Rookie back on 2 wheels in El Paso, Texas!

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Lurocalo, Apr 19, 2013.

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  1. Lurocalo

    Lurocalo New Member

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    Hi everyone! Thank you for the warm welcome. I just purchased a 2000 VFR800-F1 approaching 12,000 miles. She looks to be in great condition and I've fallen in love with her. I was in the market for a commuter, to work and back in under 50 miles. A killer deal and fate brought us together. I'm looking to ride her 200-300 miles a week for as long as she can go. Like I mentioned in the title, I'm a rookie with 1 year riding experience coming off a cruiser. I've been riding this bike for close to 2 weeks now and I thought this forum would be a good next step in getting more intimate with her. I'm looking to do as much of the maintenance as possible due to a limited budget, but I have a skilled mechanic available if needed. It's been a dream of mine to travel on a motorcycle and I felt right away this was a good choice. Your wisdom would be greatly appreciated in helping me live out this dream.

    Question 1: What do I need to focus on at this stage in her life having 12,000 miles and what routine maintenance and modifications can I make to have her running as smoothly and reliably for long distances as possible? Question 2: What roads and adventures do you all recommend in the Southwest (Texas and New Mexico) these next few months? Thank you for your time! Looking forward to the chats. Salud!

    Lurocalo.
    El Paso, Texas
     
    Lurocalo, Apr 19, 2013


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  2. derstuka

    derstuka Lord of the Wankers Staff Member

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    Another missed amigo. Hello and welcome Lurocalo!

    1: Well, the obvious stuff is, giving the bike a total once over look/checking for bolt tightness (missing bolts), fluid levels/colors, disc thickness, proper suspension sag, leaking fork seals, anything that looks out of place and/or like it may be suspect. Look for burnt/chaffed wiring, crack hoses, stuff rubbing. I would check the chain/sprockets for excessive wear. The original owner might never have changed them with only 12k, so they might be ready depending on the care taken. At the very least, clean, and relube it, and see if it needs adjusting. If you have not, drain and flush the coolant, and change the oil/filter with a quality brand (honda, Purolator, or what have you). Also, due to age, you might want to consider flushing all of that old brake fluid out of the brake system, and clutch. Inspect/replace the brake pads as needed. On top of that, it would not hurt to change your fork oil as well. Again, I do not know the history of the bike, or the previous owner, so I am taking a guess based on what I would do. Once you get all that one, regular oil/filter changes, lubing/adjusting the chain, check coolant level (and color), check brake & clutch fluid level and color, inspect critical bolts for proper tightness/torque. Use Loctite (and a torque wrench) when called for, and/or a critical point. Also, check your battery voltages at idle and 5k or so (should be 13-14+ to be healthy). If you have issues with low voltage, you could look into the VFRNESS to rectify (no pun intended) the situation. There are other things that I am missing I am sure, but off the top of my head, that is what I would look at.

    Your bike has low miles, but it is 13 years old, so it does need some TLC to ensure it lasts you for many years to come. I have over 116,000 miles on my redheaded '98.

    2. Sorry, I am no help about the roads. I know that we have many members on here from Texas, or New Mexico, so if you post a thread up in the "USA Southwest" section, you might get the skinny.

    USA - Southwest
     
    derstuka, May 31, 2013


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