Jump to content

Love/hate My 98... Gremlins, Anyone?


Guest Kevintrepid

Recommended Posts

Guest Kevintrepid

Permission to come aboard?

I love my bike, but she doesn't love me. I'll try to keep this short. I bought a 98 VFR two years ago and had it shipped to a custom shop near my home in Wisconsin. Chrome wheels, frame, swingarm, Beetle Bags, braided lines, wave rotors, foolishly broke the bank on a bunch of other mods. She was actually featured in Super Streetbike. First day I rode it, she wouldn't start for me after stopping for gas. Two years and four shops later, I have put maybe a total of 2,000 miles on her. Most recent trouble occured after three months of good riding, when the shop replaced the stator and R/R as a set, they wrapped the three wires leading from the stator into a single line... bad move. After some wonderful touring trips in the Olympic Mountains, I attended a MSF class in April (for no good reason other than to "sharpen my skills", what a joke), and it died halfway through, after starting, stopping, starting, stopping in the heat got her, and found that the stator wires melted through the insulation and fried themsleves together. That was disappointing.

Finally got it back from the shop after making the $250 R/R replacement and rewire labor costs, and ending up pushing it home the last three blocks. Charged the battery and rode it back to the shop, again, pushing her to a stop and calling for a three block tow... needs a new stator. :pissed:

This wiring trouble and all the electrics has added at least $1500 to the cost of the bike, plus all sorts of heartache and collateral trouble.

Okay, thanks for listening to my sob story, I hope you can at least sympathize with me. My question is whether I should take a $10,000 hit and trade it in on a 07 Suzuki DL650 with ABS, or try to sell it outright... or would you guys risk your sanity and marital well-being to try to see it through and own it as intended? I was so close on this last one, had the wires been correctly allowed to breathe and shed heat, maybe she would still be running today, this whole summer long. :goofy:

How many times have you given the VFR the benefit of the doubt? How long should I stand by this heartbreaker? sad.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Aside from R/R issues, the fifth generation VFR is typically pretty hardy. Sounds like you just got some bad wiring that took out your stator.

There was another member on the board who had a similarly gremlin=plagued fourth generation VFR750 but once the wiring harness was actually put together properly it was fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

you'd be much better off selling it outright, because what the dealer will offer you on trade-in will be an insult. The dealers play this bullshit game that your upgrades and custom work arent worth anything on trade-in, but when they go to sell the bike they up the price because it has all these upgrades and custom work on it.

but why sell it at all... replace the stator and doing a correct wiring repair and just ride it. Chances are that you'll love it once its repaired correctly. Its a shame to do all that work and get rid of the bike when its just a small issue thats keeping you from enjoying it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Kevintrepid

It's been such a pain to own, it has really stressed my marriage. If I do try to keep on keeping on, my wife likely will make me choose between her or the bike. Of course I want to keep it and ride it... I am planning on putting it up for consignment sale through shop that is fixing it again, this is their second chance with it, but they don't want to guarantee the work they did the first time... it's really just a headache. Possibly I will put it up for sale and not find a buyer at my price long enough to justify keeping it. It's been two and a half riding seasons without meaningful use, and it's driving me crazy.

But this time, my wife doesn't even want me to bring it home from the shop, just assemble it and put it on the floor. And my parents are coming for a visit, so it's important that we have peace in the home... just gotta swallow it, you know? I'll post up pictures and updates as they are available. Wish me luck, hey?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sell it and get used to some else running your life.

Or keep it and fix it right its a good bike I had some trouble w/ my 02.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Do you have any pics you could post. Would really like to see how the chrome looks.

Sorry just read your previous post...........man your situation is a little sticky, sorry to hear about it. Man it seems like either the people working on it arent doing the job right?? Or you have a lemon, which is never the case. I believe that if the bike is causing toooo much stress on your relationship with your family, then the consignment or putting it on Ebay, classifieds, etc will be the best option. Dont trade unless you are getting something at a very good price. Good luck, and hope things work out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Swoop....(sound of scavengers coming in)...if you do decide to sell...care to let the Corbin bags go separately? OK, now that that is out of the way...

I am so enamored with the VFR, I would probably give her another chance...maybe take it to a different dealer to fix?

I hate that for you...sounds like a sweet ride.

Rp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Kevintrepid

Ha! More errors comedy. The bike is at the shop, Electrex supplied a new stator for free, but they didn't ship the wiring loom rubber grommet thingy that seals in the oil. The shop tech just shipped that whole piece with the grommet on it, and now Electrex (Electrosport!) isn't returning my phone calls to try and either find the original or provide a new one. Honda manual id's the grommet as part of the stator, no joy. Blech.

I bit the bullet today and put up a work order at the shop... relocate the R/R above the rear time, mount it to the plastics under the seat. I think my problem has been R/R heat all along. Also will rewire the battery harness to create the direct link between R/R and battery terminals. And while they are at it, install that SPDT radiator fan switch.

