Hello fellow ST riders.
Many of you may have heard of Larry (aka. Igofar or the OCD Garage) and some of you may have received his advice but how many of you have had your bike taken hostage? My bike was taken hostage (voluntarily) two weeks ago and I feel like I have a new motorcycle now. Larry forewarned me about having OCD and that he would find many issues with my motorcycle. His reputation on this forum preceded him, so I knew the job would get done right.
I have owned this motorcycle for almost 2 years and the previous owner(s) certainly didn't take care of it. I have performed some repairs/maintenance including the SMC failure which required me to rebuild front/rear calipers, replace brake lines, and bleed the brakes* earlier this year. I replaced my own fork oil but did a poor job aligning the forks, etc. For now I feel like I've won the Honda lottery now that Larry lives in AZ.
I reached out to Larry because my thermostat was not working properly. It was doing the 2-3 bar tango. I also thought the throttle body sync was needed because the bike wasn't as smooth as I thought it should be. A few additional things had to be fixed, see list below.
First day:
We disassembled the thermostat housing and found that the metal where the hose connects was badly pitted, which required me to buy a new one. This happened to be the root cause for the coolant leak which coated my entire engine. By the end of the day Larry provided me with a list of parts my bike needed. The list included some cosmetic items like a broken glove box along with missing screws/bolts/nuts/fasteners/etc, approximately $300 worth of parts. Larry also had parts available to use as needed. I ordered the parts from www.hondabike.com as they were reasonably priced.
While waiting for the parts to arrive ~2 weeks, Larry inspected and repaired everything else on my motorcycle. Larry provided me with updates on all the things he was working on including any new issues he found.
Last 2 days (2 weeks later)
I watched Larry bleed the brake system. There was a lot of air in the system, even though I though I did a good job ~8 months prior when I bled it myself. Larry showed me the proper way to bleed the brakes, using the correct technique and tools. *I purchased a tool which connects to the compressor to create a vacuum. I don't remember the name, but it left plenty of air in my brake system and I won't ever use it again.
I watched Larry install/reassemble the cooling system on the bike. I watched Larry perform throttle body sync.
I rode the bike for the first time and it was soooo nice. It runs awesome now and certainly looks better. The heat issue should also be solved. I'm sure I'll have more to say as I ride it more. Like I said, Larry did most of the work. I tried to help but I mostly watched and hopefully learned. I can only hope to be better prepared the next time I perform routine maintenance on my bike. Larry does not charge for the "job" being performed. He works for tips and genuinely enjoys working on these bikes. I am very satisfied with all the work that was done and my tip was a fraction of what the dealer would have charged me. Larry coulnd't have been nicer. Thank you Larry lets go riding.
Here is why I feel like I have a new bike (Items addressed while taken hostage):
ENGINE OIL – VALVOLINE HEAVY DUTY DIESEL OIL 15W-40
DRIVE SHAFT GEAR OIL 80W-90 WEIGHT
STARTER VALVE SYNC – NEW HOSES – CLEANED 5 WAY TEE
CORRECTED FORK ALIGNMENT
FLUSH & BLEED ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM
FLUSH & BLEED CLUTCH SYSTEM
REPLACED CLUTCH LEVER, BUSHING, BOOT, PLUNGER ROD
INSPECTED SMC – PASSED
REPLACED SMC NEEDLE BEARING BUSHING – PACKED WITH GREASE
INSPECTED ALL WHEEL BEARINGS – PASSED
REPLACED REAR DRIVEN (FLANGE) BEARINGS – DAMAGED
DEGREASED ENGINE & WHEELS
PRELOAD ADJUSTER SERVICE – ADJUSTED DAMPING SETTING
CHECKED ALL CRITICAL FASTENERS
COMPLETE COOLANT SYSTEM FLUSH – REMOVED SEDIMENT
REPLACED WATER PIPE HOSES
