I'm thinking about getting a 98 600 f3... only problem is the milage... 30k miles..seems like a bit much... guy is letting it go for 1500 but "needs carbs cleaned" "cranks but wont run" everything seems to need their carbs cleaned an awful lot ....seems like a generic cop out to *well it runs rough....* wondering what the normal breaking point is where everything just seems to fall a part... i know it greatly depends on the rider and how badly it was abused but....any known inherent problems with them? i work on cars for a living and know certain makes/models are known for certain problems and know about the expected longevity of the vehicle based on make/model/year. wondering if thats the same on certain models of bikes..

Not exactly sure this is a good choice considering the milage and cant hear the engine run....nor test drive it.. so i figured this would be a good place to start asking guestions.

 

ya thats kinda iffy, all cbrs seem to have cam chain tensioners go bad which is a quick fix, other than that im in the same boat as you. i worked on cars and decided to buy a 96 honda br 600 f3 with 19k for $2,200. i now have 25k on it and dropped it once. and its still running. of course i take great care of it though. but, I mean if you know how to adjust carbs then go for it but its tricky

 

no way of knowing until i get the bike....thats the terrible part. I don't mind doing work to it.. just hard to tell why it wont start without tearing it down. most would probably advise me not to get it just for the non running factor alone. Every crook always claims to be honest...so who knows if it just needs plugs and some starting fluid to fire, could be fuel pump... bike is 100+ miles away and just going to look at it wont really tell why it wont start. Bike has a crash cage installed on it if that says anything about the bikes previous life... would love some advise on getting it or passing on it!

 

$1500 seems like it's too much for a bike that "needs the carbs cleaned" probably needs more than that. There are tons of these things around if you are willing to drive a little you will find one for the same money and ride it home. Just my opinion, good luck.

 

Xricer is right, but to clean the carbs it is maybe an hour or two worth of work and all I use is some gasoline, a wire to clean the jets, and a old tooth brush to clean the bowls. The hard part is getting em off and putting em back on.

Also the R/R is known to be a crutch with the F3's

 

My friend just bought a 95 katana that "just needed the carbs cleaned", it too wouldn't run but he took the guy's word, it had a salvage title and he picked it up for $600. The carbs were spotless but 3 of the 4 cylinders had compression under 30PSI so unless he rebuilds the motor its worth nothing more than scrap metal.

I bought my 96 f3 with 16k miles, Vance and Hines slip-on, jet kit, ignition advancer, second look seat cover (about $900 worth of parts), and full service records back to the day of original purchase oh and 2 helmets and a jacket for $2,000. I spent 3 months looking for the right bike at the right price and drove 600 miles to get it, but it was well worth the wait. ha ha

I used a site called crazedlist.org, it allows you to search multiple craigslist areas at a time so the search becomes much faster and much less painful. There are tons of F3s out there that run for that price.

Best of Luck!

 

damn....****ty @ the compression.. the bike wouldnt turn over when he went to get it?? i mean 2 cylinders lacking compression on a 4 cyl .....kinda would sound like an uneven cranking pattern.... least thats how it is on cars... not sure on a bike though it might just spin over too quickly to tell... well now im paranoid as hell lol

on a positive note i just went and took my moto permit test and now have the permit lol..

ive been searching for a month on craigslist in the tri state area... its just the lack of funding...if i had 2500 itd land me a nice bike... 1500 lands me a piece of crap.. i should probably wait til winter to get one anyways... even though we dont have too harsh of a winter here in SC... theres maybe 1-2 months of weather with it being under 45 degrees during the day.. people ride year round for the most part.. so im not sure prices would drop that much here in the winter.

 

sounds a bit weird, but add about a teaspoon of oil into the sparkplug holes of the low compression cylinders.

a spoonful each (or a bottlecap id say) to each one.
it will help the compression.

 

lucas also works wonders... then again... were assuming its rings... could also be a head gasket blowin between the 2 cylinders and if thats the case its not that bad off... its unkely that only 2 cyls would burn rings and not the other 2... also unlikely to suffer valve damage on only 2 cylinders unless the chain slam broke....but itd be opposing cylinders like 1 and 3.. not 4 and 3... id like to see a leakdown test performed and verify where the compression is being lost... id be willing to bet its a head gasked blown between the two cyl.

 

well....not bad off as in....repairable without an entire rebuild and block decking, boring and getting new pistons and rings... i buy cars that dont run and just take the gamble and fix em.. when i see cars listed for cheap and dont run i dive on it like a drunk prom date... so i have this instinct to look for the broke bikes just cause im used to doing that with cars :/