This is a continuation from here...
Enter the secret love affair
Looming next to my old Super 4 is my new bike, the Honda VFR800FI. Yes, the loyal and dependable FP428U is being discarded, replaced, ousted by my new infatuation with power, torque and something to get from point A to point B a little bit faster. Especially when pt A is Singapore and B is Northern Thailand.
Registered in Dec 2000, my 'new' bike is also the youngest bike I've ever owned. It is powered by a sweet 781cc V4 engine housed in a chasis that sports an engine mounted single-sided swingarm. Both the engine and chasis were supposedly derived from the racing sensation RFV750 (RC45), giving it true sporting pedigree. Yet, it has been sensibly made more comfortable and reliable so that the VFR800 can realise the best of both worlds - to give the handling and thrill of a full on sports bike (like the R1 and the Fireblade) while keeping the comfort and practicality of a 'floating sofa' tourer, such as the Goldwing or the ST1100. It has been (and arguable still is) the best 'sports tourer till date.
Appearance ain't everything
But it must be said this version of the VFR800 is a bit dated. Mentioned VFR to any one and most of them will assumed it's the new (2002-2007) VFR800 VTEC, which comes with VTEC, ABS, undertail exhaust, optional matching side panniers....and looks much better too. Here's my VFR against the newer one. It almost made my bike look old school, even though it's only 6+ years old...
Why then, did I choose this particular model. Because it's less than half price of a 2nd hand VTEC model, and yet is essentially similiar.
I can't think of a more convincing reason that that.
As for why I chose an 800cc bike, there's another more obscure but nonetheless very sensible reason. I didn't want to get a 1000cc bike due to cost. The 2 600cc bike that has an upright riding posture and does not look demeaning with a rearbox installed would be the Yamaha Fazer 600 and Bandit 650. I didn't like the half-fairing look of the Fazer 6 (plus it's a little bit common), and the Bandit 650 was quite rare and hence none for sale. I would take the Yamaha TDM900 (aka Traffic Police bike) but there wasn't one available. So 800cc sounds like a good compromise. And there's even the possibility that 800cc could make a comeback....just look at what the 800cc Ducati MotoGP bike (also a V4 engine!) could do.
First ride
The first feeling I get when I clamber onto the VFR is still what I felt everytime I get on it : am I going to fall off and drop the bike? Weighing at a staggering 230kg wet and almost 6 inches higher than my previous bike, I can't afford to be callous about balancing it. Parking with even the slightest slope on the ground proved to be a trecherous toe-pointing, cramp-inducing experience. Thank goodness I didn't drop it. Yet.
Ok, now we get moving. The engine purrs (or gurgles) with the trait that is a cross between the thundering of a V-twin (think Harleys and Ducatis) and the whining, gasping sound of an inline 4. That sound is further deepened and richen by the street legal Micron exhaust. Many says they absolutely love the sound of a V4. I don't really see what's the fuss is about. I was never a big fan of loud, senseless exhaust note, and will cast dissapproving looks on streetbike that has aftermarket exhaust 'just for the aural pleasure'.
Then there's the unusual whine. My model is the last of the series that uses gear-driven cams. Hence instead of the rattle you hear on other big bikes around the engine area, what you get is a high pitch spinning sound. For those who knows, it actually sounds like a supercharger. This, I agree, is quite quaint and even cool to some extent.
Moving off, I was greeted by, surprise surprise, a relatively unscary smooth delivery of torque (the throttle response by the EFI is extremely responsive). Having experience Steven's Fazer1000 before, I assumed the experience would be similiar - wrist jerking, mind boggling acceleration with the slightest twist of the throttle. However, I find out that I can be quite careless with the throttle and yet still maintain a manageable pace, pulling far away from most traffic using only 1/3 of the rev range, only to be matched by the occasional 2 litre cars on full throttle. In fact, riding the VFR is best described as riding a 600cc with more grunt. It thrills, but does not scare the hell out of the rider.
Then comes the cornering. And my god was I disappointed! I blamed myself, the rider, initially since I had always handled lightweight bikes. But the turning is ridiculous; if a bike can be described as understeering, this is it. I turn the front wheel, assuming it will make the turn only to discover that I drifted off the line and sometimes had to brake to prevent going up the curb. Then I realise I wasn't leaning much (didn't have to do much of that on my previous bikes!). Tried that, and it became better but still, on slow and tight corners, a lorry could overtake me.
First sign of trouble
1 week later, the bike refuse to start. Yup, the battery is dead. I though little of it, as the previous owner does not ride the bike frequently so a flat battery is ok. So I brought it back, charged it, and continue riding. Everything seems fine.
Leap of faith...and fell
Since it's a sports tourer, I decided that for her inauguration, I shall bring it to Mersing and the beaches around it. It was a relatively short distance away, and the bikes I'm going with ain't that fast. So it should be fine. And it was. Initially.
The returning trip wasn't that enjoyable. A relentless downpour slowed us down and nightfall is fast approaching. Around 7pm, we finally cleared the rain and stopped for a breather as well as removing our rain coats. Then we plod on.
