Motorcycle Repair: 1984 Honda Shadow, banjo bolt, clutch plates

Question
QUESTION: OK, I have a few questions about my bike.  I have an 84 Shadow VT700 with 16K miles.

1.  I'm having a preignition problem.  I run premium through it, have ever since I bought it.  Even used octane booster with no effect.  The sticker on the bike says the timing is not adjustable. Any suggestions?

2.  The infamous tach question.  I have seen you comment on tach questions for my model, you've said that this year and model was notorious for weak solder.  My question is how do you get into the guts of the tach assembly to fix that?

3.  My clutch goes out after long rides, even on long highway rides.  Banjo bolt is tight.  Do I need to rebuild the master cylinder, or is there a simpler solution?

Thanks for your time.

ANSWER: Hi Keith,

Q:  1.  I'm having a preignition problem.  I run premium through it, have ever since I bought it.  Even used octane booster with no effect.  The sticker on the bike says the timing is not adjustable. Any suggestions?

A:  What symptoms are present?



Q:  2.  The infamous tach question.  I have seen you comment on tach questions for my model, you've said that this year and model was notorious for weak solder.  My question is how do you get into the guts of the tach assembly to fix that?

A:  Most gauges are sealed. Attempting to open them may result with damaged gauge housing. Some gauges can be opened and serviced.

With sealed gauges, the remedy is to test the gauge with a know good one (dealership luxury), or replace the gauge.



Q:  3.  My clutch goes out after long rides, even on long highway rides.  Banjo bolt is tight.  Do I need to rebuild the master cylinder, or is there a simpler solution?

A:  The usual cause is air in the system. Other common causes are worn clutch plates and springs.


Respectfully,
Mark Shively

Thanks for your time.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mark,  
Thanks for your quick response.

The symptoms of my preignition problem:  On hard acceleration, acceleration with a passenger or maintaining speed/accelerating on a hill, it sounds like sticking a metal strip in a fan.  It happens most when warm, but a hard acceleration will do even when first starting out.

Thanks again for your help.

Keith

Answer
Keith,

Timing is not adjustable. The engine should run well on regular unleaded.

Are you confident that the valves are not the source of the sounds? I believ the detonation would clear-up with higher octane gasoline and oc booster.

It's a bit of work, but please describe the appearance of the spark plugs.

For our convenience, reply directly to my email addy:

yamtz750@gmail.com

We'll go from there.

Mark