03 VFR800 Coming Soon

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by JakeBoucher, Feb 1, 2017.

  1. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Hello everyone, I haven't posted on here in two years or so. My second motorcycle was a 1990 VFR750, I've had 25+ since then. From supersports to cruisers, I have enjoyed them all. The only bike I'd really like another of, is a good old V4, singled sided swing arm, gear driven cam, monster. I found a good looking 03 VFR800 nearby and I'm going to check it out Friday evening. I know in 02+ they went to chain driven cams and fitted VTEC. I'll miss the whine, but the V4 roar still beats the current buzz of my ZX9R. The bike has 37k on the clock, but only 9k on the motor according to the current owner. The owner before him threw a chain and busted the case, so they had the motor replaced. No receipts to prove anything though. He said it's in overall great shape, with few scratches. He's asking $2900 for it, I think I can get it a little cheaper. What should I look for in particular on this bike? Any way I can verify the engine swap? Compare engine number on the bike to engine number on the title? I'm not sure if it's an ABS model or not, where's the proportioning valve that will verify this? I hear the R/R is still a common problem, anything else worth looking into? Any input is appreciated!
     
  2. wiremanjon

    wiremanjon New Member

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    The Abs model will have a small silver sensor ring of a smaller diameter than the right front rotor. There will also be an abs light that comes on when the bike is started, it goes off after the bike reaches a speed of about 3 mph or so, if everything is operational with the Abs system. If you don't see this, you've got a standard linked brake system model. What else to look for? Pull the seat and look by the battery at the various connectors for signs of overheating or melting. Other than that, just do your usual buying a used bike inspection and ride. Good luck!
     
  3. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Thank you for the info. I checked it out just before you posted, looks pretty good, not perfect, but it's a 14 year old bike. I talked him down to $2650, so I don't think it's a bad deal. Nice grip warmers, nice aftermarket seat (not sure of the brand yet), other than that it's all stock. Shifts really smooth, clutch is great, but she is a little quiet with the stock exhaust. I have some gutting to do! Only thing I noticed about the brakes was a valve with 4 or 5 brake lines coming out over it above the rear reservoir.
     
  4. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Thats the proportioning valve for the linked brakes, nothing to be concerned about.
     
  5. wiremanjon

    wiremanjon New Member

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    That's probably the most fun you can get for $2650! Good luck with it and post some pictures when you get sorted out.
     
  6. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Rode the bike a bit today. Wanted to idle at 4k or so until it got to around 220 degrees, I thought it was some sort of automatic choke maybe? On the way to work it ran awesome, VTEC in first and the front end would come up. On the way home in first gear it would hit VTEC and a climb rpm to rev limiter really fast without much speed noticeably. 2nd gear VTEC hit and it pulled well. First thing I thought was a slipping clutch, but in higher gears I didn't notice it. I didn't let the bike fully warm up like I did on the way to work. It's was easy 150+ degrees though, so it wasn't cold. I need to experiment with it more to get a better description. Also, the transition when VTEC kicked in was much smoother on the way to work, on the way back it was odd. Also the speedo always reads 0mph, where should I start for that?
     
  7. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    Sounds to me like your cooling system might need some love. Lots of older VFR's (my 99 included) have needed new thermostats installed, the old ones jam open and the engine runs cooler than intended (IIRC the minimum should around 176F or 80C). On your bike the ECU will not activate VTEC unless the engine is properly warm.

    The high idle also suggests the cooling system is a bit clogged, you have a wax unit which lifts idle when the coolant is cold and drops it back when warm, and this is fed coolant down small bore tubes which can get blocked, which would give the symptoms you describe. May be as easy as trying some radiator flush, but next step would be clearing out of those passages.
     
  8. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    This makes all the sense in the world. The guy said he lost the radiator cap ( I don't know how, seems extremely hard to do). So he plugged the top and taped all over it. Of course water would come out, and it would boil because it wasn't holding pressure without a sealed cap. I had some water in a backpack and rode it, because I had to show my bike off to all the guys at work obviously. I'll get a cap, and I'm sure she will be flawless. Simple fix, you have no idea how relieved I am to see that. Thank you so much, my wife thanks you too, she didn't want to deal with my attitude haha.
     
