I am a new female rider with no mechanical background. I literally got my motorcycle license yesterday! I have been a bad owner to my motorcycle already:

I bought a 91 CBR F2 last fall and had some fun practice rides with it. It started getting reluctant to start as it got colder. I was going to put it in winter storage and killed the battery trying to start it. I gave up and left it on the street and in the snow, etc.

This Spring, I called a service shop to come tow it and give it a tune up and replace the battery. The guy was shady and I rode it home from the shop, but now it's a week later and I can't get it to start again. He was screaming at me that the CBRs flood too easily, not to use the choke or throttle. Today I accidentally was trying to start it with the kill switch on - doh! I just never use that, so didn't think to check. When I realized it, and fixed it, it still wouldn't start. I keep switching the fuel valve from on to reserve, cause it looks like the gas is kinda low in the tank, but still there's plenty to get it started. For the first time today, it started backfiring -- I don't know what that is about - it's a new problem. I kept trying different stuff - turning the choke to different levels, messing with the fuel valve, but it never seemed to catch at all (except the backfiring). Now I think I've drained this new battery. I don't want to have to take the seat off and charge the battery.

When I had troubles last fall, the previous owner told me I should do a rolling start to pop it into gear.

Anyway -- I have a stressful job and work all the time. I don't want to spend time being a motorcycle mechanic - I want to ride! What am I doing wrong? I thought as a beginner, I should get an older bike that I wouldn't be sad if I wrecked, but it's starting to feel like I'm pouring money in for nothing and I should have just bought a 3 or 4 year old bike that would be more reliable....

Suggestions on the best route to take from here?

Thanks for any input.

 

Sorry about your luck,

It sounds like you flooded the bike out. These bikes do tend to flood out if the proper starting procedure isnt followed. the other bad thing is: the spark plugs in these bikes are very finicky. You may beable to dry the old plugs out and reinstall them, but chances are they will need to be replaced. They are not a cheap plug, so I would try to dry them out before you go out and buy a new set of plugs.

the other bad part is, if your not mechanically inclined, its not a job I would suggest taking on your own. If you feel a little inclinded, its not too bad. You will need to lift the gas tank, remove the air cleaner, and the sparkplugs are right there. Of course, if you dont have the proper tools, theres no sense in trying to remove the plugs.

On the good side. Since the plugs should have been relatively new, as in they should have been replaced with a tune up, the plugs may fire if you let the bike sit over night.

So, that would be my first suggestion. Turn your gas off, and let the bike sit overnight.

the next day, make sure the battery is fully charged. A weak battery will also flood the bike as the engine wont turn over fast enough to fire. If the battery is charged, leave the gas in the off position. There is plenty of gas in carbs for now. turn on the key, make sure the killswitch is in the run postion and crank it over. let it crank for 2-3 seconds. if it doesnt fire, turn on the choke and try it again. if its still nothing, turn the choke off, and hold the throttle wide open and try it again. It should fire. If it does, keep giving it enough gas to keep running. It may sound odd at first as it may only fire on one or two cylinders. keep the engine running with the throttle. Once the bike warms up, the other cylinders should pick up and be running normal. If they havent, just get the bike warmed up and shut it off for a little while. the heat from the engine will dry out the plugs.

If it doesnt fire, you will more than likely have to have the plugs changed.

For the future. Keep in mind, always start it with the choke, regardless of what the guy said. If everything is tuned correctly, there is no reason the choke shouldnt work. Unless there is something wrong with the bike.

never touch the gas when first starting the bike. Some bikes require a little throttle to get them to start, but if your bike starts without the throttle, then thats good.

always make sure your battery is fully charged. A weak battery will flood the bike out.

Always let the bike warm up for a few minutes before taking it off choke. It will idle high, around 3 grand or so and thats normal.

Be extra cautious when starting the bike with temps below 50 degs. these bikes will be harder to start and are easier to flood out at lower temps. Give it some extra warm up time before you ride it.

Hopefully this info helps.

 

Dose the bike have a prime position on the fuel valve??? u need to use the choke at cold start. with that said when the bike starts or sounds like its going to start, back the choke off a bit. and let it warm up for a few min before u go riding, I usually start mine in the morning, go inside slug down a cup of coffee and let it idle till its about 200 degrees. when its cold this is important mabey not to 200 degrees but def. enough to be at a running temp so you dont fry the spark plugs. ease up you'll be riding soon with out worry. And try to find a reputable shop hopefully not too far. If you dont like the guy dont deal with him chances are he's not the only guy in town. Good luck

 

Thank you both for the responses! If the battery is low tomorrow, should I try to find one of those chargers at a gas station or something? I guess I have to take the seat off to get to the battery? How difficult is it?

