Bad Boy

The '13 MX5 is my remedy for a deer collision. It took some drastic convincing for me to swap my VFR800, CB700SC, and DRZ400 for this Miata. At 60 mph the deer came over the handlebars of my DRZ400. On my first multi day group ride after a year of recovery I came within inches of striking another deer at 75 mph riding my VFR in Oregon. This was on the same road that a fellow rider was killed by deer the week after my near fatal deer collision. After 42 years and over 200,000 miles of riding I decided I could not justify the anguish I was causing my dear wife by continuing. I reasoned that I had been everywhere and done everything on a bike, it was time to move on. I still have my old DT175 Yamaha Enduro which I have ridden a few time off pavement. So I have moved on to the MX5, photography, mountain biking, and chasing around 5 new grandchildren. In early March I thoroughly enjoyed some twisty mountain roads in NW Oregon on a spirited Miata group drive. I would like to get out and do that more often. I have to drive out of the Seattle area for the best empty roads. I know where they all are from years of motorcycling. The MX5 handled remarkably well and stayed very much in control as I pushed it. It was quite close to the thrill of the VFR, I have to drive fast enough to almost scare my self as I did riding. I do wonder what it would be like to chase some of my riding buddies on our favorite roads.

The cam chain noise common to the 6th gen is not the usual loose cam chain rattle common on other bikes but the tensioner rattling in its case because it is full of air rather than oil. Completely harmless just annoying when it gets worse. The front one is worse because of its position. It usually happens when the oil pressure is low, idling, oil is cold and thicker, oil filter clogged. Some oils flow better and can prevent the noise. I had luck with Castrol GTX 10W40 never rattled after the bike warmed up. Ignore it as long as you can, mine never got bad enough in 90k miles.

logo is level, rear cylinders are more vertical than the front.

OK, so I have both bags now sanded and primed. Ready to paint. I could sell them that way. If I paint them I would order Italian Red and clear in rattle cans. Would one can of red and one of clear do both lids? If I have them professional sprayed should a hardener be added to the paint for durability? Would this be big advantage over rattles cans?

So I low side on my right ABS hard bag at 60 mph, worn through I welded it back together and built up missing ABS using layers of ABS cement like used for drain pipes. It is made of ABS suspended in acetone. The new material is as solid as the original. Easy to sand in to shape, prime, and paint.

14k miles is way below normal stator life. Average 6th gen OEM stators are lasting about 50k miles. This is not bad compared to other bikes. You have to figure they are a consumable item like spark plugs. Fluctuations like in post #7 seem to be normal for the 2 6th gens I have owned. I got 48k miles from OEM stator and the replacement OEM was still working well 35k later when bike was sold. I found there some weak links in the charging system that are easy to fix. Replace the 30 amp fuse holder next to the battery with a good automotive fuse holder. Replace the plug between the stator and R/R with this http://www.wiremybike.com/vfr-specific-parts-2000-2001-vfr-parts-stator-hardwire-kit-p-693.html If the charging voltage is low run the R/R monitor wire to the battery or fuse holder. I did these fixes to my replacement VFR before there was problems since I learned from 85k miles on the previous VFR. As connectors age and corrode these weak spots start to heat up as resistance increases. Ox-Guard or WD40 the connectors between the the stator and battery to cut down corrosion. Also maintain the negative ground wiring. With this preventative maintenance I hope to extend stator life a bit further.

After reading the responses here I think I should prime paint all of both bags. I may try to sell them that way, ready to paint. If they don't sell I will paint both R157 red later. Options are: I can buy 2 each of Color Rite R157 red and clear coat in 11 oz aerosol cans for about $120 which should do both bags. I can get PPG paint mixed up locally and put into aerosol cans. I can take to a shop and have it professionally done. Most cost, best results. If I go the professional shop route could they add hardener to the paint to make it more durable? Which I could not do with aerosol cans.

