I think you're missing what I'm saying here.
the stock springs were the blue that measured ~1.70
the service manual quotes light blue paint and a 1.76 length as the service limit
I went and bought stock replacement Honda springs same blue paint, and the proper part number.
I was expecting them to be at least >1.76 in length
At best they were 1.74. Still .02 shy of the service limit in the book. Plus one of them was pink (same part number) and noticably longer.
It has nothing to do with shoddy workmanship, or someones whim on clutch setup. I've owned the bike since new.
I'm pretty much just wondering if the book is wrong, or if Honda hasn't quite got their spring lengths correct.