i bought my first bike ever last december. 1999 VFR with 17K miles for $1800.
been testing different bikes for awhile and with one short ride, i was hooked and bought it.
Its a rebuilt/salvage title, and i kno i was taking a risk, but really loved the bike.
spent all winter scrubbing with a toothbrush with pinesol. checking all the bolts, and etc ...
my one gf said i was talented, smart enough to check the valves for the 16K service. all in spec!
Im pretty happy with the purchase so far, especially for a first bike, im estatic ... addicted
now if Big Red would just build a RC212V i wouldnt need another bike.
(im gunna keep goin thru the forums, so any pointing to posts would help)
Issues:
1. rough rear ride?
adjusted the shock to softest setting. expected a plusher ride from her.
feel every bump, its getting annoying. (6'2" 170lbs)
answer: im thinking replacement/upgrade rear shock. seems expensive for rebuild
2. clock resets to 12:00AM everytime?
3. wrong R/R.
i dont know what it is, but it isnt OEM for the bike. and not even a correct aftermarket one.
answer: gunna replace it
well thats about it for now
thx in advance
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:
1. rough rear ride?
adjusted the shock to softest setting. expected a plusher ride from her.
feel every bump, its getting annoying. (6'2" 170lbs)
The rebuild /salvage may or may not mean anything. Insurance total out older bikes even if they just have enough damaged plastic... When you say you set the rear shock to softest setting are you referring to the pre-load or the rebound damping adjuster screw? Set the sag height for your weight by adjusting the pre-load and start with the rebound screw at 1 1/2 turns from full hard to begin with and see how that feels. Talk to Jamie Daugherty (member) about a rebuild if it is necessary. He does excellent work at a reasonable price and he knows these bikes.
http://www.vfrdiscus...-jamiedaugherty/
MORE:
4. do i need to change anything to ECU after changing exhaust?
im gettig some popping. Im gunna seal, clamp n wrap.
5. would u replace complete wiring harness? to avoid electrical issues
$300 OEM
3. OEM R/R is $130
[image: View Post]Rush2112, on 22 May 2012 - 10:25 PM, said:
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:
1. rough rear ride?
adjusted the shock to softest setting. expected a plusher ride from her.
feel every bump, its getting annoying. (6'2" 170lbs)
The rebuild /salvage may or may not mean anything. Insurance total out older bikes even if they just have enough damaged plastic... When you say you set the rear shock to softest setting are you referring to the pre-load or the rebound damping adjuster screw? Set the sag height for your weight by adjusting the pre-load and start with the rebound screw at 1 1/2 turns from full hard to begin with and see how that feels. Talk to Jamie Daugherty (member) about a rebuild if it is necessary. He does excellent work at a reasonable price and he knows these bikes.
http://www.vfrdiscus...-jamiedaugherty/
I set the shock to the softest settings possible, setting the main collar preload to setting 1 ( it was on 2)
then set the rebound to softest.
its better than it was, but still to harsh for me.
thx
Actually at 170lbs you're close to the ideal weight for the stock springs. Having the preload, and rebound damping set too soft will cause the spring to compress too much, and release too fast. That could be what you describe as "harsh" though I would probably describe it as bottoming out, and pogoing. It'll also make the bike handle poorly.
Clock reset on startup is a symptom of a weak battery/bad connections in the charging system. If you've any doubt about the battery just replace it. Lots of threads here on wiring, but first thing is to check the integrity of all the connections/wiring either by using a meter, actually cleaning them or both. I did both plus soldered all the major connections. Don't trust old crimp connectors.....
great bike! too bad about the color :P
4 - no, you should be fine. there isn't anything to change in the ECU, it can adjust pretty well. I have a slip on, have some popping, but it just sounds a little edgier.
5 - no.. i'd fix what comes up. unless your wiring has been butchered, the trouble areas (charging...) are pretty limited and can be repaired/beefed up in place. it wouldn't hurt to check all the plugs you can get to, make sure they aren't burnt/dirty/corroded. Also, clean the main ground from battery to frame and...anything else that bolts.
6 - that should give you the 2000+ R/R, which is updated from the '98,'99. There are alternatives to this also, there are writeups around for wiring in a different, beefier, OEM one.
If you haven't, pick up a factory service manual. There is a downlaod version around here somewhere.
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 10:45 PM, said:
MORE:
4. do i need to change anything to ECU after changing exhaust?
im gettig some popping. Im gunna seal, clamp n wrap.
5. would u replace complete wiring harness? to avoid electrical issues
$300 OEM
3. OEM R/R is $130
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:
my one gf said i was talented
lol nice, do you keep a queue??
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:
3. wrong R/R.
i dont know what it is, but it isnt OEM for the bike. and not even a correct aftermarket one.
answer: gunna replace it
well thats about it for now
thx in advance
I didn't notice this on first read... there is the possibility that the OEM (they were weak) one was replaced via a proven method. maybe don't discount it immediately, it could have been installed correctly. There are quite a few people that have wired in R1 R/R and they work fine.
[image: View Post]PanzerAstridBears, on 22 May 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:
i bought my first bike ever last december. 1999 VFR with 17K miles for $1800.
Issues:
1. rough rear ride?
adjusted the shock to softest setting. expected a plusher ride from her.
feel every bump, its getting annoying. (6'2" 170lbs)
Unless the shock is blown or bent which is unlikely I think your either expecting too much or are making it worse with your adjustments. Like mentioned you NEED damping control (rebound adjuster at bottom of shock) to control the spring from Bouncing the rear of the bike all over the place. Set rider sag to 25-30mm with spanner wrench, then keep adding rebound until you feel it slow down how fast the rear bounces back up after compressing it.
2. clock resets to 12:00AM everytime?
This is caused by a low battery or faulty charge system, look up testing Help in the How To area.
3. wrong R/R.
i dont know what it is, but it isnt OEM for the bike. and not even a correct aftermarket one.
answer: gunna replace it
Don't waste the time or money replacing something that works, many use an R1 RR as a replacement. If charging test OK don't touch it. Same applies to a new Harness unless there's crash damage!
well thats about it for now
thx in advance
No need to replace the CPU either, no Slip-on alone should cause that much difference. PCIII is an option.
BTW Welcome to VFRD
BR
Goto wiremybike.com and look at the wiring stuff R/Rs and harness, but I agree with everyone that you don't replace what works unless failure immediately fries other working parts.