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2005 VFR 800 clunking at low speeds.


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I Just bought a 2005 VFR800 Interceptor today with 7k miles and looks 6 months old. I am very pleased with the bike but it is very hard to ride at low speeds. It is very jerky and makes a clunking sound when shifting. I am a newish rider.....(road dirt bikes for years), but I look like a really crappy rider on this thing at low speeds. I am going to see if there is play in the throttle first and then check the chain for binding links and in general age.....I am almost sure it is the original chain and sprokets. The previous owner did basic maintenance but through me for a loop when he said that he doesn't do anything with the chain and said it was self lubricating.....never heard of that. I have read posts saying that the low end clanking is due to the emissons and ecu stalling a bit with the fuel response.....I find the bike almost unrideable as I do a lot of town riding.....I know I will get better but frankly this thing sucks at slow speeds. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

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Hi ExWife!!!!

Welcome to the forum.

 

Excessive chain slack could cause your problems. Set your chain slack more to the minimum tolerance being 0.98in. Have a VERY close look at the condition of your chain, they are not "self lubricating".  Frankly - If in doubt chuck it out! You'd be amazed how nice the transmission can feel with a new, correctly tensioned chain.

 

Another important issue at slow speeds would be your Starter Valve Synchronisation, this might need attention.

 

Also if you are coming from non fuel injected bikes, the VFR's throttle resolution can take a bit of getting used to especially at low speeds, slow riding at walking pace takes practice especially with the weight of a VFR which you are probably not quite used to, find and empty car lot and practice slow riding and full lock turns and keep your hands away from the front brake when doing so.

 

I also like to set the throttle slack to a minimum, but make sure, with the engine running move the steering from lock to lock making sure engine rpm does not increase.

 

A vfr that has only 7,000 miles on the clock should run and look like new, sounds like the chain has been completly neglected though.

 

Personally, I would base line the bike maintenance seeing it's a 2005 model. New oil and filter, new brake and clutch fluid, coolant replaced and new air filter,  and due to the poor chain maintenance perhaps new chain and sprockets.

 

Make sure your warm engine idle RPM is set to 1200rpm.

 

Another thing that might really help you is if you know anyone else with VFR experience, get them to assess your bike.

 

Don't stress, get your bike right and I'll bet you'll find it a great ride.

Cheers.

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Thanks a lot. I will do it tomorrow and repost my results.......I knew something was wrong when he said it was self lubricating but thought if they can do that to a chainsaw, well it is possible. I know he hasn't flushed the coolant so I will do that too. I am wondering if it has old broken down oil or maybe not enough oil.....I didn't check it which is a major error.....the condition of the bike through me into a daze and I didn't snoop enough. I did download the repair manual thanks to another member posting it. Thanks again......I was surprised at how many posts are related to the "clunk" on these bikes....I guess about a half-dozen different things can cause that sound. 

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The airbox has a trapdoor that opens and closes at low revs to adjust airflow and subsequently and supposedly help with fuel injection mixture... It makes a definite "clonk"... This may be what your hearing and would be considered normal.

 

It won't be what you've been feeling, which may be any of the factors you've already mentioned or been suggested by others.

 

The VFR is not smooth at low revs/speeds and does require feathering the clutch a lot.

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I checked the chain and it is too loose. It easily hits the swing arm so that may have been the sound. I am a very strong guy by most standards.....400 pound bench press, but I will be damned if I can't get this pig up on the center stand. Is there some technique? I plan on adjusting the chain and changing the oil to 20w50 synthetic (gets hot here) and with any luck get to the throttle adjustment too. Also, unless you guys talk me out of it I am gonna disconnect the par valve, plug the vacuum line, and remove the snorkel while I change the air filter. I have read that it smooths out the lower end power band.....I am not doing this for performance but it won't take long to put it all back if I don't like the change.  I am going to put a ruler on the mid lower chain rested on the ground and see how far it travels from high pull to low pull and record the travel. Is that a good way to measure chain slack? 

 

so to sum up my questions. 

1. How to put on center stand without help. 

2. ok to to par valve disconnect, flapper and snorkel mod?

