Hello All,

I bought 2 Bikes, 1990 CBR 1000 Hurricane and 1983 GL 650 SilverWing.

I took the Hurricane for a road test ride and it started & ran good, but that was 9 mo's ago. I hauled it home and tarped it and just started working on it last week. It was sold to me with a bad charging system. The seller put a new recifier in but it did not fix it the charging problem. Also a another battery was installed by the seller and was 1 yr. old. Now the battery is No good now per testing with my eletronic battery tester.

1. I used a (fully) charged mower battery to start the bike (last wk.) and have good cranking speed. I have zero charging voltage and read battery voltage only.

I did not have a Shop Manual but do now. I will start the process of checking voltages & resistance readings during my next trouble shooting check this coming weekend ?

2. A new problem showed up... it did not want to start. I added High Test gas and stablizer when I brought it home. I used propane to start it and it fired up and ran Ok after a 5 min. warm up. It would refire when warm and was a little rough but then ran fine.

3. I live in the country in FL and took it for a short ride with the mower batt. hooked up. I noticed the temp. gauge creeping up and turned around and came home. It was just in the hot range when I got home. The coolant level was up and No leakage visible. I waited until it cooled and ran it again at idle. The fan never kicked in when it reached the higher temp. range (hot). The engine was getting hot as well. I removed the radiator cap about 15 minutes later and water gushed out (hot).

4. I'm wondering what has happened from setting. The bike ran 100% on it's 30 minute test ride. I had it up to 100MPH and it ran perfect, no overheat nor starting problems.

I've been a diesel & airplane mechanic and motorcycle mechanic (in the 80'). I'm thinking that I have some wiring & charging problems. The 9 month old gas is a issue and needs replaced (even with stablizer). I did not check the amount of anti-frezze protection and the engine may have damage from setting over winter. I live in FL (Bonifay) and the water froze up here a couple times, perhaps 27 degrees or so. If I wrecked this engine... I'm Not happy with myself. I did check all my other rides but forgot about the bike (stupid mistake).

Closing -- Looking for some advice.. let me know about some checks you'd make. Yes, I have the shop manual now. However, folks in the Bike Business have developed a shorter path to check known faults. They know what to check 1st and that's the information I'm looking for !

Thanks A lot,

Avery

(HighFly27)

 

Cover all the basics.

Get the right battery!

Dump the old fuel, even with the Sta-bil. Drain the carb floats. Start fresh. Use an additive (Seafoam is the recommended product here)

These bikes will run hot, but do your basic stove top thermostat test anyway. Is the cooling fan working properly?

Do an oil change (does it look like a chocolate milkshake?) If no, you're good.

With the Shop manual. Make sure choke, throttle, idle are all in spec.

Pull and read your plugs. Is something bad lurking in one cylinder?

These bikes are old now. Neglect by a previous owner is a common theme. Use your knowledge and trust the judgement of the elder statesmen here. Those guys are and will be your most valuable resource

 

If the guage is like the F3 (analog), it will show top end of hot at about 180f-200f.
My fan kicks on at 185f-ish, I've seen comments of as much as 190f, for others.

You can double check the fan by shorting it to ground. If it's similar to the F3,
the wire to the thermostat is hot (+). So the thermostat turns on the fan by shorting
to ground, via the thermocouple.

First, check the wire from the harness to the fan for current, it should be hot (+).
Once you've verified, that power is getting to the fan...

Take the wire off the thermocouple and jump it to ground, the fan should start.
If not, the fan is faulty.

As far as pulling the cap and the system was still pressurized, that doesn't sound
totally unreasonable to me.

The only real way to be sure if you should be concerned or not, get a cheap,
laser-infrared sensor meter to be able to get actual numbers on the temp.
I wouldn't be concerned until you start hitting sustainded temps over 230f-240f.
The pressure cap doesn't pop till 14-18psi, so that pushes the boiling point
of water up a ways from 212f.

If you really like your toys, Extech makes a really cool multimeter...
EX430 - 11 Function True RMS Professional MultiMeter
As well as all of the usual features, in a quality build, it comes with a temp probe.

Hope this gives you some ideas, Ern

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

All of the above - is good advice

I'd drain an flush the coolant check the wire and thermo switch.

I would not take the P/O's assertion that he changed the R/R with a new one
So to me - I'd grab a new ....as real in new, not Ebay new / used, R/R and a nice
fresh battery and go from there.

 

All above +1
You may have a jammed thermostat which would cause the overheating - not unusual in bikes of that age. Not difficult to replace and available on e-bay often. The thermostat units often break when you try to remove them from the housing so it's better to replace the whole unit - I bought one on e-Bay.
The charging problem may also be caused by burnt wiring in the stator/alternator (mine was) - also not difficult to replace but a bit expensive at $225 from MrCycles Honda Kawasaki Polaris Suzuki Yamaha Motorcycles ATVS Scooters Utility Vehicles.
A new reg/rec from Electrex may be an answer too. Many of us have had reg/rec problems in the past.
Try all the solutions, hopefully it's a cheap and quick fix

 

I would also make sure the plugs are the correct ones. mine ran hot when i first got it. while checking everything over i found the plugs were the incorrect range. swapped in the correct range and it made about 10 degrees difference in the running temp.

 

I have a lot of good tools and two I R Guns.. one Harbor Frt. & the other a brand name. I have lots of meters, one is a Fluke and good meter and some china ones too.

Just need to do a complete service and new high test gas. Need a new battery and will try to troubleshoot what is good or bad.. be it Rectifier (it's new) or Stator Wiring or What ?

I forgot.. my rear tire is worn down and needs replaced. I was checking around and did not decide on a rear tire yet. I ride country roads and they are sort of abrasive. So, I like a tire that sticks (rubber on road) but does not wear out at 9,000 miles or so. Also, we get some real rain down here and some of the road way is grooved and will have about 5 inches of water it. Yes, I know check the weather forecast and avoid all the hassle. Well..like it or not.. I need a good tire that will not get me killed.. going through trough of water on the road. Yep, I know to slow down and/ or hold up and let the rain (storm) past. Depends on how bad it is; I'll do what I need to do to keep me right side up.

Avery

(HighFly27)

 

Best touring tire I've ever run was the Metzler ME88's, if I recall correctly.
Great milage, excellent stiction and superb rain handling.

Their sport-touring's current evolution is the Roadtec Z6.

Ern

 

MaddHattr059

I looked at the Metzler Tires and read the rider reviews. Some of the bike (BMW, Ducati) company's use them as OEM tires. The folks that bought them gave then top marks of up to 5 Stars. I think it was the Z6 (inter ??) that got the top marks and I book marked the page. I will get the Hurricane running correctly and buy the tire thru mail order for the best price. This Tire fits the bill for Wet Road Traction and Low Wear.

Thanks for the Tip,

Avery

(HighFly27)

 

I have Z6's on my Mk2
Excellent tyres. The rear shows no wear at 5000 miles, the front is "cupping" very slightly but will be good for another 3000 miles at a guess.
They take a little longer to warm up than the Bridgestones or Michelins.