Need help diagnosing - VFR750 quit on very first ride

[jorxster]

Hey fellow kiwibikers!
Well yesterday I was super stoked to head up to Whangarei to pick up a mint condition 1992 Honda VFR750F with 40,000 miles on the odometer. It was in very good condition and you could tell the previous owner had taken good care of it. (no nicks in the fairing, braided brake lines, etc.)

Apparently it hadn't been ridden much over the last couple of years- he said he'd start it up and take it around the block once in a while to keep it fresh.

So just north of Wellsford on our way back to auckland, when giving it throttle it just lost power and quit! After a good 40km of flawless riding.
Our first thought was perhaps the regulator/rectifier had gone, (when turning key on, the instrument dash lights up, but the starter just "clicks", doesn't turn over the engine).
Looking in the fusebox we could see that the FAN fuse had blown (and the frame was hot) so we're afraid maybe it over-heated. After replacing the fuse though, it still wouldn't start, and even giving it a rolling start- would turn over the engine, but no fire.

So I've got it towed and in storage now, have you guys got any idea what the issue could be? I really hope it's only electrical, but it concerns me that we couldn't roll-start it!

Any ideas/suggestions?
Cheers,
Jordan

[jaffaonajappa]

Sorry, but im going to ask anyway.......you would be surprised how many people overlook the simplest things.

Did it have petrol in the tank?

[FJRider]

The clicking would be the solinoid ... on the starter ...

either it is playing up, or the bike is not charging ... or the battery is buggered due to sitting for so long.

I'd be having a close look at the BATTERY ... Try a jump start ...

[Laava]

There are so many things it could be, but the basics to check are batt, fuel, plugs then look for loose connections, ign switch, choke stuck on? etc etc. Sounds like it will be something easy to fix but might be harder to find.

[Sable]

Charge the battery, replace the fuse and look very carefully at the wiring for anything exposed as it could be earthing on the frame, bad or loose connectors also. Other things it could be are the sidestand cutout switch or the equivalent on the clutch. After that it will be either the solenoid as mentioned or the starter motor brushes are a bit fucked.

[jorxster]

Thanks heaps guys, very helpful.

Talking to my mate ( we had swapped bikes briefly) and he explained it lost power when he revved it, but kept going at lower throttle levels, but within a minute was dead.

@jaffaonajappa : Yes, lol. Full tank of fresh petrol

@FJRider : Hopefully it's only an electronics issue, we'll know soon enough when my mechanic gets to see it later this week!

@Laava : Thanks for the suggestions, it's good to have some ideas of what to check.

@Sable : I'm not sure having the start motor messed up would cause it to quit at highway speed, but the sidestand cutout switch- that would be a hard problem to spot! thanks for the idea.


I'm just hoping that the blown Fan fuse points to an electronic issue- and that the bike didn't overheat or cause any internal damage!!!