Jimslade

If you are buying a used bike, would you prefer that it had been checked out and tuned up by a shop by the seller? Or would you prefer to buy the bike as-is (running, good shape, but stored for years), and take it to a shop yourself and control any readout and tuning?

Quick update.... didn't have time to work on it for a while. Tried to start, pulled a couple plugs, seemed dry. Great spark however. Picked up some starter fluid and sprayed into the intake valves... got it firing enough to burn out the staring fluid. SO.... is there anything else I need to check/do before I go after pulling the injectors? Pulling the throttle body to get to the injectors looks like a bunch of work so I'm looking for an easy way out. 😂

OK so think i got the pump back on and no gas showers leaks. Pump is now priming (yay!) but the bike still isn't firing up. I've added injector cleaner to the gasoline and cranked it over a bunch. Nothing yet.

Thanks for the advice! Took me a while to get to this. I pulled the pump, and it looked rotten, so I just ordered a new kit from Quantum Fuel. Aftermarket pump and filter was $130. OEM was looking to be over $400.... Downside was the wiring didn't match so I needed to splice in the new wiring. Anyway, below are old pump and new pump photos. I am having trouble with the pump/tank seal. I've tried less torque, more torque, swapped for the old seal (it was in great condition), and just tried some Permatex PermaShield fuel resistant gasket dressing on the gasket... it still has a small leak so I'm letting it dry more before trying to tip the tank over again. (I let it set for ~45min before trying it... too short?) Anybody have experience getting this seal to, well, seal? When I turn the tank over to remount it, it starts dripping fuel. Thank you! BTW, advice for whoever finds this looking for fuel pump solutions: you should also order 12mm crush washers for the banjo bolt. You aren't' supposed to reuse crush washers. This cost me an extra day once I realized.

Hi. I have a '98 VFR which has been sitting for a few years (job, kids, overseas assignment....). Have done careful bootstrap (new battery, drained all fuel out, oil/filter change, little bit of oil in cylinders, manual turnover... all good so far). Put in a gallon of fresh gas. Starter is turning it over easily but it's not firing. I'm assuming no fuel, but I'm guessing. Seems like connectors to the fuel pump are getting voltage when I turn it on (2 sec of 12v, then drops off which I've read is the right behavior? IDK). I'm not hearing any sound however when I switch it on, which from memory... I remember I'd get a short whine of the pump priming the gas when I first turned it on. Does the pump just gum up and totally stop working if it has sat for years? Is the next step to replace the pump and filter? Anything else I can do/test before throwing money at it? Anyone with more smarts to me know what a next step is? 🙂 I hate to just start replacing stuff but that's kind of where I'm at. Here's a photo looking into the tank. Thank you!

ah i now see there is a specific maintenance forum. I"ll post over there. apologies for the mis-post!

Hi. I have a '98 VFR which has been sitting for a few years (job, kids, overseas assignment....). Have done careful bootstrap (new battery, drained all fuel out, oil/filter change, little bit of oil in cylinders, manual turnover... all good so far). Put in a gallon of fresh gas. Starter is turning it over easily but it's not firing. I'm assuming no fuel, but I'm guessing. Seems like connectors to the fuel pump are getting voltage when I turn it on (2 sec of 12v, then drops off which I've read is the right behavior? IDK). I'm not hearing any sound however when I switch it on, which from memory... I remember I'd get a short whine of the pump priming the gas. Does the pump just gum up and stop working if it has sat for years? Is the next step to replace the pump and filter? Anything else I can do before throwing money at it? Anyone with more smarts to me know what a next step is? I hate to just start replacing stuff but that's kind of where I'm at. Here's a photo looking into the tank.

Bay Area peeps: realize I’m hijacking the topic, but I just found this group and I need to get service for my VFR... where do you all take your bikes? I’m located in Mountain View. Context: bike has sat since 2014 when I took expat job in UK. I’d like pro help to get it going again.