Hi Everyone. This is my first time posting and I'm looking forward to sticking around as I've already found a lot of great info on the site.

I'm writing because I'm looking to buy my first CBR. It's a 1996 600 f3. A friend of mine is looking to get rid of it as he just has one too many bikes (or so his wife tells him).

The bike has about 16,000 miles on it and I've been borrowing it for the last week and I just LOVE riding it. My other bike is a Yamaha V-Star cruiser, which rides great but wow do I just love riding sports bikes!

There are few minor issues with the CBR though. The petcock is locked into being fully on so I'm not sure if this should be replaced or not. Do you guys think this might hurt the carb at all?

The chain looks like it needs a bit of tightening and the trip odometer doesn't work. I have noticed though that bike does require a bit of warming up before riding. It starts a bit sluggishly and if it is just fired up and left to idle, it might idle off unless it's revved a bit for a minute or two. But once it's running, the bike sure does run great! What an awesome ride this CBR is! The cosmetics of the bike look great, it's never been dropped and the tires are brand new. According to my friend, it last had an oil change about a month ago. He really takes care of his bikes so I trust him when he says it's been well maintained. He's the 2nd owner of the bike, having it for over 10 years.

So what do you all think about this? Anything else I should look for on the bike? Things I should be concerned about with such an old bike? Thanks for your help in advance!

 

Hello, welcome to the forum!

I've been borrowing it for the last week and I just LOVE riding it.
Good, You know how it runs. Too many times bikes run great when people go look at them then wont even start the next morning.

The petcock is locked into being fully on so I'm not sure if this should be replaced or not. Do you guys think this might hurt the carb at all?
It should be replaced, or fixed, but is only a problem if you are the type of guy that runs out of gas frequently. The carbs don't care where it is, but it would be nice if it able to be turned off for storage. Note that it's hasn't been a problem yet.

I have noticed though that bike does require a bit of warming up before riding.
Kinda normal for carbs. They run like poo poo with the choke on. The mixtures just aren't right until they get warmed up. You should always warm up any bike or car before riding/driving anyway.

The chain looks like it needs a bit of tightening
Tighten it up and lube it every 500mi. Make sure to check to see if it needs replacement.

it last had an oil change about a month ago.
Good, what about the rest of the fluids? It's a good idea to change all the fluids when you get a new bike, so you know that they are good, full, and when they were done. Also, do a thorough cleaning, paying attention to every corner to see if anything is loose or seems out of place.

trip odometer doesn't work
If the speedo works, then it has a cluster problem. Good to have it working, so you don't run out of gas with the reserve not working.

Anything else I should look for on the bike?
Yes, everything. The parts are old and used. Keep an eye on them and replace as necessary.

With all that, enjoy the hell out of it!
If you have any more questions, ask away. There is lots of help around here for you to tap into.