Help Needed!! Bike starts/runs- I give throttle and it dies????

Just took a look at her this morning and took the battery out to charge. I picked the tank up and looked under and saw that the drain tube was bent and crimped so I straightened it out and re-routed it so it wouldn't be restricting any flow along the tube. I checked the manual and saw that there should also be a breather tube but I didn't see one...

I'll charge up the battery and see if it starts this afternoon.

If you are doing this then may as well take the tank clear off
and drain the gas out into a safe container.
See if its got anything in it other than gas.

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Originally Posted by akira700

If you are doing this then may as well take the tank clear off
and drain the gas out into a safe container.
See if its got anything in it other than gas.

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+1

lol i don't have a wrench to take the front bolt off the tank since it's really small. The back bolt I can remove and the front has some free play so I could lift it up slightly...

I'll try and get the front bolt off and then remove the tank altogether.

Bike have a tool kit?

WHAT THE FUCK IT STARTED.

sun just came out- this is seriously ridiculous. I'm going riding....

I suspect you have rust in the tank and it's getting to the carbs. Drain the carb bowls into a clear container and look for brownish red sediment. I bet they have plenty of it.

ok back... yeah it's running perfectly again. started a little rough, rpms would take a little while to drop when revved to around 4k rpm.

when in neutral and I give throttle to rev it, as the rpms decrease it pops a couple times. sometimes more than others... i think this means it's running slightly rich right? it's always done that, and I don't think it means much since most open exhausts have some loud gurgling/popping noises as the rpms decrease after a rev.

I've added fuel twice now... the first night I received the bike I topped it off with 2-3 gallons, and today I topped it off again with another 3-4 gallons.

i can't do carb work at the moment since i don't have any tools- I may take it to a mechanic tomorrow to take a look at it for me.

The F3 is a great bike... don't get rid of it because of this.

Worst case, you're talking cleaning the carbs and fresh gas...

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Originally Posted by 35racer

The F3 is a great bike... don't get rid of it because of this.

Worst case, you're talking cleaning the carbs and fresh gas...

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You're right- i was just annoyed but I love the bike and after riding it again today I can't get rid of it. I really have to get it out on the track... have to wait for the June dates though because of school.

Popping on decel usually indicates a lean condition and/or exhaust leak. If the exhaust is not stock, I'd assume lean...

Pull the carbs and do a quick cleaning of the important bits.
Sounds like fuel starvation due to internal sticking inside the carbs.

It's worth it once it's done. Check carb. boots at the engine and the airbox as well. How's the air filter?

I used to have an F4 and it came with the original manual. When starting the bike cold it said to have the choke on for a max of 30 seconds. I'm assuming the F3 would be the same.

Yeah I drained out the bowls- i think there was some water accumulation, and checked to see if it was sticking but it was fine. Air filter is dirty and I ordered a new one already. I'm being much more conservative with choke use now.

It died again at a light last week but I have a feeling it might be fuel (running out of fuel). I just think it's weird that after only 100-120 miles (and my odo reads faster- it must have a tooth down or something) I have to switch to the reserve tank... I pulled off the street, switched it to reserve and it struggled to start a little but then fired right up. I don't try to get good fuel economy when I ride but I thought i'd get more than 120 miles (not counting reserve).

So to recap, maybe i did just run out of fuel and then I fouled the plugs when I decided to put it on reserve and left the choke on for too long. what an idiot...
thanks for the help/tips everyone!

I would def. clean the carbs and jets whenever you can. My bike had the same exact problem and after a little cleaning (actually a lot of cleaning) it's fine. As for mpg, I've had the bike for about a week or so (that I've actually been able to ride it) and I'm getting about 80 miles per tank so I wish I was in your shoes mileage wise.

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Originally Posted by GreekR1

I'm getting about 80 miles per tank so I wish I was in your shoes mileage wise.

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WTH?

Dood, there's still like 4 more gears on that bike ya know...

Is that thing modded to the max or something?

That's like 20mpg or close to it.

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Originally Posted by bergs

WTH?

Dood, there's still like 4 more gears on that bike ya know...

Is that thing modded to the max or something?

That's like 20mpg or close to it.

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I don't think any mods were done to the engine. I've been doing a lot of work to it though so it has been just sitting there idling for long periods of time. I just put 3 gallons in it tonight so I should be getting a clear view of the mpg this week barring any more issues. My mustang only gets 12 mpg so even at 20, I feel like I'm driving a hybrid. Haha. I hope I get at least 30 out of this thing though.

If you only get 30 MPG, something's seriously wrong or you ride really agressively. I get 44 MPG on my ZX9R. An inline 4 600 should get at least 40 MPG, in normal use.

yeah i know, i was expecting at least 40mpg. I do drive slower speeds but pretty aggressively. I'm sure I could get better mileage, but I think getting only 120 miles from about 4 gallons (30mpg) is really low for a 600cc bike.

I'm on my third tank and I'll hit 120 miles again soon so I'll see if it dies again. If it does again then I'm sure that the bike really is dying because of lack of gas.

When I had my 1999 CBR 600 F4 that was rejetted, aftermarket slipon, and a K&N air filter, I was getting 34 MPG.

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Originally Posted by BadBoyBilly

When I had my 1999 CBR 600 F4 that was rejetted, aftermarket slipon, and a K&N air filter, I was getting 34 MPG.

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What did it get before the "improvements"? My 9R is completely stock except for a slight tweak on the idle mixture.

I never calculated the MPG before the "improvements" because I installed them right when I got the bike.

So i hit 120 miles again today and filled it up instead of waiting for it to die and having to switch to reserve. Put about 3.2 gallons in, so that's a little less than 40 miles per gallon.
It hasn't died since and now it's at a shop getting some parts put on, oil changed, and a K&N put in.

I got 47.77 MPG on my last tank full, up from 44 on the last tank. Filled up with 4.35 gallons at 207.8 miles today. I have no idea why this 900cc bike gets such great mileage, but I'm not complaining. My spark plugs have over 40,000 miles on them too. Weird.