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Sp00ks

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I've been out of the scene for a long freaking time, life, kids etc. I'm an older fella kids are grown, debts paid and I found my unicorn. I remember when these first came out and drooling over them. 

 

1998 VFR800 18k miles, 1 owner, all original, no mods but the battery tender.  I'm both excited and scared to freaking death.... 

 

I look forward to a lot of reading and research here, buddy of mine from another forum suggested you guys. 

 

UX0xmbH.jpg

 

4UwC7y2.jpg

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1 hour ago, Sp00ks said:

I'm both excited and scared to freaking death.... 

Welcome Sp00ks. You've scored yourself a Great ride, she's a beauty. No need to be scared! A couple of hours on the seat and you'll back into VFR heaven. Once you have a couple of the electrical issues sorted the 5th gen is a bullet proof super reliable machine.

If you don't have the Service history just go through all the basics, oil and filter, air filter, all fluids replace, spark plugs, brake pads etc.

 

Enjoy the ride.

Cheers:fing02:

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The only thing to be scared of with that bike is scratching it up - that's exceptionally nice.  So nice in fact that my $.02 would be to buy some Chinese fairings for it and put those near perfect (at least from what can be seen) OEM fairings up in the garage some place.  Can anyone look at that and honestly tell me that Honda is making anything remotely as attractive as that these days?  I think not.  Honestly - I wish it were 1993 right now and I'd have the 3rd, through 8th gens to look forward to. 

 

First thing I would do with that would be to get it warmed up and check the charging voltage across the battery from idle up to 5,000 rpm.  G5's seemed to have weak R/R's and it's not uncommon to see voltage actually drop as RPMs increase.  If you find that, there's is lots of help here to assist. 

 

Happy riding (send pics!) 

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Barely run in!

 

Great advice above and loads of excellent technical knowledge and experience on here so don't be backward in coming forward if you need advice.

 

I can't see a pic so please post when yr able and welcome to the site.  :beer:

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2 hours ago, Skids said:

Barely run in!

 

Great advice above and loads of excellent technical knowledge and experience on here so don't be backward in coming forward if you need advice.

 

I can't see a pic so please post when yr able and welcome to the site.  :beer:

 

VFR800-2.jpg

vfr800-3.jpg

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I finally got her home yesterday. There is one little 1/2" scratch on the lower right faring and a small scuff on the left side mirror, I can't find one other blemish. Got my first ride in from the trailer to the garage.... I wasn't going to ride 2+ hours in freezing temps for my first ride in 20 years... See, older and wiser...LOL. 

 

Picked up a Helmet, Jacket, and gloves this week. Damn have helmets changed over the years.... I'll probably pick up some better boots and pants at some point closer to spring. 

 

I'm getting the garage warmed up this morning and plan on doing the "drill" on the electrical system, check the air filter and adjust the levers for my body size etc. 

 

Back tire is brand new, still has ink on the tread. Front tire has plenty of tread left but looks old. I may ride it a couple times before replacing it but it's on the short list. 

 

My quest for a hole to pour money into is complete! I can't wait for spring. I'll look for an MSF course to sign up for next week. My son may take it with me, that would be fun. (I got the old "you suck, why did you do this to me" from him. Ha)

 

 

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Another old guy with an old VFR, you'll fit right in. That's a great looking bike! Come join us on a ride this spring and you'll meet a bunch of old guys (even a couple of ladies!) some of whom will be riding VFR's.

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Performed the "drill", confirmed stock R/R. All wiring looks brand new, no grease/grime/signs of heat. I would like to add a volt meter soon so I can keep an eye on things. 

 

Everything check out with the following charging results

13.7 @Idle

12.9 @5k

 

Bike looks like it has never seen rain. Under the seat and behind the cowl I wiped off a little dust, that's it. 

 

I have the rear seat cowl but no grab handles. What can I do to cover the grab handle holes or get a reasonably priced pair of grab handles? 

I thought about maybe a top box rack instead, suggestions? I thought maybe a soft case, I'm not sure if I would like a hard top case or not??

 

What can I do for a tail tidy on this old girl? 

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You have the classic sign of an R/R on its way out.  The 5,000rpm charging voltage is low,  and as mentioned previously lower than at idle.  That seems to be common on 5gs. Mine exhibted the identical behavior. The first $ I'd spend on that bike would be to  go to Roadstercycle and check out the 847 kit. Easy install on a 5g.   Also, grab a tube of Oxgard and treat the grounds and critical connectors with it - apply directly to the pins.  Oxgard is a conductive grease that promotes conductivity and inhibits corrosion.  Do not use di-electric grease on the pins - it's a silicone grease that is an insulator,  fine for sealing moisture out of weather pack connectors but you don't want that on the metal blades / pins on your 5g connectors. 

 

I never found the 5th gen's ass to be hard on the eyes,  so never felt the need to do surgery on it.  IDK if there are any kits availabile for it.  To each their own. YMMV

 

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5 minutes ago, Cogswell said:

You have the classic sign of an R/R on its way out.  The 5,000rpm charging voltage is low,  and as mentioned previously lower than at idle.  That seems to be common on 5gs. Mine exhibted the identical behavior. The first $ I'd spend on that bike would be to  go to Roadstercycle and check out the 847 kit. Easy install on a 5g.   Also, grab a tube of Oxgard and treat the grounds and critical connectors with it - apply directly to the pins.  Oxgard is a conductive grease that promotes conductivity and inhibits corrosion.  Do not use di-electric grease on the pins - it's a silicone grease that is an insulator,  fine for sealing moisture out of weather pack connectors but you don't want that on the metal blades / pins on your 5g connectors. 

 

I never found the 5th gen's ass to be hard on the eyes,  so never felt the need to do surgery on it.  IDK if there are any kits availabile for it.  To each their own. YMMV

 

Thanks for the R/R kit suggestion, I've been wondering which one. Also thanks for the Oxgard suggestion, I nearly put some di-electic on it but decided to hold off as I suspected I would replace it soon. I've been doing a lot of reading and watching videos on the bike's electrical system. I've learned a lot just today. 

 

The tail is ok stock, just the square looking black box under the tail light could look a little better. Meh, wouldn't hurt my feelings either way I suppose. 

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26 minutes ago, mello dude said:

^^^^ Cogs caught it...but.you'll end up stranded if you don't upgrade the R/R......

 

mello dude, couldn’t disagree more. My experience is that a R/R disaster will not leave you stranded if you just follow a few simple steps:

 

1.    Discover no-start status in fast food parking lot.

2.    Make friends with two HD guys with mini jumper cables.

3.    Start 2002 VFR.

4.    Start 2002 VFR again.

5.    Ask HD guys to hold throttle after 3rd start while putting on helmet, gloves.

6.    Head north, knowing bike will not start again without help.

7.    Realize that tank has one gallon to make it another 100 miles.

8.    Stop and fill bike with gas, brain filled with dread.

9.    Try many times to jump start. Sweat profusely. Curse ignorance after multiple failures.

10. Get passing tow truck to provide jump.

11. Repeat step 10

12. Ride home, revving above 5000rpm at every stoplight to avoid fatal stall. Ignore the waving five-year-old in the Suburban.

13. Park bike at home, drink five beers immediately.

14. Belatedly look up R/R issues on VFRD.

 

See it’s easy, no need to be left stranded, just follow the steps. You don't even need a multimeter! Good thing this never happened to me.

 

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On 1/30/2021 at 8:25 PM, St. Stephen said:

 

mello dude, couldn’t disagree more. My experience is that a R/R disaster will not leave you stranded if you just follow a few simple steps:

 

1.    Discover no-start status in fast food parking lot.

2.    Make friends with two HD guys with mini jumper cables.

3.    Start 2002 VFR.

4.    Start 2002 VFR again.

5.    Ask HD guys to hold throttle after 3rd start while putting on helmet, gloves.

6.    Head north, knowing bike will not start again without help.

7.    Realize that tank has one gallon to make it another 100 miles.

8.    Stop and fill bike with gas, brain filled with dread.

9.    Try many times to jump start. Sweat profusely. Curse ignorance after multiple failures.

10. Get passing tow truck to provide jump.

11. Repeat step 10

12. Ride home, revving above 5000rpm at every stoplight to avoid fatal stall. Ignore the waving five-year-old in the Suburban.

