Really bad luck on my first ever bike............

My thoughts exactly. I've never heard such cr*p as what that shop told you. For a start if the cylinders were "locked up" you'd get no compression reading because the damn engine wouldn't turn, you'd just get smoke & a hot starter wire! For seconds using air to free valves might work on a MotoGP bike with pneumatic valvegear haha but these are just plain ol' mechanical ones 8O Like Fitz said, they just wanted to get rid of you 'cause they don't know how to maintain a real bike only plastic fantastic modern stuff :wink:

Seriously, just buy/borrow a compression tester, hook the bike up to a car battery (with the car NOT running) and see what numbers she really blows, then if they're really bad put a drop (no more than 2 teaspoons) of engine oil down the plug holes & go again 8) :wink: Post 'em up here and go from there, 10 minutes work fella.

I didn't give up when my frame/forks/wheel etc got twisted did I? C'mon ya know ya want to :lol: just think what you've put into the bike already, isn't it worth following through with your vision?

 

Yep. Man up. Get dirty. Learn something. Be proud. Ask questions. Listen up.
I've worked in a few shops. We never took in vintage bikes because they took up lots of space and lots of time. Parts weren't easily accessible. And we never made a profit on them. Sooooo. We charged an arm and a leg for minor services so we could at least break even. Want cheaper service?
But a newer bike. 5 years or younger. Your wallet will suffer. But if you just want to be a fair weather rider then do it up
Man up.
Or be one of those guys.
No one likes those guys.
-Chris

 

+1

If the engine is truly beyond hope (which it likely isn't) then you can head in with no fear of screwing it up.

 

What does the motor oil do for the cylinders during the test?

 

it tells you whether the rings or the valves are leaking. if the compression numbers jump up after adding the oil it has ring issues. if the compression numbers stay the same after the oil, then you have valve issues. this is all assuming that your initial compression readings are not within spec.

CN

 

the one big plus thing is that they still make lots of
new parts for these bikes
the demand is super high, so the keep making the parts
which means you don't have to use used parts

I almost bought a Hondamatic 450 til I looked at the parts pool
or more the lack there of them

don't give up.. yeah it may be frustrating
but everyone on here will help you

best of luck

 

All good advice, although some of it is slightly amiss.

The 20-valve, watercooled, shim-under-bucket "X" motor is nowhere near as easy to adjust the valves in as the aircooled XJs that most of us have. That being said, valve adjustment is still just a MAINTENANCE procedure; not a major overhaul. But it is time-consuming. And requires actual mechanic's skills; enough to scare off most shops when they realize what's entailed.

In amongst the enthusiasm to see you succeed is the information you need: get ahold of a compression tester, and run a series of compression tests. "Dry" first; then "wet" after adding a TEAspoon of oil to the cylinders. (ONLY A TEASPOON this is important.)

Then, having done the compression test, check the valve clearances. CHECK. This means you pull the valve cover, turn the motor over slowly by hand and use a feeler gauge to check the clearances against spec. NO BIG DEAL; the "complicated" part is the adjusting; and again it's not MAJOR just a bit more of a job than with the aircooled motors.

Then give us the results of the dry test, the wet test, and your valve clearances. From that data, a lot can be determined about the TRUE condition of the motor, and the best course of action determined. At least you'll have some actual facts to consider. The shop's story gets shadier the more we hear of it.

 

Ok. Thanks for the advice Fitz. I'm gonna tear into this weekend possibly and go from there I guess...still not quite sure though yet..

 

Heck, I wish I was closer so I could help, but Houston to Lewisville is a bit of a haul, even for a fellow Ag.
You have learned a valuable lesson, with few exceptions you will not find a shop that will do much more than tire changes for your bike. If it was a Harley, sure, lots of shops work on old HDs because they don't change much, but Japanese cruisers don't get the love. Heck, even first gen sportbikes from that era are starting to get some attention, but not the cruisers. What you should look for is a motorcycle salvage yard. By now, most of the bikes from the 60's and 70's will have been snapped up by collectors/restorers or gone to the scrap metal pile, which means right now they are typically full of 80's bikes. What that means is that often times the guys there will be very knowledgeable on what you've got. If nothing else, they might have some loaner tools and advice, the internets are great but face-to-face is still preferred.
Good luck, don't give up yet.

 

You can get a compression tester from O'reilly or AutoZone for free as part of their loan a tool programs. The first few steps as BF outlined are really simple to do and only take a few minutes. A fully metric feeler gauge is better, but a combo one will work as well.

Don't fear your project and you will find that you can do way more than you ever dreamed you'd be capable of doing. The members here can literally almost make you a moto mech with their advice/experience and if you take it to heart you will do it. YOU WILL RIDE SOON!! Best of luck.

 

Another further point that Fitz usually makes...these bikes were still designed for owners to work on themselves. If we add 5-10 years to the year, like with cars, you'd need a specialized shop just to change the oil!

No joke, my brother has a 2005 Honda Shadow and it's impossible to remove the oil pan screw, it's locked behind radiator hoses and exhaust (and no center stand). The local Yammy/Honda shop has a special tool just to remove those.

I can switch out my oil in about 10 minutes with an adjustable wrench.

 

Philistine.

Adjustable wrenches are how nuts and bolt heads end up looking like they've been chewed by wolves.

We're supposed to be setting an example here. The adjustable wrench belongs in the kitchen drawer, not your XJ toolbox. The only thing I use an adjustable wrench for is tightening up the fitting on my propane tank.

SIX-point sockets and combination wrenches are the only way to go.

 

True... Although I'm struggling to think how an adjustable would even fit without dropping the exhausts (bearing in mind mine may be slightly different, but still...)

I'd add that a Philips/jis screwdriver is useful to spin the plug out/in once slackened, and enables you to hold it against the sump when it reaches the end of it's threads so you can get hold of it & pluck it out of the way quickly without dropping it in the drain pan or getting (much) hot oil on your hands

 

sage advice

CN

 

His ad for this bike on the local craigslist has been renewed a couple times this week, just sayin'...

 

Spin-on oil filter conversion kit makes the entire oil change issue a moot point....

 

Maybe, but I said that for effect, to point out how EASY it is.

 

It's even EASIER with the right tools.

 

No doubt, but that doesn't make my first statement wrong. You're reading it for in the minutia, and I'm using a broader stroke.

It's better to work with a 6 sided hex sockets, but ever if you don't have that you can remove the oil pan drain with more basic tools yourself if you have to. That was my point; older bikes are designed, with some exceptions, for the average person to be able to do the maintenance.

You can't on the new Honda example I gave, which was a stand in for modern bikes.

While I'm a fan of exactness, there is a worry that we get so exact we scare people from actually trying things. Better to state "don't stress that part, you can make it work", so that when we speak of things that absolutely have to be done with extreme fussiness (valves, carbs, brake lines, etc) people are confident in their ability to take that step.

But you are right, the 6 hex socket is the best tool, and a 12 hex socket, adjustable wrench, vice grips, or channel lock may work but aren't as good.