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Hello everyone! I wanted to share my story of becoming a VFR owner and some of my early struggles. I started to browse this forum as soon as I understood that my next purchase will be a 6th gen VFR – a noticeable upgrade from my humble Honda NTV ’93, which I loved, but felt the need to upgrade for sport-touring type of vehicle. At the very start I set my eyes on the 5th gen model, since I liked the sound of gear driven cams, riding comfort and the looks. Which is why I searched everywhere for one and since I’m from Latvia, “Everywhere” meant nearby countries and Germany. While I was still figuring out my finances, one popped up 70km from my hometown, but since I wasn’t able to buy it outright, I pitched the idea to my friend, who was aiming for a 6th gen at a time. We went to check it out and he bought this beauty with 30k kilometers on the clock: Now he is in love with it and it’s understandable – great motorcycle in perfect shape. Afterwards I got a chance to work overtime and earn the much needed cash for trading up – the hunt for my new bike was on! While looking around I was still mainly interested in owning a blue 2001 VFR800, which looks great in this color and has no choke lever or bulky mirrors. But since budget had grown and I could afford to spend 4000 EUR on my new ride (that includes selling my old girl), I started to take liking to the 6th gen models – that rear end is juicy 😄 After three weeks of searching, one popped up in Lithuania, 140km from my home – it was right on the budget, leaving me nothing for unexpected expenses, but boy was it mint.. This 2003’ blue beauty had only 14K kilometers on the clock, no rust, OEM side luggage and aftermarket windscreen. Test ride was rough, since it had been raining, but I felt out what I could and even tried out the VTEC system, since way too many people have complained of it being to rough on 2002 model. (side note, after a couple months of riding my VFR, I can confidently say that I love the VTEC transition – it is addicting and makes me smile) Even though I had some doubts about this bike being heavier and bulkier than my starter motorcycle and a slight worry about maintenance since I’d have to disassemble the fairings, which was a first for me – I pulled the trigger and bought it. Purchase was made in July, so I decided to just change the oil, oil filter and enjoy the season. Fairing removal was very scary for the first few times 😄 The only upgrade I had to do was purchasing a PUIG attachable windshield extension, since I was getting pummeled by turbulence. While it was expensive, it improved the riding comfort immensely. First few months were slightly worrying since I was now in completely different riding position and the bike hadn’t broken me in yet – I had back aches and was even contemplating selling it if nothing changed. Luckily I got used to my new partner and had an amazing fall season. In late autumn I prepared the bike for storage approximately 5 times since I kept pushing the season longer 😄 But after winter came I parked it for good and started to make a to-do list for maintenance. I knew about wiring issues which were present before 2006 so I ordered the VFRness. An expensive but necessary upgrade. I think I paid like 160 EUR total to get it shipped to me. Also I couldn’t look at my fork dust seals for they had cracks in them from prolonged storage (14k of riding for a 03’ motorcycle has it’s downsides). Wiring in general had to be refreshed buy cleaning all the accessible connectors. While working on a stripped bike and adding the VFRness I noticed many damaged rubber grommets so they had to go. What also reared it’s ugly head, was the fact that my bike had been in a collision which damaged the plastic mounts on my speedometer. Now I knew why it had a fancy new windshield.. So I kept working on refreshing or fixing everything I found to be less than perfect and after adding the switchable circuit VFRness I started to wonder on what accessories could I add and how to mount them. Which is when I found out about the elusive HISS bracket 😄 Why elusive you ask? Because the only guy who makes them, doesn’t ship to my country.. So I made one for myself using Fusion 360 Once the bracket was mounted, I had to fill the new mounting sockets with something 😄 So I bought a gear indicator from AliExpress and a Voltmeter / USB charger (both light up in green so they match). A friend helped me to 3D print a holder for the gear indicator and did a terrific job of it: After adding both VRFness and HISS bracket, I opted to also install heated grips, but in the cheap way 😄 I ordered a kit from AliExpress which had to be modified to fit, but I am used to soldering so it was fine. (These are only useful on high setting, but they do help a lot when I’m riding off season – 5 degrees Celsius is perfectly fine for me now). While at it, I also added aftermarket levers and figured out a way to fit a RAM mount. I took the idea from this forum, but had to make my own ball mount since original one was too low and I risked damaging paint on my gas tank. I also decided to strip paint from my bar-ends 😄 And that’s all folks – now I am already sneaking in a few spring rides in anticipation of an approaching new season which will no doubt bring me many great memories with my mates and my beloved motorcycle 🙂

