07 CRF 150 R header glowing red after carb being serviced

[denbsteph]

Good morning everyone!! Looking for some advice here, it's kinda two fold so please bare with me.

1st off, I'm looking at a 07 150 R/B, the bike is immaculate, still has the tits on the tires, no sign of dirt on the bike anywhere. The bike had been sitting in a barn, first owner bought it and got scared of it then sold it. The second owner claims it has 2 hours on it, and by looking at it I would agree. The second owner took it to a local authorized Honda dealer to have the carb worked on. The Honda dealer cleaned the carb, jets and stated the float is in good condition. I seen the completed work order sheet which was done last week.

The individual selling it started it up with the choke on and let it do it's thing for several minutes, I pushed the choke in and it took about thirty seconds before the bike finally began to idle ( it was acting like the choke was still on). I listened to it for about two minutes idling and noticed the header pipe GLOWING RED. I know a little about the good old days motors but not the UNICAM motor. We shut it down and let it set, after about 10 minutes we cranked it up again and it began to glow again, but not as intense.

The glowing header on the UNICAM motor, is this normal?
Based on the Info I provided, is it a simple fix?
Should I stay away from this 150 R/B?

2nd part, I have offered $ 2050.00 for the bike, it is show room immaculate, but Leary of the glowing header.

I'm 47 and looking for some good ole fashioned solid advice on what to do or not to do.

Thanks Dennis,

 

[mideastrider]

Sounds normal. I had one of those bikes if its just sitting with no air flow the header will glow. If it continues to sit and run it will begin to push water out. Crank it and let warm up a minute then ride, it will be fine.

 

[denbsteph]

Thanks Mideastrider!!

Anyone else experienced the same thing? Looking for additional feedback. Thanks!

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

How does it run? After a few laps, is it still glowing red? Red is pretty cold by the way, better red than yellow. If it runs/starts fine, it probably is fine. There is another thread going with seemingly the same issue. I prefer my engines a tad rich. But, there are some other things that can do this! Vintage Bob

 

[denbsteph]

whenfoxforks-ruled:
I have not bought the bike yet based on the header glowing red and the owner would not allow me to take it for a ride because I did not have the cash price on hand, ( I rode up on my FZ1, I thought that would be enough, but I understand). The bike started on the 2nd kick. That is a noisy/loud little motor. throttle response was a little weird. When I gave it some throttle and backed off, there was a hesitation for the motor to follow the downward throttle response, other than that I thought it was nice. The UNICAM Motor is a new thing to me, just want to get a better idea of what I'm looking at. Anything else I want to know about before I lay down my hard earn duckies? This is no 150F, by no means!! thanks Dennis

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Did you read the other thread?

 

[_JOE_]

It's normal. The carbs on these little 13k rpm 4 strokes need constant fine tuning. Get comfortable with fuel screw adjustments, that's probably all it needs to run well, maybe a larger pilot jet. Get the manual that came with the bike and the factory service manual, it's a high maintenance little race bike!

 

[denbsteph]

Joe: thanks for the advice. Here is the reason why I'm looking at the R/B.
I have a 150f, put some mods on it and love, but instead of taking 20 seconds to get thru to tree line, I want to get thru it in 10 seconds. I'm too short to get a 250x or wr 250F, so the next best thing is the 150 R/B. I want to use it as a Woods, Hill climbing bike. I'm not a motocrosser, just want to ride in the woods at break neck speed, so to speak. The seller does have the Manual, I'm not looking to do a lot of wrenching, but some maintenance will be tolerated. Looking for more info from everyone out there.

whenfoxforks-ruled:

I did read the other thread, because it appears to be in immaculate condition, I'm a little iffy about the valves and head needing to be re-done. My first guess was it is running lean, way lean. But if the mechanic (I have his name and plan on calling him tomorrow) knows what he is doing, should of seen the header glowing and should of enriched it some, but who knows know a days. So many shops are shutting down around the Raleigh N.C. area that you don't really know who to trust anymore. Keep the opinions coming, thanks again to all who have replied and to those who will. Dennis

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Wait till dark, start it with the choke on, after it warms up, is it glowing and what color, does the choke make the color change?

 

[Patman]

Uh if you don't want to do much wrenching you need to look for a different bike all together. It's a race bike and as such demands regular valve adjustments, ring/piston replacement, as well as valves, valve seats, etc...

 

[denbsteph]

Patman: Thanks for the advice, the more I think about it, the less I want to deal with maintenance and god knows what other issue's. I'm going to stick with my 06 150 F. It's reliable, I can ride the devil out of it and I know it will start with out issues. I have put some mods on it, had Race Tech provide me with their great suspension, rear shock and fork emulators, FMF Q-2 pipe, jetted her out, K&N air filter, tool bag, bark busters, dropped a tooth in the front sprocket. The only thing I desire is a little more off the get go and a little more top end. I guess you can only get so much out of a 14 HP motor. I took the 150 F out today (65 degrees today!) and had a blast!!

Thanks to all who have responded, I have taken all the advice that has been handed out and looked carefully at it. In the end I'm gonna stay with the ole bullet proof motor that Honda has been making for years!! Thanks again, Dennis

 

[Patman]

Nothing wrong with old reliable, especially when the goal is fun.

 

[Chili]

Does it need to be a 4 stroke? You would likely enjoy a KX100, KTM 105SX or a CR85 Expert. These all certainly require more maintenance than the 150F but not an obscene amount and with less risk of a catastrophic failure.

 

[IndyMX]

If I were short and had a wad of cash, I'd look hard at the Serivce Honda 250 Jr. But then again, maintenance isn't an issue for me.

 

[denbsteph]

IndyMX: Is this a "Aftermarket" Bike? Looks like it. What type of motor is in this? Just curious. A boat load of money is what I do not have. Thanks for then advice!

 

[IndyMX]

IndyMX: Is this a "Aftermarket" Bike? Looks like it. What type of motor is in this? Just curious. A boat load of money is what I do not have. Thanks for then advice!

Basicallly AJ takes a CR85 frame and stuffs a CRF250R into it.

They're pretty sick.

http://servicehonda.com/honda-2010-models/junior-r

 

[Patman]

I believe all of the bikes AJ builds at Service Honda are recognized by Honda as factory models.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

I believe all of the bikes AJ builds at Service Honda are recognized by Honda as factory models.

Anything but a ktm, so far? My favorite is the KX500AF.

 

[helio lucas]

damn, i really like my little 80, i just imagine swaping the motor with a 250f. woods king!!!