Project CBR600F: Lean Times My Friends...

Due to my loud work time (test rides, general vroom vroom work) being very limited, I needed to call in reinforcements from Furuhashi Racing. He has more motorcycle knowledge than I'll ever accumulate, and his availability is the reverse of mine in most ways.  After a test ride, which of course didn't include all of the bikes weird issues, the plugs were pulled.  The plugs are showing very lean.  

K enjoying the tight working spaces.

The K&N Air Filter and full Delkevic exhaust (no baffle) are definitely at work here.

At least they're all reading the same.

So,  a plethora of main jets, and a step up in pilots have been ordered from Jets-R-Us. Since they're only a few states away, I hope the shipping time is quick as I have a trip planned later this year.  FYI they have free shipping, so instead of paying $7.99 for shipping, I added a new magnetic oil drain bolt which bumped me up to essentially the same cost.  Shop smart, shop s-mart. 

K said the power difference should be noticeable once the jetting is correct.  Hell, it already feels super fast to me!  Fast bikes are fun, but I do enjoy wringing out a small bike vs holding back on a fast one.

Ah, I also have a vintage factory service manual en route from eBay.  You know things are getting serious when you call on the big book. 

Blessed are those that read from the good book. 

I'll be missing Ride To Work Day, but it's for the best. 

The excitement continues; stay safe out there. 

**UPDATE**

I pulled the carbs and stripped them down, then realized the main jets were 105s.  Stock size is 110, which I know I verified back in 2019; and it definitely didn't run this poorly then.  I did some digging and found that when I replaced the bowl gaskets in late 2019, I replaced the main jets too. They were the wrong size!  So, I ordered a replacement set of 110s, 115s, and 118s; rather have too many jets than not enough!   Now, to find the stock jets and float valves I removed in 2019 to compare with what I have.  I bet there may be other sizing issues related to this damn kit, like the float seat on 3 or 4.  

Project CBR600F: Fresh Seals and Taco Time

 Today the Hurricane was scheduled for surgery.  With ratchet straps in hand, it was time to restrain, I mean secure the patient. I had planned on using the motorcycle lift someone gave me years ago, but it really only works well on bikes that aren't a stressed member frame.  So, I lifted with a combo of 2 ratchet straps around the frame, and a standard floor jack and 2x4 to spread the load. 

The front wheel removal was pretty standard, as was the actual fork removal. I loosened the cap before taking them out of the triple tree, to save myself from serious frustration later on.  However, it mutated and came back as a tool failure. 

Thankfully, the bushings were still in good shape, even if the oil was black as the void.  The seals and dust boots were rock hard and probably old enough to vote.  With the legs disassembled (one at a time to avoid confusion), it was time to drain and clean the parts, then test my fancy DIY 3D printed fork seal driver! What's a project without a trip to the store for tools or parts?  I had to track down a long reach 6mm Allen driver for the bottom bolts.  Glad there's a Harbor Freight within a reasonable distance. 

Looking good!

Oh no!

Well, shit.  I guess next time I print them I'll do 100% infill. 

The flanges on the driver snapped off, one at a time.  Granted, I was whacking them with a dead blow hammer when I really should have still used a piece of PVC to drive them.  So, I headed to the store again, for a 5' section of 1.5" PVC.  By using the pipe, an old seal, and the backup washer between them, I was able to drive home all the seals.  With them in place, it was just simple reassembly. 

Delicious.

One done (finally), time for lunch.

It's Tuesday, so tacos!

With a belly fully of tacos and break time nearing an end, it was time to get back to it and finish up the left fork. It's pretty much identical to the right, so, easy peasy!

I'm concerned about these gouges, but we'll see how it goes.

With the forks installed, and everything set to torque spec, it was time to drop the bike and get everything cleaned up.  Tomorrow evening, I'll get the exhaust system put back on with new gaskets, and finish up the headlight assembly.  Hopefully I'll get some time on Sunday to check the carbs for leaks, balance them (again), and see how the 5.5K stumble is doing.  Monday is Ride To Work Day, I may actually be able to take part this year!  The last time I rode to work would have been 2016, on my XJ600. 

Getting closer to being road worthy every week. The next step, is tires and stems.  Then RIDE RIDE RIDE. Stay safe out there. 

Project CBR600F: High Powered Honker

 The stock horn on most motorcycles sounds like someone is strangling a goat.  The horn on my Hurricane is so quiet, it doesn't even work.  After a few "I really wish I had a horn" moments on my test rides, I decided I should probably order the Denali Soundbomb Mini from Revzilla. 

For most installations, this is just plug and play.  However... that wasn't the case with my bike.  I believe this is due to the full LED conversion and how the OEM horn shared a power feed from the marker lights.  When I would press the horn button, the front marker lights would dim and the horn would go "bloop". 

Before hacking into the harness, I took the horn switch part to make sure it was clean and working properly.  Besides being dirty, it was working just fine.  

With that checked, it was time to get cutting.  I unwrapped the harness, found the Wht/Grn wire and snipped it.  To test, I ran a hot lead back to my distribution block.  I turned the key, hit the horn button and HONK! Damn, it's loud. With the power of honk confirmed, it was time to give it some proper connections and clean up the wiring.  

This is the exact reason why I love to use power distribution blocks.

I feel bad for any future owner of this bike. So much red spaghetti.

I'm not a fan of it's current mounting location, so I'm going to try and stuff it behind the headlight bucket when I do the fork seals since I'll have that all torn apart again. 

Tomorrow is surgery day for the forks.  I'm prepped and ready.  For once, I'm using all OEM parts and fluids!

Stay safe out there. 

Project CBR600F: Printing Shade

 My test rides revealed that even with the brightness cranked up, the phone display was difficult to read at times.  So, I found a shade designed for a Samsung phone and tweaked it to fit my application.  

It worked out great with the exception of the slot for the charging cord.  I'll need to pick up a right angle USB cord to take the strain off.  Otherwise, I dig it!  Like the headlight ears, and bucket, this is printed in PETG, so it's gas stable, UV resistant, and pretty tough.  

I'm working on a new version that integrates a spot for the warning lights, as well as a voltmeter.  

Project CBR600F: Breaking The Law!

 Remember what I said about the EPA limiter caps?  Adios you little buggers. 

I used some cork gasket material to pad my vice jaws and heated the screws up with a heat gun.  With a little tug, they slide right off. Remove the leftover glue and you're in business. When I pulled the pilot screws, I carefully dug out the spring, washer and o-ring for each.  As I guessed, the o-rings were toast.  Which really sucks because they're even more difficult to find and I have yet to find the factory size. 

However, I went way down the rabbit-hole while writing this post last night, and I believe I've found a few sources for them.  Once I have these replaced, that will be all of the seals and o-rings refreshed on these carbs.  

I got the new floats swapped over yesterday, as well as cleaning up the float valves and seats.  I didn't find any gunk but my eyesight ain't what it used to be. 

Once the carbs are buttoned up, I can get back to farting around town with my leaky fork seals.  The seal kits should be here in the next week or so, and I plan on swapping out the 2x offroad lights for my printed headlight bucket and a round LED headlight.  One step at a time.