Soliciting recommendations - new owner of a used RC 46: what to buy and do?

Howdy, this is Chris, 48 a Kraut.

I've never riden a VFR, but recognize it as t h e top bike out there among the sports tourers.

* can you recommend touring handlebars for an upright riding position?

* Choosing oil, I was looking for API SN and JASO MA specification.

Q: should I change brake and coolant fluids?

Q: is there something I should buy and do to take care of the VFR, so that it can take care of me on a long trip abroad?

Cheers,

Chris

 

Welcome hs0zfe!

You should put your bike model in your profile and post some pics. This crowd loves pics.

Check the download section of this site for a factory service manual and owner's manual. I like paper so I have bought them on ebay or helminc.

There is a lot to the brakes. Between the owner letting fluid get old, and age and wear, there may be several items to address. How does the fluid currently look? The wheels should freely spin twice, a test of brakes and bearings. The rear wheel has chain tension so I am not sure how to test it if a good chain is on it. Any wheel binding usually means the calipers need to be opened, seals and pistons inspected, cleaned, or replaced if there is the slightest damage. There are several purge points and you should purge fresh fluid out of all of them.

Inspect the electrical system thoroughly, testing lights, voltages per the manual, connections, ground terminal blocks, and switches. You mentioned yours is gear-driven meaning that it is over 15 years old. Thus all connections and switches are corroded and need inspection and cleaning.

Tune the starter valves. This requires a 4-column manometer or 4 separate gauges.

Inspect the wheels for any dents. Damage to mirrors, controls, or fairings can tell you if the bike was down and how hard it hit. If it is pristine all the better.

These bikes take low octane. Ethanol or other evil issues with your local fuel may affect what the bike runs best with.

Test the thermostat another common issue. If the radiators warm up slowly with the engine, that may indicate the thermostat is stuck open. Also on a cool day (60°F or below) it will take forever to heat up while moving, another indicator.

Air filters should always be clean so replace anything that is not pristine. An OEM filter is fine, some here recommend Pipercross as having more airflow.

Does the bike have a power commander or is the fueling stock?

I recommend doing a long freeway run, being very very gentle on the throttle. Fill up and record your gas mileage. This can tell if there is a significant problem. Binding brakes, leaky fuel pressure regulator, stuck thermostat, all of these common things drag the mileage way down. A Power Commander is the one good thing that also brings mileage way down. Not sure for your year of bike, but overall the 800's may range from 32 mpg - 50 mpg (US.)

 

Whoa, I'll print this out as reference!

One owner from new, who never scratched or dropped it. It's a beauty in silver. Will take photos asap. Mileage was 40 k km (<25 k miles). The guy had money and downshifted to a Hornet 600 due to old age. (You wouldn't believe how many sellers had 'issues costing $$$s. Needs tyres, chain, a clutch caable... was dropped (always by the previous owner, what else? ...


Had gas turn to gunk, so I'll be using gas stabilator additive.

A VFR owner had told me to buy thgis particular model, saying it'S <<the best VFR>>. No offense, I'm sure the V-TEC crowd will boo loudly :biggrin:

Chris

 

Awesome! You must be very proud to have obtained this gem!

 

Welcome Chris! With the RC46 there are differences between the 1998/99 model and the 2000/01 version, you need to find out which yours is if you don't already know.

 

If you are the type that likes to do your own maintenance, start looking on ebay or your local classifieds for pitbull stands. Being a single sided swingarm (SSSA) makes it a bit more difficult to find. Also, if tire balancing is expensive in your area, it will cost even more when they find you have a car wheel for a rear. They always try to do that around here at least. I also bought a SSSA wheel balancer:
http://www.marcparnes.com/Honda_Motorcycle_Wheel_Balancer.htm

 

Guten tag, Chris.

As a fellow RC46 owner that I bought two years ago with 70,000km on it (now 94,000km), there's lots of things that you can do, not so many that you have to do.

