hi all, been lurking for a while,
a neighbor has a F3 for sale, but has not run in years .
he is trying to get it running before selling,
allegdly they are known for the fuel pump,petcock and clogged carb issues from sitting for too long .
what other F3 specific probs are there to look for .
thanks mark.

 

That`s pretty much it. IF he gets it running listen for a rattle when idling which should go away when given revs and then return at idle, that would be the cam chain tensioner. A good leverage to talk down the price, that is if he doesn`t know it`s a 20min fix to replace the tensioner. One part that sometimes fail is the regulator/rectifier, pop off the right tail fairing and look for either a black box or a metal casing with cooling fins, one or the other it should have three yellow wires and a few others, look for heat damage on the connector/wires, that`s a telltale sign of it going/gone.

The bike itself is pretty much a tank, it can take a helluva beating and still keep going. Other things would be something like checking for excessive slack in the rear sprocket carrier, the rubber inside wears out and can get brittle over time, other than that just normal wear like wheel bearings and such.

 

thanks , good info .
the fork seals are leaking to.
i am hopping he gives up and lets me have it cheap.
cheers mark

 

Any time. If you end up buying it put up a build thread here, any problems at all there's more than likely someone with info here.

 

Doesn't sound like an "issue" to me - sounds like a problem ANY and EVERY carb'd bike has that sits. Its where the term TLC comes from.

The fact that he's trying to get it running is telling. It tells me he thinks or knows its something simple.


If you're mechanically inclined, go take a look. The only thing Hondas are known for negatively, is the CCT, which Mattson stated already.