Tech info on the SH

[robber57]

This "sticky" is made to provide technical information about the Honda SH150i, it is made with the best intentions but the job of a person and therefore CAN contain false, incorrect or non-applicable information.
The Honda SH series has been made since 2001 as a carburetor model but remained over the years , more or less, the same.
However, you have to be cautious when applying information found here to your own bike, please verify before start working on your bike that the info found here applies to your model,Shcooter.com will be in no circumstance liable for damage in any way caused by information given here.

Since the older models are not much seen we will give information on the later series SH starting at the 2005 model which was the first to have injection.
From 2005 till 2009 the bike stayed almost the same, depending on your localized version the 2009/2010 model had the first real update, it can be easily recognized because it doesn't have a glove box anymore.
Depending on your version/location these models may also come with a bigger front brake disc,3 piston front caliper and (optional) a rear disc brake.

Much of the information may be found in the owners manual or workshop manual and may differ depending on your localized version or year of construction, if you have any (additional) information that info given here is not correct please report so we can change it, you may post below but once the correction has been made( with credits) your post will be deleted to keep this list clean.

This is a work in progress ,some links will not work(yet) and will evolve over time, especially in the beginning this will seem just a pile of text thrown in a topic, be patient...
[edit 02-04-2012 iridium sparkplugs]

General info
Service/maintenance

[robber57]

General information:

Whenever ordering parts you need the Vehicle Identification Number or VIN.
The registered number plate is attached on the left side of the frame
near the rear shock absorber. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
is stamped on the registered number plate.

vin plate.jpg

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is also stamped on the right side of
the frame near the rear shock absorber.

stamped vin.jpg

Chassis:
Total dry weight: 127 Kg (136 kg with fuel)
Front tire: Dunlop D451 100/80-16 M/C 50P or IRC SS-530F
Rear tire : Dunlop D451 120/80-16 M/C 60P or IRC SS-530R
Pressure (Kpa/Kg/cm-psi):
Solo: front 175-25 rear 200-29
Duo: front 175-25 rear 225-33

Suspension:
Front; telescopic 33mm diameter 89 mm stroke
Rear; dual spring with build in damper 83 mm stroke

Fuel capacity 7.5 liter


Engine:
Single cylinder, two valve ,sohc, 124.6 cc/152.7 cc
bore x stroke: 52.4x57.8mm (125cc)/ 58X57.8MM (150cc)
Idle speed: 1500 rpm +/- 100
Compression: 11:1
Power and torque for engine up to year 2012
SH150i engine: 11,6 kW (15,8 HP) / 8.500 min-¹ (95/1/EC) Torque;14 Nm a 7.000 min-¹ (95/1/EC)
SH125i engine: 10,1 kW (13,7 HP) / 9.000 min-¹ (95/1/EC) Torque;11.5Nm/7,250 min-¹ (95/1/EC)

Electrical:
Spark plug:
NGK CR8EH-9 /NipponDenso U24FER-9 Gap=0.8 to 0.9 mm
The manual mentions a 1 grade colder spark plug(CR9/U27) for "extended high speed use", user robber57 drives a lot on the highway and has seen, till now, no real need for the colder spark plug as the original ngk performs excellent and shows even after hours wot(wide open throttle) a perfect coloring of electrode and insulator.
Perhaps in the tropics this may be different...
For drivers who want to do something "extra" there is a Iridium NGK spark plug with the same specs: NGK CR8EHIX-9;

NGK Iridium.jpg

This sparkplug is 1:1 interchangeable with the original spark plug, it should improve mileage, combustion, cold start, wear ,seen prices ranging from 12 to 20 euro a piece.

Battery:
12 volt/6 AH , Yuasa YTX7L-BS Charging current/time:Standard: 0.6 A/5 - 10 h Quick: 3 A/1 h
Current leakage (ignition switch turned to OFF,): 0.2 mA max.
Engine charging voltage (warm engine/5000 rpm/high beam): 15.5 volt.

Battery issues:
Beware; the battery in the SH is lying on its side, only AGM design (absorbent glass mat) or other type "dry" battery's can handle this but keep in mind not all agm or dry battery's are capable of working in this position.

Reports of unfortunates tells it seams to be common practice in the usa (and probably also other countries) to remove the original battery after some standing in the showroom and replace it with a fresh one, in itself a "thumbs up" action but unfortunately some dealers put a non-yuasa battery back when the bike is sold "as new".
Most of these die soon probably because it cant handle lying on its side,telltale for this situation is when a dead battery is put in the normal normal position and after charging the battery seems fine again and will work for another few days or weeks after which it dies again and the situation repeats itself.
It seems in general that the original yuasa gives the best performance but that does not mean a yuasa cant die premature, you will also find forum reports on original yuasa batteries dying young.

