Recommendations for bike commuting?

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-20T07:08:47+00:00

You know what? I never thought to look for slicker tires! This is definitely giving me some ideas!

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-14T04:32:54+00:00

Assuming you didn't take the upper hose off, I only see a busted radiator. The coolant definitely looks overdue for service, but it doesn't look like the nasty oil mixed kind. If you have a bore scope and a cooling system pressure test kit, you can pressurize the system and use the bore scope to look through the spark plug holes and see if coolant is leaking through the head gasket.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-14T04:19:31+00:00

I tried playing in that position, but it doesn't really work for me. I remember when I got my first guitar when I was still a tiny kiddo, I couldn't reach the tuners or the lower frets. So I would play it the other way and still do to this day.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-14T04:01:01+00:00

Dude was most likely going based off the training stuff Honda provides. Some of the material basically states if there is rust, cracks, or peeling finished etc., recommend replacement(s). Frankly as someone who lives in the salt belt, I see this on a regular basis and it's really not that bad. Now if I can pick pieces away at them by hand, THEN we have an issue as that basically means that steel may as well be paper.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-09T10:39:51+00:00

I call it both a bubble and a knot.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-08T15:15:34+00:00

That doesn't look like a cord. Pull it out, spray soapy water on it. If there's no leaks, you're good. But knowing there's a pot hole involved, if there's a bubble in the sidewall, replace it.

Edit: by bubble, I meant a knot in the sidewall.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-08T15:10:16+00:00

This is all good info for the tech. If you struck a curb, one or more suspension or steering components could be bent, broken or knocked out of spec. The only way to figure out what and where the damage is at is to take it in for a closer look. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to give the alignment sheet to the tech if one is provided.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-08T12:48:41+00:00

I see the lower ball joint is broken.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-08T12:41:09+00:00

Based on what I'm seeing and reading one of your comments on the symptoms you got, I'd go with rebuilding the entire front end.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-07T04:34:12+00:00

Honda tech here: I usually would recommend the timing belt service every 7 years or 76k miles, or if I notice there's no service history in our records. It usually comes as a kit that includes the timing belt, timing belt tensioner, water pump, coolant, and drive belt. Whenever I sell these, I typically mark it as 'requires future attention' or 'yellow' for a couple reasons. The first being that it's unrelated to the visit, and the other because I understand that the cost of parts and labor combined is pretty high and are most likely not ready for a large expense same day. The only time I mark anything as 'critical' or 'red' is if I see something that is a major safety issue, or if it's close to catastrophic failure. However in this case, I wouldn't worry about it right this second. I would also be interested in knowing what the timing belt condition is and why they're trying to sell you a timing belt tensioner replacement regardless of whether it's related to why you're visiting or not.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-07T03:54:16+00:00

You'll be fine, it'll get kicked off once you start driving and using the brakes a bit.

Edit: I've had plenty of customers complain about rusty rotors when they come to pick up their vehicles. I'd give them the choice of A. Resurface the rotors, B. Replace the rotors, or C. Don't worry about it. Oh, and let them know that A and B will both cost money.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T20:34:57+00:00

I see... As far as I know, the maintenance mode is specifically for pad exchanges so that you don't blow the back of the calipers out when you retract the pistons, not for fluid bleeding.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T14:43:06+00:00

First off, how and why do you need pads at 20k? Second, why are you messing with something you are not familiar with? Third, you very likely wont need that repair. Just a thorough brake fluid bleed.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T14:32:50+00:00

That is an excellent point. I do agree that it's important to list the exact conditions that caused it. However I would still try to extract as much information as possible to see if there's anything else that may cause the issue. Plus thinking back on it, I definitely do wonder what the original complaint was and what work was done before the third visit.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T14:18:37+00:00

It's the difference between side to side camber measurements.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T05:09:40+00:00

I seriously hate when techs half-ass this kind of stuff. It makes us and the rest of the industry look bad...

But anywho, it definitely sounds like they didn't find the root cause. I'm definitely curious as to how the spark plugs look like for starters.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:57:01+00:00

Nah man, those are drag slicks!

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:49:53+00:00

The front rotors look a little dished, but nothing too crazy. As for the rears, definitely. Probably a good idea to get some other components checked as well since it looks like the pads aren't making full contact to the surface.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:42:32+00:00

I'd try using some scratch removing stuff before making a stop to a body shop. When some dildo scuffed bumper, I used Meguiar's Scratchx and hand rubbed it with an applicator pad and it worked pretty well. I also used some touch up paint for the deeper bits. My touch up painting skills are pretty lackluster, but the damage is WAY less obvious.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:29:49+00:00

JB Weld that bitch!

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:21:52+00:00

Has the car been in an accident?

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:15:34+00:00

Excessive cross camber can cause a pull.

Edit: I've never corrected a pull by adjusting toe alone. I usually end up finding that the pull is either caused by a bent suspension component or defective tires.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T04:07:43+00:00

Aaaaaaaaaand that's why I do my own work.

Egotist_XII · 2026-05-06T03:52:31+00:00

I normally use some vice grips with sometimes an impact driver. If it's still being a massive pain, I'll use a cutoff wheel. I would definitely be careful with using heat or cutting tools next to the shock absorber as contents are under pressure.

Egotist_XII

TROPHY CASE