I’m not quite done with the job, but I made some progress today. I got spark plugs out (one from each cylinder). The tool from Lowes wasn’t an exact fit, but it helped that it was slightly too large instead of slightly too small. I guess I still have to buy the right one from the Honda dealership for next time. I used my motorcycle jack to get the rear wheel off the ground, I put it in fifth gear, and I rotated the rear wheel until the marks lined up. Finding the markings was not easy since they are not directly lined up with the view hole. I adjusted the valves, reinstalled the valve covers, and reinstalled the spark plugs and the spark plug wires. Then it started to get dark, so I called it a day.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to finish tomorrow after work, but there is one hose I can’t find a home for. @Bladecutter, I’m hoping you know what it connects to. I’ve circled it in red in the attached picture. I don’t find anything that looks like it takes this hose on the air cleaner assembly or the bottom of the gas tank. Do you have any ideas where it goes? It connects to the carburetor and I think the other end is unattached where the crankcase breather hose on most bikes (but not this one) is capped for regular draining. Anyone got any ideas what it connects to?
I tried cleaning the plastic faux chrome cylinder covers, but they’re pretty weather beaten. I think I might leave them off until I am ready to sell the bike.
It turns out my new part finally shipped out on Friday, so I went ahead and reinstalled the plastic faux chrome cover over it. I figure at least it covers those two allen screw hole covers, so it seems to serve a purpose.
Today I finished reassembling the bike, reinstalling the air cleaner assembly, the gas tank, the seat, and all the cheap plastic covers except the ones that go over the valve covers.
Then I started it up, and I could hear the valves tapping. I checked the oil, and it was fine. Except for the tapping noise, it seems to run normal.
This being my first valve adjustment, I have a few questions.
Should I expect this? After all, my job was to put the crank pin in the right position (a different one for each cylinder), and adjust the valves so there is just the right amount of clearance between the valve stem and the adjustment screw. That gap (0.15 mm for the intake valves and 0.20 mm for the exhaust valves) is what I am hearing come together, right?
Could it be that even though I had the crank pin in the right position, the cylinders weren’t at top dead center when I adjusted the valves? I didn’t really understand the manual’s instructions to confirm “that there is slack in the rocker arms.” Come to think of it, there wasn’t really any slack between the valve stems and the adjustment screws when I started on some of the valves. I attributed this to the valves being out of adjustment, but it looks like I might have skipped an important step.
If the valves are now completely out of adjustment, how do I confirm, when I have the crank pin in the right position, that the cylinders are at TDC? Will there be more slack in the rocker arms?
BTW, I got the new hole cover in the mail today, and it’s definitely made of metal, not plastic. I wonder if Honda got smart about this part and changed the OEM specs for the replacement unit. I guess I’ll find out later when I get the old part out what it is made of.
Next time you shop for a bike, consider a Harley Sportster 883 or 1200 in the same size categories as 750 or 1100 cc Honda Shadows. You get hydraulic valve lifters and no cam chain to get noisy one day. Your problem with the plug, dealer expense to do valve adjustments or spending your time on it could have been avoided. You might appreciate not having to do valve adjustments as much as I do.
It may have been mentioned but I’d use a blade type or a sharp punch type cold chisel and a hammer to get the plug out. First pound lightly straight at the plug to start a notch at the outer diameter and then begin to angle the chisel so as to loosen the plug. The new plug will show the correct thread direction to loosen but I’d bet on it being a left hand thread. An air hammer at a low setting would make this interesting.
An alternative method would have an aluminum stub welded to the plug assuming it is aluminum, not Zamak or plastic. Then grab the stub with a vise grips.
@Whitey, wow, 0.15 and 0.20mm lash? I remember my old truck with manual valve lash at 0.06mm on intake and 0.10mm on exhaust. Must be due to it being air-cooled.
Also, I was taught to always check valve lash on a warm, not hot, engine. If you’ve got it running, let it warm up a bit before trying it again. The feeler gauge should have noticeable drag on it when the lash is right, not stuck, and not loose. And, confirming TDC on each cylinder is a very important step. You should not guess at this one or the lash will be wrong.
