Greetings from San Francisco! (5th gen VFR with Questions)

HEllo VFR Community,

This is my first posting on any motorcycle forum. I have owned a 99VFR for two years now and for the past few months I have been riding a little more aggressively than how I rode before. Mainly along canyon roads and twisties almost every weekend because it's so darn fun. I originally bought this bike for long distance commuting and to accumulate freeway miles, but I want to engage in the sportier side of riding my VFR and to have more fun with my bike. Therefore, I plan on adding a few modifications to my bike to make riding more comfortable.

I have never worked on bikes before until recently when I learned how to change my tires. That was by far the biggest maintenance operation I've done on any bike. I am not mechanically-savvy, but I am gradually learning one step at a time. Normally, I would go to a bike shop and have them address my bike issues, but ever since I moved back to San Francisco, the motorcycle mechanic shops are ridiculously expensive. $100/hr for labor! San Diego was $60-65/hr, not including student discount.



Anyways, I have a few questions that I need help answering. Here is a list of mods I plan on getting including questions I have for each mod. Any comments from past experiences you would like to share or parts you recommend would be greatly appreciated and noted.
Power Commander: Which power commander do you have for all you 5th gen VFR owners? Which one do you recommend? Power Commander III?

Frame Sliders: Any recommendations? I want good quality ones. There isn't a specific location to mount frame sliders for the 5th gen 99 VFR. I read that people had to drill holes. But isn't there a way to mount them onto one of the bolt holes that hold the fairing? Just take out the nut and screw in the sliders or something??

Helibar/Convertibar: Convertibar or Helibar? Which do you prefer? How difficult is the installation process for a beginner like me? Which one raises the handlebar higher and which one is easier to install and is more versatile and comfortable? I'm about 5'11" and I still have to lean forward quite a bit to reach the handlebars and comfortably steer, throttle, and brake.

Tank Grip Pad for 5th gen VFR TANK: Stomp Grip or Tech Spec? A lot of tank grips I've encountered do not make them for 5th gen VFR's, 99-01 model. I was thinking of going with Stomp Grip but they only have tank grips for 2002+ VFR models. How similar is the shape of my 5th 99vfr tank compared to the 2002+ VFR tank? How about the CBR gas tank shape? If they're pretty similar then I will purchase the 2002 vfr stomp grip or CBR stomp grip. The universal ones I don't really want to take the time to measure and cut it because that takes a long time and preicsion.

Seat Cowl: I'm planning on getting the red non OEM one from Hong Kong or something. Comments? Feedback?

Rim Tape: Going to get red reflective ones.

Handlebar mirror (and adapter if necessary): I recently bought a universal handlebar mirror from cyclegear but it doesn't fit. It used to be where my throttlemeister used to be on the right handlebar. Any handlebar adapter recommendations or adapter and mirror set you guys know about from experience?

Brake Pads (and maybe steel brake lines depending on how difficult it is to replace with current brake lines): Brands to look at? Ceramic material? Anybody have experience with replacing brake lines?

Smoke Windscreen: Thinking of getting the Zero Gravity one but not sure. Comments? Feedback on what type of windscreen you have?

Handlebar warmers: Any feedback? Installation process? cost? Is it worth getting?

Has anyone changed their rearsets before? I might prefer ones with more grip.

This is all the time I have for tonight. Thank you for reading my thread. I don't know any other 5th gen VFR owners except you all so any input on any of those mods I would be thankful for. I plan on going to track with this bike in 3 weeks and would like to have most of these mods installed before I head out to Thunderhill, hehe.

-George18

 

You ridden up to geyserville yet and done skaggs raceway?

 

Welcome to The World George! Well you done, your first post right and you gave us pictures! As far as your questions go...

Power Commander: According to Dyno-Jet's website you'll probably find that the PCIII is the only one listed for the 5 Gens (1998-2001) but I have heard and read that the PCV will work, but finding a map that will drop in will be difficult to find "off the shelf" as they don't exist for the year bike and model PC. That being said, you're supposed to be able to convert the PCIII maps to the newer PCV format. I actually picked up one for my '01 I have been updating since last year but have not ventured into the PCV realm just yet.

Frame Sliders: R&G seem to be the ones who use them gravitate towards. BTW, frame sliders seem to be one of those "debatable" topics as to their ROI.

Heli-bar/Converti-bar: I have Heli-bars on my '09 and I like them but I have stock bars on my '01 as the two bikes have their dedicated purpose and the stock bars seem to be OK for now. With that Heli-bars are a fixed rise and setback, where as the convertibles are almost infinitely adjustable, but require more time and effort to install. If you want to see how your posture will be before you step into a set of Heli-bars, check out this website http://cycle-ergo.com just put in the particular data and viola!

