New Project and First Motorcycle

alexwlwsn said:
Well I'm in Maryland so I don't think that's terribly close to Illinois! I am thinking of planning a little trip on the bike to visit my cousin in North Carolina which is about 5 hours away from me. I could take the long way through the mountains of West Virginia and probably seriously enjoy the trip. Being an F4i you don't lean terribly far forward so hopefully I won't get too sore making that long ride. It's fun planning things like this out since it's pretty cheap to fuel up a motorcycle.
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Yea that’s way far lol. And that shouldn’t be too terrible of a ride for you, my ride sucked absolute ass but mine positions you in a little more aggressive position that’s not meant for long trips. Yours should definitely be a lot more comfortable and they’re super cheap to fill up! I love it.
 
After more listening to the bike running, I'm 95% sure the clacking noise coming from the bike is the timing chain. Luckily it's an easy fix and apparently a common problem. Ordered a $25 manual cam chain tensioner on eBay tonight which people generally recommend over the $65 OEM replacement. You just have to adjust it every 6 months or so to tighten down the chain and you're good to go. Luckily it's right on the outside of the block and is waaaayyyyy easier to replace than an MS3 timing chain and tensioner and all.

Gotta love how easy everything is to wrench on with this bike!!
 
Along with the cam chain tensioner on it's way, I also have a new set of plugs coming. The bike definitely is lacking uumph in the lower RPMs. I watched a video online of a dude getting his bike rolling with clutch only, no throttle, and that seems to be not possible for my bike. it just stalls out once the clutch gets ~75% of the way out. If the plugs fail to make her run nice, I'll pull the injectors and get them serviced. After that, I'd think just about everything (air, spark, fuel) should be serviced and good to go and she should run nice.

Also, I took the front fairing/headlight off last night to find the best surprise. The wires back there are just sort of hanging out... It's all OEM wiring and in good condition, but there's no mounting for them at all. I guess if I can't figure out how they're supposed to be mounted I'll just zip tie them all as best as I can. Luckily I have a full wiring diagram and shop manual for the bike so if there's any issues I can sort them out.

Once the bike idles nice and doesn't sound like a loose chain rattling, then I'll start ordering front tire, drive chain, etc. in order to make it truly street worthy.

Here's a video of a few more RPMs, up to 7500 or so. It sounds oddly burbly but maybe the plugs and tight timing chain will clean it up a little bit.

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So I decided to take an illegal ride the other night up and down the block and had a blast. I don't have any other motorcycles to compare this thing to, but oh boy is it quick. Better power to weight than my MS3 when it was built, PI 6062, etc... and you can tell! Without even trying you're doing 60mph basically anywhere.

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It rides pretty nice being that it isn't finished yet so I'm pleased. Hopefully once I put in the replacement spark plugs it idles a little stronger because it definitely is easy to stall out. I have time until I have my license though so I have time to get it perfect.

Also, new front tire and chain are on their way!
 
Figured out why the bike idled terribly. In removing the spark plugs, I realized they were basically all torqued to like 1 ft-lb. Swapped that out this weekend and replaced the cam chain tensioner and she runs like a dream now. You can get rolling without any throttle input and it doesn't want to bog and stall all the time. I'm pretty happy that's what fixed it because I didn't really feel like getting injectors and all serviced. I'm also very excited to get my license and drive now and see how she runs.

Started sanding down the ugly ass side fairings yesterday also.

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The PO said he'd plasti-dipped them poorly but failed to mention he dipped over another shitty paint job. So I'll probably get these smooth, dip them correctly (if dip can be at all considered correct), and then wait until winter to decide what I want to do to the bike to make her pretty. There's a few cracks on the fairings so I'll likely just replace with eBay fairings. It's a cheap bike but I'd like it to look at least a little presentable.

Got a 27mm socket today and I'll work on removing front and rear wheels tonight; then I can get the tires and chain replaced and she'll be safe for the road.
[doublepost=1531794263][/doublepost]And she's floating!

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Now to find the cheapest shop to change a tire and to figure out how to change out the chain.
 
Quick video of her idling/revving good and smooth:

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Also got off the sprockets/chain tonight and put on the new sprockets. I'll need to wait until I have the wheel back on the rear before I can torque it all and install the chain but she's coming along.

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And got my first beautiful piece of safety in the mail as well:

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Don't have photos of the tires installed but the new front is on and the rear valve stem has been replaced. It only cost $56 which I really can't complain about at all. Got front and rear back wheels back on last night after a lot of sweat and a little bit of cussing and got the chain started. I think I'll have to get a chain riveter tool before it's fully on, but we're moving in the right direction.

Then I started wiring in new front blinkers and pulled the plasti-dip off the front fairing. No surprise it's pretty ugly under there. I'd like to find the first owner and ask him what he was asking when he "repainted" the fairings.

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This'll get recoated in a fresh layer of plasti-dip so it looks presentable and then the bike will go all back together. I'm really only going for not terrible looks here so hopefully with a little fresh black paint it looks okay. Hopefully within the next few days I'll have a photo of her back out in the sunlight with all the fairings on!

Puppy tax:
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[doublepost=1532571231][/doublepost]Started painting the front fairing. Nothing special but much better than it was!

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Again, just going for a response of "oh not bad" when people see it lol as it started pretty rough and there's no need for perfection at least until I'm a better rider.
 
Finished up my MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course this past weekend and passed! With that certificate I can go to Motor Vehicles and they'll add the M certificate to my driver's license. Once I have that, I'll be hitting the streets on my bike!

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They had all new bikes which was really nice. We went through a lot of rules of the road and low-speed maneuvering techniques. Once my CBR is safe for the road I'll probably find an empty parking lot and practice some tight turns, quick stops, etc. and just get a good feel for my specific bike.

I started painting the side fairings this past weekend as well:

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The paint is wet in that photo so it looks funny but I think once it's all dry they'll look much better than they did originally.

From this point on, I need to finish riveting my chain master link, lube the chain, install the side fairings, and plug in my blinkers and we're road ready. Hopefully within a couple days I'll be able to take a picture of the bike out in the sun looking all pretty and ready to be taken on some trips.
 
Looks great glad it was an easy fix. Also look up keith code and watch the video.

Please get gear I've known many who had fallen and endured much more damage than they should have. First time I fell off it was 40mph through a corner and my suit saved me from have a deranged butthole because I slid on my ass for like 20ft.
 
Ignore my outfit from the waist down but...

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And researching Keith Code now! I definitely appreciate any knowledge bases I can get as for riding safely. I work in a pretty heavy traffic area so it'll probably be a while before I ride to work but you never know what'll happen back on scenic roads.
 
Nice already got some gear also if the weather there is not too bad leather is the way to go. Where I am it gets to 115-120* and if i decide to ride I'm suited up to avoid unnecessary injuries but that's me. Do what you want

Riding boots are also very important in preventing your foot from exploding when it hits the asphalt at speed. I don't commute anymore with the bike it's a toy and retired to track duty because traffic and it's not worth dying going to work lol
 
So we've now been riding for 2 days! I've got about ~45 miles under my belt, all in town and back roads. Definitely feeling out smooth downshifts and just generally not looking like a loser leaving hilly parking lot exits and what not. It's a good time though and definitely a learning experience. It's very interesting to see how different the driving is from a car. The throttle is VERY on/off. You're either accelerating or hard engine braking and the line in between in pretty narrow. I have no doubt on a normal casual ride you'd almost never even need your brakes (with some practice).

Anywhoo

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So we made it. Now it's time to practice, learn more, and enjoy the ride.

I'll keep the thrrad updated in case I do anything to the bike or take any sweet pictures!
 
If you paint anything in the future or want to clear over what you have already done get some of this 2k clear( hypewr link is not working for me
USC Spray Max 2k High Gloss Clearcoat Aerosol)
in between coats and like an hour to dry I would give about 24hr before polishing, compound etc. I sanded my headlights and put this 2k clear on and they look new again. No issues with the clear what so ever. You do need a respirator though since it is 2 part clear, clear and a hardener in one. The can is only good for 48hrs I think after the hardener is activated with the clear.
 
I haven't posted in this thread in some time now. I have not done anything to the bike except for ride it and put gas in the tank so that says something. She's running strong though so I really just try and find time to ride and enjoy two wheels. It's definitely starting to get too cold to ride though which I'm a little bummed about.

Rode yesterday and it was around 42 degrees out and quite uncomfortable

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But I did watch a burnout how to video on youtube so I decided to give it a try.

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I only let her eat for 5 seconds or so at like 5k rpm to not totally kill my tire. I am planning on getting a new tire some time this winter so I'll probably do a mean burnskieee for the gram soon. It definitely gets loose back there once the tire is spinning. Somewhat akin to the back tire being on smooth ice.
 
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