Batch Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Evening All, I recently puchased a 7th Gen VFR 1200 on a 10 plate. Its done 26,000 with full honda history. I love the bike and the power delivery! Granted the fuel tanks isn't great like everyone says but im doing 60 miles a day on it and filling up every few days is fine by me! overall its a great bike and im really happy. The only thing i'm not that happy about is the gearbox. I brought it from honda in reading as it came with a 3 month warentee. I'm thinking about taking it back for them to look at it, but if you guys could give me your thoughts first incase im going to look like an idiot. When the bike is cold it jolts pretty firmly when putting it into first. then when switching up and down to 2nd/ 3rd it seem to be fine. when the bike warmed up, i find 3rd to 2nd is a pretty "clonky" as well as 2nd to 1st. this isn't what i would expect for a 6 year old honda but you guys might tell me this is normal. The bike had an oil change before i picked it up as well which was weird. The other thing i've notice is some noise when the clutch isn't depressed, this sounds like the release bearing rattling a bit. It isn't very loud and could just be the normal noise, but because of the gearbox im worried it all connected. The bike also seems to have a strange feeling on the motorway, which i can only explain is like the drive shaft has play in it when driving along at about 3.5k revs. under load its total smooth. As well as this my rear shock adjuster seems to be stuck, do you guys have any tricky to free this up? any help here guys would be really appriciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted June 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2016 The shock adjuster sticking was a typical problem. You might be able to get that replaced for free even though it out of warranty. Has the recall been done on the drive shaft? You should look into that. The revised version is a little smoother, for me. I think the clutch noise may be normal. The transmission stuff is a little subjective. Whats smooth for some may not be smooth for others. Couldn't hurt to have the dealer look at but I am not sure if that will bring you any satisfaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted June 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2016 My clutch makes bearing noise and a bit of vibration as well. Mine also has the clunky transmission, and it feels normal to me, as everything in the gearbox is beefy enough to handle 100 lb ft of torque.....no lightweight stuff on this bike at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted June 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2016 Hi Batch & welcome to the site. Great purchase and glad you are liking the 1200. As to your concerns...Honda gearboxes have never been the smoothest and there is almost always a clunk into 1st but other than that, I'd get it back to the dealer whilst it still has a warranty in case there is something more going on. Shock adjuster on the early models almost always froze and there is a cure which I think Honda should do for free but you'd need to check with them. As time goes by, depending upon how you ride the bike, you may wish to consider a suspension upgrade. It's the best money I've spent on my 1200! You should have some paperwork with the bike to confirm the driveshaft recall has been completed on it. If not, check with the dealer you bought it from as Head Office probably don't have your details yet from DVLA so can't send out the recall notice. It's free and only takes a couple of hours and is mandatory (if you value your life!). Of course, tradition on this site states that you don't really exist until you post us a picture of your bike and beers are always on the new guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Polarbear Posted June 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 29, 2016 Hello and welcome! I do not have a 1200 and can only contribute this: maybe check the oil they put in is the right one regarding to the clunky tranny? Otherwise I hope you can sort it out and fully enjoy! Cheers! C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howesnet Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Welcome to the world of vfr12. I'm a new owner too (2weeks). I found mine to be a bit "clunky" to start with so I spoke to some friends who are police traffic riders cos their bikes are also shaft. The first thing they asked me was whether or not the shaft recall work had been done. I did a goggle search for VFR Recall and one of the top options was the honda site to input your VIN number. Do this and it will tell you of the work has been done or is still outstanding. I did this and went straight back to my local honda dealer. They ordered the parts that day. Just waiting for them to arrive. The second thing they said was, if the work has been done, it could be your riding style causing the clunking and knocking. I had to completely change the way I ride this bike. It could simply be that you're riding too slow for the gear. Anything below 20mph I find it smoother to stay in 1st. Remember, this is a massive engine with revs to spare. I ride to work on 50-70mph roads every day and only had to go above 4th gear 2 or 3 times. Haven't hit 6th at all yet. Hope some of this helps. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer paulmeisterpk Posted June 30, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2016 My 5th gen gearbox was clunkier than I liked when I was using Mobil 1 motorcycle oil. I switched brands, and the transmission shifts much smoother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridered Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 mine is smooth, and the recall should help. It idles slightly high when cold, so 1st clunks until the idle drops. That is normal. Have the dealer evaluate when they replace the drive shaft. Oil could be the culprit. I run the Honda oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 the should be a punch mark under first digit of the the VIN number on the headstock if the recall has been done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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