Vtec Maintenance

Hey gang, I'm a total newbie here, but I'm really digging the new rwb vfr..reminds me of my friends vf500 I fell in love with some years back.

I'm hearing rumors of the vtec being very expensive/complex to work on, how true is this??

Sure are beatiful bike's.

Steve
05 st3
00 sv 6fity

 

The VTEC valve maintenance interval is the same as all other VFR's (16k) but is more involved labor wise thus a higher rate. You'd need a special tool(s) if you are a DIY'er.

Although VFR riders can be the exception, most new bike owners never see 10k miles before they sell a bike. I just bought a 96 VFR with 12k miles. 10 years old and it still hasn't made it to it's very first valve check. Sad in a way.

 

Hi Doug, thanks for the reply. Sure are nice looking/sounding machines.

Steve
05 st3
00s v6fity

 

The other thing about the valve check is it is usually just that a check no adjustments required so while it may potentially cost quite a bit in general it doesn't work out that way.

 

Dollar-wise, I think I've heard that it can run another $150 compared to a non-VTEC engine. Anyhow, spread that out over a few years and it is not a big deal. I like the VTEC so the extra cost for me is not an issue.

 

well a Honda dealer in california quoted a member on vfrd $700 to do the valve check/adjustment on his 6th gen Vtec... I only paid $117 to have my 16k valve check done at a Honda dealer on my 5th gen.. All my valves were in spec, but if they would have needed adjustment the cost would have been $236..

6th gen has Vtec and Cam chain tensioners and those are the main reasons Why I wont buy a VFR made after 2001...

 

Don't mean to be rude here, but if you despise the 6th gen bikes so much why are you hanging out in this side of the forum?

 

I had my 5th gen done at 31,500 and it cost me about $400 . Only one valve needed any adjustment and then only by .001. I was not sure if the first owner did it at 16K, so I had it done once just to be sure. If I keep the bike, I won't do it again until about 80K on the clock.

Personnally I think its really unneccessary beyond doing the first one, this is one of the biggest scams going. Particularly if you do regular oil changes and don't ride like a mad man. These parts don't wear very much at all if you treat the bike right.

 

I paid a good (fair, honest) dealership to do my first valve check at 27,000. The valves came back in spec, but the starter valve sync was whacky. The cost was almost $500. The killer on the valve check is the 5.5 hours of labor to get the job done. The cams actually come off and go back on up to 3 times!

I did my last check myself at 52,000. Five valves were out of whack, including two of the VTECs. The rear exhaust side valves wear the most.

Doing it myself, I probably spent a good 8-12 hours, spread across several days, to get the job done. I was replacing a shock at the same time, so that throws off my count. Plus, when you are working on your own bike, you tend to spend time cleaning and loving it ways the dealership doesn't have time to.

So yeah, it is a cost, and it is a pain. But how often will it really come up? If you are going to do 16,000 a year, then I'd look into learning to do the valve clearance yourself.

 

Valve Adjustments

I may be have a somewhat unique perspective on valve adjustments.

I have a 2003 K1200GT with 34k on the clock. I'm getting ready to get a new VFR on trade in.

I've had the valve checked twice - once at the 15k service and once at the 30k service.

Had I not had a decent shop that hooked me up - a valve job on a BMW is in the $400-$500 range. I had 2 shims replaced at 30k which ran about $250 for the valve job.

I'm liking the lower cost of maintenance....

The VTEC doesn't appear to add too much more to the total cost of ownership.....

alow