Hornet Maintenance

[Trudes]

Thanks guys! It's more the oil filter, plugs etc that I'm concerned about as changing oil is fairly obvious, and also as I'll be practicing on the hubby's bike the first few times, I need to make sure I'm doing it properly otherwise I'd never hear the end of it!!

[merv]

For basic servicing of a Honda your owners manual tells you about all you need to know. It gives the service schedule in terms of kms and tells you basically what to do. (VFR and Hornet will be very similar in terms of requirement) You are lucky in this respect you have a naked bike, no fairings to remove.

I always buy a new filter every time I do my oil - why put new oil into a dirty filter I say and Honda recommend you always buy a new sump plug washer too, so at the price they are just do it.

Procedure is make sure you've bought your oil, filter and sump plug washer. I use Castrol GPS semi-synthetic available from Repco or Supercheap; filter and washer comes from dealer - if you can't be bothered going into the shop call Malcolm at Econohonda and he'll courier them to your door. Go for a quick ride to warm the engine then ride back into your garage and park ready for servicing. Go grab some newspaper to put on the floor under the bike, get your drain receptacle ready - I use an old 4 litre oil container with the top cut out of it - make sure you have a rag at the ready for wiping stuff. You'll need a filter removal tool - I use the strap type you can buy at Repco and a crescent spanner to operate it. You'll need probably a 17mm socket (I assume the Hornet is same as VFR) and bar to remove the sump plug and a funnel for the refilling of the oil. Loosen your filler bung, loosen your sump plug and get ready to put your catch container under it. Then finish undoing the plug by hand and when it comes out pull it away as fast as possible to avoid getting too much oil on your hands. (Its hot and carcinogenic). Wipe the sump plug and put it down on the paper. Remove the oil filter and be ready for oil to piss everywhere from that. Put it down with thread facing up on the paper too. Go have a cup of tea while the oil finishes draining.

Come back, wipe around the sump hole, fit your new washer to the plug after wiping it all nice and clean and screw it in and tighten it up with the socket and bar - don't overtighten, do it until it just feels like it nips up - if you are fussy you can get a torque wrench. Take the cap off your oil container, remove your new filter from its packaging, dip your finger in the oil just a wee bit and then wipe it round smearing a bit of oil on the filter rubber seal. Then screw the filter on by hand and tighten it no more than about half a turn from when it first binds on the seal - all by hand - do not use the tool to tighten it. Now you can start refilling the engine with oil. If you have a measuring device it helps to have a measure so you don't have to worry about constantly checking the level. I fill with about the amount it should take if the filter wasn't changed - usually about 200ml less - then start doing level checks just topping up from there. Once its full to the mark, then screw on the filler cap and run the engine for a while. Stop it and recheck the level because it will now have filled the filter and the oil cooler and you'll need to put a bit more in. Don't overfill because the oil does seem to kinda grow with initial use so just below the mark is where to aim and by the time you've had a couple of rides it will be sweet. I guess this is something to do with aerating or something but that's my experience. So now the oil is all done. You'll need to safely dispose of the old oil and filter - I tip my oil back into an old oil container and then take it to the local garage who do have a recycling tank - not many of those around these days.

OK plugs next - you don't need to replace them any more than recommended. How easy are they to get at. On the VFR its tank removal time. With modern ignition and fuelling systems, and these aren't two strokes, the plug gap hardly ever varies either so you probably don't need to touch them between changes (I'm not looking at my manual but VFR I think its recommended new plugs every 24,000kms or is it 36,000kms - check your schedule) The tools that come with your bike have a plug spanner that fits and typically they are smaller plugs than your basic car ones. Pull off the plug caps, they are different lengths so usually hard to mix up but if you aren't confident check their markings or mark them so you know where to put them back. Unscrew each plug and replace it - I normally do them one at a time so I'm not leaving the cylinders exposed for longer than they need to be. Check the plug gap on the new plug with feeler gauges to make sure its what is specified for your bike and adjust as necessary before you install them - you adjust with a small screwdriver or something like that but take care not to damage the electrode or the procelain if you have to do this. If the thread hole seems a bit dry smear a bit of copperslip or something like that onto the new plug thread before you install them. Tighten them up until they feel like they just nip up too - do not overtighten - you just want to compress the washers a bit and not strip the alloy threads in the head.

