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New to me 5th Gen VFR


faran

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Recently picked up a 2000/5th Gen VFR with 91.8K miles, have few questions:

1-When I use turn signal switch, signals do come on for left and right, but no indication on the cluster, i-e no light. I can hear relay clicking too. What can be wrong there? Planning to clean and lube the switch assembly.

2-Rear brake is very firm and tight, have to apply a lot of downward force, can I make it bit more soft with some movement? I am going to remove the pads, clean that area, lube things and bleed the brakes.

3-Valves have never been adjusted, should I worry at this point or leave them as-is? If I look at them and they need adjustment, what do I have to order in advance? If I continue to ride like it, can I damage anything?

4-Front brake pads are going to be needed, can I use some of these ebay Kevlar ones for normal street riding?

Would appreciate any help and guidance, thank you. 

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On 5/24/2018 at 6:50 PM, faran said:

First off, congrats on the purchase - how about a couple of photos . . . :smile:

 

Recently picked up a 2000/5th Gen VFR with 91.8K miles, have few questions:

1-When I use turn signal switch, signals do come on for left and right, but no indication on the cluster, i-e no light. I can hear relay clicking too. What can be wrong there? Planning to clean and lube the switch assembly. 

 

Bulb(s) burned out?  Otherwise I'd look for any loose or poor grounds, and maybe check all the connectors up in the cowl to be in good shape.  Some Oxgard on the pins goes a long way to keeping things healthy.  You can download the factory service manual here for free - maybe see what it says about diagnostics for that issue.

2-Rear brake is very firm and tight, have to apply a lot of downward force, can I make it bit more soft with some movement? I am going to remove the pads, clean that area, lube things and bleed the brakes.

 

That should get things working better.  If not, possibly some corrosion in the caliper?  If the pistons have come out of their bores due to normal pad wear, you should be able to push them in by hand (be sure to clean around them first with some brake cleaner).  If not, the caliper may need a rebuild.

3-Valves have never been adjusted, should I worry at this point or leave them as-is? If I look at them and they need adjustment, what do I have to order in advance? If I continue to ride like it, can I damage anything?

 

Lots of debate about whether to or to not bother adjusting valves.  Fortunately a 5th gen's valves are a straightforward proposition.  If you find some are tight, there's another recent thread bouncing around about taking some fine wet/dry paper on a perfectly flat surface and lapping the shims to get them to spec.  You'll need a micrometer to measure them.  If you like working on your bike, at 100,000 miles +/-  I'd be inclined to have a look at them. 


4-Front brake pads are going to be needed, can I use some of these ebay Kevlar ones for normal street riding?

 

YMMV - I'm wary when it comes to pads.  I don't like the cheap Chinese knock offs - I'd check the source prior to purchasing.  I've looked at EBC pads but didn't find a large saving over OEM, so I went OEM.  For me they work fine and seem to be easy enough on the rotors. 

Would appreciate any help and guidance, thank you. 

 

 

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Sorry - no idea on the sound.  The cam gears kind of overwhelm everything else.  If you have valves out of spec they're probably tight so may not make any add'l noise.   Just curious - do you suspect something?   From what you can hear in person, what is it that has you asking the question?  Is it the whine from the cam gears?  If it's the whine, that's just the nature of straight cut gears - not a thing to worry about.  Just enjoy.     Just trying to figure out some way to help you.

 

Personally, if I had just bought a bike and it was running fine - nothing abnormal, I'd probably ride it through the summer and use the winter months for a teardown / inspection to get things sorted - have fun with it while the sun shines!

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I really appreciate your advice and input Cogswell.

 

It makes sense, no I have no issues with the bike what so ever, at least I can't tell maybe?

 

I'll do some fluid changes and then ride it to see how many mpg and everything I get and then probably do other maintenance, as you are saying.

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Apart from the normal cam gear whine, I'm picking up what appears to sound like pre ignition or detonation knock. This could be cause by incorrect ignition timing, bad fuel or low octane fuel. See if you get the same effect on a fresh tank of premium high octane for a trial.

 

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