Project CBR600F: Code Name LOL (Lots of Leaks)

Armed with jugs of oil, coolant, fresh gasoline and an inexpensive gel battery from Amazon, I was excited and slightly nervous about pressing the go button.

Battery installed!  Key turned!  Rear brake light check, good!  Front brake light check, uh-oh.  Right, we'll fix that later.  I pulled the tank, popped the radiator cap and started filling it with tasty coolant.  When I went to give the hoses a squeeze to help burp the system, I heard *drip* *drip* *drip*.  Oh no.  I spotted 3 coolant leaks.

That's one crunchy o-ring in there.

Loose hose clamp

(not pictured)

Bottom rad hose with a small slit.

Ok, well, I was expecting leaks just not from those places.  While I was out there, I might as well fill the oil.  The K&N filter looks new and the existing oil not too shabby, so I topped it off. I returned to the house for some snacks and to track down the o-rings and hoses. 

I returned later to tackle that brake light issue.  I removed the switch and disassembled it.  It looked good and tested fine.  The wires were good, I completed the circuit and the brake light came on.  Hmmm.  I cleaned up the contacts and reinstalled the switch.  Much success!  

But wait.... why is that bowl I'm using to catch coolant so dark?  

That almost looks like...oil.  Oh no. Immediately my brain goes into panic mode!  Oil in the coolant! The end is near! But wait...that's not possible.  I didn't test start the bike, it has to be leaking from somewhere.  

Yup. Another leak.

This time, it was from the pulse generator cover.  That gasket is made from unobtainium, so I'll be rocking the ULTRA BLACK RTV gasket.  Whatever works.  

So, a few steps forward, a few back.  More reasons why I prefer air-cooled bikes.  The o-rings are on order and I'll have to figure out a universal application for the rad hose, thankfully it's not to fancy with bends. 

Stay tuned! We'll get to that magical first start eventually.

Project CBR600F: Revenge of the JIS!

One challenge of working on older Japanese bikes is the multitude of stripped out "phillips" screws that have fallen victim to our SAE screwdrivers.  In the past, I've replaced these with allen had screws and made my life and any future owner's lives easier.  Once those were replaced, I put on the airbox and started my plan for hiding all the extra wiring. 

JIS vs SAE phillips screwdriver. 

Shiny! 

Easier to service and stronger hardware. 

This is not normally to be used as lube, but this time it is. 

Using the sanitizer, the carbs went in without issue.

Clean-ish K&N.

I sacrificed an intake tube so I can bury the extra wiring. 

Temp location for the fuse block, not weather friendly.

I need a battery, oil and coolant, then I can test start!

Project CBR600F: Valve Service

Friday night, I managed to tackle the valve service.  The intake valves were all too tight, while the exhaust were mostly within spec. Even with the custom tool, it was still a challenge on cylinders 1 and 4.  With a little help from my coworker who used to race a Hurricane, I got the throttle cables routed correctly (mostly) and the choke cable installed.  However looking back in my notes, I noticed I did not check the float height.  A quick visit to Revzilla and a float tool is on it's way.  With the carbs cleaned, jets checked and pilot screws set to stock, I didn't want to skip the floats and end up needing to tear it down again.

Screw and lock nut adjusters make adjustments easier but more frequent. 

I may etch these into the frame and use some paint to highlight them.

Push me! Pull you! 

I still have this rat's nest to deal with.