Man, I gotta tell you about this whole ordeal I went through with my 03 Honda RC51. It’s been a real rollercoaster, let me tell you.
So, I picked up this 2001 RC51 a while back. It had about 17,000 miles on it. I was stoked cause I found one in decent shape, you know? But, of course, it wouldn’t be a project bike if everything was perfect, right?
First off, this thing was running way too hot, especially in stop and go. And this wasn’t even after long periods of slow riding. I dove into the service manual trying to find out how to get the FI fault codes. That was a whole adventure in itself.
Then came the starting issues. I tried everything! I checked the air filter, smelled fuel out the exhaust, the engine would turn over but not fire up. I was pulling my hair out!
- I started with the basics: fuses. I tested every single main fuse with my test light, checking for power in and out. No luck there.
- Then I wondered, maybe it was just a dead battery. I threw the battery tender on it, but that didn’t help. Which was weird, because that tender had saved me before.
I hit up some online forums, Speedzilla, all those places. People were throwing out all sorts of ideas. Idle problems, transmission issues, you name it. Someone even told me I was crazy for tossing the battery tender!
There was this one time I tried to start it, and the main fuse just blew! I was asking around, “Any suggestions on a fix?” to anyone who would listen. It was driving me nuts.
I even started comparing the RC51 to the 600RR, wondering if I made the wrong choice. But, hey, it’s a classic, right? I heard it can reach 166 mph in top gear. That’s insane!
After a ton of trial and error, and a lot of reading, I finally figured out the main culprit. It was a combination of a few things, all adding up to a big headache. But at least now I got it running good.
