Taking 1998 VFR out of hibernation

Hello all, new member here and this is my first post.

I have a 1998 VFR which has been in storage for over 3 years. I plan to get it on the road this week and I was wondering if anyone knew of anything specific I should check (yes, I already bought a new battery for it)? I'm thinking of flat spots on wheels, seals that might have cracked, gas going bad ect.... I'm aware of most obvious things, but if anyone knows of anything specific I should look for I'd appreciate the tips.

Also, this isn't related to anything mechanical, but can someone suggest an online (preferrably CND) site where I might look for motorcycle accessories/clothing (I need a new riding jacket).

Thanks.

 

Hello!

3 years damn!?

Even if Stabil was put ion the gas that's a long time to sit.

The first two things are drain the tank of the gas, put in fresh gas, and change the oil and oil filter.

www.denniskirk.com

That's a site that has gear.

BZ

 

Hi and welcome, first and foremost. :smile:

now on with the show.... 3 years? Check everything. lol ditto what BZ said. Plus for me I would check the condition of the tires, sometimes dry rot happens, also check the chain to make sure it didn't stiffen up from just sitting. Be sure to wipe the dust (if any) from it and most of all....Do Not armour all the seat. lol

 

A good site to buy gear is www.newenough.com.

 

So today I went to the place where I've been storing my bike for 3 years. I pull the cover off and man, I forgot how much I love this bike! Tires good, paint doesn't have any new scratches (that I can remember anyway), all the stuff where I put it under the seat and still has a bent shift-lever....even the gas seemed good (did the trusty smell-check).

BUT.....I put the brand-new battery in it hoping to fire it up but no luck. Battery as I said is brand-spankin' new so after installing it everything lit-up and/or worked as it supposed to....then I went to start it. With the choke on it cranked over, but just wouldn't catch and idle...no matter how many times I cranked (I didn't crank too much to take it easy on the battery).

Anyone have anything they recommend I check? I'm thinking I'll siphon out the gas just in case there was some bad gas and/or some condensation at the bottom of the tank and re-fill it with some fresh. Other than that perhaps the spark-plugs might be fouled up? How do I eliminate the spark plugs from the problem?

Thanks for any advice. I really want to get the bike on the road now that I've had my first look at it in 3 years.

 

Next time don't wait for three years to ride the best bike out there!!!!!!

If you have bad gas in there, it's hard to say what's plugged. You may try a set of plugs. Probably have to look at a service manual. I haven't gotten that brave yet to look for them.

 

Carbs

Anyway, thanks very much for your advice reg, I will in fact give your tips a try this week when I go back to the garage where my bike is. Would your advice change much (other than the obvious) if the carbs were taken out of the troubleshooting steps? It's supposed to be raining hard all week so there's no use for me to get on this right away. I've waited 3 years to ride so I can wait another week. Maybe my new helmet will be in by the end of the week?

 

Quick Update

Here's an update on the thread. Due to work commitments and various other things I've not been able to work on the bike much and it's still not running. I thought it would be a quick oil/filter change, gas refresh and new battery but I was wrong. I did get a new battery and change the oil/filter as well as the gas, but no luck in starting. Pretty much killed the new battery trying to start it. I'm going to try the plugs this week and was wondering if anyone had done this to their 5th gen. before and could offer any advice? I removed plug #1 today and it looks like this (the old one on the right, new one on the left):



Is this worth cleaning-up or is done? I already bought a set of four new ones for $60.00 (Cnd - is this a decent price?) but if the old ones can be cleaned I can still return the new ones. Anyway, is it as simple as removing the old ones and sticking in the new ones and firing it up or are there some tips/tricks people know of? I've never done a spark plug change on any motor and that is pushing the limits of my mechanical ability I think. I can follow directions like a pro, but figuring out how to do it on my own is another story. I think plugs #1 and #3 are quite simple to get out since they're under the seat and are easily accessible, but plugs #2 and #4 look like they might be difficult to remove. If anyone has a step-by-step thread on how to change the spark plugs in their 5th gen. that would be very helpful. Sort of like reg71's step-by-step (including nice photo's) on changing oil would be very convenient.

Thanks very much for any information you guys can provide. I'm sure I'll be adding to this thread soon....hopefully with good news!

BTW, just for fun, here's a shot of my new helmet which I got last week (no, that's not a scratch on the visor - just some lint or something):

It's not an expensive 'name' brand, but it's DOT and SNELL approved and it fit my budget and I'm looking forward to trying it out when I finally get my bike running. I'm also expecting a new jacket this week in the mail. I'll post that photo up when I receive it.

Keeping my fingers crossed someone has the time to answer all these questions before the end of work tomorrow as I plan on doing this little job after I get home from the gym tomorrow evening.

Thanks again.

 

Hey Reg,
Sorry to hear that you had to leave town for that unfortunate reason.
Thanks for the reply however. After thinking about things, reading my owners manual and the service manual I downloaded, I went ahead and dove into the job myself and to my amazment (knock on wood) I did it and it STARTED! In hindsight, I wouldn't say changing the plugs was easy, but it wasn't as hard as I thought either. She didn't start right away though....she gave a good fight before finally sputtering to life and blowing a lot of smoke in disagreement....but in the end she cooperated and I finally got to go for a ride after a 3 year wait! Needless to say it felt good. The scariest part of the whole ordeal was riding to the gas-station with only 15lbs of pressure in the tires to fill them both up (no, I had no pump and the station was only 2 block away - still, the squirreliest ride I have ever been on).

I'll be posting up a few photo's when I have the time. Unfortunately, no photo's of the spark-plug change as I left my camera at home and the bike was at the garage where it was stored.

 

Service Manual

Where did you download the service manual? I have been trying to find one but have not yet

 

SeattleChef, I followed the links from this forum to this site and got it from here:
http://www.gofastvideo.com/gallery/item/predownload/408/free-racing/videos/honda-vfr-800-98-01-shop-guide.html

FYI, this is a LARGE file.

If that doesn't work try this out:
http://vfrworld.com/forums/parts-service-manuals/3161-downloadable-parts-catalogs-service-manuals.html
...from here select your model and go from there. Good luck, it's a great resource to have if you own this bike.