Hi all, just got an NC24, now for a few question....!

[ivegonegrey]

Hello to the V4 section!

I bought a cheap (£600) NC24 a couple of weeks ago, and have finally got around to having a play with it. It's my first grey, and i've come up with a few questions and my experiences so far.....!

Its a 1990 'G' plate with 25,000 kms on. Has been stored in a garage for 4 years, until falling into my hands. So far i've drained the old fuel out, fitted a new battery, new carb rubbers (they'd perished and air was leaking in), new tyres, changed the oil and filter, new air filter, new plugs got it through its' MOT okay and now i want to play. But.....

It starts on full choke and and runs ok. But it has a flat spot off tickover to about 3k even when warm. I've added some redex to the petrol and hope that running things for a tankful may improve this. Vain hope or in with a chance?! I was hoping it may just clean the jets out. I may just bite the bullet and get a proper (professional!) service done on the valve clearances and carb balancing. What are people's experiences of valve clearances when checked? do they move much or stay pretty much spot on?

Changing the plugs was fun! All bodywork off (easy), tank off, and back 2 plugs were a doddle. Front 2 more of a challenge though! 2 Radiator bolts removed and rad swung forward out the way (ish). Right hand plug no problem, LH plug ahhhhh. Couldn't get the plug spanner on it at all. Temp sender on back of rad kept impaling the back of my hand and no matter how I struggled, the damn spanner wouldn't go over the plug!
Out with digital camera, take a pic to see what was down there. Horror thoughts filled my mind. Maybe someone had botched a wrong sized plug in, or butchered it so badly that the flats had been taken off. I was worried. Camera revealed all - a rubber grommet had fallen in the plug hole and the spanner was bouncing on it and couldn't locate on the plug! Wife came up with how to get it out! Vacuum cleaner! Full power, nozzle over plug hole and up she went. Grommet out, plug soon followed!

Plug gaps are 0.8 - 0.9mm if anyone needs to know!

Bike has the full toolkit still in the holder, but please someone out there, how do i adjust the chain?! People mention a 'c' spanner and the rear hub. But for the life of me I can't see where it would locate. Should it be in the toolkit?
So please, a step by step guide to adjusting my chain guys. Please!

Any/all other advice greatly appreciated. I'll try and get a pic of the bike on here as well.

[superlite]

But it has a flat spot off tickover to about 3k even when warm. I've added some redex to the petrol and hope that running things for a tankful may improve this. Vain hope or in with a chance?!

Vain hope! I don't have much (read: no) faith in these supposed magical cures.

A good chance the pilot screws need adjusting to recommended settings, or a pilot jet is blocked (they can block very easily, especially after sitting for years!).

Get the carbs off and take a look, check all the main jets for blockages while you're at it.

The isn't difficult to do, but a bit time consuming the first couple of times. Although a different model, the nc30 manual will show most of how to do this (settings may differ though).

[Psychosomatic88]

Welcome! :D

how do i adjust the chain?! People mention a 'c' spanner and the rear hub. But for the life of me I can't see where it would locate. Should it be in the toolkit?
So please, a step by step guide to adjusting my chain guys. Please!

Well if adjustment is anything like the '30's and '35's there will be a 17mm pinch bolt at the rear of the swing arm on its top side. It should be fairly obvious as on the other said models there is IIRC no other (17mm)bolts in that area. Slacken said pinch bolt.

As your sat behind the bike looking at the rear, to the left hand side (quite well hidden) is a castellated part (like this but more dippy bits, and thats also how the spanner is used http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/Photos/Steerin ... ighten.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). That is what you rotate with the c-spanner to adjust the chain. As its eccentric you can adjust in any direction but it may start getting slacker and slacker before tightening.

Dont forget to rew-tighten the pinch bolt!

Of course I have no experience with an NC24, but that is somewhere what its like for the NC30 and NC35.

[ivegonegrey]

Thanks for the advice so far.

I feared stripping the carbs down may be the answer to the flatspot

Still at a bit of a loss with chain adjustment though. There are a couple of pinch bolts which i can see, which i guess will release the hub, but i'm baffled as to where the 'c' spanned will go. It really must be VERY well hidden!

Any NC24 owners out there who could let me know. Please!

[der~kire]

hi, no c spanner need, just socket for pinch bolts, use a screwdriver or larger about 6mm, round with the end cut off. you insert this into the holes between the pinchbolts, in the groove , rotate the hub with this vertically. this adjusts ride height. hub can only be removed by removing the c lip, wire one, this is located between the sprocket and bearing. my mistake, c lips allow removsall of the axle from the hub, to replace bearings( just got some on ebay £40, to replace mine. will at least go in a straight line!) mooving the hub clockwise, or counter clockwise, will adjust the chain tension as well.

[der~kire]

secondly i thought i'd mention i have comlpetely rebuil my carbs and even though they were bout as good clean ones they still had a bit of gunk and corossion in them. using a fuel, carb, system cleaner is a good idea. carb setup should be good, but then it is cold in the uk now.
i would deffo use a water system cleaner too, deffo worth a look, used a three pack from halfurds. also found the lower rad pipe, outlet to engine was a bit crushed, half closed. also a engine flush and filter change would be a1 service, eliminating a few probs. this should sit everything down and give it a breath of fresh air.
i also found that the fuse holder , by the ignition had become corroded, a bit of wd40 and replacing the fusers back into thier slots a couple of times will help specially at this time of year. also the startermotor cable at the front had become brittle and corroded, due to vibration and shot blast from the front wheel. :D

[ivegonegrey]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I really appreciate it. This is my first 'proper' grey, my other was about 12 years ago - a Yamaha RZ250 - I bet no one has seen one of those about?! It was a 250 350 power valve 2 stroke if that makes sense!

But a VFR was something I always hankered after, I used to get Grey bike magazine and NC24's were about £3500 grand back then. So, at £600 I had to give it a go. I've always thought they sound great, and now I know they do!!
(apart from at very low revs on mine anyway!)

Something else I discovered on it today, with the lights on the front pair of indicators come on. Is that meant to be, or have I got an electrical fault to worry about as well? I also discovered it has a replacement rectifier on it - one from a CBR600 according to the breakers yard (I assume) writing on it, so that must be a good sign :D and something not too worry about!

[Neosophist]

Ok ok...

The NC24 has 2 pinch bolts as opposed to one on the 30

If you look at the back sprocket you'll see them, undo them slightly and this will allow you to turn the adjust, look under the rear-spocket and cushdrive assembly to see the adjuster, it's basically an eccentric cam, you can turn it with a screwdriver etc to tighten up the chain, its easier if the backwheel is off the ground.

Strip and overhaul the carbs, its not a long job, just remove the float bowls and blow the jets out and clean out any crud, remove the tops and check the diaphrams are ok and blow out the choke mechanism too.

Plugs should be fairly easy to change you only need to remove the lower halves of the fairing, the front radiator can be a pain to swing out as the pipes to the oil cooler run along it and have to be unclipped if you want to swing it out fully.

What plugs you got in it?

If you need anything else 24 related just ask ^_^

[Neosophist]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I really appreciate it. This is my first 'proper' grey, my other was about 12 years ago - a Yamaha RZ250 - I bet no one has seen one of those about?! It was a 250 350 power valve 2 stroke if that makes sense!

But a VFR was something I always hankered after, I used to get Grey bike magazine and NC24's were about £3500 grand back then. So, at £600 I had to give it a go. I've always thought they sound great, and now I know they do!!
(apart from at very low revs on mine anyway!)

Something else I discovered on it today, with the lights on the front pair of indicators come on. Is that meant to be, or have I got an electrical fault to worry about as well? I also discovered it has a replacement rectifier on it - one from a CBR600 according to the breakers yard (I assume) writing on it, so that must be a good sign :D and something not too worry about!

The indicators work as running lights too (hence the 21w5 bulbs) but depending on MOT tester it'll fail with these on. Plus sometimes drivers like to pull out on you as they think your indicating.

If you want to disable it, you'll find 3 wires going to the indicators, blue the one side and oragne the other, you'll have a solid colour and a colour with a white trace, cut the ones with the white trace and they'l function just as indicators.

Reg/rec's fail on all vfr's, weak point in the electrical system, if it's been replaced it should in theory last a bit longer, just make sure you dont' let the battery run down too often and replace it before its knackered (this puts excess stress on the reg/reg)

I like the 180 firing order of the nc24 too as it sounds just like an old 750, but i think the consensus on here is that the 270/360 order of the NC30 / 35 sounds better ^_^

[fastdruid]

I like the 180 firing order of the nc24 too as it sounds just like an old 750, but i think the consensus on here is that the 270/360 order of the NC30 / 35 sounds better ^_^

They're wrong though, we're right, 180's rule! :D Especially when in 'full-fat' 750 guise.

Druid