AAARRRGGGHHHH!!! Maintaince easy? My Arse!

[Black Knight]

CURSE, THROW TOOLS, SLAM DOOR, KICK CAT!

Thats it, forget it, From now on every job from a chain adjustment to tyre pressure im taking it to the mechanics! I must be bloody demented as I can't seem to do anything mechanical succesfully!

Started with a simple chain and sprockets. Even though this is the first thing i've done on a bike, i've read the haynes through and through and am pretty confident I can do it.

How wrong was I!

Couldn't budge ANY of the wheel nuts, all 4 seem to be welded on!
After 10 min I managed to finally loosen the swingarm bolt. ratchet head has stuck to the bolt and doesn't want to come free. I end up removing he bolt completely and giving it oil and fairy liquid treatment, still doesn't want to move!

Sod it i think, do it later. I dont have a chain splitter yet but figure if I loosen of the adjuster i'll be able to lift the chain and fit the sprockets. No such luck. Even though I have the correct tool, the adjuster is totally seized, no movement whatsoever

2 hours and several grazed knuckes later I give up and phone the garage. I decide to take it in, problem is, it its still in peices.
Ok, on with the sprocket cover, speedo and clutch (which wont sem to bolt on correctly). On with the seat fairing, and connect lights. on with the new can.

Key in, dash lights on, that familiar gutwrenching sound of the starter turning over but no revs fills the air.

Why oh Why! After several attempts managed to get the engine to just engage, sputtered to 1K REVS, then cut out again.

No idea what it could be. I started it 3 week ago before I went on holiday and it was fine. Battery is strong but the engine just won't idle.

Well, Im having it picked up on Tue. that'll be £30 before it even sees the workshop.

I feel like crushing the damn thing, I really do. I have spent in exces of £800 over the last few weeks trying to get it repaired and looking nice. It just seems a total nightmare.

Its put me of doing my own maintaince - thats for sure.
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Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[Jack_Cheese]

Just take it to the shop, i'm assuming your bike is fairly old, and probably has every nut and bolt siezed up. The garage has air tools that will take them off in no time. Let them worry about it

Jack
____________________
www.bikepics.com/members/jackcheese <--- NOW FOR SALE! 51 Plate Cagiva Planet 125
Quacker_boy: "Jack, you really are a dick!"

[Black Knight]

Its only a 97.
Apparently the chain adjustment on the single sided swingarm of the VFR does get a lot of grit in. When it siezes its a real bugger to get off. That means £££.
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Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[dodsi]

Told you...place near me is very cheap!

[mistergixer]

Those VFRs are a sod to work on anyway, have to remove all the sodding fairings just to change a headlight bulb, unless you have hands the size of a 5 year old japanese midget!
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[EDBANGER]

To get the siezed bolts to turn you could try sliding some kind of pole over the rachet handle to give you more leverage. To get the stuck ratchet off the bolt you should have left the bolt on and just tapped it with a hammer, that should have loosened it up. If you're changing the chain you should have just used a hammer and chisal to split it with force.

Jobs a good un

[mattfuzzy]

well i dont know much about bigger bikes but my little ped-hybrid-thing will be dead if i didnt start it up for 3 weeks, i left it for 1 week once and it coughed and spluttered and wouldnt idle, just gotta let it warm up and stuff, dunno if its the same with your bike but owell, mines not running 100% at the moment either i dont think, we will see

[tatters]

for seized bolts/nuts

try the flowing


WD40: give it a good squirt can loosen most small nuts/bolts and help with rusted ones

Shock: using a ring spanner or a “T” bar hold on to the nut/bolt and apply a little pressure to keep it from slipping off the nut/bolt and hit the end with a copper/hide hammer. (Do not use a socket wrench as this method will damage it!!!)

Leverage: find a long metal pole that will fit over a socket wrench/ “T” bar or a ring spanner (longer the pole the better!) and use the extra leaverage to remove the nut/bolt (should work on even the most seized nut/bolt).