Tank Grip: Not too familiar with these but the two gas tanks are similarly shaped but are a little different not sure the difference would affect the grip location/mounting but I imagine that would depend on how the grips are cut.

Seat Cowl: if you can find a stock one on eBay you'd be better off as some of the Chinese knock offs have color matching and/or fitment issues, but in a pinch they might work out OK.

Rim Tape: I bought my reflective rim tape from www.reflectivelyyours.com the stuff they sell is made by 3M and they have wheel kits too. Although the tape is not in one continuous piece or pre-curved, it is easy to install and it's reflective property's are good.

Handle Bar Mirror: Not sure why you're going in that direction but most places that sell Ducati parts have "bar end" mirrors which might be an alternative. You may also check out www.motorcyclesuperstore.com

Brake Pads/Lines: A popular brake pad are the EBC HH pads, a lot of us use these, including myself. As far as brake lines, there are a few flavors that seem popular as well. Galfer and HEL offer ready made kits, as the 5 Gen has a linked braking system and several lines that link the calipers to proportional valves and secondary master cylinders. (9 lines if I recall correctly). Although it can be intimidating, you can install and bleed the system in one day, if your familiar with brake bleeding process and have the tools. It will be a long day, but none the less it shouldn't take much more than that. BTW, send me a PM and I'll send you a link to the Honda Service Manual, you'll want that for sure, if you take on the brake line install. Both my VFRs have HEL line kits installed, as well as speed bleeders (make clutch/brake bleeding a snap). I was able to install both kits solo but having a helper may shorten the day some.

Windscreen: I have a Zero Gravity smoked screen on my '01 and I like it. There's a ZG outlet store on ebay where I got mine from, it was around half the price of a new one if I'm not mistaken.

Handlebar Warmers: Are you kidding! This is California...oh wait you're in San Francisco, never mind. I don't have any experience with these anyway but I'm sure you can find some online or maybe another member will chime in soon.

Rear-sets: Not to get technical but rear-sets are different than foot pegs and if your looking for more grip, then you'll just want the foot pegs. Rear-sets, especially adjustable ones are few and far between for VFRs. My '01 came with some aftermarket pegs, I think the PO got them off ebay as I've seen some on there which look like the ones I have. If I recall, there are some other model Hondas and other manufacturer bikes that their foot pegs can be used but I don't recall which other make and/or models, again see if someone else chimes in on it.

I hope the info was helpful.

Cheers!

 

:welcome: to the madness :wave: ^^^^^^^^^What he said :wink:
Glad to have you, enjoy your ride and ATGATT :thumb:

 

Welcome aboard. Clean looking machine you got there.

Another suggestion: If you've done any reading here, you know the VFR has 2 shortcomings. 1: Suspension. Its weak, unless you weigh less than about 150#s. Not necessarily the first thing you need to do, but keep it in mind. There are plenty of options. More importantly, #2: The VFR has a notoriously suspect electrical system, especially with the R/R (regulator/rectifier). Click on this link below, and read through it. Post #9 is key. If your R/R hasn't failed yet, it will.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39277-How-to-fix-common-regulator-Stator-failures

 

Welcome!! Good job with the pics, we like pics!!

I had GenMar bar risers, they looked good but didn't do what I needed. I have the HeliBars and have no complaints, they helped me a lot. You didn't mention anything about a seat and if stock is good for you that's great. I added and a Sargent seat and the HeliBars years ago, turned my bike into an all day rider for me. The worst part about the bars is getting the stock dampers out of your OEM bars...whew they are stuck in there good! I have the Zero Gravity sport touring windscreen. I may try their double bubble one day, it's a popular one here. Try the classifieds here or maybe craigslist for a factory seat cowl. You likely will be disappointed with the cheap, flimsy Chinese junk. As for the PC...well from what I've read they help the 6th gens much better than our 5th gens. If memory serves only something like 2-3 hp on ours...not worth the $$$ to me. My bike pulled 96 hp at the wheel with just a pipe and K&N, pretty respectable IMO....

 

To add to what Plisken said, suspension is the one of the first things I changed on my bikes and if your track riding it like one of your pictures suggest, this may be better place to spend your money vs. a Power Commander. Although I have a PCV ready to go, along with a 2 Bros CF exhaust, I'm kind of thinking I might keep my 5 Gen stock, engine wise that is. I'm having fun just riding it as is anyway, well now the suspension has been updated.

For suspension work, quite a few of us have gone to Jamie Daugherty www.daughertymotorsports.com for our upgrades. Prices, level of customer service, performance gains, and his knowledge of VFRs makes it a great ROI. He's also a forum member.

