[RiotSauce]

Hey guys, long time no see. I guess as the riding season kicks in you'll see me on a lot more... but I digest... I have a dilema.

So it all started a week ago, I am going to be extremely in depth so you technical junkies can have as much to work with as I can provide. I bought my 93 CBR F2 in October of 07. I had some work that needed to be done on it, mainly because the d-bag owner scammed me and lied about a lot of things.... minor things, but lots of em-- but that is the past. I kept my bike in my garage... it was unheated but still insulated enough were you would never see freezing temps, etc. I put in fresh synthetic oil and treated the fuel before I put it away mid-late Dec.

Anyways, so in around Jan, or Feb, I bring out the bike. Weather wasn't that bad so I figured id give it a go. My battery was dead. So. I took out the Pathfinder, gutted my bike open to get to the damn battery and jumpstarted. Worked perfectly. A few weeks after that, I took it out again, dead battery. So, I kickstarted it down my hill, again, it worked fine and I road for a while to charge it up. I tested it the next day to make sure my battery kept its juice and it did. Now fast forward to about a week and a half ago and you have me, sitting in despair, looking at my dead motorcycle. So I throw it in second, toss it down the hill, and I get her going easy as hell. I ride around for around 40 min, stop at a gas station to get gas, turn off the engine and low and behold when I try to start it up, nothing. Now all the times I kept trying to start it up, I would get a small, faint clicking noise, my horn sounds like a wimper and the dash lights were dim. At one point I had the engine going but the second I pulled in the clutch or let it get to idling RPM's, it died. I managed to roll it to a friends house and just look at the damn battery... something I should have done at first, I am sorry. Anyways, the thing is as dead as vaudville, so I just went to wal-mart, used their handy model battery lookup and bought myself a brand new EVERSTART! replacement. The second I put it in, she starts up like its brand new. Now, 10 days later--- present day. I go out to ride, bike starts up great. Im riding around. I see a highway--I take the highway. While im blazing down there (my speed shall remain anonymous because of all the guys that will bitch me out), I feel like with each crank of the throttle, my bike isnt getting any power. I soon realize I am dead in the water going down a highway, in the hammerlane. Luckily I was able to pull off to the side. My dash lights dimmed again, my horn was a mere low whisper, and pushing my ignition button-- there was absolutly no click at all. You could hear more pushing it with the bike turned off.

So my question is this. Any diagnostics? I was told I could have put in the battery wrong, perhaps a bad ignition-- I really have no idea. I did not leave the keys in the bike... They always leave the bike and are never in the ignition because I already left my bike on once and I ain't gonna do it again. Thanks a ton in advance guys. I'm just concerned that this is another hidden thing that was kept from me that will cost more and more money. Hopefully this isn't to severe.


Oh by the way, the digest thing in the beginning... I meant to do that!


~Sauce

[RiotSauce]

Well, mechanic called, said my entire electrical system was fried... 1k to repair... It was the stater & volt reg. and on a bike that old, I am not sure its worth it... although I do not have enough money to get another bike... dont even know what I could trade it in for...

I had about 1 months worth of riding my honda and its gone

[Twincam]

Is there anyone breaking a F2 on ebay or in an area near you? Craigs list?

[dattaway]

$1000 sounds kind of steep. I'm sure you can get a stator and regulator both for around $300. Bolt on replacement.

[RiotSauce]

Well, the mechanic, in who I have great trust, said that he recommends OEM if I decide to repair it for myself and perhaps AM parts if I plan on selling it. It was around 630 for both parts and 300 more with labor. Now about the F2 on craigs list, were you thinking I should try to get the electrical system off of that? The mechanic said that when the stat went, it took the volt reg with it and pretty much pumped tons of juice thru all my wires.

[dattaway]

$300 for an hour job? You can find OEM far cheaper than that. I'm in the wrong business. That's almost the price of a transmission rebuild. Is this a dealer mechanic?

[RiotSauce]

He said that since he has to pretty much take apart the whole bike to replace the electric, the cost of labor is gonna get jacked up.

[Ol' Gravy Leg]

i'm with dattaway. it's about an hour and doesn't require the bike to be apart.

did the wiring harness go, too?

[Red Rider]

Ronayers.com (check their online fiche) lists the stator for $277 and the reg/rec for $127. If you can turn a wrench you can do the repairs yourself.

[dattaway]

Stator and regulator is not much more work than changing the oil filter. It really is that easy. That must be a sweatshop dealership.

[RiotSauce]

If I remember correctly, the mechanic told me that since the stat and volt reg went, it pumped too much juice thru the wires, therefore "damaging your whole electric system." So i believe the wire harness might be included... It is at another shop today getting a second opinion so I will let you guys know. Also, unfortunatly when i bought the bike, the previous owner had no manual. I know that is extremely stupid of me but if anyone has it, and if by chance in PDF, feel free to send it That would be for self repair purposes. Also, would you guys suggest after market or original man. parts? Like i said previously, i was told AM for selling and Original for keeping the bike, however it seems like a dick move to just get the bike able to run then sell it to some joe and not let him know he has a mechanical time bomb under him.

[dattaway]

That mechanic is a snake. Is he a dealer mechanic? Those are often run as sweatshops. You might have better luck with the local racer/track shops. The only components responsible for a charged battery is the stator, regulator, and battery. They are connected at all times and only requires the engine to spin. The key doesn't need to be on. Very simple circuit.

