Maintenance Tools

I made the mistake of bringing my bike with me to Alaska a year and a half ago. The local shop here in Juneau won't work on the bike ('02) because it is over 10 years old. I plan to take the bike back down to CA for my dad to enjoy. Before I do that I'm going to have to end up doing all the work to prepare it for the trip. I've done a search on here for the specialty tools I'll need, but all I'm finding are posts about the tools under the seat. What will I need, and where can I get them?

I've got plenty of experience working on cars, and have done the basic maintenance on my bikes, but the engine work on the VFR is kinda intimidating. I've got no choice but to do it myself, so it's time to learn something new.

The bike has 61,xxx miles on it, and most of those were put on by another owner. I'm pretty sure I'll need to do valve work, change spark plugs, maybe replace some gaskets, the front fork needs a new seal, and the starter recently decided to not work all the time (probably that ground issue). While I'm at it, I figure I'll redo a lot of the electrical, and clean up the mess of wires from the previous owner's accessories. The 4runner site I hang out on has a large list of links to mods, and frequent problems/solutions with the trucks. Is there a thread like that on this site?

 

Hmm, I know that there's the spanner for the chain adjuster, the spanner for the shock pre-load (Part of the under seat tool kit) and a "special" tool for adjusting the VTEC valves, but other than those, I can't think of any "special" tools specifically for the VFR that you'd need off the top of my head. I'm sure there are retaining nuts that you might need a special socket for i.e. Steering stem, clutch basket, but nothing for doing typical maintenance that I recall.

In case you don't have a copy of it, grab the Honda Service Manual (Look for a PM from me). Not only will it be useful for what you plan on doing, it should tell you of any special tools you might need for other service needs.

Cheers

 

If you have the underseat tools & a socket wrench with short extension & 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13 mm, 14 mm & 17 mm wrenches & sockets as well as a large adjustable/crescent wrench, you can fix just about anything on the entire bike. I carry these in my soft saddle bags everywhere I go & I'm prepared for anything short of an entire engine rebuild.

Gorilla tape & some wire is handy to have, too. I had to MacGyver my muffler on one time with a paperclip when the upper bolt fell out....

 

In addition to this and if you intend to replace the fork seals, you will need a good set of snap-ring pliers, Allen key sockets and a way to lift the front end off the ground so you can remove the forks.

I don't think I've ever heard of a shop that refuses to work on bikes over 10 years of age. That's a new one...

 

I should add that if you're going to pull the forks apart, you might want to get/use an impact driver on the bottom bolt. Many have found the head of the bolt (6mm Hex) will strip or the bolt will just spin. The impact driver seems to work the best. A fork seal driver is another useful tool when changing fork seals.

 

Thanks everyone for the assistance. Especially OOTV, that service manual is fantastic. I've been getting by with a Clymer manual.

My plans are to check the engine compression, the valves, the fork seals, and replace all the fluids since most everything is going to be taken off the bike. The bike had the wiring harness replaced at some point, and all the connectors looked good. I'll find out what's making the fuel pump not always come on when I turn the key. Are there any other recommendations for mods, or things to look at while I've got this much of the bike apart?