Welcome to Spannerman, where all your mechanical woes are solved, advice given on what to buy and... well, just about anything along those lines. If you’d like some help, write to Spannerman c/o AMT, Locked Bag 12, Oakleigh, Vic 3166, or e-mail via: mct@traderclassifieds.com.au.

AGE DOES WEARY THEM
I have a 1982 Honda 750 (DOHC) and it’s very difficult to start. It has a new battery, leads and new plugs with the correct gap. The coils are good, too. There’s 180,000km on the speedo and she’s down on compression on all four cylinders. Any advice would be welcome.
Mark Edwards, Mt Evelyn, Vic

That mileage on an ’82 Honda 750 might be a world record, Mark. It, along with the CB900 and CB1100F, arrived on the scene when Honda was far more focused on selling cars. These bikes were a step up from the venerable single-cam engine they replaced, but allowing the engine to rev harder just wore it out more quickly. It was not uncommon for a DOHC Honda from the period to be using more than a litre of oil per 1000km from about 50,000km onwards.
I’m guessing your bike might already have had a rebore and is running oversize pistons. Even with a worn engine (presuming it’s cylinder bore wear and not head problems – if the low compression is evenly spread across the cylinders, it’s a good sign), it should still start. You’ve attended to the electricals so the next step is to check valve clearances. It’s possible the valves have recessed and clearances need to be adjusted. Valve clearances okay? All that’s left is carburetor tune and balance.
It must bemuse you to see single-cam Honda 750s in MT for eight grand and over, while you hardly see any early DOHC models at any price. Most have already gone to motorcycle heaven. If the bodywork on yours is good, it might be worth considering an engine rebuild, as it’s already a rare bike.

 

SHAKE A LEG
I’ve read a couple of stories about why MotoGP riders hang their leg off the bike during hard braking into corners. Geeze, it’s not rocket science – it’s because they’re riding at ten-tenths and on the limit. It’s just a matter of the body balancing itself and nothing else. Being an ex-racer myself, I think it looks untidy but, if it works for those who use it, do it!
Nick Gaiko, Cleveland, Qld

What amazes me about it, Nick, is that they can find the footpeg again afterwards. When my foot falls off the peg, I usually can’t. MT training guru and columnist, Steve Brouggy, has already speculated on the dangling leg in print and will no doubt report back as new information arrives. Until then, your explanation is certainly as good as any, particularly when you consider the physical forces the racer’s body is dealing with.

 

COMPARE THIS
I have two BMW F650 GS Dakars (2007 models) and I know my way around them both pretty well. While they started off performing and feeling much the same, one has become a little sluggish and makes a rumbling sound as it passes through 3000rpm. This is accompanied by vibration coming through the pegs and the seat.
The valve clearances are according to recommended specifications, it idles well, there are no fault codes and all the bolts are tight. The countershaft sprockets on both bikes appear identical in condition.
What’s the possibility of the vibrating engine being slightly unbalanced? As I say, its behaviour has changed over time. My dealer just says “they don’t all run the same”, but the difference is that I get red, raw feet after a day on one and not on the other.
Taco Otten,
totten@pb.com.au
 
Your bikes have Rotax engines, Taco, which have an enviable service reputation. I’m not aware of any gossip relating to quality differences in manufacture, particularly in relation to out-of-balance issues. Your dealer is probably right when he says “they don’t all run the same”, but they should all run well. Vibrations you can feel often come from the drivetrain rather than the engine itself, but worn chains and sprockets are rough over the entire rev range, not just during a particular patch. When you say “the bolts are tight”, I presume you mean the engine mounting bolts. These have a specific torque requirement and if you tighten them beyond that, the engine will pass more of its normal vibrations into the frame. Check that the mounting bolts are correctly torqued. If this makes no difference, get the fuel injection serviced. It’s a bit of a long shot but, particularly on bikes that aren’t used regularly, the gum deposits left from evaporating fuel can affect injection and, depending on throttle openings, this can cause vibration.

