Just picked up RC36 and already a problem on the way home

Hey guys,

Just bought a super clean RC36 with 7K and on my 50 mile ride home something happened. I was almost home and I was pulling away from the light and there was a small pop and it started running terribly, there was a loud ticking like an exhaust leak. Does anyone know if its a common problem or a known problem to blow an exhaust gasket?

The bike has a slip on so I thought it might have been at that joint but the sound is coming from somewhere closer to the engine. I didn't really get a chance to run it and check exactly where it is since its midnight here. I took a look by the radiator where the front 2 headers come out and nothing looks unusual, no gasket material. Not seeing any fluid leaks yet and I checked the oil and dont see anything that might be water. Also I dont remember seeing any smoke.

Im guess from the mile I rode to get it home it sounded like an exhaust leak but who knows.

Not really the greatest way to start ownership. Also the seller lucked out like a mofo.

Really hoping this is nothing. Maybe its running lean as hell from the slip on and the exhaust got really hot and the old gasket let go. IDK.

Was super fun ride home except for the crazy soft suspension and now this.

Any help would be great. Thanks

 

Well F me sides ways, couldnt sleep with this on my mind so I went down to take the plastics off to have a look. Couldn't really get them off since I dont know anything about this bike yet.

Fired it for a fast second and put my hand under the bottom exhaust connections to check for a leak. Nothing. The sound it def coming from under the seat/tank. I pull the seat and try and peak from the shifter side and what I see is the spark plug boot sticking up?! WTF?! Im praying to god at this point that the plug was just not tightened down all the way and or backed itself out.

I figured out how to raise the tank so I can get the wire and plug out at the same time, can't believe this S#$t, the plugs broke off in the head. I mean wtf?! Im guessing someone broke it off in the head and left it and or used the last remaining thread to tread it back in just to sell it. Uhh man, I literally bought this bike as second transportation because my BMW needs a new part like once a week. Im praying to god again I can back this thing out without doing anything else, or else its just going to sit for a very long time. Im not taking the head off.

Is this common?! Been working on pretty much anything that has a gas motor my entire life and never seen this.

 

So I get down on my knees and asked god, "why, you screw me nearing every god d$mn day, please let me just have one, I can't live like this." Not letting this go. Grabbed a flat screwdriver to see if it would fit and wedge, it was too big. Went back and grabbed a Phillips, it started backing out, "yes god! thank you, noooo, no, I'm not celebrating too early, I'm sorry". It stopped backing out and was slipping, it was hung up, "please god, not now, I need this one, I promise I wont be cocky" grabbed some masking tape and wrapped it around backwards, "pleeeeaasseeeee", YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! I just want to keep screaming Allāhu akbar but its 2am.

I know deep down I should replace the other plug, but hell no, Im not rolling those dice.

 

I'd go buy a lottery ticket right now.

Never seen anything like that in my life. Well done getting that one out!

 

It coming out was the lotto ticket . Ill just take that and be happy. No wonder the dude sold the bike so cheap.

 

A friend bought a used car many years ago with a straight 6 that was very cheap. It felt like it was running on 5 cylinders, but it was late so he decided to take a look next day. Sure enough, when he pulled one of the plug leads, there was just a piece of wood stuffed in the cylinder head. So he replaced it with a new plug, reconnected the lead and started the car...

Boom!!! The oil pan ended up on his driveway. When he stripped the engine, that cylinder had no piston or con-rod, the inlet manifold just slowly leaked gas into the crank case until some fool put a spark plug in and ignited it.

 

Wow! Yep, never seen anything like that on anything I’ve worked on. Hopefully this will be the extent of your woes.

 

Hey guys, kinda need some help again. Not out of the woods yet.

Picked up a plug today. Put it in and it ran fine, died a min later. Figured I may of hit the fuel shut off switch. Took the seat off sure enough it was off.

Rode it in about an hour of solid lane splitting on the 101. Got that thing hot to give her a nice shake down. It has a high mount Delkevic on the brake side (right?) and my ass was on fire. Went to a friends to be like "hey check out my new clean a$$ bike". Hung out for a bit, then tired to leave, wouldnt start. I dont know much about this bike but I have briefly seen the rectifier problem, looked around to see where it might be, Im guessing its on the side right above the exhaust at the tail? Im also guessing the exhaust being high mount cooked the sh!t out of it and killed it.

From the brief searching I've done the Ricks motorsports looks like its the one to get? What do you guys think? Also if this is the problem I'm guessing I might have to relocate it under the seat away from the high mount exhaust.

Let me just say that push starting that thing on flat ground is a real b!tch. So far, ownership of one of the most reliable bikes isn't looking too good.

Also does anyone know where I can find a guide to the suspension, like where the adjusters are at and what they do? Maybe something like a sticky. I tired to look around and really havent found anything. The thing is super soft and it dives and lifts too much plus the seat is kinda low. I like to fix it.


