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Dude you are the Howard Leese of Hondas.

In order of purchase... 1990 VFR750 - bought new 1988 FZR400R - no pictures that I could find 2012 DRZ400S - bought new 2013 VFR1200 - bought new 1999 Suzuki SV650 race bike - (traded for 2006 DRZ400SM) 2003 RC51 - Salvaged bike 2006 DRZ400SM - sold to but the Tenere 700 1993 VFR750 - streetfighter project - still 75% completed - someday.... 2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 - sold recently 1999 DRZ400E/SM - parts bike (E motor and carb, 1999 frame, SM forks, swingarm, front end)

reference to a proper wiring diagram in color would likely answer some questions. wires are tracible by following the same color or colors along the harness, and use of a volt/ohm meter is nearly indespensible.

Clearly they're doing naff all, have you traced em back to where they're connected up? That would bug the shit outta me, my OCD would keep me awake at night wondering wtf I had wired into my bike.

Mine is a California bike, had the charcoal canister, a servo to control the flow on/off, the pair system, and flapper valve system. You won't find it on the bike today!..... Let's keep helping DavidS.......

OK, my list, which will be much easier than those above since there are only, I'm pretty sure, 11. -Mini bike--manufacturer long forgotten. Pull start, centrifugal clutch, curved steel plate that rubbed the rear tire, which the manufacturer called a "brake." The most incredible thing I had ever owned in my life up to that point. -Bonanza mini bike, photo in previous post. 10hp! An inch of front suspension! My introduction to two-stokes. -Suzuki TS250. Eight months working the fryers at KFC got me a NEW street legal bike at 15. Put 42 miles on it in my dad's parking lot until I turned 16 and got my permit. -Honda 350 Scrambler. Since I was both young and dumb I was its final owner. Sort of ran for six months. -Suzuki GS400. Still young and dumb I didn't notice that the forks did.not.move. until I got it home. But I got that resolved and had four great years until the kid that stole it crashed it beyond repair. -1985 VF700 tariff bike, purchased new in 1986. My one and only bike for 16 years. Kids, mortgage, job...but some incredible trips through New England and the mid-Atlantic. -2002 6th gen. When you go 16 years between VFR's the new one seems like a revelation! -2010 7th gen. So different but just a great motorcycle. That motor! Those brakes! -2003 RC-51 SP-2. I own two bikes at the same time. Whee! Many great track days as well as a memorable 1000 mile weekend in the Sierra with fellow VFRD members. -2017 Ducati Multistrada S. Still in the garage, sport touring perfection for what I do. A great travel bike that can also really charge. -2026 Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. 400lbs! So far it's the perfect replacement for the RC-51--lighter, 100hp, rational seating position. I may change my mind tomorrow, and I've never owned a 5th gen, but I think my favorite is the 2002 VFR800. Despite a pretty disastrous R/R failure in 2009 (I wasn't so young then, but was still dumb) it's at the top of my list.

To keep them from driving it away, just pull an important fuse or three. But nothing is going to stop them from cutting a chain or lock and putting it in a truck/van.

There are six in the garage today (bottom of list), but the total over my lifeime? 33 off the top of my XLS. 1985 Suzuki GS700ES 1986 Yamaha FJ1200 1990 Yamaha FJ1200 1994 Kawasaki ZX-11 1988 Honda VTR250 1997 Suzuki GSF1200 1976 Suzuki GT550 1994 Yamaha FZR1000 1998 MuZ Sport Cup 1997 Ducati 748 2002 Yamaha R1 2005 Honda VFR800 2003 Honda CBR600RR 2007 Yamaha R6 1990 Honda CB-1 (1) 1990 Honda CB-1 (2) 1986 Yamaha FZ750 2003 Yamaha R6 yellow 1990 Honda VTR250 1989 Honda CB-1 (5) 1993 Yamaha FJ1200 2007 Suzuki GSXR750 1989 Honda CB-1 (6) 1999 Honda VFR800 2004 Yamaha R6-A blue 1989 Honda CB-1 (3) 2017 Honda CRF250L Rally 2009 Kawasaki KLX250SF 1990 Honda CB-1 (7) 1998 Honda VFR800 2000 Honda VFR800 2003 Yamaha R6-B Roy 2003 Yamaha R6-C Michael

Beyond Ballistics explains in its video that the treatment doesn't corrode the metal, but only removes the rust. The citric acid is neutralized by the sodium carbonate, so the solution becomes almost basic. In any case, I washed the tank several times with water and then used diesel fuel to grease the metal so that it wouldn't rust again until I filled it with gasoline.