Air filter is probably a paper element type - you can replace that as often as recommended or for about the same price buy a Uni-filter brand or similar foam one that is cleanable if you can be bothered with dealing with the mess of spraying it with cleaner, then washing it out and reoiling it. The bike shops have all you need for this in spray cans. If you like clean hands just waste the money on a new paper one each time. Your aircleaner will be in an airbox under the tank I presume and will just require a few screws on the cover of the airbox undoing - Phillips screwdriver - and then just lift the filter out and replace it (or clean it once you've fitted a foam one). I fitted a foam one to the VFR and probably clean it twice as often as I replace the plugs. Fit the filter right way up/round and then screw the airbox cover back on.

You are unlikely to need to do much else to the Hornet engine over 100,000km except check the valve clearances. They are easy to check but if they need resetting you'll need to replace shims - at this stage you probably don't need to worry - that can be stage 2 of learning - as shim replacements is slightly more complicated than oil and filters.

Does this help or do you think you want to go further than this? I presume you are OK with chain adjustment, brake fluid levels and replacement and stuff like that. Any worries PM me. I'll probably be servicing some of our fleet between Xmas and when we go away on 31 December.

[Trudes]

Very cool Merv, thanks!! Actually sounds exactly like changing the oil in the car. Are the spark plugs the same as car ones too to change?

[merv]

Very cool Merv, thanks!! Actually sounds exactly like changing the oil in the car. Are the spark plugs the same as car ones too to change?

Yeah same to change but on bikes just generally a smaller diameter.

I've tweaked my message a bit after dinner so maybe have a look at that again as I've added to it. As I say any worries give me a yell. Our fleet of five bikes don't go anywhere near the shop - we do it all at home - must be Scottish ancestory eh, plus a trust thing.

[Trudes]

Thanks so much Mr Merv, I can't wait to start doing it for myself, not that I don't love the guys down at TSS, but I just want to know all I can about how my bike works and having some extra money to spend on bling for it can't be a bad thing either!!

[ceebie13]

Yeah... I'll second the praise Merv! A good easy read. I reckon I'll take charge of the CB's health too having read that.

Meanwhile, must fly. Having read your instructions, I feel the urge to go and wipe around my sump hole!

[Trudes]

Is that the technical term for it these days CB13?

[merv]

That's the story give it a go and if you stick to the simple stuff, which is all newish bikes need, you can't go wrong and you get to know your bike better and feel happy with what you achieve. Heed the warnings about not over tightening stuff as aluminium is not very forgiving. If in doubt get yourself a good torque wrench.

[ceebie13]

If in doubt get yourself a good torque wrench.

I've already got one...she's called Lynda.
Oh, sorry, I thought you said talk wench!

[Dak]

I can send you a full workshop manual in PDF format if you like.

Cheers, Jeff.

[Trudes]

Haha, funny CB, you know she may start un-tightening things on your bike for saying that.

[ceebie13]

Haha, funny CB, you know she may start un-tightening things on your bike for saying that.

She does that all the time when we are out riding... it's most embarrassing!!
She's just a tart!

[Trudes]

She does that all the time when we are out riding... it's most embarrassing!!
She's just a tart!

Oh my goodness you kinky lot!

[timorang]

Hi Dak, if you have the manual for the 900 (919) Hornet I would appreciate a copy. The email is tim.brenton-rule@landco.com. thanks. tim.

[rua]

timorang, I have a copy on disc, can post it if you supply address via pm, too big for my e-mail, keeps freakin out.