Motorcycle Repair: honda nighthawk s, honda nighthawk s, piston rings

Question
I have an 84 nighthawk s.  I couldn't get it started and after going thru a lot of trial and error had a guy at shop take a quick look at it.  He turned it over and said my motor was 'huffed.'   It seems that I have no compression in one of the cylinders.  He suggested that I look for the problem and then bring it to him because it would cost a lot for him to go looking for the problem which could be valves or pistons or rings.  He seemed to think that it could be a big problem due to the nature of the nighthawk s engine design.  I was wondering if you know what he means and if I would have much luck attempting some kind of top end overhaul to determine the problem.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Rob,

Find a Honda certified tech to diagnose the problem.

A cylinder, piston/rings, and/or valves may be worn or defective and causing the problems. To learn the cause of the problem, perform the following checks:

A cylinder compression check: to determine the condition of the engine.

A leak-down test: to determine which parts are worn.

Once you know the cause, repair accordingly.

If you want tech information on perfroming these tests, send me your email address as requested. I'll return several files to help you.

Respectfully,
Mark Shively