Please help me diagnos this issue?

So i have i 1998 VFR800 i bought about a month ago. one of the issues seems to be is that starting the bike seems to take a while. I have to keep turning the key on and off along with the ignition switch several times before the bike fires up.
I have done the following:
New spark plugs
New Battery

I tried to change the R/R but the previous owner wired it up so that the connectors are no longer stock and I don't want to short things out, so I returned the aftermarket R/R

I hear the stator might be an issue but from the troubleshooting on the service manual they also state that the fuel pump might be it?

Last thing: over the weekend, was riding it when the bike died on me, none of the guages were working and couldn't get it started. Thought it was the battery which is why i changed it.

 

Am I correct that the bike started after you put the new battery in it?
Do you have a voltmeter? Can you measure the voltage at the battery with key off, with key on and engine off, and with engine running at idle and at 5000 RPM?
It's quite likely you will need another R/R and / or stator, since those are weak points, but you or a friend who knows electrical systems will need to do some troubleshooting first.

 

Also check the main 30 amp fuse on the starter solenoid. May have nothing to do with it but mine has been giving me problems and it's worth a check. And check all of your grounds as well.

Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk

 

Bike started eventually after new battery still took me about a minute of switching on and off.

 

Start checking basics.
The 98 has a manual choke, as opposed to the auto one on the 00/01, are you using it when cold?
When you switch ignition, lights go on, when you switch kill switch fuel pump should prime. I always wait for pump to stop before I hit starter, but you don't have to.
With bike in neutral and side stand up, it should now fire up.
It doesn't get that cold here, but when around 9c here my 01 only takes a few cranks to start up.
When I start cranking, I don't stop until bike fires up.
If your plugs and fuel is new, and it is still having problems, you need to dig deeper.
You really need to get a volt meter and check voltage with bike off, idling and at around 5000rpm (13,12,14 or round about).
Most folks here are very quick to point finger at stat/r&r when problem could be somewhere else. Most faults in these components are from faulty wiring, and can be avoided with some preventive maintenance.
The 98/99 where more susceptible to this then later models.
Check known issues like the earth block, stator/r&r connections, battery fuse and all major electrical connections.
Check that you have good spark in all cylinders. If not, make sure your bank sensor or side stand switch are not plying up intermittently.
Run a fuel system cleaner and make sure your air filter is clean if it's a standard one, washed and oiled (only very lightly) if it's a K&N or BMC and the like.
Guessing at it won't do you any good, neither will replacing things that might be fine.
Download the workshop manual from this site if you don't already have one.
Good luck.

 

When starting my 98, I turn the key on, wait maybe 15 seconds until the FI light goes out, then hit the starter button. I believe it says something about that in the owners manual, and it is different than any other bike I have had. Took me a while to get used to it.

 

Your bike should have a little lever on the LH handle bar switch assembly that actuates an enrichener circuit to add fuel for cold starting.

It looks like this.

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/HONDA-VFR800-LH-SWITCHGEAR-WITH-CHOKE-CABLE-/09/!BepLT5wBGk~$(KGrHqIOKj!Ery0JkcGMBK-GH,QV2g~~_35.JPG

Both of my 98's had it so I would imagine that yours does too unless it was modified with a later fuel injection setup.

 

Sorry, the problem isn't entirely clear. You turn the key, switch the kill switch to run... then what happens? Do you hear the fuel pump prime? If it does, then does the starter turn when you press the starter button? Telling us exactly what happens will help us give you ideas.

The fact you replaced the battery and had the same problem suggests this has nothing to do with the charging system. My first guess is that the run switch is sticky and needed to be cleaned/lubricated. But more info would be helpful.

 

Starter could be on its way out. Lately ive been leaving my bike with the ignition on for 10 secs and it seem to crank faster. I also turn the lights off before I switch the ignition so that all juice can go to the starter. Maybe im superstitious but I don't get problems anymore

 

I turn the ignition key on, wait till the FI light goes off, I hear wirr sound, than i try to start it, usually lights blink off, i hear a click but no ignition, repeat the steps several times until i get ignition.

 

Sounds like somewhere along the ignition system. Check battery cables...a bad ground makes lots of issues. Take a plastic faced hammer and tap (not smash) the starter..if somethings hung internal that sometimes works temporarily. Work the kill switch on and off to see if it's working correctly.

 

Also check the wiring from the battery to the starter. Corrosion could make for a poor connection.

 

I think I'd go looking at the starter relay first (back left of the tank) and make sure it is closing the starter motor contacts, and also check the 30A fuse that is along with it.

 

for the benfit of someone with similar problems, the starter relay was the issue, replaced with new fuse. bike started perfectly