curt

I have a set of the mounting brackets to sell and most of the hardware that goes with them. Let me know.

I can do pictures tonight when i am home.

I have a 2002 vfr800, red. I have the oem had bags but the previous owner hit his garage with the right one when it was open and broke the lid part off. The back that attaches to the bike is still fine and in working condition. The broken lid broke off right next to the hinges and leave very small area to plastic weld to. in my inexperienced opinion there is no hope.

What options do i have? can i find just one hard bag? can i get just the lid?

Question; are there other hard bags that will fit the mounting brackets on my bike?

all last summer i rode with just one hard bag. not a huge deal but two would be so much nicer.

If i cant repair the broken case, anyone have any ideas how i can make the back part of the case (that attaches to the bracket) into something i can put my golf clubs on?

i was thinking of using a pull cart and attaching the part that holds the bag onto the broken case. would make my day...

Thanks for the input.

If you have not found a right bag yet, I have a right bag (Red R-157) I want to sell. Let me know.

The wire harness replacement has been completed on my '03 -- not by a dealer, but by me. Why, you may ask, would I do that?

snip ....

So, am I the only one here who has done the PCV and wire harness recalls themselves?

I also did the wiring harness recall myself .. tho in my case I didn't have to pay for it. Found an obliging dealer that got the harnesses in & mailed them to me. :laugh:

Curt ... Could you also please send me the tech note on the PCV recall check? I would appreciate checking that myself also.

TIA

Dave

Dave,

Lucky you! But I don't understand how the dealer could pull that off, unless they made a warranty claim with Honda for warranty work on your VFR that they didn't accomplish. I think Honda would frown on that, to put it mildly.

Sent you a PM regarding the PCV recall service bulletin.

I'm glad to hear someone else did this for themselves. I've had some bad experience already concerning the harness recall (one dealer kept claiming they couldn't get the harness and the other tells me it has already been completed and of course they tell me this after they order and have the parts...it hasn't been done). I've been contemplating ordering the kit and doing it myself. So much so that I priced the kit and I have the service bulletin outlining the repair.

Do you have the service bulletin for the PCV work? Could you send me a copy? The second dealer did perform the check but I'd prefer to see it pass for myself.

zx5go,

I've sent you a PM.

The wire harness replacement has been completed on my '03 -- not by a dealer, but by me. Why, you may ask, would I do that?

Read on......

First, a little background. The main wire harness was replaced under warranty in June 2004, due to the usual symptoms of no headlights, relays buzzing, and engine cut-out when the turn signals were used. That is the only time my VFR has ever been back to the dealer, and, since then, I've had no electrical problems.

But, with the wire harness recall, I'm thinking that I ought to get it done, because there are changes in the front sub-harness that should improve reliability. So, I contacted the dealer where I bought the bike, and they agreed to order the harness and call me when it came in. In a few days, I called the dealer and was told that the harness was not available. Now, I knew from reading the posts on vfrd that the non-availability problem affected the 2004-2005 models, but I wasn't sure about the 2002-2003 models. So, I called the Honda Customer Service number as a double check and was told that there were several kits available for my bike.

OK, back to the dealer, and I politely told them they had been trying to order the wrong kit. One strike against them.

Since I never had the proportioning control valve (PCV) recall done, I thought this would be a good time for that, too, even though I had already accomplished the PCV inspection several times and found it to be within spec. I made this clear to the dealer, but they ordered a PCV valve before completing the inspection, which is in violation of the service bulletin.

I'm thinking that this is not a good sign, and it may be a case of the dealer wanting to get paid for 2.9 hours for the PCV inspection and replacement, rather than getting paid for 0.7 hour for the inspection only. The idea of taking my bike to the dealer for anything causes me great anxiety to begin with, much less tearing into it for unnecessary work, with all the risk of screw-up’s and damage that that entails. Strike two against the dealer.

I made it clear to the dealer that they were NOT to change the PCV valve without my specific authorization. Oh, and I didn't want any punch marks anywhere on my bike (Remember that thread?), as called for by the service bulletin procedures. Certain uncomfortable tensions were developing at this point between me and the tech who would do the work. To make a long story short, I became annoyed and concerned to the point where I canceled the appointment. Contributing to this decision were all the stories I had read here about unsatisfactory experiences with the dealers.

At this point, I said screw it and ordered the harness kit from Service Honda, part no. 06320-MCW-305. The cost was $121, plus $9.00 shipping. The harness and the battery cable have been installed by me, and I'm a happy camper. The out of pocket cost was worth it to me to avoid having to deal with the dealer and incur whatever anxiety and risk that entails. You have to understand that this dealer is very small with only one qualified tech, and when tensions developed between me and him, there was no way I felt even remotely good about taking my bike in for the recall work. I could have taken it to another dealer, but I really didn't have confidence in any of them at this point. Plus, the overriding consideration, I suppose, is that I am the paranoid type and prefer to do my own work when at all possible.

So, am I the only one here who has done the PCV and wire harness recalls themselves?

Look on Page 2-12 of the service manual, "Upper Cowl."

The best advice I can give you is to buy an authorized Honda Service Manual:

2002-2003 VFR800/A Service Manual

Phone: 1-888-292-5393

The $60 cost (plus shipping) will be recovered many times over, if you do your own maintenance and repair work.

Plus, the service manual can save you from making costly mistakes.

About 2.5 years ago my left hard bag fell off, and I was not able to find it (somebody may have picked it up).

Was I upset? You bet, but I didn't run out and buy a replacement bag. Matter of fact, I still haven't, and I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe I don't need them anyway, considering how little, if any, actual touring I do.

