new to the forum

H,i my name is Ron and I am from upstate NY. Around the Albany area. I just purchased a super clean 2000 yellow vfr with 9600 miles on it .Has new tires, Corbin seat, two brothers exaust,and aftermarket handle bar and risers. I got it home Sunday and took it out Monday to stretch its legs. What a sweet ride, smooth as silk.

I also own a 2011 vaquero, different animal altogether. I rode a 2011 z1000 for about 2 years and traded for the vaquero. Missed the thrill and power of the in line 4s.I think this vfr will satisfy that thrill.

There is one question I would like to clear the air with. It has to do with the rectifier problem I have been reading about. Is it a given that all these generation vfrs have a problem with, and will fail in do time. Or is it a random thing. With less than 10,000 miles on the clock should I be worried now. Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again, Ron... btw my next birthday I turn 70.Been riding better than 50 years

 

Welcome aboard. The RR will fail. My 2000 went thru one by 5500 miles. Replaced that with a RR from a blackbird. That failed by 12000 miles. Finally replaced with a MOSFET unit, and most importantly, soldered the 3 yellow wires from stator to RR. Problem solved.

 

Welcome to the forum old man! Over all, I don't think the clientele here is a s young as many out in bordomville would be inclined to think.

You got 10 years seniority over me and 41 year more experience. But I am trying like hell to catch up.

 

Thanks for the reply. When it went out was there warning. Did it strand you.? Also did it cook the stator.? Finally is it a hard fix. I am not a mechanic,
but can do basic service to my bikes. Thanks again Ron... And not to look stupid what is a MOSFET unit please,

 

Welcome aboard. The easiest thing to do is to fit a voltmeter so you are always aware of what's happening with the charging system.

 

Hi Ron. I also have a 2000 since new, its a great machine. There is alot of very good info on here about the charging system. Get a volt meter and check out Mello Dude's posts on testing your system. I learned so much from it. I have no issues but changed the rr to the Mosfett. Look at roadstercycle.com. I got the Mosfett FH020AA Superkit. It was pretty much plug and play, but you need to solder the 3 yellow stator wires. I think this is a great upgrade for your peace of mind. Enjoy your VFR. Ride safe. Laker

 

If your current R/R fails, it will strand you. Spring for the MOSFET and better wiring. Wrap the old R/R in a ziplock bag and put it under your seat with the tire repair kit.

The first failure on my mach 1 91 cost me aboot a grand all totaled up.

 

Ron - Here's a little more information.

When the R/R was about to fail, I guess you could say it was giving me indications. I was getting random warnings via the F/I light on the dash. One week it would blink telling me my speed sensor was bad, the next week is was something else, and so on. Luckily I was not stranded, but there are hundreds if not thousands of posts on this site where people were left stranded or had their stators toasted. (more on that below).

Changing it is pretty easy stuff. The tailpiece comes off, and its easy access. The hard part - if you want to call it hard - is that you must solder the yellow wires as mentioned above. Leaving the existing spade clips in place, even with a new unit, will lead to the same failure. Why? Because Honda went cheap on the wiring, it can't handle the heat, and it'll cook everything again. As a matter of fact, if you were to take the tail piece off now and scrutinize all the connections on the left side, I'm almost willing to bet that some wire or connection is showing sighs of turning brown. Not that we wish anything bad upon you, but its damn near fact these systems will fail.

Take a look at this link below. There are plenty of options, as well as information on MOSFET units. Look specifically at post #9, which is now known as "the Drill". This will at least tell you the current state of your charging system.

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

Ask questions. You know the old saying - the only stupid question is the one not asked.

 

:welcome: to the zoo mate :wave:
Many great advise above :thumb:
Thanks everyone for filling my shoes while I was gone ridind

 

Laker thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. I have contacted Roadstercycle for the unit I will need, but with your info I now know.

I am full of questions maybe you could answer me this. What does the temperature on the bike usually run. I have only had it out twice. It has been hot around here, on the highway at about 75 it is running around 180. At a stop, I seen it climb up to about 202 or so. Is this normal.? Then back down as I start riding again. Thanks in advance

Did you have to order an adapter plate for the mosfit superkit.? Or did it just fit in place.

 

Pliskin great info. Thanks so much. I will be ordering the mosfet unit. The bike has less than 10,000 miles on it, so I think this is the time to do it right. Thanks again. Much appreciated.

 

The temp seem normal to me. It does go way up at stop.
You can install manual fan switch to keep it cool.

 

thanks thought so.

 

do you have to order an adapter plate for the mosfit super kit fh020aa.? Or did it just fit in place 2000 model vfr. I want to order this, but want to make sure it will fit. It comes with 6ft of cable to battery, he asked me if this was sufficient, or to long. He would shorten it up if need be. Any suggestions here please. Thanks again Ron..

 

Hi Ron. It mounts in line with the battery, only inches from it actually. 6' is way too much, IMO. I have about 2' and its plenty. I bought the plate because the Mosfett is slightly smaller then OEM, but I never used it. The mounting plate on the frame of the VFR has lots of area and I drilled two new holes to mount the rr. I also bought the volt meter from roadster and looked forward to using it but I stepped on it before install....DOH! The temp sounds ok to me, it does fluctuate. I would recommend you change your fluids. I left mine too long. The clutch fluid was molasis and the coolant was dirty. Also check your sparkplugs and airfilter. The airbox is like a condo for mice. Have fun on your VFR. Laker

 

Thanks again, World of help to me. I will be ordering the unit today, with 2ft of battery cable. The owner I bought the bike from assured me all the scheduled work had been done buy the Honda dealer. It has an kn air filter which is clean. Thanks to everyone for there help. I am sure there will be more questions. Great forum, great guys. Thanks. Ron...

 

Hi Ron. I measured my cable this morning to be sure. It is 3' and is a good amount... This is like a fish story. Laker

 

Hey Ron, I'm also from the Albany area! And it was great to see all these answers about the rr since I need to do it also.
Know of any social rides that aren't Harley friendly around here?

 

Hey marticus,Glad to hear from you. I live in Rotterdam, and work in downtown Albany. We have a group of riders that usually meet on the weekend for breakfast rides.We meet at the pennys parking lot at cross gates.Some times there are a couple of women in the group and 4 or five guys.No Harleys.Some Vulcans,Yamaha's,ninja,scooter and you get the point.

They are all conservative riders.Ther are a couple of younger riders,but for the most part we are all up there in years.lol

If you would like to be put on the email list I would gladly add you.We send out emails when ever there is a ride.

I am also available most weekends if you want to do something, I am flexiable.

You can pm me at gagoots007@hotmail.com if you would like to be added to the list. Nice chatting with you. Ron...

 

Hey Ron sounds good to me, I love breakfast! I'll email you and maybe catch your next one.