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I've finally completed my personal 1993 project. Rescued from a certain death sentence, I've brought it back to be my personal everyday bike. If interested, here's a short post on her story: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/my-v4-dream

I thought I would have a go at the camchain tensioner pre-loading. I gave both tensioners two additional turns, as expected the back one was easy, the front was a little challenging as I left the tank in place and just pushed the hoses aside. A little nerve wracking as it took a little manoevering to get it clear of the hoses, but we got there. And guess what...it is about 95% better. I'm wondering if a decent starter valve synch might get rid of the last bit of clatter? I think that the front tensioner spring end had come out of its slot in the end of the tensioner. Did a bit more polishing on bolt heads polished the heat shield and repainted the passenger peg brackets. Not sure the PO would recognise this bike now. Don't tell the missus, but the Mancave is looking a little crowded now...

Hmm. My VF1000R owners manual and Service manual both call for 20-50 in any temps over 32f or 0 C. When I took one of my R's cross country 10-12 years ago from Maine to North Carolina then San Diego and back again, it was late June early July, so that's what I used. I was riding with a buddy who has an 83 Kawasaki GPz1100, and we ended up changing our oil in a parking lot in a Marina in Newport Beach CA. We then walked across the street to a McLaren (yes, that McLaren) dealer and politely asked if we could give them our oil to re-cycle. Despite looking like 2 guys thar had just changed their motorcycles oil in a parking lot, they agreed. Mark, being British, trotted out this accent to good effect I guess. A year earlier I drove 60 miles down to a Honda dealer in Topsham Maine (sadly closed now) to pick up some parts. I came back out to the bike to find the Service manager and 3 techs staring a hole in my R. Why? None of them had actually seen one before.

New voltmeter New top plate Mounted Side shot Dunno if I like it, the display is quite "loud" compared to the old LCD. I am going to run it awhile and see what I think. Mbe wondering if I can find a transparent gray window tint to tone it down? I do like the general style this mount, no holes punched in body work and totally reversable.... Cheers and beerz all...

And this is what I have ended up with. I have even been out for a sneaky run around the block, and the bike is now handling, braking and running sweetly. The camchain rattle disappears after 2K and I am left with a lovely induction bark and an appetite for revs. The clutch remains quite grabby and also has a decent rattle, so I think I will get some new fibre discs next. I also checked out the plugs and they look like they may never have been changed, so will order up some of those expensive little blighters as well.

Well the options for hot go all the way to 20w50 & if you live in a generally hot all the time location, you can use straight 30/40/50 weight oil. Multigrade exists purely to please lazy motorists that live in temperate climates that range from -10c in winter to max 30c in summer. By lazy I mean they don't want to change oils based on the seasons. There are far more modern engines being trashed now due to emissions & economy driven thin oils & very lean running than there ever were before. If manufacturers were worried about longevity at least in cars they would fit a cold start electric oil pump, so the engine is fully primed with oil before turning over & fit turbo oil supplies with reservoirs that gravity flow after engine shutdown to ensure the exhaust side bearing get cooled, but they don't because they don't give a sh!t after the warranty ends! If it survives 2 or 3 years until the warranty is done they are happy. After that if it breaks you will buy a new one, which is more profitable than having ones that last for 100 years due to excellent design & specification. To the OP try thicker oil & let us know how it went 👍

First, do what Bmart says and set the sag properly. Damping to what feels good for you. Personally I would change the S22s for Michelin Road 5 or 6 or Metzler Roadtech 01. You will get much better mileage from a sport touring tyre than the sport tyre you are using. Additionally, your wet weather grip will be better and for road work you won't be compromising on grip at any amount of lean. 36/42 is fine.

