Trackbike Build - From Scratch

I have bought a 2002 VFR800. Big deal, you've probably all got them...

This is mine:

[image: DSC_0231.jpg]

I didn't take it apart, I have no experience with them & there are a few vital parts missing.

I am very good at Lego however :goofy:

(That, BTW, is the best smiley I've ever seen.)

Some googling tells me all those parts, plus the slightly important missing parts, add up to about 260kg :huh:

Something will need to be done about that. The bike will be a trackbike, so light weight is the name of the game, also low budget! Mostly low budget. Minimal engineering would be ideal, I don't have anything too advanced, nor could I really be bothered. Bolt on parts are good.

(What have people got these down too without carbon fibre washers & titanium lug nuts?)

The subframe has to go. Or go on a diet. The linked brakes need to go. PAIR needs to go, but I think that is sorted. SSSA should stay, despit being heavier than a regular swingarm (low cost remember). The front end needs to be replaced, Ideally with a USD R1/R6 front end, with Radially mounted Goldspot calipers & matching Radial M/C... :goofy:

Hehe... Where was I? Oh yes, budget will proabably dictate an F4i front end if I can find one cheap enough, or even a Thundercat front end... I will be looking for cheap parts at all time of course.

:offtopic: The (IIRC) 2001 master cylinder from the R1 is a cast Brembo unit, I run it on my TRX with the non-radial Goldspot calipers, from my research they should be functionally the same as the radial mounted version, same piston part numbers you see ;)

Ok, down to brass tacks: I am missing an ECU, rear wheel, exhaust headers & various other small bits & pieces, I intend to buy these as cheaply as possible as I go, starting with the most important, which I'd say would be the ECU, then headers. Ironically, I have found a cheap ($40) VTR1000 subframe which may work. The best laid plans hey... Or in this case barely thought out ones.

Step 1. Clean shed. This happens rarely. Don't ask.

Step 2. Move this:

[image: DSC_0240.jpg]

(if anyone knows a source for headstem bearings that don't exist because the inner dimension is impossibly close to the outer dimension to work, I'm all ears!)

Step 3. Add Engine

[image: DSC_0248.jpg]

& that's it for now. I need to do the valve shims on the engine, add a clutch cover gasket, then start cleaning the engine & swingarm & do a stocktake. Ideally I'll find an american ECU while this is happening & sell off some superflous parts to pay for it.

Well if its going on track, I'd ditch the SSSA & get a CBR954 unit, as you need the rear wheel this will save you money & weight as well as improving the handling !

Build your own alloy subframe as a single seater & buy a cheap fibreglass 250 tail unit. Do whatever needs doing to get a good frontend.

Ditch the Vtec if possible, you can swap the valve parts on the vtec valves for the non vtec ones to get a simple 4 valves per cylinder all the time. Get a PC3 or PC5 to sort the fuelling. Make a set of headers, or look for Erion or TBR headers secondhand.

The motor weighs approx 75Kg & there is not much you can do about that :( With some diligent purchasing you should be able to get the dry weight down to around 150Kg.

Ditch the airbox & tank & make an airbox & fuel cell for the track, again will save alot of weight & get you a bigger airbox for better track performance, build it with ramair under the headstock !

That will keep you going for a while :)

Mohawk

Well if its going on track, I'd ditch the SSSA & get a CBR954 unit, as you need the rear wheel this will save you money & weight as well as improving the handling !

Will a CBR929 swing arm and wheel work on a 5th gen? What are the differences between a 929 & 954?

I've only needed https://www.allballsracing.com/ for my bearings, regardless of vintage. They are far from a secret, you may have contacted them already.

How's your plastic?

If you want to run the 6G motor WITHOUT Vtec (as recommended by Mohawk) I believe that I have stumbled across a simple way to make that happen while mounting a 5G engine in a 6G Bike (frame, instruments wiring harness everything other than engine is 6G).

Let me know if you are interested but you will have to play with your fuel maps and it seems like a lot of work for questionable results.

CornerCarver

If you want to run the 6G motor WITHOUT Vtec (as recommended by Mohawk) I believe that I have stumbled across a simple way to make that happen while mounting a 5G engine in a 6G Bike (frame, instruments wiring harness everything other than engine is 6G).

Don't go there - the 6th-gen coils on the 5th-gen motor are a total pain in the ass. I think it's MiniCarver who is doing it at the moment and we've had a bunch of discussions about the issues.

MVinOZ

Some googling tells me all those parts, plus the slightly important missing parts, add up to about 260kg :huh:

Nah. Dry weight for a 2002 was 212kg. If you eradicate the exhaust (8-10kg) and stock subframe (about the same), you're under 200kg dry.

MVinOZ

PAIR needs to go, but I think that is sorted.

Yup, it's already blocked off with those anodized plates on top of the rocker covers. Airbox will need a small rubber cap over the PAIR hose hole too (rear left of airbox) to complete the job.

If you want to get extreme, ditch all the steel hardware for aluminum, except for the important ones. Of course, that's pretty much the last possible step that will suck the most money out of your pocket.

I think I've seen the R1 swingarm done on a 4th gen.

mk2davis, 8/31/2013 at 1:53 AM

I've only needed https://www.allballsracing.com/ for my bearings, regardless of vintage. They are far from a secret, you may have contacted them already.

How's your plastic?

I'll check out All Balls, thanks for the lead. Plastics are missing except left & right hand main fairing, not a priority at this point. Will probably get some Chinese fibreglass when the time is right.

kaldek, 9/1/2013 at 9:13 AM

CornerCarver, 8/31/2013 at 7:50 AM

If you want to run the 6G motor WITHOUT Vtec (as recommended by Mohawk) I believe that I have stumbled across a simple way to make that happen while mounting a 5G engine in a 6G Bike (frame, instruments wiring harness everything other than engine is 6G).

Don't go there - the 6th-gen coils on the 5th-gen motor are a total pain in the ass. I think it's MiniCarver who is doing it at the moment and we've had a bunch of discussions about the issues.

MVinOZ, 8/30/2013 at 10:09 PM

Some googling tells me all those parts, plus the slightly important missing parts, add up to about 260kg :huh:

Nah. Dry weight for a 2002 was 212kg. If you eradicate the exhaust (8-10kg) and stock subframe (about the same), you're under 200kg dry.

MVinOZ, 8/30/2013 at 10:09 PM

PAIR needs to go, but I think that is sorted.

Yup, it's already blocked off with those anodized plates on top of the rocker covers. Airbox will need a small rubber cap over the PAIR hose hole too (rear left of airbox) to complete the job.

OK, 212KG is not too shabby actually. Exhaust is going, will probably stick with standard subframe for now.

YoshiHNS, 9/1/2013 at 11:16 AM

If you want to get extreme, ditch all the steel hardware for aluminum, except for the important ones. Of course, that's pretty much the last possible step that will suck the most money out of your pocket.

I think I've seen the R1 swingarm done on a 4th gen.

Goal is low cost at this point, so swingarm swap is out of the question. Plus it's very distinctive, couldn't get rid of it!

