Honda Spada, a periodic journal

2011-06-24T08:04:00.000+12:00

No - I haven't forgotten the blog. The Spada is currently sitting in the garage, waiting out the winter. The last summer was not conducive to good riding, but I got out a few times.

Hey - long time no see!!

2010-08-01T18:35:00.000+12:00

Well, I changed the oil in the ol' Spada today, and took it out for a quick run. It was an unusual warm day, unexpected for late winter.

More about fuel leaks

2010-03-01T15:38:00.000+13:00

A week after my last post, I noticed yet more fuel dripping from the under tank drain. So - time to get a genuine Honda o ring, I thought. Because there is no Honda dealer in Dunedin, I ordered it online; it had to come from Japan. The first one that was sent, got lost in the post. The replacement arrived on the 12th of February.
It didn't fix the leak......now the fuel tap was leaking! So - order a new one. They are still available - the part number is 16950-KY6-043.
This arrived on the 25th of February, and was fitted, along with new fuel and vacuum hoses.
Then today, I took the bike for its warrant of fitness test. It passed, and I had my first ride in over two months. Wonderful!

A little drip of petrol

2009-11-18T19:07:00.002+13:00

On Monday, when I opened the garage door, I noticed a petrolly smell....and there was a suspicious pool underneath the bike. I found that my fuel tap was leaking.

The tank is easy to remove from a Spada, just release the seat, and undo the one bolt uncovered at the tail of the tank. Pull the fuel and vacuum lines off the carburettor, slide the tank back, and it's off.

The joint between the tap and the tank was leaking.

Two bolts hold the tap to the tank....luckily the tank was only a third full, so I could stand it on its nose to remove the tap. The seal for the joint is an o-ring which fits around the filter block. The ring was flattened and brittle.

A visit to an engineering supplier with the old ring secured a suitable replacement. It was soon installed, and the tank went back on the bike.

Result.....no more leak.

Did I mention summer?

2009-10-30T08:22:00.002+13:00

So far it's been disappointing. And, to make things worse, yesterday the Waihola Tavern, a good place to stop for a coffee, was burned down. Oh well, such is life.

Summer will be here soon.

2009-08-18T08:09:00.000+12:00

The rear tyre has been replaced, and already has a few ks on it.

Winter approaches

2009-03-16T07:34:00.003+13:00

Mind you, even in the worst winter, there are still fine weekends for riding.

The bike is going well, but the rear tyre is worn. This I won't replace myself - I'll pay one of the local motorcycle shops.

Replacing fork seals

2009-01-16T08:14:00.004+13:00

I'm not going to provide a blow by blow description.

The bike has no centre stand, so you need a jack to lift it.

Remove the brake caliper, and support it with cable ties

After the fork leg has been removed, stripped and cleaned, you need to drive the top bush back in. I used a piece of 40mm plastic drain pipe to do this.

The new fork seal needs to be protected from damage - this can be caused by pits or marks on the top of the fork leg. I wrapped the leg in food wrap, which I oiled with fork oil before sliding the seal into place.

The seal was driven into place using the drain pipe, with a joiner on the end.

For complete instructions for this job, see the service manual.

Fork seals.....

2009-01-11T16:28:00.002+13:00

My right hand front fork has been weeping oil for some months, and I've been wiping a dirty ring of oil off the fork leg after each ride. Today, after a short ride I noticed a splash of oil over the dust seal. The fork leg makes a sucking sound when the forks are compressed, and when I was cleaning up, I found oil on the back of the brake caliper.

Looks like it's time to fit those fork seals I bought last year........

Is it really that long since I updated the blog?

2008-11-23T07:27:00.002+13:00

It's getting into summer here, so rather than write about motorcycling, I've been doing it.

The bike is going well, but sometime soon I'm going to have to fit new fork seals - I'll have pictures and words for this here, afterwards.

Two weeks ago, I went on a motorcycle safety course. It was informative, and a lot of fun. I'd like to thank the organisation who ran it, Ride Right Otago, for their efforts.

