Hey Richy from the US. Agreed! There is nothing worse than waiting for your bike to be returned to you from the shop. I have an older Interceptor. Love her. Since I bought her she's been in twice. The first time was for inspection to get tags/title etc. Needed a fair amount of work. 6 Weeks! Was completed the weekend before Christmas! 2019. She just went in for rotors, pads, tune up, wheel bearings etc. Been a week and half. Waiting for the call to go pick her up. It's like missing a loved one. Take care. Maybe I can get to the UK for a Wildbad tour. Love the videos and the genuine appreciation you have for your friends!!
Steve's a proper technician. I love it when someone has actually has put in the time to know the systems rather than just changing parts. That's worth it's weight in gold. I appreciate this more than most people because most of my career has been with electrical and electronic systems, and when a mechanic has taken the time to gains such knowledge it's very impressive. Ten years ago, I would have said the same thing about battery chargers, but I think he's lumping all brands together just to be on the safe side. Optimate's monitoring system is so good that it really does know when the battery needs charged, when to shut off and when the batt needs conditioning. The are actually easier on the battery then the MC charging system and prolong its life. I'm pretty sure Steve is still thinking about thing like old Deltrans chargers that advertised themselves as something you could keep connected, but actually dried up batteries and damaged the plates if you left them connected for too long. Same with the old trickle chargers. **PS, Steve stated that the extra draw from the starter motor caused the regulator to try to compensate, which also put more strain on the battery, and a starter motor being constantly on is a LOT of strain. That lead to him showing you the shape of the battery, which the strain from that starter motor can cause in short order. He didn't say it was from your charger. You volunteered that info and he said he generally didn't think it was a good idea.
Hard to beat a great mechanic you can trust. Have my vfr nearly 3yrs. Do a few miles. Over to France, Germany, Belgium. Not a days trouble. I love it. It's a 2009 model and I bought it because I found richie and the lads channel 4yrs ago and just had to try a vfr 800vtec. No regrets. Only thing for me now is to try the wildbad weekender 😛..keep up the great work rich and lads.
Hi Richy - This vid demonstrates exactly what the biking community is all about. Brilliant! Reunited and able to just pop into the garage for a quick stroke! Merry Christmas to you and yours. Yours aye, Alan
HI Richy, Don't let the electrical problem put you off the VFR, its still one of the very best bikes on the road. I have known people to have four times as many electrical problems with relatively new BMWs, with their cam bus system when they go wrong boy to they go wrong. Lots of £££££ and you cant fix them with a few connectors and some new wire. Great series.
Richy, I've just subscribed and have enjoyed your escapades to date, long may they continue. Glad you've and your VFR have been reunited. I have viewed with interest your PM with Steve. He seems like he knows his subject and he may well be right re the advisability of keeping your battery hooked up permanently to a charger. I can only offer my own experience, I've got an original VFR VTEC bought new May 2002. I bought an Optimate III at the same time which I keep hooked up permanently, I'm now a 'butterfly biker' only out when the sun is shining, so the bike is off road mostly from Oct to Feb. It's still on the original battery, seventeen years and counting. Maybe I've just been lucky or possibly the optimate is worth a look. On their site they say: Can my OptiMate be left connected to my vehicle for long periods of time unattended? Yes. This is exactly what Optimate is designed to do. OptiMate’s gentle charging algorithm will never overcharge or undercharge your battery. Anyway, thanks again for providing an enjoyable entertaining alternative to Television, have a good Chistmas and a Happy New Year
great news Richy probably the only present you longed for this christmas keep her rubber side down for many years to come ,wishing you and your family a lovely festive period
Richy, genuine smiling whilst listening to you talk about getting bike back. Think we are all guilty of getting a optimiser and thinking awk just plug it in and that's it done. I too will be changing my ways. Love that bit at the end too, shows how much effort you genuinely put into each vid. Cheers pal
truly a real blessing to have a good wrench you have faith in Rich.. I had a guy who raced professionally for 10+yrs factory for Honda etc in the 80'/90s off and on, then retired and wrenched for 20+ with Honda dealer before her retired.. he had his own private shop at his house and as you say " Top Bloke"- best mechanic I've ever had, could sort anything, trouble shoot on the phone if something happened on the road and saved my A** more than once, Loved working on Honda's and many other makes, Hated working on Kawi's LOL- but NEVER once did I feel uneasy with any bike of mine he ever touched after picking her up, and best of all He loved just working on bikes in his retirement. VERY fortunate to have found him for 7yrs .. before he moved to Arizona permanently.
