1998 5th Gen - Won't Start - Starter Valve Issues (?)

Would love some help to diagnose my ’98 VFR800 (with the manual choke):

Series of events:

1. Noticed return throttle cable seemed stretched, so ordered a replacement (not OEM, just a cheap one as OEM was going to take ages to get delivered)
2. Replaced cable, and during this process I realised that the cable wasn’t stretched, it was snapped (due to rust/corrosion)
3. I replaced the injectors with brand new ones.
4. As I was already working on the bike, I wanted to adjust the timing of the starter valves.
5. Using a carby balancing kit that I bought, I balanced them, and after several attempts & test rides, it ‘seemed’ to be great.
   * Note: it would take AGES to start the bike every time for some reason… but once started, it ran ok(ish) as I tuned it. Sometimes, and I’m guessing cos the timing was still off, the bike just died** – almost like it ran out of fuel, and took ages to start again (usually ended up in running the battery flat, and then had to charge overnight before I could work on the bike again)
   
   ** Note: whilst test riding, the bike would appear to be running fine, then feel like a cylinder was lost, or just a loss of power like it wanted to stall almost… and only when I revved the throttle, it seemed to temporarily fix it… until it happened again, and it conked out.
   
   
6. After thinking my work was done (and this is over about 2 weeks) I came back to the bike to ride it to work, and it would start. Just kept turning over and over… to the point I just gave up, and completely out of ideas on what’s happening

To Note:

• Battery is tested & is in working order
• I haven’t changed the plugs since, but I think I’ll need to probably change them again as they’ll be fouled.
• The Air Filter looks completely clean, and I’m pretty confident it was replaced during the last service approx. a year and a half ago – should I change it just to know for sure?
• Bike has now been siting for about 3 months

Anyone experienced something similar? Can anyone suggest anything, or point out something that I’ve completely missed or forgotten about?

-OR-

does anyone here live in Sydney (Australia) and can suggest a good mechanic familiar with VFR’s that I can take her to, to get fixed?

FYI (My last bill for my VFR was over $2000 because the shop I took it too spent DAYS trying to figure out what was wrong, until coming to the conclusion that there was a problem with the injectors (they thought it was some intermittent electrical problem) – they replaced them (with second hand ones) and the problem was fixed… - I’d rather keep that money & have diagnosed that myself tbh… They are a GREAT shop, but I realised that parts are starting to become scarce somewhat as the bike gets older, and that new mechanics would probably not be familiar at all with the specifics of the VFR… or am I overthinking things?)

Appreciate any help guys!

(i think i took some videos whilst trying to diagnose the issue a while back, i'll hunt around for them in my phone and post links if they're relevant/help the post)

-Kieran

 

Sorry to hear of your struggles with the VFR Kieran.

Do you have a Honda Factory Service Manual? I understand that VFRDiscussion has a digital one available if you do not.

It will help us to know what condition the bike is in. How many miles/ km on the clock? stored under shelter, or exposed?

When you were able to run the engine, did it restart without issue after it was up to operatiing temperature?

When you turn the ignition on, does the fuel pump run for a few seconds then shut off? You should be able to hear it. The key and the kill switch need to both be in the run position. Speaking of the kill switch, it may not be functioning properly and may need to be dissasembled and the contacts cleaned.

Make sure that all of the grounding points of the wiring harness are clean and solid. A poor ground can cause a myriad of issues.

These are the first areas that I would check.