13. Park bike at home, drink five beers immediately.

14. Belatedly look up R/R issues on VFRD.

 

See it’s easy, no need to be left stranded, just follow the steps. You don't even need a multimeter! Good thing this never happened to me.

 

 

Dude this is comedic gold... and frighteningly similar to an experience I had on a Buell XB12

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New R/R should be here Thursday. A good rainy, cold weekend project. 

 

Front tire, brake flush, clutch flush, cooling flush and oil change on the docket. 

 

Brake flush concerns me, I may hire that one out. 

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3 minutes ago, Sp00ks said:

New R/R should be here Thursday. A good rainy, cold weekend project. 

 

Front tire, brake flush, clutch flush, cooling flush and oil change on the docket. 

 

Brake flush concerns me, I may hire that one out. 

 

Great news Sp00ks. Just in time for spring, perhaps BRP in a month or two! Apologies for hijacking your thread.

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14 minutes ago, St. Stephen said:

 

Great news Sp00ks. Just in time for spring, perhaps BRP in a month or two! Apologies for hijacking your thread.

Enjoyed your colorful experience, may have even pushed me to place the order. I've surely experienced similar on other subjects.

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Your front tire will have a 4 digit date code on the sidewall in an obround recess, listing the week ( 01-52 ) and the last two digits of the year.  

 

4819 code would mean the 48th week of 2019, etc, etc...

 

If it's over six years old, change it - not worth the risk, especially as you are just getting back into riding - don't want to spoil the fun before it happens!

 

Enjoy that fine example of the best era in Honda engineering!

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On 1/31/2021 at 6:57 AM, Cogswell said:

Also, grab a tube of Oxgard and treat the grounds and critical connectors with it - apply directly to the pins.  Oxgard is a conductive grease that promotes conductivity and inhibits corrosion.  Do not use di-electric grease on the pins - it's a silicone grease that is an insulator

+1

Great suggestion here. There seems to be a lot of misuse of dielectric grease for low voltage applications.

When working on Cathode Ray Tubed T.V's it was recommended to use dielectric grease around the anode cap which has around 27kv or higher. The dielectric grease formed a good insulator which helped prevent high voltage flashover.

Oxgard is a great product for low voltage applications to improve electrical properties effectively helping connections keep a low resistance joint and reducing oxidization. :fing02:

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19 hours ago, RC1237V said:

Your front tire will have a 4 digit date code on the sidewall in an obround recess, listing the week ( 01-52 ) and the last two digits of the year.  

 

4819 code would mean the 48th week of 2019, etc, etc...

 

If it's over six years old, change it - not worth the risk, especially as you are just getting back into riding - don't want to spoil the fun before it happens!

 

Enjoy that fine example of the best era in Honda engineering!

1492298460_FrontTire.thumb.jpg.726f8ce29f3c557ff709f9136e62eda6.jpg

 

 

Am I seeing 28th week of 2011? 

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17 hours ago, Grum said:

+1

Great suggestion here. There seems to be a lot of misuse of dielectric grease for low voltage applications.

When working on Cathode Ray Tubed T.V's it was recommended to use dielectric grease around the anode cap which has around 27kv or higher. The dielectric grease formed a good insulator which helped prevent high voltage flashover.

Oxgard is a great product for low voltage applications to improve electrical properties effectively helping connections keep a low resistance joint and reducing oxidization. :fing02:

Oxgard is  on the shopping list. R/R should be here tomorrow. Rainy cold weekend, a good one to spend in the garage working on the bike with the heat on. 

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41 minutes ago, Sp00ks said:

1492298460_FrontTire.thumb.jpg.726f8ce29f3c557ff709f9136e62eda6.jpg

 

 

Am I seeing 28th week of 2011? 

Well if thats the only indented four figure number then you are approaching 10 year old rubber! What brand is it? 

 

I'd be replacing that old hardened front tire for sure.

 

???Why am I seeing a tire on what appears to be a polished wheel, when your bike has black wheels? Is it just reflected light from a sparkling clean black wheel?

 

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