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New to me 2000 VFR 800


Rich8778

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Hi all. I've just taken a £1000 gamble on a 5th gen vfr, from eBay. Its done 65k miles. The previous owner was commuting on it daily, and the bike has just passed an MOT test. 

 

I'll be looking to use the bike for a 50 mile each way commute, 3 times per week. 

 

I'm looking for some advice as to what you would check/service/replace first of all if you were in my shoes! 

 

Much appreciated.... 

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  • Reg/Rec and associated wiring is the #1 item.
  • Check the condition of the header pipes
  • Check the condition of the oil tubes at the front (look at the front of the engine, they're on either side almost level with the lower yoke) -Prone to corrosion, expensive to replace.

 

Other than that? If i were you?

  • Make sure the bike has a damn good service. Perhaps a major, just to be sure.
  • Get a trusted garage to go over the bike with a fine-tooth comb to pick-up on any potential issues.
  • Clean it.
  • Keep up with service work etc.
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Welcome!

 

What kind of service history do you have? That can help determine what needs to be serviced next. MOT should mean the forks and shock don't leak, brakes have some meat on them, and it's essentially "road worthy." Inspect chain and sprocket wear. At 65k the rear shock may be getting a bit tired, same with front fork springs. Worth looking into servicing or upgrading those at some point.

 

Also worth checking the charging system over. At 65k miles, the charging system would have been serviced at least once, maybe twice. Do you know what the previous owners did in relation to that? There are some common upgrades that people do, that may already be done for you.

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I would pull off the bodywork and pull apart every connector to check for corrosion and add dielectric grease. Pay special attention to the stator connector on the lhs of the tail, these are a real weak spot that corrode/melt. Cutting the connector out and soldering is good preventative maintenance.

Lube up the sliding pins on the calipers and all the lever pivots. Clean the brake pistons. Make sure the chain adjuster eccentric moves freely.


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As above + check/change brake fluid unless there's proof it's been done a lot less than 12000 miles ago.

 

And welcome! :beer:

 

Any pics of the bike?

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Mostly covered, welcome, once complete with the above, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy...
Pictures is the rule...until then, who are you? Haha.

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Pretty reliable machines. Charging system as mentioned. Check the stator rr conectors to see if they are fried crispy yet. Dead battery or fried rectifire are the only issues mine had in over 137,000 miles. 

Hit the reset button on fluids and service when you have the chance. Check all the body work fastners are tight. Have a look at the throttle cables where they operate the throttle bodies looking for broken wires.

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Wow, a wealth of information provided there guys, much appreciated.

 

I'm picking the bike up tomorrow afternoon (assuming it's as described), so pics will have to wait until then I'm afraid, although here's one stolen from the eBay advert:

 

4Pb8ZMh.jpg

 

Once I've got her home it sounds like I've got a few bits to crack on with. 

 

I'm still a bit of a mechanical newb when it comes to bikes, much more confident with cars!

 

Passed my bike test earlier this year and ended up with a Ducati 749s my first bike - not the most 'sensible' choice perhaps, but one I'd always lusted after and will therefore strive to keep in one piece.

 

ewNRYcv.jpg

 

Never had any intention of commuting on a bike until this new contract came along - seems like a great way to avoid spending time and money on trains and get some more miles under by belt. The Ducati is too uncomfortable and high maintenance to be commuting on; the VFR seems to make perfect sense.

 

Before this year I'd always been a car man, and still intend to do car track days in my ever evolving Megane....

 

GoH5tMg.jpg

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I just jumped into the same boat, picking up a 2000 VFR800 for US$2600 with 11,500 miles.  I am not depending on it as everyday transportation, so my mechanical review can be a little more leisurely, but here is the way I prioritized things to not get overwhelmed.

 

1.  Strip the plastics and give everything a close eyeball inspection.  It generally looked good, first owner had it from new and it was always garaged, put 6,000 miles on it in 15 years.  Second owner was a younger guy and used it for urban commuting, left outside but under a cover and it picked up some bodywork scratches and a crack in the right side fairing.  Internally, it looked good, no significant corrosion, no leaks, all rubber hoses in good shape, nothing needing "emergency attention".

