My RC24 resurrection

The coffee was terrible!

This week I’m replacing my radiator. The original one has a leak and despite ‘fixing’ it, it’s still leaking. I’ve ordered one from eBay that looks ok quality. Will hopefully fit ok. I’ll test the fan and flush everything while I’m at it.

I would like to ask all your advice about pilot jets. When I did my carbs last year, I set all the pilot jets to the factory setting in the manual (2.5 turns out IIRC). When I dismantled the carbs for the refurbishment, I noticed that the pilot jet for cylinder 3 was significantly further out than the others. Thought that was a bit weird and just put it down to somebody mucking about with it and not knowing what they were doing. Anyway, the bike is running a little noisy at idle and there is a definite ticking noise. It seems to run more smoothly when cold and then as it warms up it gets more noisy. I’m wondering whether I need to adjust the pilot screws out? I was going to adjust all of them out 1/4 turn and run for a week or so and see how it goes over 2 or 3 adjustments. What do you guys reckon?


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you set pilot screws not pilot jets.

there is no correlation between noise and mixture screw settings that i know of.

check that the spring, washer and o-ring in cyl three look good. if the screw is adjusted out more than about three point 5 turns, it may [will] vibrate itself out and get lost along the lane or motorway. study the 'idle drop" method of mixture screw adjustment in the manual.

 

Thanks squirrelman. Yep, pilot screws, I keep mixing terms but I’ll learn eventually!

All o rings etc were replaced during the rebuild with good quality replacements from v4dreams, so I’m happy that’s all in order.

When I start her up if she’s warm, I normally need a bit of throttle so I get the feeling that she’s running lean. Can bog down a little at low revs too.


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I put rivet nuts in every header to check with a gas analyzer. Trying to set every carb to 2,5-3% co. It runs very smooth, sparks look like fi-engine ones.

 

Thanks for the photo dude!! Lol It is a small town, with lots of little roads tucked away. GPS hates that place..hahaha So glad you got your bike up and out on the road.

 

There’s a thread on VFRD about the new eBay radiators and fitting it, worth checking out here https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index...-86-vfr-aftermarket-radiator/#comment-1151961


Did you fit the #40 pilot jets Joe recommends?

 

Thanks for the link, thumbs. So I’ve bought one from eBay that was a little more expensive, coming from France. Will let you know if it’s ok, reviews were relatively good. I’m going to keep the original as I think it might be Pluto repair it, if this replacement one doesn’t work out.

I didn’t replace the pilot jets, no. As far as I am aware they are stock originals. Would this be something you’d recommend? I’ve had a look at a few online videos and I think I’m going to have a go at adjusting my ones to see if running it a little richer will help it run more smoothly at lower rpm. I always need a touch of throttle to fire the engine up, so I deffo think it’s running a little lean.


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AFAI remember the first generation second generation (G/H) have this tendency to become a bit noisy and that some springs were added to handle this on later models. Less prominent when cold has to do with the oil viscosity vs. temperature. The click can be heard also on the video you uploaded.

You may be able to locate the source of the clicking by using e.g. a long screwdriver as a stethoscope. Put your ear to the handle and move around holding the tool end against the casing or covers on the engine.

Just in case it will make sense to recheck the valve clearance. When doing so make sure the crank in the right position (TDC at end of compression stroke) on the cylinder you are checking. As mentioned also by others the pffft from a leak in upper exhaust or by a spark plug also is a rather sharp sound. Such a sound would also be present on a cold engine.

 

Thanks mate! I have read about this anomaly on the very early VFR engines and it could well be that. Yes, will check valve clearances again, but will make that a winter job. I did do them over the course of the refurb and pretty happy I got them right, but worth checking again.

When I took my bike for it’s mot the mechanic, when he heard the engine at idle, immediately said something about the pilot screws needing adjusting. I think it will be worth me having a little play. I know I have set them to the workshop manual recommended 2.5 turns out, so I can easily enough set them back.


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I had a low mile 86 700 engine with about 17K miles that was pretty noisy. I had adjusted the valves when the engine was out of the frame on a stand. Access was not an issue neither was rushing the job. Set, checked, rotated thru multiple revolutions, check again. Re-adjusted if needed. I have done DOZENS of 86 valve adjustments, I was very confident of my work. No broken springs in the split gears on the cams or any other issues noted, everything looked perfect. New clutch installed and everything under the right crankcase inspected. It was just kinda noisy.

I was swapping frames on the 86 700, so I decided to go thru a completely different engine with just 14K on it so I could just transfer everything over to the new frame/engine/wire harness. Same thing, everything gone thru out of the frame, including a new clutch, no issues noted. Got the bike all back together and it sounds EXACTLY the same as the first engine. I was actually pretty surprised. I couldn't attribute it to an exhaust leak or any thing else.

I have ridden this bike very hard with both engines and there were absolutely zero issues. They both pulled strong and hard and didn't do anything wrong or weird. The noises were always the same.

My 86 750 with 58K (that I also went thru) is very quiet. My 86 700FII, also quiet, but maybe makes a touch more noise. I have 4 friends with 86 VFRs as well. They all sound a bit different from each other.

So... I have decided I just don't care, especially since I was the one who witnessed the condition of everything and did the work. They all have their own personalities. Put my ear plugs in like I always do and ride the shit out of them.

 

That’s very reassuring, Captain; thank you!
It sounds brilliant as soon as it’s got a handful of revs. I’m also comparing it to my old VFR400, which sounded very clean at low revs.


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I have done the valve adjustment on my 86 VFR750 3 times and it’s a little noisy compared to my VF1000f … I can’t get it closer or quieter than it is …
Drop the mic
Time to ride


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2 x VFR750 and a 700. None sound the same. One has a high gear whine, one had a bit of click in the valve train and one has a noticeable intake "reedy" sound at high rpms. They all pull hard and go way faster than I would anticipate a 1980's bike to go without exploding. lol
I could go crazy trying to figure out why or if something is wrong, but at this point just filler up and ride. I am more worried about leaks at this point..which have all gone away.
Laguna Seca on Monday!! yew

 

remove and inspect the bottoms of the adjusting screws. any visible damage or signs of wear, replace them. [i dunno if theyre available ? ]

wear on the screw bottom distorts the contact area and makes adjustments less accurate, and they last a shorter than normal time.

 

Will do Squirrel… thanks bro


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please post if you find they're available and where.

lets see close-up photos of the screw bottoms, ok ? ive seen some messed-up wear on high-mile bikes.

 

Ok … I’m going to start looking
I have had some success in Europe
We will see
I just finished my Wes Cooley so I have time to work on the VFR


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I have definitely dealt with that on a couple bikes I've worked on. Switching them around to different locations can buy you a little mileage and make the adjustments a little easier. Also when people WAY over tighten the lock nuts out of paranoia, and stretch the threads, you have to compensate a bit to get the final feel right.

 

After a little bit of fettling I managed to get the fan onto my new radiator and onto the bike. Thankfully there were no issues with the mounting bracket spacing to get it back onto the bike. I traced the faulty fan to a simple blown fuse and then checked the fan worked by shorting the therm I switch. All seems good. Took her out for a short spin yesterday and no leaks and the temperature was all in the normal range, even when in a bit of traffic.




https://youtube.com/shorts/DdIf4Z2hlL8?feature=share


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Is this what you mean https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vfr700f...rnia_model7613/screw-tappet-adjg_90012ml7013/