Reclaiming the lost

[STRider]

I'm really enjoying following your work on your dad's ST1100, Barry. I'll be doing nearly all of the same chores in the spring/summer of 2022. But unlike your 1100 mine had been ridden regularly since I bought it in 91.

Mine's a similar 'forever bike' story except it's my son that decided I had to keep the 1100 after adding a 1300 to the stable in 2020. "You can't sell it, dad, that's the bike I grew up on!" He's 22 and riding a 650 VStrom, but hopes to pilot the 1100 on some long distance rides in the future.

Last week I took the 1100 out to run some Seafoam through the fuel system and top off the tank before its winter slumber. It's still a great perch from which to rack up a lot of smiles.

Ran the float bowls dry by disconnecting the fuel pump. And there she sits next to the 1300 that's getting all the saddle time from me.

 

[Pop-Pop]

U need to play that 1952 vincent black lightning song!

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

I just needed to pull the clutch slave cylinder/cover.

Sorry to report that you don’t need to remove that. All of us just pull the cover up and out, forcing it past/over the crank bolt and then trim the inside of the cover to clear it better during the reinstall. Pretty sure that shortcut is written up in a number of places, here and ST-Riders.net

John

 

[STRider]

Sorry to report that you don’t need to remove that. All of us just pull the cover up and out, forcing it past/over the crank bolt and then trim the inside of the cover to clear it better during the reinstall. Pretty sure that shortcut is written up in a number of places, here and ST-Riders.net

John

Please elaborate John. And include links if you can or at keywords to search. I've replaced the clutch plates in my1100 but I don't recall having any particular challenge in clearing any of the components in that area to remove the cover and access the basket. I also don't recall if I left the slave cylinder in place or removed it before attacking the cover.

But then again, it was years ago and those braincells storing that memory may have been washed away by the bourb... uh, years.

 

[smartiq]

Sorry to report that you don’t need to remove that. All of us just pull the cover up and out, forcing it past/over the crank bolt and then trim the inside of the cover to clear it better during the reinstall. Pretty sure that shortcut is written up in a number of places, here and ST-Riders.net

Haha. Figures. Oh well. I hope the next person benefits from that knowledge .

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

Please elaborate

There’s no need to remove the clutch cover to do a timing belt R&R, Tom. Here’s one of many posts:

Coolant Hoses & Timing Belt ( ST1100 ) *

Coolant Hoses & Timing Belt ( ST1100 ) *

www.st-riders.net

John

 

[STRider]

There’s no need to remove the clutch cover to do a timing belt R&R, Tom. Here’s one of many posts:

Coolant Hoses & Timing Belt ( ST1100 ) *

Coolant Hoses & Timing Belt ( ST1100 ) *

www.st-riders.net

John

Thanks John. I know that one! I used it to assemble my shopping list for my 1100 refurb. That along with Mike Martin's convenient ST1100 Maintenance Tips that pulls a lot of this together in one place. Unfortunately on his "ST1100 Coolant Hoses & Timing Belt" page the link to the thread on the st-riders.net site is broken. Thanks for the refresh.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Looking at the picture of the exhaust made me think that, while you have the exhaust moved out of the way, it would be a good opportunity to remove, clean and lubricate the shifter linkage.
It will be much easier to do it now, and you will appreciate the effort that it took when you feel the easier and smooth shifting that results.

See the below link;
ST1100 - Shift Linkage Tune-up

 

[smartiq]

Today gave me a few hours to work on the bike; so update time!

First off, I got some parts that I have been waiting for:


I am excited to get the alternator sorted since it has been one of the pain-points since I first discovered it was leaking. I have several other packages ordered with additional parts but they are waiting on things from Honda so it might be a few more weeks (containing wiring sub hardness, fuses, o-rings, boots, etc).

New tires:


Today I started to realize that I am close to the end of the disassemble-all-the-things phase, and need to move on to the fix-the-things-so-they-can-go-back phase. As such, I dug out my ultrasonic:

Now I can break-down the various pieces and clean the snot out of them. Will be super valuable for the carb/brakes/etc.

Next up I cleaned up some of the timing belt covers so that I can reassemble the bike with cleaner parts:


Then I attacked the front brakes. I removed both calipers:


I had a pretty difficult time with the allen bolt on the top-left caliper. Lots of creeping oil and tapping until it let go. Will need to give it a complete cleanup. Front brake pads still had some wear left (will be replaced anyway).

I pulled off the front-brake master cylinder, both front brake calipers, the front brake hoses, the front fender, and the fuel filter tonight:


Overall things are going well.

Last week I attempted to sign up for st-riders.net, primarily to get in the queue for the alternator-installation-loaner tool kit. So far my account hasn't been approved; guess I need to DM Don.

Oh yes, I also got the swingarm lock removal tool from UK this week. Removal of the front tire/shocks, swingarm/alternator and the carburetors is _basically_ all the large removals I have left. After that lots of cleaning and slowly reassembling the beast.

