Fork protector hit the oil radiator

Hello everyone!

I just found the site by looking for service manual. Great to see there is a lot of activity here ! Secondo please excuse my english, I'm french (from quebec) so it's not my first language ! :chaingun:

I bought a VFR 2002 last week, but I have some little troubles with it and I would like to fix them.

The most tiring thing is that my plastic protector on the fork hit the oil radiator bolt. It doesn't happen everytime, the suspension need to be compressed a little bit to happen, but it's scaring when it happen!

See the image for more details





I only know that the previous owner changed the oil and the sleeve inside the fork, but I really don't know if it was a problem before. It looks like the spring isn't enough hard to keep the nose in the air. The radiator seems to be at the right place and seems to be securely bolted.

I don't want to cut these protector because I know this is not normal ! Do I have height adjustement on these forks ?

Thank you very much for your help!

 

Welcome, thats a nice looking bike you have there. Don't know if I can help with your problem except to say check to see if the forks haven't been raised too much in the triple clamps.

 

I'm not too familiar with the 2002....but is the Oil cooler supposed to be that close to the forks AND infront of the forks?

 

Thank you !

Does it seems to be ok ?

It looks like I would be able to get 1/4'' but really more ?!

 

No. The clip ons look fine there.

Can you take a side ways...side view picture of the oil cooler and the forks?

 

Just checked my '95 and the cooler is in front and almost touches the fork tube on full lock, don't know if the 2002 model is the same though. Your forks look about normal so don't think thats the prob. The previous owner may have cut or fitted a shorter spacer, try setting the pre-load right up, just to give you an idea if that would work or move the oil-cooler out a bit, I'm sure there is room for a small amount of adjustment in the hoses

 

The bike has repsol chinese fairings on it so it is safe to say it was wrecked.
I would guess the bracket or something is buggered from being wrecked and causing it to hang low and be in the way.
Check out this picture of a naked 6th gen to see how the cooler is out of the way.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...49&start=24&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:49,s:0,i:236

 

I don't know if he should mess with the pre-load just yet.

The last pic shows the Screws ontop of the forks. maybe someone with the same gen VFR can advise if the screws look like they've been turned too much.

xboxtime, can you turn/twist those fork protectors out of the way?

 

Yes for sure

This is not easy to take picture in this corner sorry, but like I said radiator seems to be at its place on the OEM brackets

 

And yes the bike falled at low speed that's why I have chinese fairing

I can't turn these protector too!

 

That oil cooler may be different, mine only has 2 levels.

 

I'd bend your lines to bring the bottom of the cooler away from the fork protectors.

 

Yeah...maybe the Oil cooler was pushed inwards a little.

Or...even scarier thought, maybe the forks are bent.

 

I doubt the forks are bent if you compare his picture to the naked bike link I posted you can see his lines are bent.

 

The angle in that link isn't that clear to me.....but yeah, it's probably a bent oil cooler. Either from the crash...or maybe bent out of the way of the chinese fairings due to poor fitment?

6th gen has 3 rows.

 

I'll try to check if I can bend a little bit the radiator to clear the fork

By the way, chinese fitment aren't that bad, yes it's not OEM, but for sure it doesn't affect the radiator!

 

Your bike has been crashed. Honda never expect the forks to be compressed on full lock & they never expect the owner to do That when stationary, so either the bike has been crashed, or the previous owner had the fork caps out & an the sliders all the way up with the fork on full lock.

 

I thought it might have been modified after seeing this pic the OP posted with what looks like the R/R attached to the frame

Unless that isn't the R/R or that is the stock location for it on that Gen

 

Yes, that is the stock location for the 6th gen R/R. Should have some inner plastic fairing pieces over it just to make sure that it doesn't get any air and over heats! Thanks Honda! :crazy: