More woes from a 23 year old bike

So I'll get right to it...normally, my old 87 VFR is the perfect example of age-old Honda reliability. Lately though, it's been giving me plenty of grief. I can ride it around for about 15 minutes or so, be it around town or freeway riding, and it acts and feels just fine. After about 15 minutes though, the bike just sputters and dies. It almost seems as if its starving for fuel, though I can't confirm nor deny this suspicion. It has done this to me twice now, the first time it died on the freeway (scary to be cruising at 70mph with a dead engine that won't start), and the second time I was lucky and right by the house. The first time it died like this from the freeway, I pulled it over and it wouldn't start to save its life, though the second when I was by the house, I quickly garaged the bike and was at least able to get it started up with full choke engaged.

Does this indicate a carb issue? What in the world am I looking at? I've already replaced a pretty nasty looking fuel filter, so that's brand new...the fuel pump still pushes gas into the carbs, and I don't see or smell any fuel leaking anywhere.

Any ideas or suggestions guys? I'm totally at a loss, here.

Sounds like a good carb clean is in order. Couldn't hurt to go through the plugs and air filter and stuff too. :biggrin:

Sounds like a plugged or pinched fuel vent hose. Have you had the tank off recently? Next time it happens, try opening the gas cap and try to restart. If it is a vent hose at fault, you may hear a hissing noise when you open the cap.

[image: View Post]Earthshake, on 03 September 2010 - 08:48 PM, said:

Sounds like a plugged or pinched fuel vent hose. Have you had the tank off recently? Next time it happens, try opening the gas cap and try to restart. If it is a vent hose at fault, you may hear a hissing noise when you open the cap.


+1

I never believed in "vapor-lock" untill one day i threw a harley gas cap on my 1961 Ford pick-up just because it fit. Seems that the ford item vents and the HD one does not. Had the same symptoms.

so, plus 2 on the pinched line (possibly was displaced when you did the filter)

good luck.

its also possible your fuel pump is on the way out.,. or is leaking past the seal..
been there done that with the vfr700 :comp13: