I just remembered that we haven't changed the oil, or atleast checked it since we bought the bike. I'm wondering where I can check it (pictures would be great) and what to use to use when it needs to be replaced.

Next is the spark plug... how do I get to it?

One more.. my throttle. It is having some issues. It doesn't snap back as fast as it should, I almost have to help it some to get back... if that makes sense. How do I fix this?

 

check oil on right side crankcase clutch cover. there is a dipstick intergral with the cap. at the end of the dipstick it is checkered. wipe off dipstick and place back into hole, do not screw back in. take hold of bike and tip till bike is level, place bike back onto sidestand. pull dipstick back out and see where oil resides on checker. top of checker is full like on automobile oil dipsticks.

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_02...10&parent=5070

oil plug is under the engine on the left side. replace with motorcycle oil, Spectro or Castrol or whatever is available to you. 10-40 will do for day to day riding. takes 3.3 - 3.4 quarts with filter change.

sparkplugs. geez, that's a little tougher. the two outside plugs aren't a problem, it's the 2 center ones. to get to them, you have to unbolt the radiator from it's mounting points, flip up or out and then you should be able to get to them. it sounds easy but it takes a bit of finessing to get the radiator out far enough to get to the sparkplugs. you don't need to drain rad or remove hoses. just unbolt from frame.

sounds like throttle cable may need some cleaning and maybe the throttle return spring on the plate where the throttle cable connects to the carbs. on the clipon, you'll see the cable is fed through 2 cable housings, one is push, one is pull and both are screwed into the assembly. loosen each nut and spray wd-40 or brake cleaner down into the housing. remember to relube afterwards. tighten nuts back. if you know how to remove fuel tank, you can check the spring tension on the push/pull cable.

take seat off, remove rear tank bolt and unscrew front tank bolt located just in front of the tank. grab ahold of the tank and pull back a bit towards the rear of the bike. lift up a little and use something to prop it up. make sure tank petcock is turned off. do not pull too high or too quickly, there are a couple of vent hoses underneath and the fuel line. disconnect fuel hose and remove tank altogether. you'll also probably need to remove air filter housing to see carbs. i don't remember as i do not use the airbox anymore.

now you can inspect the carb throttle cable spring assembly. roll the throttle a few times and see how the spring reacts. could be dirty, or weak (may need new one to replace), kinked cable (check cable routing to make sure not hung up on anything), or possibly cleaning inside of throttle cable may solve your problem.

if you remove tank before cleaning the cable housing, put cloth at end of cable to keep whatever gets flushed out from getting all over the carbs.

oh, i also forgot, make sure that the handgrip is not slipping towards the end of the clip-on. it could catch on the end-weight not allowing the throttle to freely rotate back.

hope this helps.

 

Thank you for all your help and detail... I'm sure this will help a ton, when I look at the bike this weekend some more...

 

i just did all of that to my bike this week, hrm. it is not necessary to unbolt the radiator from the frame to change the plugs, i did it. now i am not saying it would not have made it easier, but it is possible. also, my throttle cables were pretty bad. they are very old and fraying, i am going to replace them but for now i just lubed them up with some WD-40, took off the grip made sure there was no debris underneath(paint, gunk, etc) lubed that, then hooked it all back up and w00t sprung right back. still need to be replaced but even with old cables its fixed.

 

i just got done changing out the plugs on my 97F3. i didnt touch the radiator. but it was a tight fit trying to get the tools in there to remove and replace the plugs. just take your time and dont let the tight fit get the best of ya.

dave

 

I was planning to do it all this weekend but a few things came up... The gf wanted to go to the pool, and it rained all weekend. Maybe this week or next weekend will be better...

 

peanuts forced me to post in the wrong thread.