Hi Red,
when you say you rebuilt the carbs years ago, exactly how long are we talking about. Has it had any gas in the system that's sat for a while?
The guys are correct in ring towards the tank breather being your culprit but if there's any blockages in the carbs from fuel gum or aly oxide then you need to clear that before you go any further. Hopefully you'll tell me you suspended them in an aspic rich vacuum after you rebuilt them.
The tank breather pipe is on the underside (obviously), about 5mm dia, nearest to the rear tank fixing bolt. There is no pipe going onto it, although you can fit one if you wish. Don't confuse it with the larger one located nearer to the centre of the tank. This is the overflow from the filler well.
Try fitting a length of plastic pipe over the breather tube and blowing through it with the filler cap open. It should not be too hard to empty your lungs through it. If it is, then suspect a blockage. Clearing that bugger is another story...

 

Quite possibly a fuel issue but have you checked it's charging ok? (voltmeter across the battery terminals when engine running should be 14 volts upwards) only mentioning as when the reg/rec dies it can feel like fuel starvation.

 

I think John Montgomery is going to be the winner here.

HenryM - After rebuilding the carb they sat with no fuel in them until I got everything else done. This wasn't a primary project so It did lots of sitting over time. But I kept fuel out of areas that I knew it could gum up by never putting fuel in those areas. I didn't blow through the breather but after filling the tank completely full of gas my garage has had the gasoline odor ever since.

Update - So I went riding today. After less than ten minutes the bike just shut off. Didn't get sluggish like before. I pulled over and opened the tank but didn't hear a swoosh of vacuum pressure being released. I went to restart it and the start won't do anything. Doesn't turn over, click or make any noise. The head lit dims but that is all. I had to get towed home the entire 4 miles. Suck.

So I think John Montgomery may be the winner. I tested the voltage across the terminals about a month ago and above 3k rpm it had proper voltage. But maybe I got a freak reading during my test.

Also the bike has always been hard to start. It usually has to crank a lot before it runs. Sometimes it will fire a couple of times but won't start. I didn't think this was related but now I think it might be.

What are your guys thoughts? What should I test or replace at this point?

 

Reg/rec is a known issue of these bikes and has caught me out .
Given your starting issues I'd be looking at it .
Maybe do the stick coils mod also as maybe your original coils are a bit sad .

 

Been there, got two t-shirts. Had to replace the regulator/rectifier unit on both occasions (they overheat) symptoms as above. Some folks drill holes in the frame backing plate to help keep it cool.

 

Do yourself a favor in the process of replacing the R/R put a new battery in too
as a bad R/R usually over charges and cooks the bejeezuz out of whatever battery
was attached to it.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I never would have thought of the voltage R/R before this thread. Quick question though. In my research I found to not buy ones off of ebay because they might be for our bikes. Do the '87's have the same R/R as the F2'? I see sites that say they have them for the 1990 model but not the 1987. Is it the same? I'm just having trouble finding where I can buy a new one and not a used one. Is this a good option?

Rick's '87-'88 Honda CBR1000F Hurricane Rectifier-Regulator

 

All should be answered by Naga Thai's thread I think.

He's most definitely the resident expert on R/Rs for the Hurricane

https://cbrforum.com/forum/cbr-1000f...-china-135622/

Read this ----> http://tinyurl.com/734engf

Cheers, SB

 

Thanks for that info Sebastionbear! If I read that right the 87-88 has a different model R/R is that right?

 

So I finally got time to get back to this project. I bought a new R/R and installed it today. Hit the start button and the light dims but that is all. I have 11.6V at the battery so it should at least make noise on the starter. But I have nothing. Could starter or starter relay cause the bike to die and be my problem now? I have no idea what to replace or even trouble shoot at this point.