Motorbike Expertise - what to expect?

Transportation, Travel and Trips
1
Hi all,

I still have the Honda Shadow ( https://www.englishforum.ch/items-sa...-13500-km.html ) and it's due for expertise in three weeks.

I have been getting the expertise done for my cars regularly without having to do any special mechanical work since the service etc is regular. I do ofcourse clean the car and the engine bay thoroghly myself.

What do I need to do for the Motorbike?

Thnaks in advance for your tips / hints.

2
For any non-standard parts, make sure they are documented.

Clean the bike so that it shows that it is in top condition and taken care of.

3
Check all the lights work, nothing obviously wrong & clean.

It's a doddle

4
In my experience it depends very much on where you take it and the person inspecting. Brakes and lights are the big things for sure but any sign of rust and could be trouble. Good luck in any case.

5
Thanks for the informative replies folks.

Lights all work fine - except that the left turn indicator sometimes kicks in after a few seconds delay. Can I DIY something about this?

Also, do they they have a roller machine for testing the brakes like they have for cars? IMHO the brakes work just fine.

6
The tester looks at the bike for a few minutes, then rides it, it's as simple as that.

7
Wow!! I'm truly surprised - this being Switzerland ;-).

8
Headlamp gets pointed at a wall, same as a car but really straightforward on quite old bikes. Yours should be a doddle

9
Apart from the things mentioned they check in ZH:

- tyres

- correct slack and wear of drive chain

- brakes

- free play and wear of bearings

-- wheel bearings

-- head stock bearing

-- swing arm pivot

- free play and rattle of gear change linkage

- condition and readability of license plate (in case "someone" has to identify ...)

10
What? They don’t check the noise?

11
Only by ear, unless it was clearly out of spec

12
And at least in BS, they ride it *hard* around the lot. Rolling on the throttle quick, doing sharp weaves and turns (checking suspension) and then some hard braking.

13
Well, that needs to change.

14
They once told me one of my valves was noisy, but it passed.

And they were correct, one of my pushrods was shrinking (I have a few spares as one of my Guzzis has hollow lifters with short pushrods)

The last few times they did no test rides, especially when I bring in the sidecar, including this spring.

They did make me replace my 30 year old plate this year, however.

Tom

15
I’m forbidden from making noises on Sundays, but others are welcomed to roar around our village, reaving their engines, and that’s OK. Yes some jerks do the same in their cars, but there is no reason why we should not regulate the noise.

16
test ride is not Covid secure in this PC world right ?

17
I took my husband's bike in last year. Everyone wore a mask when interacting. Test ride still took place.

18
Sure, but did the test ride happen in the Hazmat suit ? Any part of worker clothes can be contaminated by Covid.

19

20
Noise levels depend on date of first registration. Anything older than 1976 has no limits, so no legal basis to regulate those.

Tom