Thanks all for all the advice. I am sure you guys are right painting the whole bag will give the best results. The bags are 12 years old and well used. Painting both of them would make good sense too since the other one is scratched up. Cost will be a big factor. I have enough Color Rite paint left over from a previous fairing repair to paint the damaged area only so cost of material will be 0. Quality will not be great but an improvement. I may sell the bike and bags next spring so that is a factor. How much would be reasonable cost for new paint and have it sprayed? How much paint and clear coat would it take for each bag? Afraid cost of painting may be close to what the old bags are worth. David Silvers sells new bag sets for $495. Painted mine would be worth half that. Still not decided if I want to spend the money to do this right. Buying new $495 bags and selling the old ones on CL may make sense.

I have been working on repairing my 6 gen. left hard bag after 60 mph low side. Broken arm is healing up. Leather saved my skin. The bike is completely repaired except for this hard bag. I have been working on this for a while and making good progress so far. I welded the ABS cracks with soldering iron and filled in the lost plastic with ABS cement. Layer upon layer and sanded smooth until the shape is filled in. A little bondo to fill in the small imperfections and sanded smooth. Then masked off about 1/3 the bag and sprayed with Color Rite Primer and sanded smooth with 400 grit. I was able to touch up my '02 fairing 4"x12" with Color Rite "Italian Red" and clear coat using an air brush. Turned out well. Now red and clear paint for the hard bag. I am artistic but very little spray painting experience, figuring this out as I go. Do I prime and paint the whole bag with my miniature air brush or do I try to blend the new paint with the old. I only have about 1 oz of red which I will thin with 1 oz reducer. Almost 2 oz of clear coat left. I may need more paint. Won't be perfect but better than it was. I find this red very difficult to work with. Any advice?

Most likely something is loose on the chassis and rattling. Scope out where the sound is coming from and document what conditions is it heard. Does frequency vary with rpm or wheel speed? 6th gen. CCT is usually not the chain at all but the CCT mechanism rattling in it own can because it is filled with air instead of oil. Usually a constant frequency tapping sound that can come and go with rpm and engine temperature. It can go away as the oil heats up and gets thinner, filling the CCT, or when the oil pressure rises at higher rpm. It is annoyingly loud but causes no harm.

Surely this only holds true if the owner rides around on high beam 24/7. Who would do that? I think its the opposite, people that use less of the voltage supply can have more issue, Hid's and led replacements of incandesant bulbs, have to dissipate more of the excess supply. I was thinking the same, at least for the RR. Less output from the stator being used up by the bike's lighting system = more surplus energy the RR need to transformation into heat that needs to be dissapated...... The 6th gen has to produce enough power to run all 4 headlights and fan at all times but rarely needs to so there is a lot of surplus power that is shunted to heating up the R/R. This also can heat up the stator. The lower draw of 8th gen headlights mean the system can be designed with less need for surplus power and excess heat. The '02 VFR had a recall to up the output of the original design stator because too many people were running high beams during the day and battery could go dead if the fan came on for a long time as in stuck in traffic. Upping the output of the stator may have added to the over heating and reliability problems some are experiencing now. Upping the output on a balanced electrical system design is not likely good for the balance of the system.

The 6th gen RR is a definite improvement over previous models. No failures on mine. Stators last average of 50k miles as a consumable item. Then there are a few connectors that over time will corrode and fail if left unattended. I had no problems for 5 years and 50k miles. Fixed the problems and was still good 40k miles later. I now read significantly more about 6th gen electrical woes since the bikes have aged. If Honda did not improve the 8th gen electrics we likely will not know for another 5 years. Running 4 halogen bulbs on the 6th gen had certainly upped the amps and exposed wiring vulnerability. I would expect the 8th gen LED headlamps lower amps will reduce wiring problems. Hopefully the lower power draw will mean a cooler longer lasting stator and less over stressed connectors.

My experience and from what I read here from posts by others the VFR OEM chain by DID lasts considerably longer than any of the aftermarket chains. The OEM made by RK has not performed as well. For example I got 40k miles from OEM and just 23k from DID's best aftermarket chain. In the past I was able to buy OEM chain from Honda and it performed much better. Last I checked the OEM chain by DID was no longer available so I had to buy an inferior aftermarket chain. Designed for shorter life and more frequent sales. We have no other choices available. Clever marketing sucks.