Excellent to see the old girl back! I don’t know how you managed 10 weeks without, I only had to wait 3 weeks to get mine sorted and can’t stop riding her since getting her back! Recovery companies like to try and blame the reg/rec. I had a similar diagnosis when mine broke down but when it was checked and repaired by my mechanic we found it was actually the stator that had burned out and the reg/rec was fine. Good tip about using the optimate too. Have a merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year 🍷👍
Steve is a top bloke, I too my VFR 800 vtec too him for a service and a full check over as the bike came with no service history. The person you mentioned in the video could be me as I travelled over from Wigan. Your bang on about him too. 👍😁
Really glad you have the old girl back and she is in fine fettle once again. Steve and his company looks like a gem of a business, not just replacing suspected parts, but proper fault identification and rectification. Everyone should have access to a Steve. It's shame, but many automotive repair places teach component replacement, not problem isolation/repair. It's a dying skill. The charger question has opened a can of worms. I keep 2 bikes and 2 cars on an optimate chargers...they rescued one AGM battery I had in a car that had gone down to below 1v (immobiliser/tracker drained it) as I had forgotten to disconnect the battery from the car. Seems to be good and worked well for a week long European tour with no issues. Advantages seem they do seem to make batteries last longer and I don't see any evidence of a downside. I think Steve's view was true for older type trickle chargers, but the modern day chargers/maintainers appear to be very good. Yours and others batteries lasting as long as they have is good evidence, so there seems to be more than circumstantial evidence that using an intelligent charger is fine and very little if any evidence to suggest this is bad practice. I don't see any evidence that your issues were caused by the use of a battery tender/charger...although I'm pretty sure Steve was not linking the two. Finally, thanks for the hugely entertaining content on your channel in 2019. Your content inspired me to learn to ride..and to go touring. They brighten up may day and genuinely make me smile and want to get out there on my bike. Looking forwards to 2020! Hope all at Wildbad have a great Christrmas and new year.
Hey Richy! Only a year late here! Greeting from Florida USA. I am also a 6th gen VFR owner, and have had my share of issues. I actually had this very issue twice on mine, and I would have to believe it is a more common issue than most would like to admit. I had the wiring redone since I worked at a Honda dealership at the time, and no more cooked starter solenoids. I do not have the vfrness but have been thinking about it. I totally get the sick feeling of trust issues after this. Love the vids and keep the rubber side down.
My optimate is plugged in all the time too. I thought that was what they were designed for ?? To monitor the condition of the battery and only charge it when required🤔
Agreed, this was a great ending for Richy but that particular piece of info only applies to battery chargers and NOT the battery conditioners like the Optimate
As I understand it, Optimate 3 and onwards constantly cycle the battery through discharge and recharge. That’s the whole point of a battery tender, simulating actual use, or am I wrong?
Well done Steve sounds like a mechanic we all need in our toolbox, lesson learnt for all of us, if in doubt just get your bike returned and get it fixed with your usual mechanic who knows your bike and TRUST
So pleased to see that you have got your old girl home and fixed. You did the right thing getting it repatriated and then to some one who knows a thing or two about bikes. Thanks for giving Steve a shout out. I'm a couple of hours south of Mansfield but would consider taking my VFR to him on the strength of your vid and recommendation which is enough for me. I know it would be in good hands. Hope you had a good Christmas. Liking your new big man cave. You have space for another bike, or two! What an end to 2019. Bet you're looking forward to 2020. Suffice to say Wales and the Picos are certainties where else are you planning, back to Croatia? Hopefully this year will really bring the success and subs that your channel deserves after all your years of hard work. TMF watch out!
What a nightmare Rich, for your own peace of mind it was best that you had it repaired by someone you trust with your pride and joy. No point having a potential botch repair carried out for it to come back and bite you in the backside on another road trip..... All the best matey and looking forward to see what you get up to next!!
Well it has been a brill year for all use Wildbad disciples too mate, theses videos you give us are so good. Think I’ll go and have a glass of wine as well and go and stare at my bike too! I get that completely! I hope your Christmas is going well and I hope to see you in 2020 as your channel grows and as always, kind regards and I wish you well.
So happy you have the bike back and Steve is an awesome technician. Just look at his shop, you can literally eat off the floors! He is proud of his work and it shows. You are lucky to have him!
With regards to battery charger/trickle charging, a I've been told it's only necessary for over the winter, or when out of season riding. I recently went 5wks without going for a ride on my bike and started up no problem without any trickle charger in between. It's a new battery to be fair. Thanks for this video Richy, excellent info for all of us, especially us noob riders.
Hi davy in northern ireland here love ur videos cracking job on them so professional u have really inspired me to get off my ass and get on my bike more so thanks man and keep up the good work
Great to have your bike back and running sweet as a nut like it was. Merry Christmas to you and yours Rich, looking forward to 2020’s videos. All the best mate.