If you get a chance to do a similar course, take it. It may save your life.

A good weekend for riding

2008-09-18T08:19:00.006+12:00

The small city I live in is surrounded by hills, with many good winding roads through them. On Sunday, I rode south, past the village where I spent most of my youth, and then over Saddle Hill to Fairfield, and back to Dunedin.

On Monday (I work Tuesday to Saturday) I went north, up the harbour to Port Chalmers, and then inland on a back road towards Waitati, then along the old north highway (long ago bypassed by a motorway) to town. A very enjoyable ride.

2008-09-02T07:42:00.002+12:00

The workshop. I have lined the end of the garage with cheap wallboard, and painted it white. As you can see, there is still a lot of organising to do.

The new toy - a mini lathe. Now I have to teach myself to use it.

Now that winter's out of the way

2008-09-01T07:52:00.001+12:00

There will be more motorcycle riding. I've spent the last few weekends setting up a workshop in my garage, and installing a new toy. Pictures to come.....

Maintain your own Spada

2008-08-12T19:07:00.003+12:00

There are two main requirements for maintaining your own bike:

1 Information. I have linked in a previous post to a site which has the Spada service manual for download. This is not like a Haynes or Clymer manual, but it has diagrams of the subsystems of the bike, disassembly/assembly sequences, and notes of special tools, sealants and lubricants required. The Honda Common Service Manual is also useful. It is available as a free download, but I can't remember where mine came from. There doesn't appear to be an independently published manual available.

A Google search will provide some information - I found a Japanese site with overhaul pictures and story.
http://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://ameblo.jp/spada53/theme-10004394464.html&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=10&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dvt250%2Bspada%26start%3D330%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

2 Tools. Metric sockets, ring and open ended spanners are required. A good torque wrench is very useful. The spada has many bolts with hex recesses, so hex keyed sockets will be needed; good screwdrivers, and an impact driver.

Spada workshop manual

2008-07-13T18:45:00.001+12:00

Here: http://vt.tar.hu/manual_en.htm

Engine oil and filter change

2008-07-13T18:14:00.008+12:00

You can see here the oil drain plug, and the filter carrier. Remove the drain plug (17mm) to drain the old oil into your tray.

Then remove the 12mm bolt securing the filter carrier. More oil will drain.

Pull the filter off the bolt. Underneath the filter are a washer, and a spring. Remove the large o ring in the filter carrier, and replace with a new one. Honda part number 91315-MA6-003.

You should also replace the o ring on the bolt - but I didn't. Perhaps next time.

Fit a new filter. The Honda part number is 1524-413-000. I used a Hiflo filter., number 111.

Replace the drain plug, and the filter carrier. Torque them down.

Torque the drain plug to 27 foot-pounds, and the filter carrier to 13 foot-pounds.

Refill the sump with 2 litres of oil (less if the filter isn't changed). I used a non-synthetic 20W50 oil.

Changing the air cleaner element

2008-07-13T12:27:00.000+12:00

Remove the seat. Disconnect the fuel and vacuum lines from the carburettors. Remove the bolt securing the fuel tank, slide the tank backwards to remove it. This exposes the air cleaner box.

Remove the 8 screws securing the top of the box.

Lft out the old element, and fit the new one. Its part number is 17210-KFK-000.

Replace the top of the air cleaner box, the fuel tank and the seat.

Coming soon....change the engine oil and oil filter. Replace the fork seals.

My Honda Spada

2008-07-13T12:12:00.000+12:00

My Spada is a used import, from Japan. It has a low odometer reading, which may not be correct - the numbers do not line up, suggesting it may have been clocked.

On the other hand, there is little wear on the brake disks, and the bike appears to have its original rear tire.

Because I am unsure of the bike's correct milage, I have changed the spark plugs, the coolant, and the front fork oil. Some time soon I will have to replace the fork seals, as oil is leaking past the right hand seal.

Welcome

2008-07-13T09:39:00.000+12:00

I will be posting stories, maintenance details and data on the Honda Spada.