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.
ill start with what i might do..
1- the electrical problem is the R/R is positioned directly behind the rear headers which does not allow the R/R to loose the heat it makes when working. They work by regulating voltage made by the coils in engine by dissipating heat using convection.
The Honda R/R is up to the job for a while yes, but too much heat build up over time make the components in the R/R brake down then fail.
2- Not a lot as it stands. Apart from regular checks to see how the R/R is performing. Looking for-
Discolored wires which may be loosing there flex, the plugs are deforming in the heat and changing colours.
A practical solution might be to consider relocating your R/R where it gets fresh air blowing on it directly and/or is mounted on a much cooler surface so the heat might be dissipated away better.
3- Only need to buy a new one when you think you can see a change in the condition shown in question 2.
Yes the R/R has been updated and visually includes fins.
They do seem to be more reliable than them without the fins.
But the problem still exists in the end.
4- a what? No need for any gimmicks, see question 5 below
5- I would look at my R/R every service of anything. You need to maintain your bike anyway. Some look at there tires every ride - some don't bother. The connector blocks you need to look at are not that buried in the bike so easy to visually check, a simple pop off the seat to see the R/R and i think you might get a visual of the 3pin yellow one under the right hand side without plastic removal.
If your going on a long journey and will be without support on the road then keep an eye on things more obviously.
Your looking to catch any signs of a meltdown showing its time to replace the R/R as it is unable to perform as you need.
There are no given time periods for the failure, can go at anytime.
But im sure the failure is linear over time. After time you can pick up the signs quicker.
More so with an older R/R than a new... so increase observations as age increases...
I have changed my R/R sometimes yearly when doing real miles on the road, else 2-3 years leisure mileage(pub and back)
Any glitch in electrics tends to be the R/R starting to play up 99% of the time!
I used to swear it at one point- Clocks resetting, flickering lights, lights going pop, any ignition hiccup, any electrical hiccup all signs- bar the usual normally broken bulb. Altho i have had other problems in the past, but they are v-rare like my ignition switch wire unsoldered itself and had me looking for 12month for the problem.
But after 300,000 miles on one bike things do want replacing anyway as they go over there service limits.
Overall- the cheapest and most practical easy and effective way to keep your vfr sparks running is to keep checking the wires as often as you dare. Then replace R/R if anything looks like its not perfect, with constant use they last a year or so, treat them as serviceable parts like rubber wears - it gets replaced.
There are other checks you can use with meters and the like, but no bother for perfection, its all extra unnecessary work if your eyes can tell you all you need to know to replace the R/R in time.
Concentrating your efforts here importantly, its much quicker and cheaper to visually check connector plugs and replace R/R units than to have to rebuild the charging system.