Newbie in need of help - Engine Stalling at cruising speed - F1 light illuminated

Hello All. I am new so take it easy on me! I recently purchased a 99 VFR -800. I have put about 1000mi or so on the bike with no problems. Last night I got caught out in some severe weather. Not the first time in the rain on this bike,but the worst by far. At crusing speed (65-70mph) the F1 light would illuminate and the engine would die and not restart. I would cycle the ignition switch and it would fire right back up. It ran fine, no jerking, missing etc. It was about a 125 mile ride and it happened maybe 4-5 times. Eng temp was fine 175F. Got any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

New or old, we all have questions. Problem is, not all of us have answers. At least not useful ones.

Just curious - do you think its related to the weather? Any problems in dry conditions?

I can't help you out per se, but here's what I know from a previous post: You need to get the code that will tell you what the issue is. (i.e. how many flashes from the FI light). Problem is, I don't know exactly HOW to get those codes. A buddy of mine said something about using a paper clip plugged into some clip located next to the battery. Turn the ignition on, and then you should see your code. I know, not much help at all.

Of course, all these codes are stored on board, and a trip to your local dealer will also reveal what the issue is.

Hope you get it resolved. A bike that stalls is not a good issue to have.

 

It may be weather related. I guess I should have included that in my question. I have rode it in the rain before but slight rain and only from work to home. Last night I bet you I rode through 5 different thunder storms. It was dumping buckets on me and I havent had that problem before then. I was a cadillac technician for 5 years and I have had/worked on motorcycles my whole life so I am fairly confident I can figure it out if someone could just point me in the right direction. My lack of knowledge on the bike is preventing me from doing anything right now. I appreciate your help. I am going to order a service manual today. You know a good place to grab one of those?

 

Haynes manual $25 Amazon.com: Honda VFR800 V-Fours 1997-2001 (Haynes Manuals) (9781859609408): Mark Coombs: Books Clymer manual $19 Amazon.com: Honda Vfr800Fi Interceptor, 1998-2000 (9780892877812): K. C. Constantine: Books I have the Clymer but have been thinking about getting the Haynes one myself. The Clymer is alright, but i don't like the way it is written. The trouble shooting section is just overly simplified and IMO doesn't give you enough specs and parameters for troubleshooting. I think overall Haynes usually has a better book. They also show you how to make special tools vs. needing the Honda specialty tool. I also have Honda Service Shop Manual on PDF.. I can't remember where I downloaded it from. Maybe somebody else remembers?

 

Somewhere on this site is a download for a free manual. I've seen it 100 times and can't find it when I need it.

 

I found the link to download the manual but it didnt work. I did however order one from Amazon for pretty cheap! Thanks for the tip on that. I read a post on VFRdiscussion.com from a guy who is having the exact problem that I am. Same year bike too. Hopefully between all of the knowledgable people on here and there I can find a solution. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Ok see if this makes sense to you guys. I talked to a guy who was having the exact same problem as me. He started by asking me if I had recently ran the battery dead. And as a matter of fact I had just that morning. He said he took his bike to a dealership and they could find a dang thing wrong with it other than the battery failed a load test. He replaced his battery and 2 months and a couple thousand miles and no failures. I am inclined to believe him since his problem was to the letter exactly like mine. I guess my new question is could it be the reg/rectifier? I have read these are a common problem area.