 

SPOILED FOR CHOICE
I’m currently looking at updating my beloved but long-in-the-tooth 1984 Suzuki GN250. In order of preference, I’m seriously considering purchasing one of the following sportstourers: Triumph Sprint ST; Triumph Tiger or BMW F 800 ST.
All of these have a different drive train. I’m concerned about chain wear and my inability to adjust chains correctly. I’m currently able to adjust the GN250 satisfactorily and the Tiger has almost an identical set-up. The Sprint has a single-sided swingarm. Does this make adjustment easier? The BM has a different system again. Your opinions on adjustment would be appreciated. What chain and sprocket life could I reasonably expect on the Sprint ST?
Ian Stove,
stove.ian@edumail.vic.gov.au

Yes, Ian, each of your preferred bikes requires a different technique for adjusting the rear drive. All of these bikes are a big leap from a GN250 and the Tiger would probably prove to be the most familiar, although a thousand times bigger and more powerful. Are you 6ft-plus? Regardless of the swingarm, what you’re looking for is about 20 to 30mm of movement in the chain when you’re sitting on the bike. Push the lower section of the chain up from a mid-point between the front and rear sprockets. You need to also keep the wheel alignment in mind – easier in some respects on the Sprint. The belt on the F 800 ST needs less adjustment but if you can twist the belt more than about 80 degrees, it’s too loose.
I love the idea that manufacturers concern themselves with weight and power comparisons and you’re wandering around showrooms looking at ease of driveline adjustment.
All these bikes are good. Your first pick is a fabulous bike that has some limitations in regard to suspension travel at flat-out road speeds (220km/h-plus). If that’s never your intention, you’ll love it, although the riding position is sportstourer rather than the old-English ergonomics of the GN.
If you ride the Sprint ST sedately and carry out proper chain maintenance, you could easily achieve 35,000km-plus between chain and sprocket changes. New X-ring and older O-ring chains will last 25,000km with substantial abuse.
Regarding chain maintenance, wipe the chain every couple of weeks with a rag lightly damped with the same oil you use in the engine. If the chain gets dirty, clean it with kero and repeat the procedure above. Over-lubrication is bad (sorry, spray-can distributors) as it becomes a magnet for road grit and this eventually destroys the chain and sprockets.
One last thing. Belt drive bike owners often freak out at weird noises from the drive system as the belt can become dry and start squeaking. The quick solution is to rub a cake of soap along the underside of the belt.
You can’t really lose with any of your choices, Ian, so go with your heart.

 

CHANGE MANAGEMENT
I recently bought a 1999 Ducati ST4. As part of new bike ownership I want to change the oil to synthetic, but I have no idea whether mineral or synthetic was used in the past. Would it be sufficient just to change the oil and filter or should I flush out the oil cooler and galleries? Thanks for your time.
Simon Nuske, Loch, Vic

Just the oil and filter will be fine, Simon, but make sure the engine is nice and hot before you dump the existing oil. It’s something everyone who buys a second-hand bike should do: change all the fluids so you have a fresh start on a service record. What synthetic are you intending to use? Keep in mind that Castrol is still a lubricant-only supplier and, despite now being owned by a giant fuel company, still knows a lot about motorcycle lubrication.

 

AHEAD OF THE PACK
Back when I did my learner’s course (2002), we were taught about the difference in helmets according to price. Cheaper helmets usually had cheaper materials. The cheap shells don’t really “glide” along the tarmac as comfortably as the more expensive materials and may cause neck injuries that more expensive helmets would help avoid.
For this reason I’ve always felt more comfortable with helmets in the $300-plus range. It may sound like a bit much for an open face but, as demonstrated by the $50 helmet “thrown in” when I bought my Harley-Davidson Sportster (and the $135 job I bought from the clearance centre at the last Melbourne Motorcycle Expo, which turned out to the be shop price anyway), much cheaper helmets are available.
My current mirror-finish helmet sets me aside a little from the normal black of the H-D majority but it has full-on padding that means I can’t wear sunglasses and need to carry a spare tinted visor. You don’t need a backpack with a pair of sunnies.
Recently, I found myself trying on an RJays Striker helmet. It felt like the facial equivalent of rugging up with a warm blanket and a hot cocoa. The padding pressed against my face like soft fingers saying, “Don’t worry about your head – we’ll take care of that – you just enjoy the ride.”
Next I got to try the new Nolans. I bought a Nolan a good few years ago and I still like it more than my current helmet. The small size (same as the RJay Striker) didn’t fit. Same with extra-small. The Nolans are upwards of $400 with the flip-up face and $350 for the solids. The RJays lid is “on sale” at my local dealer for $179 (which turns out to be RJays’ recommended price anyway).
See my dilemma? I don’t feel comfortable relying on a $179 helmet over a $400 one but the fit of the RJays one is amazing. I’m almost tempted to get one just to wear at home for the pleasure of it!
Has anyone at MT had any experience with RJays’ helmets and can you update me on any developments in the cheap versus expensive helmet debate?
James Rogers,
obsidion12@hotmail.com

