9C1

A VTX to go with the VFR. Totally different riding styles and both are fantastic.

At the risk of shame from my mistake, I put this out there to help others avoid my trouble. I noticed my rear tire had no cap on the valve stem the other day, so I got one out of my tool box and put it on. Next day on the highway I noticed the bike wouldn't move when I went to change lanes and realized my back tire was going flat. Once I was able to inspect it, I saw that the valve stem cap was deformed and saw where it was hitting the caliper. The stupid cap was about 2 or 3 millimeters too tall and this interference broke the stem. Just a word of caution to you fellow VFR owners!

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I'll start with cleaning out and refurbing the clutch hydraulics.

The front sprocket is new (well, new earlier this year). The hydraulic fluid hasn't been changed by me, and I've owned the bike for almost 2 years (it's got 37k on it). I can see about flushing the fluid and putting in new.

Hey all - a couple times now this has happened and I can't figure it out. At a complete stop, getting ready to take off (so I'm in first gear), I raise the throttle and go to let the clutch out like normal. The next part happens all in a split second: as I let the clutch lever out, it's like the bike just barely starts to move but then the revs go jump and it feels like the clutch was pulled back in just for an instant, then immediately the clutch feels like it engages and the bike takes off. It startles me when it happens so I let off the throttle and pull in the clutch, then I redo the process and the bike takes off normally. Is this the beginning of a clutch problem? I have zero problems with the bike otherwise, and every other time I take off it's totally normal.

Excellent - thanks for the help!

Dumb question, but how do you remove the bulbs from the instrument cluster? I didn't want start trying to rotate them or pull them straight out and break things. Also, is there any risk of damaging the cluster if I unscrew it to access some of the bulbs?

In the 90 degree temps lately I notice when I get into heavy traffic the voltage readout is showing high 12's or low 13's when it's normally showing 14.4 or so volts. Once the bike is cool or the outside temps drop, the voltage reading goes back up. I didn't notice the starter seem to turn over just a little more slowly in this heat so I don't know if I should start thinking about a new rectifier or if it's in need of a fan to help get it cooler. Any help is appreciated.

Would you consider selling one?

Thanks, fellas. I'll get a closer look at the V and the coolant lines.

I only went +1 in the back when I did the new chain and sprockets, not very noticeable (rpms are a little higher at highway speeds). Next time I'm going -1 in the front.

My 2000 seems to run up to the high 220's (and gone low 230's) when it's 95 degrees outside and I'm in stop and go traffic. Hit the highway with traffic and it floats in the 190's when it's that hot out. When it's in the 80's or cooler it tends to run closer to 180-200 at speed and in traffic, respectively. I did a full system flush last year and added Red Line Water Wetter at the time, so I'm not sure if that really helps or not.

Every time I get off my 2000 VFR, I get a good whiff of what smells like grass or leaves burning. Never any smoke. I've lifted the tank, checked the airbox, checked the battery compartment, and looked at the engine as best I can see but don't see anything. Bike runs great, so no issues there. Anyone else have this happen? Thoughts?

Looks great - exactly what I was envinsioning. Hadn't thought of making a custom bracket/light. Thanks for the details and pics!

Maybe my search skills stink, but I didn't find any posts about how to shorten the rear fender on my 5th gen. Looks like I could cut it carefully and move the light/plate up, but not sure. Any suggestions? I'm not looking to spend $150 on a fender eliminator, but I'd like to tighten it up a bit.