New to Bikes, Forum, Need suggestions!

[mroberto]

Congrats on the new bike!

I wouldn't get too involved with valve clearances yet. Start with the simple things. You know the battery is new. Is it fully charged? Do you know you're getting fuel? If the bike has been sitting for a while, any gas in the float bowls in the carbs will have long since evaporated. Check your fuel petcock. Is there a PRI or Prime setting? If there is, use that. That setting will allow a gravity feed of fuel into the carbs which will fill up the float bowls. Also make sure that the choke is on. The bike won't start without it.

If the engine is at -15C, then yes, that's also going to make it a lot harder to start.

As for maintenance, get your hands on a service manual. You'll be referring to that a lot! It'll show you how to take the carbs out and how to disassemble them. A word of caution though: if you start messing around with the jet settings, it'll be very easy to make your bike run even worse. As long as the idle jets are ok, then just try to get the bike to idle and see how it responds to throttle inputs (in neutral) before you start tearing things apart.

Otherwise just make sure everything else is in good order. Make sure the brake fluid isn't too dark. Make sure the fork seals aren't leaking. You'll want to change the oil once you can run the bike (warm oil is easier to drain than oil at -15C).

If you're looking for gear, GP Bikes (Ajax) has a fantastic selection. They will be at the show (Feb 21-23 Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place) but their show deals haven't been so good lately. If you can get a hold of a few of their catalogs, there's a 20% off one item coupon inside the front cover. That'll be your best deal.

 

[Owen SS]

Yes the battery was charged overnight before dropping it in the bike. I've since taken the battery inside for winter. Does it still need an occasional charge, even though it will be inside for the next 2-3 months?

I also want to clean the carb, change the oil, change filter, probably change the brake fluid and coolant. Is there other things that I could do in the meantime? I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I've done some above-average car modifying so I'm confident in working around the motor.

I'll check those guys out they're not too bad of a drive for me. I probably won't be able to make it out that weekend, but I will see their store. What is your opinion on buying used jackets? I notice the used jackets are much less expensive. I want to buy my own helmet though.

 

[mroberto]

To keep your battery in the best shape possible, it's best to use a battery charger that has a maintenance mode. This way you hook up the battery to the charger, and leave it alone for the winter. A lot of people will just give it a charge every 3 or 4 weeks. Personally, I like being able to forget about it.

Before trying to start the bike again, have a look in the gas tank. Make sure the gas looks fresh and clear. If it's starting to turn yellow or brown a bit then it's going bad. You'll have to drain the gas and replace it with fresh stuff.

If the gas is good, then I'd try to get the bike running. Figure out how to start it. Make sure it responds well to increasing the throttle and it doesn't die on you. This will give you an idea of how much you need to do to the carbs. If it runs, idles and the RPMs increase smoothly as you roll on the throttle in neutral, then for now I'd leave the carbs where they are. Run some carb cleaner through the first tank of gas. Just get the bike on the road and see how it behaves. Spend more time riding it than wrenching on it if you can. Once you're riding, you'll figure out if the engine bogs at certain RPMs or if it stalls out on you. Once you can characterize how well it runs, then you'll have a better idea regarding which areas (jets) of the carbs need the most work. Carbs are a fickle beast and, if you don't know what you're doing, you can make the bike work very poorly.

Once the bike is running, it is a really good idea to change all of the fluids - the most important being the engine oil/filter and brake fluid (front and back, they are two separate systems). Have a look at the air filter to make sure it's clean. If you're comfortable flushing the coolant, then do that too. Unless the fork seals are leaking, you shouldn't need to change the fork oil.

Have a look at the condition of the chain. Make sure there isn't any rust on it. Spend some time cleaning it and both sprockets. Take off the front sprocket cover and see how much grime is in there.

Make sure the tires are within 5 years old. The older a tire gets, the harder it gets - think plastic. There will be a stamping on the side of the tire similar to this image:

If the tires are close to 5 years old, check them for tears or cracks. Think about replacing them. Pete's Superbike is a really good place to get tires.

Get some cheap stands so you can lift the bike up to get the wheels off the ground. This will make maintenance and even cleaning so much easier. Once the wheels are in the air, make sure they both spin freely and the brakes are releasing properly. You should be able to freely spin both wheels.

I'd say those are the main things to check. Essentially I did the same thing when I bought a 1987 CBR250R that had been sitting around for 6 years.

As for used gear, personally I've never done it but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. Definitely buy a new helmet though. Don't ever buy a used helmet. As for jackets, pants, gloves, boots, etc., why not? Inspect them for wear. Check the seams. There's nothing, that I'm aware of, that will fail on a jacket (for example) that you can't see. If it's in one piece and doesn't look to have been repaired, then it's probably fine. You might also get good deals by buying older stock (previous versions) from a store.

You can compare GP Bikes prices with Royal Distributing. They are a block away from each other on the same road.

If you want to see what gear is available, the March show at the International Centre will be a good place to go. You'll also maybe get some deals on stands, cleaners, etc. I highly recommend the Tirox 360 degree brush for cleaning your chain.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[hardk0re]

Agree with all the above. Before you buy used gear check out GP and Royal. Often I see used gear on KIJIJI for about as much as I paid for it at Royal Brand new. There is also Re-Gear Oshawa that is pretty close by that has a storefront so you can get a good selection of used gear there.