3. Is my chain slack measuring technique acceptable?

4. Is my engine oil choice ok?

 

thanks

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I don't know how many, and what kind of bikes you've had before, but putting a bike on the centerstand easily is all in

the technique. You don't lift it onto the centerstand, that is the worst thing to try and do.

 

Left hand on the left handlebar with bars straight ahead, right hand on the rear frame where it's comfortable, right foot on the centerstand,

bring down the centerstand until both centerstand feet are touching the ground, while stabilizing the bike press the centerstand down with your right

foot like you're trying to push it into the floor. You'll naturally use your upper body to give you leverage and the bike will come right up. Easy, peasy.

 

The newer bike owners can give you advice on the pair valve and such.

 

Too little chain slack is worse than too much. I check mine by see how close I can get it to the swingarm when the bike is on the centerstand. I want

it close but not touching. Actually the PO is partially correct about the chain not needing lube: the O-ring chains are internally greased and you're

really not going to get anything past the O-rings to lube parts. OTOH lubing the chain will make it operate smoother, run quieter and cooler, and help

your sprockets last longer. What you use is up to you. I use the Hawke-Oiler and 75-140 gear lube. I usually get around 25,000 miles out of a chain.

 

Higher viscosity oil will make your bike run hotter. I know because of some actual checking I did back in the 80's. Do your bike a favor and don't go

any heavier than 15W40. Synthetic is good, that's what I run.

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Centrestand technique is usually about pressing down hard on the foot lever, and lifting gently up and back. What will make a major difference to your particular bike is if the suspension has been lowered at all, because then you have an even bigger task. If you still have difficulty, you could try rolling the back wheel up on a small piece of plywood first (e.g. 1/2" thick) which will reduce some of the lifting required. 

 

I'm all for PAIR removal, it gets rid of a lot of messy hoses on a bike that already has too many, and on the 6G model with O2 sensors it may reduce any confusion for the FI system. I'm not a fan of flapper or snorkel mods, I think my bike pulls better at lower revs with the flapper in place. 

 

FJ12 is dead-on about the chain slack, too little will mean the chain is over-tight when the sprockets and pivot all align as the suspension compresses, and I suspect this damages the pins and causes tight spots. Personally I err on the slack side. 

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Sorry ExWife. I should have been a bit more specific. The chain is internally lubricated and sealed with O rings. However a good quality chain lube should be used regularly to benefit the rollers and sprockets.

Also setting your chain towards the minimum, not at the minimum slack, will help if you are experiencing chain slack take up. That excessive chain slack you mentioned will definitely have a negative effect on slow riding smoothness.

Cheers.

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You have all responed quickly and with great advice and I appreciate it all. 

go the center stand thing down....not a problem now at all. 

Ok, no 20w50 oil even though some vfr guys say its ok. 

Rotella diesel 15w40 for 13 bucks per gallon ok or stick with synthetic 15w40 for almost double?

I can't figure out how to tighten the chain....I see the picture in the manual of a 1/2 drive with socket on one of the rear sproket inside bolts but It doesn't seem like that would do anything. 

I will give it a try and see how it goes. 

thanks

Joel

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ok I see what it is. I don't have the honda rear chain adjuster tool. 

 

so is there anything else I can do to tighten this while I wait for one to be shipped to me.....don't suppose pulling on the wheel will work?

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Hi Joel.

Very important to use Motorcycle specific oil, you have the gears, clutch and engine all in one not like a car, recommended viscosity is 10w-30 in colder climates OR 10w-40 for warmer, choice is yours as to wether fully or semi synthetic.

17mm socket on the Pinch Bolt, loosen it well off then you might be able to physically pull the wheel rearward to adjust your chain, haven't tried that though.

Good Luck.

Cheers.

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ok, brute strength or dumb luck.....I was able to pull the wheel while rotating it and then held it taught while I tightened the bolt.......got to get a torque wrench tomorrow, didn't want to take a chance with the 20 dollar harbor freight one I saw today.

 

I read the owners manual and no tool bag is beneath my seat.....darn it. I found the Honda rear drive chain tool on ebay thanks to our forum. 

 

I am going to do the par removal now and then take apart the L side fairing so I can do the oil and filter later tonight or in the am. 

