New guy trying again.

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by mikemo, Mar 9, 2021.

  1. mikemo

    mikemo New Member

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    I bought a 1986 VF500F last October, but extensive top-end engine issues forced me to abandon the project and part the bike out. I still had the V4 bug, and have been looking for the last few months. Now this followed me home today:

    vfr_home.jpg

    It's a very early 2003 with ABS. Just a shade under 20k miles. Full maintenance history, Heli bars, Sargent seat, heated grips and the panniers. ( I don't know why, but I really wanted the hard bags). I need to wash her up and get her registered so I can take a spin. The tires are about 10 years old, so they need to be replaced, but they aren't dry rotted, so I think it's ok to put a few easy miles on them to check the bike out.

    By the way, if I can avoid it, I'm never putting a bike in the back of my pickup again. It always feels sketchy. The Uhaul trailer was less than $25 for the day. Easy on, easy off. A bargain in my opinion.

    Let's hope this bike treats me better than the VF500F did!
     
  2. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    if you had read up on the vf500 on this forum first it's unlikely you would have wasted your time or money buying one. :(
     
  3. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    Hey Squirrelman that is an interesting thought.

    However I just had a look at the 1st Generation section where I guess anyone new to the site might have a brief look before deciding to buy. However there is nothing really pertinent in the existing "Sticky" threads for that Generation of VFR. I doubt maky potential buyers would plough through dozens of threads to really get a feel for regular issues especially with the early models.

    I wonder if it would make sense to set up a sticky for each VFR Generation and invite people on the forum who really know those models to post up any "known Issues" and "buyers advice".

    Certainly by the time we get to the 5th and 6th Gen's we have seen endless posts of people with charging system faults and fixes which potential new owners might find of use.

    SkiMad
     
  4. mikemo

    mikemo New Member

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    Hi Squirrel,
    Yes, hindsight is 20/20. Thankfully, I've emerged from my 1st gen experience financially unscathed because I parted the bike out. If I had spent more on it I doubt I could have broken even. Also, it seems that for every person that says "the motor won't last much past 25k miles" there is someone saying that they have 70k on theirs and it runs great. During disassembly, I found several fasteners that had safety wire holes in them. Perhaps this bike's racing heritage is to blame for the early failure of the valvetrain.

    Maybe a proper warning on the VF500F could be "Even if the bike is running there could be serious valvetrain issues. The cost of rebuilding the top end of this motor, with the lack of availability and high cost of parts, could easily exceed the value of the bike."

    I took a quick spin on the 800 yesterday. It's a little heavier than I'm used to, but it seemed to run great. I get my registration on Friday so I'll be able to take it for a proper ride and see how it goes.
     
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  5. Diving Pete

    Diving Pete Member

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    Terrific buy & excellent choice on the trailer rental...

    Look forward to future updates...
     
  6. mikemo

    mikemo New Member

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    Thanks Pete!
    I'm looking forward to getting out on it this weekend.

    I went through the maintenance receipts and found that as part of the 16k mile service (2.5 years and 4k miles ago), the shop did a "valve inspection" and declared that all were in spec.

    Within the last year it has received a new DID 530VX chain and sprockets, and a new battery (and an oil change).

    Any suggestions for high-quality tires?
     
  7. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    Nice to see they carried out the valve check as that entails a lot of expensive labour time but needs few if any parts.

    My 2007 is well past 200,000km and despite several valve checks by dealers they keep reporting the valves were all in spec and none of the shims needed replacement.

    If you are not riding your VFR on the ragged edge most of the time with the rev limiter working overtime, then lots of 6th gen owners have found that valve checks reach much the same conclusion with no shims needing changing. Hence I now only bother getting every other valve check done.

    I rather suspect the vtec valve inspection frequency was designed to pick up problems on a VFR being used as a daily track day mule and rather over the top for most riders..

    As for the battery replacement, hopefully was simply down to age the bike after all it is 18 years old. But it might also be indicative of charging system problems which these bikes are renowned for.

    So at the very least I would be very tempted to invest a few dollars now and fit a cheap volt meter so you can monitor the system whilst riding. The Bay has loads of suitable volt meters - most from China at very reasonable prices - you just want the type which shows volts as an LED number rather than a row of pretty lights. These meters are rarely super accurate but, once it is connected to a circuit which goes live when the ignition is turned on, it will quickly allow you to get a feel for what voltage is normal.

    Then if you see the volts rise or fall alarmingly it gives you a chance to head for some place safe before the energy left in the battery is drained and you end up stranded at the roadside. Regulator rectifier faults are so common on 6th Gens that many people just go out and install a decent Shindengen RR from Roadstercycle.com (just ask for an extra foot of cable for easy install). Once fitted with a decent RR it should give the rest of your charging system a lot less stressful life, and allow you to plan really long trips with full confidence.
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2021
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  8. VFR1200

    VFR1200 New Member

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    Nice find with milage that low.
    I got my 2007 Anniversary in 2018. That had sat around since brand new.
    First thing j did was new battery, full fluid change, full service on headstock bearings and shock oil, seals etc. Last thing was get rid of the OEM tires that were still on it.
    Luckily you won't have to go through all that, with a full service history on that bike.
    Luggage is always nice to have. Somewhere to put the cakes on the way home or your helmet when you stop at places.
     
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