Hi there. New here with a 2007 RWB.

Hi, I'm really excited to join this crowd! As I mentioned in this post http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/53100-2007-RWB-Anniversary-VFR800-resurrection-Engine-swap-question?highlight=project, I just picked this bike up with 95k MILES (not km) on it. It's in REALLY rough shape, but I've had my eye out for the 25th Anniversary edition for a while and I only gave $1000 for it. I runs, drives, and shifts just fine. Here's a few pictures of it as it looked when I rode it home:



















You get the idea. Oh, my name is Brad and I live in Chandler, AZ.

 

Wow! nice score there, yea a bit ruff, but for that price it can be, whew 95K, if it was maintained regularly that ain't to bad, these V4s run for ever "if" all was watched over. Have fun and welcome to the crazy world of VFR ownership. Good job for posting up the photos

 

Nothing a coat of polish won't fix - lol..

Good find, especially if you are mechanically minded...

 

It looks like the bike is in need of some elbow grease for the aesthetics.

The engine noise you discussed in the other thread is cam chain tensioners. You need to replace them like most of us have to every 40k miles or so. Plenty of material on it here and on VFRD. And while you are at it, it would be good to have the valves checked and adjusted since it a a high mileage motorcycle. Would be good to look at the wear and tear parts like brake pads, rotors and all fluids. Maybe you can buy a newer used corbin/Sargent seat if you have the funds.

I saw some pretty cool videos where they use toilet cleaner (harpic) to clean the exhaust pipes and engine. I'd have to try it when I hit 100k miles lol.

And BTW, great score for that price. Ride safe.

 

I think I still have a 2007 stock seat in my garage. Literally only has a couple hundred miles on it. When I bought the bike, the PO gave me the OEM saddle, a sargent, and a custom seat. Gut who bought it from me only wanted the sargent seat. Sold the custom long ago though.

Oh, I know I have a OEM exhaust for the 6th gen with 12K miles on it. I replaced that with Staintunes when I owned it. I may have a few other things now that I think about it. I'll have to look around.

 

Thanks to member sfdownhill a little $, and a TON of work, I replaced the engine with 95,000 miles on it with one that has only 7,000 miles on it. I'll post some pics later.

First, everything is a-ok, except she's getting way hot without the radiator fan coming on. I tried burping the system, without much luck. The Thermostat could be stuck, or there is air in the system? The right radiator gets warm to the touch, the left one not very warm at all. Especially in the upper area where the fan switch is. I do get a temperature reading on the dash and the radiator fan wire is attached.

What's more likely? Air in the system or bad thermostat (could be stuck from sitting for a long time with no coolant?). I REALLY don't want to pull those throttle bodies again.

Meanwhile, here's a video of the new engine running, the cleaned-up headers/exhaust system, and the old, crusty lump in the corner:

[video=youtube;EVEEPo_-Rk0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVEEPo_-Rk0[/video]

 

Before exploring more difficult possibilities I tend to rule out simple things like making sure your coolant system has not got an airlock.


Remove fairing panels to see and access the rads/coolant reservoir.

Put it on side stand, remove the filler cap and start the engine.

Let it warm up on a fast idle and blip of the throttle occasionally.

Wear gloves so you can give all the hoses a good squeeze - you are trying to dislodge any trapped air pockets, so work from the lower hoses upwards you may have to run round the hoses a few times as dislodged air can just move along to the next place where it can get trapped.

Let the bike warm up until the fan comes on (you have checked it does turn on?) and keep an eye on and as necessary topping up the level in the reservoir just in case it drops, take care, especially as it gets hotter, a sudden release of trapped air can result in hot coolant being spat out - but don't worry about that happening - it means trapped air is being expelled.

Once the fan comes on you can turn the engine off and let the bike cool down.

Once cool, top the coolant reservoir to the max mark and replace the filler cap. Re fit fairing panels.


Monitor levels over the next few days - the "when cold" level should remain steady.



SkiMad

 

Yeah, thats the problem. The temp is getting up to 220-230 degrees (f) and fan is not coming on. I checked the hoses. The only one that gets very warm is the upper hose on the right side. The front most side of the right radiator gets kind of hot to the touch, but not the reward side nor the left radiator. Those are fine to touch wit bare hands.

 

If you don't think the fan operates, it is really down to one of four things - the fan is defective, the thermostat is defective, the electrical feed to the fan is defective or you have an airlock by the thermostat meaning the thermostat never reaches trigger temperature.

Here is a wiring diagram

The fan bit is dead centre at the top of the image. As you can see when the thermostat reaches trigger temperature it simply provides an earth path for the fan - which should already have a live feed whenever the ignition is on.

So a quick check is to remove the electrical connector from the thermostat and with "ignition on" ground the incoming lead - that should start the fan. If it does start the fan you can focus on thermostat/airlocks. If it does not run then focus on the fan itself (as the loom is unlikely to fail without external cause).

Sorry its really a case of time needed to eliminate possible causes until you identify what is wrong.



SkiMad