Long Term VFR

[NinjaBob]

My 99 VFR 800 is approaching 140,000 miles. I am riding it almost daily now while my 08 Concours 14 is out of service waiting for a fork rebuild. The Connie was quickly catching up in miles since I use it for touring and cold weather commuting but I have put another 1500 miles on the viffer since I shipped the Connies forks off.


The V Four engine seems to be as strong and smooth as the first day I had it and still uses no oil between 6000 mile changes. I had a fuel injector start leaking in 2012 but I sent them off to be tested and refurbished and all is good now.




The VFR's weak point was the charging system and early on I went through two OEM regulator/rectifiers and one stator before I "fixed" the issue with an R/R from a Yamaha R1 and a "VFRness" produced and sold by a fellow owner and member of the the VFR discussion forum [size=78%]http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/page/index.html[/size] . This is a replacement wiring harness for the R/R with larger gauge wires and an extra fuse. I recommend it but I believe the real solution is the Yamaha R/R which seems bullet proof (going on about 80,000 miles) and works far better ( proper voltage output through all heat ranges) than either of the new Honda R/Rs which even when brand new only put out about 13.3 volts and would drop off to 12.0 when hot and would overheat the wires and connectors.


The only problem I have had with the VFR over the last 5 years or so is overheating.  I replaced my fan switch in the summer of 2012 but the new switch failed last summer. I am now using a manual switch as I suspect the fan switch is another weak Honda electric part.


The VFR is no longer pretty with a quite a few crash wounds and zip ties in place of several fasteners due to the well nuts failing. I need to learn the proper technique for replacing well nuts. Does anyone know the proper torque  for setting the well nuts?

[africord]

Knowing that you are on VFRD, did you look at this?


http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/77102-well-nuts/

[stevegrab]

Bob,
I'm curious with that many miles what you've done for the shock, how many replacements and what did you go with. My 98 VFR only has about 50K miles and I'm ready to replace the shock. I've got Race Tech gold valves and new springs to go in the front, and am wondering what to do for the rear. I've looked at many of the aftermarket options, but am debating the logic of putting a 6-8-9 hundred dollar shock on this bike. I know the motor is rock solid, I may need some clutch work soon. I've gone through the one RR and so far the Honda replacement has been fine (I've also got a voltage meter in place so I can see if the bike isn't charging properly).
I've dug around on the VFR forum some, and the Penske and such seem to be the preferred option. Love the bike, still my favorite to ride but a 99 Triumph Sprint ST is my main touring bike now (hard bags, heated grips, etc.)

[NinjaBob]

Knowing that you are on VFRD, did you look at this?


http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/77102-well-nuts/

No I had not seen that, I don't get on VFRD very often. Thanks for the link. My local Cycle Gear had them in stock at one time and I have a pack but I need to learn how to properly install them. If they are not snug enough they will spin and then you are in a fix. On the other hand I am afraid to find out what happens when you overtighten them.

[NinjaBob]

Bob,
I'm curious with that many miles what you've done for the shock, how many replacements and what did you go with. My 98 VFR only has about 50K miles and I'm ready to replace the shock. I've got Race Tech gold valves and new springs to go in the front, and am wondering what to do for the rear. I've looked at many of the aftermarket options, but am debating the logic of putting a 6-8-9 hundred dollar shock on this bike. I know the motor is rock solid, I may need some clutch work soon. I've gone through the one RR and so far the Honda replacement has been fine (I've also got a voltage meter in place so I can see if the bike isn't charging properly).
I've dug around on the VFR forum some, and the Penske and such seem to be the preferred option. Love the bike, still my favorite to ride but a 99 Triumph Sprint ST is my main touring bike now (hard bags, heated grips, etc.)

Steve, I replaced the rear shock with an OEM bought on Ebay for $20 bucks at about 60,000 miles. I have another Ebay unit ready to go on when I feel the need. Had the forks rebuilt last year, just new oil, bushings and seals. The aftermarket shocks are quite expensive. I doubt I would have splurged for the Ohlins on  the Connie without the 20% discount

[stevegrab]

Thanks for the feedback Bob. I'll check eBay for those, but always have concerns with buying used items like that.

Long live our VFRs :-)

[Tigger]

NinjaBob:


Well nuts are non-rigid fasteners because of the rubber that serves as a spacer/damper in each. You should not (not, haha) tighten until you feel it "solid" because then you are pushing the material in its steep stress-strain zone and it will take compression set faster, which will make it harder to remove and to reuse. A gentle hand torque is enough and usually corresponds to 60 - 100 in-lbs. The elastomer is there to help dampen vibrations that cause either loss of clamp load or fretting cracks, or both. If you try to lock it solid you are defeating the purpose.


On the subject of injectors, my '99 VFR lost the will to start during an extended period of inactivity; after exhausting the troubleshooting tree, it occurred to me that the injectors might be physically questionable (by opposition to electrically) so I sent them out. Now for a shameless plug: http://www.southbayfuelinjectors.com/clean-flow-test/motorcycle/ in New York NY were fast, cheap, courteous and professional, and they sent me not only clean and well packed injectors, but also a before/after flow chart as well as my old bits back for good measure. I heartily recommend them.


On the subject of voltage regulators, especially if you are going to ask your VFR to run an RV-like electrical array, this is where I got a dedicated kit, complete with instructions and connections: http://www.rmstator.com/en/catalog-years/1999/honda/vfr800?filter=true they also have a replacement stator in the case it is needed. Ricks Motorsports also has a replacement unit. The important thing is to select a MOSFET regulator that dissipates much less heat. It doesn't help that the heat sink in the stock unit is not oriented the best way. Probably a bin part that they oh-welled on.


Now if I could find someone who knows what the henry they are doing in a paint booth...

[NinjaBob]

Thanks for the well nut info Tigger. I had no idea they worked that way! I had my injectors cleaned and balanced at RC Engineering in California, RC as in Russ Collins. They were quick and reasonable, sent a detailed report and most importantly fixed my leak.