® They hate Honda


Someone famously said, "Don't mistake ignorance for malice." Alright, I am not saying that sohc4.net literally hates Honda, although the things said on the forum against Honda dealers and their personnel gives me serious pause in that regard. What I am saying is the sohc4 forum in particulsr consistently disrespects and discounts so much of the Honda product that they might as well hate the company. The effect is the same. Forum members inexplicably believe aftermarket specs and claims over those of Honda-trained and experienced people, and even over that of the Honda company itself. Why else would they, just as do many ill-informed in the industry do, persist in calling Honda's TPI system "CDI"? It's insanity. Reader, can't you see how unreliable this forum is?

Contrary to how people have viewed the Honda product for more than fifty years, sohc4 "experts" insist that Honda's charging systems are inadequate and will leave you stranded with a dead battery should you change the specification of the ignition coils or the headlight. Incredible. Stop and think. Can we accept that only sohc4 has ever discovered this "defect"? That before sohc4, for more than fifty years no one ever complained of weak charging systems? Can sohc4 "authorities" really believe riders in the past had habitually to pull their bikes over as they ran out of battery?

Also in contradiction of more than a half-century of owner experience, sohc4 would have you believe that Honda's handlebar switches are flimsy and are prone to overheating. I can believe almost anything about the Chinese replacements that are so prevalent, but I have been around the factory parts too long to even understand why anyone would say this. It is very ignorant. Vintage Honda handlebar swutches are very high quality.

Likewise, only sohc4 views Honda's ignition points to be vulnerable and short-lived. No one who has any knowledge of the product believes this. In fact, OEM Honda points, with their tungsten faces and excellent current carrying ability, may be the highest quality contact points ever found on a motorcycle of any make. Sohc4's is a seriously dumb statement.

Possibly the most inane position sohc4 has taken is that of declaring Honda deceptive in publishing unrealistic cylinder compression values. Again, stop and consider. Are the myriad of professional mechanics out there giving assent to this proposition? You know they aren't. A solid 170 psi is what you get on your sohc four when the engine is properly rebuilt, exactly equal to Honda's published spec and proven thousands upon thousands of times by innumerable people all over the industry. Wear of course reduces that. And valve recession, the most significant and most endemic issue with old Hondas, reduces it fairly rapidly. But none of the sohc4 pundits address this, despite it being the number one concern of every vintage Honda owner. Sohc4's stand on cylinder compression is not only fallacious, it is foolish and a display of a high degree of ignorance about maintenance in general and old Hondas in particular.


Last updated September 2024
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