Alright man, that's what we wanted to hear! hooa for you

 

Congrats on the bike! You got a great bike at a great deal. Take care of it & it will serve you well for a long long time.

 

(oops fast enter fail!)

Ok, forget those tires and chain, they're simply toasted. Put aside some money cuz the tires are all dryed up as is the chain.

This is my method for reviving an old, unused engine spending only what is necessary and only when is/if needed

Buy upfront before anything

-Enough oil to do a change for an inside cleaning-the cheapest you can find even non-bike oil
-Oil for the 2nd change- this one is a keeper, so good oil is needed
-Spark plugs
-Baterie
-50/50 coolant
-2 oil filters

-Ok, remove the oil filter and drain the old oil. Leave the oil catcher beneath the bike with the drain bolt off the bike, that way the old one will drain while your "battle" continues.

-Remove a cooling system hose that is at the lowest point of the bike, in this case left side by water pump, the radiator cap and the expansion tank cap- dont forget to put a catcher for all the water

-Put the previously removed hose in it's place without securing it and fill up the system. Remove hose and do this until no noticable crap or dark water come out (we'll come back to this again later)

-Remove thermostat and water pump to check for bad seals or corrosion - rebuild if necessary

All seems good?

Install termostat, water pump, hoses and fill her up slowly through the radiator with the expansion tank cap open and the radiator vent hose disconnected

Ok, let's go up top for the fun stuff.

-Remove tank and intake/air filter from bike
-Remove gas and inspect tank for rust - clean it and inspect all fuel system hoses that run from it: kinks, cuts and dryed up rubber are no good so replace if necessary
-Clean filter
-Check all vacuum, fuel and intake hoses for the same symptoms
-Open the intake butterflies by hand and clean the area with alcohol- careful with loose stuff around that area!
-Remove sparkplugs and clean them
-Drop a small spoon of oil in the cylinders - do not install spark plugs
-Check fuses and electrical wiring for rotting
-Unbolt the starter solenoid wiring and clean connections


Tired? No? Great, we're getting there

-Install new oil filter
-Put new oil in her and dont forget the sump bolt
-Get her in top gear and push her with the clucth out to lubricate a bit the engine and to get the parts coated. It also serves to see if the engine turns easily or if it's seized solid- you can do it by turning the crank by hand if you want (important stuff)
-Remove old and install new baterie
-Install sparkplugs (careful with the threads)
-Install intake,tank and check if everything is in its right place
-New gas in
-Do a final inspection to see if you didn't forgot something and...

The moment is here, brother. Time to see if she cranks by herself. Give her some juice. Go on, do it. Now

She'll pick up and might smoke a bit but no worries, that's from the oil in the cylinders.
It's a HONDA, she'll run.

After you're sure she runs:

-Bleed brakes and put new fluid - watch out for leaks in the master
-If the brakes are sticking, time to clean and rebuild them
-New tires
-New chain

and her like you stole it! She's still a baby and barely broken in so, just watch out for strange happenings in the first few days.

Don't forget to post up some pictures of your reviving, we all like to see a f4i brought to life

 

Forgot to tell you about the 2nd oil change.

After you have everything sorted like tires, brakes and chain you should run her in the block for like 30 minutes and do the 2nd oil change immediately to avoid riding with old gunk in her. Don't skip this it's really important.

And clean the cooling system again to make sure it's all good. If the coolant is dark, do the same procedure every 2 days until it's the same colour as like when you put it in.

Don't forget: aluminium safe coolant, silicate free and distilled water only!

Ride on

 

Thank you. I plan on doing as much work myself as possible. That way, not only do I assure the quality of the work that's done to her, I will gain respect and learn to value the bike as well.
Six- thanks again as well. Your info, instructions and advice will no doubt help me to put some life back into the bike.

 

Hey, that's a great deal!!!!! I want to find one like that...

 

no problem mate, anything just call me out. I like to help when and if I can as I like to be helped when is needed.

You'll have a blast with her. Mine is a 2001 with 47,000kms with a few mods and runs like new and as if there's no tomorrow!

I really don't think you'll have any probs making her a runner because although the machine by itself is mechanically basic, it's also very refined and with a honda powerplant you can never go wrong

Now, cut the chit chat and saddle up!!!

 

I love when stuff like that happens.

I actually got a great deal on my bike a month ago, 2800 for an 06 F4I with 3700 miles and completly stock. Not quite 800 bucks, but still goot IMO. There are good deals out there.

 

Hello again. I have been mainly cruising this website getting familiar with the model bike I purchased and reading up everything I can Honda. Now I am having trouble finding a quality chain and sprocket set. I want stock gearing and a long lasting chain. The only problem is that I see many ads for a kit that are around $160-220. Then I see the front and rear sprockets and chain under $100 if you buy them separately. Now which should I purchase? BTW I already got a battery, tires, spark plugs along with oil and oil filter. I will purchase anything else once the bike is in my possession(Monday/Tuesday I get the title and registration in my name)

*Is this kit what I'm looking for? http://www.ronayers.com/ProductDetai...50/SKU/1625333 *

 

edit: yes that kit for the F4i does appear to be the correct part - I just don't know if it has an aluminum rear sprocket or steel, see my comment below.

edit my edit: - yes - the RK kits with W or WG are steel rear sprocket kits - G indicates gold finish chain.


Long-wearing chain is a function of both the chain size (width) and the sprockets. Longest wearing means you need to keep it the stock 525-series size, and stay away from aluminum sprockets - aluminum sprockets wear faster, which results in increased chain wear.

I dunno - if the bike has less than 2000 miles on it, most likely you don't need new sprockets anyway. The rubber o-rings in the factory chain will have likely dried up from sitting, that's why Slick6 mentioned replacing it.

Also - the pricing difference in cheaper chains often are because chains are HP or engine size-rated. the $30-50 525 chains you're looking at are likely not rated for the 100+ hp of the F4i. higher HP 600's need a stronger chain that is usually more expensive. Usually $100-150 range retail for a nice big-name chain like RK, DID, EK, or Regina