Make a Mechanic of You Yet
I know they were just letting me nibble at the bait, considering taking a big bite, when they’ll set the hook.
They, in this case, are the guys at the DOHC Customs forum, a web forum for owners–like me–of old Honda CBs, primarily of the Custom variety. That is, my bike is a CB750 Custom and there are also CB900 Customs, CB1000 Customs, as well as CB750K models and others.
A big part of the focus of this forum is helping owners keep their aging beasts alive. I had joined the forum in 2008 but had not been active.
I noticed recently that there was a good bit of oil collecting on the lower extremities of the bike, right around the centerstand area. Thinking I might be low on oil due to the leak, I checked it. Dang! It was way overfull! Did I top it off recently? Or did the shop overfill it the last time I had it in for work? I have no idea.
But the question I now had was, is all this leakage an indication of a blown seal? So I went to the forum to ask that question, and I also asked if it was something I could easily fix on my own. I’m not much of a mechanic but as broke as I am these days I wanted to avoid taking it to the shop if I could.
The answers from the forum were yes and yes. I was told it was most likely to be the shift shaft seal, which I have indicated in that photo above. That rod coming out right there is what the gear shift lever is attached to, which I had removed before the picture was taken. The seal is slipped over the shaft and pressed into place there in the engine body.
I plunged right in but quickly started catching all kinds of crap. It turns out I had not sufficiently boned up on forum etiquette and proceeded to annoy several of the guys, who didn’t hesitate to express their displeasure. The discussion was a little tense for awhile but I was properly contrite and we got past that.
The repair job was indeed pretty simple, although there were a few things I had to figure out on my own. And I did. I’ve worked as a tech writer and I know how people who know their subject really well can often skip over steps they take for granted, not realizing the uninitiated just don’t know these things, and therefore find a disconnect between steps.
So for the $6.43 the seal cost me I fixed my bike. And I learned a bunch, too. I wouldn’t object to learning how to work on my bike. I sure hate what I’ve had to pay over the years to keep this bike running. I know the guys on the forum are just waiting for me to take a bigger bite on this bait.
Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
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Biker Quote for Today
It ain’t broke ’til you can’t fix it anymore.
Tags: motorcycle repair
May 30th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
There is something satisfying when you fix something with a $6.43 part and learn something at the same time. Usually I learn that the dealership shop charging $90 an hour is living large. I am still amazed when I ride by a dealership shop on a Saturday morning and see 20-30 bikes sitting lined up waiting for them to open for $125 oil changes. The thought that usually goes through my mind is “pigeons”.
-Peace
October 24th, 2011 at 9:48 am
[…] oil and filters, and adjust the chain on my old Honda CB750, and that’s about it. I did replace the shift-shaft seal on the Honda […]