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VFR800FI 2001 first bike


Ronkde

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Uninspiring wall of text warning.

 

Greetings from Finland! Worst country ever to own a motorcycle in, atleast thats what ive heard them  say here sometimes. I almost quite like riding here seeing nothing but trees around you and sometimes even a bus stop. Where I live its not that bad actually, but you dont have to go far before you start wondering if youre driving in circles because everything looks the same unless you drive 850km / 530 miles up north to the land of reindeers and magic. Im on summer holiday currently and wanting to do a little spontaneous trip there. Gotta get a towing insurance first just in case. 😂

 

Loving the sound of the engine, one of the biggest reasons I decided to buy a VFR as my first bike. After reading alot of comments how people will fly into space with a bike not suitable for beginners, I was unsure if I should start with a heavy'ish VFR. But im a bus/truck driver and they weigh more than a bike so with great logic I cant screw it up, im a professional driver!? 🤔

 

First week was a bit interesting, when moving the bike from garage I was sure I was going to drop it atleast 5 times per day even when not riding or touching it. But now im very comfortable with it. Im 30 years old, 167cm tall or ehmm 5 feet 5 inches? and weigh a whopping 60kg / 132lbs, so I thought I was going to die but havent yet. Knock on wood *bashes head through a wooden table*

 

I bought a 01 model with 120k km or 75k miles for cheap and I think it's running well for its age. I was looking to get a lower mileage one for more money, but I said to myself if I see a blue 01 thats the one and then this one showed up. Bike itself is pretty much stock except for bos muffler, oxford heated grips, pc fan on RR and the famous melting connector has been skipped by a straight connection. I was a bit nervous buying a bike with these miles but the seller had kept good care of it. Havent checked the voltages myself yet. I hope it doesnt explode too soon. 

 

Only thing that bothers me is when decelerating and then accelerating again without stopping to a changing traffic light for example. I can feel the judgement of the other drivers behind me as im trying to carefully roll on the throttle to avoid jerking and breaking my neck just to realize the time of day has changed during this process.

 

I know I shouldnt drive below 4k revs really but I dont see myself feathering the clutch everytime under 4k. Adjusted the chain, a bit too much slack there but after adjustment the behaviour is still the same. I ordered a cheap PC3 and pair valve block set which should both arrive tomorrow. 🤗

 

Hopefully it gets better. Starter valve sync will be done soon just in case, ive read that it might reduce some vibrations. Never ridden a V4 before, only an I4 and a vtwin in driving school. So im not sure if the vibration is within normal amounts. Also my clutch switch doesnt work, the bike doesnt start in 1st with clutch lever pulled in, gonna try cleaning it tomorrow.

 

Heres the hopefully not a timebomb. Took the pizzabox off and put the cowl on after taking the pic. Kinda missing the storage, might but it back. 

IMG_20200524_193342-01.jpeg

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Nice looking bike.

There could be a lot of things causing your issues.

- Bad fuel or condensation in the tank.

- Dirty Fuel Filter.

- Spark Plugs need replacing.

- Poorly adjusted Starter Valves

- Very dirty air filter 

- Possible vacumm leak.

- Dying battery or poor battery connections, (charging system check)

Do you have the Service info from the previous owner?

In gear Start with clutch pulled in - Did you make sure the Side Stand is UP? Or does it crank but not start?

 

"I know I shouldnt drive below 4k revs really"..........Really! Never heard of that before!

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8 hours ago, Grum said:

Nice looking bike.

There could be a lot of things causing your issues.

- Bad fuel or condensation in the tank.

- Dirty Fuel Filter.

- Spark Plugs need replacing.

- Poorly adjusted Starter Valves

- Very dirty air filter 

- Possible vacumm leak.

- Dying battery or poor battery connections, (charging system check)

Do you have the Service info from the previous owner?

In gear Start with clutch pulled in - Did you make sure the Side Stand is UP? Or does it crank but not start?

 

"I know I shouldnt drive below 4k revs really"..........Really! Never heard of that before!

