Clarification on Step #3 of Brake Bleed Procedure

[TerryS]

All the things I am doing have needed to be done but I have been lazy and just riding the thing. I suspected that the fluid needed changed because the PO didn't seem to be they type of person who was overly concerned the the PMs. I like doing this kind of work because I get to know the machine a lot better.

I am at this very stage with my recently acquired VFR800 VTEC. I did all the necessary things to get it running and riding nicely (fork seals, brake rebuild, new spark plugs and camchain tensioners, fixing stuck starter valves and synchronising properly and a major clean) and have covered about 8000km since, but I put off the BIG job namely checking the valve clearances. The VTEC system is a giant PITA to work on as you need to remove the cams and buckets to install stopper pins, then put it all back together (including camchains and cam caps torqued JUST so you can measure the clearances. I'm glad I don't need this bike as primary transport as I found 6 of 8 VTEC valves woefully short on clearance, and am now waiting on the new cam buckets to be shipped from Japan so I can reassemble it. I suspect all the POs have simply checked the non-VTEC valves and reshimmed those as needed, but once I checked the other valves there is no way I'd feel good about riding it until they are corrected.

 

[Big_Jim59]

I am at this very stage with my recently acquired VFR800 VTEC. I did all the necessary things to get it running and riding nicely (fork seals, brake rebuild, new spark plugs and camchain tensioners, fixing stuck starter valves and synchronising properly and a major clean) and have covered about 8000km since, but I put off the BIG job namely checking the valve clearances. The VTEC system is a giant PITA to work on as you need to remove the cams and buckets to install stopper pins, then put it all back together (including camchains and cam caps torqued JUST so you can measure the clearances. I'm glad I don't need this bike as primary transport as I found 6 of 8 VTEC valves woefully short on clearance, and am now waiting on the new cam buckets to be shipped from Japan so I can reassemble it. I suspect all the POs have simply checked the non-VTEC valves and reshimmed those as needed, but once I checked the other valves there is no way I'd feel good about riding it until they are corrected.

Checking the valves on a VTEC is no small project. I am afraid I never did this on my 5th Gen 2000 VFR. I did all the oil and fluid changes but I never had the heart to break it down and as you say, leave it sit while I ordered the proper bucket shims. I loved my VFR probably more than any bike I have owned but I had to give it up due to my knees not liking the ride position.

 

[TerryS]

Checking the valves on a VTEC is no small project. I am afraid I never did this on my 5th Gen 2000 VFR. I did all the oil and fluid changes but I never had the heart to break it down and as you say, leave it sit while I ordered the proper bucket shims. I loved my VFR probably more than any bike I have owned but I had to give it up due to my knees not liking the ride position.

By comparison, the 5th gen (which I also own) is about 1/10th the effort to check the clearances; one could do it in about 2 hours as there are no chains to mess with (so no need to access tensioners) and a shim change is as easy as unbolting the cam saddles, lifting the cams clear, swapping out any shims as needed, and refitting the parts. The easiest bike of all has to be the ST1100 as the parts are so easy to access.

 

[Big_Jim59]

By comparison, the 5th gen (which I also own) is about 1/10th the effort to check the clearances; one could do it in about 2 hours as there are no chains to mess with (so no need to access tensioners) and a shim change is as easy as unbolting the cam saddles, lifting the cams clear, swapping out any shims as needed, and refitting the parts. The easiest bike of all has to be the ST1100 as the parts are so easy to access.

I had a pretty red 6th Gen as well. I got it cheap because it started smoking and the owner freaked. It had been sitting. I little bit of aggressive use cleared up the smoking. It was a great bike but I kept the 5th Gen because I actually liked it more and it already had all the add-ons and farkles.