Numb hand syndrome is common, often caused by supporting too much of your upper body with your arms. Arms should be bent and relaxed, lift outer part of palm off the grips to open up blood flow to hands. Slight changes in posture are needed for riding this type of bike effectively. When you get it right they are very comfortable for long distance. Having less weight on the tailbone pays off if you are not supporting the upper body on your hands. Cramp Buster added to the throttle grip could help. I don't know how the throttle spring could easily be adjusted.

I am very skeptical about this. Both wheels and the tire are damaged. Does not sound like a defective wheel. It would take a severe impact to damage the tire. A new owner hits a curb hard, goes to dealer, is he going to admit causing the damage? Was there too little air in the tire? Was the bike test driven by others?

It was a few years ago but I bought a stock exhaust for $75. They were going on ebay for about that price since many were buying aftermarket exhausts and the stock cans were going cheap. Post a want to buy ad in the classified here and check out ebay for a while to see if one shows up. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-vfr-800-oem-exhaust-mufflers-/151320643111?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item233b69c627&vxp=mtr Here you go

As to why. OEM has a designed life span of about 50k miles. Insulation breaks down with heat and time. They are maintenance items like tires, brake pads, and battery. More heat the shorter the life. What causes heat is running at higher rpm, higher electrical load, bad connectors in the charging wiring, higher air and engine temperatures. Stator failure is often accompanied by burnt connectors between the stator and the battery. A weak battery would create higher load to recharge and contribute to connectors overheating. When my OEM failed I was on a high speed week long trip in the south west USA, riding high rpm, running high beam headlight modulator, heated jacket in the morning, hot desert temperatures in the afternoon. Stator plug and 30 amp fuse holder at the battery were fried. I found aftermarket stators and mechanics too much in a hurry to do a good job just did not work for me. On my new bike I replaced the stator plug and 30 amp fuse holder before they fry to keep resistance low.

Has the wiring recall been done? Check battery voltage and connections. Check fuses. No one can tell what you have done from your description.

'02 stator lasted 48k, 5 years, was 800 miles from home. OEM not available from Honda at the time, had a dealer install a Rick's stator, lasted 6 months, 7k miles. Rick's replacement installed by a local Honda dealer lasted one week, this time 600 miles from home. Pulled the headlight fuse and made it home with the bad stator. The first installation the bike was dripping oil steadily in front of the dealer's shop. The second installation the wiring was unnecessarily jury rigged together. So I know your frustration. I replaced battery, stator, and R/R, with OEM parts. I did all the work myself this time. For 5 years and 40k miles, until I sold the bike I had no more electrical issues. Two lessons for me, OEM parts and I do the the work myself.

This fuse holder is a common problem and I have replaced it with a high quality automotive fuse holder with 30 amp fuse that looked similar to the one posted. The fried connector next to it looks like it needs replacement too. Another connector to check is the 3 yellow wire connector between stator and rectifier located under right side fairing above the clutch. I found this works well. http://www.wiremybike.com/vfr-specific-parts-2000-2001-vfr-parts-stator-hardwire-kit-p-693.html After putting about 90k miles on my first 6th gen. these were the weak links, when I replaced the bike I did these fixes as preventive maintenance.

What does the voltage reading at the battery do when it "cuts off" Audible click? sound like a relay? What does "the dash lights back up" mean? Does not sound like R/R Sounds more like a bad connection or relay. Bad R/R or stator slowly drains battery over time because of low output. The bike keeps running on the power from the battery for quite awhile. A sudden drop in power means something has disconnected or switched off.

Your charging voltage above 14V is normal but your battery at 11V is drained. You need to charge the battery to above 12.7V. Your charging system is showing normal numbers and should be charging the battery when engine is running. Possible causes: The bike is sitting too long unused and the battery is slowly going dead with time. Use a battery tender. There is a drain on the battery when the bike is off. Check with amp meter. Bad connection to the battery. Check connectors. Bad battery. Have it charged and load tested by dealer.

You have not found the smoking gun here. The voltages with the high beams on are not too low and would not cause the bike to stop running. Determine if the stalling was accompanied by low voltage or is there a different cause. You could install a voltmeter on the bike to determine if the voltages are stable. Ride it some more