Hello from the Bay Area

I joined the forum a few weeks ago because I was thinking of buying a VFR, and today I bought it!



It's got a whole lot of miles for a regular bike, but I read about this bike's legendary reliability and durability, so I'm confident I could go to the desert and I won't be crawling out of there.



I love the Corbin Beetle bags, looked at one that had the much more spacious Givi luggage, but I didn't like the lines. I can do with less space if I look GOOD.



Please tell me I didn't make a mistake! I wouldn't trust a Beemer with this many miles, but I've seen VFRs for sale with 80,000 plus miles for more money than I could imagine. Anything I should do to it to head off any breakdowns in the desert? The PO never updated the voltage regulator, he says it's never given him trouble, he just did a valve check, had to adjust two, did all the work himself, but he kept immaculate records of all the clearances for every check, and he checked them many more times than recommended in the manual. I'm not mechanically inclined myself, anything I should have my mechanic check before I head to Utah this summer?

 

Nice first post, especially by adding the photos. I don't believe you got hurt, unless you paid through the nose for it, Yea VFRs can go forever when taken care of. Cool bag set up, You don't see many with those, looks like a good one to me and those miles are really nothing to lose sleep over, I'd say you did ok by the looks of it. That and welcome to the nut house, you'll be glad you joined in. theres quite the group of folks in your neighborhood Bay area

 

Welcome pockomoth. Great bike with great accessories! You did well. The engine will go forever if you take care of it and it the tranny did not get abused. The bike will take periodic expensive parts but that said, it may go 200,000 miles.

What is your experience with motorcycles and their maintenance? I would inspect the bike as any bike. It sounds like the prior owner was meticulous so you can trust but verify.

* Brakes should not be binding

* The battery voltage and stator voltages at idle and 5000 rpm should match the service manual. Test cold then hot to identify problems from flaky components. Test the stator resistances.

* Check the battery voltage when off after sitting for several days and compare the voltage to a battery life chart, new being something like 12.8 and dead being closer to 12.

* Inspect the fuses for discoloration, the high power connections such as the stator/RR connector, the ground terminal blocks, and where they connect to the frame. Any burnt or melted connectors mean some diligence is required.

* Connect the negative battery terminal to the frame and check the resistance. This should be zero.

I disagree with the common notion around here to immediately replace the OEM RR with an aftermarket RR. Instead, inspect and clean all connections and verify the charging system operation. If it is clean, you are done. Repeat the inspection procedure periodically to catch a looming problem.

These thermostats tend to stick open. Start the bike when cold, monitor the temperature of the radiator. If it warms up slowly with the engine, it is getting coolant and the thermostat is stuck open. It should stay cool until the engine hits around 170-180°F then it should get unbearable hot all at once.

Run your hands along the wheels and inspect for dents.

Check the chain slack at the midpoint. It should be close to the loose end of the spec (I think 1.2"?).

Did the prior owner tune the starter valves? This is the idle control for Honda's fuel injected bikes. This affects off-idle throttle response, starting, and cruising response. It requires a 4-column manometer.

 

Hi and welcome to the Madhouse:welcome:

Kudos for adding photos with your first post - and as you will soon discover Red VFR's are the fastestotstir:!

It sounds like the bike was the previous owners pride and joy so my first thought was to simply suggest you get out and ride it - a lot!

As for using it for longer trips don't worry these bikes can go on for loads more miles provided they are properly serviced.

Sadly the biggest bug bear with these bikes is the charging system which can fail with virtually no warning leaving you stranded.

Whilst you might want to do the checks recommended by Knight - that will only tell you if there are already issues. What many on here have figured out, is these bikes need a simple LED digital voltmeter added to an ignition on feed, so you can keep an eye on the charging system from time to time. You can pick up something suitable from eBay for very small money. As most are made in China they are not very accurate - but will do the job nicely. What you need to see is the volts remain fairly stable when the engine is running. If you suddenly see the volts drop down from 14+ to 11 or 12 volts take it as a warning that it is time to head home or at least find some place to stop and get the bike checked - whilst there is still some juice in the battery.

Take care:vtr2:



SkiMad

 

Wow. You guys know these bikes! Thanks for the info. I can do minor work, but electrics are way past my pay grade. I think the upgraded voltage regulator and voltmeter (okay, they could be the same thing) would go a long way to making me feel good about the bike getting me home from the wide open spaces my flesh is heir to. I did check the wheels before buying.

I did get a little worried, after my first post sale thrash, the bike had a little trouble idling after I went for coffee. Other than that, it's a blast, great sweet spot from 4,000 to 7,000 rpm, oh and then you realize, there's another whole sweet spot from 10,000 to 12,000 (!). You can just leave it in second gear all day! Unless you just like to hear the Staintune sing, which I do.

Wet out today, maybe I'll go see how she dances in the rain!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

When you learn how to take the side panels off (be gentle, don't force anything) check the three yellow wire connector on the right side, it should be white. These are wire from your alternator, of which the stator is the fixed part with the copper coils on it. This connector carries more current than any other connector on the bike, any corrosion will cause resistance which generates heat and will melt that connector. Very common.

as you can see, my 2003 was beginning to discolor in the center. There are many photos of others that are totally fried. I used an fingernail emory board trim down to fit to clean contacts. Easier if you peel off one side of sand paper.