 

2.  It must stop (not going = stranded, not stopping might be a lot worse).  I got lucky here as he had recently done the brakes.  The fluid is nice and clear, the level and pedal are firm and there's plenty of meat on the pads.

 

3.  Chain maintenance.  It appears the last owner lubed it pretty regularly, but wasn't keen on cleaning it.  A grimy mess here and who knows what the chain would look like underneath.  Removed the chain guard and made 3 separate and thorough passes with spray degreaser, a grunge brush and many rags.  After that I applied good old wd-40 and wiped it down thoroughly.  Surprisingly, things looks good.  The sprockets all look great and the chain is not corroded and doesn't kink.  A quick ride to heat is up a bit and an application of Maxima Chain Wax, followed by adjusting the slack and she's good to go.

 

4.  Air cleaner and throttle cables.  Pop the tank and drop in a new air filter.  It looked like the original was still in there...  While the area is open I inspected and lubed the throttle cables.  And whenever opening something up for one job gives me access to previously unseen metal parts, I'm cleaning, inspecting and hitting them with corrosion prevention spray.  (I'm a bit paranoid about this because the prior owner lived in a seaside town (salt air BAD).

 

5.  Oil and filter change.  It's personal preference, but I rely on Honda's full synthetic, which is now 10-30.  

 

6.  The battery looked to be original and actually died the other morning, ironically n the way to the dealer for safety inspection.  I found a little hill, bump started it and the dealer let me drop the new one in around back of the shop.

 

Nest up, rear tire.  The previous owner replace the front with a Dunlop GPR300 but the rear is worn and is the original Dunlop 204.  While I'm partial to Michelin Pilot Roads, I can't justify throwing out a perfectly good front so a new GPR300 rear is on the way.

 

Other than a liberal application of polishing compound to help take out the surface scratches and a bit of sanding (inside) and use of Gorilla Clear tape to mend the fairing crack until I can work up the courage to weld it over the winter and it's pretty much good to go.

 

My initial goals were a safe bike and a new battery as a baseline to keep and eye on the rectifier issue.

 

And I LOVE scratching around on this bike! 

 

Steve

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From that pic of the bike: Head-off a potential electrical issue and strip out those heated grips. They're fine in general, but going on that control unit attached to the left side infill, that's either an old unit, or a cheap unit. Had a fair few through at work. Rare that they work, often cause problems down the road when they do, so i just take them off unless they're either OEM or a recent Oxford unit properly fitted.

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Been a bit slow responding to this - thanks again for all the advice.

 

Here's a couple of pics of the bike, before and after a clean and quick polish. Took 10 years off her with a bit of a polish!

 

nojtsP2.jpg

 

yS6RySS.jpg

 

As well as a clean I've also had the side stand & switch off to give them a good clean (so much gunk in the switch connector meaning sometimes it would've recognise that I'd kicked the stand up), fitted LED headlight bulbs (happened to have some H4 ones in the garage from a Caterham) and taken the brakes apart to give them a good clean.

 

The chain and sprocket were changed about 10,000 miles ago, and brake pads, oil, spark plugs, air filter, regulator\rectifier and battery all done within the last 7000 miles. Unsure on the last brake fluid change - there's plenty in both reservoirs and it looks clean, but definitely on the list of things to do.

 

Other than that I've racked up 400 miles of commuting already - today I fitted a double bubble screen which I'm hoping will direct more wind\rain over my head on tomorrow's commute.

 

The idea of the bike was always to be a short term, cheap commuter, but there's a part of me that would love to invest a bit more cash in restoring her to full glory. Time will tell!

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On 02/08/2017 at 10:11 PM, hellindustries said:

From that pic of the bike: Head-off a potential electrical issue and strip out those heated grips. They're fine in general, but going on that control unit attached to the left side infill, that's either an old unit, or a cheap unit. Had a fair few through at work. Rare that they work, often cause problems down the road when they do, so i just take them off unless they're either OEM or a recent Oxford unit properly fitted.

Cheers - they'd already been unplugged by the previous owner, so guessing they've caused some problems somewhere down the line!

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Welcome to the asylum. A great looking machine you've got there. You obviously have great taste in mc's. And red is the fastest color.

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