Thanks for the info on the shift-linkage tuneup @Andrew Shadow - I wasn't familiar so I will be reading that.

Hope this finds you well,

BG

 

[smartiq]

The bad news; my wife woke up with a raging headache this AM. The upside; lots of time to garage today.

Today I walked into the garage with one goal; those carbs needs to come off. Now I am sure to many of the readers removing the carbs is old hat, but to a newb like me it is not. There was quite a bit of trepidation about removal of the carburetors; where do I pry, how much force "should" it take, etc. I had read through http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=10249.0 tens of times and read the Honda manual so I knew that thinking about it more would only cause more angst.

First I removed the choke cable and released the top ring connections on the carb boots. I put a short piece of 2x4 across the front member of the frame that runs between the carbs and the gas tank. I took a ~2.5 foot prybar and put it up under the plenum and pushed. First thing that I noticed that surprised me was that it was rock solid. For some reason I was expecting a bit of "jiggle", but it was like concrete. I put some force on the pry-bar. Nothing. More force. Nothing. Wiggle around the location, but keep the tip on the plenum. More force and I noticed I could see "fresh" metal on the bottom of the carbs as they slightly lifted out of the boots.

At this point, I departed from the st-riders tutorial and moved to the right side of the bike. I put the 2x4 piece on top of the right rail and pried on the plenum from the right side between both the carbs. With surprising little force required, I was able to pop the two right carbs out. I moved back to center (prying from where the gas tank would be) and both the left carbs popped. Success!

I removed the PAIR hose, the drain hoses, and the throttle linkage and poof:


Phew! First things first. Lets gently stop up the cylinders:


I tried to do this with surgical precision since my bike seems to have a lot more gunk in it than many bikes I see on here. I was super careful to insert the rag than expand it.

I then removed the heat shield:


Which exposed the rest of the goodies:


Note I plan to do cellophane and rubber bands shortly; just need to run to the store and get some rubber bands first.

After that I moved back to the reserve coolant take and removed the rear-brake line, the rear master cylinder, the reserve coolant tank, and the rear brake brake fluid container:


I also drained the rear diff.

I am working on establishing a beach-head for the attack on the rear swingarm. Before that project I need to have a better understanding of how the swingarm and the drive-shaft interact. As such, I am off to do more reading.

Later,

BG

 

[kiltman]

. Before that project I need

To order a new rubber boot for the drive shaft, and acquire a swing arm castle nut remover, or make one.

 

[smartiq]

Good day people; I hope you had a wonderful set of holidays. Mine found me visiting family as much as possible and not getting anything done on the ST.

Winter has set into the PNW and along with it large amounts of snow. My local municipality recently legalized ATVs for on-road usage (with exceptions), so I just finished road-legalizing my Ricon which took time away from the ST:

Notice the blinkers!


I also crafted a parts-washer (based off the Harbor Freight 20 gallon washer, but added custom nozzles and a filter):



Today I had some time to work on the ST so I started by removing the swingarm:


Now I have a clean view of the alternator:


I also took inventory and verified I have all the parts for the alternator upgrade:


Sending the email to @John OoSTerhuis and excited to swap out the alternator!

Only other things to remove (besides the alternator) is the front suspension/wheel.

 

[smartiq]

This week I had some evening time so I pulled the front forks and removed the front tire:




I have never had such good front-end access:


I did make an error though; forgot to break the nuts on the top/bottom of the forks before removing them. I had remembered in the AM and then I got into the moment and forgot . Oh well.

This week I ran the wheels/tires to the local shop to get swapped out (I swap dirt-bike tires but I pay for larger bikes). I also ran the radiator and the thermostat housing to the local machine shop where they are hot bathing the radiator and soda blasting the thermostat housing as it had a "bit" of buildup:


I was a little worried about this so I checked the hoses and dropped a borescope through a few things. Looks like the crystal growth is limited to the coolant/air interaction layer. The reserve tank didn't have any growth though.

A few of the radiator hoses are rotting. They are all going to be replaced.

 

[smartiq]

Today I learned that brake-fluid can turn solid:


Also fell in love all over again with my ultrasonic clean which turned the left pic into the right:


Then I moved on to my stock wiring harness:


Trimmed back a bit of the tape:


Removed a few extras that are no longer needed:


Created a few new extras that are needed:


Finessed a few things into place:


And completed a combo red wire bypass + 40 Amp Harness Attachment + OEM 55A Main Fuse + 30 Amp bike feed-fuse upgrade:


For anyone who finds this and is looking for electrical ideas here is a brief summary of what I did:
I stripped back the vinyl electrical tape exposing the harness and removed the "extras" as per step 16 of http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=942. Next I installed the OEM fuse with the shorter bolts (as per John's shopping list at http://koczarski.com/mmartin/JohnO_list.htm (see "If you use the OEM fuse box")). This is where instructions starting running thinner (or rather I couldn't find them so I started doing my own thing).

I made the small connecting wire between the battery connection on the right side of the solenoid to feed the bottom of the 55A fuse. I kept that lead super short and it has 2 layers of heat shrink since it is an unfused run to the battery. The top of the 55A fuse is hooked to both the 40A alternator feed and to the "red wire" from the original 4P red connector via a 30 amp aftermarket fuse. I had to slightly trim the rubber cover on the solenoid to allow a wire to leave via the right. The 30 AMP fuse I added attaches to the top of the 55A fuse and then hooks into the original all-red wire from the 4P connector:


The red/white wire I "capped" with tape as it no longer used but it would be hot (unless you pull the factory 30A fuse). I also capped the white wire from the 2P connector (which isn't as important since it is floating but uncapped wires are evilish).

I am happy with the results. It looks clean (to me), no more large current through the 4P connection (just the starter solenoid pins with smaller draw currents), The alternator can charge the battery at "up to" 55 Amps and I can now hook sparkles on to the top of the 55A fuse, I am keeping the harness wires fused at 30A (same as factory), and I have very little unfused wires.

 

[smartiq]

I have two questions for people. These are stumping me.

1) I think I should replace the Oil Cooler hoses. They are slightly bulging. They appear to be part numbers 19525-MT3-000 and 19520-MT3-000, but everywhere says "Unavailable". Are people using generic hose or ? Not sure what I should use to replace them.



2) There is a hose I need to replace that I _think_ is just referenced as "Bulk Hose, Vacuum (5.5x380):


It runs to the bottom of the thermostat housing. Is this just "generic 5.5 vacuum hose"?

Thanks for the knowledge,

Barry

 

[smartiq]

To order a new rubber boot for the drive shaft, and acquire a swing arm castle nut remover, or make one.

I'm happy to say I acquired the swingarm castle nut tool via ebay. I also ordered a new rubber boot as you rightfully recommended. Thanks!

 

[Oldbikefixr]

I have two questions for people. These are stumping me.

1) I think I should replace the Oil Cooler hoses. They are slightly bulging. They appear to be part numbers 19525-MT3-000 and 19520-MT3-000, but everywhere says "Unavailable". Are people using generic hose or ? Not sure what I should use to replace them.



2) There is a hose I need to replace that I _think_ is just referenced as "Bulk Hose, Vacuum (5.5x380):


It runs to the bottom of the thermostat housing. Is this just "generic 5.5 vacuum hose"?

Thanks for the knowledge,

Barry

My local Honda dealerships weren't much help with hoses, what they didn't have remained backordered. So, I bought all the hoses listed as bulk from local auto parts houses, they ordered some of the sizes for me without much wait time. Preformed hoses that are listed as NLA I got from local stores also....took in the old hoses and matched them up with bends (close but not exact) in auto hoses and cut them to length at home. I should have recorded the stock numbers for each but...guess what? Won't forget to do that again.

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

Nice work, Barry!

You can remove the white wire entirely. Save the white 6P with attached leads to donate to some poor STrider with a damaged one trying to keep his 28amper working. BTDT (stator too) You can buy Honda’s bulk hose part number to use for the bypass hose, or take the hose(s) to an auto parts store for metric coolant replacements. The OEM oil cooler hoses have a sheath, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

I’m enjoying this thread a lot… it’s great to see a classic 1991 ST1100 being restored to the operational fleet! The alt upgrade kit should be winging its way to you very soon.

edit: if the VRR was still working well it might be nice to donate it to STOC for a “known good” VRR that can be loaned to folks trying to troubleshoot their 28amp system. I had two loaners over the years that eventually were never returned and I was “ghoosted.”

Regards, John

 

[smartiq]

Save the white 6P with attached leads to donate to some poor STrider with a damaged one trying to keep his 28amper working. BTDT (stator too) You can buy Honda’s bulk hose part number to use for the bypass hose, or take the hose(s) to an auto parts store for metric coolant replacements. The OEM oil cooler hoses have a sheath, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

That's a good idea. I'll keep a box of extra "good" parts around and contact you after I am done to see what you want.

Thanks for the info @Oldbikefixr.

I'll take the hoses off and head to my local parts supply.

 

[TMF]

I have two questions for people. These are stumping me.

1) I think I should replace the Oil Cooler hoses. They are slightly bulging. They appear to be part numbers 19525-MT3-000 and 19520-MT3-000, but everywhere says "Unavailable". Are people using generic hose or ? Not sure what I should use to replace them.



2) There is a hose I need to replace that I _think_ is just referenced as "Bulk Hose, Vacuum (5.5x380):


It runs to the bottom of the thermostat housing. Is this just "generic 5.5 vacuum hose"?

Thanks for the knowledge,

Barry

I just dealt with that hose. Mine was and is quite rigid and broke when removing the thermostat housing. It's tough to get to on the engine side so I mickey mouse'd a new section on with a couple of clamps. There's nothing special about it. Doesn't seem to be formed. Just locate fresh cooling system replacement grade hose that can be pushed on and clamped at both ends.