Oh yeah, definitely look at the link Plisken provided, nothing worse than being miles from home or at the track and finding your R/R, Stator or wiring is toast (literally).

Cheers!

 

All good advice and information. The only thing I can really add is about the Power Commander III, which I have. There are definitely better places to spend money, but it will help smooth out the off-idle response. I had some extra dough when I bought mine, so I ended up with it.

I'm about 5'8" so the Helibars work great for me.

I also have the stainless brake lines, and they weren't as bad to install as I had feared, but I spread it out over two days.

A voltmeter is a good thing to have installed also. Keeping an eye on the iffy charging system is always a good idea.

 

No I haven't gone to geyserville or skaggs yet. I heard a lot of positive feedback but haven't made the trip that far up north yet, about 2 hrs on 101. The road looks really fun though, and challenging. Furthest I've gone to is Point Reyes Station along Hwy 1, past Stinson haha.

 

Skaggs is good up until that last sharp downhill hairpin where the road is scarred from folks wiping out. After that it turns into a goat road to the coast

 

Here is what I had on my '99:

Helibars - if you are wanting to ride aggressively, you do not need these. These are only a benefit for touring IMO. Not to bad to install, you will need to trim a piece off your brake reservoir. Just take your time.

BLS footpeg lowering blocks - These are wonderful for those of use with shitty knees. Major rear brake adjustment though.

Brake pads - EBC HH pads are fine. Easy job too.

Techspec tank pads - I LOVED these! I got the C3 for the knee and the snakeskin for the center pad. C3 is too soft and my jacket cut it in 3 days of riding around The Dragon.

ZG Double Bubble - IMO it is the bast looking windshield. It just so happen to put the air where I wanted it.

Rim tape - I did the tape, but I did such a shitty job that I was just not happy with it. I ended up powder coating my rims and thought it looked too good for rim tape after that.

Heated grips - man these things are nice. I actually never had them on my '99, but they are on my '07. I don't know how cold you ride, but unless it is under 40F you shouldn't need them.

Now, with all that said. The very first thing you need to do is beef up that POS charging system. I don't care how many people say they go X many miles with no problems. The R/R-Stator-Battery setup is shit on VFRs. Absolute shit. Beef up the wiring between the R/R & stator and replace it with a new MOSFET type R/R. It is only a matter of time before you have the problem. And it will happen when you can least afford it. So do it first!

 

You MUST travel further up HWY 1 to really enjoy that route. There are roads all through the hills past the oyster farms and stores past Marshall. Hit me up; I travel those roads often! :thumb:

 

Welcome. Nice bike! '99's are the fastest VFR's a scientific survey of '99 owners recently proved.

The PC on my '99 helped to reduce that off idle snatch as FJ said. The PC2 may be out there cheap but it only has serial connections, so unless you have a pre-flintstones laptop like me, the PC3 is probably the best bet.

Yes, grip warmers rock. Especially if you're swapping clip ons, that is the time to install them. Try Symtec, http://pm.pashnitmoto.com/Symtec_Grip_Heaters_p/symtec-210019rr.htm $45 Also available direct, from Amazon or many others.

Dual Star made the same grip heater kit for less but I'm not sure if they're still around. My Dual Star kit is 8 or 9 years old and has been moved between 3-4 different clipons and is still going, one of the best $30 I ever spent. If you don't need it, then you never know it's there. But if you're doing Skaggs (or PCH) one early morning and that 45 deg ocean chill sets in, they're (very) nice to have.

RG frame sliders were my first mod on the bike. The fairing mounts are small stamped steel brackets, no good for mounts. The RG's will replace one of the engine/frame mount bolts with a longer bolt and the slider. But you do need to drill the fairing, not a big deal actually, measure 3x, cut once.

And it looks like you've already got the seat taken care of with a Corbin.

You may want to check out the electrical system at some point, this is a good guide to follow: http://www.electrosport.com/media/pdf/fault-finding-diagram.pdf

 

Hey thanks for your response marriedman. You say the ZG Double Bubble puts the air where you want it? How tall are you and do you have helibars installed? What color did you powder coat your rims? Pics? So the C3's are probably not the best idea for the knees because your jacket can cut it in easily? Why did you choose C3 for tank pads and not snake skin or high fusion??? I think what's keeping my rectifier from frying is the CPU fan installed directly on the rectifier by the original owner. Hm..come to think of it, I recall smelling something burnt while riding a few times. Never knew what it was. I will definitely check tomorrow to see what my R/R and stator situation looks like before I go riding all day. Thanks again marriedman.