Thanks guys.

PS also realized the Delkevic had the db killer in it. Took that out and it sounds even better. Sounds like a da$m f1 car near redline. Only bummer is theres no screw to go back in and theres a leak now right before the can.

 

Hi 2wenty and welcome to the MadHouse

I do not want to rain on your parade - but that new (to you) bike is not all that new, so please for your own safety give the bike a very thorough check over now.

It already looks like you have encountered a few challenges with your new VFR750, and the safest place to discover problems is in your garage - not at speed. Some of those problems could well be linked to the age of the bike and the astonishing low mileage.

Even the newest RC36' came of the production line way back in 1997, so if that bike really has only done 7,000 miles in say 22 years - then on average it has covered barely 320 miles per year, and unless the previous owner handed over a wodge of service documentation, you should err on the side of caution and assume it has never been serviced - ever. Indeed that bit of maths would raise a lot of red flags for me to check out before I contemplated taking it out on 101 for a one hour freeway blast.

Sadly at that mileage it is quite possible loads of typical wear and tear stuff could still be fitted the original parts the VFR had on when it left the factory.

That spark plug fault begs the question - are all the others in a similar state? So as spark plugs are not expensive I would certainly be replacing all the plugs as soon as possible. Given the near miss with that plug I would however take some preventative action to help ease out the other plugs. Consider a brief spray of a releasing spray like AeroKroil around the head of the plug and then waiting for half an hour before carefully easing those plugs out. Normally I tend to hang on to the last set of plugs (just in case) however I suspect they might be better donated to a museum.

So if you are not planning in getting it serviced by a dealer, then think and check all the stuff which does not last forever.

Check the tyres(tires) - if the date code on the side is more that 10 years - they can delaminate disastrously with little or no warning. Brake pads, discs and brake lines can all deteriorate so carefully examine, and as necessary replace. Fluids, 20+ year old brake fluid, coolant and engine oil, oil & air filters could all need replacing. PS Don't forget to check for critters nesting in the airbox.

I have never used Ricks stuff myself, however I have spotted some mixed reports on here about their RRs. So before you start throwing cash at new charging system parts - have a search on here for "the drill" which explains how to figure out which if any parts are OK or defective.

Good luck - let us know how you get on.


SkiMad

 

Thanks for the long reply.

The guy that sold it seemed pretty honesty. I txted him today about the problems I had and he called me immediately so see how it could be resolved even though he could of just ignored me. Im wagering he's an honest guy, Im guessing he just never rode it hard enough for things to show up in my opinion. He said he's never even heard the fan come on once. Well the fan was pretty much on the whole time for me today in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour. Im guessing the one day that I've owned it has seen its hardest use since new.

He said he bought it from a Honda dealer 16 months ago and that they went through the entire thing. He said the original owner had it and it supposedly just sat in the garage and it was never ridden. Then it was donated to a charity by the original owner or his family and supposedly a Honda dealer bought it from the charity, went through it and sold it. I mean the thing does look brand new. Even under the plastics it looks new. Its pretty much the only reason I bought it. Im not really a VFR guy and my heart has been set on a supermoto for like 10 years, but when I seen this thing I had to get it.

Also pretty sure the tires are newer but Ill double check. They still feel pretty sticky, and theres a small flat spot down the middle from that cruising it. Theres zero lip on the rotors from where the pads contact, they look original and pretty much no use on them.

I mean its honestly too nice for me to even ride. The thing should go to a museum. I kinda hate the thought of putting a bunch of miles on it.

 

very nice bike hope you have no more problems but it is probably a good idea to give it a 'going over' just for your own piece of mind, just goes to show that there is still nice bikes still out there somewhere

 

Gonna sort it all out and get it running good, then dial in the suspension and Ill probably sell it. Honestly the thing is going to get ruined here in Hollywood. All I have a is a carport parking. This thing needs to go in a garage.

 

Sweet mother of god that is in great shape, I never get tired of seeing bikes in perfect condition come out of the cobwebs
Check that bike over really well
There is no reason for that spark plug to be broken unless someone got stupid when they were checked.
It is hard to tell but the clutch fluid sight window looked golden, if that is the case I would flush all the fluids to start and also check the electrical connections in the stator / starter relay systems, they maybe need cleaning up
Nice Bike, wish you were closer

 

2Twenty, Skimad has some great advise and before you start taking it on long rides on congested freeways really give the bike a once over. Although the seller could be a very honest person and he may even believe the dealer did a thorough job, people’s memory are usually not that great, especially when a lot of time has past.

