy the now fewer items required to buy higher quality items.
Cheers.

andybirdless said:

Good negotiating skills!

Are you sure the rear shock needs replacing? It might look screen fry but an OEM unit should be usable for 30k or so, accepting that they start degrading from mile one. Otherwise I would endorse the above comment about JAWS exchange items - really good value and worth hanging on until John is back in action.

Might be worth doing a couple of quick oil changes if there has been oil sitting for four years - likely to have been some settlement and separation - one change to give it a good flush out, second change to get fresh stuff in. I used Halfords own brand semi-synthetic motorcycle oil for the best part of 200,000 miles and it was fine. Frequently on offer. Some problems have been experienced with clutch slipping on Birds if fully synthetic used, best avoided.

For what it costs a coolant change would be sensible,- again the Halfords stuff is fine. I was always tempted by the 'waterless' coolant, flipping expensive though and never got round to it.

The JAWS fork lowers are refurbished powder coated items and are very nice. The front spring change is worthwhile, the only way I can describe it is that the front end feels 'plusher'.

The tyres really should be replaced as they degrade over time. I found Avon Storms to be excellent all rounders on my Birds, although I did ride like a pussy. 42 psi both ends for road use, ignore anything you hear elsewhere.

Enjoy the bike, although you would be better off with a car.

Click to expand...

Thanks Andy,
Good shout re the oil, I have dropped it ready for fresh and agree a flush would have benefit.
I will change all the fluids for the reasons you mention re standing for 4 years.
Tyres, I have options but have never tried Avon's, maybe now's the time.
The shock looks terrible and I have had the full refurb by John in the past which was great and is of course an option so long as I can get a really clean used one to refurb, it is however likely I will go new this time. The forks now only need the upgrade and paint as I have managed to recover the stanchions .
Thanks for the tips, I will get some pics up soon.

On pretty much most of my blackbirds I seem to go for 4 key accessories as soon as I can. Fender extender, comfort seat, hugger and a 6000k hid on at least the dipped.

Sounds like a decent buy & it seems you have gone into it with your eyes wide open I like it when people are willing to rescue unloved bikes

For forks I would first be looking at good second hand replacements, they pop up quite regular at reasonable prices & may well have already been upgraded, it is a bit of a lottery as to what has been done & by who though

Oil as above, good quality semi synth from whatever maker or seller happens to have an offer on at the time, the same with the other fluids

I have fitted YSS shocks to a couple of bikes now & the quality seems to be as good an anything although they all seem setup hard on stock out of the box settings, they are helpful in sorting that out though, if you wanted a rebuild rather than replacement Jaws is the man if he is still able/willing to do it, other than that I would be talking to K-tech to see if they can help

Hel lines for the oil cooler or see if your local hose & fittings place can get the fittings to make them up & beware of the bolts snapping off engine side as mentioned above

As its been stood a while I would be having a very close look at the brakes apart from that enjoy the journey

I have to say avoid M&P accessories or their subsidiaries at all costs

Thanks for the replies guys.
To update, I have the forks out and the chrome has been recovered so good news on that front, I will now go down the route of a coating for the lowers and the upgrade kit from Karen.
The shock is deffo not recoverable in that that the rod is pitted which for me is its end, something new is now my decision.

I am now getting a little giddy about this bike and am really thinking hard about making it special, I know its possible to buy something already done which would be cheaper but this bike has reignited my passion for biking which I must admit was kind of fading, my plan now is to give it the attention it deserves and lavish it with quality components without going over the top.

A smart standard appearance with higher end running gear it is then.

Sounds like you have a good winter project

aeroxbud said:

Sounds like you have a good winter project

Click to expand...

The rate he is going it will be finished by the end of this month, Aeroxbud.

Got myself round to Karen and Gary's earlier to get some rescue parts, front spring upgrade kit, plugs, oil, oil and air filters, fender extender and rear hugger, great prices and service, highly recommended. Looks like a few nights in the cave for me now.
Still undecided on what to spring the rear with though, any recommendations welcome?

Nitron

Leaf springs are very reliable though difficult to fit without extensive modifications.

Centaur said:

Leaf springs are very reliable though difficult to fit without extensive modifications.

Click to expand...

Leaf springs would certainly be in keeping with the rest of the Blackbird engineering.