Nope, just volts.... cheap....I like cheap..Its even a two-fer, I figured if I screw up one, I got another to go on. ... Looked up a price on a new Lascar, jeez effen 40 dollars.. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091FM68Y6/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?pd_rd_i=B08TBVTCRK&pd_rd_w=6Sb5u&content-id=amzn1.sym.8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_p=8c2f9165-8e93-42a1-8313-73d3809141a2&pf_rd_r=C4X5VHBWW7HD5VR7D47W&pd_rd_wg=yEWkC&pd_rd_r=2cab363f-669b-4f24-8ca5-be634455d4d4&s=industrial&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&th=1

I had a PRICK Honda Dealer owner berate me for buying the Honda GN4 20w-50 from his store. Just went OFF about how I should be using 10w-40 in my bike (a 1986 VF1000R that doesn't leave my heated garage until it is at least 65F outside). Told me to read my owner's manual without even knowing what bike I had. I asked him, why the fuck does Honda even provide it and you sell it then, if every Honda should be using 10w-40. I told him he needs to actually read a manual sometime and he will see. Then the PRICK started quizzing me when I asked for the MJ0 large oil filter. "You know the filters have different valves... blah blah blah..." Just give me the fucking oil filter I know the part number of. God I hated that dick. Luckily he retired and sold the business to his Parts and Sales Managers. It is now a decent dealership.

I use window tint to "dim" the LCD clock in our entertainment center so I'm not staring at it all the time. Works great.

Ha ha, it definitely matters based on your ambient temperatures wherever you live. The "Northern" & Southern hemisphere's both cover 40-50c temps near the equator all the way to minus a lot nearer the poles, so yes it does matter. As the poster said when temps were below mid 30's-C their gear changes were fine, now its mid 40's-C its not so happy. Because the engine don't care but the gearbox does not like piss for oil ! YVMV ☹️

Can we just talk about politics instead of oil? Far less controversy. klebocna101, you opened the crypt and let out this horror after two years of oil discussion peace.

Ding dong. Gentlemen, are we dancing on the head of a pin? Does it really make a huge difference in road riding between 10w30 and 10w40 in the northern hemisphere. Yes the oil is slightly different in flow rates at various temps, but enough to make a serious performance change? Educate me please.

It is great to see people stepping up and refilling the operational coffers of VFRD. I guess everyone just needs to be reminded every once in a while. Supporting the community helps ensure that VFRD continues to thrive and provide valuable resources for all members.

Bust the Glaze before you bust your wallet... Inspect the friction plates for glazing... make sure you have plenty of material to work with... your shop manual states clutch thickness in thousands of an inch or mm... First removed the contaminants with Acetone... pick a hard surface to lay over a 600 grit black dry emery paper... rotate the clutch plate in a circle... you're just busting the glaze... don't get carried away remove too much material... You should end up with a friction plate looks dull like a new one as opposed to a shinny glazed one... recheck thickness... Next check the pressure plates for bluing caused by localized heat... make sure they are not warped... consult the manual for a thickness range... now removed the contaminants with Acetone and wire wheeled them to erased the blue and also to generally scuff up the surface... you should end up with a dull surface free of Blue marks... Bike on its side is a simple way to shift the oil level to an angle in order to remove the clutch cover without spillage... Have a new gasket standing by...

While my VFR is sitting waiting for repairs (https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/113334-burnt-stator-connector/), I bought a new-to-me 2014 Ducati Multistrada S Touring. It was in the works before the r/r died again on my VFR. I rode home 700 km and the dirt bike ergonomics are perfect for me. Felt fresh after a long day in the saddle while the VFR was causing me some neck and hip pain. Despite being 10 years old, it's in immaculate condition. It's got 38K km and came with a bunch of goodies like a Termignoni slip on exhaust, carbon fibre bits and the comfort seat. I probably wouldn't have done many of these myself but for the price, I think it was worth it. I wanted/lusted after one ever since riding one during a Ducati demo days in 2010. Time and depreciation has made it affordable, and since I'm turning 64 in a couple of months, I figured I had better do it sooner than later. Here's a few pictures of it in its new home next to the VFR. And since my office is in the garage, I can glance to my left and see both of my bikes. Not too bad.

WTF.......That's it.... I'M DONE...

We could also do a tuning fork shaped ride - out to French Meadows Dam on Mosquito Ridge Rd and double back to Foresthill, then down to Georgetown for a run out to the end of Wentworth and back. Definitely no dirt on that. I'm never hell bent on loops, I just like good roads and will run them repeatedly until complete exhaustion (as TC and St.S know very well haha)

Just enjoy the ride. I would leave the bike pretty much as it is and you have been riding it till now. After the first 100km set it 2 clicks harder and ride another 100km to see if you prefer it or not. It is easy to overthink suspension, I used to do that too. Been riding a few times 2,000km in 7 days on this. WOT up and down curvy mountainroads No suspension adjusment...

