[JimDirt]

No problem , glad to help

Do yourself a favor and go to your local Honda Dealer , and get yourself a Factory Honda Service Manual , they are around $60-$80 , (i do not like the Clymer Manuals , and recommend the Factory Service Manuals directly from Honda , its the same one the Service Techs use at the Dealerships) , it is loaded with info and pictures to help guide you thru everything from simple tune up , to complete engine and suspension rebuilding , its worth its weight in gold , its one of the best investments into your bike

I talked to Ken about it and due to a issue with pricing , Ken does not carry them here anymore , (because they are about $20 more than the manual for the 450X and 250R and 450R's for some reason so he was actually losing money on it , then he still had to ship it , so your best bet is your local dealer , they can order one for you , and you should not have to pay shipping , or eBay (make sure its a Factory Honda Service Manual , not a Clymer or Chilton) , even if you have a manual , these forums come in handy when your stuck or unsure about something , i use them all the time myself and i have manuals , since if its something about a Honda CRF , someone has most likely done it or had issues and its covered in detail here ........ Any more questions or issues , just ask away

[Astro_Eric]

Well, for once, I'm ahead of you. My service manual just arrived.



I also used sort of a hybrid of your technique to remove the pilot needle. It took a little time, but I did manage to get it out and install the new one.

I can see the benefit of the remote needle, if for nothing else but to keep it from vibrating loose. What I did, is to add a small spring to the needle so it won't be so susceptible to moving. It worked out pretty well.



Once again, the bike runs a million times better. It starts much easier (maybe 3 kicks), idles well, is really responsive. It's very smooth running. It also seems to be running a lot cooler. But I don't know if this fixed my exhaust overheating issue. It even smells better in the garage. If it seems like it's running cooler, I'll replace the melted number plate, and it will look new again.

Now all I need is a helmet.

I can't say thanks enough. The bike is totally transformed.

[JimDirt]

Glad you got things worked out , hopefully , now you will stop having issues with the melted number plate

[Astro_Eric]

First time out with the new (to me) bike and all the carb improvements. Wow! What a great running, hard pulling bike.

The muffler had previously been so hot that the entire piece was a straw yellow and blue gray. I polished a couple spots on the underside of the muffler (to remove the tempering color). After 2 hours of riding, the polished spots were still the same chrome color. So it would appear that the muffler is not getting nearly as hot. But even more noticeable, with the lack of heat radiating from the header pipe. So it would appear that the new richer jetting has also fixed the issues with the melting of the number plates and the underside of the fender.

Just a little status update, in case it may help anyone in the future...

[JimDirt]

Great !! , glad its running well and not melting your plastic anymore !!