Slight tick from 5th gen VFR

Well they are supposed to be replaced every 8k I believe, per honda. Theres no way your hearing the spark, unless the plug is hanging out of the cylinder. Its more likely to be the fuel injectors we are hearing. They are solenoid valves after all, and I have had cars with loud fuel injectors.

 

Well, reluctantly I took my VFR to another dealer right by my office--I say reluctantly as this is the local dealer that when you walk into the showroom and head back to the Honda section (NOT the Harley section) they won't even ask if you need help. But I thought, what the heck, I'm here might as well take it in.

Anywho, I met the 'Honda mechanic' who took the time to listen to my bike at idle and said it definitely was not a valve, but just the basic sound of the fuel injector. He said a valve is a knocking and more consistent and that the sound I'm hearing is the electro magnetic something-or-other of the injector. When the engine is revved slightly, the sound goes away as the injector starts to fire more rapidly (or something like that). He said he's worked on several VFR models--asked me if mine had the gear-driven cams--so he definitely knows what he's talking about. Plus, he had someone's Ducati on the lift doing the every 2000 miles service:laugh:

So, I'm going to chalk the ticking sound off as 'no big deal'. But I'm planning on getting the valves adjusted this winter--22,000 on the odo, and they've never been done.

 

I wouldn't worry about the ticking sound, as they all do it.