Lorne

First, good on you for finding the failed starter relay connections. Many owners have already replaced the stator, rec/reg, and battery before noticing it was the culprit. So, yes, you should inspect and open & clean every connector on your bike. Pay particular attention to the connector on the alternator feed harness, and at the rec/reg. If you are feeling adventurous you could remove the alternator cover and check the condition of the stator. Any blackening of the coils is bad news - see below. Don't forget to have a new gasket on hand.

To clarify, do you or do you not apply choke when you 1st start it? Your text implies you used it after the third attempt. If not, there's your answer - use the choke unless the engine is already warm.

Wow, sure you didn't lean on the scale? 😉 Some years ago I weighed the front & rear wheels of my '98 VFR800. Sans tire, valve stem, or balance weights, or bearings(front) the front weighed ~9 pounds and the rear was 12 pounds. And a 3rd Gen 12-spoke weighed almost exactly the same as the 800's 5-spoke. I didn't have the most accurate scale, but sure as shootin' wasn't off by 4 pounds.

They certainly have a reputation for failed stators and rec/regs. Whether or not VFRs are more prone than other bikes I cannot say. I'm not convinced anyone knows the root cause of the failures.

Good luck with troubleshooting your electrickery gremlins. My '09 VTec's stator failed a few years ago during a trip through Colorado. I managed to get home by pulling fuses for headlights and recharging the battery each night. See below. As well as checking your stator and rec/reg, and their wiring and connectors, look at your starter relay (adjacent to the battery). Charging power from the the rec/reg goes through it to get to the battery. A bad connection there means no/reduced charge for the battery. Make sure to pull off the rubber boot covering it in order to see

I bet you meant to say a 906 Paso. The graphics and 16" from wheel give it away. I lusted after a 907 IE for ages, but ended up buying a 2 year old '91 VFR750 instead. A couple of friends had 907s but somehow I never got a chance to ride either.

Forgot to add, if you don't already have a paper or pdf of the service manual you can download it from this very site: '98-'01 Honda VFR Service Manual Or goto Browse-->Downloads at the top left of the page.

Dutchy and Cogswell offered some good suggestions. Before you spend money on any parts there are a couple of things worth knowing. The output of the rec/reg goes through the starter relay (adjacent to the battery) *before* going to the battery. Check the connections on your starter relay to ensure they are in good condition. And as Cogswell says, check that your meter is set to AC.

Is not the starter relay adjacent to your battery? You should be able to access it for inspection or to remove & replace it by removing the seat. Yours is in virtually the same location as on my '92 VFR750 and I didn't need to remove the tank. Cannot remember if removing the battery was necessary. Good luck