Here's the corrections to his rant, for those who are interested (and Mike Nixon, if he cares to examine his errors about my book).
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-4 No recommendation for removing oil jets
My response:
Yes, they can be stuck in place. No, they were NOT pressed in. The sandcast’s were drilled holes.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-15 Use of calipers to measure a piston
My response:
Note I did that to show the measurements for the pictures, as most home mechanics will not have a full set of micrometers for this test.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-17 Use of Brake hone in a cylinder / Honing an in-service cylinder
My response:
Read the associated text: it states that if this much honing is needed, then the cylinders must be bored for oversize pistons. It does not recommend doing this and reinstalling rings.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-17 Use of a feeler gage to measure piston-to-cylinder clearance.
My response:
All of that auto parts shops here in Colorado sell feeler gages in sets that starts with 0.0005”, 0.0010”, and 0.0015” in the bladed collection. That’s close enough.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-25 Testing stator with an ohmmeter.
My response:
Honda’s Shop Manual CB750, pg. 91, bottom left corner picture, where an ohmmeter is being used for this test. Works for Honda…
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-31 Barnett spoken of in neutral terms.
My response:
I’m glad you like Barnett clutches. The Honda clutch runs over 100,000 miles in this bike if the oil is changed regularly – even after the first 10,000 miles were roadraced, as in mine.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg II-50 Vesrah spoken of positively.
My response:
Yep, and I’ll say it again. I have rebuilt nearly 200 750 engines (among others) with Vesrah gaskets and nary a leak. Honda quit making their gaskets available in the 1990s, hence my switch.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IIIB-11 Honing a brake master.
My Response:
Today, I’d recommend using the better ball hone. They were not common in 2006 when I wrote this book.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IIIC-6, Appendix B-3 Drive chains last only 2,000 miles: no instruction on lubing.
My response:
Maybe you should go back and read those pages again. The process is pretty well detailed there.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IV-9 Detonation and preignition confused.
My response:
First, do you mean Pg IV-8? If the chamber is heavily carboned, the proper term here is preignition, from overheated carbon deposits. Detonation occurs when the fuel mixture is so lean that it burns too quickly, like an explosion.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IV-9 “Don’t use gas preserver...it will cause all sorts of problems.
My response:
I stand by this, and practice it. ‘Tis true.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IV-12 Using a drill bit to clean jets.
My response:
You might wish to re-read that: I never said such a silly thing. The drill bits are needed for clearing corroded passages in the carb body and emulsifiers.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg IV-12 Spraying around manifolds method of leak detection.
My response:
While I agree that a ‘professional’ might not do this, not many of those are found in the average home garage.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg V-2 “Honda does not sell bullet connectors”.
My response:
At the time of writing this book, they didn’t. They stopped offering them in 1992. Through a petitioning campaign we started here at SOHC4.net in 2008, they did again, for a while (the book was published before then). My last request for some in 2018 received their “NLA” designation.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg V-26 Handlebar switch overly stressed by H4 headlight.
My response:
This is well-documented. The switches were rated for 50 watts, and 55w+ headlights burn the contacts.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg V-27 Endorses crimp connectors.
My response:
Yes, I do, as they are ALWAYS superior to soldered connections with wires, if done correctly. As an experienced, NASA-trained lifelong (60+ years) Electrical/Electronics/Controls mech-tech engineer, I can confidently say that anyone who solders a crimped connector is a fool. It destroys the seal created by the crimp while ruining the integral mechanical strength of the [proper] crimp. Use the correct crimper, or ELSE solder it. This is common knowledge in the engineering community.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Pg V-28 Endorses Chinese keyswitches.
My response:
Really? My copies of the book don’t say that. In fact, it rails against them, in plain text. (?)
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Appendix D-2 Promotes interference valve angle.
My response:
Where do you see this? My copies of the book don’t show that statement anywhere. (?)
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Appendix D-3 Promotes lapping valves.
My response:
This is the simplest way for the home mechanic to determine if the valve face is square to the shaft, or not. It also wipes away carbon and restores a decent seal if the face is glazed. As one engine alone may attest – mine – it has had the valves lapped 4 times in its 155k+ mile life, and they still seal yet.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Appendix D-3 Checking valve seal the liquid method.
My response:
This is routinely done in engine shops, including your local lawn mower repair place. It’s very helpful for evaluation of the head in your basic home garage.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Appendix D-5 Using the Sioux valve seat tool.
My response:
This has worked in bike shops since I started in 1969. Hard to beat for simple tools.
Mike’s criticism/complaint:
Appendix E-4 “Honda points are not durable”.
My response:
None of the copies of my book have that statement in them. And, I agree that they last a long time: mine now have over 44k miles on them – while powering my Transistorized Ignition.