There are three options available.....

Option 1: Sell the right bag and mounting hardware now. The purchaser could then buy a new, replacement left bag ($312 + shipping from servicehonda.com) to get the complete set.

Option 2: Purchase a new, replacement left bag and sell the complete set. Anybody know what a used set would go for, assuming excellent condition? Note: A new set of hard bags from servicehonda.com is about $800 + shipping. The disadvantage of this option is that I have to shell out $300+ initially for the left bag.

Option 3: Buy a new left bag and sell the set with the bike when the time comes to sell it. The thinking here is that the bike will appeal to more buyers if it comes with the Honda hard bags. Is that the case?

Again, the disadvantage is I have to buy the bag, plus store it until I sell the bike (no plans to do that for the indefinite future). Of course, I might have occasion to use the bags again, but that would be on a very infrequent basis. Actually, I can get by with a tank and tail bag, considering what little I take with me.

Opinions, please.

Many thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. It's really great to know that there are so many other VFR riders out there who are willing to help and share their knowledge. :goofy:

CementHead,

Thanks for the detailed info and pics on the Honda OEM heated grip system, which seems to be the best available. I went on the David Silver Spares site and these grips are 123 English pounds, or more thatn 200US$ -- Yikes!

I'll have to think about this. Maybe my hands didn't get all that cold after all. :D

Honda NA has not imported them to date.? Nevertheless, Honda Japan has had them available for years.

They plug right into the VFR wiring harness and replace the stock grips.? ? They are slightly thicker than the stock grips - I measure mine as ~1 3/8".

Part of the Honda advantage is that they come with an infinitely variable controller and turn off automatically when the voltage drops below a certain point - so that the grips will not drain your battery if you are riding in stop and go in a city.? Conversely, they return to your power setting when the voltage comes up again.

Like today - on starting the bike with the grips on, they heated up immediately at the high idle speed (+14V).? By the time I got to the gas station in town, they had turned off as I idled in (~13.8V).

If you are interested, drop David Silver Spares in the UK an email.? They will help you out.? Oh, a warning, being OEM they are pricey :o .

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Cementhead,

Thanks, I'll contact David Silver Spares.

A couple of additional questions, please.

Where does the switch/controller mount? Any drilling required? If you have a pic, that would be great.

When you say "pricey," can you give me an idea of how much?

Wingspan,

Thanks for the detailed reply and pics.

I don't quite understand how compressed air is used to remove the grips. Please explain. Thanks.

curt,

I have the OEM Honda heated grips.? They are fabulous allowing me to ride pretty much all of the time using summer weight leather gloves.

But, sooner or later it gets cold even with the heaters on.? Mainly, I feel the cold on the back of my fingers because, of course, the heated grips can be turned up until it feels like you are holding a hot iron bar.

At that point - freezing cold and higher slab-type speed - , I have a pair of Belstaff's insulated gloves.? These are thicker than any pair of gloves that I have ever seen.? Warm, yes - perform open-heart surgery, no.? I am a little surprised because I thought that I would lose most control feel.? It's not like that.? Maybe appropriately I lose enough road feeling to remind me to slow down.? I would say that, at best, the thick gloves are clumsy.

Finally, the neat thing about the heated grips is that they are always there - unlike the vest that you left at home.? The open arteries thing of which electric vest makers speak - that is, by keeping your trunk warm the arteries in your arms remain open allowing blood flow into your hand stopping them from getting cold - also seems to work in reverse.? By keeping my hands warm, I don't feel cold in my arms.

I have never heard, nor read, of anyone regretting installing heated grips.

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I didn't know that Honda had any OEM heated grips for the VFR. Or, are yours from a different model? Please explain. Thanks.

Heated grips do make a huge difference, but in very cold temps you'll still need an insulated glove of some sort.  I've got a set of Dual Star grip heaters on my VFR and recommend them. Their inexpensive ($32 to my door), easy to install, and work well.

On very cold days I wear a set of Olympia insulated gloves. They're bulky, but warm and waterproof.

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Can you re-use the stock grips, or do they have to be cut off and replaced? Are the heated grip elements glued on?

Also what type of switch do you have? I looked at their site, and Dual star has a nice looking rocker-type switch for mounting on a flat surface.

Where did you mount your switch?

I use the thick and comfy Harley winter gloves....go ahead and make fun! They are goretex and are very warm. I have used them and rode when the temp gauge said it was 36 degrees....no issues. The gloves are FXRG, no flashy H-D logos either and are made with goretex, they are very water resistent. I highly recommend them.

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OK, we'll give you a pass on the gloves.

But that doesn't apply to H-D t-shirts, vests, chaps, and doo-rags. :beer:

Yesterday started an all-day ride at 8:00 AM and the temperature was 35 degrees F. I wore Held 'Steve" gloves with BCA liners, but this combination was not adequate to keep my hands, particularly the finger tips, from getting pretty darned cold while riding at 75 MPH on the slab.

On the way home on the slab, I wore a pair of thicker, insulated gloves, but there was quite a bit of loss off feel in the controls, particularly the brake lever. I thought this could compromise safety, and I wouldn't think of wearing these gloves in the twisties.

So, I'm wondering what you other VFR riders use for gloves in cold weather? Any suggestions on brands/models. Please comment on the loss feel in the controls, if any.

What about heated grips? Do they really work? Will they keep your finger tips warm when wearing regular sport bike/sport-touring gloves?

What brand heated grips do you recommend?

Thanks in advance.