Speaking of low cost, elbow grease is free, so it's time for some cleaning. Brilliant day here today, first day of spring & fathers days also.

Start with this

[image: DSC_0256.jpg]

Add degreaser, leave, pressure wash off.

[image: DSC_0261.jpg]

Coming along nicely, time for a beer!

[image: DSC_0263.jpg]

Degreaser & pressure cleaner got most of it done, next step was degreaser & a brush.

Would have liked to do the same to the engine, but I need a new clutch cover gasket first. Ordered one, about $35! That's the budget blown for this week :goofy: Should be here tomorrow though.

Hello fuel injection, nice to meet you. Kaldek was nioce enough to reassemble all of this for me, I just need to reinstall the injectors.

[image: iPhone photos 001.jpg]

Bit dirty, but I can fix that.

[image: iPhone photos 004.jpg]

Better.

[image: iPhone photos 010.jpg]

Whipped the clutch cover off the install this little doohickey:

[image: iPhone photos 021.jpg]

Hopefully it's in the right place, there appears to be 2 points it could be mounted. Pretty sure it's right.

I have decided to use the stock rear caliper & master cylinder for now, I'll just rebuild the caliper & use a bridge between the two inlets.

It'll need a clean first!

[image: iPhone photos 023.jpg]

I found all the parts for the caliper rebuild in a box provided, so that's another thing I can do for free. Turns out I'll need inlet stub rubbers & throttle cables too, so I've chucked some excess bits up for sale in the classifieds to pay for that.

Keeping a keen eye out for an ECU & some exhausts!

Turns out there's a dirtbike wrecker just literally down the road from me with an earlier VFR up for grabs! I've got a day off tomorrow so I'll go & see what bits are left & if they can be had for reasonable prices.

Wish me luck.

You didn't need to spend any money on a new gasket when you can make your own with any old paper bag, like the old grocery store paper bags.. The ones from IKEA are perfect and cost like 10 cents..

Tap lightly, the cover is aluminium.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=otK1GamS3wk&desktop_uri=/watch?v=otK1GamS3wk

Auspañol

You didn't need to spend any money on a new gasket when you can make your own with any old paper bag, like the old grocery store paper bags.. The ones from IKEA are perfect and cost like 10 cents.. Tap lightly, the cover is aluminium. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=otK1GamS3wk&desktop_uri=/watch?v=otK1GamS3wk

True, I never thought of that! I've actually got gasket paper kicking around, but it isn't big enough for the clutch cover.

Ah well, next time.

No progress to speak of, just taking stock & organising.

I've been playing out various scenarios with the build in my head, but they all take about 6 months, some longer... :wacko:

Get it up & running with stock parts, then do an R1 USD front end conversion later, do the front end conversion now with F4i forks, rebuild the stock forks... etc.

The problem with doing an USD conversion right now is money, R1 front ends are going for around $1000-1200, plus a wheel. The problem with going stock is adding up all the prices of the stock parts comes in around the same! Obviously this could be done in stages, but still... We're saving for a US trip at the moment, plus some medical bills that need sorting & both the car & bike rego are due! Terrible timing :mad:

So I have hacked a new motto out of the English language: "Do it proper, take longer"

I'll start putting some cash together for the big things, get an ECU, exhaust & oil cooler in the mean time as they come up, do all the engine work that's basically free & get as much assembled as I can in the meantime.

I'll get some new vernier calipers on the weekend & get the valves & right hand crankcase cover done, then I can start putting the engine in the frame & doing little things, like disassembling & greasing the eccentric hub, working out where the wiring goes, etc.

If there's any maintenance issues that should be done while I'm at it, let me know!

Also contemplating keeping a running $ tally of the build, but I KNOW that's a bad idea! :goofy:

Hello people, long time, no see!

Some nice things are happening in my shed.

These turned up from Partzilla:

[image: DSC_0313.jpg]

Throttle body rubbers & clamps, throttle cables, rear swingarm bolt & some assorted missing bolts.

This turned up:

[image: DSC_0312.jpg]

I lowballed some wrecker in the US & he accepted! Hopefully it should work with one of my looms...

& I managed to snaffle this for a bargain price:

[image: DSC_0315.jpg]

It's in really good nick, plenty of meat on the brake pads & dics & comes with the master cylinder as well!

However, it's not the front end I'm going to use. Crazy huh?

I'm going to flip this because I've found another front end already sprung for my weight, completely rebuilt forks & brake calipers, with braided lines & a proper radial Brembo master cylinder :goofy:

It's expensive, but not overly... Cheaper than doing all that to this front end anyway. Cash is the next issue, I am available for small odd jobs, nothing sexual of course. That costs extra. :laugh:

I've hopefully got some decat headers lined up from a local guy over here, then all I need is an oil cooler & I should be able to fire her up & start stripping down the wiring loom.

Of course I'll need to finish setting the valve clearances (how simple & elegant is that VTEC system?), which I've been lazy & avoided doing because, you know, math. :schla15:

Things are happening!

Nice to see the progress so far, Mick. Let me know if you need a hand with anything, and I'll see what I can do to go and help. :-)

Good work, sounds like you are having fun

I know it's not the most expensive thing, and that you'll need to do it right eventually, but it seems like you could skip the oil cooler by just running a flex tube from the in and out.

So by scratch, you mean starting with a basket case.

Err, several boxes mostly from the same bike.

Most builds seem to start with a wrecked or broken bike.

Someone saved you some work by taking it all apart I guess.

Keep updating as you go. :cool:

I'll stick with looking at other peoples projects, and riding.

I haven't the time, work space, or skill to do the projects.

But I can appreciate a good one.

Hmm, in a way it's like music. I like that too, but sure can't make it. :wink:

Good stuff, keep it up, can't wait to see the finished product!

mk2davis

I know it's not the most expensive thing, and that you'll need to do it right eventually, but it seems like you could skip the oil cooler by just running a flex tube from the in and out.

I wouldn't do that. VFR's really need the oil cooler.

Howdy strangers!

A bit of progress, busted out the angle grinder & made some VTEC shims to check the clearances:

Start with some steel rod & notch a piece around 2.5-3mm, (thicker rather than thinner, as you can grind to spec before you remove the shim from the bar)

[image: 119_4118.jpg]

Before you lop this one off, start the next one

[image: 119_4121.jpg]

About 8 should do the trick!

[image: 119_4127.jpg]

A valve lapping tool is ideal for removing the shim buckets, clearances are all pretty good, got a couple to juggle around, but I have a shim kit. Might need to swap over a few of the VTEC buckets, haven't really looked at the figures yet, just measured & notated.

[image: 119_4129.jpg]

Picked up a 46mm socket to attack the rear hub, cush drive & eccentric. I suspect they are fine, I wanted to be sure & regrease the eccentric to be on the safe side.

[image: 119_4131.jpg]

The degreaser did a number on the plastic axle cap!

[image: 119_4134.jpg]

Never mind, I'll be getting/making a rear axle slider with paddock stand bobbins anyway, that way I can use my current paddock stand

Rear axle nut was a right bastard, but with some heat, some penetrating spray & rattle gun, after the third day, she came off!

