I just bought an '01 with a little damage

The bike is now a 3 owner; stock and super clean low miles. Except for being knocked over in the shop recently, which broke the tail lens, clutch handle and left turn indicator; as well as; the rear cowl and upper cowl. I am really excited about this bike a riding buddy of mine has had the vfr as a dream bike. I stole his dream and the little bit that i have ridden this-WOW. We are a world apart from my drz. Ok a now bike and a new project.

I have OEM plastic on order and all the other stuff here. I am wondering as I take this apart: what things to watch out for, what other bits (fasteners, etc.) I should order and from what source and what else I should do while the plastics are off. The bike is classic red and I looked into aftermarket fairings but decided to go correct- for the time being. I am not wanting to do any mods yet, just insure everything is in good working order. Thanks a bunch, JT

 

Welcome to our little group JT!
The members will be hounding you for pictures so brace yourself and or get out there and snap some fresh images for us to enjoy.

It sounds like you have a good approach to getting your bike sorted out and keeping it "All Honda". I would suggest that any fasteners you need be also from Big Red as the aftermarket stuff just isn't the same generally speaking. The plastic fasteners (well nuts and plastic rivets) can be sourced through the aftermarket or even at your local automotive supply store as they work fine and are out of sight so any physical differences won't matter.

You will love the 5th gen VFR! There are many that insist that it was the finest example of the breed ever made. That is subjective but since I have owned two of them I can say that they look, sound and ride as good as any bike I've ever ridden. You should do a slip on exhaust as it changes the experience more than you can imagine. Does it add power? Who cares because it sounds so good you will never care again.

This thread needs pictures so here is one of my gone but not forgotten machines, oh did I mention that they handle pretty good??

 

Welcome aboard. Don't have any knowledge of the 5th gens, but I believe they kept the gear driven cams which adds further to the aural experience. Oh yes, pictures, and because you failed to post them with your first post, we will need pics of the DRZ too.

 

:welcome: You have the last year of the gear driven cams...SCORE!!! otstir:

 

Welcome aboard. Sure your gonna enjoy that new toy.

If you are new to VFRs, understand they had two major shortcomings: Suspension and electrical. Suspension can "probably wait", depending on your riding style and such. But for reliability, you need to check through your electrical, specifically paying attention to the R/R and stator.

Here's a thread with tons of info. Note post #9 in particular.

If you don't know or can't tell whether or not the R/R has been upgraded, it might be in your best interest to make some changes, and stick your current R/R under the seat as a spare.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39277-How-to-fix-common-regulator-Stator-failures

 

Welcome!

ATGATT & have fun~

 

:welcome: to the nuts house :wave:
I don't see any 5th Gen

 

Welcome to the club! I bought my 5 Gen last year, same year and color as yours and like mentioned, go through the wiring and just confirm that your connections are good and no melted wires/connectors that will cause you trouble. Doing the electrical check and confirming all is good will definitely give you peace of mind. That was one of the first things I did. The rest were fluid flush/fills (on all the fluids), new chain/sprockets, new tires, new brake pads (SS lines too later) and then went to modding the suspension! Being that you bought it at dealer they might have done most of that but double check, just to be sure. My ride is close to where I want it but still have a few items left to add. For one, my 2Bros CF exhaust!, just need to find/make a mid pipe so I can make it a height mount.

With that said, many post here too on low speed drops and toppled over bikes. Before putting on that new plastic get use to the bike, as they are a bit heavy and compared to your DRZ, it's probably 3x the weight! :rofl: But without pictures who's to say you really have a VFR. :wink:

 

Damn it Stanley! I knew better than to post something w/o pictures. Before deciding which gen. to buy for my first VFR & street bike I read through a ton of forums here & vfrd. Right now the v is at my buddy's shop buried in a sea of klr's & cruisers. I'll grab some shots of the semi-tarnished flower when I check cows later tonight, summer calvers. I also meant to ask about the best shop guide for 5th gen. Mr. Gore's playhouse has been a pretty solid resource.

 

There is a pointer to the 5th gen Honda shop manual for download someplace around here. I found it when I bought mine a couple months ago. Congrats on the new ride.

 

Hey fellers, thanks for the welcome & the help! Do you know of anyone going on the ride from Hood River to Baker and on to central OR in a couple weeks? Say T for TX my bike looked a lot like yours a couple of weeks ago. The 71yo farmer I bought er from owned the vfr since '04 and put on half of the 15k miles. He was sick about dropping the bike, but it gives me an opportunity to dig right in. I was pleased that it is comfortable for a taller rider. 6'3" 200lbs ding! I thought like most bikes I would be cramped. The longest I've been in the saddle was 30 min.- too much law enforcement and not enough working lights.

 

If OEM fasteners are necessary, then pop for them but expect to pay a bundle for same. There are entire kits to mount an entire fairing out there and with some homework there are a shitload of fastners that are as good or better than OEM. A good comparison to start with to get a taste of what to expect, try pricing out standard well nuts or the quarter turn plastic rivets.

I believe you have the bike.. I think the dudes that demand pix may have part timers selling cameras in Walmart.

 

Well nuts. You are probably going to want to replace them as you go too. Just FYI.