Motorbike Mechanics.

[NoshowJones]

With Honda agents, are some of their mechanics only qualified to work on bikes up to about 150cc or what?

The back tyre on my Forza has a slow puncture, but it seems it needs a new tyre. I live in a small town with only a Honda and Yamaha agent.

The agent sent me to a local motorbike company, they just waved their hands at me saying "no no".

I had to take my bike to another Honda agent in the next town 15Ks away to get it attended to. They have ordered me a new tyre.

Why did my local agent not order the tyre? I can only think that they are not qualified to work on bigger bikes.

[Kwasaki]

23 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Why did my local agent not order the tyre? I can only think that they are not qualified to work on bigger bikes. 

I have no idea why some Honda bike shops are so unhelpful.

You best ask local people where they go. 

 

Years ago i was fortunate enough  to find a rare Thai person who was a trained mechanic also had raced Honda bikes and repaired all types of bikes as well as honda.

 

Any bike shop around where we live will change tyres on any fonza is a much the same as any scoot. 

 

 

 

[In the jungle]

Does the Forza use tubeless tyres?

 

Many Thai bike shops do not have the equipment necessary to fit tubeless tyres. 

 

My local Honda dealership cannot fit tubeless tyres but the one in the provincial capital 25km away can fit them.

[Pooreye]

They may not have the proper tools for a good job. So they will end up with the painted Forza rim scratched, and an angry customer. Better safe than sorry = can not….

[soi3eddie]

Tubeless tyres are easier to fit than tubes. No special tools needed. An air compressor to inflate and a small amount of lubricant to help the bead seat on the rim. Rims, whether tubed or tubeless, should be protected when using tyre levers (or machinery). Used to be my job.

 

[VocalNeal]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

I can only think that they are not qualified to work on bigger bikes.

They can't be assed???? Take it to a Castrol Bike Point.

[VocalNeal]

12 minutes ago, soi3eddie said:

Tubeless tyres are easier to fit than tubes.

They might be but they are a bitch to get off unless workshop has a powered tire changer. 

[NoshowJones]

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

They can't be assed???? Take it to a Castrol Bike Point.

Will look into it. Thanks.

[Damrongsak]

Seems things are the same the world over.  There are qualified people and the rest of them.  My Bro-in-Law was a bike mechanic for years in Thailand.  No formal training that I know of, just a passion for bikes.  He had his own little shop for years in Loei and the foreigners would bring their big bikes to him for routine maintenance because they trusted him. 

 

Fast forward 25 years or so and he's now in the USA and finally got a job at a Honda dealership after years as a cook at a Thai restaurant.  He's so much better than the local "mechanics" at diagnosing problems and fixing things quickly.  The guys at his shop don't know how to properly change a tire, or true a wheel or sort an electrical from a carb problem. They depend on a plug-in computer thing to tell them what to do.  He can fix bikes, lawnmowers, generators, leaf blowers and chainsaws.  He fixes and flips cars on the side.

 

I don't know how you find a guy like that over there but by luck. 

 

 

[FriendlyFarang]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

With Honda agents, are some of their mechanics only qualified to work on bikes up to about 150cc or what?

The back tyre on my Forza has a slow puncture, but it seems it needs a new tyre. I live in a small town with only a Honda and Yamaha agent.

The agent sent me to a local motorbike company, they just waved their hands at me saying "no no".

I had to take my bike to another Honda agent in the next town 15Ks away to get it attended to. They have ordered me a new tyre.

Why did my local agent not order the tyre? I can only think that they are not qualified to work on bigger bikes.

Because they don't have the machine to get the rubber off/on the rim, because usually people don't go to Honda dealers to change tires, this is why even the Honda dealer in the next town who might have such a machine had to order the tire for you. Usually there are shops that specialize in changing tires, they have the machine as well as tires in stock.

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Because they don't have the machine to get the rubber off/on the rim, because usually people don't go to Honda dealers to change tires, this is why even the Honda dealer in the next town who might have such a machine had to order the tire for you. Usually there are shops that specialize in changing tires, they have the machine as well as tires in stock.

Thanks a lot. That was very helpful, but it means now I could run into problems if I was out on one of my road trips and needed a tyre I could hit problems.

How do other people on a bigger bike cope with this on road trips? I have had this bike for 7 years now, 46000Ks and this is the first time I have needed a new tyre because of some sort of damage.