You are very lucky to have a mechanic like Steve, finding someone like that is like finding a needle in a haystack - Just finding someone that you have confidence in to do the job right makes all the difference. Great video too, good to see it is all sorted. You have not abused your battery, you would not get 7 years if it was abused. I use a CTEK charger here, where batteries die frequently from the heat. If I use the CTEK I get 3-4 years out of a YUASA and if I do not use the CTEK two years max!
Glad you have your bike back. Marry Christmas to you to Richy al the way from Granada. Tomorrow is of to Algeciras to catch the ferry to Morocco. 20-22°C all day long and deserted roads. Bloody brilliant 🤘
Good to c the viffer back so not 2 much damage done i do the same put the battery on charge once a week keep checking the volt meter to c what charge is in the battery i bet that made your xmas getting the viffer back would mine you can not beat the sound and feel of that v4 motor . Next season will it click over the 100,000 miles been a honda it will do that 3 times over roll on spring will be out again clicking miles up and putting a smile on my face listening to the v4 growl.
Richy,Steve is an absolutely first class mechanic as you are finding out,cant fault him,I ll be going on the Sunday morning ride outs in 2020 so hopefully get the chance to ride with you. Happy all turned out well in the end with the Picos tour,but can I say the tour videos were great,obviously up until the breakdown. Keep the brilliant videos rolling and merry Christmas to you and your family.👊👊.
Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Bloody fantastic stuff. Merry Christmas to you and the fellow Wildbad followers. VFR800 for ever ye ha. Time for another Uncle Jack.
Quite a nice Christmas gift to have the lady back home. ;-) Thank YOU Richy for this one more year of sharing your adventures. Best wishes and Merry Christmas to you and the WBT !
Richy, if it wasn't for you and your video's i wouldn't have known about Steve Scott motorcycles. I took my VFR750 to Steve and his son James who went right through the bike, and I also had my wheels painted. You are absolutely right, top guy who is not only honest (Difficult to find nowadays) but so passionate about his work to, as is his son James. I live in the Lake District so a good 150 miles from Mansfield, but it's a journey we'll worth making for the service provided. I've just had my VFR 800 wheels done there to. Have to say the work carried out is outstanding. Thanks again Richy for recommending what is probably the best place in the country to get anything done on your bike 😉👍
Good to see the vfr is back where she belongs, hope you all have a lovely Christmas, hopefully catch you out and about next year when your over in Wales merry Christmas all 🎄
Definitely stick with one that's like Steve, can't believe I've only just watched this, I to leave battery optimizer connected all time when not in use, love the VFR 👍
This is a great lesson for anyone watching as well. Don't trust random mechanics to know everything. I've had this experience with my car. They wanted literally 10 times the price of what it Actually cost to fix it. Find a mechanic you can talk to, trust and who loves what he/she does. It would have been sad if the VFR got a complete makeover only to end its life the same year... But a real Honda never permanently stops👍🏻
Glad you got bike back Richy all in one piece! Hope you, your family and the rest of the Widbad team have a fantastic Christmas. Looking forward to some more excellent video's in the new year!
That’s a bit random eh.....anyway glad she’s fixed and back home with you. Have a great Xmas mate and looking forward to more adventures in 2020. All the best from the burnt Southern land.
You massive Jessie Vida! 😉 Mate I hope you and your family had a fantastic Crimbo, well done on superb vids throughout 2019. Here's to a mega, safe and fun packed 2020 👍
Great to see her back Rich. A great end to the year. I've watched every single video at this stage and I'll honestly say that your uploads are the best without a doubt on UA-cam and an inspiration to me and no doubt others when it comes to touring. Looking forward to 2020. Merry Christmas.
Saw that you had gone to Steve for that refresh a little while back. Didn’t know he was in the area. I am from Mansfield so happily gave him a try. I needed a set of tyres which he did a good price on. And my vfr needed a service before a wales trip. Phoned up late one day, dropped it off the next morning and picked it up that evening. Couldn’t fault him.
Glad you have the bike back on the road again, Steve certainly knows his stuff. Hope you have a great Christmas and look forward to watching your 2020 adventures.
Wow.. think I might go see Steve some time should I need it. I'd be like that guy coming from Preston too.. confidence in my local go to's has been knocked lately..
