Just picked up a F3 from a girl for $500. It had been sitting for 1 - 1.5 years and she thought it didn't start. Odd thing is it started just fine for me when I got it home (much cussing from pushing it up a ramp into a pickup when I didn't have to). Now I need to figure out where to start. I picked up the Haynes repair book but aside from getting it legal to ride on the street, I dunno where to start besides new tires.

Suggestions? I can follow instructions fairly well and don't have any real fear of mechanics. I don't have any tools currently and a budget of about $2500 for everything. The fairings seem to be in good (if poorly attached) shape but whoever she paid to paint it did a pisspoor rattlecan job AND mismatched the color.

One concern I have is that there is what seems to be light rust on the chain and sprockets. I'd replace them myself but have been hearing horror stories about misaligning the wheels.

 

I'd start by cleaning the carbs, replacing the plugs, and atleast cleaning the chain up for now. I replace my chains/sprockets by myself and haven't had an issue yet, so if you're a fair mechanic I'd say you're safe, but that's just my $.02.

 

Yes, I agree about the plugs and carbs for starters ... even if you just manage to remove a floatbowl or two to check how much sediment is in there ... if completely clear you might be fine but if there is a brownish sludge to any significant degree then I would remove the carbs and clean them out and all the jets, I can tell you how to do this if you need help as I did mine a couple of years ago ... also don't separate the carbs, keep them joined together as a unit, a bank of four, and simpy tackle each carb in turn before completing and moving to the next one ...

As for the chain and sprockets it depends on how rusty and how much wear and tear, if they don't look worn and it's just rust on the chain side plates this can look awful but is usually easily cleaned off with a brass wire brush, same for sprockets, rust on the sides of them has no effect on their operation, look to see how the rollers themselves look and where the sprocket teeth make contact .. if it's all clean and unworn looking then just remove the rust from the side plates, oil it and see how it adjusts up ...

other things I would do, in fact I did do recently, was put in a new fuel filter and an air filter too.


Good luck :-)


Jules

 

give her a full tune-up. affter sitting for that long, it's definately needed.


oil change, spark plugs, plug wires, MAYBE coolant flush, definately bleed the brakes and replace brake fluid front and back, MAYBE clutch, sprockets n chain,

 

Oh and very careful check those old tyres, how old are they .. it is worth finding out how long they have been on the bike, did it sit on these tyres without moving for a year and a half?? :-)


Jules

 

The bike (no name till I'm satisfied) has been sitting under a cover on its tires for worst case 1.5 years. The seller doesn't remember when she last moved it or started it after a year. She also lowered it . At 5'11" it's way too lower for me.

Here are some pics, especially of the chain and wheels

 

The 'O' rings in the chain are probably history, but give it a clean with some kero (paraffin) & then try a bit of lube, you never know?
The sprockets on the other hand? well they may be ok after a clean & lube. 1st off though, check to see how much wear is on the chain (wear indicator on left rear swing arm) will give you an idea if its even worth the trouble. As for the rest of the bike? I've seen a lot worse.

 

What up guys, i was just about to set up a similar post, but saw this... i just got a 1996 F3 , in great condition, only 2045 original miles on it, original rider shattered knee and couldnt ride, its been sitting a really long time.

the bike kranks but does not turn over to start. im thinking of doing carbs , tune up and fuel system first...

 

Looks can really be deceiving. That bike really needs some TLC. You can find out a lot just by cleaning her up. I'd start by removing all the plastics and giving her a really good bath. A good degreaser called SimpleGreen works well for removing oil and grease, and it's biodegradable. The sprockets are pretty hardy, once you ride it, it will clean itself up for the most part. Since the chain is a colored one, use a really stiff plastic brush along with the kerosene to clean her up. Even a brass brush might scratch through the coating. After cleaning, a good lube and some riding will probably remove most of the rust on the rollers. Keep a really close eye on the chain over time to see how it does. One of the things to look for on the chain will be missing "O" rings. If you look closely at this image, it's what it would look like. In this particular case, it may have been self inflicted. This link is the master link (note it's different color), and I may have pressed the side plate on too far. That could have pinched the "O" rings which over time caused them to break and fall off.

 

Dude, just replace the chain and sprockets and save yourself a headache. It took me maybe an hour to do both sprockets and the chain. It was my first time. No probs what-so-ever. It was 60 bux for the regina chain on ebay with both sprockets. That chain looks toast. Just my .02