Quick question... is it possible to break a newly installed Electrex R/R by riding with a burned out stator? I drained the battery twice, will that affect the R/R's future performance? I am wondering if I should get a new one.

Are Electrex R/R's substandard? Is there a better product out there, used or otherwise?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
Ha! More errors comedy. The bike is at the shop, Electrex supplied a new stator for free, but they didn't ship the wiring loom rubber grommet thingy that seals in the oil. The shop tech just shipped that whole piece with the grommet on it, and now Electrex (Electrosport!) isn't returning my phone calls to try and either find the original or provide a new one. Honda manual id's the grommet as part of the stator, no joy. Blech.

I bit the bullet today and put up a work order at the shop... relocate the R/R above the rear time, mount it to the plastics under the seat. I think my problem has been R/R heat all along. Also will rewire the battery harness to create the direct link between R/R and battery terminals. And while they are at it, install that SPDT radiator fan switch.

Quick question... is it possible to break a newly installed Electrex R/R by riding with a burned out stator? I drained the battery twice, will that affect the R/R's future performance? I am wondering if I should get a new one.

Are Electrex R/R's substandard? Is there a better product out there, used or otherwise?

It's a very good idea to do a search for info on VFRD regarding upgrading the R/R. Mine is a finned GSX-R unit or some such (it was on the bike when I bought it) and all my connectors are di-electric greased, and I haven't had a hint of a problem.

Replace your battery, stator, wiring (go extra heavy gauge if not using stock Honda), and R/R all at once for best results and plug into a battery tender every time you park for more than a few days (I've made a habit of connecting up every time I park even when I ride daily. Less for the stator to do at start-up...). Last but not least, a cheap volt meter is a great idea. Do all of that and the electrical system is unlikely to ever let you down again. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I understood what you wrote correctly you told the shop to mount the R/R to plastic? An R/R mounted to plastic will die very quickly. An R/R's job is to take the energy coming out of the stator at about 60volts A/C and turn it into a 12volt D/C signal. All the excess energy is turned into heat. The unit has always been mounted on a piece of metal because that metal is absorbing the heat into it, and sending it into the air somewhere else. On your (and my) 5th gen, this is the subframe. It's steel, so it's not as good of a heat sink as you get on the aluminum subframe bikes (F4, etc). Most people that have had success getting them to live a long time, have managed the heat. add a heat sink plate between the r/r and the frame, cooling fan, or a newer regulator that has larger more effective fins (the one on my bike is from an F4i).

But this is all for not. You're upset with the machine, whether it's the fault of the bike, the shop working on it, or your wive's lack of enthusiasm for it. So, it sounds like the only thing to do at this point is to sell it... and whatever your loss is the cost to end the problem. I've been there... I'm almost there right now with a car I'm working on that I've taken out the fuel tank 5 times on... and my wife is upset when our basement garage smells like gas, that the house does.... so I'm almost at the point of loosing money to get rid of something I want, to make the situation better... cost of buisness, they say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll add that I personally think the Electrex stuff is crap. I tried them and it all failed withing three months.

I then replaced the stator, rotor, R/R, battery, and all wiring in one shot with OEM items. Added a digital volt meter on the dash, an aluminum plate between the R/R and the frame, and a small fan on the R/R. Problem free ever since.

Between the time I started having the R/R issue and the eventual fix, i bet I spent over a grand in a year and a half replacing batteries and R/R's individually and together both OEM and aftermarket. Once I replaced everything at once and add the other stuff, but it's been a flawless bike ever since! :blink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own a 1998 and absoluteley love it, it has been argued that it was the best year for this bike, ever....(just my opinion dont want piss anyone off) I had the rr die one me slowly, I mean over a long trip freaky things started happening and then it died as I entered a gas station (lucky for me) I let it sit for awhile and made it home, barely.

I ordered an OEM replacement put it on and haven't has an issue with it yet! over 11,000 miles since that fix.

I have a bunch of "farkles" on the bike sucking up power and again no problems. My advice to you is fix and fix it properly this time. It appears to me that your headaches were a long learning lesson, just my opinion don't mean to be insulting.

You've put too much in this bike to give up now. The happiness you will have will IMPROVE your marriage, I know it does for me and my wife hates that I ride "that thing"

good luck, and research this site for proper fixing info, it has worked for me and I have done all work on my bike since I've bought it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something to consider: Return your bike to as close to stock as possible and sell off all the add-ons. It will take more time but you will lose less money. I have owned bikes that were "boats" (a hole to toss money into.....) before. The impact on family life can be tremendous. Better to get something more reliable and keep riding than to be forced to pick between bike and wife.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I own a 1998 and absoluteley love it, it has been argued that it was the best year for this bike, ever....(just my opinion dont want piss anyone off)

Then why did you say it! <_<

:goofy:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.