Dear CBRforummers,

First off forgive my imperfections in mechanical english

I am here as a bit of a last resort. I bought a 2003 F4i a few months ago, 5000 km on it now (3000 miles ) by me, 40.000 km total.

When i got it the thing ran rich, and a little hot. Very short before it coolant was changed by the dealership, i have this on a receipt / invoice.

I started off with the running rich. I got only about 120 miles before reserve went on when riding moderately. So i had it on the dyno test bench, where a lot of fuel was taken off the mixture by the mechanic there. up to 18% less fuel in some regions he told me. Something was definitely wrong according to him, also the bike heated up rather quickly. After reprogramming with a PCIII (a similar device from wiseco actually), now i get about 150 miles before reserve comes on, which sounds pretty acceptable to me. However the massive change that was needed, combined with the comment from the mechanic that something is wrong with the engine causing it to run rich, worried me enough to still create this topic.

The facts: my bike gets up to 78 degrees celsius, thermostat opening value in about 5 kilometers. That does not sound very strange to me? Sounds acceptable right? It opens, the entire radiator warms up evenly.

When heating up further the fan comes on at 107 celsius in city traffic, but that takes a while. Also does not sound very wrong? Especially when idling at a light after highway trips.

After starting it, especially now with colder weather outside, it shows quite a bit of white smoke for the first 1 to 2 minutes of running (when the choke stays on). I think this is water vapor, but with all the other symtoms i was worried.

Right now i am offered a full akrapovic system for only 200 euros, and thinking about doing this, but not sure if i need a new thermostat, ECT, or FPR too.

Apart from that, if you ask me, the bike runs just fine and only gets to 115-117 degrees in extremely hot weather, which is still 8 degrees below the warning light heat.

Considering all this, should I worry? Should I act? I find it difficult to decide, and was hoping youguys could supply some info and a possible course of action, if any action is needed.

 

First off, welcome to the forum.

Now, your bike is running too hot. It should run around 180f (82c) with the fan coming on around 220f (105c). It should never get above 230f (110c), ever.

The white smoke could be coolant burning, instead of condensation. Have you checked your coolant level or had it checked for a head gasket issue? A bad thermostat or other cooling issue can damage the motor if not addressed immediately.

After you get to the bottom of your issue, putting that exhaust on wont require anything else other than another dyno tune.

 

It does run around 82c normally, fan comes on at 106-107, so far so good right. It only got to the 110+ (113-117 max ever) on the hottest days around when riding highway for a long time (3 hours+ only stopping for fuel) and then sending it into city traffic.

I have not had the system checked for a head gasked issue. I just went to pop the radiator cap off and it is topped off nicely, no problem there. Coolant was blueish and looked fine to me, comparable to new really.

 

Even in those conditions, it should never get to 117c (239f)! I ride in traffic for an hour with it 113f (45c) outside, and the bike never goes above 110c (230f). Consider it normal if you want to, but your motor will not last long at all, at that temperature.

 

Im not calling it normal, but where do I look for problems in this case, im not sure.

I can clearly see from the displayed temps that the thermostat opens nicely at 78 degrees, i concluded thermostat is okay.

The full radiator heats up evenly meaning there is no blockage in the radiator, i concluded radiator is okay.

The temps in winter time like now hardly ever go over 95 degrees, which makes me less worried for the moment so i have untill it heats up outside to find a fix. Its the summer time temps and white smoke during the cooler periods that had me worried.

I think I will upload a video showing the startup and smoking of the bike, then some of you could see that and argue if that would be acceptable or not. I wanted to not only start this for help, but potentially help others if i do find where this is coming from.

 

I will still test the fuel pressure regulator, eventhough now i read here that that should have been one of the first checks. You learn doing i guess.

Will reply with some data on this.

 

The FPR will cause it to run super rich and have lots of black smoke. Look for fuel in the vacuum line going to it.

 

no black smoke here, but because of the very rich running earlier its still worth a shot.

 

I don't really have a lot of experience working on motorcycles, I just like to ride them; I'm a diesel mechanic by trade, but thought I'd offer my two cents. If you haven't already, try flushing out your cooling system with a little bit of pressure to flush out anything that might have settled at the bottom of your radiator or reservoir. If that doesn't show anything try doing a pressure test on your cooling system to see if you have a leak internally.

 

This is on hold as i'm finishing up my other bike, A GTR1000 or concours as they are called in the US, that needs more immediate attention.