Hi everyone, I've just installed the VFRness on my dear 2001. The voltage is very nice and stable now (Thank you again Tightwad!) but that is not the point of this thread. I am really curious about your numbers while under load. I have done some measurements on battery to test the minimum Volts the system can produce, volts at idle and volts at 5K rpm. So can you please share your numbers? Situation N.1 Ignition OFF (bike cold), voltmeter on the battery terminals Situation N.2 Ignition ON, engine ON (bike warm at idle RPMs), voltmeter on the battery terminals Situation N.3 Ignition ON, engine ON (bike warm at steady 5000 RPMs), voltmeter on the battery terminals Situation N.4 Ignition ON, engine ON (bike warm at idle RPMs), voltmeter on the battery terminals AND with lights on (front and back while in hi-beam and with brake lights on)+indicator (while lit) Only remaining drains are the fan (but I don´t think anybody wants to wait for it to turn on) and the horn (which would be annoying to the surrounding area so let's skip that as well) 1) 12,77V 2) 14,33V 3) 14,33V 4) 12,30V

Hi VFRees, I will soon come in to possession of a 2008 VFR. I've been reading through a lot of the threads on here about the electrical issues. Can anybody clarify whether the models after the 2002-2005 recall (2006-2009) still require a VFRness to achieve a more reliable electrical system? If not, are there any other recommended mods to the electrical system for the 2008? I plan to install a fuse block for an accessory circuit including a volt meter.

Hey all, So, My reg/rec died on me (right outside my house haha) about a year ago. Rather than run the risk of further failures I invested in a mosfet and vfrness from wiremybike. On my first ride after installation I was at a petrol station (i had done about 3km so still not up to temp) when the bike died, no clocks , no gauges, no engine, nada. I turned the key off and on again and she came back to life. I continued on my test ride without further problems, went home, checked the installation work again, couldn't find anything wrong. Over the last year the same thing has happened to me another 3 times. Always just after starting, always at low revs. always fires again when turning the key off and on again. Then last week the same thing happened but at the end of my ride so she was plenty hot (i cant recall now if the cooling fan was running or not) again, at low revs, in traffic but this time I didnt need to touch the key. I pulled over to the side of the road, no clocks/guages nothing but then she came back to life by herself. It doesnt seem to be related with riding over bumps, she doesnt see much rain. the tickover sometimes seems lumpy at low revs (i ve just adjusted the tickover to see if this helps this) Of course, the first place to start is the battery but im getting readings of 12.75v standing charge. 12.43v with the ignition on(no lights) 11.94v ign + lights and 14.30v engine running. so all good in this 'hood, right? I ve got a pan european trip planned for July ( from Spain to Wales and back ) and would really like to get this sorted for piece of mind. Do these symptoms ring any bells to anyone? Where do I go from here? Any pointers most gratefully received! Cheers!

I have a question about the VFRness instal, and would like opinions on the state of this stator I just replaced. According to the instructions the extra red wire goes to the starter relay. Just to make sure I have it right is this the wire (front right red wire)? (I do have the replacement plug kit) Not sure if I will just remove and replace the red wire or do a full replace of the starter relay plug with the replacement kit.. probably the latter. Below is a picture of the stator I removed (on the left). It is the original stator and had over 50k miles on it. What is your opinion of it's condition? I replaced it with a Rick's stator of course. Thanks for the feedback in advance!

I recently did some electrical work and had to solder in a new wire. I have the VFRness, and anyone who has it knows how tight the right side fairing is against the bike with it on. I'm at a point where I cannot reposition this connector bunch, and it now partially pops out above the fairing. Aesthetically, I'll get over it, but I am more concerned with the any water getting in it should I ride in the rain. Has anyone tried to waterproof these before?