As you can see, James, I’ve edited your letter, but it was great writing and I enjoyed the literature as much as the content.
I also enjoyed the dilemma your rider training instructor had when the perfectly reasonable question was asked regarding why some helmets only cost $50 and others cost $1200. His answer was rubbish but, as I say, understandable. If you knew exactly what kind of crash you were going to have, you could design a helmet just for that event. Unfortunately, that’s not reality.
Many manufacturers of helmets only have one shell (the outer, shiny bit). They vary the size of the helmet by increasing or decreasing the quantity of the lining. Part of the price difference between lids is the quality of this lining. A helmet that fits you perfectly in the shop may have a lining that compresses after just a few months, leaving a loose fit.
Even the very best helmet manufacturers only have three shell sizes, but that’s part of the reason why some are dearer than others. If the lining is too thick, your head will move around more inside the shell in a crash. If it’s too thin, you won’t get enough crumple protection. An ideal helmet will have a shell suitable for your head size and a lining to match.
The Australian Standard for helmets (AS1698) only specifies that it meet certain criteria and it’s difficult for riders to understand why a $50 helmet and a $1200 helmet can both be approved. The more expensive helmet may have a more suitable shell size and may have a better quality lining (it will be comfortable and safer for longer). The composition of the shell is a moot point but I’ve always favoured light fibreglass, something not available usually in cheaper helmets. I can’t prove, though, that my preference is any safer than any other shell material that complies with AS1698.
Fashion is important in price as well. Your ‘mirror’ open face would probably be available in plain for half the price. My current squeeze has a Wayne Gardner-approved Nitro helmet that fits her perfectly and cost $140. I don’t have misgivings about her helmet’s safety.
So, go with a helmet that has AS1698 approval and fits you the best, but big shell sizes that require lots of padding may not provide long-term service. You shouldn’t assume, though, that just because the RJays helmet is cheap, it won’t be as safe as helmets twice or three times its price. Courtesy of your letter, we’ll get RJays to send us a couple of helmets for long-term evaluation.

 

STATE OF ORIGIN
Does Hyosung supply those EFI engines to Suzuki for its SV650? I’m leaning towards buying a Hyosung GT650.
Michael Boencke,
Michael_boencke@hotmail.com

There’s a close relationship between the designs of the engines, Michael, but they’re manufactured separately. Hyosung and Suzuki have their development teams in the same building. Hyosung supplies a number of other manufacturers with its engines (the latest being Fischer in the US), but Suzuki still makes its own SV650 engines.

 

THE MYTH OF THE REPAIRABLE WRITE-OFF
As I trawl the internet for a used bike, there seems to be more and more repairable write-offs available. Some of them have obvious damage: bent fork, broken handlebars and the like. Others seem to have only cosmetic damage: fairing, footpegs, levers and mufflers.
Is this sort of damage enough to write a bike off? Is it a case of the insurance company not wanting to risk fixing the bike with the possibility of the frame or any other failure in the future being tied back to them?
I don’t see these bikes being advertised in MT. Is it illegal or just your policy? Would these bikes make a good project bike?
Greg Davis,
gregzx9@gmail.com