What seems to be killing battery's in general and so also yuasa is non-use possibly combined with a bad charging strategy and the unfortunate invention of the battery tender pigtail plug.
The breakthrough of the battery pigtail means that owners no longer disconnect the battery during winter stop,due to the pigtail they charge it regularly which is a good thing but they dont disconnect the battery which is a bad thing.
Disconnecting the battery doesn't have to be a nuisance, a simple small relay that isolates the drain(clock-ecu and whatever) eliminates the trouble.

Its the minute but continuous drainage caused by the ecu-clock that brings the battery in trouble.
When a battery is discharged the lead surface of the plates transform in to lead sulfate crystals,when the battery is charged these crystals dissolve back in the acid ,if the drain is continuous the crystals grow to such a size that charging does not dissolve them anymore, sulfation appears and the battery dies.
No hightech super advanced charger can beat the effect of disconnecting the battery.

The best way to store the sh for winter is still as the owners manual suggests: remove(disconnect) the battery and charge once a month with a slow charge.
Meaning charge at 1/10 amp of the battery capacity 1/10 x 7AH=0.7 amp,you need a 700 milliamp charger.
Charging should be done till charge voltage reaches 14.4 volt and then should be stopped immediately.

[robber57]

Fluids:
Engine oil:
After draining :0.9 liter (1.0 US qt, 0.8 Imp qt)
After disassembly :1.0 liter (1.1 US qt, 0.9 Imp qt)
Recommended engine oil:
Honda 4-stroke oil or equivalent motor oil API service classification SE, SF or SG , JASO MB
Viscosity: SAE IOW-30

olie tabel SH.jpg

Cooling system:
Radiator and engine 0.95 liter (1.00 US qt, 0.84 Imp qt)
Reserve tank 0.4 liter (0.42 US qt, 0.35 Imp qt)
1:1 mixture with distilled water , use high quality "long life" coolant compatible with aluminium engines.
Using coolant with silicate inhibitors may cause premature wear of water pump seals or blockage of radiator passages.
Using tap water may cause engine damage.

Final Reduction:
After draining 190 cm3 (6.4 US oz, 6.9 Imp oz)
After disassembly 220 cm3 (7.4 US oz, 7.7 Imp oz)
Hypoid gear oil, SAE #90 or Honda 4-stroke oil or equivalent motor oil API service classification SE, SF or SG
Viscosity: SAE IOW-30

Front fork:
Honda Ultra Cushion Oil 1OW -or equivalent
Fluid level 106 (4.2) -
Fluid capacity 100 +/- 1 cm3 (3.4 +/- 0.03 US oz ,3.5 k 0.04 -Imp, oz)

[jex]

I could not find any oil here with JASO MB spec so ended up getting the recommended oil from Honda. The Honda oil does not have Jaso MB spec either ? Wot the ??

[waspmike]

I could not find any oil here with JASO MB spec so ended up getting the recommended oil from Honda. The Honda oil does not have Jaso MB spec either ? Wot the ??

Most car oil is the same as MB the difference being that MA is for motorcycles with oil bath clutch. So MA does not have all the friction modifiers added. Just use good quality car oil.

[robber57]

I could not find any oil here with JASO MB spec so ended up getting the recommended oil from Honda. The Honda oil does not have Jaso MB spec either ? Wot the ??

Most car oil is the same as MB the difference being that MA is for motorcycles with oil bath clutch. So MA does not have all the friction modifiers added. Just use good quality car oil.

I am sorry but NO.

Motorcycles and certainly an sh have different technology then most cars nowadays have,most of the car oil now on sale is to advanced and lacks certain additives as these old style additives ruin the catalytic converter and so these additives are almost completely banned in more recent car oils.(less then 0.1 %)
These substances are called S.A.P.S (sulfated ash,phosphor,sulfur) and are necessary to lubricate the sliding surface of your cam and follower.
Modern cars dont have sliding surfaces on cam anymore but use some sort of a roller bearing thusd enabling the engine to run on so-called "low-saps" oil like most modern oil is.
A high saps oil will ruin the cat, so you need a mid-saps oil( 0.3 to 0.7 %),these saps levels are clearly stated in the jaso tech paper and any jaso MB or MA-MA1-MA2 oil will respect these values, car oils dont.

Car oil may be used if it conforms to API service classification SE, SF or SG , so no SH or LATER.

You may get lucky and find a car oil that will suit your bike but proceed at your own risk,stay to what honda recommends, if the 10W30 is a problem you can go up to 10W40 without any risk unless you live in (sub) arctic conditions.

If i'm correct youre from Australia?
http://www.hondacatalogue.com.au/produc ... e-Oil.html

All honda motorcycle oils are to jaso standard but not all are jaso-mb, most are jaso ma which is still usable in the sh.
Some other brands also have a jaso mb although these may be 10w40 which i think will not be any problem in Australia.
If this also cant be found you may also use jaso MA-MA1-MA2 oil although with these you will not get the full 100% of fuel economy.