 

I checked the throttle and it has no play at all......thought that it might need a mm or 2 but who knows. 

 

I have to order some front and rear brake pads since they are down to about 3/16" or less. 

 

Any suggestions as to which of the thousand choices of brake pads that ebay has? 

 

I do like to order from amazon instead of ebay cause I don't have paypal and you are nobody on ebay without paypal. 

 

I was going to order some adjustable brake and clutch levers but if I do I will only order the ones that come with their own master cylinders because I say too many posts on guys that had wheel lock from the piston getting partally jambed in the brakes. 

 

thanks for everything and if you ever have a question about nutrition or exercise I will talk your ear off. 

 

Joel

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23 minutes ago, exwifeschewtoy said:

 

I checked the throttle and it has no play at all......thought that it might need a mm or 2 but who knows. 

 

Hi Joel.

The throttle free play is noted in your Owners Manual which you say yo have, shame about the tool kit not being there, any chance you can get back to the owner?

Throttle free play is 2.0 - 6.0mm (0.08 - 0.24in).

Also would not recommend buying any old brake pads. Highly recommend EBC Sintered Pads (they are made in the USA!) they are excellent.

Cheers.

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Re, throttle play: I always have a bit of play in my throttle, not really measurable but I do want to feel

something move a touch before the throttle actually opens. Just feels better for me and it negates

any worry about tight spots when you turn the bars from lock to lock. Keeps unexpected throttle input

to a minimum.

 

The best brake pads, IMO of course, are the HH pads. They actually will give you some noticeable braking

at the rear wheel.

 

I prefer synthetic oil because I feel it gives better protection for a longer time/more miles. No real proof, but

it gives me the warm fuzzies. 🙂

 

I have the adjustable shorty levers and love them. I've never heard of any issues with them causing any

kind of wheel lock. Don't really see how that could happen without some owner input error.

 

Nutrition is baby back ribs, and biscuits and gravy. Exercise is road and mountain bike cycling, and rowing on

my Concept2 rowing machine.

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Love ribs and biscuits but that statement is like saying I like big jugs.....its obvious. 

 

Any easy rule of thumb with diet is to hold all carbs until the evening. Then a second rule is to fine tune the amount of carbs you eat to tailor your needs. 

The human body runs best on fats for fuel. The exception being extreme exercise. Like heavy hard weight training, running, chopping wood, you get the idea. Unfortunately people have gotten their bodies somewhat addicted to carbs. That means that their bodies are needing them for basic easy tasks. Which is what fats are fantastic at doing. 

 

it takes about a week to transition your body to not need carbs all day for energy. At first your body will throw a fit like it does with drug withdrawl. You will be extremely hungry. This is mostly due to the fact that your body sucks at using fats for fuel. 

 

the ideal way for people to eat regardless of their body fat is to wake up in the morning and not eat for several hours. Just water, coffee with a bit of cream or tea. 

 

Then first meal keep protein low and fat high with minimal carbs

 

My favorite first meal is bacon, eggs, and a small glass of whole milk. 

 

This will keep you full for hours.....only after you are not carb dependant. 

 

If you eat the same meal above and add in pancakes or toast you will be hungry in 3 hours tops...........you actually induce early hunger by eating the carbs. 

 

In the evening you can eat carbs......especially if you just did extreme exercise.......

 

go to the gym, then come home and eat carbs.........no slow releasing carbs either......you can eat ice cream, white rice,  potatoes, pancakes, etc.....the goal is to spike your insulin to drive all those carbs into the muscle. After extreme exercise you have about a 3 hour window where all carbs that you eat cannot be converted to fats. The reason you want fast releasing sugars is that you want your blood glucose and insulin to drop down to normal fast so that you can burn fats for fuel while you sleep. Consider this. If you eat 600 calories of carbs, which is not that much, you have just ingested enough carbs to run for 6 miles!............why do people wake up and eat enough carbs to run half a quarter to a half of a marathon each day and then wonder why they are fat. 

 

One last thing............never drop your calories to loose weight, unless you like starving and want to put the weight back on again. Dropping your calories, drops your metabolic rate. 