Very pleased you got your bike back!! I have to say I leave my bike plugged in all the time and my battery is 5-6 years old. Whatever!! I am off to the Picos again next October, lot's of good riding between now and next October including Scotland, but I love Northern Spain.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Rich! Glad the Silver Beast is home safe and sound for the holidays! Thank you for everything you've taken the time to edit and share with all of us this year!! :)
It's good to find a guy like Steve who can actually repair things, a lot of todays crop of mechanics or technicians as they like to call themselves, just keep replacing parts until they find the problem
Exactly! That was my worry in France. Made the assumption it was reg/rec, so replace that, and battery and then we’ll see if that works..... no thanks! 👍
Glad she is ok and back with you m8 but Steve is the second one to ride her so you take it easy m8 and brake her it to fit you well again and hope you and the family have a nice Christmas and a great new year 🙏🏻
I suffered recently a regulator and stator ‘burn out’ on my ‘53 VFR, she is my ‘go to bike’ but I have an 1100 Guzzi and 1150 GSA beemer. I believe Steve is right , but NOT on long term storage. The modern chargers monitor the battery allowing it to drop voltage over time to an optimum level then recharge. Richy’s trouble like mine was / is low revs. Since my trouble I’ve used lower gears / road speed than previously , ergo , the system is NOT struggling to supply a ‘draw’ that cant be achieved at lower revs . Either rev it to ‘F’ or use lower gears. No stator strain!
What a nice Xmas present for you. Good that you haven't suffered the dreaded VFR reg/reg issue. Great comment from Steve re: battery conditioners. I have always thought the intelligent chargers were taking the battery through charge/discharge cycles. Just unplugged my optimate, and on my sons bike. Have a great Christmas and looking forward to your vlogs next year.
It makes sense only charging or trickle charging the bike for only a couple of hours per week.I used to do that but lazy old me leaves the optimate plugged in all the time.
Miss my 99 model vfr yellow one. In 18mths I done 30,000 kms. Only sold it because the wife wanted to come along, it wasn't suitable for two up when the wife has a back issue so I went for a st1300 which ideal for two up traveling etc weekend away or go interstate. She really like the goldwing. We did a 3 week trip from nsw(Australia) to south Australia & back again via Victoria to see our daughter & grandchildren in SA for 10 days was great. The bike beautiful but the the misses back started give a hard time. Ever since that trip she only jumped on twice, so she not so keen but misses it ( bloody back). I love the V4 I engine & the power delivery of the 800, I've seen some for sale with 140-150k that's saying something about reliability. I do also like looks of 1050 sprint. I want one with all the factory side & top box for traveling. Plus both bikes look sexy with them
You are so very fortunate to have a guy like Steve locally, you can tell just by listening to him how genuine and passionate he is, what a top fella
Hey Richy from the US. Agreed! There is nothing worse than waiting for your bike to be returned to you from the shop. I have an older Interceptor. Love her. Since I bought her she's been in twice. The first time was for inspection to get tags/title etc. Needed a fair amount of work. 6 Weeks! Was completed the weekend before Christmas! 2019. She just went in for rotors, pads, tune up, wheel bearings etc. Been a week and half. Waiting for the call to go pick her up. It's like missing a loved one. Take care. Maybe I can get to the UK for a Wildbad tour. Love the videos and the genuine appreciation you have for your friends!!
Steve's a proper technician. I love it when someone has actually has put in the time to know the systems rather than just changing parts. That's worth it's weight in gold. I appreciate this more than most people because most of my career has been with electrical and electronic systems, and when a mechanic has taken the time to gains such knowledge it's very impressive. Ten years ago, I would have said the same thing about battery chargers, but I think he's lumping all brands together just to be on the safe side. Optimate's monitoring system is so good that it really does know when the battery needs charged, when to shut off and when the batt needs conditioning. The are actually easier on the battery then the MC charging system and prolong its life. I'm pretty sure Steve is still thinking about thing like old Deltrans chargers that advertised themselves as something you could keep connected, but actually dried up batteries and damaged the plates if you left them connected for too long. Same with the old trickle chargers. **PS, Steve stated that the extra draw from the starter motor caused the regulator to try to compensate, which also put more strain on the battery, and a starter motor being constantly on is a LOT of strain. That lead to him showing you the shape of the battery, which the strain from that starter motor can cause in short order. He didn't say it was from your charger. You volunteered that info and he said he generally didn't think it was a good idea.
Hard to beat a great mechanic you can trust. Have my vfr nearly 3yrs. Do a few miles. Over to France, Germany, Belgium. Not a days trouble. I love it. It's a 2009 model and I bought it because I found richie and the lads channel 4yrs ago and just had to try a vfr 800vtec. No regrets. Only thing for me now is to try the wildbad weekender 😛..keep up the great work rich and lads.
The world needs more Steve Scotts. Happy to see the VFR firing up - and instantly, at that - and you back in the saddle.
