As I began to pick through layers of neglect and grime a
tragic story of abuse unfolded before me. There where leaves packed in around
the carbs and air cleaner, which leads me to believe it spent a very long time
outdoors. The seat foam was soaked with water, and it was covered with vinyl so
it must have taken quite a number of rain storms to have saturated the foam
like this. This neglect coupled with really bad maintenance left this bike in
rough shape. Despite all this it really ran pretty well, and only had 34,000
miles on her. Dozer also told me that the speakers where replaced. The audio
sounded really bad with buzzing and resonances everywhere. When I took the rear
speakers apart there where cheap flea market drivers in there which did not fit
the housings, subsequently they only had one loose screw holding the driver in
place, in short a real hack job. When I removed the front speakers they
appeared to be stock but the surrounds had long since rotted away and the cones
where torn. I ordered a set of J&B audio premium drivers and they made a
world of difference, they totally rock! I was also told that the brakes had
just been replaced, yet after only 1000 miles on the bike the brakes where
metal on metal, so if they where new brakes, I think they might have been made
of sidewalk chalk :-O. Here is a list of what I found on the first pass:
1. Rusted throttle control cables.
2. Speakers where shot.
3. Seat was soaked through.
4. Air cleaner element was clogged and black.
5. Cooling fans sounded like a chainsaw when they kicked in.
6. Brakes where shot.
7. Windshield was cut down and scratched up.
8. Gauge panel bezel was cracked and glued back together (
9. Radio mute kept coming on by itself.
10. When in a turn or over a bump the bike would shut down.
(Bank Angle Sensor failure)
Now after replacing the throttle cables, speakers, seat, air
cleaner element, fan assembly, brakes, windshield, gauge panel (only $60 right
from Honda). I still had an issue with the radio and the far more pressing
issue of the bike shutting down at very inopportune moments. The radio issue
seemed to go away after the connectors where cleaned and reseated. I was at a
GWRRA (Goldwing Road Riders Assoc.) meeting and mentioned the problem of the
random shut down to my friend Buddy. He proceeded to tell me that there was a
recall about 15 years ago from American Honda on the Bank Angle sensors and recommend
I checked that out. The very next day, Monday, I called Honda and they where
FANTASTIC! They ran my VIN and told me that in fact my bike had NEVER had this
recall work done. The purpose of the Bank Angle sensor is to detect when the
bike has been laid over and it shuts the engine down immediately. The sensor is
very similar to a pinball machine tilt sensor except that there is a very
viscous silicone fluid inside to dampen the movement. The problem is that the
early units leaked and without the fluid it was like riding a pinball machine
in traffic. I tried my area dealers, Riders World, North American Warhorse and
they both jerked me around, telling me that they would need the bike for 2 to 4
weeks to complete the work. I found the service bulletin online and the service
time was .3 hours, remove old sensor, put in new one, seemed pretty simple to
me, why 2-4 weeks? My friend Buddy had recommended J&B Honda in Berwick so
I gave them a call. They where FANTASTIC to deal with! They told me they had a
new Bank Angle Sensor in stock and all I had to do was ride down and they would
put it right in. I rode there, left them the bike, walked around the corner and
got a coffee, by the time I got back my bike was ready AND ROAD TESTED! I
cannot say enough about their service. Wilkes Barre/Scranton area dealers could
learn a thing or two from them.
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