New owner VTEC question

Discussion in '8th Generation 2014-Present' started by VScot, Mar 3, 2021.

  1. VScot

    VScot New Member

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    I'm loving my new white 2014 VFR (uncrated in 2018). On a long, desert ride last Sunday I came up with a question for you all: Do you need to be thoughtful of steady state riding in the VTEC transition range?
    For example, 80mph sustained was a delight and the bike wanted more. Around 90mph or so the RPMs get into the mid-6s. Is there anything I should be aware of, in any gear, that might not be healthy for the engine regarding VTEC? Thanks.
     
  2. fink

    fink Member

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    Thrashing it when cold (not up to operating temp), it wont transition into vtec. Apart from that ride it as you see fit, generally for cruising I keep it out of vtec range.
     
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  3. Vulcanator

    Vulcanator New Member

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    I tend to ride at a speed or gear that is either above VTEC transition, or not. Like Fink said, be nice to the engine when it's cold, after that all bets are off.
     
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  4. Bubba Utah

    Bubba Utah Member

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    To my understanding and like others have said, once up to temp ride it like you own it at your preference. This bike is built to be a true runner. I warm my up to 153 degrees and then go as I like. The only thing that I would add is to change any rubber parts sitting for now 6years on it like the thermostat before you go on a long ride. I almost lost my bike when it failed after I bought it 2 yrs after production in 2016 and I had a boil over in a spirited ride up a canyon in Utah at 8,000 ft. Lost all my fluid and almost lost the engine. Good thing that It was down hill and power off all the way back down. ;-) Rubber that is not used dries, cracks and fails. No one else has had this happen, but it is a good thing that I would point out and a cheap fix at what less than $10
     
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  5. VScot

    VScot New Member

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    Thank you!
     
  6. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    I always wait till it is up to temp, much smoother. Usually hit the VTEC on or twice a ride, normally in second gear, just clear the cobwebs out.
     
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  7. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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    The V-tech is new to me too. I read in a Motorcyclist Online review about the quote; "V-tech clatter". They don't elaborate on what that is. I think I heard this for the first time yesterday on my maiden voyage to get the bike registered. It was kind of alarming when I first heard it, but it was definitely a loud clatter coming up from under me. The bike was warmed up by then but I just want to make sure I am supposed to be hearing this from my bike with only 2800 miles on it. Hoping this is normal because no motorcycle I have ever owned has made any sound like that.
     
  8. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    I wouldn't call it a clatter but a howl when the rpms hit 6800. Very noticeable, lots of fun when accelerating hard in 2nd gear when it kicks in. Under 6800, only 2 valves per cylinder are used, at 6800 oil pressure actuates the VTECH and all four valves are used. Howl comes from throttle bodies with the extra intake valves open. If you hear valve clatter when the VTECH engages then the extra valves may be out of adjustment, but unlikely with 2800 miles. Not the same VTECH system that Honda uses in their autos.
     
  9. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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  10. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    I get a knocking sound when rpms are too low, like when I am starting out in the wrong gear (I do that often). VTECH is automatic after engine temps are above 142. Take her out on a stretch where it is safe and wind it up in 2nd gear, when it hits 6800 it will be like a turbo boost!!
     
  11. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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    Thanks, I'm definitely going to get this settled in my mind today after work. I am half-doubting myself right now on what exactly it is that I heard and felt. Could I have hit the rev limiter and didn't realize it? I am half-thinking now that I might have. It made me back off the throttle right away when it happened. This bike revs faster and more immediately than any bike I have ever owned. I've never had fuel injection before this.
     
  12. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    Honda makes bullet prove engines and I have put 30K on mine without any problems. I think you will alright once you get used to it.
     
  13. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    Is the engine in too high a gear and under load, i.e., pinging? Try dropping a gear or for fun try a higher octane fuel and see if it goes away....... if it's pinging.
     
  14. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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    Thanks all : ) I rode around town for a 1/2 hour yesterday and was not able to duplicate the same sound and feel again, so I must have hit the rev limiter the other day. I did not feel like purposely hitting the limiter yesterday just to prove it but I think it is obvious now. My supercharged FRS-One does a similar thing when hitting the rev limiter, which happens very fast in that car. So a new high-tech V-4 engine that I am not used to, that revs faster than any carbureted inline-four I have ever ridden including my 89' Kawai ZX7 !

    On a side note but still on topic, I set the dash to watch the temp gauge and it gets into the 180º's fairly quickly. I was seeing 200º to 221º at stop lights before the fans must be kicking in and start to cool it down. Does that sound about right? I don't see engine operating temperature specs in the Owners or Service manual. Sorry, I've never had a digital temp readout before : / I'm taking the plastics back off this weekend to do a complete coolant change just because of the age of the bike.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2022
  15. Vulcanator

    Vulcanator New Member

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    In warm weather the bike will get up to the temperatures you encountered when in stop/start traffic, and low speeds typically in town.
     
  16. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    I think you may be over thinking things. Once it is up to temperature vtec engines can deliver awesome power.

    In addition to recommending ATGATT approach on every trip no matter how short - even if you are riding sensibly you have no control over others who may just not bother to look (SMIDSY) and pull out in front of you with no warning at which point quality riding gear pays for it self.