I feel like I'm in unknown territory and it sucks -- not like a car you can take to the garage. It seems dumb to have to pay for towing every time I screw up the bike and wreck something simple, like spark plugs. I could eventually learn and enjoy the maintenance aspect, but I don't have a garage/workspace right now and don't really picture myself struggling with wrenches and stuff on the city street.

 

The seat is literaly 2 bolts. 10mm socket. Under the back of it, just pull the cusion outta the way a lil. I've done my first brake job on my 66 chevelle in the street. The curb is your friend.lol If you can change your oil in your car then you can pretty much do anything that these things might need. Well cleaning your carbs might be a lil advanced for ya now, but after a season of wrenching here and there it'l be a piece of cake. If you have any questions...just ask, even if you think they "sound stupid".

 

Be careful with what charger you buy. You want a low amp charger for a bike. the batteries in bikes can not take a big amp charge. Anything under 10 amp is ok for short time periods, but I would suggest getting a 2 amp charger for it. It may take awhile to fully charge up, but thats what they need. Oh, and never....never.... no matter what anyone says..... never jump a bike battery with a running car. It will fry the electical components of the bike. the charging systems are completely different. In a no other solution situtation, you can use a car battery to jump the bike, without the car running. but this is still not a good idea as the amps that a car battery puts out is very high in comparision to a bikes battery. Its not good for the bike battery. If you have the means, get a proper charger for the bike.

As far as getting to the battery on that bike, its a little hard. the design of it was somewhat lacking. Most newer bikes are just two bolts, but that bike, If Im not mistaken, will have to have the side fairings removed in order to expose the two bolts to remove the seat. I want to say there is one slotted plastic scre on each side of the fairing just under the seat area, turn those untl you hear a little pop, I think its like 1/4 or 1/2 turn, then the rear is held on with just little tabs that go into rubber grommets. Once the screw is turned and loose,(check to make sure its loose at the front by wiggling the fairing, it should move in and out), then just pull the rear part of the fairing and it should pop right off. then repeat for the other side. Now there should a bolt on each side of the bike holding the seat on. remove those and the seat will lift off. You may have to slide the seat to the rear of the bike as the front of the seat locks into place with a small tab.

this may sound overwhelming, but it really isnt too bad. I'm just trying to explain everything is detail and probably making it sound much worse than it really is.

good luck. and ask more questions if you need to. Hopefully this will help.

 

If people would only put their location in their profile I'm sure that some of the members here would be willing to go look at a bike for others...

 

Whatever you do don't let the challenges dampen your enthusiasim for motorcycling. Remember that most of us enjoy tinkering with our bikes almost as much as riding them. getting to know your bike through the challenges is how you gain expirience, and is an important part of the curve, even if you have a newer bike. If you are not able to tackle things right now then find a shop that makes you feel comfortable, and one that will take the time to explain things in terms that you can understand.

Lastly if you are riding with a Canadian and you want to go faster just yell "Giver!"

 

Once you do get the bike started and are at home with it play with it a little.
Try starting it, turning it off, revving it ect. multiple times even when your not going to ride it. The more times you go through the steps the better you will be able to understand how everything works. Just get more comfortable with the processes. Get to know the basics of how a CBR functions and you will never be left stranded.

 

I tried to post an update this afternoon, but I guess it didn't take... Here's the summarized version:

Thank you to all for your responses and encouragement! Super-kind.
I didn't deal with it all week because of work, but then on Friday it was 70 degrees out and I tried to start it when I got home. It turned over but would not hold the idle, even if I gave it throttle.

Today, it worked!!! Hurray! I don't know why it is so finicky but it was super fun and I took it for a practice ride in the park and a little parking lot. I want to wait until less traffic before I push myself on real roads. The fastest I've taken her is 40 mph. Grandma-speed.

I read one of the newer posts about idle speed and Justasquid said a bigger bike should idle at 1200. Is it the same for mine? Are the numbers on the Tach in thousands? (duh.. sorry, I really don't know).

Alright - I hope this reply works. thanks again; I'm sure I will be reading and posting in the coming months.