new member from south wales

Hello all. i'm nathan. (openroad83) just thought i would introduce myself. i'm from south wales uk. but not welsh before the sheep banter starts lol. i've been riding for about 6 yrs. ive had a few bike. from virago535 (1st) vfr750 (2nd) bandit 600 (3rd) zzr1100 (4th) tdm850 (5th) bandit1200s (6th) and now ive just purcahsed a VFR800 vtec 2003 with 14000miles which i'll be picking up on sunday. looking forward to that day. i took a test ride on a 2004 on tuesday and i loved it. so that sealed the deal. the bike ive bought is standard apart from the panniers. anything i need to look for on my 2003. i know i've got an expensice service coming up at 16000. what is done on this service?

thanks all that replys

nathan

 

Welcome aboard.

For the 16K service - do some checking around here. While its your decision, many owners don't bother to get it done until say 25 to 30K miles, and even then they are often still in spec. So unless its exhibiting signs of needing a valve adjustment, you might want to wait a bit on that. The dealer will treat you like a sheep when you see the cost for that service.

Other things: in the USA, there was a recall for model years 2002 through 2005 for a wiring harness in the front of the bike. Running your VIN by Honda or a dealer should let you know whether or not this recall was done (I'm pretty sure it applied worldwide).

Normally we ask for pictures of the bike or your favorite girl, but considering the possibility of a sheep showing up, we'll just wait until Sunday for pictures of your new bike.

 

What the Beep.............You have been a looker since 2009 :chairshot:
:welcome: to the madness from across the pond :wave:
Not sure about the history of your bike :noidea:
My new bike I pampar her and have it check at 16K all within spec :thumb:
Rode her till 60k and wrap her under the guard rail
My 2nd by check at 32K all in spec and now approaching 80K
BTW it is Mileages not KM :jaw:

 

Hi and welcome to the madhouse.:welcome:

Sometime just after midnight on Sunday you may find folks on here will be raggin on you for photos of the new bike. So when you pick up the bike find time to post up pics soon (Just click on the "Insert Image" icon and follow the prompts to upload a picture from your computer).

As others have said - yes the bike needs servicing, but the super expensive bit of the 16,000 mile service is the valve check. This thread may give you a better understanding of the issue.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/42138-Valve-check-results?highlight=vtec+valve+check

At the end of the day this is one of those peace of mind things - where you will have to make your own mind up whether you get the check done at 16K or maybe leave it until 32K.

Take care



SkiMad

 

thank you all for the for warm welcome. me and dolly is feeling the love. ha ha i'll get a picture up as soon as i can. i've got a 480 mile round trip to pick the bike up sunday so i think it may take a day or two. but it will be done. i'm considering the valve check to keep the book stamped upto date and my last bike the bandit died do to bent valves. cam chain was fine too. so get me a little worried. for now i'll just see how the bike rides and sound and go from there.

 

I gave you a Thanks. Anyone that's willing to share his sheep's first name on his 2nd post deserves some recognition.

 

Make it 2 :thumb:

 

Well you do sound little BARRRRRRMEY. And that always goes down well with me. Any major common faults with the vtec models that I should keep an eye out.

 

Nice to see someone else residing in Gods country
What part are you in?
I am a valley boy
Croeseo

 

I'm from now Ammanford. Village at end of m4. Born in the Midlands moved down at age of 5 so an honoury welsh man. So I've been told. And for the welcome.

 

Not too far away, I am in the Rhondda, nice and close to Brecon Beacons only about 10 miles to great roads and about 40 miles from you.

Enjoy the Viffer, I absolutely love mine !!

Be safe

 

i test rode a vfr800 from celtic motorcycles aberdare over sheep pass then back down the a470. great roads. i was out for 1hr. loved the handling compared to my mk1 bandit 1200 it was so easy to ride. just hoping i can handle the pressure on the wrists. got a 240 mile 1st ride on sunday when i pic,k it up.

 

If you find the ride home is a problem, then I suggest you fit some Helibars as they will significantly reduce the pressure on your wrists, and provide a more upright riding position which your back will also thank you for.

