88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (Full Version)

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88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues

  

jmanng -> 88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (5/21/2008 8:15:30 PM)

Took my 88 in for the safety inspection last Friday to a relatively local shop. The shop came back with 4 items to be repaired:

1. steering head bearings
2. chain
3. licence plate light missing ($10 fixed)
4. handle bar switch wire routing (fixed)

They offered to fix it up for $525 + taxes.  I told the shop that I would take care of the repairs myself.

I spoke to the shop owner and told him that I was very surprised that the steering head bearings were an issue as I had looked at the front end quite a bit.  He stated that the mechanic only felt it when he rode the bike, not when checking the front end and sweeping the steering from lock-to-lock (which is what the safety regulations specify) - couldn't feel it when he did that.  Anyhow, I want it right so I didn't pursue the discussion further.    I didn't also mention that I had had my friends brother, a license motorcycle mechanic of many years (now a parts manager) look the bike over the weekend before - and he did spend time checking the steering head bearings, forks and  brakes in detail (told me the rear calipers were a bit tight and could be a problem -  so I took them apart and got the varnish off of the caliper pistons - wheel spins much better now). 

I'm thinking that maybe he felt/heard the anti-dive brake mechanism on his road test (safety calls for a hard stop).  I say this because when I was prepping the bike, I had compressed the forks numerous times to check for fork oil leak (really pounded the front end down) and heard a sortof clunk of a spring.  At first I thought that I had a broken spring in the fork but after some time realized that the noise only occured with the front brakes locked and me pounding hard on the front end (static test of course)... Another friend of mine suggested that I look to disable the anti-dive mechanism, that's it's actually dangerous if you're cornering hard and it decides to become active? Any comments?

Anyhow, got the bike back home and took it for a road test.  There's no play, nor any noticeable detent when moving the steering at all - smooth as can be.   If it needs to be done, so be it, but when you can't feel it with the front end up in the air, leaves me wondering if the mechanic felt something else or has too much time on his hands?   Anyone run into a similar experience with steering head bearings, or know of a better method to check?

I also looked at the chain and tried to pull the chain away from the sprocket at the back - it's tight (I've been told that is how you test the chain for wear).  I've also looked to see if there was any damage to any section of the chain and again no noticeable defects.  

Luckily, my friend's brother will be stopping by tomorrow  so I'll  have a chance to get him over again and check things out with a critical eye... it will be real interesting if he doesn't think there's anything wrong!

Hoping that I can get this sorted out soon, and maybe the weather might start warming up too.

Thanks,

Jaime




  
michigan_313 -> RE: 88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (5/21/2008 10:52:08 PM)

i've never had a problem with the anti-dive thing on the oem forks. it would weep oil from time to time from that area, but never had anyone tell me that it would be a dangerous thing if it became active. frankly, i've read from past reviews that manufacturers that had the anti-dive mechanism in the 80's never really got it to work well or if at all. come to think of it, i don't ever recall my bike not diving under hard braking. and the diving only greatly lessoned when i rebulit the forks with stiffer springs.

for $525, you could easily knock out a couple worn bearings yourself.

the chain i check from the midpoint just to make sure the slack is correct. i wouldn't completely trust checking from the sprocket. this is because some lengths of the chain are more slack or tight than others.

rrasco -> RE: 88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (5/22/2008 6:51:21 AM)

Yeah, I believe you are supposed to have about 1/4" play in the chain.  I also check mine at the midpoint.

Gogar -> RE: 88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (5/22/2008 10:54:01 AM)

All I can add is:

Chains are cheap. If you think it's worn, get a new one.

As far as the SHB thing goes, You say the shop owner said:

He stated that the mechanic only felt it when he rode the bike, not when checking the front end and sweeping the steering from lock-to-lock (which is what the safety regulations specify)

Well, you need to let him know that he is supposed to pass or fail the bike based on what the safety regulations specify. Not what the mechanic "felt" when he "rode the bike." Sounds like an upsell to me.

If you are 100% confident with your skill with YOUR bike, just make sure everything on the front end is doing okay, and I say either take it back and TELL HIM you replaced the steering head bearings, or just take it to a NON-HONDA local shop, because there they don't really have the time or resources to screw with your 20-year-old bike.

Of Course, you can always just replace the steering head bearings, it will take time but it will be fun and you'll learn a lot and get confidence about the bike. Confidence about the condition of your bike goes a long way when you're going down the highway at 100 mph. (er, I mean, 55.)

jmanng -> RE: 88 Failed safety inspection - SHB & Chain issues (5/24/2008 7:07:38 AM)

Ok, here's the update:

SHB:  Recommendation was that I tighten the head bearings a little bit as they had a bit of bounce off of the steering lock, even though there was no play (and he said there was no way you would be able to feel a problem riding if you couldn't feel it just doing the test with the front end up in the air). 

So I tighten down the SHB, took much of the bounce out of it although there is still a tiny bit - I may try again.  It was just that when I tighten a fraction of a turn more, I could feel drag/resistance in the steering. 

CHAIN:  not too bad, although technically he said they were correct as when he spun the wheel and felt the chain at the midpoint, it did have some variance in slack.  He also told me that the problem was not necessarily the chain, could be either sprocket that has a highspot and how I could determine which. 

Now that I know how to check, I'll spin the wheel and mark the high-and-low spots to see it it follows either of the sprockets. The chain itself, looks to be relatively new as the indicator on the axle slider are sitting right on new chain and the chain slack is set pretty well. 

The good news is that I got the safety inspection done elsewhere yesterday and insured and plated! and I also learned a few things the other evening. 

The bad news was that once I got the bike back home yesterday, I wasn't able to take it out for it's maiden voyage - flooded the engine (choke isn't working correctly).  My friend was giving me the gears about honda's (yamaha nut)...  how so far the bike has done more miles in the back of his pickup that on the road... ya I told him, it was cheaper on gas that way ;).  and we did get out for a ride a little while later.   It ran fairly well and I've got to get accustomed to it, build up confidence in the bike's reliabilty and in my riding skills (it's been quite a while since I rode regularly).

Thanks for your inputs,




  

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