so im still looking for that dream bike of mine, and while i am, im finding some for good prices with varied conditions and mileages.

are there any known flaws or anything i should be looking for as far as maintenance, performance, etc?

 

The only thing Ive ran into owning a 954 and two 929's is that there is generally going to be some sort of lifter tick. On my 954 it goes away after letting my bike warm up to 111 degrees. The lifter deal really isn't a big deal, Ive over looked it, because the bikes are great runners and exceed my expectations.

 

Yep the valve train is a bit noisy when cold, but its harmless. The only other beef i have had with mine is its soo light (lightest liter ever made for what its worth). Under hard takeoff thru the first 2 or 3 gears the front gets really light and a bit wobbly. I put on a steering dampner and it helps a lot, but you can still feel it a bit.

 

Yeah I forgot to mention that part as well...ha ha ha. My Hyperpro dampener seemed to fix that issue.

 

ive heard of people with 954's claim they end up with a stress fracture in the engine block that they have been told is from the block being bored from a 929 to a 954 and the walls are too thin.

the stators in these bikes tend to fail a bit (regulator rectifier) is common

the bike is getting up in age and some shops wont work on a bike older than 10 years.

 

954 flaws?=the weather doesnt allow me to ride when I want!

 

+1 on pimpin! and the only flaw my 954 has...........I love it more than life itself...........[sm=loveeyes.gif]

 

The only real "problem" Ive experienced is that the tank gets hotter than hell during really hot days in the summer (las vegas hot). So hot that I cant ride the bike!! Last summer I didnt ride my 954 at all from 6/1 thru 9/1.

 

yep very true.. tank does get really hot. i'm selling my 954 great bike. really don't want to but it's been great. i did do chain conversion from 130 to 120 and went -1,+2 great acceleration wheelie monster now. tapping in the top end is normal reshimming the valves will take care of most of it.

check it out on craigslist
http://hiltonhead.craigslist.org/mcy/933720754.html

 

One pain in the *** is if you want to do any engine mods and want to drop the motor, you are left with a frame and swing arm that doesn't bolt up together. Which most other bikes you have a rolling chasis. But it looks like the exhaust valve/ air intake flapper motor tends to be easy to get damaged. If you need to do a valve adjust and getting access to the cam chain tensioner is a real pain. The only other thing that I have a problem with is the foam around the headlight...wish honda would give a part number for a replacement foam strip instead of only offering a headlight assembly.