New to bikes need opinions

[Whiskerfish]

Go slow. Concentrate on one task at a time. Take lots of cell phone pictures. Do not force anything. Thinks may go sideways they occasionally do, don't panic, stop and ask questions. Start a thread in the restorations forum and plenty of good advice will be provided.

We all started off as novices and some of us had to learn hard lessons. But that is how you become good.

[Rat]

Experienced Supervisor ... 50 years experience supervising the best old Goldwing mechanics around ...

Will work for beer ...

Gord(references available)Jones

[robin1731]

Experienced Supervisor ... 50 years experience supervising the best old Goldwing mechanics around ...

Will work for beer ...

Gord(references available)Jones

I can vouch for him.

[Whiskerfish]

Experienced Supervisor ... 50 years experience supervising the best old Goldwing mechanics around ...

Will work for beer ...

Gord(references available)Jones

I can vouch for him.

Seconded

[Pb9717]

Congrats on the purchase. That bikes gonna be worlds of fun. I have nothing to add as the pro's above have guided you very well, and all I can do is recommend coming back when you run into a snag and ask for help. These types of forums bring out the best in folks. And ditto on the brake work. Those old rubber hoses can fail at the worst times. Caliper rebuilds are easy ( just two seals) and the rear master will likely be a bit messy internally as well if it hasn't been rebuilt once before. I would look for a craftsman torque wrench, and you'll need some ring clip pliers to remove some parts on the bike. Maybe a ratcheting breaker bar, and a 24mm socket for the rear axel. Harbor Freight may become one of your new favorite stores. Lotsa fun ahead. Enjoy you new toy. Many smiles await.

[Explorer]

And JIS tip screwdrivers, too. Although they look like Phillips head screws, they aren't.

JIS = Japanese Industry Standard.
____________________________________

This "may" be the best advise given so far in this thread.

Through sheer ignorance on both sides this is why Japanese bikes in general got a bad reputation from the seventies probably to this day. The Japanese didn't tell the western redneckese that JIS was different to Phillips, and the redneckese didn't ask. The upshot of all this was that all Japanese bikes where tarred with a reputation of being made of crap aluminum. If I've heard the quote "Screws wallow out as soon as you lay a screwdriver on 'em", once, I've heard it a hundred times.

If this unfortunate misinterpretation of facts hadn't happened, we'd all own a set of JIS screwdrivers and everybody would be happy.

Except of course for those hard nose Harley riders.

[zxWIZxz]

So I've started the job finally. Sort of. Lol. I am draining the oil and Coolant overnight. I want to take it super slow. So far I have a few questions. First, I plan on cleaning all of the bolts with brake cleaner and a toothbrush wondering if that sounds good or if there is a better way. Also wondering if I should clean the insides of the oil filter cap, coolant drain cover etc...
Lastly, I seem to be missing the "washer" that sits on the spring in the oil filter cover. The tutorial says not to lose it and that it's common for it to get stuck to the oil filter and get tossed. Not sure if that's what happened to it but I looked in the drain pan, on the filter. In the housing etc and I can't find it. Apparently it's been run that way since the last change atleast. Should I just go without or try to track one down?

[Sidecar Bob]

Your local Honda dealer should be able to get the washer for you.

If the bolt heads are just dirty/greasy I would clean them with mineral spirits and a brush, especially if you are cleaning them while they are in the engine (some brake cleaners can harm paint).

[Whiskerfish]

Yes the correct spring and washer are very important.

[toomanybikes]

First, I plan on cleaning all of the bolts with brake cleaner and a toothbrush wondering if that sounds good or if there is a better way.

For cleaning bolts, mainly smaller ones, I generally put them in a glass jar, spray with good amount of PB blaster, spin the jar around and let them sit. PB blaster is great, I buy it by the gallon, but be careful not to get too much in/on you. The "PB" stands for lead, not peanut butter.

If you take the radiator off for other reasons, do the water pump at the same time. Once you get to the pump, another important task will be cleaning the gasket surface without scarring the soft aluminum. The engine side will be trickiest since it will have less room to work than the cover you take off.

After trying numerous tools, the best one I've found is a carbide gasket scraper. But you have to be very careful because carbide will definitely gouge Al if attached from an angle. Many recommend plastic scrapers, but I've never found them to be strong enough to remove petrified gaskets from 40 year old bikes.

[flyin900]

A small can of aircraft paint stripper (1 Liter) or spray can is also good to have on hand. Hardware store is the source for me. I use it on those stuck on old gaskets with a small hobby paint brush used to apply it. It will soften the old gasket making the scraping much easier. It is great for removing old clearcoat first on aluminum covers that you wish to polish back to almost new again.

[Sidecar Bob]

I understood that "PB" stands for Parts Blaster.
The MSDS doesn't say anything about lead
https://blasterproducts.com/wp-content/ ... -12-13.pdf

[zxWIZxz]

Thanks guys

[zxWIZxz]

So I don't know if it's real or if my eyes are playing tricks on me. But it would appear as though my Oil has a green tint to it. Is this normal or should I be concerned? There's no frothiness or bubbles. Other than the tint it looks normal

[Explorer]

Duckhams Q oil is green, it's popular in the UK, maybe here too now IDK, but I can't think of anything in the motor that would turn it green.