For any used bike I have bought and even a few that friends have purchased, I go through them top to bottom and in most cases give them a full fluid flush/fill, just to ensure that the fluids are fresh. Brake fluid is one in particular that if it sits for a while it can collect moisture and in some cases even congeal. This is one area where you want the freshest fluid you can get. Engine oil is probably the least neglected but IMO should be changed if you’re buying a used bike. Inspecting it while it’s draining and after you drained it could reveal internal issues hiding in the engine. Discoloration, metal flakes, smells of gas, etc. can reveal both major and minor issues.

The VFR is known to run a little on the hot side, particularly the VFR800’s with their side mounted radiators but even earlier models when moving slowly through traffic will start to heat up pretty good. Coolant is another often neglected fluid to be looked after so again, flushing and inspecting can be helpful but at the very least a visual inspection should be performed.

As for the RR, I would highly recommend looking into the “Drill” post before you start throwing parts onto the bike and if you do need to replace the RR, the Shindengen SH847 or FH020AA from www.roadstercycle.com are the two that come highly recommended and Jack is a very helpful guy and even has how-to videos on the website. Although it is tempting to go for the cheaper costing items, be careful when buying electrical components on the cheap.

I’m sure the shininess of the “new toy” is very high and being able to commute on it is why you bought it but giving it a good once over should be higher on your list than riding it around, especially after the few little encounters you’ve experienced already.

This website should have plenty of information for your era bike, so using the search function or even google should provide you with good info for whatever task you need to tackle. There’s also VFRDiscussion.com and they have a download section where you might find the Honda Factory Service Manual in electronic form.

If you find that you just don’t have the workspace/environment or the tools, I’m sure there are members close to you that might be able to help. I would offer up my garage but at the moment there are a couple of projects going on in it and my work schedule is keeping me from tinkering during the week to help speed up the progress, so it may be a few weeks before I have any space available.

Good Luck

 

Thanks OOTV, I did a quick once over looking at the fluids and everything looks new, but ill keep looking.

Just charged the battery, going to go load test it then see what kind of voltage the regulator is putting out.

I really want to keep it, its really comfortable, it sounds insane and looks amazing, but I think the right thing to do is get something else.

I think after I sort this thing out, Im going to take it for one ride on the crest, takes some photos and then sell it. It needs to go to someone that has a garage and wants to keep it pristine. I doubt there are many out there like this and it needs to be preserved.

I dont want it to just sit at my place under a cover and not ride it to keep the miles off. Plus I really dont want to replace the battery all the time from not riding it (theres no power outlet around for a battery tender). Or worst case Ill just end up parking it here somewhere in hollywood when Im out and about and someone is going to back into it and knock it over. People here are the absolute worst. I have BMW 330i ZHP that was absolutely mint, not a ding or scratch and now the thing is trashed from people hitting it, door shots, major scratches on the roof from people setting stuff on it, dents on the hood, etc. I really need something like a xr650r, something that can get knocked over or bumped into and be fine. Plastics on those are cheap. Plus that thing is nimble to cut through traffic. The reason I need a bike in the first place.

 

Okay, so I charged the battery, took it to a parts store and had it load tested and it tested fine. I put the battery back in and rode it all over today. A little over 100 miles, started every time. So I have no idea. Just gonna keep riding till it goes out again.

Well I guess my bike only has a preload adjustment on the rear, so I cranked it all the way hard and backed it off a couple turns and its a lot better now. Really wished there was a way to stiff the front a little but mine doesnt have any adjuster.

Tires are a little sketchy, not horrible. I took it through a bunch of canyons and wore down the center flat spot and the chicken strips. Just check the date and they are 2010, so it looks like Ill be getting some tires soon. It looks the the Angel GT ones might be best.

Also gonna flush the brake and clutch fluid soon.

 

Sounds a good plan.

These VFRs can handle huge mileages - so if you do need a bike to commute on, then it is probably a great choice - just give it new boots and a thorough service first.

If you have not spotted it yet - these things are a bit top heavy and can all too easily pass the point of no return and end up taking a nap. No biggee for a well worn rat bike but for a bike with fairings in pristine condition I would consider fitting frame sliders all round.

Have fun - and Ride Safe.


SkiMad

 

Great find! If only mine was nearly so nice... +1 on fixing and selling her to a museum, etc.

Or if you could rent a secure parking space for her, and only ride on nice sundays

i'm getting second thoughts on fixing mine up.

It is going to cost me probably about 2-3 times the price I got her in the first place (1000€)..then again, it is so nice to take a trip to the mall for groceries, cruise around town or do a full day on her saddle, that it makes me feel quite at odds.

Also, the fact that there are miles(actually km) on the clock and the fairings are a little dinged up, give a slight leeway in modifications.. a port and polish job with a full custom exhaust and intake mods to match might be nice.. a blower has gone through my mind also

Riding on the storm

 

Does anyone know what fluid is used for the clutch? Is it the same as the brakes? Been looking around and didn't see anything, and I didn't see it in the manual. Thanks

 

If you’re referring to what’s in the master cylinder, yes, it’s the same as the brakes. DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid.