VFR vs. 929 questions

Hello fellow riders!

I recently purchased a gorgeous 2006 VFR in Galatic Black. This is after owning a 2001 CBR929RR for some time. I have some questions about the VFR now that I have put about 1k miles on it.

The VFR has 50k miles on it and the clutch is fairly new. No exhaust or fueling mods.

1) Low speed fueling. Is it supposed to be so snatchy? My CBR had a pipe and no Power Commander and it was vastly superior to the VFR. It is frustrating how rough the low speed is on this bike. The VFR is totally stock in this department.

2) Vtec engagement. So this is a weird thing. the bike basically hesitates before engaging and then takes off like mad. Is this normal? Also at half throttle opening right around the engagement point the bike surges and just acts strange.

3) Low speed handling. The bike has Heli bars and meh tires (Conti Motion) and it wants to DIVE into corners at low speed.

4) Warm starting. Got home today from a long ride and the bike was right around 220 on the temp gauge. It managed to put the kicker down while in gear killing the bike. It did NOT want to start up again.

5) Hydraulic cluth. This is something to get used to. The engagement point is very small and very sharp. Normal?

I want to say I LOVE the bike. It does everything I want it to and does it well. Sounds great and I find the power to be engaging. Not as scary fast as my CBR, but quite enough to make me happy. I just have the above questions in hopes of getting to know the bike better or heading off issues before they get larger. Thanks for reading!

 

fuel injected bikes act weird sometimes, there are some people that do some air box mods and maybe a fuel management system. I am sure they will chime in. I have ridden v-tec bikes before and there is a noticable sound/acceleration when it engages (around 7000rpm.)

Kick stand has a switch as well as your clutch. You could try spraying some electical cleaner/wd-40 in them and try it again.

Clutch may need bleeding. Is the fluid dirty?

 

ridervfr-

Thanks for your responses.

I have had a few other FI bikes (the 929, a 600RR, an F4i etc) that have all be older and had better fuel management. It is not terrible (and the 929 was very stumble free) but I am just wondering. The Vtec surge was something I expected going in, and I have been doing some searches and have learned that I am not really alone in my fueling "issues". I am less worried now, and actually thinking about a PC.

Great idea about the K.S. switch. That makes perfect sense. I have been washing the heck out of the bike lately (BUGS!). I will try this out.

Clutch fluid was just changed less than 2k miles ago. I think it just might be me needing to get used to the clutch feel.

Thanks!

 

Yea, lots of guys really think the PC smooth things out. I've never had to deal with the VTEC, so can't comment for sure.

Before you go ripping out the flapper, snorkel, etc. do some research. Here's the most recent thread on that topic.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthre...EM-air-filter-snorkel-mod-Pair-valve-unpluged!

 

Low speed fueling on mine really bugged me. I put on a pair of FMF cans and it sounded great but still had the same low speed fueling issues so I added a PCV and a map from their site and presto! Very smooth through out the rpm range,huge difference. Throttle control is so smooth now. Clutch wise mine seems fine but I have a CBR 1000 and I'm use to the easy hydraulic clutch. Tire wise the stock tires sucked and I switched out a set of dunlop gap 211's that I had for a rainy track day and that totally changed the bike, handles so much better. i know these tires will not last long but I'm really enjoying them. Hope this helps.

 

Pliskin-

Thanks for the link. I have been reading up on it and it seems pretty split on what it actually does. Personally I think I will just spend the money, get the PCV and see what that does.

Gator-

Thanks for the input. I am glad to hear that the PCV works so well in yours. I think that is going to be my first step in trying to smooth mine out too. I am looking hard right now for an exhaust for my bike. I am looking for something that sounds good, but is not SUPER loud.

I will be putting about 1-2k miles on my bike a month so I need something that wears a little harder than race rubber. Thinking about some Mich. Roads (insert number) for my next set.

Thanks!

 

1) Low speed fueling. Is it supposed to be so snatchy? My CBR had a pipe and no Power Commander and it was vastly superior to the VFR. It is frustrating how rough the low speed is on this bike. The VFR is totally stock in this department.

This can be MOSTLY cured by plugging/blocking off the PAIR valve system. I did that last weekend & it made the idle rock solid & solved much of the snatchiness.

2) Vtec engagement. So this is a weird thing. the bike basically hesitates before engaging and then takes off like mad. Is this normal? Also at half throttle opening right around the engagement point the bike surges and just acts strange.

While I've ridden a couple of different 6th gen models, I'll leave that to those with more experience on them than me

3) Low speed handling. The bike has Heli bars and meh tires (Conti Motion) and it wants to DIVE into corners at low speed.

Put the bike up on the center stand, sit or have some weight on the back end (enough to raise the front tire off the ground) & check for any looseness or notchiness with the steering bearings. Also, if the previous owner moved the triple tree down on the forks, it will cause MUCH increased turn-in as you describe.

