Cogswell

I'd like to see the flow times for temps in which we typically ride - maybe 15 deg C (60 deg F) or higher. If temps are freezing (0 deg C), I'm wrenching not riding.

Once the pedal has pushed the SMC out, it can be released - it will then draw fluid from the rear MC. The key thing is to not allow the SMC to move in or out on its own - only out by the pedal and in by compressing it by hand. The SMC is a small bore and moves little fluid. It takes a significant number of cycles for the pedal / SMC to move fluid from the rear MC out the PCV. If the SMC is allowed to extend while the PCV bleeder is open, air will be drawn in , so close the bleeder while keeping the SMC compressed. Then extend the SMC with the pedal, release the pedal, begin compressing the SMC then open the PCV bleeder. Repeat the cycle. The SMC should do nothing to draw fluid - only move it along toward the PCV and should never move on its own during the process. If you've done it that way and compressing the SMC by hand results in some rear brake drag then the SMC should be good - the air giving you trouble is somewhere else in the system, possibly the front calipers' center piston.

In the video, at the 24:30 mark he goes in to what I mentioned about the SMC. It is filled with fluid from the rear MC using the rear brake pedal. If there is any air in it, a vacuum bleeder will never move fluid through there if you bleed it for a year. It must be done by using the force of the rear MC to force fluid through. As that happens, keep a hand at all times on the SMC - you can feel it being pushed out by hydraulic pressure. Then crack the PCV bleeder open and push the SMC closed, then close the PCV bleeder and again use the brake pedal to force more fluid though. Never allow the SMC to extend on its own - only by pressure from the pedal. Rinse and repeat. On that part of the system, a vaccum bleeder will pull a small amount of fluid through if the system is already purged of air - so changing some of the brake fluid in the SMC that way is possible (though will take an eternity - the best way of changing it is as he describes). If any air has gotten in to the SMC, it just ain't happenin' with a vacuum bleeder - what he demonstrates and what's in the thread is the only way. This could very well be the source of the spongy rear brake pedal. Hydraulic pressure will take the path of least resistance and if the SMC has air the pedal will compress it 1st. Plus, you won't be getting full braking as the SMC will be doing nothing. Checking to see if the SMC activates the rear caliper center piston is a good way to see if this is the issue.

The connector in the 3 yellow stator wires is an all too common failure point on our VFR's. Once you have that rectified be sure to check your charging voltage. If low go through the guides in the electrical forum to get that fixed as well. As for the "red thing", hard telling what that is - maybe something for an alarm or an engine disabling advice. If it weren't round and red I'd guess it could be a relay as the red wire seems tapped in to power, the purple wire could be attached to an ignition-on source and the blue wires are long with an open connector as if intended to power something. If so, wow what a weird set up. If you have a voltmeter, check to see if you have battery voltage at the blue wires' connector with the key on. In the view under the airbox the inlet air temp sensor is protruding downward. No reason to wire something in to that. If the wire is tied in to the injector harness I'd guess it's some sort of device to disable the engine from running. Removing the airbox is not hard - just keep the airhorns in their proper place / orientation and be sure you know where all the vacuum hoses go. The wiring connectors are easy - just be sure to re-attach the one to the IAT in your photo - it's easily forgotten being out of sight. If it were mine, I'd trace all those wires to where ever they go and get them all the hell out of there. You're right - it is a ghetto set up.

I don't see a centerstand, so guessing that it's a standard. It's very clean - someone should snap it up.

IIRC in the guide it mentions removing the rear caliper and attaching it to the rotor (through one of the rotor's holes) so that the bleed valve is facing upward. I find that a tempting step to skip but I always remind myself that it will never get all the air out without doing that. I'm curious what was meant that the PCV does not have a bleed valve. Is that to say that there's a plug in place of the bleed valve? Or it machined without one? That seems odd - AFAIK all PCV's have a bleed valve ABS or not. Also, don't forget that the pedal controls more than just the two outer pistons on the rear caliper, but also the center piston on the front calipers so that could be another place where air could be lurking. With regard to the PCV's, I found that my vacuum bleeder just could not get it done. I put a post in at the end about getting fluid through, especially in to the SMC on the LF caliper. The SMC gets filled with fluid by pushing on the rear pedal and is filled from the rear master cylinder, so that also needs to be completely purged for the system to be free from air. If that post about that I put in isn't the last one in the thread, it's close. Have a read and see if that could be the problem. Edit: You can check to see if you have air in the SMC. Get a helper - with the bike on the C-stand, grasp the SMC and compress it as much as possible by hand. While holding it as firmly as possible, have the helper attempt to rotate the rear wheel. There should be noticeable drag, but it probably won't be enough to lock the wheel. If it turns freely, there is air in the SMC. Since the SMC is filled by action from the pedal, there is a good chance that is the source of the issue. Go through the process I outlined to fill the SMC and get the air out through the shifter side PCV then see what you've got. Don't forget to check the rear MC frequently, it will go through a lot to get the SMC full and free of air.

