Just wanted to check in and give you all a quick update on my oil leak/ heli coil predatory mechanic situation. I went over to the shop yesterday prepared for the worst. As they wheeled my bike out of the shop and I got on to start her up I had visions of the engine exploding on 3rd avenue and covering me and all cars within 20 feet of me in oil. So, I started her up. She was very balky and even with full choke sounded weak and muffled. Idle increased slowly, but eventually picked up to 1200 or so, (my idle had intially been set much higher, and will almost always idle higher after she's warmed up, closer to 2k) I reached down to see if my pipes were getting hot and low and behold my first cylinder pipe was stone cold. Still I was able to get the bike into first, and it didn't seem to be hesitating or weakened. I stopped off at a friends house who lives by the shop for a few hours, and when I went out to start my bike the #1 cylinder pipe heated up the same as all the others. So, I'm thinking that there might have been a bit of gunk in a jet on the $
On Nov 12, 1:38 am, Dennis Hammerl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The $500 is start-up. Provided the parts I think it will need are available, > that's what I use to order them. You can go through that quick. Your typical > bike in stored-for-years condition needs tires, battery, carb clean, right > off the bat. Fork tubes may be rusted, seals bad. Head bearings may need to > be repacked at least, if not replaced. Brake calipers are an item > that may need attention. Most of us know about problems with rust in fuel > tanks. I spend a lot of time checking a bike over before starting any work. > Most often there will be unforeseen > items that come up. In all, it's not unusual to finish up and have spent over > a thousand dollars. The $500 keeps me from having money out of my pocket and > shows good intent by the owner. The restore that was stopped at 95+% was due > to the cam follower shafts not being available for an FT500. (quite rare, > made two years.) The parts were made by a machine shop but could not be > stellite coated. I got the blueprint spec for them from a contact at AHM. The > owner of that bike had almost two thousand dollars in it. That's paint and > all. Ground up restore. (That model was sold at close-out for $995 new!) > I believe anybody with the space and inclination can do anything. You learn > skills along the way and spend lots of time and money. It's a love-of thing. > Most of the cars sold at Barret-Jackson are sold for less than they cost to > build. You do it because you want to. > I will help anybody to save a bike. I just have no use for those without the > commitment to do it right. > I know that's not an answer to your question. Your bike would be miles ahead > because it is in running condition. I'm not into museum pieces, I like to > ride stuff. I settle for improved / original condition. I do like some of the > repaints that menbers have. I draw the line at $69 Ying Yang tires and K-Mart > batteries. No way. Over the years there has been wonderful improvements in > braking, lights, tires. If you're going to ride something, go first class. If > I had to spend $500 on a bike in service and running well, I'd upgrade those > things first. Anything to enhance safety and handling. I don't paint, I > farm-out. My specialty field is engine building. I mod street bikes for > increased drivablity. Making more low-end makes a bike on the street much > more enjoyable to ride. Now you should understand that my original position > was about non-running forgotten bikes that need a ton of work to make useful. > > --- On Tue, 11/11/08, hondaNHlover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: hondaNHlover <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Oil oozing out on my cooling fins....!!?? > To: "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" <[email protected]> > Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 10:35 PM > > Dennis, > > i understand your need to ask for $500 up front to prove sincerity of > purpose...assuming i had $500 up front, what would that get me on my > 1984 Nighthawk CB650SC...just for starters? i'm just asking because i > do want restore my bike, but I want to do it on my own....but i am > curious to know how much it would cost to have done by an expert/ > professional. > > thanks, > -hondaNHlover > > On Nov 9, 7:14 pm, Dennis Hammerl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> Keep us posted > about how this works out (or doesn't.) There is nothing > > humorous about your situation, I'd just try to escape with no more money or > damage. Too often, lessons are expensive. Yeah, I know all about the > "age" deal, there's a shop in Miami that won't touch anything > older than five years ! SNOBS. Push comes to shove, I'm two hours away and > I take charity cases.> # Note to HRM: You're one of the few who recognize > that owning old > > stuff requires extra effort to keep up. I respect anyone who accepts this.> > Because of my history on the local scene I'm often approached to get > > running some piece that has sat for years and years. After an evaluation, I > search the web for parts and advise the customer. If the guy is a total > stranger > to me, I ask for $500 up front to prove sincerity of purpose. To start a > project > like that, you have to be crazy, have too much money, or really love the bike. > (all of the above helps) Just because a bike looks cool or you got it for > cheap > (or free) is only the beginning. It takes more than one person to reach the > end > of a project, you need trusted, skilled people to make it happen. I have my > own > network of trusted contacts for help. In a place with 11,000,000, Emile is > alone. Maybe worse, it sounds like they're out to get him.