Hi,
I bought a 1995 F3 two weeks ago, and I've just been changing fluids/etc, and reading all the threads about common problems (R/R, CCT, etc) to help identify what needs work.

I've searched various sections of the site, but can't find any threads with identical symptoms that actually had solutions.

Previously it started from cold fine, but the coolant was disgustingly brown, and the overflow reservoir was completely empty with mold growing in it.
I flushed it out with boiling water about a dozen times until only clear water was coming out (and got rid of all the mold, which was extremely hard without removing the rear shock).
Then replaced it with a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol coolant and distilled water as recommended by the manual.

Since then, my bike needs me to constantly hold the throttle to start and to remain going for about 10-20 minutes until it warms up. Otherwise it sits at around 900-1k rpm wanting to stall.
The choke travels about 90% from off to full, making absolutely no change, then for about 1mm of travel it'll increase the revs by 200rpm, and adjusting it further will flood the bike.

When it's warm, the bike sits at the recommended 1300 rpm idle speed without problems, so my only solution at present is to adjust the idle screw when it's cold, then continually change it until the bike's properly warmed up.

I think I might be looking at two separate problems.
One, the choke not working, which I'll have to look into when I feel confident enough to clean my carbs.
Two, the bike mustn't be getting enough air. However I've cleaned the DAI filters, and might try cleaning the pipes too, all the way to the solenoid.

Could it maybe even be a thermostat problem? With the bike heating up much sooner when it had the rotten coolant in it? And now that the coolant actually works, it takes much longer to warm up?

I don't really have enough experience to know where to begin, so I've just been searching threads with similar problems and using trial and error.

 

as you will be told time after time by replies... clean your carbs, then go from there. take the gas tank off and the air box, and move your choke and see if you can see if moving on your carbs visually. and like i've said before in the past, 10-20 minutes at idle isnt good, it kills your battery as it does not charge at idle. clean your carbs and the jets really well, put the batt on a trickle charger, and reply back with the results and we'll go from there!

 

It sounds like you've done a good job cleaning out the coolant, well done. I have a feeling that this problem isn't related to what you did with the coolant, unless you got something unplugged accidentally like a vacuum hose or something similar. Most likely though your choke cable has slipped. The choke cable housing is just clamped in place with a screw. You'll need to remove the tank, and the air filter upper cover and lower housing. Then you'll see the cable where it attaches to the carbs. Start with that and let us know what you find. It may be time to clean the carbs, no doubt, but here you can start with the easy things first.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take it apart again tomorrow and inspect the choke operation, then probably clean the carbs too.

Why does the alternator not charge when idle?

Hopefully it works. I'll update with progress.

 

Its too small, plain and simple. You'd have to ask the Honda Engineers that. While you're talking to them, as them why the R/R overheats and is too small too.

 

It took me around a week, but I finally and completely cleaned my carbs (including pilot screws/SE valves).
Now the choke works, the bike starts without requiring a small amount of throttle, warms up faster, and idles much smoother.

I still need to sync the carbs, as the idle fluctuates a bit, but even now the difference in smoothness is hugely noticeable. It's like a completely different bike.

 

Hey Zarflax, that's great to hear. It's always nice to hear about success'. Getting them synch'd will help smooth that out and give it a better response.