Help needed from VFR 800 5th gen owners..or anybody willing

Hi guys

i am now a proud owner of a 5th gen 800, but i need to clarify some potential issue's i seem to have..

Firstly about my bike, she's ok, not the best, but ok she has 57k on the clock, black and fairly presentable.

I have had the bike a week, and tbh it's not bad to ride apart from the few issues i have:

issue one:

it seems to pull well above 2k rpm but on roundabouts at low revs in first, there seems to be a missing response (start of throttle turn) until it then jerks forward at increasing revs, making the chain jult, it's highly annoying, it can be eradicated but i have to be soooo careful on the throttle that I'm basically at walking speed, if i do it faster the julk increases, once past 2k its fine..it revs out into the red in 1st through to 4th BUT 5th and 6th it hits a wall at about 8.5k rpm (5th maybe a little more)

the low revs jolting is ruining the ride, as if it wasn't for that it would be great:

issue two: i did an oil change after a hard thrash, and it seemed to have serious amounts of oil in the pan, IE nearly a fuel large 4.5-5ltr tubs worth of what I'd class is very thin watery oil, with a hint of petrol smell, it may have been thin because I'd just gave it a blasting and it was warm, but it still made me inspect it, it was way over the fill mark on the inspection window, it had a few single shavings in it, but generally pretty used but exceptable blackish oil with no signs of metallic issues...this has me worried somewhat as Ive never seen this before on the ten or so bikes Ive had. Ive replaced oil to standard level and I'm going to ride a bit gingerly until i can re examine the oil after 200 miles or so..

i went on a 10 miles ride at above normal speed (fast as it will go at times) and i noticed it pulled well through the gears but ran out of steam in top at 8.5k rpm, bike starts fine, i let it warm up as the choke is stuck on the lever, so i hold the throttle at 2.5rpm until it then ticks over on its own, it idles at around 1k rpm which i think is a bit low..

where is the tickover screw?

any help would be good guys, and i live in Cornwall, so if any of you guys live down here fancy giving it a once over for me, as it's the first Ive owned and i want to look after it properly from now on. I'm going to france on it in december so i want a bike that will make it, and need to know I'm not either drying the sump out/thinning the oil, or ???

thanks

 

First let have a warm :welcome: to the nuts house :wave: Congratulation on your new ride.
The VFR have known of lack response at low RPM. Many add PCIII or PCV to cure the problem.
You can adjust the idle by turn the screw on the right under the fairing and the frame. (Right mean if you seat on the bike).
There are other way to fix the slack of reponse at low rpm.....I will leave that to other to chimp in
As for the oil, that seem to be too much :scared: it should be 3.3 quarts
I would chain the the air filter and spark plugs as well
Good luck and keep the rubber side down.

 

thanks scubalong for the info at least i can turn up the idle what would you guys suggest for an acceptable idle, as at the moment if i pull the clutch in on a junction the bikes revs go straight down (silent) near instant like it's going to stall, but oddly it doesn't forcing me to go through the doomed jerking everytime

 

Welcome to VFR ownership.
First of all you need to check oil level to make sure it's not too high. Not knowing the bike history or when oil was changed last I would suggest keeping an eye on it every day over the next couple of weeks.
Idle speed should be 1200 rpm.
Make sure you don't have worn chain and sprockets, as this can also give you a very jerky take off, and on/off throttle response.
Also check for a dirty air filter & worn spark plugs.

 

I would set the idle to 1400

 

Welcome to the VFR madness. My 5th Gen is cold natured and I have a Power Commander. If I try and get on it before it is really warm it will reward me with behavior just like you describe. Additionally my bike does not like anything below 4k. I just do not run it there unless I am traveling at walking speeds.

Since it hits the wall in higher gears at higher RPM I would check the pipe and the air cleaner for restriction.

If the oil is hot (and synthetic) is will run like water. It will also smell a bit like petrol. Do not worry. Change oil. Add the recommenced amount with filter. Check the oil level in the sight glass. Run the bike and get it hot. Check the oil level in the site glass again. I have shown a significant difference between cold and hot oil levels in the site window.

 

thanks again guys for your comments, i was panicking a little because i assumed that maybe an injector was leaking putting fuel into the sump, however it only smelt a little bit like petrol but their was serious amounts of oil, at one point when draining i thought it was going to overflow over the oil container (4.5ltr) but it stopped shy by an inch from the top... wtf...lol replaced with 10-40 and i'll see what happens, i think she is a good bike, but it needs money spending, whoever posted about the dead chain being the cause of the jolting is it would seem correct, so thank you for that , the chain is dead, as is the sprockets although not hooked or slipping so this will only hinder the symptom somewhat.

I'm enjoying this masterpiece of a bike, and read many forums, on its supreme reliability....good old Honda..i have got a decent bike for once...chuffed

 

I just felt like typing the same things that everyone said..

Change your oil, filter and air filter. Rodents love to build nests in these air boxes.
I set the idle to about 1200 on my bike.
Sounds like your chain/sprockets are done, but also as mentioned, these bikes do not respond well to lugging. If you're trying to ride around at 2k RPMs, it ain't happening. I seldom see anything below 3.5 to 4k rpms.

Let us know how you make out.

 

It sounds like you may be unfamiliar with V4 or 4 cylinder engines in general. They're most happy between 3000 and 8000 RPM or around there. If you're lugging it below 2k, it -will- be rough. Try not to do that. Downshift or slip the clutch if you need to pull at lower speeds. Rev it up to a good 4k when pulling from a stop and ease the clutch out so it doesn't lurch.

If the chain is lurching and bouncing above 3k, you may just have a loose or bad chain. Double check the chain freeplay using the guide printed on the chain guard. Check it -all the way around.- If there are any spots on the chain where the slack is significantly more or less than the others, you have a stretched chain, and should replace the chain (and sprockets). If it's even all the way around, just adjust it so it's within tolerances. More on the tight side of tolerance is better for less jolting and more room for it to stretch before your next adjustment, but don't over-tighten.

 

yeah the chain is about dead, i have had v4's before and they were not this way inclined, as well as multiple other large 4 cylinders, Ive been having other woes now like random cut outs and extra popping, and some strange bouncing/revving when the throttle is still at just above idle, fuck it i'll just get it indoors and have a self service.

thanks for all your comments

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