Except for me. 1km from that last stop, my bike just quitted and won't start. It showed the symptoms of a dead battery and a gloating 'I told you so!' keeps resounding in my head, in my own voice. And it just so happens that I was the last bike as well, hence nobody in the group detected that they have a missing bike. Not only that, I was stuck on the side of the road and worst thing was I don't even know where the hell am I! The darkness of the unlit road would swallow me till some vehicles illuminate it with their headlamps.
I've tried contacting the group but to no avail, as apparently they were unaware of my disappearance and had rode to Kulai, some 35 km away. But with luck, the battery manage to recover some power as the bike cools down and I managed to start the bike. Happily, I rode on to join them, only to discover my 2nd problem. Due to my very very weak battery, I can't ride with any lights on. And there is no streetlamp at all. I tried to ride in darkness but, trust me on this, doing 70 km/h in total darkness is extremely scary and dangerous. In the end, I slowed down to wait for cars to pass by, and then used their tail lights as guide. They must think I am one crazy bastard, tailgating them without any lights on...
Somehow, managed to made it to Kulai. I wanted to charge my battery and maybe stay there for the night and proceed back by myself tomorrow. But my group, showing the "come as a group, go as a group" sense of touring valour, decided that they shall lit the road for me while I struggle 100+ km back to Singapore. Along NSH doing 140km/h.
It was an unforgettable experience. Here I am, riding a bike that is not charging at all, with a 90% flat battery on a highway at 140 km/h. I was constantly revving the bike fearing it would quit again if I slowed down. Worst was the braking, as every braking would consume valuable electrical power by the brakelights.... Suddenly I wish my bike was a carb one instead of an EFI...
Amazingly, I managed to reach the GP petrol kiosk. In fact, when I enter the petrol kiosk and as I pull the brakes to stop it, the bike died again. This time though, it could not be restarted. Once again, my faithful comrades on 2 wheels refuse to abandon me there. 1 R1 rider volunteered to 'kick' me across the causeway and across Singapore Customs. He said he is very experienced, and had actually kicked a smaller bike from Kulai to Singapore!
What is kicking? It means 1 bike, the pusher, will push the other immobile bike. The force is transferred via the rider's leg onto a part of the bike being pushed.Take a look at the picture:
Thank you Jerry, the helpful R1 rider!
This way, we actually hit a top speed of 100km/h and manage to cross the causeway and customs, into the safe arms of Singapore. But that's not the end of my day, as my bike still ain't starting. Called a tow truck and waited for an hour+ along the lonesome AYE, comtemplating if I should change my bike...
The resurrection
True to my DIY spirit, and also adhering to my 'all bike shops mechanics are shitty' theory, I've decided to revive my VFR myself. Changed the battery, changed the rectifier and yet it's still not charging. An AC voltage test from the alternator output indicates that I have a bad stator coil (I used the very comprehensive fault finding guide from here. I was hit with another setback when I called some Honda parts distributors and none of them have the exact replacement part!
Thankfully, with the help of vfrworld and vfrd forums, I've bought a 2nd hand Electrosport stator coil and also the much touted Rick's stator coil online. Hence the delay of posting this blog entry since part 1 when I sold my Super 4.
In the meantime, I was still riding the bike. I had to be mindful that it's running on total loss (i.e. all electrical power from battery) which means no headlight and minimal braking, and have to remove the battery after every trip to recharge it. It was always delightful to hear the engine cranking up and starting, which means there should be enough juice in the battery to take me home.
Fortunately, 2-3 weeks later, both stator coil arrived!
Decided to use the one from Rick's (with copper colored wire) since it has 1 year warranty and resemble the original coil more in terms of dimensions. This is the first time I actually open up the crank case of the engine but it's really as simple as what the service manual said. Here's the burnt coil and the rotor.
So, after just 1 month of owning this VFR800, I've experienced the much feared electrical breakdown (infamous among Honda bikes), almost got stranded in an unknown part of West Malaysia and spent some moolah (a battery - $68, new rectifier - $130, 2 new stator coils - $482, paper gasket and liquid gasket to seal back the alternator casing - $11) on getting the bike up again, by myself. Well, it certainly wasn't a dull relationship!
After all that, it's alive again!
Epilogue
And all this sort of strengthened the bond between me and the bike. I was complaining that the super 4 lacks character. This one though oozes with strange quirks and delightful surprises and you can't definitely call it 'boring'. Not only that, I had 2 strangers approaching me to ask me where I got my bike and the cost. It seems the cult following of this VFR model is also prevalent in Singapore, among the more sensible (aka old) riders.
Still, the threat of another electrical failure is very real indeed, and I had to install a voltmeter ($26 from Sim Lim Tower) onto the bike. It shows whether the bike is charging or not, or experiencing unusual voltage changes across it's electrical system. And a new double bubble screen from Zero Gravity to bend the airflow so that it flows over my helmet instead of smashing into my shoulders.
Reading a healthy 14.3V
Will this be my final bike, or will I be tempted again by the newer, more aggressive, more racy superbikes? Only time will tell, but I have a feeling the VFR is gonna stay here for quite some time.