Anyways: this topic is( as i stated in the op) meant as a info source and not a question or debate topic, so i will close it within a few days and clear these posts(sorry) to keep the topic "clean".
You may of course open a new fresh topic to get further on you quest.

[waspmike]

I could not find any oil here with JASO MB spec so ended up getting the recommended oil from Honda. The Honda oil does not have Jaso MB spec either ? Wot the ??

Most car oil is the same as MB the difference being that MA is for motorcycles with oil bath clutch. So MA does not have all the friction modifiers added. Just use good quality car oil.

I am sorry but NO.

Motorcycles and certainly an sh have different technology then most cars nowadays have,most of the car oil now on sale is to advanced and lacks certain additives as these old style additives ruin the catalytic converter and so these additives are almost completely banned in more recent car oils.(less then 0.1 %)
These substances are called S.A.P.S (sulfated ash,phosphor,sulfur) and are necessary to lubricate the sliding surface of your cam and follower.
Modern cars dont have sliding surfaces on cam anymore but use some sort of a roller bearing thusd enabling the engine to run on so-called "low-saps" oil like most modern oil is.
A high saps oil will ruin the cat, so you need a mid-saps oil( 0.3 to 0.7 %),these saps levels are clearly stated in the jaso tech paper and any jaso MB or MA-MA1-MA2 oil will respect these values, car oils dont.

Car oil may be used if it conforms to API service classification SE, SF or SG , so no SH or LATER.

You may get lucky and find a car oil that will suit your bike but proceed at your own risk,stay to what honda recommends, if the 10W30 is a problem you can go up to 10W40 without any risk unless you live in (sub) arctic conditions.

If i'm correct youre from Australia?
http://www.hondacatalogue.com.au/produc ... e-Oil.html

All honda motorcycle oils are to jaso standard but not all are jaso-mb, most are jaso ma which is still usable in the sh.
Some other brands also have a jaso mb although these may be 10w40 which i think will not be any problem in Australia.
If this also cant be found you may also use jaso MA-MA1-MA2 oil although with these you will not get the full 100% of fuel economy.

Anyways: this topic is( as i stated in the op) meant as a info source and not a question or debate topic, so i will close it within a few days and clear these posts(sorry) to keep the topic "clean".
You may of course open a new fresh topic to get further on you quest.

I'm from Thailand, home of the PCX, and yes Honda sells MB oil for use in CVT scooters.

Yes you can use MA oil in the Sh but then would be missing out on all the friction modifiers.

So what about Shell Rotela Ultra(Synthetic)? Used a lot by the motorcycle fraternity. I don't think it is either MA or MB.

Here are two resources for the curious.

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Oils1.html

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... rcycle_Lub

[robber57]

I am not saying that you cant use any other oil then honda prescribes , its just "proceed at your own risk" , mostly driven to save a few bucks although difficulty in obtaining can also be a reason to buy something else.

I know about the shell rotella , in Holland/europe shell rotella is not for sale for consumers as the rotella line of products is meant for industrial use in engines like ship or agricultural engines.
Its a high doped oil to be used in diesel engines and i know that because of the high level of dopes it is thought to be a good motorcycle oil,if that is true i dont know but i do know that there's a whole bunch of bikers who use it and apparently to full satisfaction, proceed at your own risk.
Keep in mind that most rotella users only use it because its cheap.

For me the financial argument doesnt hold or make sense, i drive 10.000 km's a year meaning when changing oil every 2k i have to replace the oil 5 times a year, i bought my oil(castrol 10w30 jaso-mb) on ebay at 9 euros a liter(it needs 0.8 liter) so i need 4 liter every year, that equals to 36 euro for one year trouble free driving replacing the oil at double the interval needed.
For the average sh driver doing 1000 to 2000 km per year who would buy at the dealer ( at 20-25 euro a liter) it would mean 20 to 25 euro a year.

[breaknwind]

I prefer to go by the book and not by the opinion
Castrol criteria for oil selection: we would always recommend you use an oil specifically designed for the vehicle it is needed for. Trizone technology™ guarantees oils that are designed for motorcycles and tested on a motorcycle’s engine, wet clutch and gears.

We would suggest not to use a car oil in a motorbike, even if it has a dry clutch; however an exception to this would be bikes with big capacity engines and small specific output, a dry clutch and a separate gearbox.

Scooters need a specific oil due to the unique way they are built. They require an oil giving very low friction (Jaso MB) and high resistance to heat that works with the continuous variable transmission to protect the low volume engine (typical sump size in a scooter is < 1lt). Castrol’s Scootek technology guarantees all that.
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid

[waspmike]

The main problem is that not all oils are available in all countries. As has been said Honda USA doesn't sell Honda's scooter specific MB oil. Castrol Power 1 with MB ratings may also not be available in certain markets.

So then the owner is forced to make a judgement call based on what oils are available.

So going by the book is not always an option.

Here is the other book?

Honda PCX 150 calls for jaso MB
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ub ... er=3115620