[image: 119_4136.jpg]

This is what I found, not a great start :mellow:

[image: 119_4133.jpg]

Still yet to remove the cush drive & the axle, I'm not looking forward to what I find in there... Probably need a puller at least, maybe even a shop press. At least the swingarm is off the bike & relatively portable. Cleaned all that up with a wire brush attachment on a dremel & it's soaking in penetrating fluid for now. A problem for later.

I have been playing around with the R1 front end, bit of info in this thread: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/66526-r1-usd-fork-swap/

So I won't go over it twice!

The VFR & R1 have the same bottom bearing dimensions, 55mm OD, 33mm ID & 17mm high (R1 is the same top & bottom) & the stems lengths are similar, so I figured if I can find the right top bearing, the swap is pretty straight forward.

I could only find a bearing that was 12mm high, but the race heights are 5.45 for the VFR ball bearing & 9.0mm for the chinese tapered roller bearing.

Bearing heights overall with their respective bits, pretty close.

[image: 119_4146.jpg]

Wow not good, it's a good thing you disassemble the rear drive.

Long story short, it works!

[image: 119_4170.jpg]

[image: 119_4171.jpg]

[image: 119_4173.jpg]

Happy days!

I had to drive the top bearing home by tightening the nut, not ideal, but I suspect that more about the shitty chinese bearing than anything else. The headstem will need to go in & out a few more time while I work on the bump stops & I don't think the bearing will hold up, but I have a spare.

You can see the marks here

[image: 119_4160.jpg]

Speaking of bump stops, you'll probably notice I removed them!

[image: 119_4157.jpg]

[image: 119_4159.jpg]

It's a work in progress, but I think I might be getting OCD... I decided to remove the cast marks while I was there & the top triple will be getting the same treatment. Could be a slippery slope!

I found an exhaust on eBay, it's bent but it's a 98 or 99 model no cat. So I had a bid & won it for... $1. Plus $25 freight. Might be scrap metal, but I'll see if I can make it work. It didn't some with rear down pipes, but I found some in the states for $14. Plus $38 shipping! Still, if I can make it work, that a whole de-cat exhaust for under $100. Might have to get into the freight business, they must be making a killing.

I also spent a bit of time today researching wheels, car wheels specifically! :goofy: More on that later.

Fun read, like the progress! Good luck!

Switchblade

Wow not good, it's a good thing you disassemble the rear drive.

I haven't actually got it apart yet... I considered putting it back together & ignoring it, but that ain't right.

I am on the lookout for a shop press, I'll be able to do headstem bearings then, too.

Between working out the offset, spacers & the bead problems, I've pretty much given up on the car wheel idea. I might re-visit it in the future, right now I'm just waiting for a reasonably priced rear wheel to come up.

MVinOZ

Switchblade

Wow not good, it's a good thing you disassemble the rear drive.

I haven't actually got it apart yet... I considered putting it back together & ignoring it, but that ain't right.

I am on the lookout for a shop press, I'll be able to do headstem bearings then, too.

Between working out the offset, spacers & the bead problems, I've pretty much given up on the car wheel idea. I might re-visit it in the future, right now I'm just waiting for a reasonably priced rear wheel to come up.

Yeah, but you got the 46mm nut removed ..

Switchblade, 11/30/2013 at 1:45 PM

Yeah, but you got the 46mm nut removed ..

Quite true! I thought that would be the hard part...

After a bit of head scratching I got to work.

It was 33 degress Celsius here today & I'm Australian, so I was working in shorts, thongs & a singlet. I don't think I _actually_ caught on fire, but I came pretty close. (Ah, hang on... thong, no, not that sort, the other sort. Flip flops? Not sure what you guys call them...)

After about an hour or so of angle grinding, all those cutting discs & some upset neighbors, I had this:

[image: iPhone photos 052.jpg]

I cut it down to about 600mm long, rounded off all the sharp edges & stuck it in this shop press I bought yesterday

[image: iPhone photos 053.jpg]

Like so.

[image: iPhone photos 054.jpg]

Using a shop press for the first time is a pretty nerve wracking experience, the first thing I did was press in a pitbike headstem I had lying around & then I played around pressing out some bearings. It's only a 6 ton press, but they sure let go with a bang!

[image: iPhone photos 055.jpg]

Everything is lined up, I put a thin sheet of aluminium (or is that aluminum? :wink: ) between the axle & the block, just in case.

[image: iPhone photos 056.jpg]

Movement at the station...

[image: iPhone photos 057.jpg]

Bit of a bang, & she's off.

[image: iPhone photos 058.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 059.jpg]

Of course, when it let go, my L shaped pieces of steel also fell off the bench... & straight toward my thonged foot.

Now, oddly enough, (because I'm Australian, remember), I wasn't drunk at this point, so I was able to move my foot out of the way before it got sliced off, but it was a close call! Safety first kids...

This is why I'm glad I went to the effort:

[image: iPhone photos 061.jpg]

None of the cush drive rubbers were connected, they look to be in OK shape though. I will replace anyway, plus the axle will be easier to remove next time.

Speaking of the axle, it appears to have rusted itself to the cush drive where the splines are & at the cush drive bearing:

[image: DSC_0422.jpg]

I cleaned it up with the wire brush attachment on the bench grinder, there is a lot of pitting, but I think I can save it. (Pic is before) The actual axle bearing surfaces are fine, no rust there. I'm curious to know how Kaldek treated it when he did the bearings so I can avoid this in the future. A good polish & plenty of grease should do the job, hopefully.

[image: iPhone photos 060.jpg]

Yes, a thin coating of grease over the axle surfaces will save a lot of grief later on.

Of course, none on the threads. I used a bit of blue locktite on the 46mm nut, in addition to staking it in place at the indent on the axle.

(see the other thread about people's sprockets falling off, but not mine!)

MVinOZ

I am on the lookout for a shop press, I'll be able to do headstem bearings then, too.

No need for a press to do the steering head bearings. The lower one on the stem, just take the old race, put a slot in it so it doesn't get stuck on the shaft again, and use that and a piece of pipe to hammer the new one down in place. Just don't forget the rubber seal.

Good work on the rear axle.

STROOTH MATE!!

Fark me Rome!!

That's the dictionary definition of stuck.

MVinOZ

Switchblade

Yeah, but you got the 46mm nut removed ..

Quite true! I thought that would be the hard part...

After a bit of head scratching I got to work.

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 052.jpg

It was 33 degress Celsius here today & I'm Australian, so I was working in shorts, thongs & a singlet. I don't think I _actually_ caught on fire, but I came pretty close. (Ah, hang on... thong, no, not that sort, the other sort. Flip flops? Not sure what you guys call them...)

After about an hour or so of angle grinding, all those cutting discs & some upset neighbors, I had this:

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 053.jpg

I cut it down to about 600mm long, rounded off all the sharp edges & stuck it in this shop press I bought yesterday

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 054.jpg

Like so.

