// Adjusting your tappets Remove legshield & left side engine cover.

Remove spark plug, to make engine easier to turn over, remove both tappet covers, turn the flywheel, while you turn, watch the tappets, when top one goes down, (induction) keep turning the flywheel, as the tappet comes back up, look for the T mark on the flywheel, this should be inline with the notch on the casing, the engine is now at TDC (top dead centre) on the compression stroke, get a 2thou feeler gauge and put it between the valve stem and tappet, it should be a nice sliding fit, take your time its a very fiddly job, if you have trouble getting at the inlet one (top) I unbolt the manifold at the barrel, slacken the air cleaner hose at the carb, and swing it to one side. The reason it has to be at TDC on compression, is so the camshafts in the right position, i.e. both valves closed. remember the 4 stroke cycle, induction, compression, ignition, exhaust, as piston travels down inlet valve opens draws in fuel/air=induction, near BDC (bottom dead centre) the inlet closes, piston goes up compressing fuel=compression, near TDC the plug fires the fuel =ignition, as the piston nears BDC again, the exhaust valve opens, as the piston goes up the exhaust gas is pushed out, =exhaust, sorry if you new this already, hope this helps.

// Kickstart slipping? Were sure that this fault is down to owners using CAR oil in their Cubs. Car oils have additives that attach themselves to the clutch plates,. Replace the oil with SILKOLENE 10 / 40 SPECIFICALLY made for motorcycles. MAKE SURE, that your clutch is adjusted correctly. Also, try NOT to kick so hard !!! // Adjusting your clutch The adjuster is on the right hand engine casing. Slacken off the 10mm locknut, turn the screw in clockwise a bit then turn it anticlockwise until you feel pressure on the screw, then screw it clockwise about one eighth of a turn. You might have to play about with it a bit to get it right. // Checking oil quantity Make sure C90 is on level ground on centre stand

engine needs to be cold and not unscrew dipstick and wipe Put dipstick back in but don't screw it back up, Oil should cover all the hatched area Screw it back in. // Fuel problems, Draining the carburettor

clean remove again. on dipstick.

running,

If you have problems starting your bike & its been in storage for a couple of months. Its more than likely to be bad fuel. Petrol, especially the new unleaded type goes "OFF" within a matter of weeks. As bike carbs are a lot smaller than car ones, the fuel tends to go off quicker. Its a good tip to drain your carbs before storing a bike away for the winter, OR drain them BEFORE you try to start it up in the spring. Try draining the carb - unscrew the screw at the very bottom of the carb. Let the fuel run through for say 6 seconds , then close it up again. This drains the stale fuel & any rubbish including water that has collected in your carb bowl. // The definitive guide to making your C90 go better Tuning c90 Cubs: There is no magic single restriction on a cub to tweak for instant power, you need to consider the type of riding you do and the budget, a combination of tweaks will however make a huge difference. 1: Ignition timing, designed to ignite poor quality fuel, 3 degrees advance by either buying a fancy cdi unit at a high price, or welding and dressing a 3mm long blob onto the flywheel, or modify the bracket holding the pickup sensor in place, to shift the position 3mm clockwise. 2: Compression ratio, using an aftermarket piston or a c70 dome top will give a very useful midrange punch. This may be too much for long term reliability, as the c70 piston gives 12:1, nothing found between 10:1 and 11:1. It will run hotter too. 3: Exhaust, restrictive, however replacing it with a home made straight-through unit will make huge noise and throw the fuel mixture out, best left as standard unless racing and everything else is also being changed. 4: Carb, the standard 16mm is too small, using a 20mm carb off the 100cc/110cc Honda/clone models is a cheap way of getting more mixture through. Check that the inlet manifold has the correct bore; the plastic heat spacer may cause a step and disrupt the gas flow. Using a K&N on the standard carb will help a bit if the jetting is

suitably altered, the induction noise can be very intrusive though. Correct jetting is essential. I reckon a job for a proper dyno and experienced tuner. You can still run the standard intake and filter. Worth drilling a few holes in the back of the airbox to let a bit more air in. 5: Camshaft. Quite easy to swap for the home mechanic, various profiles available from the monkey bike shops, DONT get a race profile unless racing. It will make the engine unrideable. They make a big difference as the standard is quite "soft". 6: Cylinder head: There are various heads available takegawa etc, ok if you have the budget! It is worthwhile cleaning up the ports with a dremmel, to help the gas flow. With these mods you can achieve an increase from 4.5 BHP at the rear tyre (which is normal); to 6.5 BHP. A rough price guide: Advanced ignition, 3mm or degrees using weld @ 0 Honda 20mm carb, orig airbox + holes, @ 20.00 Fast road cam @ 43.00 New gasket kit off eBay @ 7.00 Dyno time @ 60.00 // General electrics The Honda C90 Cub has a 12 volt electrical system. Using a CDI ignition system, doing away with the older contact breaker (points) Lights are run directly from the generator & therefore can be quite dim on engine tickover. The battery runs the rear brake light, indicators & horn. If any of these are not working, it is usually down to a bad battery. // Replacing the HT lead (Coil to Spark Plug Cap) The lead is removable from the coil, but the coil is inside the frame, access is obtained via the battery side cover, removing the battery & the carrier, the coil is held on by 2 x 10mm head nuts, attached from the other side, under the side panel. The lead comes away after unscrewing the plastic retaining nut. Make sure that you get a copper stranded HT cable & NOT the silicone type... You can just snip off approx 1/4" for a better contact!

