New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions
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New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/21/2006 12:21:47 PM
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Zhenya13
Posts: 4
Joined: 4/9/2006
Status: offline
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Hi, all!
2 Weeks ago I bouth a 2001 Honda CBR600F4I with 2700 miles on it. So basicaly it's almost brand new. In these two weeks I put about 600 miles on it and now I have a few questions. I searched this forum a few times, but could not find definete answers.
First off all let me say that I am in love with this bike. I had a 2002 Suzuki GS500 for 3 years, which was my first bike that I learned to ride on, and while it was nice to start it can not even come close to the F4I. The thing with GS its was easy maintanance and repair.
My first question is oabout cooling and overheating. I read the manual and I know what the max temperature should be, but I want to know what is normal. Right now when I'm on a freeway it runs at about 175-179 degrees, but as soon as I hit the city or traffic on a highway it shoots up to 225-230. Tha fan goes on at about 227 and brings it down to 225-4 and then shuts off. Is that normal or should the fan work for a while. Also what is a normal temp for you when riding in trafic or city conditions.
Some guys tole me that 2001 CBR600F4I has a known overheating problem and recomended flushing the coolant. Is this trues, does it have a problem.
My next questions are some what generic. First of all as far as break fluid and coolant, can I use regular one I use for my car, or do bikes need a special one. The GS I had was a naked twin air cooled engine, so I had no issues with it.
Lastly is chain maintanance. My GS had a center stand so I just ut it on it, spun the rear wheel and sprayed it with WD40. The CBR does not has a centerstand, so do I need to buy a stand to lift the rear tire to lube the chain and also I think I need to get some real chain lube and not use WD40 Right?
Thank you for any feed back. I happy to join the CBR community.
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/21/2006 1:06:17 PM
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rjmech
Posts: 192
Joined: 2/24/2006
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I have an 04 F4i. My temperatures are almost exactly as you describe. I have not had ANY problems with cooling. I live in Atlanta and it definately gets hot and humid here in the summer. My bike is usually at 178 degrees rolling down the highway and just as your does it will be at or around 223-229 in the city with the fan cycling on and off.
As far as coolant goes. Most car engines have a cast iron block except for some higher priced cars have aluminum blocks. Your bike has an aluminum block and therefore it DOES NOT need regular car coolant. Regular coolant for cars has silica in it which acts as an abrasive to keep the cast iron blocks clean and helps to reduce gumming in most car engines. You will be able to pick up the correct coolant for your bike at your local dealer. The other thing you can do is IF you want to get automotive coolant MAKE SURE you get the coolant that comes WITHOUT silica in it. The silica will act like sandpaper in your aluminum engine and you will be changing your water pump seals fairly soon if you do use this coolant.
Not too sure about the brake fluid issue but I would definately use what the owners manual calls for. If you do not have the owners manual you can just ask the Honda dealer near you about it.
WD-40 is really too thin to use as an everyday lube. I would look into getting a high performance chain lube from the dealership when you are there.
T
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/21/2006 1:21:52 PM
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XM23
Posts: 32
Joined: 3/30/2006
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Your temps are all in the normal range.
Your owner's manual should say what kind of brake fluid your bike uses. I have a '05 F4i and the manual says to use DOT 3/4 brake fluid--I suspect yours would use the same.
You don't need a stand to clean/lube the chain. You can clean a section of the chain and then move the bike a few feet to expose a new section and repeat until you've got it all. After doing this a few times, you'll wonder why you haven't bought a stand yet.
WD40 is good at displacing water (what it was designed for) and very bad at lubricating chains. You can find all sorts of good chain lubes in a motorcycle store, or you can use SAE 80-90 gear oil, which is just as good (and it's what the manual says to use). You can find gear oil in any cage parts store.