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 055.jpg

Using a shop press for the first time is a pretty nerve wracking experience, the first thing I did was press in a pitbike headstem I had lying around & then I played around pressing out some bearings. It's only a 6 ton press, but they sure let go with a bang!

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 057.jpg

Everything is lined up, I put a thin sheet of aluminium (or is that aluminum? :wink: ) between the axle & the block, just in case.

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 056.jpg

Movement at the station...

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 058.jpg

Bit of bang, & she's off.

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 059.jpg

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 060.jpg

Of course, when it let go, my L shaped pieces of steel also fell off the bench... & straight toward my thonged foot.

Now, oddly enough, (because I'm Australian, remember), I wasn't drunk at this point, so I was able to move my foot out of the way before it got sliced off, but it was a close call! Safety first kids...

This is why I'm glad I went to the effort:

[image: attachicon.gif]iPhone photos 061.jpg

None of the cush drive rubbers were connected, they look to be in OK shake though. I will replace anyway, plus the axle will be easier to remove next time.

Speaking of the axle, it appears to have rusted itself to the cush drive where the splines are & at the cush drive bearing:

[image: attachicon.gif]DSC_0422.jpg

I cleaned it up with the wire brush attachment on the bench grinder, there is a lot of pitting, but I think I can save it. (Pic is befor) The actual axle bearing surfaces are fine, no rust there. I'm curious to know how Kaldek treated it when he did the bearings so I can avoid this in the future. A good polish & plenty of grease should do the job, hopefully.

So the bearing had been replace before by Kaldek. Yeh I wonder how hard it was for him to remove .

Auspañol

STROOTH MATE!!

Fark me Rome!!

That's the dictionary definition of stuck.

Bugger me with a fish fork......................

When I changed the rear brake disc on my previous bike, I wound off the nut, put a block of wood over the end of the axle, gave it a few good hits with a hammer, and it all popped out. Maybe I was just lucky...

you should port the throttle bodies while they are out. with the throttle bodies port matched to 38mm 2001 R6 velocity stacks, there is a considerable gain in top end power.

[image: DSC04309a.jpg]

Thats nice ..

CandyRedRC46

you should port the throttle bodies while they are out. with the throttle bodies port matched to 38mm 2001 R6 velocity stacks, there is a considerable gain in top end power.

I guess I missed the thread where you posted more details an dyno results?

Dannytb

When I changed the rear brake disc on my previous bike, I wound off the nut, put a block of wood over the end of the axle, gave it a few good hits with a hammer, and it all popped out. Maybe I was just lucky...

Maybe, I wasn't expecting this much trouble seeing as it had been rebuilt already. Anyway, done now!

YoshiHNS No need for a press to do the steering head bearings. The lower one on the stem, just take the old race, put a slot in it so it doesn't get stuck on the shaft again, and use that and a piece of pipe to hammer the new one down in place. Just don't forget the rubber seal.

Good work on the rear axle.

Thanks mate, got there in the end. I've done bearings like that before, but now I've got the right tool.

Switchblade

So the bearing had been replace before by Kaldek. Yeh I wonder how hard it was for him to remove .

Yes, I'm interested too, & interested to know if he used grease when he put it back together! :laugh:

I kid, I knew there would be hurdles, I can't blame him for that.

Kaldek is a great guy, he made all us understand how the starter valves work and did not work ..

I just saw this thread.

If it's track only, and losing weight is important, i've done a couple things to my 5th gen that might help - if the the frame and swingarm are the same between 5th and 6th.

I've changed the side mount rads to a front mount from a TL1000R, it works a hell of a lot better, and mounts up under the head stock where the 5th gen oil cooler usually mounts. I moved the oil cooler down so it now sits between the engine and the headers. The rad and mods to get it to work probably cost about $250.

And I'm using a ducati 1098S forged alloy rear wheel that weighs abought 3.5kgs.

However, if the frame and swinger are different and this wont work, ignore me.

The frame and swingarm are NOT the same between 5th and 6th gens.

keef

I just saw this thread.

If it's track only, and losing weight is important, i've done a couple things to my 5th gen that might help - if the the frame and swingarm are the same between 5th and 6th.

I've changed the side mount rads to a front mount from a TL1000R, it works a hell of a lot better, and mounts up under the head stock where the 5th gen oil cooler usually mounts. I moved the oil cooler down so it now sits between the engine and the headers. The rad and mods to get it to work probably cost about $250.

And I'm using a ducati 1098S forged alloy rear wheel that weighs abought 3.5kgs.

However, if the frame and swinger are different and this wont work, ignore me.

Wouldn't the front tyre hit the radiator in the most severe braking conditions? The curve in the front valve cover is to stop the tyre from hitting it, so surely there isn't enough room for a front radiator (even if it's curved).

hell ya go for it !!!! post more pics please i love seeing these kinda builds !!!!!!! :beer:

Dannytb

keef

I just saw this thread.

If it's track only, and losing weight is important, i've done a couple things to my 5th gen that might help - if the the frame and swingarm are the same between 5th and 6th.

I've changed the side mount rads to a front mount from a TL1000R, it works a hell of a lot better, and mounts up under the head stock where the 5th gen oil cooler usually mounts. I moved the oil cooler down so it now sits between the engine and the headers. The rad and mods to get it to work probably cost about $250.

And I'm using a ducati 1098S forged alloy rear wheel that weighs abought 3.5kgs.

However, if the frame and swinger are different and this wont work, ignore me.

Wouldn't the front tyre hit the radiator in the most severe braking conditions? The curve in the front valve cover is to stop the tyre from hitting it, so surely there isn't enough room for a front radiator (even if it's curved).

Nope, doesn't hit it. It's above the curve in the front valve cover. I've used almost all the suspension travel (I have a zip tie around one front fork, I have about 10mm of travel left). I have shorter 04/05 gsxr 600 USD forks, too.

There is room for a cheap and easy front mount.

keef

Dannytb

keef

I just saw this thread.

If it's track only, and losing weight is important, i've done a couple things to my 5th gen that might help - if the the frame and swingarm are the same between 5th and 6th.

I've changed the side mount rads to a front mount from a TL1000R, it works a hell of a lot better, and mounts up under the head stock where the 5th gen oil cooler usually mounts. I moved the oil cooler down so it now sits between the engine and the headers. The rad and mods to get it to work probably cost about $250.

And I'm using a ducati 1098S forged alloy rear wheel that weighs abought 3.5kgs.

However, if the frame and swinger are different and this wont work, ignore me.

Wouldn't the front tyre hit the radiator in the most severe braking conditions? The curve in the front valve cover is to stop the tyre from hitting it, so surely there isn't enough room for a front radiator (even if it's curved).

Nope, doesn't hit it. It's above the curve in the front valve cover. I've used almost all the suspension travel (I have a zip tie around one front fork, I have about 10mm of travel left). I have shorter 04/05 gsxr 600 USD forks, too.

There is room for a cheap and easy front mount.

