Maiden Voyage

[91Viffer]

Well, I pulled the trigger on a 91 750f that I had been checking out from Craigslist. I must say, I am VERY impressed. It's 28 years old and still SOLID! The PO even put a brand new battery in for me when I got there. I drove it home from the Canadian border back to Massachusetts, about 300 miles with side stops, and it performed stellar. The bike was repainted black and there does look to be some minor horizontal scrapes on some parts of the left side, but I mean very minor. There was nothing bent or out of whack. So far, the only issue I have come across, which I used to haggle, is a leaking fork seal.  The bike came with a slip on already installed, not really sure what brand. It sounds MEAN! It's definitely back firing on decel, and burbling when at a constant rpm, but acceleration feels wonderful.

[VFR750]

Enjoy the bike. With the slip on it may feel fast, but I guarantee it has less power than with the stock exhaust. I had a 3rd gen. with a jetted Hindle, no pops on decelerations, but it was nowhere near as fast as my 4th gen. with a stock exhaust. Get it jetted, or put the stock pipe back on.  On the other hand if you like it the way it is, then why bother. 😀

[JZH]

Well, I hate to break it to you, but these bikes all suffer from charging system issues eventually.  The PO buying you a new battery suggests that the old one was knackered--possibly because the charging system killed it!

 

Don't wait: run a full charging system test now.  Depending on how the system fails, the longer it goes on, the more parts can be damaged.   The most common problem is the reg/rec fails in one of two ways: undercharge (bad) or overcharge (really bad). 

1. Charge the battery overnight off the bike on a proper smart charger, then disconnect and let it sit for an hour or so.  Then test its voltage.  If it is (still) good, it should have a standing charge of over 12.8v (brand new should be over 13v).  

2. Re-install the battery, start the engine and test the voltage across the battery terminals.  You should see 13.5v to 16v at 5,000rpm.

3. If the bike's charging properly, congratulations!  Now check all of the wiring around the reg/rec, the stator, the main fuse/starter relay and the battery for heat discolouration/burning.  Finally, disconnect all of the connectors on those wires and check for burnt plastic--if none, best practice is to apply dielectric (silicone) grease to all of the terminals and re-connect them.

4. Go ride!

 

Ciao,

 

JZH

[VFRMAN99]

Just bought a 5th gen that's been unused for a number of years so I will have to check the charging system as well as everything else, of course I could have bought something more modern and saved myself all the bloody hassle but I'm hoping the VFR is as good as all the reviews.

[HughJebolzak]

91Viffer

That must have been a cold ride home.

I purchased a 5th gen from a forum member a few years back. I'm enjoying it very much but wish I had more spare time to spend on it. 

The P.O. had installed a VFRness and more modern R/R (regulator/rectifier). I am having no electrical issues but because I'm not sure if it's the original stator, I have just ordered a replacement and will keep the existing one on hand for trips as a spare if it looks and tests good upon removal.

If you have done some research, you will know that these items are recommended upgrades. Not cheap but are prudent preventative maintenance measures.

Wire My Bike and Rick's Motorsport Electrics are the go to sources for these items. No affiliation. 

Do a search on this site for "the drill" and follow the instructions.

The new battery the seller supplied COULD be a red flag. Canadians are not to be trusted, a well known fact. Or he was being a nice guy, other well known fact about Canadians. 

[Magoo]

Great advice on both charging system and jetting.  

 

That said, I really like the black with gold wheel look.

 

Enjoy!