I agree. A modern muscle car is far quicker / faster than the 60s / 70s vintage cars, but there's much less of a visceral feeling of being connected to the road and the vehicle itself. And some of it borders on the ridiculous - "blind spot assist" or automated backing up - how about just looking or learning to drive it in all conditions? It becomes much less interesting when it's all done for you.

In 2010 when the 1200 was introduced, this was debated endlessly in the forum(s). Why didn't Honda . . . what could have been. Many voices wanted a refined iteration of the 6th gen with with a liter displacement and sleek styling. Had Honda done that, many of us with now 10 to 20 year old VFRs would have traded for the new one - me included. But the 1200 wasn't my style. A great bike - but the size, styling and shaft drive just weren't for me. And I didn't need 1200cc (and didn't care for the 76deg formula) - 1000cc with a 90 deg block would have done it. Basically a liter 8th gen. To keep the VFR formula alive, after 4 years Honda reached in to the 6th gen parts bin and gave us the 8th gen - definitely more refined but it did not materially break any new ground and was not significantly different enough for many of us to reach in to our wallet. And I didn't. I like wrenching and modding out my 6th gen, and vs purchasing an 8th has occupied my off season time. But hats off to Honda for making the 8th gen the best ever - some manufacturer's models just get new paint schemes and a mild makeover every year before simply disappearing. Honda put a lot of effort in to it now enjoyed by owners and went out on top. Unfortunately now that there are no new VFR models to endlessly dissect and debate, traffic on this forum has faded - many faces have simply moved on to something newer or lost interest in their 20 year old bike. Keeping those bikes going seems to now be a high percentage of the new threads on the forum. There are a few of us that will likely hang out here until we either can no longer ride or the forum has finally had its run. In the end I personally think the VFR is one of the most under-recognized ("is that a Ducati??") and underappreciated bikes of all time. A brilliant design - probably the best formula of all 'round bikes ever made or that ever will be. Nothing lasts forever and the VFR was no exception. Despite temptations for something else, I've kept riding my 6th gen and don't have any end in sight. Honda is making zero new product that interests me (with the possible exception of the Africa Twin), so when the time comes for me to give it up, I'll likely trade for something with 4 wheels - maybe an S2000. Regardless, my 24 years with a VFR in the garage has been a great run.

Not seeing too many toasters around these days, let alone on the track!

Those are great points. A Segway is an amazing piece of technology. Maybe we'll see something like that in the future. It would be perfect for small villages with narrow streets. If seeing it unaware for the 1st time there would likely be a "WTH is that??" moment. The developers of this were definitely forward thinkers.

I came across this on a US series, "Chasing Classic Cars". It has two wheels and a motor, but you sit "in" it vs on it and you do not have to balance - it does that itself. Note that it does have outriggers to keep from tipping over. For a design more than 50 years old, it's still quite interesting. It never caught on - probably for one because it takes quite a while - 15 minutes - for the gyro to spool up to about 3,000 rpm. For another despite being self-balancing, it still seems quite possible to get in to trouble with it. So, if one worked at the motor vehicles licensing bureau, would this be licensed a motorcycle, or a car (and would you be allowed to lane split - ex considering would you want to)? One other thing I realized, is that snagging one of the outriggers on something would end quite badly. An interesting, but in the end unsafe and impractical design. https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/gyro-x-1967

I doubt swapping for 98/99 headers is going to make any noticeable performance difference, tho it may alter the sound some presuming you have an aftermarket can on it. The cat has multiple times the diameter of the tubes so can get exhaust gases through sufficiently to not quash power. The VFRD headers are larger diameter than stock, so that is more impactful. I thought losing the cat would help keep the heat down, but that wasn't particularly obvious. Also keep in mind that your headers are stainless while the early 5th gen headers are mild steel and can corrode significantly. Someone who's actually run other brands of headers will have to comment on that - I'm no help on there. If you want to keep up with your buddies, you're better off getting the suspension done, taking some track time under instruction and if you need to, shed some weight from your own carcass. I've lost some significant weight in the past year and have noticed that the 'ol girl seems to have more giddyup than before.

yup

For $60 shipped, you don't have much to lose. It's a risk, but a good one.

Wow - that tube looks like it sat in battery acid vs gasoline. Would the fuel filter be in-line outside the tank? I think Captain 80s is on to something. Honda's design seems kind of kooky - difficult to service and as you have, prone to failure.