  9. sunofwolf

    sunofwolf New Member

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    good deal
     
  10. Lint

    Lint Member

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    What, seriously? They are like $8 at an auto parts store.
     
  11. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Yeah, biggest facepalm when he told me that. There isn't a Honda shop nearby, closest Japanese bike shop is 30 miles. Still, order one online or something? He had another motorcycle, couple quads, and a few dirtibikes, so he had to know something about them, I guess he just looked at it like a big hole that needed to be plugged. I'll take good care of her though, tomorrow I'll spend a good portion of the day detailing it and getting the speedo sorted out. I doubt it's cable driven, is there a sensor on the counter shaft sprocket?
     
  12. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    Partzilla are a good source of OEM parts, and in my experience, reasonably priced.

    A genuine cap is $18.27, [h=1]19037-GEE-710[/h]
    but you should be able to find a suitable cap at your local auto parts store, spec calls for 16-20 psi opening pressure.

    The speedo is driven via a sensor that bolts onto the drive sprocket cover, and there is a white plastic coupling that engages with the sprocket nut. If you don't line up the hex in the coupling with the nut when installing, the coupling gets punched back on the shaft and won't engage properly giving intermittent or no speedo reading (had this on my VFR when I got it). The coupling is cheap at $6.44, [h=1]44808-MR7-013[/h]
     
  13. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    The bike has thrown a chain, so I may be in for some fun! Thank you everyone for your help! I'll see if I can get some photos for you guys today.
     
  14. GreyVF750F

    GreyVF750F Member

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    Mid 90's Honda Civic, Accord rad caps fit perfect. Same as the bike.
     
  15. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    So a 95 civic cap should fit. I'll go pick one up today, thank you.
     
  16. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    Just for the record, 150 degrees was the coolant temp. not the oil temp. Oil temp. is a better measure of the engine temp. On almost any vehicle, it takes right at 20 miles to get oil up to normal operating temp. where it lubes best. Sounds like you got a good deal for the amount of fun factor. If it's like any other used motor vehicle, you'll find things you want to improve...like a real radiator cap. Might as well flush the system while you're at it. It's an easy job for a lot of peace of mind.
     
  17. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Thats a good point about the oil temp. Yeah it needs to be gone through, it will be all set by the end of the day.
     
  18. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Bought a 95 civic radiator cap and it was a hair too small. So I bent the rim of the cap out just a bit and it fits fine, with out a leak. When it heats up and pressurizes I don't think it's allowing anything into the overflow, when it gets warm in traffic it sprays out on the left side behind the upper fairing. I think that's how a cooling system works, or I have a hole somewhere. A loose hose seems as if it would blow off instead of spray out like this. I want to get the correct cap and a new t-stat and see how she does.
     
  19. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Update, you guessed it, there wasn't a cap on the damn radiator reservoir either. There's a hose from the radiator fill neck, and it's hooked up to the top of the reservoir. Then a hose on the bottom of the reservoir, and he just looped it into the reservoir opening. When the radiator cap compresses as it should, water and steam sprays out of the top of the reservoir. Seems to me like the hose from the radiator fill neck should be connected to the bottom of the reservoir, and the overflow hose connected to the top of the reservoir then routed to a spot to overflow if necessary. Does that sound correct?
     
  20. JakeBoucher

    JakeBoucher New Member

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    Parked next to my ZX9R

    [​IMG]

    I have the original exhaust too, but I figured I'd see how she sounds. I noticed it had a Sargent seat on her too, those aren't cheap from my understanding. I waxed her up today, not a bad looking bike.

    [​IMG]

    The hose connected to the neck ran to the radiator fill, so I swapped all that around. I need to get a cap for the reservoir too. Anything I can make shift cap it with until I get one in the mail?

    [​IMG]
     
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