Traction control problems vfr800x 2015

[carlito]

Hi

Last year in April I had my Crossrunner '15 serviced at 24000km with a valve clearance check. A few weeks after that, I have been having an issue with the traction control shutting off by itself while riding (with TC kicking in at first on a non slpping surface, and after the light turns on permanently a noticeable drop in engine revs). This mostly occurs when I've been filtering through traffic, and more often when it's raining. I also noticed that the power cutting by the TC seemed more abrupt than before. I use the bike mainly for the daily commute (+-120km/day)

The bike has been to the shop for a few times since then, they changed some kind of sensor on the right side of the front fork. I don't remember what it was exactly, but it might be the speed sensor. Not long after leaving the garage, during a test ride, it occurred again.

I ride even when it's freezing, the roads have been 'pickled?'. Monday through Wednesday the roads were wet and cold, but on Wednesday, right after leaving my house and riding for less than a kilometer the TC just went into an error without the usual hiccuping beforehand. At the lights I stopped the engine and restarted it as that makes it go away normally, the TC light went back on.

A few meters further, the speedometer reading went to 0 and stayed that way. I was about to enter the highway, so with a faulty TC, pgmfi light on, and no speed reading on a wet and cold road with a lot of rain, I continued until the first gas station. Tried the same restart, but still in error and no speed reading. I continued like that until I arrived in Brussels and entered the city tunnels. Magically, the speedometer started showing erroneous jumpy values when I entered the tunnels. After a kilometer or so in the tunnels, without restarting the bike, the speed reading seemed to be correct again, but still no TC.

Does this issue sound familiar? At work, I noticed the pgm-fi led flashing long and then short, repeating all the time (only while the side stand was down).

When going back home, no errors were present, until I started filtering through traffic again when the TC turned itself off again. Speed readings have been present since then though.

Thanks

 

[Skids]

Electrical gremlin somewhere. Bad earth or chafed wiring or deterioration in a connector.

 

Take it back to Honda and demand a replacement until yours is fixed. Emphasise that the failure is dangerous - imagine if the TC were to cut in unexpectedly in the middle of an overtake!

 

Best of luck.

[carlito]

Thanks Skids, it happened already a few times while overtaking. Trick is to cut back on throttle and hit it again.

I'm actually tired of it. I'm not the tallest person, my feet don't reach the ground quite well except for the toes, which is dangerous when it's slippery or at a gas station with all kinds of goo on the ground. 

 

So maybe it is about time to consider a new bike (>40.000km in less than 2 years now). There is not much on the market that can give me the same satisfaction I think. Should be a low enough bike at around 780mm, comfortable for traffic filtering/long rides, but still have that punch to get a smile on your face after a long working day or in the twisties, a bit more nimble and less high center of gravity and also more protection against rain/wind. And of course within the budget.

[Skids]

5 hours ago, carlito said:

Thanks Skids, it happened already a few times while overtaking. Trick is to cut back on throttle and hit it again.

I'm actually tired of it. I'm not the tallest person, my feet don't reach the ground quite well except for the toes, which is dangerous when it's slippery or at a gas station with all kinds of goo on the ground. 

 

So maybe it is about time to consider a new bike (>40.000km in less than 2 years now). There is not much on the market that can give me the same satisfaction I think. Should be a low enough bike at around 780mm, comfortable for traffic filtering/long rides, but still have that punch to get a smile on your face after a long working day or in the twisties, a bit more nimble and less high center of gravity and also more protection against rain/wind. And of course within the budget.

 

I was about to suggest a VFR1200, but you'd need to do some suspension work to get it nearly as nimble as the 800. You'd be smiling every time you rode it!

[carlito]

I do like the looks of the VFR1200, but I've been holding back because it's not changed very much (if at all) since the introduction in 2010 and the higher weight (+30kg in comparison to the crossrunner).

I even thought of a regular VFR800 (new model), but while the vtec is fun, it is becoming a costly affaire to shell out €600 every year on the valve clearance check (+regular maintenance). 

[Skids]

23 hours ago, carlito said:

I do like the looks of the VFR1200, but I've been holding back because it's not changed very much (if at all) since the introduction in 2010 and the higher weight (+30kg in comparison to the crossrunner).

I even thought of a regular VFR800 (new model), but while the vtec is fun, it is becoming a costly affaire to shell out €600 every year on the valve clearance check (+regular maintenance). 

 

Have you test-ridden one?

 

I'd advise you do.  

[carlito]

when i see one, i'll definitely try to :)