The bike did die while running at an idle, I had a bad starter relay before which I replaced. But I don’t understand why I would not be able to bump start the bike like I was able to when it had a faulty starter relay. To re-summarize: Bike died at an idle at an intersection with a “CLUNK” as if it stalled out. I put in a fresh battery and checked all the fuses with no difference, the new battery (Charged to 12.7V) would drop to 6.8V when I would push the start button. There is no crank from the starter motor, but the fuel pump is priming. The fuel pump re-primes every time I tap the start button after holding it for 1-2 seconds. Why would the battery voltage drop so much, let alone not allow me to bump start? Cheers!

Sums up excellently. Yeah, I'm much appreciative of all the advice here from all... many thanks indeed, and much food for thought here. Highly grateful guys 🙏👍

Hi - I am totally out of plates and out of biz on this stuff..... Although I do have a ton of 6th gen R/R mounts left.

What Mohawk said. I had my old 98 on track days giving GSXR 750s a run for their money (they must have had muppet riders) without a single cause for concern from the front end. Plenty of good advice in this thread and you can always invest in upgraded suspension more suited to your style of riding and the roads you ride on. OEM suspension, as with most other things on bikes, is a compromise.

I am very reluctant to recommend any alternative to a Shindengen R/R. As demontrated by a lot of years hanging out on this forum, most alternatives die an early death. Maybe the best alternative is an OEM CBR500 you could get a Canadian dealer or a used on on Ebay Get a FH020AA or some newer Yamahas have that too, I think a Yam FJR1300 is using that one too. Or, got a buddy in Buffalo? Best wishes

The usual means is to put a tally mark on the affected part, such as a punch mark on the swingarm etc. I'm sure a 1200 owner will be along shortly.

Ha ha, that's a priceless quote from a fool 😂 Whilst mine has aftermarket cartridges it uses stock stanchions & VTR1000 sliders, which are basically the same as VFR ones apart from brake mounts. As Stray said after our dry trackday at Donington last year, I'd used up my chicken strips, turkey strip & beef strips on my tyres. At no point regardless of corner speed or braking did the front forks twitch, twist or misbehave in any way. Don't worry about them.

I'm planning on buying this one and getting some marine wire like you mentioned. I live in Canada and the USD conversion rate and shipping costs would be pretty high from roadstercycle. Do you think this one is good enough compared to the shindengen? Seems like a decent clone to me Kimpex HD Mosfet Voltage Regulator Rectifier - 225843

Not true.... .... Dot 5 is the silicone base and the one to be avoided except for racing... Motul Brake Fluid DOT 5.1 For use in DOT 3 and DOT 4 brake systems. Non-silicone based, long life and 100% synthetic, DOT 5.1 BRAKE FLUID conforms to the highest standards in brake fluid performance. DOT 5.1 is specially designed for Anti-Locking Brake Systems (ABS). With a high dry boiling point of 270°C (522°F) and a high wet boiling point of 185°C (365°F), DOT 5.1 delivers the best brake performance and mixes with DOT 3 and DOT 4. SAE/DOT standard: FMVSS116, DOT 3, DOT 4, SAE J1703 http://www.motul.com.au/product_line_up/fork_brake_others/images/space.gif

I wouldn't worry about the quote you copied. People write all sorts of stuff without really tracing a problem back to sorting stuff like all the very sensible suggestions that Gaz66 made. I suppose it's possible that if the triple clamps weren't correctly clamped to the specified torque, the procedure to settle the forks and axle hadn't been followed, and the tyres were squaring off, if then one was to ride at Ulster GP speeds violently opposite steering to change trajectory, one might expect to have some buttock clenching moments and possibly a brush with the hedge or a stone wall. Would that indicate a problem with the bike or the rider? The VFR is known for pretty neutral handling and the stock suspenders aren't to bad provided you're not extremely dense. Setting up your sag properly will help and getting the rebound dialled to where it's a comfortable balance between not too bouncy and not to stiff. I believe the original forks on the 5 gen were non adjustable, so getting them right might be a question of fork oil selection. Personally I'd suggest something around 22 cST @ 40°C such as Motul 10w as a good start point (watch out for silkolene fork oil as their products are much more viscous at the same weight as other makes). But definitely do all the checks that Gaz suggests firsts. After that I'd concentrate on getting your technique perfected. Later, you might choose to play around with raising the forks in the clamps to speed up the steering slightly. And possibly raising the rear end to bring a little mass forward to help load the front tyre on corner entry; but this is all icing on the cake stuff for road riding.

