Far from home, looking for a bit of mechanical advice.

I rode my '02 VFR from the California Bay Area up to Alaska (where I am now). As I rode into the parking lot of my motel in Fairbanks a couple days ago the battery went kaput. I replaced the battery and the bike turned over just like normal. I rode about 150 miles (killed the motor/started up a few times in between) without any issues.

Then all of the sudden the bike wouldn't turn over. I was able to bump start it and get it back to my hostel. The next morning it turned over, but just barely. When I filled up at the gas station it failed to turnover again. I was forced to bump start it and ride straight down to Anchorage (where I'm now at my Aunt's house).

When I turn the key, the lights come on bright and right. I can hear the fuel injection kick in and when I hit the ignition, the starter tries to kick over but fails. When I attempt to start it immediately after the first try, I get nothing but a slight clicking noise which sounds like the battery charge.

In my research on the VFR Forums, it sounds likely to be one of a few things:

1) faulty R/R
2) faulty ground/connection somewhere
3) faulty relay
4) could it be merely time for new plugs?

I'm not the most mechanically savvy individual, but can usually fumble my way through most things with a bit of research. I'm really just trying to get a bit of guidance before I open the bike up. Any info you might have will help me out greatly. Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like the stator or the R/R has called it a day. Being that far from home I would advise you to replace both to be on the safe side to have a trouble free ride back home.

 

Yea that's what it sounds most likely to be from my research. Apparently it's a rather common thing. Thanks for the advice.

 

The new stators are improved and require the rotor to be changed oot as it is bigger, just mention it so your not suprised and waiting for a second parts order.

 

Sorry to hear about your mishaps while on the road, but it does sound like the classic R/R and/or Stator failure.

Good luck in getting it fixed, and if you have questions, ask away. Its a pretty friendly bunch here, except for a few that we'll leave nameless...

 

That's good knowledge. Thanks.

 

Haha. Hopefully I can find the parts up here in Anchorage. If not, I'll have to expedite them from the lower 48. Shouldn't be too much of an issue. I have until the end of the week to get it fixed. You guys are such a knowledgeable resource!

 

Knowledgeable? Are we still talking bikes?

By the way, are you aware there was a recall on a wiring harness for the 02-06? I don't know exactly what problems it addressed/fixed (since I have an '00), but might be worth checking out.

Oftentimes the VIN on the bike was marked showing it was completed, but to be certain, you should be able to contact a Honda dealer and they can run the VIN and let you know. Short of that, maybe try calling Honda yourself.

EDIT:

Just copied this from a post made by Meatloaf. He's a 6th Gen (2004) guy like you.

Just call or go to and Honda dealership and provide them with the VIN. They can tell you if all recall campaigns were completed on the bike. I believe you can also call Honda North America on this too if you want to do it on the phone while with the bike. To my knowledge were only 3 recalls issues for early model VFR's. One was for the front brake, two were for wiring harnesses.

Honda actually started listing recalls on their website but not till 2007. Product Recall Information - Honda Powersports

Motorcycle Division
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
P.O. Box 2200
Torrance, CA 90509-2200
Mail stop: 100-4C-7B
Telephone: (866) 784-1870

 

Sound like the startor is toast. Randy have the same issue during his trip to Vegas. The oem take five week you might want to look for after market. Good luck let us know your statu or needed more help