New bike and need some advice....

[sonofrust]

Well, I finally decided to buy a VFR after reading all of the great press and riding a few bikes. Very impressive, to say the least. Found a nice, clean 2004 v-tec bike that was traded in at a local dealership with 2700 miles. I buy it. Bike was very clean and ran really well on the test ride. Problem is that during each outing after running for about 15 miles, I notice a bit of a hesitiation within the powerband that sometimes cuts in and out. Sometimes in cuts out and stays out until I shut off the bike and let it sit for a while. It feels like one cylinder drops out. Temp is fine (175). The bike still runs ok but is down on power, a little rough, and feels cranky; like there's some sort of fuel injection issue or electrical/firing problem. Took it back to the dealer and they said they couldn't reproduce the symptoms. By the end of our short conversation they told me that "they pretty much all run like that." I've had a lot of bikes over the years, and although the thing still runs, will still pull in all gears (no stalling), will sing over 7000 when the vtec kicks in, I still beleive something's up. When I start out, the bike runs much better and I can really feel the exact junction when it slips into "raggy running" mode. Does anyone out there have any ideas? I'm going to pull the plastic off next weekend and root around looking for loose connections, melted wires, etc. If necessary, I'll bring it to another local dealer and ask them to run some tests based on my observations. Any advice would be appreciated. If it's true and "they all run like that" I'll probably dump this bike next month and look for something else.

Thanks!

Doug

[VFRstar]

While the stock VFR (2002+) has some hesitation around 4K to 5K, it should clear up when you pass 5K. This is an emissions issue. There are ways around it, such as a power commander. The power commander completely removed it on mine.

This doesn't sound like your problem though. Although it does make me wonder if they have installed a power commander and have the wrong map programmed into it.

Could it be a bad bad air filter?

I'm sure others here will have some ideas to look at.

[viffer65]

hmmmmmmm sounds very strange, has it got standard pipes on it ?

[eddievalleytrailer]

It sounds like the coolant temp senser. It is not telling the computer when it is hot enough to come off of cold run mode. Look at a spark plug to see if it is black and sooty. That bike should run smooth as silk!! The dealer that said "They all do that" is a big fat liar, trying to get out of fixing your bike!!! He knows the VFR is one of the smoothest running and riding bikes ever built.

[sonofrust]

Thanks for the advice. I've got a number of items I'll be investigating. First is to see if this bike has had the wiring harness recall. Next will be to investigate some of the circuits to see if anything is cooking under the plastic, as I've heard a number of bikes of this vintage have had issues, hence the wiring harness recall. I was also given some advice re. blocking off the PAIR valve and pulling the oxygen sensors. This is like a new bike with only 2700 miles and no visible mods. Once I get under the body work, I'll see pretty quickly if it's got the PC III. I'll add coolant sensor and air cleaner to the list. I've only had the bike for a week, so I'm also deciding if I should pressure the selling dealer to simply sort this out or pursue the logistics of turning the bike back in and trying to swing another deal. In any event, thanks for the advice, and I'll keep you posted on how things progress. When the bike is running right, it rides beautifully. However, I'm in for about $7000, and for that amount, I've got to have a bike that runs according to spec. Any further thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Doug

[eddievalleytrailer]

I think the dealer owes it to you to repair the bike. You've only had it a week for crying out loud!!