[FriendlyFarang]

18 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Thanks a lot. That was very helpful, but it means now I could run into problems if I was out on one of my road trips and needed a tyre I could hit problems.

How do other people on a bigger bike cope with this on road trips? I have had this bike for 7 years now, 46000Ks and this is the first time I have needed a new tyre because of some sort of damage.

Every bigger town will have a shop with such a machine. It is by the way possible to get the rubber off with tire irons, the same way they do it with tires on a Honda Wave, but it's a pain in the ass, and they might be afraid to damage the rim, but if there is really no other option it's possible.

The bigger problem might be to find a place which has a tire for you in stock, but I guess for a Forza it should also not be too big of a problem.

But if you have a flat tire on a road trip, in most cases a tire plug will do the job and get you home.

[In the jungle]

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

They might be but they are a bitch to get off unless workshop has a powered tire changer. 

A powered tyre changer is exactly what they use for tubeless tyres in the big Honda dealer near me.  But they do not have a tyre balancing machine which I find odd as some of the Hondas sitting in their showroom come with wheels balanced from the factory.

[Kwasaki]

11 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

A powered tyre changer is exactly what they use for tubeless tyres in the big Honda dealer near me.  But they do not have a tyre balancing machine which I find odd as some of the Hondas sitting in their showroom come with wheels balanced from the factory.

Look on Utube how to balance motorbike wheels yourself, i can't be bothered to explain. 

 

Also little wheels on scooters don't necessarily need balancing when a new tyre is fitted. 

 

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

Thanks a lot. That was very helpful, but it means now I could run into problems if I was out on one of my road trips and needed a tyre I could hit problems.

How do other people on a bigger bike cope with this on road trips? I have had this bike for 7 years now, 46000Ks and this is the first time I have needed a new tyre because of some sort of damage.

I carry a can which blows up the the tyre and seals any punctures with in reason which can get you home. 

Or you can buy puncture repair kits but you need strong lungs to blow the tyre up after repairing it. 

[In the jungle]

42 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Look on Utube how to balance motorbike wheels yourself, i can't be bothered to explain. 

 

Also little wheels on scooters don't necessarily need balancing when a new tyre is fitted. 

 

I know how to balance motorcycle wheels myself I am just surprised that a big Honda dealer does not have specific equipment to do this.  I was actually thinking of bikes such as the CBR250RR when I made my comment about balancing wheels.  That is billed as a high performance bike and costs something like a quarter of a million.  There is one sitting in the big Honda dealer near me but they do not have the ability to fit tyres and balance them in the same way as the factory.  As an aside billing the current 250RR as a high performance bike is to my mind a bit suspect when you compare it to what Honda was producing back in the 1990s.

[Lacessit]

One goes to a Honda shop to get their Honda fixed. One goes to a tyre shop to get a tyre fixed.

Am I being too logical for this thread?

[Kwasaki]

22 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I know how to balance motorcycle wheels myself I am just surprised that a big Honda dealer does not have specific equipment to do this.  I was actually thinking of bikes such as the CBR250RR when I made my comment about balancing wheels.  That is billed as a high performance bike and costs something like a quarter of a million.  There is one sitting in the big Honda dealer near me but they do not have the ability to fit tyres and balance them in the same way as the factory.  As an aside billing the current 250RR as a high performance bike is to my mind a bit suspect when you compare it to what Honda was producing back in the 1990s.

I got my new tyres for my CBR900RR in Bangkok they balanced them up only because of the speed the bike is capable of. 

 

Cbr250 can balance yourself easy enough no problem. 

[In the jungle]

21 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I got my new tyres for my CBR900RR in Bangkok they balanced them up only because of the speed the bike is capable of. 

 

Cbr250 can balance yourself easy enough no problem. 

I have an NC30 and when I need new radials I put the wheels in the back of the truck and get the tyres supplied and fitted in Bangkok.  I can't remember the name of the area but not far from Hualumpong.

 

My point about balancing tyres is that if a dealer sells you a bike new with balanced tyres they should be capable of doing the same process when it needs replacement tyres. 

[Kwasaki]

18 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I have an NC30 and when I need new radials I put the wheels in the back of the truck and get the tyres supplied and fitted in Bangkok.  I can't remember the name of the area but not far from Hualumpong.

