First Long Ride Completed: Could use some advice....

Well today i took it on a 309mile trip to leesburg,fl for bike fest and back home.. the bike rode really nice.. i just had few things i have questions about that occured during the ride i would like to discuss some more to understand more about the bike and maybe correct them if there is a problem..

First, it seems like my bike really dislikes using 6th gear.. i tried to use it numerous times today, but since most roads were between 55-60mph... the bike just hates to cruise under 4k rpms it seems.. anything below that it just shudders and makes me cringe a little.. so i just rode the day keeping the rpms above 4k, but my friends i was riding with were concerned because even though i was only riding like 4500rpms, they said my exhaust makes the bike sound like its revving its head off.. .

Secondly, im having random occasions where the bike just will not go into 2nd right away and goes to nuetral.. i would re clutch and try to shift and a few times it sounded like it was trying to grind a little.. it only happened like 2 times today, but concerns me..

Third, the other riders i was riding with today said my exhaust smells like im running super rich.. the bike from what i know has only aftermarket exhaust.. it has a full system 2 brothers and i have no clue if its ever been tuned for it..

Fourth, the bike seems to run very smooth and such.. but today occasionally i would get this pinging sound that would sound like it is coming from the valvetrain.. the bike only has 4900 miles on it now..

and....

Lastly, the most annoying one of the entire trip.. i feel like the windscreen from the factory is useless for me.. the wind is hitting me like right in neck area while riding today and i got pelted more than once from a bug hitting the windscreen and smacking me in the throat.. what are my options out there to make this better for me.. i feel beaten up from the wind today when trying to ride around 60mph

 

Pretend it's a 5 speed unless you're over 65, 6th is rather a tall one on this bike.

Sticky shifting may be sign of clutch not fully disengaging, also what condition is
your engine oil in?

Look at the end of the shifter shaft, click it up/down and see if you notice anything bent, also check the shifter pinch bolt while you're down there.

Always a good idea to check for loose anything with a newly purchased ride.

Have the O2 sensors been removed?

Pinging sound may be camchain tensioner symptoms, a quick vid would help with diagnosis.

Several aftermarket screens available, check some reviews on various offerings.

It would also be good if you put your bike info under your username

The bigwheel fad is the motorcycle equivalent of fucking camber...

Be proud you showed up on a REAL bike!

 

I'll try to respond based on my own experiences:

1. I keep my RPMs above 4500. As Redwing noted - the 6th gear is pretty tall and good for about 60mph+ only. At 55 in 5th - you're probably around 6,500 RPM where VTEC engages. This changes the tone of the exhaust note into 'beast mode', and having aftermarket exhaust enhances it (are the baffles in?). No worries here.

2. In addition to what Redwing suggested, do a fresh oil change with 15W50 (I use Shell Advance Ultra 4T) and see if that improves things. Oil shitty oil can make for hard / missed shifts sometimes. How is your clutch fluid as well? Is it old? Check for crystalization.

3. This could possibly be due to your aftermarket exhaust. Do you get a lot of popping on deceleration? Are the PAIR valves still in the bike or have they been removed? Are they smelling the exhaust while riding or just at idle? VFRs can run very rich at low speeds and idle with the emissions systems. You may need to have the bike tuned for the exhaust and / or remove the PAIR valves to help.

4. In addition to what Redwing asked, what type / grade of fuel are you running? What was the ambient temperature outside today there?

5. I have the MRA Vario Touring Screen. Check it out along with the MRA X-Creen (I've owned one as well on my other VFR). Both are awesome and offer you an adjustable foil to direct the airflow as you need it.

 

Keep in mind sport bike gearing is a compromise that gets you to 130 mph. Like the others said just keep it in an appropriate gear. But also if you are not a speed freak you can change the sprocket ratios to get the revs up quicker and do less clutching in the city. Then you can also have the option of using 5th or 6th on the freeway.

Check the oil level, is it too high? On the center stand or straight up, it should be between the two marks. Smell the oil. You are looking for excessive fuel in the oil. Also the others have asked the important question if you have changed the oil yet.

Just verifying, are you sure the header is aftermarket? The reason I ask is that aftermarket headers run extremely lean, more so than slip on exhausts. Does this machine have a fuel controller like a Power Commander? This would have a map. Connect to it with a computer. Power Commander software will download the map on its own. The map will have comments, sometimes you must enable comments in the menu to see them. What does it say?

 

I have noticed this too seems 6th gear has no pull except over 65
I added two teeth to rear sprocket and it seemed to fix that
are you sure its not just a slip-on-then no tuning needed- use stock air filter only.

 

When I get home today I'll take some pictures, maybe yall can help me out on the exhaust....

The owner said he never had it tuned in any way....except the dealer did an ecu flash one time during a servicing for some sort of recall he said...

The oil was changed earlier this week has less than 400 miles on it...checked it's still at same spot when cold, when you warm the bike up it stays just between min and max

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Too funny, I find 6th gear not tall enough, I'm always looking for another gear, as far as sound the goes, get use to it, they are just jealous, it is to be that way. Also funny I have no issues putt-sing along say in 4th under 4k rpms, even 3rd under 3 is fine. Must be a 6th gen thing no? But the clutch and shift thing Hmm?? I'd have to ride it to get an idea. But sometimes if one gets lazy, or not paying attention or murphys law is playing. just saying hard to tell from here.