Yes that sounds like the best way to approach learning what setup is best for myself. Thanks for the replies. I'm considering my post, and how I said that the 5th Gen feels like a bus... what I meant by that, is that it feels incredibly confidence inspiring. I love how the bike feels against the road going into corners. I mean, it's a fantastically reasuring feeling when riding... What I was getting at was, that there was another post on here where someone mentions that there was some issue (that few experience) relating to the front forks. This is what I am wanting to learn more about. I have not experienced any bad handling myself as such. Just wanting to know more about any potential gremlins around 5th Gen stock front forks. I linked to the thread and have quoted the post. Thanks again.

Thanks, yeah the previous owner relocated it behind the rear master cylinder

Hi Chris. 5th Gens ride really well for a mass produced bike. If you have no confidence in cornering, I suggest you do some much needed basic checks. All info & torque settings & bike specs are listed in workshop manual, free to download on this site. Basics for your own safety: Tyres/size/condition/pressure/age/rotation/ tyre beads evenly fitted. Check wheels for buckles/flat spots. Check brakes for binding. Check ride height. Zero all suspension settings as a base & start again as per manual. Reset front wheel install procedure, may have stiction due to misalignment in fork legs? Reset fork preload & fork position/fork height in top yoke. Check steering bearing feel for notchy/tight spots/ excess play. Torque up centre yoke nut (loosen both top fork pinch bolts first) Check rear eccentric hub is orientated with axle at bottom as viewed from sprocket side. Clean/lube & adjust chain tension. Torque up all accessible bolts. Then go ride it, on same route as before, compare how she rides. You gorra start somewhere, this is where to start, before assuming anything drastic is wrong, which there may well be?. Rgds Gaz

I’ve just got back from a 80 mile ride in the Peak District (England) with a few spirited blasts and I’m amazed how much fun this bike is considering its weight. It loved being thrown around and changes direction amazingly quickly. Very confidence inspiring and I’ve got no issues pushing it.

I have been randomly browsing posts on the forum, and found the following: "I did not like the downright dangerous front stock suspension of the 5th gen. Few people ever experienced what it is capable of doing to you but let it suffice there is a very good reason the sixth gen. has one millimeter larger diameter front forks. They can save your life. I had a likely near death experience with my fifth gen. when I put it in a "just right" cornering position that twisted the front forks on dry pavement. It's a complicated phenomena that gets a bit hairy to say the least but I never trusted the bike again after that. Too complicated to go into here." Basically, I live in an area with lots of "twisties" as you guys call them in the States. I actually live on the old Ulster Grand Prix track (think Joey Dunlop, and similar to the IoM TTs), and this is probably my most regular stomping ground. I love riding my 5th Gen around these roads and since I've only owned the bike around two months now, and been riding it on the road less than a month, I'm kinda a new rider. I've been riding motorcycles since last March (March 2025, so 5 months as of writing), and my experience thus far is based on a Honda CB125F... That being said, I grew up riding, having a small Batbaby as a toddler, later a Honda 50cc and then having spent extensive hours on a Yamaha YZ80 throughout my early teens. I guess my point is that having ridden around these same roads on the Yamaha scrambler I enjoy the feel of testing and pushing myself while riding. The quote above caught my attention, as thus far I felt that riding the 5th Gen is like as stable as a bus. It feels like the bike is virtually impossible to slide or tip or anything of the like, I know that probably sounds (is) naive... but what do you guys think about pushing the 5th Gen in "twisties", especially about the opinion on dangerous front forks from the evidently experienced posters from a few years back. Are there upgrades or mods that I should consider if I want to riding quick? Thanks