Hi Richy - This vid demonstrates exactly what the biking community is all about. Brilliant! Reunited and able to just pop into the garage for a quick stroke! Merry Christmas to you and yours. Yours aye, Alan
HI Richy, Don't let the electrical problem put you off the VFR, its still one of the very best bikes on the road. I have known people to have four times as many electrical problems with relatively new BMWs, with their cam bus system when they go wrong boy to they go wrong. Lots of £££££ and you cant fix them with a few connectors and some new wire. Great series.
Old school bike mechanic... Brillant👍👍👍
Richy, I've just subscribed and have enjoyed your escapades to date, long may they continue. Glad you've and your VFR have been reunited. I have viewed with interest your PM with Steve. He seems like he knows his subject and he may well be right re the advisability of keeping your battery hooked up permanently to a charger. I can only offer my own experience, I've got an original VFR VTEC bought new May 2002. I bought an Optimate III at the same time which I keep hooked up permanently, I'm now a 'butterfly biker' only out when the sun is shining, so the bike is off road mostly from Oct to Feb. It's still on the original battery, seventeen years and counting. Maybe I've just been lucky or possibly the optimate is worth a look. On their site they say:
Can my OptiMate be left connected to my vehicle for long periods of time unattended?
Yes. This is exactly what Optimate is designed to do. OptiMate’s gentle charging algorithm will never overcharge or undercharge your battery.
Anyway, thanks again for providing an enjoyable entertaining alternative to Television, have a good Chistmas and a Happy New Year
great news Richy probably the only present you longed for this christmas keep her rubber side down for many years to come ,wishing you and your family a lovely festive period
Richy, genuine smiling whilst listening to you talk about getting bike back. Think we are all guilty of getting a optimiser and thinking awk just plug it in and that's it done. I too will be changing my ways.
Love that bit at the end too, shows how much effort you genuinely put into each vid. Cheers pal
Thanks Mr Highland! ;-)
truly a real blessing to have a good wrench you have faith in Rich.. I had a guy who raced professionally for 10+yrs factory for Honda etc in the 80'/90s off and on, then retired and wrenched for 20+ with Honda dealer before her retired.. he had his own private shop at his house and as you say " Top Bloke"- best mechanic I've ever had, could sort anything, trouble shoot on the phone if something happened on the road and saved my A** more than once, Loved working on Honda's and many other makes, Hated working on Kawi's LOL- but NEVER once did I feel uneasy with any bike of mine he ever touched after picking her up, and best of all He loved just working on bikes in his retirement. VERY fortunate to have found him for 7yrs .. before he moved to Arizona permanently.
Pleased shes all sorted mate, Steve certainly knows his onions!
Excellent to see the old girl back! I don’t know how you managed 10 weeks without, I only had to wait 3 weeks to get mine sorted and can’t stop riding her since getting her back! Recovery companies like to try and blame the reg/rec. I had a similar diagnosis when mine broke down but when it was checked and repaired by my mechanic we found it was actually the stator that had burned out and the reg/rec was fine. Good tip about using the optimate too. Have a merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year 🍷👍
Steve is a top bloke, I too my VFR 800 vtec too him for a service and a full check over as the bike came with no service history. The person you mentioned in the video could be me as I travelled over from Wigan. Your bang on about him too. 👍😁
Mega!
@@erikroberts1899 sorry pal I didn't proof read it, I'll smack my hands and make sure it doesn't happen again. 👍.
Really glad you have the old girl back and she is in fine fettle once again. Steve and his company looks like a gem of a business, not just replacing suspected parts, but proper fault identification and rectification. Everyone should have access to a Steve. It's shame, but many automotive repair places teach component replacement, not problem isolation/repair. It's a dying skill. The charger question has opened a can of worms. I keep 2 bikes and 2 cars on an optimate chargers...they rescued one AGM battery I had in a car that had gone down to below 1v (immobiliser/tracker drained it) as I had forgotten to disconnect the battery from the car. Seems to be good and worked well for a week long European tour with no issues. Advantages seem they do seem to make batteries last longer and I don't see any evidence of a downside. I think Steve's view was true for older type trickle chargers, but the modern day chargers/maintainers appear to be very good. Yours and others batteries lasting as long as they have is good evidence, so there seems to be more than circumstantial evidence that using an intelligent charger is fine and very little if any evidence to suggest this is bad practice. I don't see any evidence that your issues were caused by the use of a battery tender/charger...although I'm pretty sure Steve was not linking the two. Finally, thanks for the hugely entertaining content on your channel in 2019. Your content inspired me to learn to ride..and to go touring. They brighten up may day and genuinely make me smile and want to get out there on my bike. Looking forwards to 2020! Hope all at Wildbad have a great Christrmas and new year.