It would be sensible to assume poor maintenance by the previous owner (unless he can show otherwise) so replacing oil and filter, air filter, coolant, brake fluids and fork oil would be prudent. I also replaced the rubber cush drive in the rear hub, and have recently also replaced the clutch plates. Starter valve adjustments make for a smoother running engine at low revs.

The internet is awash with tales of electrical woe, generally due to the charging system or alternator and regulator/rectifier. The connector between the two (left side, has three yellow wires in/out) can corrode, short out, and then cause damage to either the stator, the R/R or both. The R/R can also fail all on it's own, and either stop charging the battery, or overcharge it and cook it. So take a look at your connectors, use some contact cleaner, and fit a voltmeter. My bike has a non-standard R/R which has been rock-solid, but the connector does get dirty and I can see reduced charging voltage when that happens.

I have experienced the thermostat failure described by Knight, and have also had some water hose leakage in the same area. If you do replace the thermostat, I would suggest replacing the hoses around it at the same time, as getting in there for access is no fun on the VFR.

I have had fun upgrading the suspension on my VFR and this does make for a more satisfying ride. The VFR also sounds wonderful with a more open pipe, and I like the price/sound/finish on my Delkevic.

Regarding touring bars, I have a set of locally manufacturer bars that make for a more upright ride, but I find that the seat slope becomes annoying with these. With the standard bars I never notice the seat, but with the higher bars I slide down under brakes.

 

I have the gears driven cams, it's a 2001...

 

Another embarrassing issue has come up. I almost died when a speeding bus driving on the wrong side of the road in Vietnam hit and almost killed me. A trombosis followed, which turned into a pulmonary embolism (felt like suffocating). Had another trombosis and couldn't use the main stand. That day, I had a cramp in my right upper leg (last time I had one of those was when I was riding a NTV 650 v-twin shaft drive with too high foot pegs).

Need raised handlebars...

To save the day, I bought a Kawa GPX 600 R (1998) for hundreds less than the seller's last dealer invoice. Wonna ride... That one rides is more important than what, JMHO.

Good ergonomics are crucial. When I was young and wild at heart, I rode a Yamaha RD 350 YPVS stroker all the way to Spain and brought back >10 kg olive wood for my father. It's about 840 km to reach the ferry in Calais / France. Not sure I would like to do the ride in one day with the stock handlebars :grumpy:

Chris

 

Per the decal, what is "West"?

How do you maintain traction when riding upside down like that? Cool.

 

Many people have health issues. There is nothing embarrassing about it, it is just life.

Great pics! A cool little snapshot of your life!

Years ago, on the way to a beach vacation, after a plane ride of all things my dad developed a blood clot in his leg, which moved to the lung just like for you. Apparently the cramped seating causes this sort of thing all the time! Who knew that airlines cutting costs can kill you!

 

Potential airline-induced embolisms have been mentioned on the Network News many times. :eagerness:


Abroad ?? U gotta be near crazy :crazy: to ride on Third World roads and expect to survive unscathed. IMO of course, cuz i'd be too chicken :uncomfortableness: to ever try that !! !

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4phFYiMGCIY



@Squirrelman
I had a 'company motorcycle' to ride. A ratty copy bearing the name HONDA with weak breaks and a front light with a beam good for about 12 feet. There were people walking on the motorway, besides bicycles and carts pushed by vendors and the hundreds of thousands of street cleaners.

Cars are very expensive. The drivers just honk and flash theirs lights when pull into the over lane. Oncoming traffic? Get the hell outta my way - or you will reside at a morgue.

People are impatient and pull into fast traffic, making others brake hard.

As red lights are routinely ignored by pro drivers (of trucks and buses), it makes sense to let people do as they wish. They do drive on the wrong side of the road whenever it suits them anyhow.

Following the crash (my legs were trashed while the doctor wouldn't bother using the back-lit lamps to view the x-rays for hairline cracks of my legs) a trombosis followed which led to the pulmonary embolism. The owner of the bus company was on board. She paid the ER bill of 2 million Dong (then ~ $ 100) plus the drugs. The driver left the scene pdq. After some passengers pulled up my trousers, looking at the gory mess.