Test Ride Finally !

[Bob_Roller]

Well, the R65 is finally roadworthy !!

Only took 9 months.

Went on a 20 mile ride, and no major problems yet, at least no leaks.

Carbs need a little bit of work adjustment wise.

Transmission shifts better than it has in quite a long time.

Cost of this lengthy maintenance cycle : $2000 !

Kind of ridiculous to put that much money into an almost 28 year old motorcycle that's barely worth $2500 !

Here's the work that was done :

Front brake pads replaced, EBC graphite, and EBC floating steel rotors. Brakes bled.

Front forks disassembled cleaned replaced all seals replaced, Progressive springs installed, gaiters installed.

Carbs disassembled, cleaned with an ultra-sonic cleaner, all seals and rubber parts replaced including throttle shaft o-rings, needle and jets replaced.

Cleaned and lubed all 3 throttle cables, all 3 choke cables, both cable splitters, throttle cam gears, cleaned and lubed clutch cable.

Rear mainseal replaced.

Transmission overhauled ( pre-emptive maintenance ) bike has 78,500 miles, and I had water contaminated gear oil for a few years until I figured out what the cause was, this caused rust damage to the bearings in the transmission.

Replaced the clutch, both pressure plates, and diaphragm spring, after a debacle with having them rebuilt, I don't recommend doing it !

Replaced rear fender for excessive cracking.

Rear tire and tube replaced.

Replaced both mufflers with eBay specials, Busso Decibel, a little lower exhaust note than stock.

More time was spent dealing with wrong parts sent, transmission problems after overhaul, and problems with the clutch overhaul than I really care to remember.

I've still got a few minor items to attend to, but nothing big.

A few nit-noid parts here and there that require replacement.

I'm just glad it's over with !

[Justin B.]

How did the ultrasonic cleaner work out?  I hadn't heard you bitch and moan about it so I bought the HF 1.5 quart industrial model when they went on sale ($139.95)  a while back.  What did you wind up using as a cleaner/solvent?

Glad you're back on the road...

[Bob_Roller]

I wasn't impressed with the cleaner that was supposedly for aluminum alloys, so I tried a cleaner that is intended for brass mechanical clock movements, and it seemed to work better.

The carbs were not dirty at all, I routinely clean the exterior and interior of the carbs with a generic carb cleaner that the chain type auto parts stores have on sale for about $1 a can.


It seems that aliminum needs a mechanical cleaning with a mild abrasive to the best job, I tried some aluminum buffing agent from work, and it does a fantastic job on areas where you can get a cleaning cloth into, but it's labor intensive !

[Justin B.]

I was more interested in getting te inside of passages clean, etc...

[Ed Miller]

Bob, did you have them upgrade any of the shifter linkage to the '82 on type?  Ted did some of it for me, though I didn't feel like paying for it all.  Me and you have expensive R65s this year, though I'm including my tow fee and truck rental fees because mine broke down on me quite a ways from home.  

A newly rebuilt tranny is nice, though of course I didn't realize anything was wrong until it was too late.  

Did you replace your fly wheel/clutch carrier as well?  I upgraded all my clutch parts to the later part numbers, they're visibly more sturdy.  

Now if my valve seat recession will hold off long enough for me to pay off fthe 2007 repairs!   :-/  Really though, no signs of it so far.  Have your valve seats been upgraded?....

[Bob_Roller]

Ed,

I didn't upgrade the shifter mechanism, I don't remember the exact cost to do so, but I think it was in the area of $250, didn't seem worth it to me. The mechanic that did the overhaul said that if I wasn't having any shifting problems, that it probably wasn't worth the extra cost to install the upgraded parts.

I didn't replace the 'flywheel' or clutch carrier, I brought it to work for a non-destructive test , eddy current, and dye penetrant, and no cracks were found, if I had found any problems, I would replaced it as well.

With any luck, I shouldn't be back in there for some time to come.

Also I learned of a new, well at least new to me , lubricant for the transmission input spline.

It's called Microlube GL261 and it is a BMW part. Cost is about $17 for a 1-2 ounce tube. It is specifically for transmission input spline lubrication.

The local independent BMW shop here informed me of this.

Got to go now, the CRX has developed a cooling system leak, multiple cracks in the upper plastic tank where the intake tube is bolted to it, been searching for it for about 6 weeks now.

[Bob_Roller]

I was more interested in getting te inside of passages clean, etc...

 Justin from what little I understand about ultra-sonic cleaners, is that they are surface cleaners.

The cleaning power comes from the bubbles in the cleaning solution, when they collapse, they cause the 'shock wave' that removes debris from the surface.

I don't think it would clean a blocked passage way, due to no cleaning solution could get in there to do any good.

[Ed Miller]

http://www2.partstrain.com/v5/products.php?N=0&Ntt=HONDA+CRX+1991+Radiator

...or is it something else?  Anyway, good luck with it.

[Bob_Roller]

Ed,

I bought the radiator from NAPA, I get a 20% discount for being a Southwest Airlines employee, NAPA has the national account for Southwest, for all of the ground vehicle maintenance.

I think the cost was just over $100, probably could have gotten it a bit cheaper if I had looked around, but I wasn't comfortable driving the car too far, and it's forecast to be a rainy weekend here in Phoenix, so I needed to get it now, as I don't ride in the rain, especially when the temperature is going to be in the upper 40's F.

If I didn't have air conditioning, I would have had the radiator out in less than 15 minutes, but the a/c lines extra cooling fan and wiring harness made more of a job of it than it really needed to be.

But it's done, and more importantly, it doesn't leak !!!

I guess it's common for the top tank to crack about 3-4 inches to the left of where the upper radiator hose goes on, mine was cracked almost 4 inches.

[Justin B.]

Well, crap, that's $140 down the drain.  I always thought that they were good at internally cleaning stuff as the solution could seep up inside passages and the high frequency vibes did their magic.  Well, guess I have something for the ol' lady to clean dilverware in...

[Bob_Roller]

Justin,

You could always go into the jewelry cleaning business, a quart of cleaning solution is about $25 a quart .

You mix up about 1/2 cup cleaning solution to 1 gallon of water.

It does an awesome job on gold and silver, and old coins.

[MrRiden]

Bob,
Hey, now that you have a real bike on the road how about meeting up and running out to Tortilla Flats*  one weekday when your off?
rich
*For those outside AZ it's a real place, no kidding!

[Justin B.]

I live about 10 miles from a wide spot in the road called "Whiskey Flats".