Hello. I am a new proud owner of a 1990 CBR600F with 23,000 miles on the clock. The bike runs excellent and is very powerful. Considering that my last and first bike was a 1974 Yamaha TX650, I am still learning the ropes of riding a crotchrocket. I have a few questions that I want to know.

1.) So far I made one full throttle blast through the firstfour gears and was blown away by the shear speed. As I was shifting from second to third, I didn't realize that my tach needle was bouncing around 13-14 grand!! Do these bikes have rev limiters and can these motors handle an accidental over-redline once in a while? Can these motors handle redlining period? I have always known that Hondas are built pretty dang tough!!

2.) How often should the oil be changed? I just recently changed the oil and filled it with Rotella Synthetic 5W-40 and a Honda filter. HDEOs have always been great bike oils.

3.) I was thinking about iridium plugs. Are these plugs worth the hype or are the stock plugs up to par?

4.) Unfortunetly there is some body damage. Whats the best way to get rid of scuff marks and cracks? Fiberglass, sanding, or zip ties??

5.) What are some general maintence tips or things I need to watch for with these engines?

Sorry for a long post but I am new to any type of sport bike. Thanks a bunch!!

 

Well, I cant answer all of them, but I'll give it a go...

1) I have not seen my RPMs governed yet, so unless mine was disabled, I dont believe so. I know I have hit mine over the redline a time or two, and it seems to be ok.

2) I dont remember the Honda recommendation off hand, but Ill check the manual tomorrow. I know it is normally recommended to make the switch to synthetic as well, but take caution in the oil choice as the bikes utilize a wet clutch.

3) I am running the NGK Iridiums and they seem to run smoothly....also comparitively considering the plugs I pulled were solid black.

4) If you use fiberglass, reinforce it from the inside, then use an epoxy or platic weld. You might get away with just using plastic weld depending on the severity of the cracks.

5) A common problem with these bikes is the CCT, all CBRs for that matter. You will hear a rattling, like bbs in a can. This is the tensioner, the OEM automatic tensioner has issues. This can be solved by replacing it with an APE manual tensioner. Although, some people opt for the OEM auto-tensioner.

Another common issue is the voltage regulator/rectifier. If you begin to have charging issues that are all too sporatic and almost impossible to diagnose because the symptons will be all over the place, test your reg/rec. You can also check the 3 prong connection where the stator plugs into the wire harness; a bad reg/rec will melt this connection pretty good.

Hope that helps, maybe some of these guys can help fill in the grey areas.

 

one more question: What octane level does everyone run? I assume that premium is the best since this motor has an 11:1 compression ratio.

 

book says 91ron, same as 89 i think or is it 87

 

i normally run 87...i have run a few tanks of 91 through it, but didnt notice any difference between the 2.

 

I use 87 in all my bikes, I put 20,000 on my 600rr last year with no ill effects.

 

Mainly 87, but every once in a while I'll fill her up with some good ol' VP 101 race fuel. WhooHoo! she is fast on that stuff! But $7 a gallon, it doesn't happen at every fill up.