Expert: Bill Silver - 8/26/2005

Question
Bike is a 1986 Honda Magna with 25k miles, what is the avg. time/cost to replace a head gasket on the model and who do you recommend, I live in the northeast?  Thanks Bill

Answer
John, Honda dealers will have flat rate books to help guide them in estimating a repair like this. Many current Honda dealers will not work on bikes this old due to lack of parts, even though they have built similar bikes recently. I live in Hawaii and have no particular knowledge about recommended repair shops 5k miles away.

Check some of the Honda Magna sites on the web to see if anyone has current knowledge of reputable shops for V-4 Magnas.

I can't recall if the motor has to come out for a head gasket or not on a Magna. Some of the V-4s back then had enough room between the engine and frame to allow the head to be pulled with the motor in place. BIG difference in labor either way.

Honda V-4s had many issues with camshafts and tensioners back then, so be prepared for the possibility of spending money on more than just a head gasket. Also have the entire cooling system checked over for any causes that would impede cooling for your machine. Checking the water pump, thermostat and all hoses would be recommended.

http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~rblander/moto_long.html is a place to start for more info...

Bill Silver