Hmmm... Interesting! It sounds like you need to post a thread with photos so we can all copy your work and cool our mid-summer boilers! :)

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CandyRedRC46

you should port the throttle bodies while they are out. with the throttle bodies port matched to 38mm 2001 R6 velocity stacks, there is a considerable gain in top end power.

I guess I missed the thread where you posted more details an dyno results?

no, but i guess you missed the thread where i did 126 in the 1/4, in the summer. :wink:

CandyRedRC46

SEBSPEED

CandyRedRC46

you should port the throttle bodies while they are out. with the throttle bodies port matched to 38mm 2001 R6 velocity stacks, there is a considerable gain in top end power.

I guess I missed the thread where you posted more details an dyno results?

no, but i guess you missed the thread where i did 126 in the 1/4, in the summer. :wink:

Seems like a lot of work for only a seat of the pants confirmation.

I just don't get the whole drag race thing with a VFR. I get it with a bike like a ZX-14R. The VFR is a mile-munching, corner-slaying machine...not a drag racer.

SEBSPEED

CandyRedRC46

SEBSPEED

CandyRedRC46

you should port the throttle bodies while they are out. with the throttle bodies port matched to 38mm 2001 R6 velocity stacks, there is a considerable gain in top end power.

I guess I missed the thread where you posted more details an dyno results?

no, but i guess you missed the thread where i did 126 in the 1/4, in the summer. :wink:

Seems like a lot of work for only a seat of the pants confirmation.

Please explain to me how a certified time slip is a seat of the pants confirmation?

2thdr

I just don't get the whole drag race thing with a VFR. I get it with a bike like a ZX-14R. The VFR is a mile-munching, corner-slaying machine...not a drag racer.

okej

Progress! No, not really... Work is pretty hectic, plus I'm trying to get a bunch of parts here in time for the christmas break, hopefully I can spend a day or two on this & knock over a heap little things. Plus, someone on the TRX forum put up a set of FCR41 flatslide carbs at a price I couldn't resist, just when I almost had myself convinced it was fine & it didn't need another 10HP. :goofy:

So that might set the VFR funds back a little :schla15:

Anyhow, before all that, I got this out, weighed it, scratched my head a little...

[image: iPhone photos 062.jpg]

Roughly 21 kgs, with the subframe being 8kg.

(The VFR SSSA without caliper comes in at around 11kg FWIW)

I got to thinking, between the heavy subframe, ditching the underseat exhaust & not running any tail lights, it's just going to be a huge pain in the arse to try & use this subframe in the short term. I was planning on ditching it long term, but it'll be easier to do it now. I figure pretty much any subframe is going to be a similar amount of work, I should find something pretty modern, commonly raced & commonly crashed...

:idea3: GSXR! Bingo. :laughing6-hehe:

Jumped on everyone's favourite parts store & found this:

[image: GSXR sub.JPG]

Should be here next week.

I had a spare hour or so, so I grabbed out the headers to see what I could do.

[image: iPhone photos 064.jpg]

Kinda looks like that crosseyed kid from school...

[image: iPhone photos 063.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 065.jpg]

I applied some heat...

[image: iPhone photos 067.jpg]

Got a bit physical & ended up with this:

[image: iPhone photos 075.jpg]

Measuring the exhaust port on the engine, I may have gone a little too far.

[image: iPhone photos 071.jpg]

Better!

[image: iPhone photos 069.jpg]

There's still a dent, but no-where near as bad as it was

[image: iPhone photos 070.jpg]

Another local-ish member (Hi CatiePotatie!) has been in touch & given me some info on the car rear wheel swap, plus she has an appropriate spacer to make it work, so I bought that & I'll recommence trying to find a car wheel to suit. It would be nice to get it to rolling chassis stage.

Basically 3 months in now, I'd like to be done in another 3, but we're heading to the US at exactly that time, funds may be a little restricted before then.

You sure went on a bender with those headers ;)

Auspañol

You sure went on a bender with those headers ;)

ISWYDT :goofy:

Nothing red wine can't fix!

i have a motad catless header for sale if you want.

CandyRedRC46

i have a motad catless header for sale if you want.

Shipping to AU will probably make it uneconomical... I'll use these for now, just concentrating on getting it together & running for now, running well can come later I think.

can someone make me an aluminum subframe pls. i need to go faster.

Just chop it up. That's what i did with mine.

Hello all! I have had some time off work, but not as much time on this as I would have liked. That's life I guess.

Stuck the eccentric back in the hub, all the bearings look & feel quite good, apart from the bearing in the cush drive. As far as I can work out, it only revolves when the cush drive moves, so it's not really critical, but I'll replace it anyway.

(I plan on running the rear brake cable through the swingarm, looks like it will be a lot easier with the eccentric out, FYI!)

[image: iPhone photos 080.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 081.jpg]

I think I flipped the eccentric, that should give me a bit more ride height.

[image: iPhone photos 082.jpg]

I cleaned up the triples a bit more, gave them a quick soda blast to get rid of the last bit of lacquer & hit them with some flat black

[image: iPhone photos 083.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 084.jpg]

Came up ok for rattle can in the garden shed painting.

I'm still waiting on a few parts before I can actually start assembly proper, but I had some time yesterday & threw together what I have so far

[image: iPhone photos 086.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 088.jpg]

Looking ok, even if I do say so myself!

Still missing a real wheel, so angles/axle height is just rough for now. Made an offer on a rear wheel on another forum, see how I go with that one...

[image: iPhone photos 089.jpg]

Pretty happy with the subframe, top will mount up with a longer bolt & some spacers, the bottom will need 100mm (or so) extensions to mate the two bits together, but they're directly in line, so easily done, even for me! I'm thinking some adjustable rod end type things, that way I can fine tune the height. Plastics are mating up well, although I may need to de lip the rear of the seat & move the actual seat position back a little, it'll be a ball crusher otherwise.

Trail looks to be in the ball park, but this is unloaded & very rough. Time will tell

[image: iPhone photos 085.jpg]

Can anyone tell me if I've put this back together right? Seems to be the only way it will go...

[image: iPhone photos 094.jpg]

I've been playing around with valve clearances, hopefully I've got them now. Still waiting on some crush washers for the cam journal bolts, when they get here I can button up the engine & start major reassembly, looking forward to it!

i want some alloy triangle plates and nuts/bolts. drop some sprung weight.

Sorry but if the trail ends up somewhere near where you have it above it will steer like a barge.

140mm (5.5") is way over standard.

I think you need to look really hard at the offset of your triple clamps. you need to get back closer to the original 40mm offset which will reduce the trail.

HighSideNZ

Sorry but if the trail ends up somewhere near where you have it above it will steer like a barge.

140mm (5.5") is way over standard.

I think you need to look really hard at the offset of your triple clamps. you need to get back closer to the original 40mm offset which will reduce the trail.

No need to be sorry, I agree! My definition of "ball park" is pretty loose. Stock R1 trail is around 100mm iirc & like I said, it's a _very_ rough measurement at this stage. Offset is 25mm with these triples, there are options if I need to change the triples.

