Tightwad

For the record his actual quote was

NGK plugs numbers are different from most other brands. the lower number = a hotter plug. I would not use anything but the iridium for the VFR. The coil on plug setup is designed for this plug. The iridium gives it longevity, as Spud noted. Shipping via slow boat overseas is fairly cheap...European prices would kill me!

Typically the issue is just the plug, they like to melt like that on the older bikes. The connector is the most expensive part, so I just use a modified 4 pin instead of paying $8 more for the connector. I would suggest at least using the new connector (if you got one with the solenoid).

The Li-Poly batteries typically are fully charged out of the box.

Special one of a kind R/R will be arriving April 7th, custom made for your bike. This will plug directly into your existing VFRness but will be the new/improved MOSFET R/R. This is of course assuming your VFRness is still good...R/R connector ok etc. You do have one of the oldest 3rd/4th gen VFRness' made...

If you go this route, the connectors for the lights will need to be modified (by default they have a H4 connector on them but we change that to a 2 pin connector). Seb - what color temp are the lights?

I had a yuasa battery just die like that on me

what did he use for connections? 1 month sounds very suspect....people ride these bikes for decades with less issues.

I think this is the first time I have seen someone replicate my work! Awesome! Was the Stator wire length ok? It looks quite a bit shorter than what I use...maybe mine is too long and no one is complaining? Two suggestions however: #1. You need a fuse inline on the positive wires...you do NOT want the wire acting as a fusible link! #2. Increase the wire size of the positive and negative wires. The VFRness uses 10 gauge.

I am down to my last few kits...ended up having to order some more bits to help people out. The full kits contain a pair of custom relays, wiring harness designed for the VFR and a modified DDM tuning HID kit. currently I have: 1 - H4-6000K 1 - H4-5000K 1 - H7-3000K 1 - H9-5000K 1 - H4-5000K hi/lo (5th gen) 1 - H4-6000K hi/lo (5th gen) These are available on my site, as are the relays separately(for now) As Jon mentioned he has the relays for the delayed start (minimal modification required to use) available. To use both relays (voltage latch and timed delay for second bulb) there is an extensive wiring harness required, which is the major portion of my kit.

Hmmm, my bike gets terrible mileage when commuting (like 30-32 mpg) but i put that down to long idle times at lights. I will have to try a full tank ride to see what it does when not commuting.

Because the connectors are a symptom, not the problem. It's like bypassing a fuse that keeps blowing, sure the fuse doesn't blow but now you have pushed the issue into a more critical part. The connectors are not designed to act as a fuse but if you bypass them you risk the issue showing in other, harder to fix, areas.

It has to be either your meter (unlikely imo) or you are pushing the wire against the frame to probe it and the probe is touching the frame after piercing the wire....thus causing a short to ground.

This is going to be a special delivery, by courier. Cutting out the middle man (post office)...

Sounds like a fun hunt! Another option is to disconnect everything in the circuit (if you haven't) and then try the key on/engine start (it won't of course) process. If no failure, plug one thing in and do it again. Continue this process until you find the offending part. If the fuse blows with all items on the circuit disconnected then the wiring along the way is the obvious fault. Good luck!

As wired this will won't work for a VFR. The stator plug is wrong for the 98+ and the R/R plug would only work with 98-99 (but the stator plug is wrong). You can of course use the included adapters to change the bikes wiring...but I prefer to change the R/R wiring to match the bike.

This was the easiest way I found to change the CCT without throttle body removal....trying to cut corners just took more time: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/76-cam-chain-tensioner-without-throttle-body-removal/

This has been a hard decision to make, but after 3.5 years of making these HID Headlight kits I am going to quit. I have sold quite a few of them but never tried to make it a focus...and I need to reduce the amount of stuff I keep parts for etc. I currently have the Ballasts to make 6 more kits. I also have the following bulbs that will/can be part of those kits: 6Th Gen - non-European H4-4500K - 1 set H4-6000K - 1 set 6th Gen European H7-3000K - 1 set H7-4500K - 1 set 5th Gen H4 hi/lo 4500K - 1 set H4 hi/lo 6000K - 1 set Other bulbs: H8/H9/H11 5000K - 1 set Additionally I will be placing 1 more order with the supplier (DDM tuning) for any sets I don't have the parts to make...this will be the last chance to get this custom VFR Headlight kit. Please contact me for ordering details, or check them out on my site www.wiremybike.com

I prefer a meter like the Datel units but the lights are certainly better than nothing!

I spoke with Rick from Ricks Motorsport Electrics about testing R/R's. They have a test rig setup they use for testing but he told me the only way to diagnose really is by process of elimination....often the parts inside partially fail and thus pass some of the tests, or pass them under some conditions. Naturally if it melts down that is easier to diagnose...

There are replacement starter relays on Ebay for < $20...a good place to start for sure!

I am not in favor of aftermarket parts that are NOT plug n play with the exception of an upgrade for the 3rd/4th gens to a 5th gen R/R. CompuFire is one aftermarket R/R that would require new connectors that might be worth it...but no personal experience with them myself.

Those little R/Rs just love to melt down. Sometimes so badly that the potting compound melts. Usually it happens to the yellow wires. I have sold a ton of VFRness's for that Gen because of that R/R. My preference is to swap it out for a 98-99 model that uses MOSFETs

only 10W (.83 amps as 12V) shouldn't be enough to lower the cranking power but since it sounds like the battery is/was on it's last life it could be all it took. Of course the light should be off when the starter is working so just changing the bulb should have no effect... Always check your grounds, most common issue when it seems the starter is drawing more power than you would expect.

Guess I should be caring a spare stator on my bike then, 103k miles and counting! I had a spare motor I could have robber one from, but now it's a complete bike again. Not always a when...but those who ignore the problem tend to get bitten by it. I have not historically been good at routine maintenance, so I have more fixing to do. Given the time you spend with your bikes you will probably be ok...