    As for the noise - there is an increase in noise once the revs cross the vtec transition threshold - it is normal, and you will find that extra power is available pretty much up to the redline, so when necessary be ready to use those revs, as once you know your VFR it can make for far safer overtakes simply by minimising the time spent on the wrong side of the center line.

    Additional driver training is a great idea - over in France many of the motorbike Gendarme brigades hold all day subsidised (you pay for lunch) rider training events in the springtime. This pays dividents as a cost effective way to reduce the number of accidents involving motorcyclists. Hopefully someone offers something similar your side of the pond.

    Whilst my confidence in the French language is far from perfect I have found attending coaching by experts every few years is really valuable, as we can all get into bad habits. It will also bring home the importance of improving your handling skills and being alert to what is happening around you at all times, and learning the optimum placement and speed through bends.

    Perhaps the most important message was to minimise the time spent on the wrong side of the center line when passing vehicles. You want to get out past and safely back on your side of the road as quickly as possible, so if you have 106 ponies available - be prepared to use them. Plan ahead for overtakes, get the bike into the power band by dropping a gear or two and once it is safe to overtake, crank that throttle open and get past and back on your side of the road before anyone does anything daft.

    Have fun

    SkiMad
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2022
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  17. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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    Thanks all : ) I rode into work today and man this bike rides smoother than anything I have ever had....except my 1978 Gold Wing (which I bought new at 18 years old while going to college and working at Jack in the Box). I've been in SoCal riding 42 of the last 45 years with the craziest drivers and on the least maintained and jam-packed roadways in the world , so the only thing new to me here is the bikes' technology. The engine seems like a very sexy cross between a Ducati and a BMW. This bike has more info available on the dash than any of my cars! And Honda stopped making this bike because ???

    I've always gravitated toward the older sport bikes because I actually like cleaning and synchronizing a 4-bank of carbs. But for this time the draw of all the high tech and precision (and the killer "Jet" looks) was what attracted my attention, so I decided to treat myself to something a little more modern than what I was normally used to. It will more than handle the two-up rides with my wife coming up this Summer.
     
  18. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    "And Honda stopped making this bike because ???"

    If you believe the media they blamed ever tightening emission rules. But the engines can and have been made to meet Euro 5 standards - just see what they fit to the VFR800X models in Europe.

    The real reason is decisions by the bean counters following two collosal earthquakes which hit the factory in very quick succession in 2016. Sadly several workers died and the quake pretty much flattened the Honda factory where ALL their large capacity motorbikes were manufactured in large batches. As it happened production of a batch of standard VFRs for the North American market was virtually complete with most of the batch safely off-site and crated up ready for shipping to the States.

    https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2016/april/japanese-earthquake-honda-factory/

    There are very few photos of the damage but the earthquake pretty much wrecked the entire factory including destroying a lot of the VFR1200 and 800 production tooling meaning to make further batches new tooling would need to be manufactured from scratch. The place was toast, so with a heap of VFRs in inventory, Honda made the sensible decision to focus scarce resources on their other profitable products as soon as part of the site was made safe to resume manufacture.

    As Mr H was just about to launch their heavily revised Fireblade model. they already had virtually all the tooling ready to go for that model. So no surprise that once the bulldozers had cleared the floors of the remnants of the VFR campaign, and roofs repaired, the factory re-started manufacturing a huge batch of the new Fireblade model.

    By the time normality returned to the factory, the market had shifted towards "adventure style" models so rather than recreate tooling to produce VFR800F and VFR1200F models they produced new tooling to produce the VFR800X and VFR1200X (Cross Runner and Cross Tourer) models. These have proved very popular this side of the pond even if their new prices were relatively high. Sadly for me a short test ride confirmed that you really need to have long legs to ride these tall bikes, hence I opted for a VFR800F.

    It is rumoured that plans for further VFR F models have just been paused (not abandoned), but for now VFRs are very much the back of the queue. Indeed just before Covid arrived, several media articles in Europe featured artist impressions of a new VFR model which was being worked on.

    Sadly the economic fall-out of Covid once again seems to have put that idea on hold. Given the legendary following which Honda amassed over the years with the VFR models - I suspect that designs for a new VFR model are indeed lurking somewhere on the shelves in Japan awaiting a decision by the bean counters on whether or not to go ahead.

    This time however the big unknown is of course whether or not new motorbike purchases switch rapidly over to people wanting full electric bikes. In which case you may be riding the last of the V4 line.:Cry::Cry::Cry::Cry::Cry:


    SkiMad
     
  19. SubyRS

    SubyRS Insider

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    Thanks skidmad, I was not even aware of the earthquake and the Honda factory situation. I was all into my Yamaha FZR at that time, but glad to be back on a Honda again : ) The adventure bike style is pretty big here in California too. And yes they are very expensive when compared to the rest of the M/C line up. The whole electric "movement" is interesting to watch. Our per gallon gas prices have nearly tripled in the last two years and show no signs of stopping any time soon. Our electric resources are already fall short of demand, as we have brown-outs and even some black-outs in some parts of our state. Yet they are pushing electric vehicles, which are very expensive to charge when your monthly bill gets into tier-3 use rating. So e-drivers are always on the hunt for the "free" electric chargers and waiting in line for them. I've seen arguments and near assaults between drivers waiting for the "free" electricity. Our infrastructure is definitely not ready for the e-world at this time.
     
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