New to me 86 VFR

SO, first off, hello there! this is my first post as I bought a 86 VFR on friday and am having some issues.

Its a total rat bike, and is pretty much hacked together really, being jurry rigged at every step. The fan is wired always on with the key, the rad cap had RTV on it to keep it from leaking..... etc... as the list goes on.

I pretty much duck taped, zip tied all the fairings back together. I went for a bout a 160 mi ride the other day and the bike died on me due to no battery. ( and I think overheating due to that cap mentioned above!!)

It has about 95K mi on it and still runs good. having just bought the bike, I changed the oil in it and filter.

sorry for the long post but my questions are this;

where and how can i get a new rad cap? I was hoping to get one today, but all the moto shops are closed. plus I am sure they wont have one either. is there any autoparts store I could try that might have it?? is it a pretty standard size cap? or is there any automotive replacement that might fit?

#2 (question that is anyway!!)

how can I tell if my bike is charging?? what should the voltage be? I looked at the manual and it said that it wont charge under 1,200 RPMS which I believe anyway. How can I test this one though??

also the joker that I bought it from said that it was actully a 750 not a 700, anyway to find that little guy out?

 

The cc's will be found on the plate on front right side frame in the number along with the year.

 

right, it says 700, but i am thinking maybe someone switched to something else in the bikes 95K history, how can I tell if that is the case?

 

Welcome aboard, and good luck getting her straightened out.

 

I'll look at my bike (87 700f2) when I get home and tell ya. Its not very likely someone changed out the engine during its life but more likely the bum you bought it from didn't have a clue.

 

yeah I think you are right. I just would be pretty bummed out if i bought a bunch of motor parts for the 700 and I have a 750. supertex you are probably right, though.

 

drewl, thanks what roads do you ride around these parts? all I really know of is 32 and 36. any other twisties worth a dang?
I rode from chico to chester and back on 32. almost made it too. but guess I needed a working charging system, or a fully charged battery! haha

 

as long as the parts are for the same year bike, it doesnt matter what the parts came off of (700 or 750), cause really the only differences between the 2 are the crankshaft and connecting rods.

its when you get 86 vs. 87 that you have to watch out, cause 86 saw an analog pcm and what honda called the "cam pulse generator" which is basically a trumped up name for a cam sensor. this difference causes the heads (at least the front head) to be different, and also the PCM, wiring harness, and in turn, some parts that plug into the wiring harness (like the combo switches on the handlebars).

the most definite way to check the motor size is the vin. a 750 starts out: JH2RC24 and the 700's start out: JH2RC26. hence the RC24 vs. RC26 designations for their respective bikes.

 

Some answers for you ...

Hello:

The part number for the radiator cap is 19045-MY3-621, and there are a lot of on-line parts houses.

You can tell if the bike is charging simply by placing a multimeter at the battery terminals. Honda says that the regulated voltage at 5,000 rpm should be between 13.5 and 16.0 (assuming a fully-charged battery to begin with, reading at least 12.8 volts at the terminals).

If you don't know, the regulator/rectifiers on these bikes are notoriously bothersome. Poke around in this discussion group, and you will find countless threads on the issue. If your bike has already died on you, I'd strongly recommend starting-out with a new R/R and, at least, a fully-charged battery, if not a new one.

Gray Market

 

You can find out exactly if you look on left side of engine block. half way up in raised numbers is the CCs. I had to look hard for this so just use a light or something.

 

Sweet! ill look into that one! thanks tex

drewl, thanks I really will need all the help i can get with this one, its going to test my mechanical abilities that's for sure!

gray market, I think I am going to try to shoe in a R1 unit on that one and start with new battery.

thanks for the rad cap number, the local honda store has gotta be smoking something funny if they really think I would pay 56$ for a radiator cap!

 

Honda dealerships don't generally know squat. I took the headlight plug from my wiring harness to them and they told me I had to replace the entire harness. I was in luck though because they could get me one for about $250.........good bit of money for a part I found on the shelf at AutoZone for $2.50. I would find any other place for anything you would ever need.

 

tex you are right. almost all moto shops I have been to are total crap cept for a handfull, in SF and apex mototech here in chico.

our honda shop is the worst shop in chico. by far. worst service, terrbile prices, nothing in stock, and I mean NOTHIN!, and the guys who work there are tools! (not the useful kind! hah)


but anyone know if the R1 R/R or maybe the Gixxer one would fit? or ... work? I have only seen it done on newer bikes nothing as old as mine.