 

^^ All well said. What's your fuel mileage like? I normally average around 40 mpg in mixed riding, maybe in to the low to mid '40's freeway slabbing. I'm running a PCIII with a Dynojet map matched to the exhaust. Also, with only 4,900 miles, the bike's done a lot of sitting - be sure there's no contamination or water in the tank.

 

I took some pictures of the exhaust, here they are.. is this just slip on or full system.. i looked around the fairings som.. i see nothing that it has ever had a power commander installed..

I think i will do another oil change in the next few days, i took the cap off to see if i could smell any fuel.. i really couldn't touch any oil to get close enough to it to smell.. i imagine if there was fuel in there i would smell it with just the cap off right?

I may change one of the sprockets, i feel like it needs gearing changed, yesterday going 65-70mph, i was barely doing 4k rpms in 6th...

 

Slip on, sounds like your just lugging it, not enough R's for 6th....I usually hit top gear 65+.
Are you checkin the oil on the centerstand?

 

If the bike is running rich you might want to check the airbox and airfilter are clean and clear, I've seen plenty of photos of rodent nests in there.

Next up I would check the small vacuum hose on the fuel pressure regulator, it should be dry, but if it has any fuel in it, the regulator has perished and should be replaced, which would cause fuel to get sucked through to the intake on one cylinder.

Last and as other have mentioned, you might have a leaky injector, keep an eye on the oil level and if it rises over time, these probably need to removed for a clean.

 

I will have to learn how to get to the air filter, it's one of the few things I've not done yet...I changed the brake system fluid...but not the clutch side yet...or check the air filter....

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Well a little update, i have not touch the bike yet this week.. kinda been stuck in bed sick as a dog.. but i did order Helibars yesterday, i really decided i wanted a more nuetral riding position after the ride this past weekend, i really miss the riding position of my old Ninja Z1000 i had previously, the only reason i sold that bike was because the exhaust from the radiator forever cooked me.. drove me nuts... between that and constantly burning/melting clothing on the ride side of the engine pushed me to sell it... So i am hoping that the helibars will move the leaning angle more upright like the z1000 was, i could ride all day on that thing in that position.. the VFR800 didnt bother me at first but after completing the 300+miles saturday, on sunday my wrist were a little sore and my right one was more sore due to turning the exhaust and leaning on it...

I am still deciding on the windscreen, i am kinda leaning on the Zero Gravity Double Bubble unless one of yall can recommend a better one...

I am also trying to do some research on pegs, because with the helibars i would like to unfold my legs some since they will become more folded with the helibars..

 

yes i check the oil on the centerstand, should i not?

 

On the center stand is the correct way.

 

No thats the correct way bud. Is it running any better for ya?

 

There are two bolts at the head of the tank, just behind the steering stem. Remove these and the tank will tilt up (remove the seat first), then remove the screws on the top cover of the air-box.

 

Very simple process, I usually stick a screw driver in the hole at the front of the tank, throw a strap over my rafters in the garage and hook it up.easy peasy

 

A lot of good suggestions here already. One that no one mentioned (regarding shifting) is trying adjusting your shift lever to fit you and your boot. It made a significant difference on my Multistrada. I used to get frequent false nuetrals but after lowering the shifter a bit, much better. I am NOT trying to start an oil thread here! Lol, just sayin, from a cheap bastards point, Rotella T6 synthetic 5-40 wt. has worked well in all my toys for many many years. This includes a 300 hp super charged Sea Doo, Duc, and of course the VFR. I'm not sure if this is myth or science, but I've always gone with 5-40 wt. over say a10-40 or 15-40 because it would flow better at start up or lower temperature. Hope you get to feeling better, we'd all like to see how you make out with this.

P.S.
What are your buddies riding that they think that your bike sounds like It's over revving during cruise?
John

 

Hello all, i'm feeling better today, so i went out to check the bike out and i noticed a level when looking at the oil i didn't see the other day.. i guess it took time to settle out.. but i'm pretty sure its fuel.. the oil is very clear with a very light brown, but there is about 3/4 to 1 cm of what appears to be a very clear level with somewhat of a copperish hue to it that is sitting on top of the oil level.. i started the bike to see if it was just something i was seeing and just starting the bike for a minute and turning it off removed the separated layer.. so i am going to assume that i do have a leaking injector, which kinda annoys me as i don't know how long this has been going on.. the bike runs perfectly and idles perfectly.. so its not leaking enough to affect the way the bike is idling or running from what i understand, but it does concern me.... I am going to change the oil immediately as soon as i get to the store to pick up some more oil..

One thing i'm thinking of trying out is changing the oil and seeing if i get fuel in the oil again.. it doesn't seem to be leaking all that much because the small amount i see is from around 400 miles of riding and when i went on the long 300 mile ride last weekend after purchasing the bike, i noticed the throttle response and idle became much smoother compared to how it ran when i bought the bike..

Does anyone know of an easy way to determine which injector is possibly leaking, so i just replace that one injector???

I received the Helibars today along with my phone Ram Mount for the bike...