Hey Richy! Only a year late here! Greeting from Florida USA. I am also a 6th gen VFR owner, and have had my share of issues. I actually had this very issue twice on mine, and I would have to believe it is a more common issue than most would like to admit. I had the wiring redone since I worked at a Honda dealership at the time, and no more cooked starter solenoids. I do not have the vfrness but have been thinking about it. I totally get the sick feeling of trust issues after this. Love the vids and keep the rubber side down.
My optimate is plugged in all the time too. I thought that was what they were designed for ?? To monitor the condition of the battery and only charge it when required🤔
Agreed, this was a great ending for Richy but that particular piece of info only applies to battery chargers and NOT the battery conditioners like the Optimate
Mine is a tender, so designed to charge, maintain and drain all the time. I won’t be using it like that in future.
As I understand it, Optimate 3 and onwards constantly cycle the battery through discharge and recharge. That’s the whole point of a battery tender, simulating actual use, or am I wrong?
Well done Steve sounds like a mechanic we all need in our toolbox, lesson learnt for all of us, if in doubt just get your bike returned and get it fixed with your usual mechanic who knows your bike and TRUST
Glad you got her back. It turned out to be a simple thing like that. Happy Christmas mate . NEIL A VFR750 owner.
So pleased to see that you have got your old girl home and fixed. You did the right thing getting it repatriated and then to some one who knows a thing or two about bikes. Thanks for giving Steve a shout out. I'm a couple of hours south of Mansfield but would consider taking my VFR to him on the strength of your vid and recommendation which is enough for me. I know it would be in good hands.
Hope you had a good Christmas.
Liking your new big man cave. You have space for another bike, or two!
What an end to 2019. Bet you're looking forward to 2020. Suffice to say Wales and the Picos are certainties where else are you planning, back to Croatia? Hopefully this year will really bring the success and subs that your channel deserves after all your years of hard work. TMF watch out!
What a nightmare Rich, for your own peace of mind it was best that you had it repaired by someone you trust with your pride and joy. No point having a potential botch repair carried out for it to come back and bite you in the backside on another road trip.....
All the best matey and looking forward to see what you get up to next!!
Well it has been a brill year for all use Wildbad disciples too mate, theses videos you give us are so good. Think I’ll go and have a glass of wine as well and go and stare at my bike too! I get that completely! I hope your Christmas is going well and I hope to see you in 2020 as your channel grows and as always, kind regards and I wish you well.
So happy you have the bike back and Steve is an awesome technician. Just look at his shop, you can literally eat off the floors! He is proud of his work and it shows. You are lucky to have him!
got a tear in my eye Rich, absolutley made up she's back. great ending Richy, for a great couple. all the best lad.
With regards to battery charger/trickle charging, a
I've been told it's only necessary for over the winter, or when out of season riding.
I recently went 5wks without going for a ride on my bike and started up no problem without any trickle charger in between. It's a new battery to be fair.
Thanks for this video Richy, excellent info for all of us, especially us noob riders.
The sentiment you have toward your bike is exactly how I feel toward mine 👍
Hi davy in northern ireland here love ur videos cracking job on them so professional u have really inspired me to get off my ass and get on my bike more so thanks man and keep up the good work
Glad you’ve got her back - and Merry Christmas to you and yours! Thanks for the entertainment throughout the year.
Happy new year to all, safe riding.
Great to have your bike back and running sweet as a nut like it was. Merry Christmas to you and yours Rich, looking forward to 2020’s videos. All the best mate.
You are very lucky to have a mechanic like Steve, finding someone like that is like finding a needle in a haystack - Just finding someone that you have confidence in to do the job right makes all the difference. Great video too, good to see it is all sorted. You have not abused your battery, you would not get 7 years if it was abused. I use a CTEK charger here, where batteries die frequently from the heat. If I use the CTEK I get 3-4 years out of a YUASA and if I do not use the CTEK two years max!
Glad you have your bike back. Marry Christmas to you to Richy al the way from Granada. Tomorrow is of to Algeciras to catch the ferry to Morocco. 20-22°C all day long and deserted roads. Bloody brilliant 🤘
...and all the best to you all too........Cheers from CANADA!
I think I will definitely be paying this guy a visit in the future What a guy Steve is ... really glad you got the bike back and running richy 👍
Steve TOP BLOKE 👍
Glad to see the vfr back where it belongs, have a great Christmas and New year to all the wildbad crew
Good to c the viffer back so not 2 much damage done i do the same put the battery on charge once a week keep checking the volt meter to c what charge is in the battery i bet that made your xmas getting the viffer back would mine you can not beat the sound and feel of that v4 motor . Next season will it click over the 100,000 miles been a honda it will do that 3 times over roll on spring will be out again clicking miles up and putting a smile on my face listening to the v4 growl.
