Hey guys, I come from the land of Subarus, and just bought myself my first sportbike at age 23. I had a dirt bike back in high school and last year had a 1980 Suzuki GS450ST (cafe style), sold it though. Last weekend I picked up a 96 CBR600 from a relative's younger brother (age 18) who had JUST bought the bike the prior week and then laid it down at 35mph on his first ride... So his parents made him sell it. At least I got a good deal: $500 and rode it home (at the expense of oil all over my shoe... more on that below).

So anyways, the bike:



You can see its been modded slightly by the previous owner (previous to the kid who laid it down that i bought it from). What you CAN'T see in the picture is the right side of the bike which is nicely f*cked.

- The pulsar cover was scraped so far down, the pulsar cover cap (with the hex head) broke loose inside and just bounces around on the end of (i think) the driveshaft. it splashes oil out like crazy when riding. the other engine/trans/clutch/whatever cover next to the pulsar cover was scraped too but not enough to wear a hole through it.
- Also the fairings are destroyed. i swear every piece of plastic on the bike is broken or cracked. i already took off all but the front fairing and the bike frame and everything looks ok.
- front brake lever was broken off. right handle end cap broke off. rear brake pedal was bent in. exhaust (aftermkt) was scraped but no holes.
- looks like the exhaust header flange is cracked/broken. also the radiator fan shroud appears to be just barely touching the header in certain spots
- gas tank has a dent on the top. left front marker light doesnt work, but blinker does

the previous owner who had modded it added some weird LED lighting kit, i ripped that out promptly. it also has solenoids locking the seat down, but the wiring is screwed up and they dont work. is this something common to do? i'm not sure how the PO intended to wire it but its sure broken now. fortunately its easy to just poke in the solenoid shafts and lift the seat out

Having said all that, the bike seems to run good. i had trouble getting it started the first few times, but it seems better now. also the kickstand kill-switch had me going for a while, as well as the fuel selector dial

Do you guys have any recommendations for must-do mods? I was looking at the F4i cluster swap, seems manageable. i enjoy wiring projects (did an STi swap in a 93 impreza completely by myself...)

 

i would replace the automatic cam chain tensioner with a manual cam chain tensioner. replace the reg/req with a heavy duty unit that has some heat sinking on it. the f3 fuel pumps go out all the time due to contacts burning up, either replace with aftermarket unit or remove it and run gravity feed. and last but not least i would re-gear it for more bottom end power

 

thanks for the tip on the cam tensioner. this bike has 45k miles and does have some cold start noise (tapping/clatter) on cold start that goes away somewhat when its warm, i bet its related. i found this guide here, seems to cover it well: https://cbrforum.com/forum/stickies-...sioner-104184/

can you recommend a fuel pump to replace mine with?

and what do you mean my "reg/req" ?

 

Mine has about that many miles, and also has the "cold clatter" that goes away.



I was told it was the clutch basket, they said it wouldnt even last the track day I was getting it ready for.........its been 3 years, and about 4 trackdays.

Agreed about the manual CCT, very easy to replace, I cant turn wrenches but even I did it.

Ive never heard of the fuel pump issue, or had it happen, so I cant comment on that. I did have the regulator go out so yeah, replace that....I hear you can use a Suzuki one

Its is a swwwwweeeeet bike, bulletproof and a very nimble ride........grats

 

i manual cam chain tensioner will probably fix that clatter and it will save your motor if the automatic one looses tension.

i think some of these guys are using fuel pumps from an 89 honda accord, but i could be wrong so you might want to research that. if you have not had your pump go out, just wait, it will. there is a way to repair the contacts on the pump that burn up, i think its in the stickies

by reg/req i mean the Regulator/Rectifier in the charging system. allows only a certain amount of voltage to go to the battery. the f3 reg/req's have no heat sinking on them which causes them to get too hot and burn up. i bought a new heavy duty reg/req from electro sport but a lot of guys use the gsxr ones.

 

I would bet that the tap you hear is the cam chain tensioner and and I also agree with Colorado Steve that the voltage regulator might need some up-grading. These are the first two items that I had to be replaced on my bike.

Regarding the cam chain tensioner, it is incredibly easy to do. Take off the right side fairing, un-bolt the automatic tensioner, bolt on manual tensioner and finally, adjust tensioner just enough to eliminate the ticking noise. The manual one can be bought on Fleabay for $50 and it works well.

I wrote all this to back-up the other two and give you the warm fuzzy that the other two know what they are talking about.
Congrats on the bike and enjoy.

 

thanks guys, i appreciate the help. I'll let you know how it goes after i replace the engine side covers and hopefully that will get rid of most of the clatter. probably going to pick up a new auto tensioner from the dealer and put that on too. i'm sure its worn out seeing how the bike has over 40k miles

 

Update, I bought some replacement parts for the bike:
- both right side engine/clutch covers (they were scraped) and new gaskets for both
- box of misc bolts and nuts
- ebay aluminum handlebar caps
- jug of honda bike oil and filter

progress:
- replaced the side cover, bike doesnt leak like crazy anymore!
- discovered the bike actually already had a manual cam chain tensioner, so i fiddled with it a bit and it seems quieter now
- discovered the oil pan was cracked and rewelded up the side at the drain plug... time to replace the oil pan...

I took my gf out for a ride down the block and back, didnt rev it too crazy but got it up to 90 maybe. I noticed 2 more things:
- the bike is impossible to control with 2 moderately sized people on it (i'm 170, shes 150), it was really squirrelly at low speed (i'm not a pro on bikes though)
- then the temp gauge was over halfway, is that normal or a bad sign? the coolant level seemed normal

but anyways, the bike starts right up with some choke, and within 10 seconds idles with no choke, so i feel like thats a good sign

 

Over halfway on a short drive doesn't sound right to me- but I'm not an expert.

Then there are a couple newbie things I would recommend.

1. Check the radiator switch and fan: There is a really good writeup by one of the moderators here: https://cbrforum.com/forum/stickies-...ng-fan-122988/

2. Check the actual cooling fluid. Normally the fluid wears down after 2 years- the fluid in my bike was REALLY old and it's really easy to change.

3. Get your hands on manuals. There are links to the official Honda electronic manual around. Also invest in a manual ... i think i got my clymer manual for like $6 used.

Good luck! And ride safe- especially with 2 ppl!

 

thanks! I have a clymer manual which I found seemed to be the best maker of manuals for most bikes. I'll check #1 and #2 you noted, probably next spring when the weather warms up a bit.

Update for my bike, i ripped all the trashed fairings off, for now it is battle bike status until i decide if i'm going to leave it this way (and clean up the wiring harness and maybe paint it a bit) or get a set of fairings. I like the Repsol fairings another forumer posted recently