The R1 offset can't be too far off the SP1/CBR929 offset, and there's plenty of those getting around with good handling manners. I have a 2004 R1 lower triple somewhere, if I can find it I'll compare it to the CBR929 lower triple on mine.

The 5th Gen eccentric is already 'flipped' (i.e. the axle sits at 6 o'clock) by design - only the 3rd and 4th Gen VFRs come with the axle at 12 o'clock, meaning you can flip it to 6 o'clock.

Looking good! :fing02:

No problems

I'm looking at doing a similar exercise at present and am looking really hard at making my own triple clamps and stem.

Bit different as I want to keep the steering/ignition lock operational and in the same place and I want to use the standard R1 running gear, eg: wheel and guard etc.

What I'm thinking is that I can then use a standard set of taper roller bearings, VFR lock nuts etc. and everything else from the R1.

There is a cost to this as I then need to get the triples machined and anodised etc.

I think trying to use the entire R1 front end, wheel and all, is the right way to go as you then have a standard set of bits to get spares for etc.

Cheers

Phil

Custom triples would be the way to go, but as you say, there is a cost to everything!

The R1 & VFR use the same bottom bearing, you could modify the R1 stem at the top to VFR spec, then you just need a custom top triple (or an R1 triple with an insert for the stem...) Offset it still an issue, but there are other versions of the R1 triple with different offset, around 35mm IIRC, which is closer to VFR spec. That will allow you to use VFR bearings.

Fork length & stroke is still up in the air, although from what I read, these forks are some of the longer R1 versions & others have used them without issue.

The Phantom

The R1 offset can't be too far off the SP1/CBR929 offset, and there's plenty of those getting around with good handling manners. I have a 2004 R1 lower triple somewhere, if I can find it I'll compare it to the CBR929 lower triple on mine.

The 5th Gen eccentric is already 'flipped' (i.e. the axle sits at 6 o'clock) by design - only the 3rd and 4th Gen VFRs come with the axle at 12 o'clock, meaning you can flip it to 6 o'clock.

Looking good! :fing02:

Thanks! The SP1 offset is reported to be32mm & the CBR is supposedly 50mm... :wacko:

Too many variables for now!

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/66526-r1-usd-fork-swap/?p=916348

This post makes me think it possible with the current hardware. Running the calc again, I should have 115mm of trail, pretty close to my measured 140 odd. Still need to go back of course.

EDIT: Just realised I measured from the fork leg, not from the steering stem! :blush:

If we remove the offset (25mm) from my measured 140mm we get: 115mm! :biggrin:

I'm not too bright, but I can lift heavy things...

Well, I think I can say, without too much hyperbole, that I have actually made some progress! :goofy:

Found a rear wheel on a Streetfighter forum (those guys a mad for SSSA's!) & it arrived today.

[image: iPhone photos 095.jpg]

The new axle bushing arrived the other day, now with a wheel I've got a good excuse to fit the swingarm. Here's the old axle & bushing, nothing I got could do to seperate them, not even the 6 ton press...

[image: iPhone photos 096.jpg]

I didn't & still don't have the right tool for the big allen heads, but this will do for now:

[image: iPhone photos 100.jpg]

Some new brake rotor nuts & bolts, I had to cut one of the old ones off:

[image: iPhone photos 105.jpg]

& we have a roller!

[image: iPhone photos 106.jpg]

Missing these spacers, I'll have to see if they're available locally, it will most likely be 2-4 week wait like the axle bushing...

[image: iPhone photos 111.jpg]

Had a look at shimming the rear shock, looks like around 10mm is the highest you can go before the shock hits the bottom mount

[image: iPhone photos 110.jpg]

Was 41 degrees here today, still about 30 in the shed, so I left it here for the night:

[image: iPhone photos 112.jpg]

Next hot day (thursday, 38) I'll have a go at fitting the tyre to the rim, then I can take it off the lift, fit the exhaust & start on the wiring. Not looking forward to that!

Great progress...wish I could work outside barefoot right now...winter is here.

That 10mm shim/washer to raise the rear shock will result in more actual ride height as the shock linkage is not 1:1. You will like that.

I do like that. :happy:

I have one of those multi-large allen bolt doovers if you want to borrow it.

Dannytb

I have one of those multi-large allen bolt doovers if you want to borrow it.

Yeah, that would be very handy actually Danny. I'll wait until final assembly (might have to come apart again, not 100% sure I got the timing right...) but yes please!

Ordered the missing frame spacers today, about $25 & 2-3 weeks from Japan. Exhaust fitting is next!

10mm at the shock will be more 30mm ride height

Switchblade

10mm at the shock will be more 30mm ride height

Nice one! I'll have to do rake & trail measurements, IIRC I need to pick up (or loose) about 20mm of trail.

If you got that wheel off wackyrider, then its my old wheel.

It's coming along nicely.

keef

If you got that wheel off wackyrider, then its my old wheel.

It's coming along nicely.

Sure did mate, small world hey?

Can't wait to start her up, that will be a big milestone.

Speaking of big milestones, I was having a look at the Phillip Island & Broadford track websites, looking for either a Sunday or a Monday trackday coming up, there's one at Broadford & Phillip Island on Monday 9th June.

Seems like a good day, I'll be aiming for that :goofy:

Started playing around with the exhaust.

Small problem.

[image: iPhone photos 123.jpg]

Apply heat.

[image: iPhone photos 124.jpg]

Bend. No problem!

[image: iPhone photos 125.jpg]

Bit of a swingarm clearance issue.

[image: iPhone photos 126.jpg]

But some leverage fixed that.

[image: iPhone photos 128.jpg]

Jacked the exhaust up from underneath & everything lined up pretty well.

[image: iPhone photos 130.jpg]

Not bad for $15 (plus postage!)

There were some superflous holes in the top triple I wanted to get rid off & I needed to shrink the ignition hole a little for my new starter switch

[image: iPhone photos 113.jpg]

So I filled them with some metal epoxy

[image: iPhone photos 114.jpg]

Sanded

[image: iPhone photos 117.jpg]

Shaped

[image: iPhone photos 118.jpg]

Starter switch fits!

[image: iPhone photos 119.jpg]

Added some paint. The epoxy shrank a little, unfortunately. That or I sanded it badly... :unsure2: Maybe both!

[image: iPhone photos 120.jpg]

Paint's not great, but I'm not sure how the epoxy will hold up, if it works I'll paint it properly.

[image: iPhone photos 121.jpg]

Started cleaning up the rear caliper, it was pretty filthy & pistons were quite stuck.

[image: iPhone photos 122.jpg]

Some progress. The pistons look to be in good condition though, I've got a seal kit to put in so that should be enough to restore it.

[image: iPhone photos 131.jpg]

FYI, the Banjo bolt holes are directly in line with 2 of the 3 cylinders, so if they're really stuck, you can just remove the banjo & push them out through the hole.

[image: iPhone photos 132.jpg]

The seals & dustseals are quite far apart, the actual seals are about halfway down the piston which I've not seen before. Usually the seal & dustseal are quite close together. I'll put plenty of grease in between the two when I rebuild it, I think that's partly why they were sticking so badly.