Very good shout Rich, sounds like you made the right call taking it to Steve.
Glad you’re back on the road on that gorgeous VFR! 👍🏻
Great watch,so happy for you to get her back finally.All the best👍
"Cheers Steve see you soon" ... Hopefully not too soon hey! Great to see her back. Merry Christmas
Richy,Steve is an absolutely first class mechanic as you are finding out,cant fault him,I ll be going on the Sunday morning ride outs in 2020 so hopefully get the chance to ride with you.
Happy all turned out well in the end with the Picos tour,but can I say the tour videos were great,obviously up until the breakdown.
Keep the brilliant videos rolling and merry Christmas to you and your family.👊👊.
as always a cracking year for vid's, here's to necxt year's, happy crimbo to you all.
Excellent Christmas present! Nice to see her back again 👍
Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Bloody fantastic stuff. Merry Christmas to you and the fellow Wildbad followers.
VFR800 for ever ye ha.
Time for another Uncle Jack.
Glad you got her back pal .great story.. felt your pain and frustration. Happy Christmas to you and your family rich 🥳
Good to see her back on the road, there is no substitute for your own bike. Have a great Christmas Wildbad boys.
Merry Christmas
happy days m8 the vfr back on the road enjoy richy cheers bkt
It was good to meet up with you and the lads at the Pondarosa this year, Merry Christmas
Quite a nice Christmas gift to have the lady back home. ;-)
Thank YOU Richy for this one more year of sharing your adventures. Best wishes and Merry Christmas to you and the WBT !
What a Christmas present, getting the vfr back. What a top man Steve is. Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year. 🍺
And you, Stuart. All the very best.
Richy, if it wasn't for you and your video's i wouldn't have known about Steve Scott motorcycles. I took my VFR750 to Steve and his son James who went right through the bike, and I also had my wheels painted. You are absolutely right, top guy who is not only honest (Difficult to find nowadays) but so passionate about his work to, as is his son James. I live in the Lake District so a good 150 miles from Mansfield, but it's a journey we'll worth making for the service provided. I've just had my VFR 800 wheels done there to. Have to say the work carried out is outstanding. Thanks again Richy for recommending what is probably the best place in the country to get anything done on your bike 😉👍
Oh that’s great Ian. Thanks for this comment. I will show it to Steve, it’ll make his day. Thank you.
Glad the girls back, I hope to meet the wild bad team in 2020 with my VFR.
Lovely video Richy and a perfect xmas present get your beloved VFR back , have a great xmas .
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family Richy, 👍😎🇬🇧.
Glad to see you back on the road m8, hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!
Glad to see you on the VFR again !! You can not put a price on a trusted mechanic .I've been with the same guy for 25+yrs !
I’ll be doing the same, without question! 👍
Good to see the vfr is back where she belongs, hope you all have a lovely Christmas, hopefully catch you out and about next year when your over in Wales merry Christmas all 🎄
Definitely stick with one that's like Steve, can't believe I've only just watched this, I to leave battery optimizer connected all time when not in use, love the VFR 👍
Nice one Buddy, see you next year 👍👍
This is a great lesson for anyone watching as well. Don't trust random mechanics to know everything. I've had this experience with my car. They wanted literally 10 times the price of what it Actually cost to fix it. Find a mechanic you can talk to, trust and who loves what he/she does. It would have been sad if the VFR got a complete makeover only to end its life the same year... But a real Honda never permanently stops👍🏻
Glad you got bike back Richy all in one piece! Hope you, your family and the rest of the Widbad team have a fantastic Christmas. Looking forward to some more excellent video's in the new year!
Nice to see a happy chap again
That’s a bit random eh.....anyway glad she’s fixed and back home with you. Have a great Xmas mate and looking forward to more adventures in 2020. All the best from the burnt Southern land.
Great result and great old school mechanic.
Super years entertainment
Many thanks happy travels. 👍
nice video richy ,glad to see the old girl is back,merry xmas mate,
You massive Jessie Vida! 😉 Mate I hope you and your family had a fantastic Crimbo, well done on superb vids throughout 2019. Here's to a mega, safe and fun packed 2020 👍
We’ll be holding hands for most of it, Brother! ;-)
Having someone like Steve is invaluable, what a top bloke. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year with your family and friends. Adam
And you, Adam. All the best, mate
Great to see her back Rich. A great end to the year. I've watched every single video at this stage and I'll honestly say that your uploads are the best without a doubt on UA-cam and an inspiration to me and no doubt others when it comes to touring. Looking forward to 2020. Merry Christmas.
