hey guys, i just bought an 87 cbr hurricane, i'm 21 and this is my first street bike. first off i'd like to say this is a great site and i've been browsing the forums here for over a week now. anyways, the bike ran great when i bought it, and since then it's been starting real hard and when it does start it has a bad bog around 5k - 5.5k rpms when you rev it in neutral. i should mention i've only had it out like 2 times other than the test ride and under a load it seems to runs fine. but the last time i went to start it it didn't want to run.
i decided to pull the plugs. they all had fire although they were soaked in gas. every other 2 sparks or so was yellow. so i turned it over a few times and put them back in. after holding the start button for quite a few seconds it fired up, but died a few minutes later when playing with the idle control screw.
so i dug a little deeper and pulled the carbs off. i did my research here in the forums first, this is the first inline 4 cyl. carb i've had my hands on. basically i started with the float bowls, removed the float, the seat, cleaned out the bowl, removed the slow jet and cleaned (these were quite dirty and i needed a pin to clean them out) and sprayed other jets while holding carb upright, then reassembled, one at a time. i also cleaned the vaccum chambers, needle, and reassembled (did not seem to be dirty at all), then reinstall carbs. i went through 2 large cans of carb cleaner. again the bike did not want to start.
i should also mention at this time that i found the jets are stock sizes and the bike has a kerker slip on and midpipe. the air filter may be aftermarket but i am not sure, i think that it is stock. i tried starting the bike with and without the filter in. i tried starting the bike until the battery died. so i wheeled it out into the driveway and boosted it with the car, and the bike fires right up. now to me this seems weird because the battery had decent cranking power for a while, (although with the booster cables it cranked way faster) i mean the motor would just turn and turn and turn and not want to run, so is there something i'm missing here?? also once i got it going using the booster cables i got the idle at about 1100 and it is steady (no more stumbling) but when cracking the throttle in neutral, when you bring it up to 5k-5.5k it spits and cracks and doesn't seem to want to go above (this is in neutral only, symptoms are not there under a load) unless you really crack it back it goes right into the power band but there is a very serious bog if you try to ease into it...this doesn't seem right, is it because of the stock jets? i would like to adjust the valves and sync the carbs but haven't gotten that far yet (dont have the gauges) is this a carb sync or valve symptom? i am going to try new plugs tomorrow. i'd like to know if anyone else has had this problem, cash is very tight but the hard starts and 5k bog is frustrating. i'd really appreciate anyones input, i'll be checking up daily and thanks in advance!

 

I would certainly start with the new plugs, as well, itys not 100% accurate, but you can somewhat sync your carbs with them off the bike. If you would like to know more about the method send me a message and I can explain it in detail to you.

Also, when you replace your plugs and fire the bike up, just hold your hand close to the eshaust pipes coming out of the head and make sure they are all hot. (just ensures youre running on 4 cyl)

But once again, first step is spark plugs.

 

ok here's a little update. i got 4 new plugs in there and it fired right up with the booster cables. the bog issue was still apparent but there was definitely an improvement, especially once the bike warmed up. i gapped the plugs to .035 in.
i did verify all 4 cylinders were hot.
the only weird thing i noticed about the plugs is when i got them out they were all a nice brown color, but they have like a tiny amount of oil on top of the washer and down in the threads. you can barely see it, its not like covered in oil. (edit - bottom half of threads and electrode is normal looking - no oil) i tried getting a picture but my camera isn't a good enough quality. what would be causing this, any ideas? the exhaust doesn't smoke at all, and the oil level was good, but the oil smells like gas. is this from flooding it the other day? i will be changing the oil tomorrow.
here is a pic for your enjoyment.

 

i would say you have a small valve cover leak, causing the small amout of oil. and if your oil smells like gas youre definetly getting too much fuel probably causing your bogging issue.

Are your mixture screws adjusted to 2.5 turns?

 

i will have to look closer at the valve cover, although it doesn't appear to be leaking on the outside. i could not find the mixture screws, are they the ones that are capped? is it possible for them to move on their own if they have been capped since new?

 

what is the best way to access the pilot screws?
"The EPA anti-tamper plugs can be removed by carefully drilling a small
pilot hole in each plug, then threading a small *** metal screw into
the pilot hole. When you pull the sheetmetal screw out with a pair of
pliers, the anti-tamper plug comes out with it."
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Arch.../msg00044.html

can anybody verify this that has ACTUALLY done it?

 

so nobody can tell me how to adjust my pilot screws????

 

I dont know what in jesus place you got that info, but adjusting your pilot screws is quite simple, easiest to do off the bike.

Your pilot screws should have the caps on them that have the tab to prevent them from spinning, however, 20 some years of vibration can cause them to move, as the caps just simply sit on the screw head. Your caps should have a groove like a flat bladed screw, so a flat bladed screwdriver should work fine.

they are easiest to adjust with the carbs out of the bike, and float bowls off. you simply gently tighten them all the way in, and back them out 2.5 turns. Vola! done.

 

Hey just for kicks test the generator... Had almost identical symptoms, found out gen. and r/r had shorts....

 

thanks for the input...
tds94probe, so the caps themselves is what i'm adjusting? or the caps just pull right off, exposing the screw? i'm still a little lost. everything else i've found says the caps need to be removed first to make an adjustment. i just had the carbs off and the cap i believe i'm looking for was flat. (no groove) do you have a pic by any chance?

fast replies would be appreciated, i'm going to be tinkering with it again in a day or so when some parts show up.

slicknic26 now that you mention, i am going to check the generator, is there anything else i should try while i'm at it? you said we had alomst identical symptoms, does this mean you had to jump start (jumper cables) your bike to get it to start?