Morning Norm
Well they are kind of complicated, they are definitely a Honda, very reliable, my grandparents have had one for at least 15 years and it is still going strong.
However they do not compare to the old gxv's. The best way i can describe them is that they are a throw away engine, made to a price. Apart from basic servicing there isn't really anything you would repair in them. We got to a point where we would stock $50 aftermarket carburettors for them as you cant clean the genuine one properly quickly.
Couple things, there is no sump gasket or tappet gasket; only glue, the head doesn't come off (cant dekoke the cylinder, we used to spray some carbon remover spray and rev the tits off them to clear it out, common when the air filter never gets cleaned); the cam is plastic (the belt seems pretty reliable though); they are prone to leaking oil out the govenor shaft, prone to not idling, also wont start if the choke doesnt come fully on
In short they are a great domestic mower engine, definitely never designed for commercial use
