ST1300 (STX1300) FI Light: My Bike so Clever!

I tell you, nowsadays, the motorcycles are getting more and more kiang (clever).

My Vice (name of my ST1300) is so kiang until he knows how to tell me he want to Attend B (fall sick).

Can somemore troubleshoot himself why he is sick without going to Medical Centre.
And then talk to me on where he is sick so he can be easily treated in case kena some purn-tang (stupid) mechanic.

Kiang right?

You don't believe my ST1300 is so clever? I tell you my story.

FI Light Up

One day I was song song riding my Vice along Singapore PIE. Just normal cruising and not doing any hiong hiong thing. I looked down and saw on my dashboard the red Fuel Injection (FI) light is on.

I was very puzzled and suprised because my Vice has been so reliable so far. And even when the FI light was on, the bike felt like normal. So what is wrong?

I called up my bike mechanic. He is none under then the Looi's Motor's chief mechanic Meng Tong.

There is sign language, animal language and valgur language. Meng Tong taught me how to read bike language.

When the FI light lights when riding (normall it is off), don't turn off the engine.

Engage into neutral gear. Put side-stand down. Then look at the FI light. The FI light will start to blink. Count the number of blinks. Long blink equal to 10s, short blink equal to 1s.

Har? Zun boh? My bike so clever can send morse code back to me?

So I did exactly what Meng Tong told me.
Neutral gear. Side-stand. Then look at the FI light.

One long blink. Pause. Another long blink. Pause. Then short blink for six times.
Wah! I almost cannot believe my own eyes.
And my own brain got count wrongly or not?!
Don't worry. The pattern repeats again. And exactly the same pattern appeared.
The bike is telling me the magic number 26.
Wah, I know what '69' means but what does the code 26 mean?



At the Workshop

I brought the bike to Looi's Motor and asked Meng Tong to decode.
Meng Tong pulled out the Honda Service Manual for Shops and check up the Code.
It says possible Right Fuel Sensor error. Wah, I thought my bike only got the ECU niah and didn't know got this simi sai Right-Fuel-Knock-Sensor.
The manual then spells out in detailed step-by-step procedure to isolate exactly what is the fault.



















The Mechanic's ST1300 Bible.


So Meng Tong patiently and skilfully dissemble my ST1300.

The Right Fuel Sensor is just below the right cylinder head. First,trouble shoot if it is Knock Sensor itself is spoilt.


















Meng Tong trying to reach the connector to the Right Knock Sensor.



Meng Tong follow the procedure to test. Phew, heng chai the right knock sensor itself boh dai ji (no problem).

Next test if it is the EPROM spoil. Wah, I thought only those cheem cheem computer than got what EPROM. Didn't know my ST1300 also got EPROM. And I thought the EPROM would be located near the engine block.

Surprise suprise. It is located right at the tail of the bike. Machiam the little blackbox of a 747.















The EPROM is at in the tail light housing.



And when I saw the EPROM, my jaw almost dropped. Because there are like 1,000 wires running out of this fella. Make my ST1300 like some super cyborg like that.

















The thousand and one wires to the ST1300's computer brain.
So people are not wrong when they say my ST1300 is like a "Transformer".


Bit by bit step by step. Meng Tat was able to trace and isolate the error to this particular blue/red wire which connects the right knock sensor to the EPROM to be spoilt.

So he did a by-pass and hooked a new wire to connect the knock sensor to the EPROM. Test it and now everything works fine. Wah lah!!!
















Meng Tong connecting a new white wire to by-pass the burnt original blue-red wire.


So you see, I never bluff right?!
My Vice, and Honda, is really so clever.
For such a complicated and sophiscated bike like ST1300, can isolate and narrow down the fault to one particular blue/red wire. Wah, sibei kiang ah!

If not for this self-diagnostic capability, I tell you, any mechanic sure go crazy one because there is one thousand and one things to check. And the owner will also go crazy as the mechanic go tikam tikam (trial-and-error).


This episode makes me feel so good about the ST1300. Yes, it is a very expensive bike.
But this expensive bike backed-up by such fine details such as self-diagnostic capability
that few peope knew about and yet which is something that is really useful.

St1300 is really got liao (substance).




New Shoes

I fitted new tyres to replace my worn out Bidgestones BT-020 Battleaxe.

The new tyres are the BT-020 replacement, the BT-021 Battleaxe Sport Touring tyres.
















Vice's new rear shoe: Bridgestone Battleaxe BT-021.

















I like the new thread pattern of the BT-o21 over its predecessor BT-020.




I will tell you how they are next time.

I have used 3 sets of BT-021 tyres and I am so satisfied by them that I have not switched to other brands. The BT-021 is supposed to be even better than the BT-020.

You can read reviews about BT-021 at:
http://www.battlax.co.uk/news.asp#



The Sign of Things to Come: Piaggio MP3

Outside Looi's Motor, I saw a new shipment of Piaggio MP3 scooters.
















Welcome to a Brave New World.


The 3-wheeled Piaggio initially looks like some Frankinstein invention. A bike with 3 wheels, somehow just looks weird.

Even more weird is when the bike is stationary, it does not slant. Rider no need to put foot down. It stays upright.

















This bike has an engine grill housing its radiator, just like a car.
Note the twin front wheels.
And the brake disc in the inner side of each wheel.


















Whoever invented this stuff should be given a Nobel Prize.



I hopped onto the stationary MP3 and without riding it, I could start to understand its technology combines the fun of riding a bike and the safety from eliminating the danger of a falling bike. How marvelous!

If I have a wife, girlfriend or daughter that wants to ride a bike and I worry for her safety, I would introduce her to ride this 3-wheeled miracle.

The 400cc Piaggio MP3 sells for about $14,000. There are Class2b and 250cc versions which are even more affordable.