Start up trouble shooting...

Hello everybody.

I am having a little trouble with my bike. I can't get her to turn on with the ignition key. Not even a single light will come on at the moment.

I've been meticulous (as a total newbie can) in caring for her since purchasing from private seller a couple weeks ago.

Just bought insurance today along with a new cover to keep her from getting any garage dust on it too.

This evening, I went to go move her so I could sweep the garage out. When I turned her on the first time everything seemed fine for about 10 seconds when suddenly everything just shut off.

I thought, "Hmmm." and turned her back on but everything turned right back off. Now I can't even get a single light to come on.

What do you suppose is the problem?

Any advice/ideas?

-Casey

 

Casey,

Need some information. First, what year VFR? Battery condition? Do you have a battery tender?

Post some pictures.

 

My new baby

So this is a 1999.

I honestly don't know about the battery condition.

I don't have a battery tender, do not yet know what that is.

 

Great! You learn quickly.:thumb:

Ok, a battery tender is a special low amp battery charger which also has some maintenance features. You can hook up a special lead on your bike , and just plug the battery tender in (to the wall plug and the bike), and it will maintain the battery condition when the bike isn't getting ridden frequently. Some folks use theirs all the time to help ensure long battery life.

If you don't already have one, get a service manual for your bike - I recommend getting the factory service manual, and an aftermarket service manual - the aftermarket one will have proven shortcuts. If you aren't mechanically inclined, find a friend who is, or be prepared to find a good honda motorsports mechanic, and give him (or her) money.

First, I am not well versed on the 5th generation vfrs, but check:
1) fuses - mostly main fuse under the seat by the battery.
2) battery voltage/state of charge with a multimeter.

That, plus other help from those more experienced with the 5th gen bikes should get you heading in the right direction to get the bike running again.

 

Battery Tender - Home of the Battery Tender Jr. - Batterytender.com Now you do...

Troubleshooting electrical can be a be-otch! However, this could be as simple as needing a new battery, replacing a fuse, reconnecting a loose wire, flipping the run/stop switch, etc. If you want to trouble shoot this yourself with online help from the forum, you need to be specific and detailed as possible. Knowing the year (1999 got it), mileage, service/bike history etc. is very helpful. Assuming you bought it used? Do you have contact with the original owner? Maybe ask him about the battery, i.e. how old is it, was it on a charger? Did he ever have a similar issue? A lot of issues can be resolved via thread post but it sometimes takes days to get it resolved. If you're not mechanically inclined and don't want to take it to a dealer you may want to see if there are any members local to you who may help you.

Cheers!

 

Howdy Casey, welcome to the club. Information is the key ingredient here.

Based upon your symptoms it could be a dead battery or a blown fuse or something in the fuel injection unit or something else altogether...We can't know without more information--and neither can you.

If you are interested in do-it-yourself repairs then you might need to invest in some tools, such as a digital multimeter to measure voltage, and a copy of the factory service manual (may find a free downloadable version). Then you will have to invest some time in reading the manual (RTFM) to gain some basic knowledge and understanding of the motorsickle subsystems (fuel, electrical, brakes, steering, etc). Not everyone is cut out for DIY and that is why there are mechanics at dealerships, but be prepared to spend lots of money going that route...

There is a troubleshooting guide in the manual to assist in finding the culprit. This involves going down the list and checking the condition of components and ruling them out one by one until the problem area is found.

 

Big thanks to all who've already helped out.

The replies here are detailed, comprehensive, and altruistic. Nice to know some ppl like this still exist lol

I am betting this forum will be of much service to me as I learn more about maintaining my VFR. I'm sure it's helped many others thus far. Hopefully I will be able to return the favor as I become knowledgeable.

Will provide updates when I pin down what's goin on.

 

Hi Casey
I have the same bike but 98.Check the obvious.Do battery cables have solid contact? Could very well be loose cable.Check the fuses.
Buy a multimeter and battery tender together should be less then $60 and after charging the battery measure the voltage.Should be 12-13v fully charged.
Start with that.Sounds like a loose cable or dead battery.

 

Firstly welcome to the Forum.

Please don't be offended by anything posted in response to your request for help - but as we don't know you, or anything about your riding or mechanical experience, I guess the safest bet is to assume you know nothing about the bike and need to start from basics.

Quite often it helps us diagnose what is going on if you try to provide a lot more detail in your description of what happened when it failed, and also if it was running OK previously - you know this stuff we don't! So did you ride the VFR home or was it non runner which you picked up on a trailer? Often quite small items can help to home in on where the problem lies - like what if any noises can you hear when you put the key in and try to make it start? OK you are using the right key? These things (at least in Europe) have the HISS immobiliser system so if you use the wrong key or the key has lost its coding you will get nothing! So when you turn the key to the on position do you get any lights on the instrument panel and do you hear the fuel injection system charge up?

If not then its sounding very much like your 1999 model has problems with the RR and burnt out wiring/connectors - which can give rise to the sort of issue you have experienced, and is a common fault with that model. There are heaps of threads/photos on here which will show what to look for and where - but take the seat off and check/follow the wires down from the battery to the RR looking for melted connectors and charred wires.

With luck no charred wires and as others have said it could be something as simple, as a flat battery or one which is overdue replacement, so start there - get a test meter and check the voltage across the terminals. Motorbike battery maintenance and fault finding from the White Dog guide to Motorcycle Batteries

OK plenty of volts… then silly question does the bike have an aftermarket immobiliser/alarm or hidden kill switch? Hopefully the previous owner showed you if they fitted anything like this and gave you keys/instructions on how to disarm the unit - but obviously if when you went to collect the bike it was already running then they may have been focused on counting cash and simply forgot to mention it - in which case a phone call to the previous owner might save you a heap of hassle. If they say it’s a stock bike with no extras - its worth checking if they had encountered any issues with the bike especially recently and how they dealt with the issue - was this why they sold the bike?

Carrying on - I note you said you spent the last few days pampering the beast - so I guess there is a risk that you inadvertently disconnected something. So maybe worth checking none of the wires to the ignition, kill-switch and starter switch have come off. After that check its got fuel and the main fuse (beside the battery is not blown) and that the kill-switch has not been knocked. Finally I assume you know about the kickstand/clutch/starter interlinks, and are following the starting procedure in the owners manual?

Hopefully that will give you some pointers - let us know what you find and post up pictures if appropriate.

Good luck - you may need it.


Skimad4x4
Proud Member - 6th Gen Militia # 218 - European 1st Division

 

I'm about to crash as it's 3am here in Colorado (been up due to high ambient temps from local wildfires) but I just wanted to quickly say thank you so much for an awesome response. I look forward to following your advice tomorrow when I pop the garage back open to inspect my baby.

Will provide more details tomorrow! Thanks so much for takin the time to contribute like that my good man.