 

Lots of experts out there still pushing the calories in verses calories out thing. If that were true we would all be about the same. Anyway I am 48 years old 5"10 and 225 pounds at 12% bodyfat and I was 220 pounds and 25 % bodyfat with minimal muscle when I was 30 years old. My labs are all fantastic and they sucked before and my doctor kept calling me prediabetic. 

 

Sorry to bore you guys even if you did make it to the end of my post but I think it is important to know how to optimally run a human body. 

 

Joel

 

got the pair mod done and left the snorkel alone cause I don't like loud stuff. 

 

gotta figure out how to get the clips off the bottom of the fairings without breaking them now so I can do the oil change. 

 

I  

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That's all pretty good stuff, and about the way I do things...mostly. 🙂

 

The clips are actually pretty easy to undo, just push in the center button with a very

small phillips screwdriver or an awl. Then you can usually grab the outer ring and pull

the clip out. The ones on the very bottom are the worst because they get exposed to

more crap and get more brittle.

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3 hours ago, FJ12Ryder said:

best brake pads, IMO of course, are the HH pads. They actually will give you some noticeable braking

at the rear wheel.

Hi FJ12Ryder.

Agree with you on the HH rating. The EBC's  I've used are the Sintered Double H and recommend Joel goes with these, top quality pads.

Cheers.

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23 minutes ago, exwifeschewtoy said:

My favorite first meal is bacon, eggs, and a small glass of whole milk. 

 

Crikey's mate - whats your cholesterol LDL level?

 

Also, a wooden Golf Tee is ideal for popping the fairing clips.

Stay Healthy!

Cheers.

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Another vote for EBC HH pads; I have them in all  my bikes. 

 

I also have aftermarket adjustable levers on all my bikes, the cheap ones from China, and they work great. Just make sure you order for the correct model of VFR (you don't want levers for a 98-01 VFR, but 02-13 should all be the same). 

 

In place of the factory tool for adjusting the chain tension, a big flat blade screw driver can be used to gently tap the eccentric adjuster around.

 

Don't lose the steel loop/washer that holds the brake line in place at the pinch bolt, because without that the bolt can bottom out in the arm without putting the proper compression on the eccentric. 

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1 hour ago, Grum said:

 

Crikey's mate - whats your cholesterol LDL level?

 

Also, a wooden Golf Tee is ideal for popping the fairing clips.

Stay Healthy!

Cheers.

Hi Grum, good tip about the golf tee.

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My cholesterol sucked when I was 30 and fat.....I then ofcoarse started to eat low fat and high carb and didn't do well for years eating that way....

 

I was taking 3 dumps per day and had loose stools regularly...couldn't eat a lot of carbs without expanding like a blow fish by the end of the day.......then i would wake up the next day and wonder why I looked kind of lean again....then fat at night. 

 

when you bombard your body with food starting at 7 am and finishing at 7pm or so that seems like you are fasting for 12 hours and eating for 12 but that is not the case....your stomach is nothing more than a sack and food sits there for up to 6 or 7 hours or more waiting to get digested enough to make it into your small intestine....then an hour or more for the next couple of feet of intestine...........then finally your gi tract gets to relax...but its 4 am now and it only gets 3 hours before you start all over again. It is absolutely critical to give your body at least 8 hours with no small intestine absorption, and 12 hours would be better. What happens to a lot of people is large undigested paticles like gluten pass undigested into the body and reek havoc on multiple systems. Including the brain. 

 

but back to cholesterol. Read this article about what actually causes heart disease.......Your body makes 80% of the cholesterol you need each day. the other 20% coming from the diet. Cholesterol is needed in almost ever cell in the body. The cholesterol in LDL (bad) and HDL (good) is identical, the only difference being in the lipoprotein that binds it. 

 

so when you lower your dietary intake of cholesterol, your body just makes more. IF you eat more, your body makes less. Inflammation is the key to understanding why cholesterol gets a bad rap. 

 

Now I am not preaching to go eat a ton of saturated fat or cholesterol. Think of it this way........calcium is necessary in the body but too much is bad. Carbs are necessary for making enzymes and stimulating the throid gland but too much and at the wrong time is bad for you. 