My bike left me stranded, 2004 with 22K on it. Was riding, shut if off to get gas, then turned the key on and the dash never appeared - clock was still there so I know there's battery power. Towed it home, went to start it several hours later, and was messing around and it started! Then it wouldn't restart. Here are the details - I have the VFRness - battery is in good shape, 12.86volts off. - when the bike is off, 12.86 volts flow to the two 20 amp VFRness fuses (measured by removing the fuses) - both fuses had some burning look to them (attached) --- replaced the fuses and it still did not turn on for a while - started after that off chance try, but would not turn back on. I did have a change while riding today in that my phone was hooked up to the batter with this battery tender attachment, but since I see voltage at the battery I'm not sure it toasted it. I am thinking it is a faulty connection, but I am not sure where to start looking. Are there common failure points I should be aware of?

i have replaced the stator and rectifier also installed vfrness to bike and battery still recieving no charge. after install the results from testing were right. stator passed,r/r passed,battery was showing 13.4 at idle and 14.7 at 5000 rpm. after letting the bike idle for about five minutes i tested the voltage at the the battery and it was reading 12.56. end result my bike will only run for as long as the battery has juice to supply it. going through the the trouble shooting im checking the ecu wire harness to be sure the readings r right. from the ecu wire harness nothing read to specs. and my pulse generator reads nothing. i need some help im stumped and dont want to fuck my off.

Hi all! I just acquired a 2004 VFR800 (non ABS) with 29,000 miles on it. All was well for about 200 miles, and then it died. The person riding in front of me said that the headlights started getting dimmer and dimmer and then went out just shortly before I lost power. I got the bike home (fortunately only ~70 miles from home), and started diagnosing. The PO was not sure whether the RR or stator has ever been replaced. The battery was replaced in the past year or two with a Battery Tender Lithium Ion battery. The battery was dead, so I charged that. When I started testing, it was sitting at 13.14V. Checked again this morning, and it's sitting at 13.13V so the battery seems to be OK. I tested everything and concluded that I had zero charging going on but it seems like the stator is OK(?). In the process of testing, I found that the connections between the stator and RR had overheated and were likely non-conductive. The char looks recent so I suspect they melted/charred during my ride. I rewired the connectors and tested again. Results: First test (before rewiring, with low beams on): IGN Bike Measured Reading OFF OFF BAT - + 13.14V ON OFF BAT - + 12.78V ON IDLE BAT - + 13.00V (rising) ON 2500RPM BAT - + 12.50V (falling) ON 5000RPM BAT - + 12.50V (falling) Stator tests: Impedance between phases: AB ~1ohm, AC ~1ohm, BC ~.9ohm Impedance to ground: A->G infinte, B->G infinite, C->G infinite AC Voltage: IDLE AB 24.2 AC 24.5 BC 23.9 5K AB 64.5 AC 64.5 BC 65 After replacing yellow stator connections (low beams on): ON IDLE BAT - + 13.20V (rising) ON 2500RPM BAT - + 13.45V (rising) ON 5000RPM BAT - + 13.58V (rising) A few notes: For the impedance tests, the ohmmeter that I am using is not close to instantaneous. When I put the leads directly against one another it rapidly declines from 200ohm to 5 then 3 then 2 then 1.5 then 1.4 then 1.3 and so on. With each downward tick it takes longer (from 200-1.5 takes a second or two, then it takes a few seconds from 1.5 to 1.0, and then approximately ten seconds per 0.1 tick beyond that. I suspect that the stator impedances are lower than 1.0 or 0.9, but I either need a new meter or to be dramatically more patient waiting for it to settle. For the "rising" and "falling" statements, once the voltmeter settled on a voltage (which is fairly instantaneous), I am stating that the voltage is slowly ticking upward or downward. Over the course of 30 seconds at a particular RPM, I would se a rise or fall of approximately 0.15-0.50 volts. There are no electrical accessories on the bike. After fixing the stator->RR connections, when I ran the 5k RPM voltage test I saw the 30A fuse wire start smoking and it was quite hot to the touch. All of that leads me to some questions: Is there anything about a lithium ion battery that would result in me not seeing a higher voltage across the terminals? I've never dealt with a lithium ion battery in a car/bike before so want to make sure that I should expect the same testing behavior as I would a conventional battery. At this point I am planning to rewire the bike (mirroring a VFRness) or order a VFRness and install that. Also, following my tests, I'm going to rewire my crimp connectors (stator<-->RR) with soldered connections. Should I go ahead and order a RR at this point too or do my results seem potentially within the realm of "normal" for overheated/deteriorated wiring? Should I get the wiring squared away, test again, and then decide whether to acquire an RR? In general are the failures frequent enough that I should just keep a spare RR on hand (or on the bike when I'm on trips)? Is there an expected lifespan for a Honda OEM RR? Does 29k miles make it "due" for replacement? Am I way off base on anything I've said that I need to be corrected on? Thank you in advance!

