This is the only thing not perfect on my 01 F4i and it bugs me I can't figure it out. Part of this issue was expressed in a similarly named thread here about 6 weeks ago. As Ive spent time with the Bike I have further observations that someone here may understand better than me

This is the symptom:

When I first ride the Bike, no matter what time of day, the speedo does not work, stays at 0. After I ride for 9-10 miles it comes back on and works perfectly the rest of the day, even if the Bike sits for 8 hours. Ive tried riding it cold and warmed up but it seems to make no difference. The addendum to this symptom is that the F1 light will also come on during this period of <10mi weirdness but only when I get the RPM above 5k. Once I get past 10 miles the F1 light never goes on during normal operation.

My initial thought, as mentioned here was the Speed Sensor developed a layer of graphite and need cleaning but the F1 light added a new wrinkle so I kiinda just ignored that possible solution.

My question is how are the two thing related? The ECU maybe? Why only the first 10 miles?

That smoke you smell is my brain

 

jus kit 7k and have had similar issues with my bike. I noticed i never had that problem when i regularly washed the bike, but now that ive gone over a month of washing it and more riding i think it might b a dirty speed sensor as well. I jus gotta do a forum search now and find out where its at now.

 

The speed sensor is internal.

 

I have the same exact issue, except I don't have the F1 light. My speedo usually doesn't work for a few miles and then it magically starts working.

 

Youre in the same boat I was until I ut the two issues together. Are you planning on cleaning the speed sensor? I looked at the Service Manual and it says I need to remove the throttle body but someone here said you can get to it without doing that so Im curious which is best.

 

You can get to it by removing the tank; it doesn't take that long. When I took my bike to the shop I saw them take out the sensor and all they did was remove the tank. Granted, the guy had tiny hands though...
And nah, I don't plan on cleaning it. I would have asked the mechanics to clean it, but at that point I didn't know that it would magically work after a few miles so I was under the impression it was defective. I thought I would have to replace it. It bugs me, but not enough for me to do something about it.

 

Heh, Im in the same boat. Bugs me but not enough to pay a Honda Mech

 

Guys trust me on this one it's the VSS / Speed Sensor.

Also, you do not have to take the throttle bodies off or the tank, but you'll have more room to work with without the tank. I've replaced mine, but the prob was debris on the sensor itself. So I do have an extra sensor for sale if anyone actually needs it. But like I said, CLEAN it off first and see if it works still.

The F1 code it's throwing is the ECU telling u that your fuel to air ratio is jacked up because it doesn't know how much gas to push since the VSS isn't reading properly.

Good Luck!

 

Ur da man! Thanks a ton for the tips, makes perfect sense. How much for the sensor?

 

$30 shipped. But I DON'T want to sell you something you may not need. Take your sensor out and clean it first. Put it back in and plug it back up. With the rear on a stand, turn your key to ON and roll your wheel. If you get a reading right away, your sensor is good. May need to reset the ECU, and all will be good.

Use 2 extensions for your ratchet(small) with a 10mm socket I believe it is.