Dumped it...

Sucks that it happened when it's still shiny and new. There are plenty of utube tutorials on low speed handling. Most are for the cruisers but well worth watching and learning. I practiced a lot this year and it's amazing the difference it makes when you have to maneuver around things or do a uturn. Makes you confident enough to keep your feet on the pegs.
Welcome to the site.

 

Quick question, was your previous bike fuel injected or carbs? I noticed how quickly the engine brakes when getting off the throttle with the new FI, which may have caused your engine to brake. I have gotten in the habit of pulling the clutch as I enter very slow speed corners, then letting it out part way around with a little throttle. By corners I mean turns into other streets or driveways, not out in the twisties.

 

My other bikes are a KLR650 (carbureted single) and a BMW F800GS. The GS is fuel injected so I am used to the on / off of the throttle. What I wasn't ready for on this bike is the higher rpm. On the other two bikes, they redline right around 7000 and 8000.

Though, as I made the turn (from a stop) and let the clutch out it was at a fairly low rev. and the engine cut out instantly. I was unable to pull in the clutch to save it. On my other bikes I am usually able to save it...

Just need some more time on the bike. I will get pictures at some point. Have been extremely busy...

 

Yup more getting used to this bike will help, always have a bit of throttle and feather the clutch--- at least that my practice
Rubber side down bud



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What's your idle set at? Should be around 1200 rpm. My first VFR800 was a 2003, which was very rough below 3000 rpm until I got a Power Commander. Almost lost mine half way around a left turn in an intersection, managed to put my left down, and do a 360. Bound and determined not to let it fall! Must have been hilarious if any was watching.

 

WTH... It seems I have all of the screws out to get the panel off. It seems the mid and upper cowl come off as an assembly. Still it won't budge... Any suggestions beyond a hammer? Does it slide back or towards the front?





In the photo below, I had the screws out to remove the cowl (put them back in to keep the bolts sizes straight). All other screws are out behind the front tire, and visible on the sides...

 

Please don't take this as a smart ass remark as it is by no means intended this way but my 5th gen owners manual shows how to remove the cowls, so are there no instructions in your manual. If not, that would be a HUGE lack of foresight on behalf of Honda. Sorry I can't be of more help but have no experience with the new VFR's. It also appears from the photos you posted that there is a break line in the side of the cowl just at the edge of the dash board so I think you would have to remove the hex bolt on the top of the side cowl just beside the fuel tank that is visible in the 3rd photo. The 5th and 6th (IIRC) gen bikes have a bolt in that approximate area that requires removal in order to separate the side cowl so I would guess that yours may as well.

 

Starting on page 65, the manual shows how to remove the rear seat, next few pages, front seat, passenger handles and covers, rear cowl, and towards the end the under cowl only. I have been through this manual many times. I am trying to remove the mid and upper cowl, to which the manual does not give any details on! This is where I am a little lost...

And, I had all of those bolts out in the pictures. I put them back in when the panel would not come loose, and I wanted to keep the correct bolts in their respective areas.

Maybe its time to order a honda manual. I would not have thought the cowls were buttoned up this tight.

 

I know on the old 4th gen bike the mid cowl, once the bolts were removed, required you to lightly push down on the top of the cowl where it split from the rear edge of the upper cowl and then pivot outward to remove. During my day job I do PDR for a living and know that Honda cars have wonderful clips on the interiors that require you to bend, twist, pull, all while holding your breath and contorting your face the right way. They are anything if not inventive. Here is a parts fiche picture from Partzilla of the middle cowl on the 2014 VFR800. If anything else it might give some ideas as to where the attachment hardware is and goes.

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Honda/Motorcycle/2014/VFR800F+AC/MIDDLE+COWL/parts.html

 

Hey Jenn

My daughter, as you have met, and being the inquisitive little girl she is, just said "Is that a BAT on her T-shirt" LOL

So of course now the rest of the family wants to know. Personally, I did not want to stare and look to closely. LOL

 

I've done exactly what you describe (twice!) on a CB400, which is not a heavy bike. So when I got my VFR I was particularly sensitive to the possibility of this happening. The first thing I noticed (and this is confirmed by reviews I've read) is that the VFR is not particularly torquey (is that even a word? but you know what I mean) below 4,000RPM. This I found particularly so after doing 30,000 km on a GSX650F (which has got plenty of torque low down). So stalling is not difficult to do, particularly if you're at a stop sign and rushing the take-off to avoid oncoming traffic.

I've now done over 3,000km and I've adapted so I don't even think about this any more. I think the danger period is those first couple of weeks when it's new.

 

The middle cowl is a separate piece. It slides forward to remove. You have to remove the radiator grille, inner lower panel and under cowl before the middle cowl will come off. I'll try to post the diagrams tomorrow.

 

Attached are the instructions from the Service Manual

 

You are a few months late with your Reply mate.