1994 VFR 750 ticking

Hi all!

I recently bought a 1994 VFR 750 with 67.000 kms on the clock. Unfortunately it had no service history, the owner claimed it had been done by his brother or brother-in-law over the years he owned it. However due to the bike's reputation of being bullet proof, it running fine and being cheap, I couldn't resist buying it.

First thing I did was change the oil, oil filter, air filter and fuel filter. After driving it a few times I noticed a very small ticking noise coming from the engine. At first I thought it was the natural sound of the cams & valves but the ticking has become more intense, as can be heard in the video.



Furthermore, I caught an incident on camera where the bike seemed to stall of even hit something after a small rev.



What do you guys think of this ticking noise? Is this the end of this block?

First thing on my list is replacing the spark plugs and see what the effect is. Valve clearance needs to be checked and carburetor has to be synced as I think it started running rough. I am however a bit cagey running the engine due to it ticking.

 

Exhaust leak ticking? Have you checked?

 

Change the plugs, but I really suspect you need to go thru* the carbs, including a synch. Did the bike sit before you got it?

*Definition "go thru": A real, proper V4 carb clean and highly recommended 0-ring replacement.

It sounds to me like it's sruggling to idle, running rough, and may be dropping to 3 cyl at idle.

That clunk is just the starter clutch grabbing slightly when the bike died idling low/rough and kicked back a bit. I've heard it many times on 90 - 97 VFRs I've worked on.

If the bike has had any kind of oil change schedule, it is 99.99% just fine. Just needs some more TLC.

 

Thanks for the replies!

Not yet, will check when changing plugs!

Yes the bike sat most of the past year, owner said he only drove it from storage to his house for about 6 km. Dreading the carb clean and sync a bit, contemplating trying to do it myself and learn or sending it to a mechanic.

 

I owe you guys an update. Very overdue but better late than never!

After my last post I rode the bike some more late summer of 2023 and it would stall while idling, which resulted in interesting moments when stopped for a traffic light. Realizing this wasn't sustainable, I started the carb clean in the "go thru" definition Captain 80s suggested above.

The carbs looked rough and after disassembly I found that the secondary air cleaner filter(?) had been sucked into the carbs through the breather tube.

XSW22Uu by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:14 PM

ILPUZBp by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM

0gDpR6Q by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM

So I put the parts of each carb in their respective box and cleaned the using an ultrasonic cleaner. I put everything in the ultrasonic, except for the diaphragms, and it worked like a charm.

G1BkuVm by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM

Unfortunately I do not have pictures of the cleaned parts and assembly of said parts, but I reassembled the carbs using a carburetor kit from LiteTek and a service manual. The individual carbs was straightforward, but putting them together was quite the puzzle, hence the manual.

In the meantime I did a compression test on the cylinders, and they all where around 180 PSI.

After reassembling the carbs I set the mixture screws to the recommended amount of turns as per the manual and eyeballed the synchronisation, fitted the carbs and let the bike ran:


Wasn't great, but it ran. Next big thing was new tires and front brakes, so I dropped half the bikes worth on some Michelin Road 6 tires, 2 new front discs and pads, ouch. I brought away the wheels to have the tires changed, rebuild the brake calipers and changed the front discs and pads.

During the spring & summer 2024 I rode a bit and tried to tune & synchronize it, which made it run a bit better. Here's a video from november 2024:


This year I've been riding a lot more, some commuting to work, some fun stuff like Luxemburg with some friends in may:

BEoRnSI by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:16 PM

And some track time during the summer:

Ji1xTLz by Paneermeeuw posted Nov 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM

If weather permits (no rain, not too cold) I drive it during winter. However I'm contemplating storing it somewhere dry as it is now sitting outside under a cover.

Cheers!

 

Nice story. Beware of salt on the roads! It takes its toll on ... Everything.

 

Thanks!

I just now realized I haven't mentioned the problem for which this thread was started; the bike still produces the ticking noise

One of the items on the to-do list is adjusting the valves, if I'm in there I'll probably replace the exhaust gaskets, if the nuts & studs cooperate.