And that right there is likely is a BIG part of your problem. Sorry man, but the very first thing that went thru my head when I saw your "skills" was, "oh god". You need to read about, look at pictures of and practice basic connection practices. Those are... really not good. And follow Grum's instructions EXACTLY... if you get any more. "I know you said this, but I did that." is the quickest way to lose his interest in helping. Which I'm sure is pretty damn low right now.

Just chiming in a bit late, but here's an option that I went with Spring/Summer 2023. I have to say, I know I took a chance with this and was going to go with AGM type, but after reviews, and a good price, I went with it and had zero regrets. First, it is significantly lighter (for those trying to reduce weight wherever they can); though I bought the appropriate charger for LiFe04 with it, I've not had to use it once and periodic voltage checks with it off, idle, and revving are always right where they should be. I was going to trickle charge it over Winter here in Wisconsin, but instead, I went out to the garage every few weeks just to test voltage and it hardly dropped at all. I run a Quad-Lock "wireless" charging head on their iPhone mount but that's it for battery-connected accessories so far: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-NLP14-Powersport-Motorcycles-Snowmobiles/dp/B091P9QXX7?pd_rd_w=5KEZZ&content-id=amzn1.sym.378a0f29-5acb-4c80-bc6e-087cd6806daf&pf_rd_p=378a0f29-5acb-4c80-bc6e-087cd6806daf&pf_rd_r=H53GQ6CDT39F0AS61KDF&pd_rd_wg=TtIIU&pd_rd_r=a96ab2e0-ffcb-4a90-ba2e-6d8b205dcbf6&pd_rd_i=B091P9QXX7&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_pd_rhf_dp_s_rp_c_d_sccl_1_13_i&th=1

I ran this Lascar EMV1200 for 12 years and it did the job... but recently it gave up ghost. With that and out in recent rides drove me nutzo not seeing the active voltage, even though I know my charging system is perfect... So onward to a new voltmeter.... Old setup.. Base plate.... base mounted with stand offs... Top plate Old meter On the top plate... Mounted

Correct. Each brand seems to vary a bit and even each unit can vary. I don't mind that it is wrong, but I don't want to start hunting for issues that aren't there...like low charging voltage. 🙂

Looks good. Does it also have USB ports?

Thanks Jeff! Since this is VFRD, here's member Tirso's beautiful 99. If you squint you can see Jeff's new BMW and my old RC-51 in the background.

I have owned this bike for the last 20 years and have truly loved it for its versatility, that great V4 with gear driven cams, plenty fast for most mortals and yet comfortable enough for a 70 year old to knock out 500+ mile days on. It has been meticulously maintained and not one single thing is wrong with this bike at 61,000 miles other than a few minor nicks, etc. Following are some of the many things that I have recently replaced as well as some add-ons to make the bike better. All OEM parts are included. 1/ New Dunlop Roadsmart 4 tires with less than 1,000 miles on them. ($450 for tires + mounting) 2/ New EBC-HH brake pads front and rear. ($120 parts) 3/ Brake fluid replaced with new less than 1,000 miles ago. 4/ Sargent Saddle ($500) 5/ New RK chain in box never installed (sprockets are good) 6/ Shimmed rear shock to raise the rear about 1/2 inch for quicker turn in. 7/ Micron Slipon for when you want to hear the V4 sing! 8/ Tapered roller steering head bearings for a much improved feel. 9/ 2001 mirrors for better appearance. 9/ Bar risers for a more comfortable riding position 10/ Lowered footpegs for more relaxed knee bend. 11/ Mosfet rectifier to solve OEM rectifier problems. 12/ Full Shop Manual in great shape. 13/ New battery 14/ Givi E360 side cases and Givi brackets I turn 79 in September and it is finally time for me to quit riding this kind of bike and find it a new home! $3600 without the Givi bags. $3800 with bags. Firm. Attached is one picture with the Givi bags installed. My bike is the first one in the row. It is raining now but I'll get you additional pictures when the weather is better.

Sorry Larry that's not what it says. The race to super light multigrades is purely for fuel economy & emissions. Plus all those lines have * numbers which means there is a reference to refer to. Please show page 130 as per your image ! Bikes are a weird thing for oil because not many other vehicles share engine lube with a gearbox.