4) Warm starting. Got home today from a long ride and the bike was right around 220 on the temp gauge. It managed to put the kicker down while in gear killing the bike. It did NOT want to start up again.

Time to do a complete coolant flush & burp. If that doesn't smooth things out, a sticking thermostat is an infrequent issue with these bikes. You should run around 180 at speed with highs in the low 220s in traffic or stopped. The fan should kick in & cool it off to below 210. If it does NOT, you need to do some more looking.

5) Hydraulic cluth. This is something to get used to. The engagement point is very small and very sharp. Normal?

Not sure what to tell you. COULD be a sticking slave cylinder, or gunked up return orifice in the Master Cylinder. Probably a good idea to completely bleed & clean both clutch & brake systems. The linked brakes are a PITA to bleed, but there is a manual & plenty of threads on doing so here.

WELCOME!

 

Forgot to mention the the PCV did smooth out vtec engagement some. A custom dyne tune will make this even better. About $300 for a good tuner.

 

TNRabbit-

Thanks for your comments!

I think you nailed the problem right on the head with your triple tree comment. I believe when the Heli bars were installed the triple tree was pushed quite a ways down. I am going to take some measurements tonight and see where that leads me. The steering is light and smooth on the center stand.

The bike runs at 165 or so when I am on the road doing over 55 and in stop and go it is at 220, so it sounds like I am right in the correct range.

I really think I just need to get used to the clutch more. The hydro clutch takes a lot of the "feel" away in my mind and that is just my problem. The 929 had a lot of feedback and also a basically brand new clutch pack in it.

I am starting to get the feeling that my bike is just fine and that I just need to get used to the new feel. The machine is in incredible condition and I have looked it over pretty closely for any obvious electrical issues or anything like that and can't find anything.

Thanks for all the responses! I appreciate the feedback.

 

Check your chain slack. A loose chain could cause bucking.

It would be wise to spray some throttle body cleaner into the intakes. Inspect the air filter while you are at it.

Throw some chevron techron or sea foam in the tank.

See how it performs.

Then pull the plugs and unless they look new I'd replace them for peace of mind.

Try plugging the pair valve- see if you like the effect. Don't mess with any wires or flapper mods. Just the PAIR valve and see if it helps.

Finally pick up the power commander either 3 or 5. The maps available online such as Cozye do great things for vtec engagement and low end snatchiness- although Uts usually thought to be a bigger issue pre-06 it is still a complaint for some later owners. I also disconnected the o2 sensors and did the resistor mod with my pc3.




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VFR Love-

Chain slack is good. I am OCD about this.

I will take a look at the air filter when I get home tonight and replace if needed.

Plugs have less than 5k miles on them so i am hoping they are ok.

I am confused a bit about the PAIR valve mod. I have read to plug it and I have read to connect the wire connector to it. One leaves it open and one shut? Which is the way to go?

After all the reading I have done, getting a PC5 for sure.

thanks!

 

My humble suggestion - if you are getting the PC5, before you start taking parts off of the bike for the flapper and such, see how it runs after the PC5. Then decide.

 

Pliskin-

I have zero plans to take parts off the bike, but from what I have read the PAIR mod is either as easy as disconnecting a harness connector or plugging some valves and both are completely reversible. I was thinking about doing those while I wait for the PCV to get here =)

I am NOT a tinkerer and tend to leave well enough alone, but the low speed fueling is really bothering me about this bike.

Thanks!

 

Yes you can quickly reverse it but as Pliskin said I think there is no need to do anything other than the PCV and a good map or tune. But while your waiting why not if you have the time.

 

Oh, I will make the time =)

 

After doing a ton of reading today at work about my issues I decided to test my R/R on my bike and I am pretty sure I need a new one.

Charged the battery and had it tested.
idle volts: 11500 5k volts: 12000ish
pulled the connect and had 1.4-1.8 ohms of resistance on each test
failed the continuity test too


Does this indicate a bad R/R to anyone else? Any other tests for me to try? Any other recommendations?

Thanks!

 

Thats a stator for sure.. won't be able to test the R/R until that new stator is installed. For piece of mind after my 2nd stator OEM fried after ~300miles I replaced it with a Ricks and went with a Mosfet style R/R from RM Stator. I replaced both at the same time because I was absolutely fed up with dealing with charging system issues.

 

Just an update to everyone:

After much reading, much testing I ordered a new R/R. I took the time to check each connection. I cleaned and dielectric greased everything up and looked for anything burned or melted. I found no evidence of either. Got the R/R and installed it. Bike is back to running like a dream!

Thanks for all the help!

 

Great thread guys. Lots of info and interesting too.