I wanted to learn more about bikes so I bought an 87 600F as my project bike.

Straight off the bat the seller told me it would need new carb boots, a carb rebuild, new batteries and tires. The story is that the bike was abandoned at his friend's garage and had sat for 7-y and that it was subsequently given to him to sell. It was about a 4-h drive each way for me. The seller was super nice, and what I didn't expect was that he asked his *friend* to come by because he knew the bike's history.

Well, I ended up spending about 2-3 hours with these fine gentlemen and they taught me a lot more about bikes than I knew before. They insisted on starting the bike up so that I would know it wasn't seized, but we had trouble doing so. After going through a couple of batteries the bike still wouldn't start. So they started removing the fairings trying to figure out what was wrong. One guy was cleaning contacts and checking fuses, while the other guy was busy oiling the chain and filling it up with coolant ! They jumpered the leads to a car and it turned over but wouldn't start, so now they start pulling open the air filter to get to the carbs, suspecting it was the fuel pump. They spray a little starter fluid into the carbs and the thing roared to life.

Super nice guys, the seller even insisted he give me his bar straps to tie the bike down. I'll follow up with the technical issues, but meeting two guys who were so generous with their time was a great introduction to learning how to work on bikes.

 

I was told that the carb boots were cracked and that I will need to rebuild the carbs. As mentioned, the bike will turn over but not start without fuel being directly introduced into the carbs, so I understand this is likely a problem with the fuel line, filter, or pump.

I do know that when the bike was turned on we couldn't hear the pump running. Subsequently I pulled the pump and filter out of the bike. I hooked a 12V power supply and connected leads to the pump power lead. I hooked one black lead to one terminal and the read lead to the other. I couldn't hear a thing - I tried reversing polarities and still nothing. Is this the right way to test the pump ?

I *think* the first thing I need to do is check the condition of the gas tank, so that I will be testing with clean gas. There was still fuel in the tank but it has sat for 7 years so I'm thinking there might be rust. I definitely want to drain the tank and then check the interior, if I need to I will do the vinegar/nuts-and-bolts thing to clean as much rust out as possible.

Then, I think I need to change the oil.

Then I think I need to sort out the startup issue. I'm assuming I'm going to need to source a pump and filter. The seller thought these would be pretty standard and easy to find. Would these parts still be sold ? I'm wondering as the originals have some pretty sturdy rubber mounts that connect to the frame.

Once the bike at least starts, I think I'd be ordering new carb boots and a rebuild kit. I'm assuming I'll be ordering these from China or similar - if so, shipping will take weeks so would it be premature to order these now or should I wait until I sort out the startup issue first ?

Also, there are two rubber air intake hoses attached to the top of the air filter box but there is something clearly missing to allow them to fit onto the holes in the frame, and then I assume there are hoses or ducts that go from the frame to the front fairing. Once I get a service manual I assume I'll be able to identify the parts and their names.

I don't know how to do any of this stuff, but am prepared to learn and have been busy downloading service manuals and the like.

After that, there's a whole bunch of things I will need to tackle - the forks have too much oil, I'll need to replace the chain, tires, and change the brake fluid., I think II don't know how to do any of that either (!)- but I think that is all secondary to getting the motor running first.

Thoughts ? Am I tackling the right issues in the right order ?

 

The pump doesn't have a motor inside. It's kind of a solenoid actuator. If it's connected to the bike it won't make a sound if it's filled with gas and bike is not running. However while disconnected it should make a ticking sound. If not it may have bad point switches inside the black plastic cap. Or it may have burnt coil inside. By reversing the voltage there is a great opportunity you have totally toasted the coil inside. BUT you can bypass the pump completely at this point. Bike will run just fine without it! Just don't use top revs as the engine may suffer fuel starving. Sort out carb issues first. Propably they have clogged up.

I think there is nothing missing at front of the airbox. Those rubber hoses should be just aligned to the holes in the frame, not fixed. And no hoses to the front fairing.

When you get the bike running, have a look at the fuel pump modification I have made. Still working flawlessly. https://cbrforum.com/forum/cbr-600f-...switch-153788/ Of course this mod requires a working pump to start with. Like this one https://www.autoparts-forless.com/gb...780006517.html

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. For the most part, if a carbureted bike has sat for several years, the internal passages are most likely going to be clogged. The idle circuits and choke circuits are tiny and clog easily. You can have a working fuel pump, gas in the bowls and still not start. Rebuilding the carburetors would be the first thing on my list. Not just the quick remove the bowls and jets type of cleaning, but fully separating the individual carburetors from the 2 rails that they are attached to and taking them completely apart. I recommend soaking in carburetor cleaner (you can usually get a 1 gallon tank for soaking them pretty reasonably), and then rinsing with the spray carb cleaners like gunk or something similar. I don't have any experience with the early F models, but they pretty much work the same. Good luck and have fun.

 

Thanks @Wesku79 . I hope I didn't ruin the pump. I considered trying to bypass the pump but was bothered thinking about how to hold the tank so as to get enough flow into the carbs. I guess I will face that problem whether I use gravity or a pump though, unless of course I just put the tank back on. Thank you for the link to a pump, and I will be sure to check out your mod !

 

Thanks @IDoDirt .

I believe the Clymer manual for this bike warns about automotive carb cleaners that can destroy some sort of coating on the outside of carbs. Is there a type of carb cleaner you would recommend for soaking ?

In the morning, I am going to order a rebuild kit and carb boots. Can I go Chinese or do I really need OEM (and can I even find OEM ?). Are there reputable sellers for this kind of stuff ?

Assuming I have to wait several weeks for these parts to get to me, I think I'll start on cleaning the tank and maybe replace the fuel hoses so I won't be passing junk into my rebuilt carbs. I've since learned how I am *supposed* to check the pump, so I'll do that as well - but if I did wreck the pump I was lead to believe the pumps and filters might be more readily available in North America. So *hopefully* by the time the carb parts come, I will have all the parts upstream of the carbs sorted out - clean and working.

 

I'm not aware of any special coatings on the carburetor bodies. I'm aware that Fuel Injected Throttle Bodies have coatings and should not be soaked or any carb cleaners used on them.

I picked this up at Advance Auto in the US but I'd imagine anything would do. I usually soak one body at a time overnight with it fully disassembled. No gaskets or rubber parts/O rings left on it. They don't like the stuff. Then I wash with clean water and then follow up with air and spray carb cleaner that I can squirt into the little passageways to ensure they are open.

 

This is the exact stuff I use. I've tried other methods and this is the least messy way to do it. For the jets I use a small glass jar, like an baby food or jelly jar and put some of the dip in it and then place the jets for a good soak.

 

Thank you @IDoDirt and @hamlin6 . I will look for the stuff locally. In Canada we have Napa ( I think) as well as place known lovingly as Crappy Tire.

 

Nappa should have it or a product like it. That is my preferred parts store.