Hey all!
My name is Brian, and as of recently, I decided to purchase a 1997 CBR600F3.

I've been riding dirt for quite some time now.
Started off with a Suzuki DR125 (4-stroke) which I picked up for 100 bucks. The bike ran, but everything about it screamed garbage.
So, with my mechanically inclined ability to tinker, this became my project bike.

I took everything apart; all the way from the carb to the engine.
I did a complete frame off-resto. I wanted to get to know how a bike works and operates. I also intended to make this my learning bike.

In the time it took me to rebuild the bike, I learned on my buddies 125 4-stroke. From there I hopped on a 125 2-stroke. That was probably one of the greatest feelings I've ever eperienced.
Having so much torque between my legs just felt unreal. From that point on, I was hooked.

I picked up a Suzuki RM125 a few months later and have been riding that ever since. Great bike and plenty of power for what I have been doing.

As of now, I'm moving closer to school. For people familiar with Arizona, I'm moving to tempe a few blocks from ASU.
However, my other vehicle is a lifted '95 Wrangler and it doesn't get the hottest mileage. On top of the that, my newly burning passion for a bike is starting to overwhelm me.

As a result, I picked up a '97 CBR600F3 with a title and emission tags for 1100 bucks! What more could you ask for in a project bike?
It's completly stock minus the D&D carbon fiber slip-on exhaust in the back, which sounds amazing I might add.

I am in no way ready to ride. I have no gear, no license, and no experience.
So, with the time it takes me to collect all of the above, I will slowly be nurturing my bike back to life.

Recently, I bought the Motorcycle Riding Technique book that everyone has been raving about. I'm reading that cover to cover.
I also will be taking a riding safety course when the weather starts to cool down here.

I don't think I'll be riding 'till December, but I wanted to find a valuable asset such as this CBR forum because I can assure I'll be turning plenty of wrenches in the months between!

Excited to be here!
-Brian

 

Welcome to the CBRF, Brian. Nice intro.
The F3 is a great choice, in my opinion, and a great deal if it's in even decent shape at all.
I started riding dirt, too. 50/80/125/250 and several friend's bikes. Great fun and it teaches you a bit about bikes. Ideally, I think everyone should start on them. It's good for clutch control, balance, etc.... and keeps you from falling on pavement first. (best part)

I hear ya on the gas mileage thing. I have a couple Cherokee 4.0Ls. They get crappy mileage even when they aren't lifted.

 

Welome to the Forum. The F3 section is a great section. They should be able to answer any questions you have.

 

Thanks everyone!
I'm getting more and more excited as the time to finally ride is growing closer and closer!

Anyways, in my intro I seemed to have made a mistake after inspecting my bike title.
Turns out it's a '98 instead of a '97.
It has 34XXX miles on it. It's definitly a midlife bike, but mechanically sound.
I fixed the fuel issue in the first 24 hours of owning it, so now it runs flawlessly. Just needs a new fairing kit. I'll probably go with the hong kong kits. Why, because I'm a college kid, and this is my budget build, and I feel I have the patience and know-how to make adjustments to allow proper fitting

So for now, to get this bike where I want it to be to ride:
-New seat cover
-New gauge cover/inlay
-Replace bulbs on guage inlay
-New fork seals
-New clutch and brake levers
-New fairing kit (Windscreen as well)
-New front headlight housing (P.O. installed a very chinsy aftermarket set-up)
-Tag all connections with conduit oil
-Rear Fender Eliminator/Plate relocator
-Rebuild Fuel Petcock
-New Mirrors (optional)
-New Fuel Pump (eventually; only if gravity feed fails me)

That's the list of things to do in the future!
I'm selling off the DR125 I rebuilt.
Hopeing to snag close to 600 for it. That will be my funds for the fairings.

I'm probably also going to take the safety course before the school year starts up because I feel my life will be a little less hectic
Plus it'll help motivate me to get my ish together sooner!

-Brian

 

sounds like you've got a solid plan - stick to it and enjoy.

Can you explain the "conduit oil" thing - never heard that before.

 

Thank you!
I plan to do so.

And I apologize, I meant contact oil.
Just shuffled over from Thumpertalk.com. I had some problems with my dirtbike "conduit" shield over the sparkplug threads so I've had that word on my brain.

But contact oil just cleans the contacts and lowers the resitance between the male and femal meshing points.
Good for gauges and some lights that tend to be finiky on the dash panel.

-Brian