Good luck with the ride home and watch out for bl**dy sheep.

SkiMad

 

Totally agree with the Heli Bars.Just put a set on mine. Managed to get them off ebay for £130. Major difference. I started off with a set of Genmar risers, they only raise the clip on's by 19mm but made a suprising difference for such a little movement (just sold mine on ebay for £30) but the Heli Bars are the way to go if you have the spare £££. The Heli's raise your hands by 1 1/4" and move them back by 1 1/2". This is about the maximum you can go without having to lengthen cables, brake lines etc. If you have a look on this site http://cycle-ergo.com/ you can put in your dimensions and any mods you intend doing which will alter your riding position and it will tell you the angular riding position you will achieve.
Those pesky sheep are just sitting there on the side of the road with their bandanas emblazoned with a rising sun on them and if you look closely, they also have a belt of a thousand stitches on as well. Just at the last moment...........out they come.

Enjoy and be safe

 

ha ha. it wasn't the sheep i had to worry about it was the bike. was not in the best mood after spending £2500 for my bike i rode 100 miles and bike cut out, i managed another 100 miles of it cutting out before i decided it was getting too risky to ride so this is my 1st picture of my new bike.

got it booked into friday to find the fault. not the best ride ive had

 

That is Suck......What is wrong with the bike? Is it fuel or the electrical gremlins? (RR&Stator)

 

electrical. ive got another post which explains whats happening but i think its a bad earth as the ignition cut off when i put the high beam on and my indicator lights are all on also i get an electrical buzzing coming from behind the clocks. then some times the bike starts normal. i don't do electrics and since ive only just bought this bike the privately i'm taking it to a garage to sort it out.
i'm waiting on my haynes manual to turn up. but could someone tell me where the fuse box is.

the stator has been replaced

 

Doh! :doh: Doh! :doh: Doh! :doh:

Not a good start. My guess is its another case of the electrical gremlins which these bikes can experience, especially if the weather is hot!

You may want to read through the following link - which written for 5th Gen bikes seems to be just as relevant to 6th Gen models.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthre...gulator-Stator-failures?highlight=rubo+stator

The important message is that all 4 elements of the charging system (Battery, Regulator Rectifier, Stator and Loom) need to be in good order and a fault in any one can cause damage in some or all of the others. If you find the battery is drained, it is tempting to assume that fitting a replacement is all you need to get up and running again. However the battery may itself be simply the victim of a faulty RR or Stator, or melted wires, so you really need to do the drill TWICE (see post #9). Once to identify and remedy defects and once they have been fixed, do the tests again to check that there is not another faulty component.

Good Luck - hopefully the garage will get the bike back on the road soon, so you can enjoy the rest of the summer!


SkiMad

 

Your post crossed with mine - but rather confirms that you (or the garage) need to do "the drill".

You have to wonder if the stator was replaced whether they missed a second fault? Loose earth connections can indeed be problematic so check both ends of the battery earth strap are in good shape. Then get busy with a multi meter following "the drill", in that thread. If you need help or don't know what the results mean then just post up the results and folks on here will take you through it.

As for fuses:

Depending on model there is a big (main) system fuse tucked beside the battery and a proper fuse box located behind the weird curly shaped fairing panel at the Right hand end of the instruments. Undo the bolts and also remove that weird plastic clip speared through the lower corner of the instruments panel shroud (To remove the clip - look very closely and you will see its got a slot on the plastic head which you need to press inwards a bit with a thin flat bade screw driver. Once its push in a bit, the clip should come loose and can be pulled out). Then working from the outboard end of the panel it will carefully pull loose. If its an ABS equipped bike there is second fuse box located behind the equivalent panel on the left hand side of the bike.

Good luck


SkiMad

 

thank you for all the help. i got an abs model. i've got a multimeter but i don't think i'll get time before the garage gets the bike to check anything. i don't have a garage so all checks and work is done with weather permited. i always though honda was great with making reliable vehicles. this bike has had a new battery and stator so i was told be previous owner. the rectifiers hasn't been replaced yet. does it sound like the rectifier or a bad earth to you.?