If it damaged other things, you would have immediate other problems that would not affect the charging system.

[RiotSauce]

*pardon my noobishness with technical questions*


I did have the bike running when this all happened... I was on the highway when everything litterally just stopped working. When I knew something was wrong, naturally I pulled in the clutch and as soon as i did, going 60mph, the engine shut off.

[dattaway]

Originally Posted by RiotSauce

*pardon my noobishness with technical questions*


I did have the bike running when this all happened... I was on the highway when everything litterally just stopped working. When I knew something was wrong, naturally I pulled in the clutch and as soon as i did, going 60mph, the engine shut off.

Classic symptom of a weak stator. Sometimes the rectifier/regulator can fail with it.

[RiotSauce]

well the bike has 18k miles on it, extremely low for a bike that age, but I hear its a common thing at sportbikes for the stator to go at that time. So if it is the stator and reg, do you guys recommend I fix it? I bought the bike for 2.5, but it was around 3k when everything was said and done with the taxes and title, plus hauling it because it had no plates due to an insurance conflict. When I got home, i had to get some work done on it, small stuff but the toolsack who owned it before didnt get it inspeced for 3 years, so pretty much 3 years worth of inspection. That ended up being around 400$ more, plus the 100 to get the bike towed a few days ago. So right now, 3500 in a 93 F2. With this repair coming along the way, im looking at over 4k done to this bike. I really enjoy it, it is low milage so I think it has ways to go, plus if you look at my profile, it looks pretty modern for a f2. Do you guys think i should bite the bullet and repair or try to trade it in for a better bike-- mind you, im only 18 and still in highschool-- although I would be capable of making payments on a newer bike,

[dattaway]

I'd fix it myself. If you pull the stator cover off, you should see right away if its bad. It will look and smell like burnt toast. Electrosport sells good stators and r/r's for good prices. Bolt on a new one, plug it in, wipe the oil away, apply cheap sealant, and install.

$139+$99=$240 if you do it yourself.
Products Available for Street Bike Model: HONDA CBR600F2, 91-94 - Motorcycle Parts - ElectroSport Industries

[RiotSauce]

Yeah, my only concern is that I am not that technically savy with motorcycles yet, I'm still learning-- I know a guy who might be able to help me with this, hes a die hard triumph rider. Ill post what the new mechanic tells me. Keep in mind, I tried to give as much information as i was told, and the old mechanic said all this with "just looking at it now"-- this new one is pretty much gonna strip down the bike and tell me exactly what is up.

And the reason I asked if i should trade in is because, with all this money ive put into the bike--basically, i wanna make sure that this will hopefully be a last major repair-- Im alright with the little stuff, its part of the riding life-- I just cant keep shelling out so much cash-- so thats why i asked about trading it in... over the long run it would cost less.

[dattaway]

The old Hondas are bulletproof. Sounds like a freak failure. If its anything like my 2000 F4, it should be a very low cost ride. Mine hasn't left me stranded after 65,000 miles.

[Red Rider]

Check the connectors for signs of melting. If evident, than either splice in the connections or replace the entire harness. If the connectors all look good, than just replace the reg/rec and stator. Aftermarket components can be a gamble...if you're going to keep the bike get OEM.

[RiotSauce]

Alright, ill try but its hard to see now that its in a garage. The mechanic did tell me when he turned on the bike he saw black smoke. My main concern is that if i repair this, then something else might go wrong... to me this bike is priceless but so far i am tripling its KBB price with repairs.

[dattaway]

I think he had visions of green smoke from your wallet.

[RiotSauce]

Hehe... I really do trust the guy-- although he does ride an r6 >< >< but, when i asked him where he got his numbers he said he got them from the dealer mechanic that my bike is currently sitting right now. I think it may have all been a rough estimate and his philosophy is OEM only-- which I can understand... I haven't made any authorizations for repair yet, so as of now my wallet is safe I figure when I talk to the mechanic on monday I'm going to say, "Price of repair? Estimate of trade in? Did you find anything else?"-- basically, if this is the only thing i need to repair, then by all means ill get it done... but if im told there are other things that are probably gonna go soon... I might just say "trade"-- I mean the bike only has 18k miles on it... which is sick but there's never a perfect deal...

[RiotSauce]

sorry for dual post but RR, would it be plausible for someone like me to change the harness by myself? Im not a dumbass but I have never done anything like that before... Like i said before I do have a few motorcycle junkies that could help me but I dont really know their experiance either.

[Red Rider]

Changing the harness isn't difficult...routing it and making all the proper connections is the trick.

[RiotSauce]

yeah-- I downloaded the f2 manual and my heart sank... it looks so confusing! this is so difficult, because I cant make any decsiions till i officially hear back from the mechanic-- I love this bike to death, but I am not capable of repairing myself, and if i get a mechanic to do it, it will cost a ton-- and if this is the only problem, i feel it would be worth it but anything can go wrong with a bike this year... short run yes worth it to spend on this repair but in the long run, would i be better off with a new bike? I feel like im repeating myself but im sitting here just dying of impatience

[RiotSauce]

new ride'er needs electrical help

I wonder if this is relavent to my situation