Looking for some tips on buying a used 2002 interceptor

For today:

• Changed oil and got rid of K&N oil filter
• Changed clutch fluid (Old stuff was pretty grisly)
• Cleaned up the bike a bit
• Checked fork seals - they were fine.
• Found the O2 Sensors (See attached) cleaned up the plugs and hooked them back up. (The bike runs so much smoother now and starts up right away!)

Tomorrow:

• Change brake fluid
• Replace chain

I'll be getting the snorkel and the air filter this week. After that, the bike should be ride-ready!

 

Replaced chain and sprockets today What a mess. For some reason the PO had a chain on there that was one link too short. (???)
Bike is running smooth as glass right now. Buttoned the farings back up since the only thing left is replacing the Air filter and snorkel. At thins point the bike is road ready. Unfortunately with the cold weather settling in I am probably not going to register it until Spring.

Oh well. At least it's been fun getting it up to snuff.

 

Some pics I took after buttoning it all up last night. I was planning on waiting till spring to register it but I found out in VA I have to register a vehicle when I purchase it. I'd love to complain about having to spend the dough but since it means I'll get a few cool weather rides in on it I won't do it too loudly...

 

dont get to concerned about the snorkel.. All it means is more intake noise - lol

 

looooking gooood !!

 

Thanks man. It was totally worth the effort and I'm really happy with what I got. I'm at the DMV now getting it registered and plated. I'll probably be able to get it out today for a few.

 

It's registered and insured so I rode it back up to the office. It's mostly highway riding. It's the damndest thing though. The bike doesn't feel very fast. Well... it managed to find 135 quick enough, but it didn't feel very fast. I don't have the mount for my phone set up yet so I can't compare the speedo's accuracy but... yeah. There is it.

I'm also curious to see what happens with the stock air filter. It should richen things up a bit... shouldn't it? Not sure how it affects FI Bikes. I know with carbureted bikes you have the adjust the A/F or get larger jets. Would F/I pick up on that and adjust accordingly?

 

Not sure, but I think the ecu would try and maintain the 14 to 1 air to fuel ratio.

 

I kind of figured that would be the case. It seems like the engine is running rough under 3-4K. I also noticed it was popping through the intake while cold started (36 deg F) yesterday. Not sure if the snorkel will help that or not (probably not) but I'll get it installed tonight and see what it does.

Sent from my N9519 using Tapatalk

 

If you read the Service Manual Chapter 21, Technical Features, you'll learn that the VFR's PGM-FI system uses two completely separate methods of determining the amount of fuel to meter. At narrow throttle openings the PGM-FI system uses the Intake Manifold Negative Pressure (MAP) sensor as the controlling fueling parameter. At wider throttle openings the PGM-FI system uses the Throttle Position sensor as the controlling fueling parameter.

Because the MAP sensor is used at idle and other times of "narrow throttle opening" it's very important to insure that the airbox and other intake items are as close to original stock as possible, because the PGM-FI ECM is hard-programmed with fueling tables that are calibrated work properly with the intake vacuum negative pressure readings the MAP sensor will experience with an OEM-stock intake system in place.

 

Thats great info Greg, thanks. The snorkel was missing when I got it but a new one is set to be delivered to the house today. I think he did the flapper mod as well but I need to confirm that. I know people say these mods help, but I'ma pretty form believer in getting back to stock to have a proper baseline. Its why got the stock exhaust and pulled the power commander out of the mix.

 

Isn't that just the way of the world in general? Things are often so complex that a person can end up being both right and wrong at the same time.

The guys who do those airbox mods to their VFRs are a typical example of this phenomena: They're almost certainly right that these do-in-yourself airbox mods make the bike run better at wider throttle openings (and higher RPM operation), but they're also almost certainly wrong about the airbox mods when it comes to narrow throttle openings (idle or near idle operation and "off idle" throttle response).

In the end the "airbox mod guys" probably get a little more horsepower/torque in exchange for worst-than-stock idle characteristics (rough, stinky-rich, etc.)

 

I get that, but how much HP are you really gaining there? I highly doubt I will need more than is stock for a while. It may very well be that some guys are more experienced than I am on sport bikes (I typically ride cruisers) and feel the need for that extra kick in the pants but for now I'm good. Fortunately, if the bug bites me and I feel the need I have everything (open exhaust, power commander, O2 sensor deletes, K&N Air filter) in my garage to put it back the way it was!

Ask me about this again in 6 months though!

 

I've never looked into the Service Manual for the 6th Gen VFR (I only have 5th Gen VFRs), does it talk at all about the O2 sensors? Does it tell how the PGM-FI uses their input?

The VFR's O2 sensors are obviously just simple "narrow band" type of sensors, which means they're only capable of discriminating for the exact crossover point from leaner-than-stoichiometric to richer-than-stoichiometric (which is 14.7 to 1 air/fuel). So I wonder what the PGM-FI might accomplish with this (relatively minimal) data?

The fact that the 2 sensors are located at each of the 2-into-1 merge points (one sensing at the merge point for the left-side cylinders, 1 and 2, and the other sensing at the merge point for the right-side cylinders, 3 and 4) makes me think that all they could be good for is comparing the left-side cylinders to the right-side cylinders and maybe the PGM-FI might use that information to "trim" the fueling of either set of cylinders at certain times.

 

and... your avatar pic looks like this print I've always had in my study.