< Message edited by XM23 -- 4/24/2006 4:34:23 PM >
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/21/2006 1:25:14 PM
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liquid_iq
Posts: 99
Joined: 12/5/2005
Status: offline
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you'll definitely want to get a motorcycle-specific high performance chain lube. there are "dry" lubes that don't fly off after you put them on, which keeps your bike clean and doesn't attract as much dirt. the $6 or so will definitely be worth it in the long run. ther are tutorials available on chain cleaning and lubing, general maintanence, and suggested interval.
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/21/2006 2:44:17 PM
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Zhenya13
Posts: 4
Joined: 4/9/2006
Status: offline
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Hey, thanks alot for the chain lube feedback. I think I got it WD40 no, Chain Lube oil Yes! I'm going to go pick one up after work today.
I do want some more temperature and overheating feedback. Any known problems with overheating on 01 F4I
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/22/2006 4:58:35 PM
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dondi
Posts: 104
Joined: 12/12/2005
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Those temps are almost identical to what I'm seeing on my 2003 F4i and similar to what I've heard from other F4i riders. I think you are ok.
Congratulations on your new ride. Like you said, it's almost brand new and think how much less you paid for it than a new 2006 F4i which is essentially the same bike. Plus you've got the solo seat rather than the banana. A lot of people (myself included) find the solo seat (with seperate pillion) arrangement more appealing.
< Message edited by dondi -- 4/22/2006 5:08:10 PM >
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/22/2006 6:41:32 PM
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ride4sport
Posts: 164
Joined: 11/10/2005
Status: offline
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i've got an 02 f4i (up for sale) and i run right in the same range your in also. i drive about 65 miles commuting each way, on the interstate it stays in the 170's, as soon as i hit alpharetta/marietta with traffic it goes up, sitting at a light into the high 220's then the fan kicks in, i think your ok
_____________________________
OFFICER I HAVE TO RIDE LIKE THAT, MY FRONT TIRE IS FLAT..... 06 CBR 1KRR, cw fender eliminator, yup that's it for now, divorce is sooooo expensive!!!!
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RE: New CBR Owner, plese help with a few questions - 4/24/2006 1:55:17 PM
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DanGrim
Posts: 10
Joined: 1/12/2006
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I have the 01 F4i as well. My best advice is pick up a rear stand and shop manual as soon as you are able to do so. With those two items you can effectively do most of your own maintance (a good shop manual will walk you through the steps). They don't need to be the most expensive for your maintaince needs, just functional. If you don't want to pay a lot, check out handy stands, I personally recommend the LP brand.
Your temp in normal. You should only be concerned if your temp reaches the 240 point. That is indicative of a problem. If you are worried that you are running hot, you can flush your coolant and put in a race coolant, they usually run a LITTLE cooler (they will sell it at any good shop or online). However, most of those are not rated for freezing temps, so you will have to "winterize" your bike with antifreeze type coolant before the cold weather hits.
Your brake fluid should be marked on top of your caps for front and rear. They are easy to bleed and replace by yourself (but two people make it easier). Mine are marked for DOT 4. So anything better than DOT 4 can go in. Anything lower than DOT 4 is not going to work well for your bike and will have a host of bad effects. Make sure that if you bleed your own breaks that no air enters the tubes. If for some reason it does, flush, flush, and flush some more until all the air is gone. At the end of your brake maintance discard all unused break fluid with the old brake fluid (responsibly of course). Also keep in mind that the brake fluid will eat almost any surface it touches. So use a lot of rags to cover your bike, and get any spills washed off as soon as you can.
As far as what you need to put in or on the bike. Keep in mind that your Honda mechanic can answer all your questions correctly. They will most likely then steer you towards their products, you can use them or something similar. A bike and a car are two different animals what is good for one is not always good for the other. Before you do anything /add anything, consult your owners manual or shop manual before you make a pricey mistake. If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me an email and I'll tell you what I know (I'm not an expert, but I bought mine new and have been riding the same bike for six years, so I know enough to keep me out of trouble).
Dan Grim
dgrim2@yahoo.com
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