> Whatever happened > to the guy who got the '86 700S for free ? I bet he > > found out how expensive it was going to be.> Yes, I work at a dealership (or > whatever you want to call us) but I > > haven't done anything here except give information. I'll share years of > my life's work with all, but I can't determine how competent anybody is. > > > --- On Sun, 11/9/08, emile <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > From: emile <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Oil oozing out on my cooling fins....!!?? > > To: "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" > > <[email protected]> > > > Date: Sunday, November 9, 2008, 12:40 PM > > > Yeah $65 an hour is pretty much standard here it seems. The guys I > > sent it to this time are NOT Honda Dealers. The biggest(best...) shop > > in the city didn't even want to touch it due to their blatant age-ism. > > Claimed they couldn't get parts even after I told them most were still > > pretty easy to find. There are a few other places including an actual > > Honda Dealer in Queens that I will consider for future emergencies. I > > went to these chuckleheads because they were the closest shop, and > > yeah, the repair was relatively straightforward for someone with > > experience... Ermm, maybe for someone with experience who gives a > > f*(&k and is not trying to put his kids through college messing up my > > 26 year old bike. I was planning on doing stuff like this myself, but > > didn't really want my first time to be out on Convent avenue and 149th > > st in the cold... (man if I had a nickel for every girl who's said > > that to me over the years) > > > > FYI: there are very few techs working that weren't in diapers > when > > > that bike was new. The average career of an MC tech is only three years ! > > > Ha. They had a sign up in the window saying "motorcycle mechanic > > wanted". > > > So, yeah DIY or die in the future for me. > > > On Nov 8, 8:16 pm, Dennis Hammerl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> > > Good luck escaping this mess. [EMAIL PROTECTED] is not too bad for NYC. IF > you were > > > > > getting what you paid for. first, the "seal" is the washer. > It's > > an aluminum crush washer or a copper one. I've seen both used over > time. The > > rest of the stuff is VERY suspect. I outlined the fix for that job > (I've > > performed it MANY times) Helicoil the bolt hole and reinstall the > headcover. > > BFD. It tears down in the frame and nothing has to be removed but the > headcover. > > A decent tech should spend no more than 1.5hr to complete. Sounds like no > work > > perfromed at all. Are these people really Honda dealers ? If yes, there is > a > > number for customer service to intervene. If no, why did you go there ? > All that > > aside, it's just another reason I didn't need to avoid the > > "city." From what you're saying, I wouldn't allow them > to do > > anything, especialy not get anymore money from you. (I'm also from the > > "speak English or GTFO" school)> Sounds like the horror > > stories about movers also apply to services. > > > > FYI: there are very few techs working that weren't in diapers > when > > > that bike was new. The average career of an MC tech is only three years ! > > > > --- On Sat, 11/8/08, emile <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > From: emile <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Subject: [Nighthawk Lovers] Re: Oil oozing out on my cooling > fins....!!?? > > > To: "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" > > > <[email protected]> > > > > Date: Saturday, November 8, 2008, 7:03 PM > > > > $65 an hour...should have mentioned that I had to have her towed in > > > too. They charged me $145 to load the bike into a truck and drive it > > > 20 blocks. Nice work if you can get it. > > > > Still, the bolt drama continues: When I went to pick up the bike, oil > > > was POURING out of the bolt...so I sent it back. Now they are telling > > > me that there was a failed seal on the bolt...but looking at the > > > diagram in the service manual there does not seem to be any seal at > > > all for that bolt, just a washer. Whatever. They put some loctite or > > > some silicone sealer or what have you on there and thought it would > be > > > easier to tell me there was a failed seal. > > > > But now, all of the sudden, they are saying that cylinder 3 is not > > > firing, and my carbs, which were rebuilt 3 months ago, are > > > flooding...it did sound weaker and quieter when I started it up > > > outside the shop, but this could have also been due to the RAPID loss > > > of oil pressure. They also said something about the air box not > being > > > connected, which sounds pretty suspect, as it was pretty obviously > > > connected when I brought it in. They might have been trying to tell > me > > > that the manifold boots are now cracked someplace (Isreali shop where > > > English is not the first language) and not sealing tightly on the > > > carbs. I have to go in on Monday and see what's what for myself. > > > > They want to charge me $275 to replace the gaskets and O rings which > > > seems fairly reasonable, but I still don't see how this will help > the > > > oil leak on the bolt, which was the main source of the leak. > > > > Moral of the story for noobs: do it your freaking self or find an > > > articulate and patient mechanic who understands SOHC4's. (about > as > > > common as the Loch Ness monster in New York City apparently) > > > > On Nov 7, 1:13 am, Dennis Hammerl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote:> > > > What is the labor rate there ? That's really salty for that > > ... > > read more » > > c9bb_12.JPG > 70KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. 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