I got a literbike! Kind of...

[KawiKid860]

2002 Honda 919 so far I'm in love!





Picked it up for a steal of a price, just turned 11,000 miles today, needs a little TLC from being so old with so little miles. Only real issues are some very minor rust in the tank and it's sort of boggy/rough under 2500 rpms, likely caused by a dirty fuel system from sitting so long. Hoping some fresh gas and seafoam will help clear that up, if not I doubt it's anything major or hard/expensive to fix with so little miles. Gave the fuel system a pretty good basic check today and nothing seems amiss. Even the FPR tested fine, which was what I suspected to be the culprit. The tires need replaced asap too, they belong in a museum! The rear was manufactured in 2003!!! The front, a slightly less worse 2007 vintage... Surprisingly they still handle half decently but I'm grannying it through the corners until I get some fresh rubber on it. Suspension feels nice, need to figure out how to set the preload in the rear though. Is actually quite a bit firmer than my F4i was, but that bikes kit was fully adjustable and had a lot more miles on it so who knows how it was set up. Non-adjustable forks on 02/03 919s, but I don't lose any sleep over it. I just dream of riding it Handlebar is a bit bent too, but was planning on going with Renthal ultralows anyways, in matte black to compliment the subdued styling instead of dorky chrome. Not usually a fan of matte black on anything, but in factory form rather than rattle canned on a bare bones bike such as this, it works.

Tires aside, it seems to handle quite well and for something that weighs 485 lbs. It's rather nimble and I'm nearly as good at low speed maneuvers on it on day 2 as I am on my 500 which I have 3 years/20k miles of familiarity on. That's including the bogging issue which doesn't make low speed anything easy lol. You can sort of feel the weight at lower speeds, but once you're up and moving it carries itself extremely well. I forget how big of a bike I'm riding until I look down at the monstrous 5 gallon gas tank. MUCH much much much much easier to ride than a supersport, though I was quite comfortable on my F4i near the end of my ownership, especially after doing a track day on it. Seems like many people choose 919s as their first bike, and while it's easy to ride for a big bike, it's still not flickable and forgiving in the same way a smaller machine is. The bogging issue has caused me to accelerate more than expected on occasion and with 900cc and gobs of power at any rpm, for someone who doesn't know what they're doing that could be a major issue. Though most bikes are probably in better running order, an accidental opening of the throttle will do the same thing. Throttle response is pretty touchy too. Not jerky, other than the low end issues that wouldn't be present on a properly fueled bike, but very responsive. It takes very little throttle to make this girl move. Speaking of the power...

There are gobs of it. Everywhere. It pulls from 2,000 rpm in 6th gear with 300+ lbs of human on it like physics don't even exist. It doesn't have the arm-ripping-out-of-socket, tunnel vision inducing, ass sliding back on the seat, hold on for dear life, maximum warp, Scotty! Feeling that a 600SS does as it builds power and gets into its power band, lofting the front wheel if you're lucky. In fact it doesn't FEEL anywhere near as insane as a 600, but it is ridiculously quick. My guess is it's attributable to the combination of extremely linear power deliver, a plateau for a torque curve and a more upright seating position. You don't feel like you're riding a racebike on the streets. Twisting the throttle may not feel as visceral and insane as a 600, but the needle just eats up the numbers on the speedometer with no remorse. And downshifting is almost an insult. Torque is a wonderful thing my friends. This is all subjective of course, there are many faster, more powerful bikes out there. But I haven't ridden them. And chances are they aren't as simple, easy to work on, easy to ride or practical as this lovely machine. Honda did good on this one.

Anyways, I'm loving it so far despite it's age related flaws. Hopefully the bike will be all sorted out pretty soon and I can report back on how great it really is with some proper rubber and everything else at 100%.

[kdogg2077]

Looks like it's in great shape. Enjoy!

[cbinker]

those are nice bikes.

[Sirref]

very nice

[crazymadbastard]

Sweet ride!

[csmith12]

[capt_bugaloo]

While you're fitting new tires, you might want to change the oil, other fluids, check out the chain and sprockets, etc. if the previous owner let the tires go for 7+ years! who knows how long other items have gone without service?

[KawiKid860]

Yep already took care of the oil, cleaned + lubed the chain and set it to the right slack. I'll change the brake fluid when I have time and probably a coolant flush too. It didn't occur to me how much this thing must have sat when I was looking at buying it... poor bike!

[sharky nrk]

great bike, a looks like she could be personalized and spruced up with only a small investment. great platform.

[BoBO]

Cool ride! those things are fast.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Two friends of mine who work for local dealership have them. One rides it all year long and no issues at all.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by sharky nrk

great bike, a looks like she could be personalized and spruced up with only a small investment. great platform.

True, great platform.

Except for the horrible job some guys did on one on cafe racer episode and had the wrong wheel spacer causing Boz to crash.

[nickjpass]

The cords aren't showing - you're good.

[KawiKid860]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

The cords aren't showing - you're good.

Wouldn't be so sure about that, what should've been a power wheelie today ended up being my rear tire spinning like I was on gravel lol. Purchasing new tires tomorrow, probably gonna go with a set of shinkos. I'm not made of money and I don't need something that sticks like glue and wears out really fast, especially not with literbike torque and weight on it. Can probably just get some takeoffs If I end up tracking this beast this summer.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

The cords aren't showing - you're good.

not necessarily true, rubber degrades over time. Old tires are just as unsafe as tires without tread.

