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What Mohawk said. I had my old 98 on track days giving GSXR 750s a run for their money (they must have had muppet riders) without a single cause for concern from the front end. Plenty of good advice in this thread and you can always invest in upgraded suspension more suited to your style of riding and the roads you ride on. OEM suspension, as with most other things on bikes, is a compromise.

Ha ha, that's a priceless quote from a fool 😂 Whilst mine has aftermarket cartridges it uses stock stanchions & VTR1000 sliders, which are basically the same as VFR ones apart from brake mounts. As Stray said after our dry trackday at Donington last year, I'd used up my chicken strips, turkey strip & beef strips on my tyres. At no point regardless of corner speed or braking did the front forks twitch, twist or misbehave in any way. Don't worry about them.

OK, kinda off topic, but...even if you're familiar with terms like PABATCO or Super Rat you might not recognize the bike below. Believe it or not I raced it as a 12-year-old on Friday nights at a 1/4 mile short track in Alstead NH.

I wouldn't worry about the quote you copied. People write all sorts of stuff without really tracing a problem back to sorting stuff like all the very sensible suggestions that Gaz66 made. I suppose it's possible that if the triple clamps weren't correctly clamped to the specified torque, the procedure to settle the forks and axle hadn't been followed, and the tyres were squaring off, if then one was to ride at Ulster GP speeds violently opposite steering to change trajectory, one might expect to have some buttock clenching moments and possibly a brush with the hedge or a stone wall. Would that indicate a problem with the bike or the rider? The VFR is known for pretty neutral handling and the stock suspenders aren't to bad provided you're not extremely dense. Setting up your sag properly will help and getting the rebound dialled to where it's a comfortable balance between not too bouncy and not to stiff. I believe the original forks on the 5 gen were non adjustable, so getting them right might be a question of fork oil selection. Personally I'd suggest something around 35 cST @ 40°C such as Motul 10w as a good start point (watch out for silkolene pro fork oil as their products are much more viscous at the same weight as other makes). But definitely do all the checks that Gaz suggests firsts. After that I'd concentrate on getting your technique perfected. Later, you might choose to play around with raising the forks in the clamps to speed up the steering slightly. And possibly raising the rear end to bring a little mass forward to help load the front tyre on corner entry; but this is all icing on the cake stuff for road riding.

5th Gens ride really well for a mass produced bike, always room for improvement on any bike.

I’ve just got back from a 80 mile ride in the Peak District (England) with a few spirited blasts and I’m amazed how much fun this bike is considering its weight. It loved being thrown around and changes direction amazingly quickly. Very confidence inspiring and I’ve got no issues pushing it.

Nice looking bike that, seems to have been well taken care of. What a shame the previous owner didn't get it out and enjoy it more. Mine has just over 30k miles on it and I've had it since new. I've never had the valve clearances done and don't notice any issues with it after 26-years. Apart from mostly yearly oil filter changes, about 5-yearly air filter change, brake & clutch fluid changes and one spark plug change, the only "issues" I've ever had were with the clutch and the rectifier. After it left me stranded a couple of times, I bought an upgraded unit from the US (Ricks' VFRness iirc) and had no trouble since. The clutch has been more of a problem. I fitted new friction plates 6-years ago and then after winter hibernation the following year, the lever was locked solid. I ended up replacing the slave cylinder piston, new seals etc and then a few months later, did a master cylinder service. Earlier this year after winter sleep, I had no pressure in the clutch lever at all. I only got around to bleeding it last night and have come to work on it today for the first time this year! I suspect that the DOT5.1 fluid may be the cause so I'll go back to DOT4 next time. It's an absolutely incredible bike that I will never sell, not least because it lost virtually all its monetary value 15-years ago. I've had dozens of bikes come and go in between but the VFR is "the one".

Just picked this up a couple weeks ago and still in the brake-in period. '24 Multistrada V4S, 1158cc, 170hp, 91 lb-ft, counter-rotating crank, claimed wet weight without fuel 509 lb, so about 550 lb fully fueled. Front and rear radar, adaptive cruise control and blind spot warning, all can be turned off. 4 riding modes, same as the '15 and up, electronic suspension. Valve check intervals are 37K miles. It just feels more refined than the '20 1260 twin I had before, less raw and feels lighter. And unlike the last one doesn't randomly stall out when you pull in the clutch.

Thank you! I’ll follow that as close as I can. Just went through the whole fault tree that terry posted. I’ve already completed all those tests, except for testing the RR diodes while hot. Only tested them cold. As of now the entire assembly is based on wedge connectors, which could also expand when hot. So I’ll replace them and go down a gauge on the stator wires to be safe. I’ll let you know what happens

The goto for new R/Rs www.roadstercycle.com Also if your short on cash a CBR500 uses a Fh020aa if you can find a low mile used one. The current art on wiring R/Rs If you do any of your own build a harness work.... marine quality wire, avoid the usuall auto parts stuff.. https://www.delcity.net/store/wire-cable/ancor-marine-grade-tinned-primary-wire/ Recommended fuse holders.. https://www.delcity.net/store/fuses-fuse-accessories/holders-circuit-taps/atc-ato-blade/inline-water-tight-black-with-red-leads/78308/ https://www.cycleterminal.com/fuse-boxes.html MetriPack 630, 40amp Furakawa connectors https://www.cycleterminal.com/furukawa-qlw-250.html Good luck

There's a dandy fault finding guide on the Electrosport website that you should follow. https://www.electrosport.com/pages/technical-resources?srsltid=AfmBOoqEM4-OgXUCxUIr6cWnVp6IJnRzyzFN3FoUqlm8EWLZPnixdWfD Sounds like you already have a multimeter so have at it. I'd start at the AC wires first as if they aren't kicking out the voltage, nothing else works.

Affirmative. I'm a fucking idiot, that gets progressively more brilliant after each beer/whiskey while in my shop.

I think I have only sold 4 bikes? So... ~45.

Hi all, My son and I will be in Franklin, NC from Thursday,09/25/25 through Sunday, 09/28/25. We should arrive Thursday afternoon @ 4:00 pm. We will be staying at the Microtel in Franklin. We are leaving Villa Hills, KY on Tuesday, 09/23/25; heading to WV (overnight). Next morning Wednesday, 09/24/25, picking up BRP and heading to Boone, NC (overnight); Thursday, 09/25/25, on BRP from Boone to Cherokee then onto Franklin. If you can ride a section or want to meet in Franklin, NC, let me know. Cell: 859-466-2174. Thanks, Bill Mersch, aka Mister Bill