Thanks for the checklist. Not driving under 4k seems a bit silly to me too, but thats what I read. I know its not a truck which pulls from 800rpm but still. 

 

Fuel is clean, Ive ridden the bike through about 6 tanks of 98 octane fuel. The engine idles at around 1100-1200rpm, does the needle stay still on any 5th gen at idle? 

 

Only things I have no clue about are starter valves, fuel filter, possible vacuum leak and if its charging the battery correctly. Going to clean all electric connections today and measure. And yes sidestand was up when I tested the clutch switch.

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My 1999 is roughly same mileage, and I can't feather the clutch as well as I'd like to, a friend's VFR has a better clutch feel... I think I'm due for a clutch pack change to smooth it out at low revs, but the clutch is working fine anywhere else.  Certainly, a tune-up of starter valves will help, new spark plugs, checking for vacuum leaks, etc.  And first thing I'd do is ditch the OEM R/R and put a FH020AA mofset in there to take away the electrical concerns.... Clutch switch might be just dirty, spray liberally with contact cleaner to flush it out, and maybe adjust clutch lever more away from the bar.

Oddly enough, take your clutch lever apart and you'll likely find the brass bushing that pushes on the master cylinder plunger is worn oval and scored.  Get a new one, lube it with silicone grease (it won't wash out) as well as the other pivot bushing... which also may be worn... find another lever and press in a newer non-oval bushing.  You will notice much better clutch operation and shifting.

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10 hours ago, raYzerman said:

My 1999 is roughly same mileage, and I can't feather the clutch as well as I'd like to, a friend's VFR has a better clutch feel... I think I'm due for a clutch pack change to smooth it out at low revs, but the clutch is working fine anywhere else.  Certainly, a tune-up of starter valves will help, new spark plugs, checking for vacuum leaks, etc.  And first thing I'd do is ditch the OEM R/R and put a FH020AA mofset in there to take away the electrical concerns.... Clutch switch might be just dirty, spray liberally with contact cleaner to flush it out, and maybe adjust clutch lever more away from the bar.

Oddly enough, take your clutch lever apart and you'll likely find the brass bushing that pushes on the master cylinder plunger is worn oval and scored.  Get a new one, lube it with silicone grease (it won't wash out) as well as the other pivot bushing... which also may be worn... find another lever and press in a newer non-oval bushing.  You will notice much better clutch operation and shifting.

I never thought about clutch, the feathering zone could be wider on mine too. Ive kinda gotten used to it already, its not on/off bad yet. This might be one of the things you dont realize how bad it is until you try a working one.

 

The clutch could also be adding to the jerkiness when the engine is hesitating at low revs. Im going to try installing pc3 first and see how it feels, need to find 330ohm resistors locally before that. Removed pair valve today but havent tested the bike yet.

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Congrats on your VFR!!  It's probably not the best choice for a first bike, but far from the worst.  I started with a Kawasaki 750, then moved to the VFR a few months later.  Again, not the best idea, but I survived.  🙂  

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Test drove the bike after pair valve delete and oh boy was it different. I might have fixed a vacuum leak when cleaning and reconnecting the hoses. Clutch switch was just dirty.

 

1 hour ago, TimC said:

Congrats on your VFR!!  It's probably not the best choice for a first bike, but far from the worst.  I started with a Kawasaki 750, then moved to the VFR a few months later.  Again, not the best idea, but I survived.  🙂  

Thanks! Im quite happy with the bike as my first, not too powerless to get bored after a month and still pretty easy to ride especially after pc3 and pair valve delete. 

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Welcome to the asylum Ronkde. That is one beautiful machine you've got there. You obviously have great taste in mc's.

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We are in a lake camp with a friend and yesterday while driving here on a gravelroad my FI light came on. The road was quite rough but I drove very slowly. I hope it will magically disappear when we reach tarmac and I give it some gas. I noticed the light going on and off when tilting the bike. It runs normally though, from now on im going to keep some tools with me. 🤭

 

Edit: Next morning FI light was off and hasnt shown up yet after a short ride. Maybe theres a bad connection somewhere.