& to be as comprehensive as possible test while hot, some faults are only apparent @ operating temps…

Honda lists the replacement part for the 02 as a kit: 31100 MCW 315 And contains the stator, flywheel, bolts and gasket needed for the conversion all for the low low price of $482.42!! [emoji102] Guessing Ricks isn't giving you the flywheel, and probably no returns on electrical parts [emoji1745] Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

As you can see a 30 weight oil is only good up to approximately 33C ambient. Engine coolant temperature has no bearing (sic) on the viscosity of oil in the gearbox. Remember if you had a separate gear box you would use a different oil & never the engine lube oil as gears destroy multigrade polymers & being of a semi plastic elastic nature they get stretchier when hotter.

Remember, tires are a wear item. The more fun you have (more sport than touring) the faster they wear. I am getting 3000 miles on front and rears. Getting close to buy my own tire changer (although the Harley shop only charges $25 for mounting and balancing)

Sure I read somewhere it most common with the 2010 models. Could be imagining it though.

it's r&g hugger,but it's cracked around it's mounting point,so wouldn't sell it cause I'm more honest than the person I bought this bike off.

bananaoram,didn't do it straight away in 6th but when eased the throttle off then re accelerated it was like bike was shuddering and definitely not making healthy mechanical noises.

The easy fixes are the best, I've adjusted the span on the clutch lever and it makes a massive difference. Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated 👏

Terry, those gold wheels really compliment the candy red paint....

Somebody more knowledgeable than me will be along soon. But the seller of one I went to look at told me it was 'slipping' in his words. I'm sure you'll notice it when you go in and out of 6th. I also heard a whistling sound on a test ride which was the brake pad rubbing against the disc which was dismissed by the seller . This is a common issue (from my research) and can mean the disc is warped.

I question the value of removing the ECU restrictions by flashing on the DCT bikes. If you ride in auto, the DCT controls the gear changes so the benefit is very limited IME. If you ride in manual mode maybe it's worth it. If you do flash the bike you can't program new HISS compatible keys either. The 2012 bikes got traction control and this changed the restrictions. The detailed dyno info is out there if you search for it. The DCT bikes don't seem to suffer from the 6th gear issue. The number of DCT issues in early or later bikes is very small afaik. (I own a 2011 DCT bike. Not a fan but can't argue with the value.)

Thanks, those are some helpful suggestions. I think I will give the discs a light sanding to remove the surface corrosion before I give it a test ride. I know all the slidey bits are slidey and properly aligned so corrosion is my last likely drag cause. I finished off the back caliper last night, then did the dreaded linked brake bleed starting from empty lines. Actually not as painful as I thought, I followed the manual which (unless there is a typo) goes PCV --> Rear Centre --> PCV --> Rear outers --> Front left centre. The repeat on the PCV was interesting, not sure if it was needed, but the brakes bled up like a charm with great pedal feel. I'm expecting a new Aliexpress screen to be delivered shortly, and I have some new grips to go on (the old Hot Grips had been worn to slicks). Then I plan to swap the 50% worn Road 5 onto my nice gold rear wheel, and then move to a coolant, oil and filter change. The new CCT's have been dispatched from Japan so should see those in the next 7 days I hope. That gold wheel certainly makes the stock silver wheel look a bit dull! Good thing I like cleaning though...

