I've neglected my VFR 750. There, I said it. Ever since getting my own shed, a Deauville for the regular commute, a bargain of a VFR 800 VTEC just before the pandemic hit, a small camper, a dog, and general house jobs, along with working full-time, it's not been easy to find the time that I used to devote to it.
That said, it's not been forgotten either. It's still a beautiful dark green 1997 model which has seen me through thick and thin, working away as a daily commuter to college, then to another part of the country (was the central character in a long letter I wrote to Bike which earned me a subscription and a set of Pilot Road 2s for it!). It's benefited from the expertise shared on this forum and with the odometer well past 90,000 miles, I'd love to see it approach the big 100,000 with some grace. No more cold, salty mornings, or being drenched in winter rain.I started my quest yesterday evening and soon realised that not only had I neglected the VFR, but I've neglected my own spannering skills too. As they say, if you don't use them, you lose them. Taking a look at the list of jobs to be completed, I remember that I need to check the charging system, when I put it away the little LED on the dashboard was telling me that it wasn't all that healthy. There's no longer a chain on it, that was left behind on the motorway during it's last outing, thankfully without causing any damage. Does that count as one of my nine lives? The rapid deflation of my rear tyre on the VFR 800 on the same stretch of motorway probably counts as another.
Taking the rear bodywork off, I was disappointed to see the fuel lines and other bits and bobs covered, here and there, in mould which might very well contain a cure for Covid. Who knows? I say disappointed because this is no way to treat a 25 year old bike which one has professed to love. I'm a tidy person, it's not my style to tolerate mess, and yet, here it is in it's most organic form. The one thing I did manage to do was keep the battery charged and the bike will start, but with gummed up carbs, a sniff of throttle kills it. I attempt to take the tank off but the fuel hose from the tap doesn't want to budge so I remove it from the fuel filter at the other end. I have a jug with me to catch the fuel as it comes out but completely forget to turn off the fuel tap itself. It even takes me a second to just put my thumb over the hose to stop it pouring out. I'm very out of practice. Thankfully, I have a little bit full of cat litter and sawdust for situations like this and scatter that around but it's already after eating through a good bit of the floor paint. Ronseal, apparently, doesn't do what it says on the tin, anymore.
After cleaning up, I removed the tank, the airbox cover and air filter, grab my can of carb cleaner and give the trumpets a good spray. Again, the bike starts and the fuel pump ticks (it's an aftermarket one, much louder than standard) but even after liberal spraying, it won't manage to reach past 4000rpm. My guess is the high-speed jets in the carbs need a clean, the whole thing needs a clean really. However, after 15 minutes of spraying carb cleaner, running the engine a bit, and breathing air which is now composed of half-burnt petrol, I have to stop. It's been lovely to hear the v-four fire through the unbaffled Delkevic end can and good to think oil has been pumped around the various passages. It's no victory though, and those carbs will need to be pulled off. The whole bike needs a spruce up.
Still, there's less winter ahead than behind us, Spring will be here soon, and with it renewal, and longer days. Can that sense of renewal apply to this old 25 year beauty? It's up to me. I really hope so.
