I have a cbr 400 rr nc23 and i have a a huge prob i think. It started firing on 3 , checked plugs leads coils , no probs except ........... oil on number 1 plug eekkss. So could i have a ... jammed piston as it doesnt get ridden much and i only passed my test a while ago so dont give it stacks.could it be a piston ring?? also i seem to have had an oil leak around where i think the head gasket it, that seems to have stopped as no longer needing oil every time i ride. so could it be that????
Does anyone know of any places for aftermarket bits as honda have discontinued loads of stuff now and lings and david silvers dont always have what i need. I really don't want to get rid of her as i am not experienced enuff yet for a bigger bike and she is sweet as looks wise and i get loadsa comments on how pretty she is and the condition for her age, when im parked up and i do luurrvveee her lol If any one has any suggestions i would be most grateful saz :)

Hi,

If you suspect it could be a head gasket/piston rings etc the first thing I would do would be to carry out a compression test. To do this you need to buy a compression tester (if you dont have one) They are about £15, I got mine from Halfords a few months back. To carry out a compression test:
-Disconnect all the HT leads and fuel supply (flick the kill switch as well)
-Remove all four plugs , screw the tester into the first spark plug hole firmly (hand tight usually) turn the engine over with the starter and record the value of the guage for that cylinder.
-Work your way along all four cylinders. You should get 4 consistent readings. Sorry I have no idea what pressure these should be about, does anyone else know?

If the readings aren't consistent you have a problem. By pouring a bit of oil into the cylinder it can act as a temporary seal when compression testing it if it is your piston rings which are the fault.
I know with many four cylinder car engines when it is a head gasket thats gone two cylinders side by side have a low compression as the gasket often goes between them. Another useful check for cars is whether there is any oil in the water or water in the oil due to coolant and oil mixing from lack of a tight seal. Im pretty sure it is the same with bikes. Another forum member may be able to confirm this for us?

If any of the pistons are seized none will move at all so I doubt your engine is seized if it turns over.
Hopefully your engine is fine and its just something simple and none of the above, a compression test is always a good starting point though I find.

As for parts, I'm not to sure, I tend to hunt bits down as and when I need them, there are many honda parts that are universal for the different bikes. Ebay and breakers usually also come up with most bits.

I hope that helps

Adrian

Thanks for the tips. After much picking of peoples brains , we decided to bin the leads i got from e bay as they were second hand and got some brand new lead and made our own ( a mate works in a bike garage) and replaced the plugs and he presto , Happy days im back on 2 wheels. Thank god it was nothing worse as i dont have a garage where i live so would have meant taking her to a mates and travelling in spare time to work on her. My nice shiny stainless exhaust is on as well so i am mobile again just in time for err..... summer !!! froze me bits off this afternoon!!

where did you get the new HT leads from? and how much for a set of 4?

I went to a place in Gosport (south coast)called Dimmons. They sold me one long length of ht lead and hubby being the wonderful technician he is made them up using my old caps. £2 a metre i think. We just took one off, swapped bit and replaced so as not to get confoosed as to which one went where lol. So maybe if you have a local bike place they may sell it like that to you. Been out for a blast this afternoon and she runs sweet as a nut now, god how i have missed her :D :D :D :D :D :D

good fix mate....at a fraction of the cost!!!!!!!!



william