*WARNING* This is just a rant. For those who empathize (sympathize?), read on.
Does anyone else HATE working on their VFR as much as I do? Swear to God, even the simplest tasks are a MAJOR ordeal with this bike. An oil change? That'll be about a dozen screws, 5 plastic tabs (that, best that I can tell, serve no other purpose other than to break and cost me a few extra bucks), a filter that's damn near inaccessible unless you pony up for the nice K&Ns with the nut on the end, and oil all over the header that's guaranteed to smoke. Change a bulb? Good luck! The front turn signals require removing the fairings (double everything said earlier about nuts and tabs), the backs require a 4 yr old's fingers and, for extra fun, all use the same color wire on the harness. Don't unplug 'em all at once, 'cause it'll take forever getting it figured out. Headlights, see 4-yr old finger comment. Change the air filter? Hope you have a few different lengths of screwdrivers, and don't forget the magnetic pick-up tool. You'll need it when that last screw plinks down the engine case. Have fun fishing!
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE riding my VFR. It's about the best all 'round bike you could ask for. But my next bike is a naked FOR SURE!!!!
I feel your pain; thus I use synthetic oil and a BMC air filter to avoid having to do routine stuff more often....LOL. Most bikes are somewhat a PITA to work on but yes the VFR requires a large dose of patience and some beer.....or maybe it's a large dose of beer and some patience :fing02:
With that being said, I love my VFR and love that there aren't too many 5th gens running around anymore. I look forward to passing the VFR down to my little ones when I graduate to a Goldwing!!! Anyways ride safe and rant on!
Maintaining a motorcycle is a discipline. You eventually get used to it, but you also try to make that 5 minute job a 5 minute job. I've installed Dzus clips for the fairings enabling quicker removal, although the installation was time consuming, I've saved myself time for future maintainance. Im sure when the T-stat goes on my VFR that I will be hating it then. I've had 2 naked bikes as well, a Z1k & ZRX, and Kawi's are knuckle scrapers! But you can always trade your VFR in for the that cool CB1000RR and it has the SSSA.
If you really want to have a 'love hate' relationship, you can:
1. buy and maintain a Ducati
2. buy and maintain a boat
The longer I work on my bike the more empty ale bottles end up on my workbench. Basically I don't mind spending half the day in the garage listening to music and working on the bike :biggrin:
Sympathize with this. :biggrin: The VFR is not the easiest bike to work on, but it counters this by (mostly) being extremely reliable and not needing a lot of fuss. I also happen to feel spending a day in the garage is great, quality time. :fing02:
I only removed my plastics for the 1st oil change, after that I learned it could be done without removing anything. All you need is an oil filter socket and the right combination of extensions. :fing02:
Partially agree. Ive enjoyed things like installing my PC and Autotune and making my own fender eliminator, but just installed Motad headers.............. Try get the heat shield off and on :laughing6-hehe: , screws would have been a smart idea, not nuts and bolts because the nuts are near impossible to get too!
Never done my own servicing
[image: View Post]whiteboyslo, on 24 April 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:
*WARNING* This is just a rant. For those who empathize (sympathize?), read on.
Does anyone else HATE working on their VFR as much as I do? Swear to God, even the simplest tasks are a MAJOR ordeal with this bike. An oil change? That'll be about a dozen screws, 5 plastic tabs (that, best that I can tell, serve no other purpose other than to break and cost me a few extra bucks), a filter that's damn near inaccessible unless you pony up for the nice K&Ns with the nut on the end, and oil all over the header that's guaranteed to smoke. Change a bulb? Good luck! The front turn signals require removing the fairings (double everything said earlier about nuts and tabs), the backs require a 4 yr old's fingers and, for extra fun, all use the same color wire on the harness. Don't unplug 'em all at once, 'cause it'll take forever getting it figured out. Headlights, see 4-yr old finger comment. Change the air filter? Hope you have a few different lengths of screwdrivers, and don't forget the magnetic pick-up tool. You'll need it when that last screw plinks down the engine case. Have fun fishing!
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE riding my VFR. It's about the best all 'round bike you could ask for. But my next bike is a naked FOR SURE!!!!
Mike
I agree with the post on Ducati and other motorcycle brands. I see them as more difficult. For oil changes I've gotten pretty proficient. For the fairings, I've added stainless washers to all the screws, the plastic fasteners (in case you didn't know) are supposed to be pushed in, then they come out and you reset them for the installation. I did purchase an oil filter wrench and that makes things quite simple even with the gymnastics around the hoses and yes I have a set of different length screwdrivers for working on the bike, the truck, etc. You would certainly have less difficulties on a naked bike.
:+1: on getting a filter wrench. One of my first purchases was the honda factory filter tool. Easy off - easy on.
As to the oil on the headers - a bit drips on them, but I generally use oil changes as an opportunity to give the whole bike a good cleaning so de-oliling the headers is just part of the process.
The major problem working on the viffer is it is so densly packed with hardware under the plastic. This means you often have to remove a lot of stuff to get to what you want to work on. This is one of those situations where, although I might wish it were different, it is what it is.
I spend most of my days, either yacking to groups of people a fair number of whom wish they were somewhere else, or in front of a computer or in endless meetings. Working on the bike(s) is, for me anyway, really theraputic. Not quite so much as riding them, but close in different way.
