Hello. Ever since buying my first bike (Honda 919 / Hornet 900) in 2007, I've wanted a B-King. I saw my first one when getting the Honda inspected and immediately wanted it. Of course I kept the Honda for a while, learning to ride and learning how to work on bikes.
I looked at B-Kings for sale now and then starting last year, and when my wife asked again in February I found one for sale in New Jersey. This one was advertised at 686 miles, like new. I bought it less than a week later and trailered it back to MA (tolls in NY/NJ are rediculous!).
Being that it was winter, I didn't get to ride it until a couple weeks later. I noticed that it was low on power, slower than my Honda. There were a few other issues as well, but that stood out the most. My guess is that the bike was either left in a moist environment for a while (shed).
The dealer I bought the bike from had to change the gauge cluster prior to selling it, but couldn't describe why. I'm assuming it had to do with condensation affecting operation, as a small hole was drilled by the 8 on the tachometer. Anyway, here are the issues I had and my solutions:
1. Horn, high beam, and other small items not working. Solution was to clean connection points (connector pins, switch contacts, etc.). There was corrosion on many connector pins and left side switchgear contacts. I'm surprised at the number of non-weatherproofed connectors on this bike.
2. Low power: secondary throttles not functioning, stuck closed. Solution was to replace the throttle body assembly. During replacement I learned that the cylinder 1 primary injector was not plugged into the harness. After replacement, the bike started and ran great.
3. Exhaust valve not functioning, corroded. Solution was to remove the actuator, use hammer to open the valve where it now remains stuck. I made a EXCVA simulator, but after an unexpected short after a few rides, that no longer worked. I built another, but it seems that the input to the ECU has been blown. I have ordered a WRT flasher to shut this light off, and I guess I'll start playing around with other tuning feature (Dave, thanks for setting up the discount!).
Those were the major issues which led to some regret about buying the bike, but now that it's running well I love it. It'd be nice if it was in better condition before, but now I know so much about everything on the bike maintenance will be easy.
I looked at B-Kings for sale now and then starting last year, and when my wife asked again in February I found one for sale in New Jersey. This one was advertised at 686 miles, like new. I bought it less than a week later and trailered it back to MA (tolls in NY/NJ are rediculous!).
Being that it was winter, I didn't get to ride it until a couple weeks later. I noticed that it was low on power, slower than my Honda. There were a few other issues as well, but that stood out the most. My guess is that the bike was either left in a moist environment for a while (shed).
The dealer I bought the bike from had to change the gauge cluster prior to selling it, but couldn't describe why. I'm assuming it had to do with condensation affecting operation, as a small hole was drilled by the 8 on the tachometer. Anyway, here are the issues I had and my solutions:
1. Horn, high beam, and other small items not working. Solution was to clean connection points (connector pins, switch contacts, etc.). There was corrosion on many connector pins and left side switchgear contacts. I'm surprised at the number of non-weatherproofed connectors on this bike.
2. Low power: secondary throttles not functioning, stuck closed. Solution was to replace the throttle body assembly. During replacement I learned that the cylinder 1 primary injector was not plugged into the harness. After replacement, the bike started and ran great.
3. Exhaust valve not functioning, corroded. Solution was to remove the actuator, use hammer to open the valve where it now remains stuck. I made a EXCVA simulator, but after an unexpected short after a few rides, that no longer worked. I built another, but it seems that the input to the ECU has been blown. I have ordered a WRT flasher to shut this light off, and I guess I'll start playing around with other tuning feature (Dave, thanks for setting up the discount!).
Those were the major issues which led to some regret about buying the bike, but now that it's running well I love it. It'd be nice if it was in better condition before, but now I know so much about everything on the bike maintenance will be easy.