 

Edit #2: After slightly worrying but very entertaining ride through tree roots, gravel and 150km of asphalt the FI light never showed up again. The bike did not reach 110C temps like yesterday, maybe that has something to do with it.

15931531242254694079334094318034.jpg

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Hi from a Canadian living in Estonia.  I have the sister to your bike (same colour although mine isn’t as shiny) and just got back a few days ago from a great  four day tour in your lovely country.  Just got back into motorcycling (am 58 and haven’t had a bike since I was 21).  A friend (BMW GS1200) talked me into a run to Rovaniemi.  So glad we went.  And our wives drove in the car.  Nice to have a “sag wagon” just in case.  We really enjoyed Oulu and Rovaniemi and overnighted in Vaasa on the way back south to Helsinki..   like I said lovely country, great roads and super friendly Finns everywhere we stopped.

Anyway, hope you get your issues sorted out and enjoy many Kms on that great bike of yours.

Cheers.

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Hyyva païva!

 

 

 

One of Turku's redeeming features is that it has a ferry port...

 

 

 

IMAG4579.jpg

 

 

 

 

IIRC, the Kuninkaantie is not far away....

 

 

 

 

But I must agree on "the whole bloody place looks the same".....    I dated a girl from Helsinki in the mid 90's and one day while she was at work I decided for a long ride north.....

Well....

 

Trees

More trees

A lake

Trees

More trees

A lake

Trees

More trees

A lake

Trees

More trees

A lake

Trees

More trees

A lake

Trees

More trees

A lake

......

 

But, the Baltics are only a short ferry ride from Helsinki.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, TimClark said:

Hi from a Canadian living in Estonia.  I have the sister to your bike (same colour although mine isn’t as shiny) and just got back a few days ago from a great  four day tour in your lovely country.  Just got back into motorcycling (am 58 and haven’t had a bike since I was 21).  A friend (BMW GS1200) talked me into a run to Rovaniemi.  So glad we went.  And our wives drove in the car.  Nice to have a “sag wagon” just in case.  We really enjoyed Oulu and Rovaniemi and overnighted in Vaasa on the way back south to Helsinki..   like I said lovely country, great roads and super friendly Finns everywhere we stopped.

Anyway, hope you get your issues sorted out and enjoy many Kms on that great bike of yours.

Cheers.

Ahh the blue color, great choice. Welcome back on the saddle! I just waxed my bike before the photo so its shinier than usual. Wouldve been fun to bump into you by accident while you were on your trip! I really like northern Finland too, everything below that seems so similar to a southern finn. I havent travelled to other countries that much so driving to Norway through Kilpisjärvi  with a camper van last summer was so amazing to me. Im gonna make that trip again sometime with a bike. But this time I know I dont need my hammock with me. The birch trees up there are a joke! Im also interested of a roadtrip to Tallinn because Ive only been in Estonia twice and both were just quick ridethroughs. Currently the bike has no issues, only issue is my laziness to check the electrical system if theres a loose connection which caused the FI light to show up. Right now I just want to ride the bike, 2 weeks before I gotta go back to work. 😂

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@Dutchy youre right, I should just hop on the bike and use the advantage of living by the sea. Ive been in Netherlands once, Utrecht and Amsterdam. Amazing places especially Utrecht. I did not use the redlight district services in Amsterdam so this is an honest and pure opinion. 🤭

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I was born and grew up in Utrecht and after 8 years living in Scotland/around the world, now live 10km away from it.....

 

 

Get on your bikes and RIDE!!!

 

At Sõrve lighthouse on Saareema island, Estonia

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Dropped the bike for the first time today when I left a restaurant. Came to an intersection and saw nobody. As soon as I turned my head I saw a car  on my peripheral and then braked while on a weird spot and fell. I was able to catch it quite well so it wasnt bad at all, minor scratches to the right side. The big turn signals are a nice crash protection. 😂

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