I am new to Riding and just got my license. I love the f4i/rr's but they are out of my price range. I am looking now at 96-99 Honda f3. what are you thoughts bout an f3 and are carbs. pain to clean?

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Hey, welcome aboard.

F3 is a great bike to start with (aside from the fact it is a 600 which aren't the best bike for every new rider). Maintained well, properly stored in the winter (stabilized gas run through the system and the carbs run dry of gas) and you shouldn't need to pull the carbs every season. And if you don't... well, you'll get really good at doing to pretty quick

F3 is a heavier bike too, which will work in your favor as you get more experienced. Once you learn how to move her around and make her dance, when you do upgrade to a newer bike you'll be a lot more confident. Knowing that I used to throw my F3 into turns made me feel that my F4i would (and does) move with a mere flick

 

Welcome to the forum Taylor. "My motorcycle iphone app" - that's pretty good. ;-)

Congrats on your license. Don't get in a hurry to buy your bike or you might overlook something. Take your time & buy right.

'99 is an F4. Previous to that is the F3. Both are fine bikes. I have a 2000 F4.

Carb cleaning isn't too difficult. If you ride regularly, you won't have to do it very often either.

Good luck w/ your shopping! ;-)

 

welcome to CBRF

i have a 98 f3 for my first bike, and i love it. the fact that it is a heavier bike, the strong winds dont bother me as much as the lighter bikes.

 

thanks guys. yeah i actually rode the 600 the other day for a few minutes,and liked it. It def. seemed to be on the heavier side, but like you guys pointed out, good to learn on. The carbs/having to warm it up seems like its kinda a pain, but is an f4i really worth a few grand,especially this being my FIRST bike. how much did carbs cost to get cleaned? I plan on trying to clean then myself, but again,i'm newer to bikes,and don't wanna screw things up. I plan on riding every chance i get other then the stupid winter season( i live an hour from chi town) Also gotcbr, i like your 9/11 banner. I took is much harder this year it being my first year in the army and such. And yeah, the iphone app is pretty cool to have on the iPhone. I want to get a feel for what i want to buy, so once that deals come up, i don't hesitate and lose out on it. i really want an f4i/rr but they are pretty expesnive, and don't see a need for real nice bike it being my first bike and such. I plan on riding alot, so hopefully cleaning carbs won't be a prob. Sure hope i can find whats right and soon..tired of looking on craiglist and knowing i can't afford the newer models.lol

 

Don't be hesitant on carbureted bike. Cleaning the carbs is simple. Remove tank/air box, pull off a few hoses and clamps and take off the carbs to clean. I would suggest you warm up any bike FI/carbed no matter what before you take off. Also the difference between the f4 and f4i is small other than aesthetics.

 

99cbrf4600- would you reccomend a cheaper 96-2000 as a good first bike? Or save up for an f4i/rr?the guy i work with that has the carborated bike says he's not a big fan of it, not sure if its cause he has to warm it up or if he's been stuck cleaning the carbs. not sure.. i'm just stuck between getting f3-f4 that i can probably afford, or save up for fuel injected.. i also don't wanna get screwed by buying an older bike, and it not performing well you know? il def try to learn how to clean carbs at some point, save some money!

 

I won't deny that fuel-injection is nice to have but if the price for it is significantly higher, I'd opt for the F4/F3. Its not difficult to turn on the choke, start the bike, & let it warm up for a minute or two. You'll be putting your gear on anyway.

Its going to cost a couple of hundred, give or take, depending on the bike's needs.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. Soldier On! Hoooahhh! Be safe.

Good luck shopping. Hope you find a good one.

 

As got cbr mentioned, while have a fi is nice, there is nothing wrong with getting an older f3/f4 with a carb. When I got my f4 I did have to rebuild my carbs, replace jets and some seals and sync them but I have not done much with them since. Maintainence really isn't bad compared to fi. As a first bike, a cheaper bike would be my suggestion. Hell, I started off on a 250 that was really hard to drop no matter what you did lol. It made me appreciate my 600 as well as other bikes I have ridden.

In summary, get what you can afford. Does not matter how old as long as it was well taken care of. There is a thread on here that has a used bike buying guide. Its perfect read for a first timer.

 

yeah man. well my car screwed up tonight in another town on the way back, so a f3-f4 looks much better..if i even have the money. Car's are so darn expesnive, who know's what went wrong this time. Thats the thing, with gear..helmet..and a few hundred to possibly use to shell out for maintence, a FI is way outta the question unless santa brings me one for christmas.lol. You be safe too gotcbr..are you still in the marines? or did you get out already. Hooah! How much does it typically cost to rebuild carbs..jets..on an older bike? hopefully il find a bike for cheap, that doesn't need any maintence. money's getting tight, especially with my cirrus..shoulda got a honda car as well. hopefully whatever i find is cheap,and will last,but its hard to trust people on craiglist..especially the fact you don't know them.thanks again guys for the tips, and il check out the guide to buy a new bike.. il keep you boys updated