 

Here is my favorite pic of my 5th gen:


I m 6'1" and yes I had Heliars installed. The air hit me right about visor level if I was slouched or crouched. If I was straigh-backed, the air hit my neck and help keep me cool.

The C3's are the best for the knee grips, but the center tank pad I went with the harder rubber Snakeskin. I would think the Snakeskin texture would eventually wear a hole in the inside knee of your pants it was so rough. Techspec also has great customer service, so I am pretty much biased for them over Stompgrip or the other competitors.

 

UPDATE: Greetings from San Francisco! (5th gen VFR with Questions)


Hello all,

I wanted to reactivate this thread again. Not sure if responding to this thread will garner much attention, or if I should create a new post, but here goes. Since our last discussion, I installed the ZG Windscreen SR Series, StompGrip Volcano, rim tape, seat cowl, Q3 tires, and I attended a track day at thunderhill! It was a blast! I have to say, the stomp grip is terrific. I have much greater stability when approaching stops and braking. Anyways, the reason why I want to bring this thread back up is because I think it is about time for me to replace the R/R on my 99 VFR. I noticed that the wiring is turning black, and I think the cause of this distinct whining noise I've been hearing when I exceed 8k rpm at first gear may be relevant to the R/R situation and charging system. I don't think it's the gear driven cam noise. I also feel like I don't get much power after 8k rpm at 1st gear. It just doesn't sound or feel right. There's currently a PC cooling fan installed on the rectifier and that is what's been keeping my charging system up and running for the past 26k miles I believe.
I plan on replacing all 3 pairs of brake pads with EBC HH and to flush brake fluid next week. As stated in my earlier post, I am a beginner mechanic and have little to no experience with motorcycle maintenance. So any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The questions I have are the following.

I am about to purchase The Super Mosfet Kit FH020AA from http://www.roadstercycle.com/. For those of you who have already replaced the R/R, is there anything else I should purchase or consider prior to purchasing this item and installing it? This kit should have everything I need to replace the R/R right? Should I get the Maxifuse setup or Circuit Breaker setup? What's the difference and which is recommended?

Also, do any of your 5th gen VFR's have a short exhaust or an exhaust that is placed at a higher elevation than my setup and runs along the side of the tail fairing?? I currently have the D&D exhaust, its loud and it's a really nice exhaust, but I'm thinking about getting a shorter slip-on. After removing the D&D slip on to remove the rear wheel, it's still a pain to remove the rear wheel without scraping the wheel. I would have to deflate the tire to get the rear wheel out. Having a single sided swingarm should help remove the rear wheel alot easily, but the exhaust gets in the way. Also, I think having a short exhaust looks better on a single sided swingarm bike. I'm just thinking about it replacing the exhaust, that's all. Was wondering what setup yall had.

I noticed that when I'm riding and exceed 8k rpm at first gear, the bike begins to make a noticeably loud whining noise, wheee... I don't think it's the gear driven cam. I think it may have something to do with the charging system? It's like the bike's having trouble gaining power when it exceeds 8k rpm. It's like it's choking or something. Has anybody noticed this on their 5th gen bike exceeding 8k rpm in 1st gear? It might be relevant to the R/R?

Lastly, my bike has been reaching 238degF on the street and I'm kind of worried. On the highway it runs cool at a temperature of 176-185F. But when I exit the freeway and wait for a stoplight, boy does the bike get hot. It doesn't exceed 238F but that's definitely not a safe temperature for the bike to be operating in on a regular basis. I remember awhile back, a mechanic who worked on 5th gen VFRs told me that the 5th gens have cooling issues too, and that it may be best to just take out the thermostat so the bike can run cooler. Hm, any thoughts? Do you think doing a radiator flush would help lower the temperature?

Thanks yall,
George18

 

Have you checked your air cleaner lately? If it's clogged it could contribute to the engine bogging.

 

I had a custom mid pipe made for my high mount Vance&Hines.


It swings out of the way when changing the tire like the oem does.

 

Starting a new thread would be better. You will get more responses. That being said, the RR kit - get extra length of wire so you can put the maxifuse exactly where you want it. You will have to measure before ordering, but it is the best idea. I also recommend the Maxifuse over the circuit breaker. Why? cuz mello dude said so and he is the guru!

On the exhaust and tire change, you are loosening the clamp that holds the mid-pipe on then rotating the can out of the way, right? That is the easy method. It may even be in the owner/service manual.

The temp, well they do run hot but my 5th gen never got that hot. I have heard some people say that the emergency shutoff is just before 250 I think. So you are still within the safety parameters. I am betting you don't have real winters out there is Cali, so maybe you should look into water wetter instead of traditional antifreeze.