REPLACED T-STAT HOUSING & COVER
REPLACED T-STAT & O-RING
ADJUSTED COUNTER BALANCER ADJUSTMENT – OUT OF ADJUSTMENT
CLEANED & LUBRICATED ALL HANDLEBAR SWITCHES
ADJUSTED & LUBRICATED THROTTLE CABLES
REPLACED DAMAGED HAND GRIPS WITH NEW OEM HONDA GRIPS
MMO / SEAFOAM TREATMENT TO FUEL SYSTEM
CLEANED & LUBRICATED GAS CAP
CLEANED & LUBRICATED IGNITION SWITCH
TRIMMED CYLINDER HEAD COVER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO #4 PLUG CAP
ADJUSTED LEVER(S) TO RIDER ERGO’S
CORRECTED TIRE PRESSURE – BOTH VERY LOW
REMOVED DAMAGED ELECTRICAL STUFF
REPLACED DAMAGED GLOVE BOX & LID
LUBRICATED SHIFTER LINKAGE
INSPECTED GROUND WIRE(S)
INSPECTED WIRING HARNESS FOR DAMAGE
REPLACED DAMAGED MUFFLER GROMMETS
REPLACED MUFFLER CLAMPS & BOLTS
REPLACED SEVERAL MISSING CLIPS, BOLTS, SCREWS, & FASTENERS
ANTISEIZE ON BOTH AXLES
MOLY 60 PASTE ON SPLINES
CHECKED / GAP ON ALL SPARKPLUGS
CLEANED & LUBRICATED ALL BRAKE CALIPERS & GUIDE RODS
CORRECTED SIDE STAND DAMAGE
REPLACED WATER PUMP COVER O-RING
TIGHTENED ALL HOSE CLAMPS – CORRECTED COOLANT LEAKS
REPLACED BROKEN COOLANT OVER FLOW TANK
REPLACED DAMAGED DRAIN PLUG & CRUSH WASHER
REPLACED LEAKING K&N OIL FILTER WITH OEM HONDA FILTER
ALL HEADER HARDWARE WAS FOUND LOOSE
BOTH TIRES AT WEAR INDICATORS – SUGGEST REPLACEMENT ASAP
REAR CALIPER ROOF SPRING FOUND DISLODGED AND LOOSE
INCORRECT TORQUE ON SEVERAL CRITICAL FASTENERS – CORRECTED
CLEANED & POLISHED MUFFLERS
REPLACED MISSING MIRROR FASTENERS
WASH & DETAIL
Many of you may have heard of Larry (aka. Igofar or the OCD Garage) and some of you may have received his advice but how many of you have had your bike taken hostage? My bike was taken hostage (voluntarily) two weeks ago and I feel like I have a new motorcycle now. Larry forewarned me about having OCD and that he would find many issues with my motorcycle. His reputation on this forum preceded him, so I knew the job would get done right.
I have owned this motorcycle for almost 2 years and the previous owner(s) certainly didn't take care of it. I have performed some repairs/maintenance including the SMC failure which required me to rebuild front/rear calipers, replace brake lines, and bleed the brakes* earlier this year. I replaced my own fork oil but did a poor job aligning the forks, etc. For now I feel like I've won the Honda lottery now that Larry lives in AZ.
I reached out to Larry because my thermostat was not working properly. It was doing the 2-3 bar tango. I also thought the throttle body sync was needed because the bike wasn't as smooth as I thought it should be. A few additional things had to be fixed, see list below.
First day:
We disassembled the thermostat housing and found that the metal where the hose connects was badly pitted, which required me to buy a new one. This happened to be the root cause for the coolant leak which coated my entire engine. By the end of the day Larry provided me with a list of parts my bike needed. The list included some cosmetic items like a broken glove box along with missing screws/bolts/nuts/fasteners/etc, approximately $300 worth of parts. Larry also had parts available to use as needed. I ordered the parts from www.hondabike.com as they were reasonably priced.
While waiting for the parts to arrive ~2 weeks, Larry inspected and repaired everything else on my motorcycle. Larry provided me with updates on all the things he was working on including any new issues he found.
Last 2 days (2 weeks later)
I watched Larry bleed the brake system. There was a lot of air in the system, even though I though I did a good job ~8 months prior when I bled it myself. Larry showed me the proper way to bleed the brakes, using the correct technique and tools. *I purchased a tool which connects to the compressor to create a vacuum. I don't remember the name, but it left plenty of air in my brake system and I won't ever use it again.
I watched Larry install/reassemble the cooling system on the bike. I watched Larry perform throttle body sync.
I rode the bike for the first time and it was soooo nice. It runs awesome now and certainly looks better. The heat issue should also be solved. I'm sure I'll have more to say as I ride it more. Like I said, Larry did most of the work. I tried to help but I mostly watched and hopefully learned. I can only hope to be better prepared the next time I perform routine maintenance on my bike. Larry does not charge for the "job" being performed. He works for tips and genuinely enjoys working on these bikes. I am very satisfied with all the work that was done and my tip was a fraction of what the dealer would have charged me. Larry coulnd't have been nicer. Thank you Larry lets go riding.
Here is why I feel like I have a new bike (Items addressed while taken hostage):
ENGINE OIL – VALVOLINE HEAVY DUTY DIESEL OIL 15W-40
DRIVE SHAFT GEAR OIL 80W-90 WEIGHT
STARTER VALVE SYNC – NEW HOSES – CLEANED 5 WAY TEE
CORRECTED FORK ALIGNMENT
FLUSH & BLEED ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM
FLUSH & BLEED CLUTCH SYSTEM
REPLACED CLUTCH LEVER, BUSHING, BOOT, PLUNGER ROD
INSPECTED SMC – PASSED
REPLACED SMC NEEDLE BEARING BUSHING – PACKED WITH GREASE
INSPECTED ALL WHEEL BEARINGS – PASSED
REPLACED REAR DRIVEN (FLANGE) BEARINGS – DAMAGED
DEGREASED ENGINE & WHEELS
PRELOAD ADJUSTER SERVICE – ADJUSTED DAMPING SETTING
CHECKED ALL CRITICAL FASTENERS
COMPLETE COOLANT SYSTEM FLUSH – REMOVED SEDIMENT
REPLACED WATER PIPE HOSES
REPLACED T-STAT HOUSING & COVER
REPLACED T-STAT & O-RING
ADJUSTED COUNTER BALANCER ADJUSTMENT – OUT OF ADJUSTMENT
CLEANED & LUBRICATED ALL HANDLEBAR SWITCHES
ADJUSTED & LUBRICATED THROTTLE CABLES
REPLACED DAMAGED HAND GRIPS WITH NEW OEM HONDA GRIPS
MMO / SEAFOAM TREATMENT TO FUEL SYSTEM
CLEANED & LUBRICATED GAS CAP
CLEANED & LUBRICATED IGNITION SWITCH
TRIMMED CYLINDER HEAD COVER TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO #4 PLUG CAP
ADJUSTED LEVER(S) TO RIDER ERGO’S
CORRECTED TIRE PRESSURE – BOTH VERY LOW
REMOVED DAMAGED ELECTRICAL STUFF
REPLACED DAMAGED GLOVE BOX & LID
LUBRICATED SHIFTER LINKAGE
INSPECTED GROUND WIRE(S)
INSPECTED WIRING HARNESS FOR DAMAGE
REPLACED DAMAGED MUFFLER GROMMETS
REPLACED MUFFLER CLAMPS & BOLTS
REPLACED SEVERAL MISSING CLIPS, BOLTS, SCREWS, & FASTENERS
ANTISEIZE ON BOTH AXLES
MOLY 60 PASTE ON SPLINES
CHECKED / GAP ON ALL SPARKPLUGS
CLEANED & LUBRICATED ALL BRAKE CALIPERS & GUIDE RODS
CORRECTED SIDE STAND DAMAGE
REPLACED WATER PUMP COVER O-RING
TIGHTENED ALL HOSE CLAMPS – CORRECTED COOLANT LEAKS
REPLACED BROKEN COOLANT OVER FLOW TANK
REPLACED DAMAGED DRAIN PLUG & CRUSH WASHER
REPLACED LEAKING K&N OIL FILTER WITH OEM HONDA FILTER
ALL HEADER HARDWARE WAS FOUND LOOSE
BOTH TIRES AT WEAR INDICATORS – SUGGEST REPLACEMENT ASAP
REAR CALIPER ROOF SPRING FOUND DISLODGED AND LOOSE
INCORRECT TORQUE ON SEVERAL CRITICAL FASTENERS – CORRECTED
CLEANED & POLISHED MUFFLERS
REPLACED MISSING MIRROR FASTENERS
WASH & DETAIL
