Zarquon

It could be possible that you have an airlock in the system and it just needs to be burped out?

Thanks taking the time to make this objective ride review of the bikes. The HD LiveWire looks a hell of a lot like my Buell XB12 Lightning with a low seat... I wonder what Eric Buell thinks? I do hope that electric bikes continue to morph in this direction. The Buell rattles and bangs and has a low redline like most American V Twins. But, it's got a heap of torque, 100hp, a nimble shape (that lets it corner) and its not too heavy. I find it a gas to rip round on at the weekends but I still love my 2000 VFR.

My gen 5 runs between 86c and about 98c under nearly all seasons and riding conditions. I'm based north of Sydney Aus where it gets hot in summer. I have also riden the bike well loaded to Cairns. It is a very rare event that the fan comes on except in traffic. I suspect the thermostat on my bike has never been changed. I recently bought a spare one and housing from Honda as well as some cooling system elbow o rings. The thermostat is on my to do list next time I get into it.

You can also unbolt and inspect the back of the r/r to see if there is any bulging, bubbling or blistering in potting compound the electronics are held in.

Could be blocked or blocking air box inlet or clogged air filter. High fuel level in carbs or some other cause for over fueling when the carbs transition onto there main jets. Could be clogged main gets. The hard starting could indicate the carbs need a clean or balance or there is a vac leak. Check the plugs, see what colour they are and how. Much carbon is on them. Or whether they are loose? Give it a rev with the air cleaner out of the box.

I have the same model, same year. Bought with 38000km on it now 9 months later has 50000km. Issues include: head set bearings, clutch slave leak, water pump cover seal leak, blown r/r, dirty injectors, cheesey O rings on the cooling elbows, need for a clean and lube in the rear end, loose spark plugs. And the valve clearances on 2 exaust valves were just a smidge tight (they are not so hard to check. Changing the shims means cam out though). Change the brake and clutch fluid and maybe the coolant, do the engine oil and filter, lube the chain and check the brake pads. Then ride it lots... I still get a kick out of riding through tunnels and under passes! Enjoy.

Taking off the tank is mostly about not making an accidental air fuel bomb out of it. A fire blanket around everything else should prevent an accidental fire. There should be no spatter etc, just the radiant heat from the spark and the work. Reg/rec and engine management unit may both be susceptable to HF AC used when TIGing Al. So disconnect them. A competant operator should be able to do a visually acceptable repair. Aluminium reinforced epoxy may do the job just as well without all the heat and fuss. Devcon is a good product for this. Clean and key the surfaces well before use.

I got a blue Gen5 that needs an airing. I'm based on the Central Coast, so a loop ride up this way (Wisemans Ferry and Putty Road) with a couple of meet up points (Jerry's for me) along the route might be an idea. Weekends are good, weekdays are better.

I would not weld on or near a gas tank full or empty if it could be avoided it. If you have broken an aluminium tab from the frame, TIG welding is likely the most appropriate process to re attach it and its going to make some heat and take some skill to do a nice job on the repair.

You might have some air in the clutch line. There is a trick to bleeding the clutch. Because of the angle of the banjo fittings on these bikes you may need to just crack the banjos (with a bit of paper towel under them) and pump the clutch to see if any bubbles come out in addition to bleeding the slave cylinder bleed screw. My bike is prone to lug a bit below 4k rpm its a 2000 gen5. Also sometimes the spark plugs (NGK) work loose and it drops power. If its low on power just off idle, you may need to synchronise the starter valves. The process to do this is in the worksop manual which can be down loaded here at VFRD. Get some miles on the bike and run some quality injector cleaner through it and there is a good chance any abnormal slugishness will sought itself out.

Impressive result.

Nice work

Wow... the model I wanted but couldn't find... and only an ocean away. Yes you should buy it.

On the bolts... Lube well with penetrating oil for 24hrs and use a small (low power) electric impact driver and a very well matched allen key bit. Be gentle, Good luck.