Just picked up my first bike...98 VFR 800

Hello from Atlanta. I am excited to have what seems to be the best bike on the road :stung:

It needs some TLC, such as plastics and a stator (what the previous owner tells me) and I need to do a basic once over of all systems. Any advice here would be welcomed.

I am curious about a few things -

LED lights for increased visibility. Good idea and any good source for them?

Stator swap to something more reliable (seems there are numerous options).

Is the airbox mod worth the effort?

What is an SS?

I have the strips on my fairing and need the left one? Are these strips just stickers? Anything special about them? I don't find many fairings like this and I need the left side fairing. If they are just for looks I could replace them with plain red. Basically, these are just for looks, not a special model right?

I need mirrors so what mirrors are the best that will mount nicely? Saw some with turn indicators, do these work well?

Oh, it is straight piped now and I am looking for something that will sound like a sport bike but is less loud than a straight pipe.

Any other suggestions and must haves/do's are appreciated.

 

Hi and welcome. My 99 is my first bike too.

I would not know about non-EOM stators, but if you have a transformer company in your area you can potentially have yours rewound. They could have a better wire today so that could improve the output and life (?).

The charging system pieces work together and a fried stator may mean a fried regular or fried wiring harness or fried rectifier/regulator. For now check the connections for melted or burnt plastic from overheating that occurred as components failed. Once you have it back together you can test the charging voltage to determine if the R/R is providing sufficient voltage.

"Stripes" sound like that may be an aftermarket marking. Most likely they are decals but could be painted. A decal you may be able to feel with your finger. Unless they put a clear coat over it.

Here are the original decals:
http://www.hondapartshouse.com/oemparts/a/hon/506c2b05f870023420a30f17/marks

 

Hi and welcome. If you need a stator or other electrical goodies try here. http://ricksmotorsportelectrics.com/results.php His are really good and the stator is cheaper than buying from Honda. The wing decals on the fairings are just that, decals. The 5th gen VFR came in red in 98,99, and 01 and yellow in 2000. The ss is the single sided swingarm, don't know about LED's, someone else can chime in on that. I personally would leave the airbox alone, the mod is too noisy for me and I don't think it helps a great deal. And if you want an inexpensive good sounding pipe, a Delkevic works nicely.

 

Thanks for the link and advice. I have been looking on this forum for a few weeks before I joined, researching know issues, and I have to say, the folks on here are some of the best on any forum I have been on. I appreciate all the help.

 

Welcome to this crazy fun house.. you got a good one to start off on. Some Photos of said machine would be great , that would also clear up what you are referring to as stripes? Yes the electrical connections were a weak spot, they didn't hold up well to wet and ignored conditions. they started things to go south with the R/R, then worked it's way to a Stator. Yes Ricks is a great place to go. Aftermarket head lamp bulbs can be had, many use Osram. Mirrors? now there's a funny one, actually you maybe lucky here, the factory condom mirrors were not all that great, lots of folks jumped to the 01 VFR mirrors, but be ready $$ after market is a shot in the dark in what actually fits and then there's the issue of quality, lots of options on this one. Then on to the exhaust, again many options, If you can find them, bike is 16 years old, so again depending on budget and fit and finish. Two brothers, Staintune, Delkevic, etc. pick your poison ,again lots of this and that here.