Have a Few Questions...on my 1991.

Have been through 5 bikes in the past year. I liked my R1, but loved my 2000 VFR. Sold that bad boy, rode a CRF450R for a bit, and recently moved to a 1991 VFR (which, by the way, has a lot more likeability over the 2000 IMHO).

This bike is in pretty good shape, but at the same time, needs a little bit of love.

1. Runs pretty good, except for the difficulty starting it after its been sitting for a couple of days. I am assuming this is probably just a gummy carb, or a minor adjustment needed. However, sometimes the starter just kinda whines...doesn't seem to be "catching", if you will. Any thoughts on this?

2. I need to replace or rebuild the rear shock, but I would actually like to replace it altogether with a stiffer shock for more control. I'm sitting at 230lbs on a terribly faded shock - any suggestions on a higher performance shock that doesn't require to much re-jigging? Note: girlfriend on the back sometimes.

3. Front forks have also faded - recommendation on decent fork oil?

4. Looking for a pipe for this bad boy, but haven't really found anything!! Seems that this bike is getting pretty rare, but with reason.

I got this bike for what I consider to be a great deal ($2700 CAD @ 35,000km) with minor fairing rash from what looks like a standstill drop. Barely noticeable.

Any help is greatly appreciated - thanks in advance!

Check out the pic - Chain Lakes, AB

 

see if dynajet or honda(honda pro) has any stage one jet kits for your bike. while youre having the high speed jets installed see if they can clean out the rest of your carbs (low speed jets etc...). after thats complete you will be ready to put in a kn or bmc filter, and also an exhaust. if you check ebay youll see that there is a company named sandy's ... they make all sorts of full systems for your bike (high mount, low mount, and rc24? or rc30? style...)
that should get you started:thumbsup:

 

VFR750 VFR 750 EXHAUST SYSTEM RC30 RC45 style 1989-1993 - eBay (item 370196762096 end time May-13-09 14:19:05 PDT)

 

Micron (pipe) makes one that I have and it works and sounds great.

 

First, I'd check your sag and see if the stock spring is adequate for your weight. Improper spring rates can cause a shock to fail earlier than it should.

One option is to have a shop rebuild it for you. Some might say that stock shocks(not sure about your year though) are not rebuildable (which...on the 5th gen they weren't designed to be, but you can modify them so they are rebuildable). If you can't find any shops around you that are willing to rebuild it, Jamie Daugherty or Daugherty Motorsports - Motorcycle Suspension Performance and Modification might be able to help you. He can rebuild shocks and respring them to a correct rate for your weight.

As far as new shocks go...

you're looking at serious money if you're going to replace the shock. I'm not sure who still has shocks available for your model of bike, but some companies that have had good success with newer models are Ohlins, Penske, Elkins, Wilbur, Fox, and maybe Hyperpro IIRC. The biggest thing is to get the correct spring for your weight.