These things don't really have lurking problems other than occasionally the wiring or R/R going bad, and unfortunately, even a brand new R/R can go bad as fast as an old one.

IMO based off the info you just gave me, if you asked an honest mechanic, he should say what I am going to say or he is not honest...

A bike that sat for a while needs the following...

-fuels flushed from tank/petcock/lines/carbs and carbs cleaned thoroughly, unless its all been sitting in new/clean fuel with stabilizer since your carb rebuild
-carbs tuned and synced due to her being "temperamental"
-oil/filter changed
-new battery
-coolant flush
-air filter
-spark plugs
-brakes checked, fluid changed.
-wheel bearings/steering bearings checked
-fork oil changed
-throttle/clutch/choke cables inspected/replaced.
-inspection of hoses, boots, exhaust for any leaks.

All this can be done for 750 easy, and hopefully you find a guy who will tune your carbs right. This will make your bike far more reliable and fuel efficient.

Now if you are PICKY as hell, you can have your engine pulled apart and have clearances checked and something worked on if need be. I had a buddy work for Honda for a long time and he said hes NEVER had to do anything to the engines. Honda builds their engines to last 200,000 miles easy. THIS is why I feel your rebuild is overboard. Your engine is fine unless you never changed your oil. The only thing you really need to have checked is all the fluids and outside moving parts, things exposed to weather and dirt.

 

EDIT i am assuming stopped riding it and parked it a year ago in good running order. in which case i personally would have just changed oil, battery drain all gas, ad some seafoam and fresh gas. push starter, if that doesnt work, bumpstart it, assuming you tried this ignore above. Since it is not running currently i would not expect the mechanic to lower the price since you rebuilt the carbs, that could be part of your problem right there, 90% of the time user error.

What dissevered said,

get bike running plus tune up plus anything else on that list.

I would personally have the valves checked if you do not have a record of them being done. If the mechanic is doing all the above checking the valves should only take an extra 30 minutes top.

dont show up at a shop and say I will pay 750 for all this, Ask for tune up, fluids, and close inspection, costs, itemized list for everything but getting it running.

i bought my f2 with 46k miles on it, dont worry about the engine/transmission.





PS. if your wanting to do a full resto and put 2500 into this bike, and not make it a garage queen you are high.

 

I track mine, and it has 55,000 miles and the valves are still in spec. Doesn't hurt to get it done, but its probably still a waste of money as it won't need it.


Yeah I didn't clarify that 750 would be a generous sum to pay a private mechanic. Don't go to a shop and tell them what you will pay. Say what you want done and they will give you a quote, you can't haggle with them, and I guarantee they will charge you a lot IF they tune your carbs correctly. A lot of shops half *** carb tuning and do it by the book in 1 shot and send you on your way.

 

Ok, now I'm starting to get the idea of about how much this service is really worth. Thanks! I now also realize that I was getting way overcharged by my old shop in San Juan. I remember a bill from what I recall a tick over $1000 for pretty much that list you wrote up there.

And it never ran very well after that service anyway. I'm sure there's an old post on the forum from me explaining all the stuff they supposedly did and why it was still turning off after about 20 minutes of riding. I took it back there a few times until finally it was recommended to just find a new mechanic. This shop was the most recommended in San Juan metro area - Mudafort, in case anyone here wants to avoid it. I'm pretty sure I spent a couple grand with them over the time in SJ.

Ultimately leading to my assumption that doing that whole rebuild package would run around 2500 plus parts. I'd still like to give it a head to toe, maybe leaving off the engine rebuild since you say I probably don't need it. The transmission, I know needs a new 1-2 shift fork, so i figured doing a full rebuild couldn't hurt it since it'd already be opened up. Having the axles and calipers rebuilt is more for my peace of mind than anything else, but I'd still choose to do it just to know it was done.