I redid the valve adjustments, and it turns out I did them correctly the first time on the rear cylinder, but I didn’t have the front cylinder at TDC, so I readjusted the front cylinder valves and my baby is running well now. I’ll take a couple pictures and post them soon.
I tried to use epoxy to affix the 10 mm allen socket attachment to the hole cover, but I was eager to get the bike back on the road, so I didn’t give it enough time to set before I attached a ratchet and tried to remove it. I might try again over the holiday weekend, and since I’ll be going to Jacksonville, I’ll see if I can find my father’s old oversized flathead screwdriver in my mother’s garage while I’m there. If I find it, and the epoxy doesn’t work again, I’ll give that method a try.
Nice looking scooter and also a very nice, detailed ad. The only thing I will add is that you need to keep an eye on the bike.
People who have no intention of buying the bike may be using the opportunity to check out the landscape with the real intention of returning later to heist it.
Maybe meeting a potential buyer in a public place would be a better idea rather than allowing someone to check out the area where it’s parked.
I lived in southern CA for a short time and every time I looked at a bike it was stated that a public meeting was to be held away from the home. Fine with me as I understand the situation.
I probably shouldn’t say this in a public forum, but the bike is fully insured, and if it were to be stolen, well, let’s just say it would save me the trouble of selling it. With this in mind, I haven’t been as diligent about locking her down as I used to be.
I appreciate the advice though. I guess I’ll lock her down so it’s obvious I’m not inviting people to steal her.
The area I live in is a pretty low crime area. I’ve lived in the area since September 2010, and the only people who ever messed with the bike were neighbors who sat on it while I was away, and that was in a far worse neighborhood than I live in now. If someone in this area is going to steal a motorcycle, I doubt it is going to be a nine-year-old 750 cc Japanese cruiser.
Seriously, thank you for the sage advice. However, I’ve already thought about that issue.
A friend who used to live out in the LA area had 2 Harleys and decided to sell one after running an ad with his address. A guy came over, asked to test ride it, and my friend said ok. Immediately after the guy rode off he thought WITH have I done and jumped on the other to run the guy down. The potential buyer and bike were gone.
The friend (a long time shop owner and cop) was involved in the biker culture out there and put the word out that he was going to inflict some serious damage on the guy when he found him. Next day the guy calls, brings the bike back, and apologizes because “I thought you were just some squid…”. They became friends and the ex-thief was a prospect for the most notorious outlaw motorcycle club out there. Names of clubs are not used for a reason but starts with H…
I actually thought the prospect was a funny guy and lunch at a businessman’s restaurant was a hoot with that guy. He wasn’t shy about doing something to garner attention; say scoop up a handful of fruit salad and eat it out of his paw or stir sugar into an iced tea with a Buck knife…
Stop by the hardware store. There are variations of “easy out” bits sold that’ll do the trick. There’s one I’ve seen on TV that drills a “V” in the head and has a reverse threaded “V” shaped threaded bit designed match the cut and grip the “V” hole. I’ve never used one 9I have easy-outs), but it looks like it should work pretty well.
I’ve used the slot method too, and that works, but you need the proper sized screwdriver to fit the cut slot.
I agree with waiting for the replacement part to arrive before playing with it. just in case.
@db4690, I almost was on his bad side one time but my friend the shop owner made sure that me and the other guy involved weren’t around when the prospect showed up to pick up his car.
The prospect owned a beautiful 1959 El Camino in medium blue metallic. Those cars were broad like others of the time and took a real stretch to get into the engine compartment.
The other guy asked me to bump the engine over with the starter for a minute. Unknown to him and me, his chest had dislodged the fuel line from the carburetor and when I hit the starter gas poured out and that baby went up in flames. By the time we got the fire extinguishers and put the fire out a lot of the rubber parts on top of the engine and about a third of the paint on the hood has been burned to oblivion…
The situation got resolved without anyone coming up missing…
Well, guys, I never got around to replacing that crankshaft hole cover, but I sold the bike today, and I threw in the new replacement part to go with it.
BTW, the original part was made of plastic, but the replacement part appeared to be made of metal. Thanks a lot to the cheap engineers at Honda!
