hey guys, So i bought the 1990cbr yesterday, and i know its going to need some work. I tried to ride it back but immediately i noticed some problems that i would have to take care of. The bike would start and run no problem, but unless you really gassed it with the clutch pulled in and then just let it out it would die on me. Also, it wasnt going faster than 75mph..it was like it had no power at all. My trip back was about an hour...about 45 minutes into it the engine was revving really high and it was not catching at all...its mlike it was in neutral in all the gears so i pulled over to the side of the road and there it sits now The guy i got it from told me it had a new clutch in it before I bought it and after i called him back, but i think its a clutch problem. Anyone else have this happen before? The bike starts no problem, its just getting no power to the rear wheel.I could use some advice.

 

Are you familiar with motorcycles?

Of course it will die if you dont gas it with the clutch in. Its called stalling. Driving not any faster than 75 with high revs would be not shifting. Sounds like somone needs to take an MSF course.

Or I could be missing something. It sounds like you're just not familar with motorcycles/manual cars.

 

lol, i like your take on the issue.

seriously tho, I hope you got a pick-up truck to get your bike off the side of the road.

 

i am familiar with bikes, in fact I own a 1995 yamaha seca II. The thing is you have to gas it a LOT, like half to 3/4throttle and then slowly release the clutch, or else it died...meaning it definitely wasntacting normal. Unfortunately I cannot tell you at what rpms i had to keep it at to keep it alive, because the instrument cluster isnt there, but like i said, it was about half throttle or else it would just poop out. as for the not being able to drive any faster than 75...i wasnt in first or anything, i was between 4th and 6th on the highway, but i couldnt feel any more power from those gears even when at high RPM. So im not an idiot or anything haha. I AM somewhat of a newb when it comes to repair and such, I think it needs the carbs ran through and something done with the clutch...i was just asking advice

 

If theres no instrument cluster, how can you judge that you're giving it half to 3/4th throttle? My CBR needs to be up at 4000 rpm to let the clutch out smoothly (it has bad carbs too, like I suspect yours does).

On the other side, without an instrument cluster, at 75mph in 6th gear, you'd be at pretty low RPMs andmight not havebeen feeling enough torque to discern acceleration without a speedometer.

Lastly though, a CBR is geared much differently than a commuter like a Seca-II, and you could just not be used to it.

Is there anything else missing from the motorcycle other than a dash?

My guess is, above other things, that it needs its carbs cleaned. I doubt the clutch has anything to do with it though. I'd pick it up off the highway before someone steals it and get it looked at by a bike mechanic. They can do compression tests and see whats wrong with it.

 

well the thing that got me, was that when i was going through the gears, like 3rd and 4th...the rpms would rise in sound and then plateau, and then id shift. It could bethat im not used to the bike, but the thing was I was following my friend in his car, and it had no accelleration...even in the low gears. The seat of pants feeling was lower than even the seca haha and i find that hard to believe is normal. Basically, I feel that im getting given a hard time about this question all i'd like to ask is if the bike starts up....idles fine....but when you put it into gear...and let out the clutch...now it just revs high like its in neutral, and doesnt have any pull to it...what does that sound like?

 

oops sorry. It is missing all the fairings on it as well. but ive seen some rear ones on ebay and I was going to streetfighter it out

 

I understand what you mean then. I'd just take it to a motorcycle mechanic and have them look over the entire bike.

 

Hey, there's definitely something wrong with the bike. I have a streetfighter with no front fairing, and that leaves the intakes exposed to air being forced into the intake and high speed. More air without an accompanying rise in fuel results in a lean mixture, which equals no power. The faster you go, the more air you get, the less power you get. You need to block one intake or modify the airbox.

Your starting problem doesn't sound like a clutch issue to me. It sounds like you're trying to start while in 2nd or 3rd gear. Put it in neutral, then roll the bike a few feet without holding the clutch to make sure that it's in neutral. Then kick it down a gear, and you'll be in first. My last bike was a 1982 Yamaha Seca 650. Obviously not as fast as a Seca II, but when I rode my Hurricane for the first time, I was blown away (no pun intended). Clean the carbs, replace the plugs, clean the air filter, and make sure it shifts into and out of every single gear, 1-6.

And for god's sake, get it off of the side of the highway! Otherwise I'm gonna take it home.

 

haha! its not on the sideway, its actually on an access road and there was this nice little concrete inlet so its not IN the road. unfortunately, they shut down that part of the road last night and i wasnt able to retrieve it. the good news? most likely noone else was able to as well :P