Here’s the thing, Greg: “repairable write-off” is not a technical term. Nobody from the Society of Automotive Engineers inspects, tests and measures the bike to say that it will it will still have its engineering integrity if you replace the tank, mufflers and paint. Anyone using the term “repairable write-off” is trying to make money from the sale. These people may (rarely) be insurance companies, but they’re mostly people who have bought bikes from insurance auctions or, occasionally, owners who can’t be bothered repairing them themselves.
Insurance companies will write off bikes occasionally because replacing the cosmetics is worth more than paying out the claimant. This tends to be the case with bikes that fall into the $3000 to $7000 bracket. Some of these MAY be good buys if all you’re after is a bike to ride and you don’t particularly care what it looks like. On the other side of the coin, if a $30,000 bike can be fixed for $10,000, the insurance companies will do it.
Nobody ever really knows what happens to a bike in a big crash. Older, steel-framed bikes could be straightened to acceptable limits with the judicious use of a crowbar, but you can’t do this with alloy frames.
Computer-Assisted Design (CAD), the trend from the mid-’80s, makes frames tremendously strong in their primary mode of operation, but hitting anything sideways after a crash will bend them, sometimes ever so slightly, and straightening them is a whole lot more complicated.
A better option will almost always be two bikes: a straight one with good cosmetics and a blown-up engine (cheap), and a cheap, crashed wreck with a functional engine. You can get a “repairable wreck” to run again and, perhaps, look okay, but, without a lot of expensive checking, you’ll never be totally sure that its specifications match the original.
We don’t have a policy on this at MT so you’ll occasionally see ads for repairable wrecks. Think carefully, though, before you commit.


SERVICE WITH A SMILE
I am the proud owner of a 1999 Triumph Sprint ST. I have just made the move to sunny Brisbane from Melbourne and I am looking for a good mechanic to service my last-born child. I would like to find someone trustworthy who won’t pull my pants down over price (unless, of course, I ask for it).
When stopped in city traffic, my bike heats up dramatically. It doesn’t go into the red zone but it does get hotter than normal. Any ideas?
Burge,
Damien.neale@brennanit.com.au

Triumph Australia probably hates this, but the service agent in Melbourne with the best reputation could hit a golf ball through the window of Triumph’s headquarters from his forecourt. Hi Charlie. Elsewhere, it’s probably hard to go past Triumph dealerships. It’s never going to be cheap but Triumph Australia will at least listen to your story if anything goes badly wrong, and will act to your advantage to protect its reputation if necessary.
I’ve heard good stories about Brisbane Triumph Springwood. When you take your bike there, get them to check the fan switch, which is supposed to engage the cooling fan at a certain temperature. It’s normal for the temperature gauge to rise when the bike is running but stationary as there isn’t any airflow without the fan to keep the coolant temperature stable. Your fan is probably working fine but the coolant temperature will be higher in Brisbane than it ever was in Melbourne.

 

Spannerman’s Soapbox...

Many years after its publication, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance continues to cause trouble. The MT office has been torn apart by bitter disagreement. Editor Blackbourn loves it while on-line editor, Guy Allen, thinks it should be the object of a global book-burning.
Reader Kevin Pippard is on Blackbourn’s side. “I use Pirsig’s story of his journey with his son from Minneapolis to San Francisco when I talk to my employees about ethical considerations when making choices,” he writes.
Blackbourn, clearly a man with too much spare time on his hands, is now reviewing a recently published book titled Zen and Now, which focuses on Pirsig and includes the phenomenon of motorcyclists retracing Pirsig’s Minneapolis to San Francisco route as a sort of pilgrimage.
I think ‘Zen and the Art’ is an interesting rather than great book. I like the idea of trying to find out what kind of person you are by retracing your past and interviewing people who knew you well.
Guy is right in some respects, though – it can be a tad tedious to wade through.
A real mystery, of course, is what kind of bike Pirsig was riding. He never names the brand but many think it was a BMW.
However, that wasn’t his bike. His companions on the journey rode a BMW. Based on the cover image on the paperback version and on some technical references to valve clearances, I always thought Pirsig made that trip an early example of Honda’s CB450 twin. Does anyone out there know for sure?