For the record, the carbs were rebuilt about spring 2009 +- , or supposedly at least. I only cleaned them recently when I started working on it again. I'm currently in process of refinishing the inside of my tank, as unexpectedly sitting for a year didn't do it any good whatsoever. That reddish brown goo that was probably gas at one time has been cleaned out, and once I'm satisfied with the rust removal, I'm probably gonna line it. After much q-tipping and scrubby-brushing, my petcock is now as clean as my realc***, but it too, was quite a mess when I started. So all in all, besides a good physical cleaning, I've done the things seemed to most affect my ability to get it started. Which it hasn't.

So that's where it stands... ultimately I wish I had time to do the stuff I see all of you guys doing in your Rebuild Threads, but since I don't anymore, I figured the next best thing is to treat it to that service.

Figures... when I lived in SJ I had all the time in the world to work on it myself, but lacked any garage/space/facilities to do so; now that I live over here, I have both indoor and outdoor space to do this, but not the time.

Anyway, looks like I've got a better idea of about what it'd cost to do this, so I really appreciate all your help. With the money I save I'll be sure to invite you guys to a few rounds on my tab. Thanks... Please let me know if you have any additional input/ideas.

- rey

Ps. I've been learning English my whole life, but thanks to tuscondude, I now have an even larger vocabulary. I had an idea when you said 'garage queen' what it might be; figuring it was either a never touched mint condition auto, or a gay mechanic, but I had google it to make sure! LOL thanks for my new term!

 

1000 for my list sounds right at shop prices. Shops charge more, they are a business, they have loans to pay and workers to pay. My 750 offer was at MY price what I would charge you to do the work in my home garage. so 1000 sounds right.

For future reference, you can prevent that gooey stuff in your carbs by running fuel stabilizer through your bike for a few minutes before you let the bike sit for a while. 5 bucks and 5 minutes can save you 2hrs of carb cleaning or whatever it would cost to pay a shop.

And for the tranny, no need to go over board. You are already doing the shift fork, its highly doubtful anything else needs done.

Other than that, sounds like you got it all figured out. Sorry to hear about the crappy mechanic. It happens often. Too bad you don't live near me, I'd love to work on your bike for a reasonable fee.

 

Yo, dude. I really appreciate the info and the breakdown of what I actually need to do. Yeah, it sucked having to leave it for so long on the other side of the island, but I never expected it would have taken a year to finally get it back or I would have at least treated the gas. *Lesson Learned*. My neighbor here on this side knows everybody, and all the right people to go to, so I'm pretty sure the mechanic he's recommending is going to be a good one. Among other things, he's already helped me go to the right shop to get the trans rebuilt on my jeep, and that has worked out perfectly, so I trust his opinion.

Thanks again, amigo. I'll post the results when it's all done.

 

my only question...

Those are clearly F2 replica plastics, so why do they have F3 on them?

It is a sharp looking graphic though - I like the styling.

 

Not true about the valves. Mine had under 17,000 when I did mine and I had some that I couldn't get a .001inch feeler gauge in between a bucket and a cam.

 

Actually, those are no doubt original Honda F2 plastics. They may not be original to this particular moto, but they are date stamped 6/91 on the inside, along with location description, part numbers, and traces of the original yellow/blue paint visible on the inside edges. Which also match the blue on the inside lip of the tank. Just checked since you mentioned it.

It had been completely repainted in 1998 for the previous owner. Why F3, and not F2? Beats me, dude. That's a question for the cop I bought it from.

Personally, that red/black paint job was one of the most convincing reasons I bought this particular F2. It's got some nicks and scratches, but I still love it 'cause in person you can tell it was professionally done and not rattlecanned. I hadn't even noticed that they were stickered F3 until one of the guys here on the forum mentioned it when I first joined. LOL I was too busy paying attention to the wing graphic which is also paint!

 

when i first got my f2, i got it for a grand, i put another grand into it and it was great and still running strong. if you scout ebay, you will find some great things