CBR Track Bike Tart-up

MarkJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Karma :

Bought myself a 91 CBR 600 Track bike off eBay at the weekend and picked it up on Monday. I bought it with a view to tarting it up and getting it out on track to test it some time this winter so it can be in tip-top condition for next summer.

This thread won't be some awesome turbo/custom frame/mirror finish paintjob project, more of a maintenance one.

Apparently it had been a race bike (EVERYTHING is lock wired) and it allegedly makes over 100bhp at the rear wheel. I'll believe this when I see it with my own eyes, and when it's sorted and I have a towbar on the new car I'll be taking it to the local bike shop to be dyno'd.

Pictures of it how I bought it:

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0473640x480.jpg

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0474640x480.jpg

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0475640x480.jpg

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0477640x480.jpg

Overall on the outside it was in better condition than was expecting. The paintwork is fantastic for a track bike.

There's a fair amount of duck tape on some panels which I assume will be cracked fairings which can be repaired:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0478640x480.jpg

Loads of crappy looking stickers to come off:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0479640x480.jpg

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0480640x480.jpg

It's been down at some point, but nothing major:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0481640x480.jpg

I may re-paint or powder coat the top yoke as it looks a bit shabby:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0488640x480.jpg
Also, the racer has done something naughty with the tacho and it under reads to pass the noise test Laughing

. I'll look into this with a digital RPM gague over the HT leads to see how it over reads, but it looks to just over read by 1000 RPM through the whole range.

I definitely need to do something with the seat height as my bum just clears the seat when it's on a paddock stand Laughing

:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0491640x480.jpg

Even worse with both wheels on the floor:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0492640x480.jpg

Legs of a 6'1" bloke + high race rear sets = pain:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0494640x480.jpg

Good for titchy 5'4" girlfriends though:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0496640x480.jpg

After taking the 'before' pictures I figured I'd take the lower fairing off to have a gander at the fairings. Earlier, when I had a feel at the bottom of the belly pan, I got some oil on my hands, which I had hoped was off the chain or something. Unfortunately when the belly pan was off I found what I had been expecting...
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0497640x480.jpg
Doh!

The bloke I bought it off had very kindly changed the oil before I picked it up, unfortunately...
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0500640x480.jpg
...looks like he over-tightened the sump plug. Not to worry, I'll be pulling it off and getting it helicoil'd.

Ignition rotor center cap is a bit chewed up, but they cost nothing.
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0502640x480.jpg
Hopefully this means it's been off a lot and the valve clearances have been done frequently.

Oil filter has a big jubilee clip around it, but I'm not sure why. Maybe makes it easier to get the filter off?
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0504640x480.jpg

Finally, the fairing stay seems to be glued to the back of the nose cone:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0509640x480.jpg
Not sure why this was done, maybe the nose cone wobbled at speed. Might be a bugger to get off though Neutral

I'll be taking my time with this so updates on this thread won't be every 5 minutes. Looks like the sump is the first on the list though. Hopefully I can get the sump off without having to take the exhaust headers off.

Blackwolf · Burgerfist Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Karma :

What years is it? looks like 96? good old CBRs, good bike, get it down geared a little and you will be giving some newer bikes a run for thier money Razz

Nice bike! Thumbs Up

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Gazdaman · I did a trackday!!! Joined: 12 Aug 2004 Karma :

Looks decent, how much you pay? Sump plug's a pain.

Gaz

alun111 · World Chat Champion Joined: 31 May 2007 Karma :

Very nice

I reckon the jubilee clip is there so that it's possible to lock wire the oil filter.
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Winter: '93 Suzuki GSF 400 Bandit VP Variable Valve
Past Bikes: Lifan LF100-5 Lifan LF125-A Honda C70

garth · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Karma :

The jubilee clip is for lockwiring, same as my monster.

Thumbs Up

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MarkJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Karma :

Yep, figured that when I was looking at it earlier Thumbs Up

It's a 92 Steel Frame (not 91 like I said earlier, it's just the 91-94 model), cost me £720, which was my maximum price I bid on eBay Laughing

Came with another set of wheels with discs and wets, a spare front wet tyre, and another set of clip ons.

Some more progress today. Got the sump off Very Happy

I tried to do it without taking the exhaust pipes off but the oil strainer wouldn't let me slide it out so they had to come off too:

Pipes and sump off:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0511640x480.jpg

Looking a bit grubby behind the downpipes, will give that a good scrub before the pipes go back on:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0512640x480.jpg

The troublesome strainer:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0513640x480.jpg

Another view of the downpipes. They'll get a good going over with wire wool and autosol while theyre off Thumbs Up

:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0514640x480.jpg

Sump will be going to my local bike shop tomorrow morning to get the sump thread helicoiled. The thread on both the plug and sump looked fine on inspection, but when the sump plug is in there there's a lot of freeplay, and when I pulled it out there was a small amount of swarf so it must have stripped the thread.

MarkJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Karma :

Well I'm back. I got a bit disheartened with the bike after the last post - the thread had been stripped which I knew, however when it had been overtightened it cracked the sump itself. I still had it helicoiled but it leaked slowly. Crack here:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0581640x480.jpg

With the sump still not fixed, still needing a rotor cap and genny cover, I decided to just buy another engine rather than buying seperate spares:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0583640x480.jpg

It was a newer FV engine which came with a deeper sump (top one):
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0584640x480.jpg
Had to use the strainer from the new engine so it could sit at the bottom of the sump.

With the engine now finally oil tight I go to start the engine. Thumb the starter motor and I get that horrible popping/clicking sound of something electrical breaking:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0585640x480.jpg
You can see one the the spade connectors had completely blown off, and the other yellow wire was pretty badly burnt.

The battery was 99% flat and had made the reg/rec go pop. Rolling Eyes

You can see how it had blown the middle top pin straight out and left a massive hole:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0599640x480.jpg

10 minutes of soldering, and an ebay trip (for a new reg/rec) later:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0598640x480.jpg

After having the garage look like a bomb site for the past month I decided to fit all the fairings back on. Looks exactly like it did when I got it, except I now have a damn sight more knowledge about how the bike works Laughing

https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0604640x480.jpg

Next on the list, either bend the exhaust hanger bracket, or add some spacers to stop the exhaust touching the hugger and swing arm:
https://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/markjackson13/DSCF0602640x480.jpg

Then I'll swap over the rotor cap casing (can't get the cap out of the casing due to the hex head being too chewed up Rolling Eyes

) and genny cover. Get rid of the tatty looking stickers and maybe do something to change the seat height.

jack_zxr400 · World Chat Champion Joined: 15 Jul 2008 Karma :

Very nice

Keep it up Thumbs Up

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Current Bike: R6
Test Date: 8/8/2008-PASSED

MarkJ · World Chat Champion Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Karma :