Hi guys. It's been a while since I've been on the board, been working too much to even go look at bikes. Found a nice looking F4I near me with ~24k miles on it. I'm wondering if there's any major maintenance I should look for records of or discuss with the owner before considering it?

Thanks for any help!

 

Here is the break down of all the service intervals in detail. but yes there is a major servicing at 24k.

but here it is:

Replace

1. Air Filter
2. Spark Plugs
3. Coolant
4. Brake Fluid
5. Fuel Filter

Inspect

1. Fuel Line
2. Throttle /Throttle Cable
3. Choke Cable
4. Carburetor Synchronization
5. Engine Idle Speed
6. Cooling System
7. Secondary Air System
8. Emissions (California Only)
9. Brake Pad Wear
10. Brake System
11. Brake Light Switch
12. Headlight Aim
13. Clutch /Clutch Cable
14. Side Stand /Switch
15. Suspension
16. All Fasteners
17. Wheels /Tires
18. Steering Head Bearings
19. Clean and adjust Chain

 

Is any of that stuff particularly hard to do? I would imagine air filter and coolant are easy. Brake fluid, do I need a pump or anything? Are the spark plugs and fuel filter hard to get to? Thanks for the resource by the way, excellent info on that site.

 

F4i has Fuel Injection, no worry on carb sync.

Plug change isn't bad if you've got a basic mechanical aptitude, do them and the air filter together. Air filter removal required to get to the plugs.

Fuel filter in the tank with the pump, PITA. Leave alone, or if you must, pulling the tank should give you a little more room for the plugs. (I left my tank on.)

Oil, filter, brake fluid, coolant... Change all and you have peace of mind and a good reference point for future maintenance.

Or if you don't have the time or know-how, a good shop for a once-over.

Great bikes and with a little care will last near forever. What part San Diego?

 

Ah I should note that this is for the F4 but everything outside of the carb sync and the choke it should be the same. And if your asking me what part I'm moving down in a few weeks near UCSD hopefully with a garage so if you guys need help I would be more than willing to help out as much as I can. Also once I get the garage you should start to see more updates on the website braking down how to maintain bikes.

 

This is the schedule, as per the service manual. I would just ask him if the 24k service has been done. If not, offer him much lower price because 24k is a fairly large service. Its like a 90k on a car

 

Thank you very much for the help guys. I saw the bike yesterday and talked with the owner pretty extensively. The bike doesn't seem like it's been abused, in fact it's been very well taken care of (it seems). Apart from a few fairing bolts missing (the fairing being held together with zip ties) it is in great shape. The owner was familiar with most of the 24k maintenance and has done everything but the plugs and fuel filter.

I have arranged to go back this morning with cash in hand, I intend to test ride it to make sure everything feels A-OK and if it does I'll grab it up. What's really bizarre is that the bike seems to never have been down. No scratches on the fairings in the usual spots, no scratches on the clutch cover or other side of the engine.. I would expect a bike of this age to have been down a few times and for the most part that doesn't really bother me that much. Disclaimer: of course I realize it could have been down and been repaired, it just doesn't seem like it has to me.

I noticed that he has a shorty lever on the brake but not the clutch.. is that because the clutch pull on these bikes is relatively stiff? If I wanted to get a matching lever am I going to be killing my hand dealing with the clutch?

 

I live really near UCSD. Keep me posted on when you get down here. I only know one other person who rides at the moment, a fellow CBR owner. I used to own a couple of Ducs, a Harley and have had an R6. I've done most everything myself, other than tires which I'm not set up for. It helps having two brains to work on a project sometimes for sure.

 

CJ, the location question was actually for Matt, but you moving down to the area is good news. If there is anything I can do, drop me a PM, I'm not that far from the UCSD area.
Matt, good news on your location! Sounds like you've got the talent so the F4i should be a no brainer for you. Let us know if the buy goes well.

 

It went well. Here it is. I also got a new OEM cam chain tensioner with it. No idea how to install it but I'm about to look it up.