I would recommend downloading or getting a hard copy of the factory service manual. It does a really good job describing in words and pictures what needs to be done.

 

to calibrate the gauges, get the engine up to operating temp, pick a cylinder, doesnt matter which one, and individually hook each gauge up to it so on that cylinder, each gauge reads the same value. You have to unscrew the clear plastic cover off of each gauge and turn a little flat head screw. once calibrated the gauges wont all show 0 when not in use so dont freak out about that.

oh and yes, the gauges come with the tubing needed.

 

Hi Hamlin. Any chance the stuttering trying to accelerate and then smoothing out could be electrical? pulse generator, spark unit, ignition module etc.? Seeing the same issue with two different carb racks and I feel like I am chasing my tail on the carbs. I had kind of dismissed this possibility for two reasons; the first being that the problem is inconsistent (it seems a bit better, then gets worse again) and the second being that the bike will recover from the stuttering and then accelerate pretty hard. Not sure it could recover if the electrical system was suffering. Although there is also a thought that the intermittent nature of this could be related to wiring; most of which I have gone and sprayed with contact cleaner. I am really starting to hate this bike with a passion as I don't think I have every seen such a temperamental vehicle; and that includes the 1979 TR7 convertible that I owned for a number of years that needed valves shimmed, dual carbs sync'd, etc. etc.

 

I just did the spark unit tests that I could do with a regular volt meter. Everything passes - BUT, the voltage is 11.66v and not the battery voltage of 12.3v. Hard to explain a loss of that much voltage with no load under any circumstances. So I will keep tracing to see where the voltage drop is. Just keep posting my findings here in case it triggers a finding someone else has had; not really expecting folks to debug it for me

 

Low voltage is a definite issue. Is the alternator providing the proper output? How old is the battery? If both of those are correct, next would be your R/R.

I agree that it can be frustrating. But the bike is well over 30 years old. If the PO didn't take care of it, there can be lots to do. The good news is that when all the issues are ironed out, they are incredibly reliable bikes. As long as people don't go crazy with mods, the bikes rarely need corrective maintenance.

 

I discovered that the ignition switch was showing variable resistance each time I turned the key. Sometimes 2.5 ohms, sometimes almost 6 ohms. I decided to use a relay in that circuit to avoid the ignition power going directly through the ignition switch. This all seems to work fine; however, I still see a significant voltage drop in the ignition power when I plug in the harness to run/start switch. I will debug more tomorrow and see if any that voltage drop doesn't occur if I have the run/stop switch on stop.I find it a bit odd that something can pull down the voltage by about 8/10th of a volt all the way back to the relay circuit power wire that I measure as effectively zero ohms of resistance to the battery + terminal. I wired a small volt meter in the circuit so I can see the problem instantly. If this bike ever runs reliably I will find you and buy you a beer. I am thinking the scrap heap is more likely at the moment; only because I can't by replacement parts.

 

The bike does seem to charge, by the way, so long as I ride it at expected RPMs. This is voltage drops on a bike just sitting there. It is my understanding that I can't count on the charging system doing anything when the bike is idling. So my theory at the moment is that the bike may have a lot more issues when my son tries to use it partly because he is learning and trying to get up through the first few gears a lot and thereby not really charging the battery. I would NOT expect to see massive voltage drops on a bike just sitting there because I turn on the ignition unless there are poor contacts, shorts and so on. So do other folks older CBR 600's measure low voltage vs. the battery voltage at the spark unit, lights, etc? That is what I see; at least a 1/2 volt difference at the battery vs. these connections. I took out all of the light bulbs and that does reduce the voltage deviation by about .2/10th of a volt.

 

I agree with you concerning what you said about your son. I would say a new rider would be about the same as someone commuting in heavy traffic. It can really tire out an older battery.
I think what you are doing is correct in measuring voltage

 

Battery is dated 5/18 and was tested as OK. That of course doesn't mean it is in top shape.