Q: My 2009 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob has suddenly started to make a ‘rattling’ noise from the top-end or cylinder heads. I took it to my local Harley dealer (not to be mentioned), and they told me it’s the hydraulic lifters that need to be replaced and you just don’t want to know how much they’ve quoted me!

So I was wondering if you could send some advice my way on to what the problem could be and why is it so expensive to repair?

Corbus.

A: I have never known of all four hydraulic lifters failing at the same time, so I think you’re being fed some bullshit there. But if they have failed it will not be down to the lifters themselves, instead it will be an oil pressure problem. Perhaps the oil pump has failed, or the oil filter is blocked, because low or no oil pressure will certainly produce a very noisy top-end.

Also, if dirt has entered into the lifter assembly that could block the oil feed to it and stops the valve from fully extending. I have seen this before, and that will also make a ‘rattling’ sound. Either way it will have to be looked at before you ride it any further, or the bill could become substantially higher. Or give us a call at Bikeworx (011 792 5795), and we’ll check it over for you?

Q: Hi there Noddy and friends. I’ve just bought a used Jonway Veterano 150cc (like the one Bill has), with only 3,400km on the clock and it looks brand new (unwanted toy and all that).

The scooter is fine but I was just wondering when you would recommend changing the V-belt that drives the back wheel, because I will keep this useful form of transport forever, and what about oil change intervals as well, and what type of oil to use?

Thanks for your time and a great site that gets better all the time, well done to Bill, yourself and everyone else involved with billysbikes.

Trevor Conrad    Fourways, Jo’burg.

A: This belt question is a hard one to answer, I’ve heard of some belts breaking after only 800km and some lasting as much as 20,000km or even more. If you’re worried, pull off the primary drive case and examine the belt for any wear or cracks, it’s a very easy job to do. 

Or you can just wait until it breaks, because it won’t do any internal damage if it does so.

Jonway recommends an oil change every 2,000km and the engine only holds just under a litre, so it’s a cheap form of ‘insurance’ to do so. I’d use the best oil you can get, perhaps the new Motul range and fully synthetic is the best option and I’d use a 10W40. That’s also an easy job to do at home because it has its own small gauze oil filter to clean and re-install. Hope that answers your questions and have fun with your new scooter.

Q: I was looking at various motorbikes the other day, or more specifically the wheel choice on the different machines. Therefore my question is, and in your opinion, what’s stronger, a spoke wheel or a cast alloy (mag.) wheel or rim? And also, which one is the lighter option.

Just thought I’d ask because it’s something I’d like to know as I browse through my mountain of brochures once again.

Peter Forsythe

A: Without doubt the stronger wheel/rim is the spoke version otherwise every off-road bike in the world and hard-core adventure bike wouldn’t have them fitted from the factory. The spoke wheel also has more built- in ‘flex’ than any form of cast wheel, which is ideal for high jumps or rough terrain whilst off-road.

But generally a cast or especially the magnesium version is indeed lighter than a spoke wheel and they’re also easier to make. A spoke wheel also generates more drag than a cast wheel, which isn’t ideal for tarmac road racing and high speeds. Even racing bicycles tend to have ‘flared’ spokes for this reason, or even solid wheels used inside a velodrome. Hope that answers your question?

Q: I was wondering if you guys could shed some light on a recent problem I’ve encountered with my beloved 1980s Honda XL500R?

I’ve had the bike for about eight years now and it only has 23,00km on the clock. It’s never given me any problems and I service it myself, after all it’s not really a hard job, is it? But recently I’ve noticed that it’s began to use more oil than it usually does, but there’s no smoke coming from the exhaust to tell me if something is wrong.

So before I delve any further could you perhaps give me some advice on to what is going on inside my engine? Your help/advice will be appreciated and thanks for your time and a really entertaining site.

Bill Gardner

A: If what you’ve told me were correct I would suspect that the trouble is around your piston. It sounds like the compression ring glands might have failed, or you might have a cracked piston around that area. If the oil ring were OK it wouldn’t smoke too badly and again point to this confusing oil loss problem.

So if I were you I’d pull off the head and barrel, because as you say it’s an easy bike to work on, and have a good look at the piston? It won’t be too expensive to buy a new one either because you’ll be able to buy a decent aftermarket part if you shop around.  If you have any problems give me a call at Bikeworx (011 792 5795).