I've wrenched on a quite a few bikes and cars and enjoy it. And I've had the VFR apart & back together so many times, it doesnt take me long to drop the plastic to do any work. I dont mind tinkering on it at all, it's kinda therapeutic and just takes a bit of patience. Really, I like wrenching on any bike.
[image: View Post]whiteboyslo, on 24 April 2011 - 11:54 AM, said:
....................... and oil all over the header that's guaranteed to smoke.
Not sure if I saw it on this forum or triumph sprint but this guy had made up a sluice which sat over the pipes to keep any oil off them.
It's not a big issue but I think I might knock something up for the next oil change.
It will also keep me from having to clean up little drops of oil on the drive was which will keep the Lady of the House very happy :biggrin:
Ever done an oil change on an 86 Kawasaki Ninja or a Toyota Tundra? The Ninja oil filter is inside a pan that is only accessible after you remove the fairings. Once you drop the pan oil gets every where. The Tundra you have to remove the skid plate just to access the filter. Compared to either of those the VFR is not a problem. :cool:
Besides it gives me a chance to look over the electrical connections and I have a nice socket setup that makes short work of the fairing bolts. I can't say I ever enjoy dealing with oil but I can say I have dealt with worse jobs. :fing02:
[image: View Post]RollinAgain, on 24 April 2011 - 01:20 PM, said:
The longer I work on my bike the more empty ale bottles end up on my workbench. Basically I don't mind spending half the day in the garage listening to music and working on the bike :biggrin:
Rollin
And I love wrench sessions at Rollin's pad. All I have to do is bring his beer... and a little weed. Posted Image
[image: View Post]VifferMan, on 24 April 2011 - 09:38 PM, said:
I agree with the post on Ducati and other motorcycle brands. I see them as more difficult.
They're all just nuts and bolts, nothing too mysterious. But it doesn't matter whether it's a tire change or an engine rebuild, I have to be in the right frame of mind and in my own garage. It's the unplanned side of the road BS that irritates me.
[image: View Post]vanion2, on 25 April 2011 - 08:01 AM, said:
[...]and I have a nice socket setup that makes short work of the fairing bolts.[...]
+1 I have a 5mm Allen Key 1/4" drive bit and an electric screwdriver that makes short work of the fairing bolts. Another tip - if you ever have problems reinstalling a fairing bolt, chances are the well nut (rubber mounted nut) is broken and dangling at the wrong angle. This has happened to me a few times and I now keep a pack of 5mm well nuts handy to replace them as needed. For well nuts, flea bay is your friend.
To me, time spent in the garage is quality time. The trick is to wait until I am 'feelin like tinkering. If I NEED to do something right away and it doesn't coincide with my tinkering mood, then I hate it just as much as you do. Thankfully, a VFR lets me choose the timing myself.
And yeah. I pretty much disassemble everything to do anything. One thing I've learned from working in a car repair shop is that it's easier to take it all off, get the job done and then put everything back together than asking a 4y/o to land a hand :laughing6-hehe:
For instance, I removed the front cowl to install the headlight bulb. Yep. I dare ya to do it w/o touching anything with the glass part. :comp13:
The VFR is easy to take apart. For my spring tune-up I got the side fairings pulled, tank lifted, air box completely removed and the battery pulled out in about 45 minutes. Putting everything back on took about the same amount of time. Once you do it a few times it really is easy.
[image: View Post]RollinAgain, on 24 April 2011 - 01:20 PM, said:
The longer I work on my bike the more empty ale bottles end up on my workbench
As strange as it sounds, motorcycling and homebrewing are complementary hobbies. :beer:
I love spending time in the garage working on my bike, for me its a zen thing.
Our bikes are a bit harder to work on, but working smarter (having the right tools) and not harder
makes the world of difference.
I just changed my thermostat, which was a royal pita. But now I know exactly what needs to be done, meaning
the next time I have to dig into it, it will be a breeze.
I find that the VFR is pretty easy to work on, practice makes it easier still. I do the oil change with the fairings in place. A cup style filter wrench addressed that challenge. My oil change tip would be to wrap the exhaust in foil before you drain the oil. It keeps the drips off the pipe, minimal residue = no smoke.
The 5th gen is a little less complicated valvetrain wise. Check em never adjust em. Oil and filter changes can be done removing one lower side fairing. My 86 vfr had Dzus quick release fasteners on the body work that I fricking wish Honda would have the courtesy to start using again. My only complaint is the electrical issues. Some one asked me yesterday if I could recommend a good place for service on the VFR. I do all my own work and change my own tires and pretty much buy all my parts online. So my point is. Once you learn how to service your own bike it just becomes part of the pleasure of owning a motorcycle. Read. Zen and The Art of Motorcycling. You just have to find your zen.
I did have Race Tech do my forks. Some task require a way more experience and expertise than I have. Yet they still made a simple mistake that I had to fix on my own so I could install the axel and wheel. A simple honest mistake that I would never have made.
The oil changes seem more difficult than they should be with the 6th gen. I've screwed up a fairing because of a well nut spinning (long story) and then on the last change I broke part of that inner splash shield that runs between the front fairings and behind the front wheel. So I took the Dremel and cut the rest of the inner "cross" out. And suddenly oil changes are much easier.
It still isn't the most fun thing to work on and I'm sure I'll get static for this change but anything to make it a little easier to live with seems like a good idea to me.
End of thread · 25 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 4 May 2011