I was riding home from work last week and the bike started to jerk and sputter out so I downshifted and got off the road (I was on 495 trying to get on to the NJ turnpike, not the greatest place to get stuck, to say the least). could not get it started again... had some guy come and put some oil in (no help) and then eventually got a tow home. a week later its in pieces in my garage and I still cannot get it started... I have the gas tank and most of the fairings off. a friend suggested checking all the spark plugs. I have replaced one (it was easy to get to) but the middle 2 seem impossible to get to without taking the whole bike apart. I am a fairly new rider, so any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

check the fuel pump or the fuel pump relay the relay is esay to check. everybody told me aw they never go out. but after spend 150 bucks on a fuel pump and it still not kick on the 40 buck relay on and she fired right up.

 

Guess ill replace that too while I'm in there... but any thoughts on how to access the middle two spark plugs?

 

Your gonna have to remove the tank, airbox and carbs. There are some good f3 maintenance vids on youtube you can check out.

 

I have the tank off, have the airbox off... looked on youtube not finding anything helpful... you got a link?

 

if you got the fairings off i would just drop the radiator down to access the spark plugs. sounds like a possible fuel issue to me. f3's are know for bad fuel pumps. try running straight gravity feed to the carbs (bypassing the pump) and see if it will start up this way

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXoDX1RzBJ4

 

there is a part 2 too, check out his vids

 

Look, it's not that difficult to do and you don't have to take the tank off. Just get a 5/8 spark plug socket and a 2" extension. Put a little oil on the inside of the spark plug socket so that it still will hold the sparkplug in it, but not so tight that it will cause the socket to separate from the 2" extension when you pull it back out after reinstalling the plugs. You do have to get both your hands in there through the maintenance cover opening, but at 6'3" and 215lbs I can tell you it can be done. To start out, you drop the sparkplug socket down into the open, then reach in with the 2" extension and insert it into the opening and click it into the socket. It sticks up just enough to be high enough to get a ratchet wrench onto it. You can loosen them up and finish them off by hand. Then raise them up together, taking the 2" extension off the socket while not letting it drop back down the hole.

I know it sounds like a lot, but its not really that tough.

 

it sounds like a fuel problem so changing the plugs not gona help just gona set ya back about 40 bucks. i would test the pump first. cause its a pain to get them 2 middle plugs out with that ram air right there.