If you've rebuilt brake calipers before, this probably won't be anything new, if not, hey, it's actually really easy!

So this is a cheap brake rebuild, total cost is around $30 US, assuming you have consumables like wet & dry sandpaper, brake fluid & rubber grease kicking around. Make sure the rubber grease is safe for use with brake systems, not all of them are

My pistons aren't actually too bad, but if yours are corroded, you can actually save the pistons & save around $80 on parts. Honda pistons aren't actually too badly priced compared to some others, but still, $80 is a lot of beer.

[image: iPhone photos 149.jpg]

You can see where the pistons has been sitting on the seal, it's not quite enough to feel with your nail, but

[image: iPhone photos 151.jpg]

Using the brake fluid as the 'wet', grab some 1500 grit wet & dry & start polishing the piston on a nice flat surface like some glass. I like to spin the piston while moving it up & down, so you get sort of a cross hatching effect. It probably doesn't make a difference to performance, but whatever.

Now, this technique can fall down, if the pistons have some sort of non stick coating like my front calipers, this won't work & you'll need new pistons. I don't _think_ the VFR pistons are coated.

[image: iPhone photos 153.jpg]

Once you've got a nice uniform finish, give them a wipe down & bust out your caliper seals & the rubber grease. The seals come in a set as a seal & dust seal from Honda, at about $10 US RRP. You'll need 3 for the rear caliper.

[image: iPhone photos 154.jpg]

Give your caliper insides & pistons a good wipe down with a clean dry cloth till they're nice & clean & dry

[image: iPhone photos 157.jpg]

Fill the grooves where the seals are going with the rubber grease & make sure you get the land between the seal & dustseal. This area isn't exposed to brake fluid, so a good coating of grease is a good idea.

[image: iPhone photos 160.jpg]

Grab your seal & fit them in. They don't look anywhere near the right size when you take them out, but they will fit. I start with the actual seal, then the dustseal.

[image: iPhone photos 161.jpg]

Remember all the grease you put in before the seals? Well, some of it will now come out, spread it all over both seal & the land between the two seals. You don't really need to go beyond the inside of the actual seal, because that area will be filled with brake fluid soon. The grease that remains behind the seal will ensure the area under the seal doesn't corrode & cause problems later.

[image: iPhone photos 162.jpg]

If it looks something like that, grease up you pistons & start them into the seal.

[image: iPhone photos 163.jpg]

Keep the piston as straight as possible & you can very carefully rotate it as you slip it in.

:goofy:

Simple things. Anyway, you'll feel it slip in, then a slight resistance as you hit the actual seal, then you're done.

[image: iPhone photos 164.jpg]

Some people just use brake fluid as the lube which can work fine, but I find the grease helps getting the piston started & avoids a possible grab when you hit the seal itself.

[image: iPhone photos 160.jpg]

Surprised you did not refinish the calibers ....

I went to fit my front calipers & found the caliper bolts were missing... A quick phone call & $40 later, a set of 4 on the way.

Wait, what $40??? Partzilla price is $2.45ea, US RRP is $3.95. :blink: I could have had a Titanium set for $70!

(I'm noticing only a very small pricing disparity on the Honda parts Australia vs US pricing, which is good, but Yamaha seem to not get it... anyway, I'll have to fit these another day!)

[image: iPhone photos 138.jpg]

I dug out an old ZZR subframe to make some subframe spacers, I'll chop these off, cut them to length & weld on some round pipe on the other end, should work ok.

[image: iPhone photos 135.jpg]

Took a pic with the original subframe:

[image: iPhone photos 134.jpg]

& the new one mocked up to a rough height/angle. It's got potential :beer:

[image: iPhone photos 137.jpg]

I bought a magnetic angle finder to find the headstem angle & see how much I can pick up with the rear spacer

[image: iPhone photos 143.jpg]

It's only accurate to +/- 2 degrees apparently, but oh well.

Getting a figure of about 27.5 degrees

[image: iPhone photos 144.jpg]

Jacking the rear up to maximum gained about 2 degrees, so we should be sitting at about 25.5 degrees rake.

[image: iPhone photos 147.jpg]

After all that I checked my rig to see if it was level.

[image: iPhone photos 145.jpg]

It was not. :wacko:

So, figures are rough, but I can pick up 2 degrees, that's good news. There's a big slab beside the shed that's pretty level, so I'll get some better measurement out there & try to get some trail measurements too. At the moment it's more VFR than R1, but actually pretty close to TRX specs, which handles fine I reckon. Anyway, I'll get better measurements.

The best news is, I found an oil cooler, ordered yesterday from eBay. It's a 750 oil cooler, so it may not have enough cooling for the 6th gen, but it'll work fine to get the engine started up & was less than $50 shipped.

While I was giving the credit card a workout, I ordered some cheap rearsets from DanMoto, around $200 shipped. They are for the F4i, but the rear master cylinder will bolt on & it uses a shift lever attached to the footpeg with a shift arm, so I should be able to make it work. Finger crossed!

Oh, obviously I got a tyre fitted to the rim, no pics, because it was a 2 hand, 1 foot, 2 tyre lever job :laugh: Not as hard as I thought it would be but not exactly easy either.

Switchblade, 2/4/2014 at 9:57 PM

Surprised you did not refinish the calibers ....

Thought about it, original finish is in good nick though.

Good stuff! Thanks for the pics and info on rebuilding calipers.

I have a digital angle finder, made by Wixey. Can be zeroed on a surface then moved to the area to be measured so you don't have to worry about getting a level surface.

Nice work Mick! I'll have to drop by and have a perve at your bike's sexy arse one day! ;)

Also good to see you're taking safety seriously by wearing your safety thongs (flip flops for the non-Aussies - I'm not talking about underwear...) :goofy:

SEBSPEED

I have a digital angle finder, made by Wixey. Can be zeroed on a surface then moved to the area to be measured so you don't have to worry about getting a level surface.

That sounds like a nice bit of kit! I'm not too worried about the measurements, more curious.

Dannytb

Nice work Mick! I'll have to drop by and have a perve at your bike's sexy arse one day! ;)

Also good to see you're taking safety seriously by wearing your safety thongs (flip flops for the non-Aussies - I'm not talking about underwear...) :goofy:

Yeah mate, safety first! Definitely, we'll organise that soon.

My rearsets arrived from Danmoto, pretty happy with them overall, 3 days to get here from Honkers

Fit is good, finish leaves a little to be desired, powder coat is missing in a couple of spots. I'll send them an email & see what they say... Maybe they'll give me a discount off the exhaust I still need to buy :goofy:

[image: iPhone photos 165.jpg]

[image: iPhone photos 166.jpg][image: iPhone photos 167.jpg][image: iPhone photos 168.jpg]

They could be made to work with a spacer for the top bolt, but I think I'll get some plates made top move them up a little as well. Not sure on angles though, on the F4i they are angled back slightly, pretty close to what's in the pic, which might actually work better.

