Hey everyone,

New to CBR's, and somewhat new to riding. Spent a while on a Kawasaki EX-500 prior to this bike, and while it's a fun bike I felt the power a bit lackluster, the suspension/tire combination miserable, and the look just wasn't for me.




That's me in my halloween costume by the way. I'm not quite that hairy naturally, heh. Anyways that's the bike, and it's a really good condition 1992 CBR600f2.

Milage is supposedly 22k, however the speedo is broken at the front axle, so it could be ungodly high. The motor seems kosher for the most part though and it's got plenty of get up and go, so I am definitely not questioning it!

The previous owner didn't know **** about bikes, and appears timid enough about bikes to not have done anything stupid to this fine specimen of a CBR600. Basic things were wrong with it, such as the mirrors being loose and flopping everywhere. Bad sign for maintenace, but it helped me get one hell of a good price, and he was also quick to run away from some issues on the bike which I consider minimal.


Work I've had to do thus far (some minor upgrades to mention as well):

-Completely bled the brakes all the way and change the brake fluid. It looked like mud. Front pads and rear pads still have 60% life in them, so no sense changing quite yet.

-New rear sprocket and chain. Wound up getting a 520 chain, but it's this really expensive stuff that i got one hell of a deal on. Very stoked about that! New rear sprocket is unfortuantely aluminum, but it's all that I could dig up and it's price was fine. I went up two teeth on the rear for slight acceleration improvement, but nothing monumentally different.

-New rear tire, since the old one was bold and chicken stripped. Bridgestone battleaxe, feels good, and thus far these tires have treated me good.

-K+N Filter. The UNI filter in there was probably from before the 2000's. Got a heck of a deal on it since a local guy here used to track these bikes a ton, and when he cleaned his garage he found four of them. Hell yeah $15!

-Extended frame sliders (not pictured, just installed). The possibility of me going down exists, and so I did the horrible evil of drilling holes in the original factory plastics that are aboslutely perfect and unscuffed. The frame sliders fit great though, and I did an amazing job with the hole saw I have though and they fit like a glove! Hell yeah!

-I suppose I didn't do this but it came with a full micron exhaust system, which is pretttty sweet. The bike sounds amazing!



Questions for everyone out there:

So it is my experience that pretty much all vehicles all encounter the same issues within their make and model, unless you're doing something really out of the ordinary (generally: STUPID).

I've got the following issues currently, and am curious what you all would say given the tendancies of CBR600f2's. Also, what are some things I should keep an eye out for?


First question: When Istart up the engine, and sometimes for a very brief time after starting up I can hear a whir, like a chain rubbing coming from the motor. I've heard this relates to the cam chain, and given that it's based on oil pressure (right?) I can see why it only happens when starting up. Should I be concerned about this? I tracked down an Ape cam chain tensioner for a decent price and a very knowledgable person to help me install it!

Second question: With the bike in neutral and the clutch lever all the way out (released) I can feel a physical wirr from the transmission, and it almost feels somewhat grindy in a sense. I've heard this means clutch basket? What are some typical clutch issues encountered with this bike/motor?

Third question: Right around 6-7k sometimes I notice a slight whir from the engine, somewhat alike a bug zapper in sound. Am I just being hyper sensitive or what is this about?

Fourth question: the rear brakes even after being bled with proper brake fluid just feel rather lackluster. Even on wet pavement (I'm still riding and it's raining here in Oregon) I have to stomp on the rear brake to lock the tire up. Not that i need to lock the tire up, but I feel like I just can't get the brakign power I want out of it!




All that aside though I got a screaming deal on a GREAT looking bike (I love it) in pretty good condition, that doesn't appear to require that much work. I'll be swapping the oil whenever I address whatever this clutch issue is, along with the spark plugs, and the coolant just to ensure everythings been changed out that is reasonable. Just incase though, is there anything else you would advise changing out on the bike?


Thanks in advance, and glad to have found the community!

