Hello to all, another newb on deck! I am considering buying a 99 w/ 12k miles being offered for a little less than $4k. I have not seen the bike yet in the flesh but from all accounts it is corrosion free, save a little flaking on the rubber mirror stems. The current owner has told me however that there IS some smoking at start up coming from " the area where the mid-pipe meets the muffler" This (smoking) supposedly goes away after a short ride (?) I had an old B2300 which used to do something similar in the morning when oil would seep passed the valve seals overnight and rest in the cylinders until start up. Please, someone tell me this is an unlikely scenario on a 12K mile VFR. If something is simply weeping down on to the header/mid-pipe, where would this likely be coming from and would this be an easy fix? A lot of questions for a 1st post I realize but I am all a flutter about vfr's these days. A while back I made the mistake of test riding a blue white and red 25th anniversary and I am smitten Aside from the r/r is there anything else to look out for when I finally go out and test ride this 99? I posted this same thread in 'Introductions' but felt it might see more traffic in here. Hope this isn't too big a NO-NO!:biggrin:
Why does it smoke at this joint? Is it not sealing properly? Any smoke should come out the tail pipe. Otherwise it may just be a one off if some oil has accumulated near the joint. Do the North American 99 models come with a Cat? Only 2001 models onwards are fitted with the cat in Australia. If this bike checks out OK you realy cannot go wrong. The 5th gen are the best model made, especially those without the Cat. Put on new tyres and check the steering head and you will love it.
G'mormin Australia, You guys are the only ones 'up' when I am online at night over here in Hawaii. As I mentioned, I have still not seen the bike in person and have no idea as of yet what this 'smoking' is all about. I was just wondered if this symptom would mean anything to the VFR aficionado's as a "known issue'. Perhaps the smoke will turn out to be steam eek or even oil deposits on the header. I thought I might as well try to get a more learned opinion on the matter from some of you that are better acquainted with this beast. I am seeing the bike this Saturday. What's up with the steering head bearings? Are they not greased properly at the factory?
Run that thing.Smoke is not just something coming out of your connection.Ride it 20 miles,if it still smokes.No buy,VFR's don't smoke like that.
Sounds more like an oil leak, or steam like you mentioned, or perhaps it got overfilled with oil and the airbox/filter has a puddle. It is NOT normal for VFR's to consume oil and if this is the case it's not easy to fix, so check it out carefully.
For once I must admit I agree with malcster. This is not a "known issue" with the 5th gen. A close inspection is in order prior to purchasing. Good luck.