I just bought a 92 VFR750 in great condition. I'd love for it to continue running without a hitch. After skimming through the forums here, it looks as though charging and electrical problems are common. I have read a number of things about a vfrness, changing the r/r, checking wiring frequently, etc. and I'd like to know a little more about all this. I am not very electrically inclined, so I'm not interested in doing anything very advanced, but I'd like to do whatever I need to to ensure I don't end up stuck on the side of the road, so here are my questions: 1) what exactly is the electrical problem that is common with VFRs? 2) what can be done to resolve this? 3) should I buy and install a new r/r? is there an updated one for my bike? 4) should I buy and install a vfrness? 5) do I need to keep checking my wires to see if they are melted? If yes, how often should I be checking? Thanks for the advice.

Thought that subject line that might get peoples' attention ... So I'm finally getting around to installing the Oggy Knobbs I ordered last month. They arrived fairly quickly by air from Oz, I've just been avoiding the hassle of removing all the Tupperware. In any case, today I got all the plastic off and figured that while she's naked, I should Ox-gard some of connections prone to causing trouble. The bike is an '06 and while I haven't had any electrical issues other than a dead (from age) battery, I'm starting to worry about the bike's Achilles heel. I have a voltmeter, and will install it once the posi-taps I ordered arrive, so I can keep an eye on things. I picked up a tube of Ox-gard, grabbed some toothpicks (Cogswell recently linked an article with suggested application methods) and ... started scratching my head. I pulled apart the connector near the battery with the 30-amp fuse. There was a tiny amount of faint white residue (corrosion) on the spades, but that's about it. I dabbed a little Ox-gard on the four spades with a toothpick and reassembled. I pulled the bell-shaped plastic covers off several of the other connections on both sides and they all look like new, no signs of burning or even heating. So the question: Should I disconnect all the connectors that I can reach and hit them with a dab of Ox-gard or is that overkill? Are there certain connectors that I should worry about more than others? Apart from oil and filter changes, tires, etc. I tend to be in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp, but I gather that may leave one stranded on the roadside where VFR electrics are concerned ... I took a few pics of the connectors I could see. Left side (is this blue one at the front the famous blue one?): Left side below coolant overflow bottle: Right side, mess o' connectors (I hope I'm not losing you with the technical jargon ): Right side forward. (I'm guessing that's the FI ECU ...): On a related note, is it worth investing in a VFRness for a 2006? After researching here and elsewhere I bought the 2006 for the wiring and VTEC improvements. However it seems that there have been some (perhaps not that many ...) people with 2006 and later 6th gens that have had burned connectors, RR, stator and battery failures. Thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Unfortunately I had to splice in the supplied starter repair kit with my VFRness install. I had some heatshrink tubing for the smaller wires but it wasn't big enough for the larger wire. Is it okay (safe)to use electrical tape instead? Do I need something that is heat or voltage rated? Signed, Electrically challenged in Kaslo

Is this a bad idea?? Installed it along with the VFRness and this was the best spot I could find... Better ideas?