[nickjpass]

see signature

[Sirref]

there's a difference between sarcasm and being just plain wrong. At least within text

[KawiKid860]

It's all good I got your sarcasm haha. I just felt like posting about the sketchiness of the tire. That combined with the roughness at partial throttle makes me look like a complete squid every time I turn, especially slow speed turns like at an intersection. I remind myself of this squid on a Duc 848 I saw once, he had no throttle or clutch control and could barely turn so he basically sat there revving in the middle of an intersection, somehow managing to navigate himself left, then nailed it once he was going straight. Maybe he had bad tires and wacky throttle conditions too!

[KawiKid860]

Figured out my rough throttle issues, my TB sync was waaay out of wack. Well, cylinders 1-3 were all relatively close to eachother, with 2 being the constant one that you adjust the other to. However, #4 was reading 2-3x as high on my carb sync tool (motion pro sync pro, so no actual vacuum reading) Adjusted it back inline with the others, took her for a test ride and she takes off from idle like she's supposed to now, no stuttering or the bike seemingly revving itself, or my least favorite "sputter sputter sputter VROOM." Low speed cornering is much more manageable now too, the bike doesn't feel like it's running on two cylinders. Still doesn't feel as buttery smooth as my CBR did, but I think I'm just not used to the longer gearing of a big bike and the need for extra clutch work down low, plus the rotating mass in the engine seems to be much more than smaller bikes, It'll try and stand up and move forward a bit if I rev it on the side stand or at a stop light. She's got character

[Singh2jz]

Dat a$$! Congrats on the new ride.

[nickjpass]

I wonder if your bike would make a good stunt motorcycle...

[KawiKid860]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

I wonder if your bike would make a good stunt motorcycle...

Probably not, in comparison to a stunted out 600. This sucker weighs 485lbs wet, a stripped down, stunted out 600 probably weighs around 400 wet. This bike is already essentially stripped down too, so there isn't a lot you can do to reduce weight. The steel backbone frame on the 919 seems to be fairly robust, I've only heard one person say the frame was barely adequate for the power, everyone else says the frames very strong and very understressed, however the perimeter frame of a 600 is likely stronger, and probably gives better mounting points for a cage. Then it comes to the suspension, most newer 600s have decent inverted forks, this bike has (in my case) non adjustable 43mm standard forks, 04-07s got compression and preload adjustments that's it. F4i forks are a direct swap and give you full adjustability and 954/929 and RC51 inverted front ends are a little more work but essentially a direct swap as well. But you're still trying to hustle around a more difficult platform to begin with. As far as rear suspension goes, it's got an F4i swingarm but the shock is bolted directly to it, instead of having progressive linkage like the F4i and probably most other sport bikes. No idea how this effects handling or stunting, but the shock itself is adjustable only for preload and I've read that swapping in another shock designed for progressive linkage won't really work properly without revalving/springing it.

That all being said, I'm sure it could be done, and for someone that wants to be different it probably has been or will be done. Heck people have dual sported this bike lol. But if you want ultimate performance over style and probably a cheaper build too, finding a crashed/salvaged supersport is probably the way to go. I hear the hornet 600 is much more popular for stunting and hooligan antics though, probably due to weighing less and being around a lot longer. 600s in general are more popular for stunting than 1000s so it makes sense.

[nickjpass]

have you done any wheelies

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

have you done any wheelies

and if so, were they intentional

[exploring/carolina]

My neighbor bought a 2006 919 that sat in a garage most of it's life. Had rust in the tank, too. He ran it until it did not run well anymore, fuel filter became blocked. He removed the tank and cleaned the rust out. Did not coat the inside of the tank with POR 15. We replaced the fuel filter in the tank and the bike is running great. Only thing I would do differently is change the fuel filter right away and line the tank with POR 15.

Congrats on the new bike!

[KawiKid860]

I've tried a few wheelies.. power wheelies break the rear end loose, I'm too much of a wimp to get my clutch ups actually up, but they seem to make the rear end get squirrely more than actually raise the front. New tires going on in a week after my trip to Chicago, should have better results then. It really feels like the front wants to come up accelerating in first but then VRRROOOOMMMMMM no traction lol. I tried shutting then wacking the throttle open in 2nd today and no luck, but some guys say they can do 2nd and 3rd gear power wheelies so I probably need to sit back a bit more

[Alex]

[warlord]

LOL@alex

Are you trying to be a hooligan? I've had a few wheelie moment on my new bike as well but can't say I've actually been trying. I try not to crack the throttle hard unless I want to see the sky!

[KawiKid860]

I guess you could say I'm trying to be a hooligan. I find it hard not to on any naked bike though lol, I started wheeling and hopping curbs and trail riding on my 500, this bike just makes that stuff more enticing because it has a lot of power and a waaaay sturdier chassis. But it's also my daily rider (maybe not for long if I can't get better than mid 30s mpg) and I spent good money on it so I'm not trying to be stupid or push it too hard either.

[KawiKid860]

I got new tires on the bike finally... WOW. They're Shinko 011 Verges so not like the most super amazing tires ever, but even with only about 50 miles on them they feel amazing and had generally positive reviews. But now I can actually corner with confidence... these tires actually have some feel to them and grip! I "pushed" the old tires a few times and it was so sketchy because I had no clue how close to the grip limits I was because there was no feel and I knew their limits were really low. Pushing it on those tires was slower than my natural riding on the new tires.

In other news, I dropped it to third and punched it at about 70mph today and the front wheel left the ground. What have I gotten myself into... I REALLY want to track this beast.