LOL, I new that would get someones attention!!! The knockers I am talking about are the ones in my engine. It is more like an occasional slap at low to rough idle. I have read about idle knocking being a normal issue with the older CBR's; or could it be valve lash? It sounds great when given the gas, could be just pinging and I am not used to it. Took the clutch out and the engine looks clean put new plates in anyway. The bike has been in a garage for a few years. I am slowly working the bugs out. Almost too slow. Waiting on hydraulic clutch parts now.

Anyhow, any ideas? She is an 87 Hurricane 1000, and I think I love her.

Thanks in advance. I have only been a member a little while, and have been helped more than I could have hoped. GREAT SITE!!!!

 

You say your bike has been sitting for several years, that makes me think your carbs may be varnished. Take them off, clean them up, then check your valve clearances, plugs and wires. When all that is up to snuff synchronise the carbs. You'd be surprised at what out-of-synch carbs can do in terms of drivability and strange engine noises.

 

Wot he said. Engines noises can lead you astray. Some people with the older Kwakas have rebuilt engines because the carbys were out of synchro!

 

I did the carbs, not synchronize, but removed and cleaned and adjusted bowl height it runs better now. Still knocking when it sputters like an internal backfire, if that makes since. Should I even try to sync. them or have it done? How difficult is the valve clearance check? I see from the manual that it is routine maint.
I know I am hammering you with questions but I am itching to ride, also need a rebuild kit for the clutch master cylinder. On order now.

 

Synchronize them. If you don't have a carb stick or other synchronizing tool, take it to a mechanic and have it done. Internal backfiring is as good a description as any for the sound you're hearing.

Setting the valves isn't a difficult task. The exhaust valves on #1 and #4 are a pain to get to, but the rest aren't too bad. I'm not sure what clearance specs are on your bike, but you should have a specific value (as in, .003" +/- .001"). Some people are fussy and want the exact clearance given. I'm with the group that feels a little loose is better than a little tight. When setting valves I grab the feeler guage .001" over, set it to a tight fit, pull it out and check to see if the exact speck guage fits easily. If it does, and the .001 over either doesn't go, or is extremely hard to get in, then the clearance is probably around .0005 over, well within specs. With practice you can pretty much tell by feel when you've got it right. Again, if you don't feel confident in doing it yourself, have someone with experience walk you through it or have it done at a shop. Oh yeah, most feeler guage sets now come with both metric and standard measurements on each finger. Don't mix up the metric and standard measurement scales. Doing so really messes things up.

Go for it. Half the fun of riding is working on your own bike. Well, for some of us it is.

 

Oh, I hope to do all of the work on the bike, most of the time. If I can get the carb stick. or maybe the setup described by someone in this forum. ( A vacuum tester ) If I can get it for close to the same price as having it done; I'll just buy it and learn. I am planning on tearing it completely down and redoing everything. I just wanted to ride now and rebuild in the winter. he he That and as soon as I got my bike my boss went out and bought one. That bastard got one that ran!!!! So now the pressure is on. I have some consolation, He bought a Virago.

Thanks for all of your time. The info is great!!!

 

I have tried different gas octane ratings and haven't really noticed that much of a difference. The only difference I have noticed is that when cold on start up, higher octane gas makes the engine sound better. Not that there are any issues with the engine, it just sounds better.

 

You should be able to get the mercury style carb guage for about $50. If you can swing it, though, you should get something like the CarbTune. They're more expensive, but far safer since they don't use mercury, and some feel more accurate. Check them out at http://www.carbtune.com/

 

I think I will try that. Thanks for all the help. Wish me luck. Wanna put the fairings back on. Still no clutch parts.

 

it's a good bike to love, I have an 88, and even after a nice crash i like it FAR better than my 750 katana.. it's just so solid, stable, and reliable, and i can outrun a 600 F4i with an average rider in the twisties, and I'm not much above average...