Hammer and cold chisel/punch: a last effort resource if everything else has failed, but will in most cases ruin the nut/bolt (can not be re-used), a punch for small nuts/bolts and screws and a chisel for the big basterds. You are basically trying is create a flat edge/lip on the side to hammer the nut/bolt around in a anti-clockwise direction.

Heat: can be used before the above is applied with the use of a powerful heat gun or blow torch to heat up the nut/bolt (very effective!).
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Past:NRG50,AF1125(x2),NSR125RR,ZZR250,CX500,VFR400,KR1S,ZZR600(x2),CB400N,YZF1000(x2),KH125,Z200,FX400R,CBR954RR(x2)GPZ500S,GT550,VFR750F(x2),RD350N,XR650R,CBR600F,CB250,KDX250,YZF750R,CRM250,400EXC,KLR650,TTR600RE,DR350S,R100GSPD,RGV250,VMAX1200,DL650,KZ750 Present:G650XC,C12,CRF450X,1190ADV

[Jack_Cheese]

Get an impact wrench, using extension bars on sockets just rounds the nuts, unless you have a socket with the hexagonal indent instead of the 18-point indent. Last time i tried a bar, i completely rounded an exhaust bolt that went into the crank case. Now i just let the garage take care of it

Jack
____________________
www.bikepics.com/members/jackcheese <--- NOW FOR SALE! 51 Plate Cagiva Planet 125
Quacker_boy: "Jack, you really are a dick!"

[houlsby]

put some plus gas on it and use an impact wrench. if you need anythin fella u know i oni live a motorwy drive away

[ZRX61]

https://www.dansmc.com/mc_repaircourse.htm

[Black Knight]

Cheers guys. Got the socket off eventually, ended up hammering a flat driver under and wedging it off.

The main problem I had was the chain adjustment system on the VFR has totally seized. Its in a really auckward place and may well need replacing.

The fact that it then wouldn't start was just the final straw! I've no idea why, the battery is strong, maybe its the plugs?

I've had it running several times over that last few weeks just to do oil changes, change cans etc etc without and prob. Suddenly, it just dont wanna play.
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Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[Zen Dog]

Hi,

I've got a 94 VFR (same model as you), and had exactly the same problem (chain adjustment seized). Me and ZaphodBeeble ended up stripping the entire hub down.

Basically, grit goes into the holes in the swingarm either side of the shock and works its way down through the hollow swingarm to the hub (stupid design). Some people cover the holes or fill the swingarm with foam for a permanent solution.

But we stripped it (theres a circlip that can be a real bitch), took it all apart, removed the handfuls of grit , and re-greased the whole thing. Its been perfect ever since. No parts needed replacing, just a lot of TLC.

If you want to know how to do it, just have a search on here:-

https://www.bikersoracle.com/vfr/forum/

I've also spent a vast amount in the past month or so getting the bike back into decent condition (plus thousands of pounds worth of free spannering time from Zaphod), so don't feel too bad! The list so far...

Air Filter, Oil Filter, Fuel Filter.
Oil (3 big containers so far! )
Spark Plugs
Brake Pads
Brake Fluid
Clutch Plates and Springs
Clutch Cover Gasket
Chain and Sprockets
Subframe/Frame Bolt (more trouble than you would have thought possible)
Double Bubble Screen
Goodridge Hoses (soooo gooood!)

Plus loads of other stuff that didnt need parts, but took a lot a spannering/fettling, like rewiring the clocks so the dial lights came on, servicing the the rear hub etc.

Zen Dog
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Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, '11 600 Hornet - Previous - '11 CBF125, '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[Black Knight]

Cheers Zen.
____________________
Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[Zen Dog]

No problem. If you have any trouble with the hub/bike, just take a pic of whats going on, and me and Zaphod will have a look at it. I think the only bit of the bike we haven't seen now is inside the heads!

Zen Dog
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Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, '11 600 Hornet - Previous - '11 CBF125, '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[GearboxGeezer]

I hate doing maintance on my bike, everything is in suck akward places