Hi all - just got my first bike, 2000 CBR with 7,500 miles on it. A friend was moving and had to get rid of it and I accidently told him I would give him a few hundred bucks for it and the guy took me up on it so I "HAD" to buy it.

Anyways, the bike hadn't been used in a while, although it was running when he quit using it- he had drained all fuel out of it before he stored it. I started digging into it yesterday and here is what I found. Carbs look clean - very clean. I pulled off the line running from the fuel pump to the carbs and it is putting out a pulsing flow of fuel, which I believe is correct according to some other posts. The float bowls are DEFINITELY full. Fuel filter looks good.

When I simply turn it over it will kind of putter but just won't quite fire. When I pour some fuel down the carbs it will start, and then I can use the throttle to keep it running (3-4k rpms) It sounds great when this happens, and will run as long as I keep the throttle open - long enough to warm up completely, but as soon as I back off the throttle it will die out, and then it won't restart. It has never started without me dropping fuel down the carbs.

Does anyone have any thoughts??

Am I missing anything obvious? I have been using one of those little jumper boxes to start it with to ensure that I have PLENTY of battery power.

Thanks for any help,

Eric

 

Just based off those symptoms it still sounds like a clogged jet in the carbs. They're not that hard to clean and there's a good write up on the site, just use the search tool. Good luck with getting it up and running.

 

Thanks for the reply Mach 9.

Another question. I noticed that there was a harness on the left side right under the "VIN plate" that wasn't hooked up. Looking at the Service Manual that I downloaded from this site it looks like it could be related to the "Air Vent Control Solenoid" (smaller black harness) - Could this possible cause the symptoms I am experiencing?

This is a 49 state bike - not CA

Edit: This harness may be farther (6 inches) forward of the AVCS harness..... I'll have to look when I get home tonight...

 

Update after tonight's fiddling with it.

Pulled the plugs and they are bone dry. On that note, for anyone reading this post in the future,the feeling that the plugs are a bear to get to is not warranted. Remove Tank, remove airbox, pull plugs-20 minute job. I used a 5/8's spark plug socket, the kind with the rubber boot in them, along with a short extension and another short "ujoint" extension for clearance on the head.

I then pulled the carbs and I believe as mach9 said they definitely could be the problem. The two that are on the right side of the bike had some green corrosion on them - I imagine since the bike leans to the left on the kickstand that those two carbs went dry first as fuel drained and corroded the worst. Might be worth noting that if you plan to store the bike long term to do so with a center stand?

Pulled the jets and was unable to blow through them at all - soaked in carb cleaner/cleaned with a small strand of speaker wire, and they appear to be blowing air through like they should be.

Going to pull the diaphram side tomorrow night as per the carb cleaning write up, and also get a fresh set of plugs, fresh fuel filter, and fresh air cleaner just to start fresh - I figure i have spent a few hundred dollars in MUCH worse ways....

Just thought I'd update for people searching in the future.

 

Update after LAST night's fiddling.

Reassembled the carbs, and put the bike back together - Runs like a top. Started up on the 4th crank, presumably after the floats got filled, and ran good all night. My first evening on a Motorcycle (not a dirt bike) I just drove it around the block very cautiously, especially since I didn't have a helmet, but everything seems to be working well - brakes, all 6 gears, no overheating, radiator fan runs, etc.....

The bike is painted Flat Black so while I havemost ofthe fairings off I am going to spray it a true Black - I have some left over from last winter when I took my outdrives off my boat and sprayed them.

Also goign to get some flushmounts for the front - the rears already have some little "eyelet" lights that look pretty cool, but the fronts look bulbous.