 

1. get the ape and save yourself the future headache. 2. nothing I can think of, just normal wear and tare stuff. 3 These bikes are really noisy, so for the most part I wouldn't be worried. 4 could be the quality of the pads and not the hydraulic system itself.

 

Nice find!

Does the rattling sound like this by any chance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIME1Epiq5g

My back brake isnt any special either, its pretty much as you described. I use it for slowing the bike down on the motorway and when im rollin up no handed to junctions if its dry.

I've been driving round with that rattle for months now, Im kinda fond of the rattling as it only rattles at 3-4k rpm. Which is idea when filtering through traffic, people hear me coming. Also named my bike 'the rattler'.

 

the clutch rumble is pretty common and the rear brakes are really not for completly stopping the bike like ^^^ said its good for no handed stand up coasts to the light

 

Yeah the sound I am getting is not like yours at all, infact your bike sounds perfect to me in that video, hahaha. No I hear a sound like an electric fence or a charged bug zaper righta round 7-8k... however at 7-8k I'm cooking along the road so who knows, it could be a harmonic related to something else???


I'll be getting the ape chain tensioner. I may just hold out on the clutch... since you guys say it is a common thing to have happen. I'm not actually noticing any clutch slippage, but then again I can afford to have the local shop I go to replace the whole damn thing and show me how to do it, so why not start fresh, espescially with some nice barnett + EBC aftermarket stuff, heh.


My rear brake comparison is to my ex-500, where I can lock the rear wheel up if I want, although not too easily mind you. I have to literally stand on the rear brake pedal on my CBR600 to get it to lock up on wet pavement, so something appears amiss to me, espescially given that it has brand new DOT4 brake fluid.

 

The clutch sounds I have it just. Just bought my 1st bike. 94 cbrf2. I was told its my clutch basket. Im puttin on new gaskets on both sides so I Was thinkin about doin the clutch basket or having someone do it for me. Tryin to research it now. If anyone has any info that be great. Do I do the basket while I got the cover off or do I forget about it for now?

 

I neglected to mention other issues that have me suspecting clutch issues:

Shifting from neutrul into first first results in a massive "THUD" more often than not (2/3 times), and same going up into second. Sometimes infact I'll be heading out of first, and stomp up for second and not make it and wind up in Neutrul.

I suspect it's the clutch not disengaging all the way due to an issue, as I have no other transmission issues anywhere else on the bike. This, in combination with the crazy neutral rattle, makes me suspect of the whole thing.


Anyways, I'll be getting some help and replacing the basket and anything else in there that doesn't look absolutely perfect. Should be a party...

 

Issues 2 and 4 are perfectly normal. You should expect to hear some looseness or almost rattling in neutral with the clutch out. It's the free movement of the disengaged clutch in neutral. The hard shifting to and from first are also normal. It's something all our bikes do and it worried the crap outta me when I got my bike too. I assure you its normal and if you don't notice any slippage or difficulty hitting certain gears (not including going from first to second at high revs and accidentally hitting neutral ) then don't worry about it.

As for the sound around 6-7k it sounds like maybe the CCT. Let us know what happens when you get the new Ape tensioner in there.

In general, your concerns about the clutch seem to be stuff that's normal. Pay extra attention for slippage or difficulty getting into certain gears for a while just in case but don't worry yourself too much..

 

Awesome! Since you've all spoke so much to the normality of the clutch doing this, and the fact I've not noticed anything majorly wrong thus far such as SLIPPAGE, I won't be doing the clutch work!

 

just chiming in for another ditto on the clutch noise. My YFZ quad does it, my CR125 dirt bike does it, and my CBR did it, before my motor exploded. It's super normal. What you're feeling is the mainshaft rotating in the transmission. With the clutch in and the transmission in a gear, none of the geartrain is rotating, and the clutch is just slipping quietly away in a light bath of oil. When you shift into neutral and let the clutch out, a few more parts and bearings are spinning in there so you'll notice some "grumbling".

Nice score on the bike. Wish mine looked that gnarly/started.