 

https://ideapod.com/world-renowned-heart-surgeon-speaks-really-causes-heart-disease/

 

thanks for the clip help.....I would have broken them for sure.......I am ordering a set for 10 bucks so I won't be inclined to drag out oil changes. 

 

Oh, and incase you are one of the people that does cardio each week............that is fine but know this. Cardio only builds your heart......nothing more.....You won't loose any fat by doing cardio. All you are doing is burning sugar and a minimal amount of fat.....you will leave the gym close to ravenous with low blood sugar looking for food. 

 

eating this way is easy and when you have to skip a meal it doesn't matter because your body simply burns fats for fuel at a very efficient rate. If you jump right into this way of eating its gonna suck for a few days. Its better to come off carbs like drugs and do it slow over a week or 10 days.  

 

I can make any ripped teenager fat without giving him even one extra calorie.  How? I shoot him up with insulin. Calories in verses calories out is blown right out the window and I didn't mess with the energy balance at all. In 12 weeks that kid will be a whale. So, then isn't the opposite true as well? If I lower your insulin without decreasing your calories even one calorie will you loose fat?  you bet your porky but you will. The question is will it suck doing it?  Nope you won't care, and I didn't actually limit you anything.,,never told you you couldn't eat this or that, I just told you WHEN to eat this or that. 

 

thanks

Joel

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Wow, thanks for all the health info Joel. Don't want to prematurely burn up all my allocated Heart beats by exercising too much!!:wacko:.

Good luck with the bike, lets know how you get on with it.

Cheers :beer:

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ok, oil changed, old oil was not dirty....had an amber color. took some of the slack out and left chain at 1.3" play....checked it a few times by rolling the wheel a bit and rechecking again and again. Sprokets are flat but without knowing what new factory ones look like I have no idea how much they are worn. Bought some honda chain spray from dealer since I had to get my oil filter there because my amazon filters will not be here for 2 days. I also did the pair mod. I removed the vacuum hose and taped the end. then I disconnected the electrical line behind the air box and taped them to keep water out. I then plugged the other vacuum line at the other side of the airbox with a chapstick cap and then plugged it back on the airbox nipple. 

 

It was smoother to ride at lower speeds. The clunking is still there but not as bad. I think something must be wrong because I can't believe anyone would buy a bike that clunks when the shift lever changes. It shifts smooth and I am getting better at feathering on the throttle as I shift up and down. Also getting better at using the clutch smoother. !st gear just seems so jumpy to me and it seems like a short gear. I find my self shifting out of first at about 15 mph cause it seems like it is so short. vtec kicks in at 7k rpms and this thing pulls hard when it does. cold idle is at 1600 and warm idle is about 1200. For the most part it idles smooth with an occasional miss at idle.....like every 4 seconds or so. 

I ordered the brake ebc brake pads for the front and rear for 110 shipped from amazon. I also ordered a nice riding jacket from amazon too. 

 

I guess I am still gonna research what could be causing the clunk....Grum mentioned the starter valve synchronization may need attention, so I will try and figure out what that is for one and how to determine if it is bad. 

 

All in all I love this bike and had an absolute blast riding it today.  

 

I would thank each one of you for your help. I am always surprised at how horrible people can be on the internet because of anonymity. It is nice to see the flip side as well. 

 

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oh, and I forgot to mention that my gauge that shows air temp is not reading anything......not sure what that means. I would guess the sensor is bad at the air box. 

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13 minutes ago, exwifeschewtoy said:

Sprokets are flat but without knowing what new factory ones look like I have no idea how much they are worn

HI Joel.

Sounds like you are making progress. Don't understand what you mean by "Sprockets are flat". I think you need to have a good look at your owners manual in the maintenance section and you will find a good graphic on what the sprockets should and shouldn't look like.

If you've downloaded the Service Manual, starter valve synch is explained in it. You could do a search in this forum as there is heaps of info regards this process.

There definitely shouldn't be any clunking while changing gears.

I'm thinking you really need to find someone with VFR expertise to give your bike a thorough check out, without owning one previously or ridden one you have no comparison to base your bike expectations on IMO. Sounds to me like this bike, even with the low mileage, has not been well cared for by the previous owner.

Good Luck - Keep us posted.

Cheers.

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