I have a new to me 2009 White VFR 800 ABS with 7000 km on it that is my 7th V4 Honda! After a relatively short ride today ( but steady 80 kmph - not stop and go traffic, I noticed the rear tyre was extremely hot as in too hot to touch. Tyre pressure seemed fine but the heat seems to be coming from the exhaust immediately in front of the tyre and under seat mufflers. I have NEVER had a bike with such a hot tyre ( even the mufflers are too hot too touch) before as it smelled when I pulled into my garage. Temperature was a balmy 85 F ( 35 C) so it was not so hot as to be unusual. The engine temp gauge was running around 85 C with occasional peaks of 102C before the fan kicked in. The manual says 122C is when the hot light comes on on the dash. I am convinced the heat is radiating directly from the exhaust pipe onto the tyre. As the bike is fuel injected it would seem unlikely that the engine is running lean and hence hot?? Anyone else have observed this - should I be concerned?? I have read about lots of VFRs overheating due to stuck thermostats, air locked water pumps and too much antifreeze but this does not seem to apply here. I am leaving on a 200 km ride on Tuesday and am now considering taking my BMW as I don't think the VFRs tyre would survive a long trip with exposure to this kind of heat. I had the bike into the dealer last week and had the 6000 km check up and rode 200 m last weekend without a problem. Any comments or advice would be appreciated.........Jcesurrey
May want to post this in the 6th generation forum also. Seems like only an exhaust leak could heat up a tire that hot and that you would hear it too, if the tyre pressure was okay. What tyre pressure did you actually measure? Try another measurement with a different gauge, i.e. analog vs digital, and see if you get agreement--maybe tyre pressure is low but gauge is broken.
my 6th mid pipe radiates enough heat to melt my boot but doesn't heat up the tyre... my tyres have never been too hot to touch after a ride, even after extended 130kph runs... very warm but not scorching hot...