 

My point about balancing tyres is that if a dealer sells you a bike new with balanced tyres they should be capable of doing the same process when it needs replacement tyres. 

Yeah fair call,  when it comes to big bikes it's important not scoots that people are calling big bikes. 

[Kwasaki]

25 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I have an NC30 and when I need new radials I put the wheels in the back of the truck and get the tyres supplied and fitted in Bangkok.  I can't remember the name of the area but not far from Hualumpong.

 

My point about balancing tyres is that if a dealer sells you a bike new with balanced tyres they should be capable of doing the same process when it needs replacement tyres. 

The VFR750R (RC30) and the 400 is a blast and an icon as well, like my Blade it has nothing on it that an experienced rider needs it is perfection.

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

How do other people on a bigger bike cope with this on road trips?

I ride into the next town and go to a Castrol Bike point. If they can't/won't do it they will tell you where you can get it done. My bike has tubed tyres so I carry spare tubes, as although local shops can change them , they don't stock them.

[In the jungle]

9 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

The VFR750R (RC30) and the 400 is a blast and an icon as well, like my Blade it has nothing on it that an experienced rider needs it is perfection.

Agreed.  I think about the only areas where the NC30 falls down by modern standards are brakes and the fact that in my view ECU plus injection is better than carbs.

 

I have never ridden a blade but I would love to.  Especially fond of the first gen because to my eyes that is how a sports bike should look.  And super light by comparison with its contemporary competitors. 

 

 

[Kwasaki]

14 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

Agreed.  I think about the only areas where the NC30 falls down by modern standards are brakes and the fact that in my view ECU plus injection is better than carbs.

 

I have never ridden a blade but I would love to.  Especially fond of the first gen because to my eyes that is how a sports bike should look.  And super light by comparison with its contemporary competitors. 

 

I would only disagee with you on carbs over Fi and that's because i can fix my carbs as a mechanic that i use to be and not a "with the want of of better not so nice words" a computer spanner. ????????

[kickstart]

6 hours ago, In the jungle said:

Does the Forza use tubeless tyres?

 

Many Thai bike shops do not have the equipment necessary to fit tubeless tyres. 

 

My local Honda dealership cannot fit tubeless tyres but the one in the provincial capital 25km away can fit them.

Wife daughter runs a Fino ,they have tubless tyres ,she got a puncture ,local shop as above could not fix it ,and just took it to a  local car puncture/ tyre fitting shop .she said it cost her 200 baht,that hurt . 

[Kwasaki]

10 minutes ago, kickstart said:

Wife daughter runs a Fino ,they have tubless tyres ,she got a puncture ,local shop as above could not fix it ,and just took it to a  local car puncture/ tyre fitting shop .she said it cost her 200 baht,that hurt . 

Puncture on my truck was 100 baht locally, shoot them. ????

[In the jungle]

25 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I would only disagee with you on carbs over Fi and that's because i can fix my carbs as a mechanic that i use to be and not a "with the want of of better not so nice words" a computer spanner. ????????

I can service carbs too but on the NC30 it is a days work.  That is a pain.  If I used the bike more it would probably be much less of a problem.

[In the jungle]

13 minutes ago, kickstart said:

Wife daughter runs a Fino ,they have tubless tyres ,she got a puncture ,local shop as above could not fix it ,and just took it to a  local car puncture/ tyre fitting shop .she said it cost her 200 baht,that hurt . 

I don't know why but the average village bike shop freaks out when they see a car style tyre valve and they don't want to touch it.

[Kwasaki]

Just now, In the jungle said:

I can service carbs too but on the NC30 it is a days work.  That is a pain.  If I used the bike more it would probably be much less of a problem.

Yes as a mechanic sounds to me not using the the bike regularly you should drain the carbs when the bike is not used for long periods.

I start up my blade every 2 weeks if i don't ride it no problem.

 

[In the jungle]

2 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Yes as a mechanic sounds to me not using the the bike regularly you should drain the carbs when the bike is not used for long periods.

I start up my blade every 2 weeks if i don't ride it no problem.

 

I ride the NC30 probably a couple of times a year.  Draining the carbs would be a good idea but to do that I would need to remove a whole bunch of bodywork and it is all genuine 30 year old plastics by Honda.  Brittle as hell.

 

Carbs can be serviced by pulling the tank off but that can be done without removing most of the plastics.