Ok. The boot's main function is to prevent current from the coil taking the path of least resistance to ground rather than jumping the gap at the spark plug tip. If its degraded it may be less able to prevent that. If you take a tool such as a small screw driver or a stir stick and place some dielectric grease on it, you can apply a thin coating of it on the inside of each boot where it contacts the plug insulator. It can help prevent the current from escaping directly to ground. No need to go crazy with it. A thin coating is sufficient. It may do nothing but it's cheap and if it works you have an inexpensive fix. As for the cost, OEM parts are not cheap and that's a specialty item, so you may just have to go with it. However it seems to be guesswork on the mechanic's part and the issue does not seem to have been positively diagnosed. The only other option would be ebay for a used set, but that may be no better than what you've got.

I paged through the parts fiche for the later carb'd bikes from early to late '90's before the switch to FI began in earnest. ST's, Magnas, Shadows and others still seem to have petcocks available. They don't look the same, but it might be some creative adaptation could be made to work or maybe the pieces you need could be harvested from one. Each bike seems to have its own unique design, I suppose due to the shape of or access to each tank. It sucks that such a critical piece is MIA from Honda. Not sure why the run on VFR petcocks when others remain available.

I use 3 of these on my 6th gen. https://drainplugmagnets.com/misc_products/oil-filter-magnets/

His motto must be "Go BIG or go home" . . . 630kg - if that tipped over it would take a tow rig or 4 or 5 of one's strongest friends to hoist that thing back on its wheels. I have to tip my hat to him - he's done some impressive engineering and fabrication to build it. While the V-10 is impressive, if I had my way I'd use a V-8 just for being a bit more compact and having a much better sound.

It seems plausible - here's a video of Space Shuttle tile material he mentions being picked up right after coming out of a 2,200 degree furnace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9Yax8UNoM

I wonder if there are any numbers of how many 8th gens where white and how many red . . . Personally I think white would look killer with white wheels - like the '93 3rd gen.

Do you mean this? Or this? If the latter, before doing that you might try putting some di-electric grease on the plug insulator and see if that quells the arcing to ground that may be bypassing the plug. Plug wires that are nearly a quarter century old do tend to degrade and allow arcing or don't conduct properly - replacing them is probably good preventive maintenance. On the other hand, as discussed above, you can eliminate that point of failure entirely by going to a COP setup. If you want OEM, Partzilla is usually a cost effective place to get them (if they're still available).

I've related this previously - but will again for laughs and giggles. I once dated a woman for a while who, when she first came to my home saw my motorcycles in the garage. As she looked at them she stood pensively and placed her index finger on her lips, then used it to point at the bikes and said "those will have to go". Almost instantly, the thought raced through my mind that said "no, . . . YOU will have to go!!" And in short order she did. Took her home, dropped her off and never saw her again. She would have had an easier time coming between a steak and a hungry shark than between my bikes and me LOL! Now, back to our regularly scheduled build thread.

Looks like we've had multiple inquiries on 8th gen hard cases recently. Seems like with every gen the cases quickly go NLA from Honda. The topcase can be had on ebay - for my $.02 I'd jump on one of those while you can. Don't know about the mount, tho. Another couple of possibilities are that it seems plausible that 7th gen cases fit the 8th (no confirmation on that) and also that the VFR800X cases may also fit (though likely won't be color matched). A search in the UK (such as ebay.co.uk) would likely be the a good place to start there, or a dealer such as Doble's in London. The latter is where I got my 6th gen cases after there were disco in the U.S. If importing to the US, DO NOT describe them as "luggage". When customs hears that word, they'll classify it as hand luggage such as carry on for airline travel and will slap a duty on it - IIRC it's in the 20% range. Motorcycle parts carry no duty from the UK in to the US, so be sure to tell them that it's "motorcycle parts" or "motorcycle bodywork", NOT luggage! Bottom line is that 6 years after the last of the 8th gens were brought to the U.S., it will take some creativity and extended searching to turn up a set of OEM bags for these bikes.

Don't know about the FPR question - but those are very low numbers. You should be getting close to ShipFixer's numbers. Easy places to start looking are air filter, vacuum leaks, and if you have a temp gun, check to see that the headers near the heads are all equal temperatures. Coolant should be in the 180 degree range +/-. If too low you may have a cylinder not firing. Check the plugs - they should all be a light tan and all the same and if not check the leads from the coils to plugs per the FSM. Also, do you have a tuning module installed? If so, you might disconnect it and see what you get. Early 5th gens rarely benefit from those - they run quite well as stock and really don't need any tuning modifications. There are more diagnostics in the manual but those are easy / no cost things you can check to get started.