The Problem: The 5th gen VFR’s are known for having questionable Regulator Rectifiers (RR) that can suffer from overheating (other gen VFR's also suffer from the same issue). One preventative step that can be taken is to replace the RR with a mosfet (FH020AA) or series (SH847) RR. I went with the SH847 option as I want to run LED’s and I think this would be the best option for that. Not all bikes suffer from overheating, however I decided to do it as a preventative step on my 5th gen. Parts/Tools Required: Parts List: · Shindengen SH847 RR Kit from roadstercycle.com. It comes with crimp and solder type connections. Mine only came with the crimp style connectors, so I used them. For 5th Gen VFR’s you need 12” battery cables and the default stator cables are 24” and need to be cut to length. · 4 Way Mounting bracket from roadstercycle.com (Optional) Tools: · Crimping tool with insulated crimping capability like: Soldering iron (if you decide to use the solder connections) Hex tool for mounting the bracket (I can’t remember the exact size) Screwdriver + Spanner (10mm) + Socket. Heat gun or hairdryer Electrical Tape & Cable Ties (Optional) Tools required for removal of Rear Cowl Steps: 1. Remove the Seat. 2. Remove the rear Grips 3. Disconnect rear turn signals and brake lights. Turn them counter clockwise to loosen. It can be tricky to get a good grip, so take your time. 4. Remove the rear Cowl. 5. Label the lights as they are left dangling (Optional). Remember to remove when reinstalling 6. You can now see the old regulator Rectifier. Remove this by removing the 2 bolts. On my bike, 1 could be removed by the front bolt, the other had a nut that needs securing as you remove the bolt. Access is great though so you should have no problem. Tape up the old power connector, you wont need this. You will be left with the following: 7. I used the 4 way mounting bracket to mount in the stock location. You will be required to cut off one of the corners and file it smooth, like so: 8. Mount the bracket using the supplied hex screws. I had to use a bolt on the rear of one of them. 9. Mount the new RR onto the mounting bracket. The cooling fins do not have to be parallel to the airflow for this type of RR. 10. At this point you should check clearances by loosely reattaching the upper cowl. If it does not fit, move the mounting bracket as required, or relocate to a different location. 11. Plug in the new cables. 12. Cut the old stator plug. 13. Strip a small length off each stator cable 14. Slide the crimp connector onto one of the cables, if using the crimp style connectors. Otherwise use the solder type connectors. 15. Crimp between the midpoint and the end point. 16. Strip a small length off the new stator wires. They will need to be cut to length first. I left a little spare, just in case. 17. Slide this into the other end of the crimp connector and crimp between the midpoint and end point. 18. Do this for all 3 stator cables 19. Test by starting the bike and checking voltages, it should be 13V’s at idle and over 14V @ 5k rpm. If all is ok, continue. 20. Use the heat gun or hairdryer to heat the heat shrink around the crimp connectors. Use tape around them (Optional). 21. Cable tie the cables out of the way (optional) 22. Reinstall the upper Cowl in reverse order.

I don't post that often these days. Life & stuff other than my 2 now officially vintage 5th gens which I love dearly, and will never part with. Best bikes Honda ever made IMHO, and this place is an invaluable resource for people like me who drank the V4 cool aid. It would be a shame if it were to disappear. Happy to kick in some cash to keep the lights on.

Hi Kinda of an idea.... Break the budget into quarters... say this 1st quarter is $500..that would seen to be a more attainable number over the annual number. Then once a quarter.. .send out a call out thread to fill up the budget for the quarter. I would be happy to kick in quarterly to get to fill out the budget for that quarter. Another idea, youll probably barf on this one, knowing your history, but add a sponsor tab, where you sell squares to paid sponsors. We would access only by clicking the tab. Its definately more work, but you could get some bucks out of it, and we would get discounts from the sponsors. Of course there is always the possiblity of a legal entanglement, with a sponsor not delivering as they should...... just brainstorming... Lastly if you decide to chuck it, as with last time, a group of us are fine to take it on if want to pass the torch. Very best wishes

Sargent built a heated seat for my gen8 Viffer about 5 years ago, I had to send them the oem seats and they re-used those pans. It's a great seat and haven't had any issues, the heat controller you can see in this pic where I mounted it on the left, the rectangle shape controller is about the size of a box of tic-tacs. Do they even still make tic-tacs, I think I just dated myself lol...

I just upgraded to the sh847 and a new 6G stator for my '99, and a lithium battery. Stator few months ago: Stator connector in '09. Did the crimp connectors and simply twisted/shrink wrapped the other end, eliminating the Honda connector. 18 months later: Respliced and soldered those burnt connections, the spade connectors at the r/r were toasty as shown above so I tried once more with new crimp connectors. About 15 months later: Finally took those out and soldered everything, no connectors. Ran fine for the last 10-11 years like that until the stator started going. Lesson learned on those cheap connectors for higher amp circuits.

@toreckman -- Suggest adding a digital voltmeter up front to watch the behavior of the SH847. A couple members reported some odd voltages at idle and wouldnt recover with revs. Also, keep an eye on the crimp connectors. Have seen some burnt over time... Nice write up.....

Thanks for write-up! Did you happen to measure temp of old RR? Try touching this RR after a ride. 🙂