above phrase and didn't find what I wanted.....
Honda hid the radiator cap pretty well on my
bike (87 Aspencade). I can remove the rubber
trim piece by the right fairing pocket, and I
can reach in and touch the cap, but with my
clumsy hands there is NO WAY I can "push-down-
while-turning", which you need to do. Even with
the top cover off, it's still buried down in there.
Guess they figured everyone had chimpanzee-hands.
I was determined NOT to remove the top cover again -
(glad I don't have to remove the hood of my Ford
to take off its cap....)
I made a crude but useful tool to help with this:
-3-inch piece of 2x2, corners chisled off for more room.
-Piece of "mending strap" as they are called in hardware
stores.
- Metal plate for the end opposite the rad cap.
- screws.
- 6" 3/8 socket extension
- 3/8 socket drive.
Create 2 'tabs' on the mending strap, each about 1/4"
long, with the distance between them the same diameter
as your rad cap (My cap is OEM HOnda, round except for
2 'ears' or 'tabs. The mending strap has countersunk holes
in it, attach it to the 2x2 using flat-head countersunk screws.
In the other end of the 2x2, bore a 3/8" hole, then square
it off using a 1/4" chisel. Doesn't have to be very deep.
Cut the metal plate to the same size as the 2x2. Bore a
3/8" hole in it, and square out the hole with a small file.
Attach the plate over the 2x2 with screws and line up
with the square hole in the wood.
Now, when you want to remove the cap, you CAN actually
push-down-while-turning because the 6" socket extension
brings everything up above the top cover. Same goes for
installing again. Hope this helps someone, somewhere...
This thing will travel with me from now on, in case I get
stuck at some gas station in a place like Togo,MN.
- tool1
- tool2
- tool3
