Chch Weds Maintenance Evenings 2010

[maxf]

Perhaps I got a bit carried away ....

... you needs to start with a nice clean bench and proceed in a orderly fashion or it ends badly.

And remember Murphys law when applied to DIY
- any part you need will be far away enough to be a PITA (at home, dealer etc)
- any unit that can explosively self-dismantle will (ping!)
- a good day is when you find ONLY one OTHER thing wrong beyond the first issue you started working on
- things always become more fragile in front of an audience. This rate of increase in fragility is demonstrably related to their replacement cost and/or rarity
- batteries always go flat faster when totally separated from any vehicle under repair

Max

PS the XL250RC would be a trip down memory lane - my second bike, did a full crankcase split on that - then went from a Honda 250 single dual-purpose to a BMW 1000 four-pot full tourer... bit of culture shock to say the least!

[bkker]

Fork seals
Carb balancing
Painting a fuel tank
Repairing crash damaged fairings

I wouldn't mind either seeing how those are done or having help doing my own. How hard is it to "weld" plastic? Would the equiptment for it be there?
Also would there be 2 stands to secure the bike for working on a front wheel? I've got a friend who can loan me one, but to be stable I guess there'd need to be 2.

[neels]

PS the XL250RC would be a trip down memory lane - my second bike, did a full crankcase split on that -

Any pointers?

[bkker]

I'd be interested in seeing a crankcase split as well.
Is it common for bikes to have trouble changing into neutral? Compared to some other bikes I've ridden mine seems to really dislike finding neutral when parking up.

[kerryhare]

Haha...why chocolate chip of course

okky doky.

[Flip]

ummmmmmmm choky chippy ummmmmmmmm.

[maxf]

Any pointers?

God - I meant memory lane, that would be about 89, so only 21 yrs ago!

Did have issues with the cylinder head - bolts gone soft and remember the bottom of the case was well filthy, could have done with a lot more degreasing before I'd got in so deep... lots of deep bolt wells. IIRC had to go in from the head down as the cylinder/head bolts went thru into the bottom of the case, designed to crush the halves together.

Had to split for the output shaft seal - which Honda retains by casting a rib into the outside edge, so to fit properly you've got to split - you can't just "drive" it in, although the dealer did recommend just slicing the rib off, and driving in with Loctite to hold (after prying the old one out with the old drill-and-use-self-tappers-for-leverage trick).

Did work from the Clymers, wasn't any big surprises from that IIRC - but only went just enough to take the top off, dislodge that seal and get it back together!

PS - remembered too - get a full gasket set, you may as well do valve seals etc while you're in there...

[maxf]

I'd be interested in seeing a crankcase split as well.
Is it common for bikes to have trouble changing into neutral? Compared to some other bikes I've ridden mine seems to really dislike finding neutral when parking up.

Neutrals can be interesting - and Google is your friend... It could be a known quirk with your bike/engine/gearbox, either from new or as they age. Most gearbox designs use a spring-loaded "detent" (ball into a dimple, arm/roller into a cam notch) to provide the positive lock between 1 & 2 that is neutral - if the spring is weak, ball sticking or worn, or edges wearing off the recieving dimple/notch then you won't have a definite neutral.

Could also be a factor of your clutch too, if it's got a lot of drag (even when pulled in) - the input gearshaft never really spins down, so it's always got some momentum to contribute to an overshoot; wet clutches do have this to a degree. Again, check the basics as per the service manual and see what you can find....?

HTH

Max

[neels]

God - I meant memory lane, that would be about 89, so only 21 yrs ago!

Did have issues with the cylinder head - bolts gone soft and remember the bottom of the case was well filthy, could have done with a lot more degreasing before I'd got in so deep... lots of deep bolt wells. IIRC had to go in from the head down as the cylinder/head bolts went thru into the bottom of the case, designed to crush the halves together.

Had to split for the output shaft seal - which Honda retains by casting a rib into the outside edge, so to fit properly you've got to split - you can't just "drive" it in, although the dealer did recommend just slicing the rib off, and driving in with Loctite to hold (after prying the old one out with the old drill-and-use-self-tappers-for-leverage trick).

Did work from the Clymers, wasn't any big surprises from that IIRC - but only went just enough to take the top off, dislodge that seal and get it back together!

PS - remembered too - get a full gasket set, you may as well do valve seals etc while you're in there...

Sounds like a doddle then.

The man at the honda shop mentioned the change seal without splitting crankcase method, followed by a disclaimer that it never really works. That's why it's the winter project to pull the engine, fix the stripped bolt hole in the head, replace the final drive seal and find the horrible noise in second gear. Then hopefully I'll get years of trouble free service.

[maxf]

Sounds like a doddle then.

Have a chat on Weds night - I'm the old fart with the blue BMW; if you can get the engine out & clean then if you can get it around my place for a day on the weekend I can probably help, even if it's just some strange tools & a second opinion - full in-fix-out for me was a weekend from memory (and at least your engine is only about 30kg, not >100!!). You do have the Clymers, right?

[maxf]

General thought (then I'll shut up, I promise)....

I've got a second gearbox here for the BMW, partially dismantled and so taking up more room. Would anyone be interested in seeing what's what? - eg types of gears, bearings, how the gears engage, splines, circlips, how to fit & remove seals etc - while I slowly put it back together. I can also bring along the Haynes & Clymers manuals too, so anyone wondering what they're like can also have a look to see how they match up to reality and what sort of accuracy they give for involved stuff like this... probably a good thing to think of and be confident in before you think of doing any of your own work!!

Would that be an idea? Even if it just ends up as a look-see opportunity, no timetable for getting it sorted from my end, bits can just go back in the snap-loc bags if needs be (shouldn't get in the way of any others needing help, I can just play with my blocks in a corner!)

[Flip]

Well this is where I also put my hand up as well.

I had a couple GSX750ES(G)s which probably had the same DOHC motor as yours. Think I also have the manual somewhere. If anybody wants to use my workshop they are most welcome, I have a shit load of tools and a hydraulic bike stand, however I do live in Diamond Harbour.

[JMemonic]

Well this is where I also put my hand up as well.

I had a couple GSX750ES(G)s which probably had the same DOHC motor as yours. Think I also have the manual somewhere. If anybody wants to use my workshop they are most welcome, I have a shit load of tools and a hydraulic bike stand, however I do live in Diamond Harbour.

Interesting, I am looking at a project involving a 1981 GSX750e and may need a little info of that nature.

[Spuds1234]

Well this is where I also put my hand up as well.

I had a couple GSX750ES(G)s which probably had the same DOHC motor as yours. Think I also have the manual somewhere. If anybody wants to use my workshop they are most welcome, I have a shit load of tools and a hydraulic bike stand, however I do live in Diamond Harbour.

Did you have the 2nd gear problem with any of your engines? I have a manual to, both a hard copy and a .pdf. The electrical diagrams are a life saver.

[Flip]

No, it was not an easy bike to get into neutral if the oil was cold.

About the worst thing that happened to one of mine was the fuel emptied itself into the bottom of the sump and I ran a set of cams and followers.