Wow. Thanks so much, Michael. For your comments and your time!
Saw that you had gone to Steve for that refresh a little while back. Didn’t know he was in the area. I am from Mansfield so happily gave him a try. I needed a set of tyres which he did a good price on. And my vfr needed a service before a wales trip. Phoned up late one day, dropped it off the next morning and picked it up that evening. Couldn’t fault him.
Glad you have the bike back on the road again, Steve certainly knows his stuff. Hope you have a great Christmas and look forward to watching your 2020 adventures.
Richy watchin your picos trip again and your issues started after the bike was ratchet strapped over the seat on the boat !!
🙀
happy xmas man . I owen a vfr800f with not so many tchs as other bikes have, but I feel the VFR is a great decent and legendary bike . Cheers
Great advice from an expert - thanks mate
I too was always keeping my batter plugged in to my optimale ..
Wow.. think I might go see Steve some time should I need it. I'd be like that guy coming from Preston too.. confidence in my local go to's has been knocked lately..
Merry Christmas !! Thanks for this years Entertainment.Glade you've got the old girl back.Looking forward to 2020. !! cheers.
Merry Christmas wildbaders
Glad she's back and not as bad as first thought.
merry Christmas Richy
Steve Scott - what a top bloke. Happy Christmas Richy and all the best for the new year.
Very pleased you got your bike back!! I have to say I leave my bike plugged in all the time and my battery is 5-6 years old. Whatever!! I am off to the Picos again next October, lot's of good riding between now and next October including Scotland, but I love Northern Spain.
So she’s riding home for Christmas 👍👍🇬🇧
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Rich! Glad the Silver Beast is home safe and sound for the holidays! Thank you for everything you've taken the time to edit and share with all of us this year!! :)
God job Steve. Nice to see the bike up and running. Happy Christmas mate.
It's good to find a guy like Steve who can actually repair things, a lot of todays crop of mechanics or technicians as they like to call themselves, just keep replacing parts until they find the problem
Exactly! That was my worry in France. Made the assumption it was reg/rec, so replace that, and battery and then we’ll see if that works..... no thanks! 👍
Glad she is ok and back with you m8 but Steve is the second one to ride her so you take it easy m8 and brake her it to fit you well again and hope you and the family have a nice Christmas and a great new year 🙏🏻
Thank you for sharing so many great videos in 2019 and a happy new year to you. I look forward to follow your channel here in 2020.
I suffered recently a regulator and stator ‘burn out’ on my ‘53 VFR, she is my ‘go to bike’ but I have an 1100 Guzzi and 1150 GSA beemer. I believe Steve is right , but NOT on long term storage. The modern chargers monitor the battery allowing it to drop voltage over time to an optimum level then recharge.
Richy’s trouble like mine was / is low revs. Since my trouble I’ve used lower gears / road speed than previously , ergo , the system is NOT struggling to supply a ‘draw’ that cant be achieved at lower revs .
Either rev it to ‘F’ or use lower gears. No stator strain!
Glad you’ve got the lady back and all is fine and wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and new year 👍
So happy you have got her home for Christmas Richy and well done again Steve.
Good to see the old girl back richy 👍
What a nice Xmas present for you. Good that you haven't suffered the dreaded VFR reg/reg issue. Great comment from Steve re: battery conditioners. I have always thought the intelligent chargers were taking the battery through charge/discharge cycles. Just unplugged my optimate, and on my sons bike. Have a great Christmas and looking forward to your vlogs next year.
Steve - One of the good guys!
It makes sense only charging or trickle charging the bike for only a couple of hours per week.I used to do that but lazy old me leaves the optimate plugged in all the time.
Great news, that finally you have your bike back Richy. Steve has done a great job for you. Looking forward to your 2020 trips now.
So proud you have her back! Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!
Happy days, merry Christmas, looking forward to next years video’s 👍🥃🏴
Miss my 99 model vfr yellow one. In 18mths I done 30,000 kms. Only sold it because the wife wanted to come along, it wasn't suitable for two up when the wife has a back issue so I went for a st1300 which ideal for two up traveling etc weekend away or go interstate. She really like the goldwing. We did a 3 week trip from nsw(Australia) to south Australia & back again via Victoria to see our daughter & grandchildren in SA for 10 days was great. The bike beautiful but the the misses back started give a hard time. Ever since that trip she only jumped on twice, so she not so keen but misses it ( bloody back). I love the V4 I engine & the power delivery of the 800, I've seen some for sale with 140-150k that's saying something about reliability. I do also like looks of 1050 sprint. I want one with all the factory side & top box for traveling. Plus both bikes look sexy with them
Xmas with the Silver Lady... seasons greeting from my family to yours Richy