// Fitting a buzzer to your indicators Buy 2 buzzers (part FK84F @ Maplins) @ 1.99 each. The Buzzers come with red &

black leads - Join one buzzers red lead to the other buzzers black lead and vice versa. Now you have the two buzzers joined together. Pop headlight off - find blue and orange wires leading to indicator on warning light. Strip away about half inch of sheath on each of the blue and orange wires and twist join one of the red / black buzzer wire sets to each one (doesnt matter which). Make sure all joins are secure and tape the lot up to make safe, reinstall light and bobs your uncle. You will certainly not overlook and indicators now and it really does make people more aware you are coming. // Adjusting The Steering Head Bearings There is a large castle type shroud & nut that is beneath the handlebar top cover. Haynes & Honda say that you need a "SPECIAL" tool. You dont need the special tool !!! You can use a c spanner, as used on rear shock absorbers, OR use a small drift & hammer to tap the ring, to tighten the bearings up. NOT TOO TIGHT THOUGH, or the steering will be solid!

// Frame corrosion As with the PRE Cub models, this is STILL a BIG problem. The Cub has a colour matched plastic cover over the rear part of the frame, just where the older models used to rot out. When buying a Cub , Always check underneath the rear wheel arches , as they DO STILL ROT !!!! This IS an MOT failure. To prevent any further corrosion, Remove the rear wheel. Wire brush the pressed plate & surrounding area , then preferably prime / undercoat the area, to avoid future damage. I always coat with grease, for an extra precaution! // Rear wheel removal - the easy way! First off to remove the rear wheel, you DO NOT NEED TO REMOVE THE REAR SPROCKET !!!!!! Slacken the axle nut, remove the rear axle, Slacken & remove the rear brake adjusting nut, brake arm inner nipple & spring. Remove the rear brake torsion arm nut, & allow the arm to drop.

Remove the rear wheel spacer. You now CAN, with a bit of fiddling, drop the rear wheel out of the frame, & you havent touched the rear sprocket or chain guard!!! Replacing the wheel can be fiddly, as the 4 drive cush rubbers tend to keep dropping out, but a little trick is to stick them in with a dab of my faithful silicone sealer.... The other thing that is always replaced wrong is the torsion arm. The rubber washer is used as a cushion, & should be placed (by itself) between the brake plate & the arm itself, the metal washer is placed on the outside, between the torsion arm & the castle nut, with a new split pin to finish the job. // Adjusting & Aligning the drive chain Slacken off the main axle nut. Then loosen the large nut that holds the rear sprocket onto the swinging arm, JUST loosen it, no need to remove. Now either take off the chain guard or the small rubber plug that allows you to see the drive chain, (if the bungs still there !) Clean the top edge of the adjusters with some wd40 & a rag, you will notice that there is a notch on the top face. You now need to clean the adjoining area on the swinging arm & you will notice a row of small notches. You have to line up the notch on the adjuster to the equal amount on each side of the swinging arm. So you end up with the wheel running straight in the frame. You MUST leave about 1" of free play in your drive chain, when you adjust the rear wheel. This allows for your weight when you sit on the bike. Now re-tighten the sprocket retaining nut, but DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN, just nip it up...then the main axle nut. Also REMEMBER , that if you have moved the rear wheel forwards or backwards , you will need to adjust your rear brake accordingly. From behind, tightening will make your brake fiercer!!! & out weaker. // Front Wheel Differences, early & late.... NOT a very well known The front wheels changed on the later Cubs. fact, BUT...

All of the BRAND new ones that you see on eBay ONLY fit up to 1999 ish !!! The older hub has a 2 hole location point for the Speedo drive , where the later hub is a 4 point castellated design. The brake plates, Speedo cable & brake cable are ALL different !

VERY

ANNOYING.

The later Speedo cable is a push in fit with a single cross head retaining screw, where the earlier one was a knurled nut that screwed onto the brake plate. Basically the way to tell which Speed cable held in with a screw ?? Speedo cable screws ONTO brake plate = EARLY TYPE. // Fitting tyres Not everyones Number ONE job, but with a bit of patience IT CAN BE DONE !!! You maybe an old hand at tyre fitting, or taking it to a tyre dealer to fit...But this guide is here to help you if not!!! Firstly please accept my apologies if you are an 'Old Hand' at fitting tyres. I thought I should supply you with a few tips on tyre fitting. 1. After deflating & removing the old tyre , make sure that the inside of the wheel rim is clean & doesnt have any flaking chrome or corrosion. 2. Lubricate the new tyre with tyre soap, (if supplied) or a 50/50 mix of water & washing up liquid... DO NOT USE SWARFEGA OR GREASE !!! Lubricate the inside & outside of the beaded rim. 3. Note the direction of the rotation arrow on the sidewall of the tyre (If there is one on the tyre), & make sure it is facing forwards. 4. Mount the lubricated tyre onto the rim then fit the partially inflated inner tube. (If you have a tube ) 5. Ensure that the inner tube has seated, & then start to push the tyre onto the rim *WITH YOUR HANDS*. starting & finishing at the valve. 6. It Is possible to fit a tyre onto the wheel , without using tyre levers in this way 7. Keep on checking, to make sure that you havent trapped the inner tube, between the tyre bead & the wheel rim. 8. If you have to use tyre levers, make sure that you dont pinch the inner tube with them. 9. Inflate to the correct pressure, ensuring that the tyre 'pops out' & sits true on the wheel. 10. Wipe around the tyre with a cloth & check that you can see the beading mark level on the tyre all the way around. IMPORTANT When tyres are made, the manufacturers use a SILICONE based mould releasant in the tyre moulds. This helps the tyre to come out of the mould easier & also coats the new tyre, to protect it during storage... HOWEVER... you have is,,,, = LATE TYPE.

After fitting the tyre, please allow at least 100 miles before heavy braking (Unless in an emergency) or hard acceleration, etc, for the mould releasant to be 'SCRUBBED OFF'. You can help by using fine sandpaper, to assist the 'SCRUBBING IN'