[image: iPhone photos 171.jpg]

The gear side is pretty good, but I might need a slightly longer shift rod, not sure yet.

I found a cheap oil cooler from a 750 that bolts up, not very happy with the condition, it was advertised as being in great condition, I should have known something was up when he left me feedback saying I was the greatest eBay buyer ever :huh:

[image: iPhone photos 169.jpg]

But for under $50 it'll do for now, good enough to start the bike which I can now do!

Well, not 'now'...after I work out all the plumbing, fill it with oil & coolant & then work out the wiring for the ECU & the rest of the engine.

But it's close! :comp13:

Holy crap, that cooler is mangled!!!!

Was there not a pic in the auction???

Just one, from a... 'flattering' angle & from the otherside, which is not so bad.

It'll do for now, I'll replace it with a proper 6th gen one at some point.

The missing coating probably from the hangers use to suspend the parts while coating BUT they look good ..

I'll send you my 5th gen oil cooler for postage if you want it. It's in better condition than that 750 one.

Sweeet ....^^^^

Those pegs look like they are 3-3.5" rearward and 1" lower than the stock pegs. Was that your intention?

How do you plan to fit the exhaust around them?

I'd be tempted to replace the Danmoto adapter with a flat bar to span the original mount holes, and bolting the rearset to that. You can drill the peg mount holes at an angle to shift the peg up.

I just don't see that setup you have now being comfortable or working as intended unless your goal was to move the peg position back and down?

keef

I'll send you my 5th gen oil cooler for postage if you want it. It's in better condition than that 750 one.

I would do the same, though shipping to Oz would kill the deal for ya. May as well get one that's almost local to you.

keef

I'll send you my 5th gen oil cooler for postage if you want it. It's in better condition than that 750 one.

Thanks Keef, that's a very generous offer! I'll see how I go with this one, the plan was to replace it with the right one at some stage... I"ll let you know if I need it.

SEBSPEED

Those pegs look like they are 3-3.5" rearward and 1" lower than the stock pegs. Was that your intention?

How do you plan to fit the exhaust around them?

I'd be tempted to replace the Danmoto adapter with a flat bar to span the original mount holes, and bolting the rearset to that. You can drill the peg mount holes at an angle to shift the peg up.

I just don't see that setup you have now being comfortable or working as intended unless your goal was to move the peg position back and down?

'intentions', 'planning', you make it sound like I've thought this through! :goofy:

The 'plan' was to get an adapter plate made that shifts the whole assembly up & back slightly, while keeping the F4i 'angle'. I'm not sure how it will relate to stock, because I don't have the standard pegs for reference... Replacing the Danmoto adapter plate has crossed my mind, still not sure which way to go yet.

Exhaust, not sure, but I'll be using a 5th gen exhaust, so I assume there will be some messing around. It should go back & out off the headers instead of back & up like on the 6th gen.

Is it possible for someone to measure roughly from the rearset mounting holes to the front of the footpeg for me? That would give me an idea of stock peg position to work from.

If you leave the pegs as they are now, you'll have to run the midpipe pretty low to clear it.

I just remembered I have F4i and 4th gen rearsets... I suppose I can run out in the cold and get you a pic.

SEBSPEED

If you leave the pegs as they are now, you'll have to run the midpipe pretty low to clear it.

I just remembered I have F4i and 4th gen rearsets... I suppose I can run out in the cold and get you a pic.

Don't go to too much trouble, the peg to bolt measurements should suffice, then I can mock up a template for where the stock pegs should be & work from there. With the exhaust, well, I 'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it!

This help at all?

[image: AA94C7D9-2475-40BD-A2C1-E8D8A2EC4838-209]

[image: 6E52DF95-2E26-4FCD-9F4D-0C9C125E3B6F-209]

Sorry, forgot to measure. Too cold out there I am in my pjs already!

That's a 4th gen rearset in the front

SEBSPEED

This help at all?

[image: AA94C7D9-2475-40BD-A2C1-E8D8A2EC4838-209]

[image: 6E52DF95-2E26-4FCD-9F4D-0C9C125E3B6F-209]

Sorry, forgot to measure. Too cold out there I am in my pjs already!

Yes, that's very helpful, thanks!

Assuming the 4th gen is the same/similar to the 6th gen. Looks to be roughly 50mm back at a guess.

Hope you're back in the warmth now, no worries here, 24 degrees C today.

Looks to me like you need to flip the mounting plates - swap left to right and right to left. That way the bunch of holes that the rearsets bolt to will be that much higher. I'd also bolt the mounting plate at the top frame mount, and put the extension bracket on the bottom mount, like BR did:

[image: post-301-0-19764200-1385005014.jpg]

The Phantom

Looks to me like you need to flip the mounting plates - swap left to right and right to left. That way the bunch of holes that the rearsets bolt to will be that much higher. I'd also bolt the mounting plate at the top frame mount, and put the extension bracket on the bottom mount, like BR did:

[image: post-301-0-19764200-1385005014.jpg]

I thought about that Phantom, the only downside is the F4i is rotated back around 15 degrees, that would put it around 30 degrees out of whack compared to stock, I'm not sure there's enough adjustability in the levers to account for that...

Edit: whoops, missed the bit about swapping the plates over, hadn't thought of that, it's worth a try.

Ok, swapped the mounting plates over & came up with this:

[image: iPhone photos 186.jpg]

Which looks to keep the peg/lever geometry pretty good. I could work with that, but I think I'll get some plates made up to move up up & back. Using that poisition (ie top, centre), I bolted the correct plate on top of that & I'll use that to get my measurements for the adaptor plate

[image: iPhone photos 188.jpg]

So the position is now the lowest/most forward position, I'm guessing it would be roughly in line to the stock pegs vertically & maybe 50/60mm back.

Any chance of a rough mounting hole to peg measurement of the stock pegs for me anybody? I'd really appreciate it!

Looking at the carbon heat shield... Shouldn't it be between the rear master cylinder and the exhaust? Or is it just to protect the master cylinder from your boot?

PS: a quick thread-jack... I added this to my forks today:

[image: post-28511-1392806777869.jpg]

:-)

Dannytb

Looking at the carbon heat shield... Shouldn't it be between the rear master cylinder and the exhaust? Or is it just to protect the master cylinder from your boot?

PS: a quick thread-jack... I added this to my forks today:

[image: attachicon.gif]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1392806737.498374.jpg

:-)

Good stuff Danny, how's she ride now?

No idea on the heat shield, you may be right but I haven't assembed it properly yet.

Which reminds me, I need to send of the details for the rearset plates.

Oh, & if anyone has any 6th gen radiator hoses they want to get rid of let me know, apparently I don't have any!

MVinOZ

Dannytb

Looking at the carbon heat shield... Shouldn't it be between the rear master cylinder and the exhaust? Or is it just to protect the master cylinder from your boot?

PS: a quick thread-jack... I added this to my forks today:

[image: attachicon.gif]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1392806737.498374.jpg

:-)

Good stuff Danny, how's she ride now?

About the same as before... Or harder in rebound... Or softer in rebound... Depends where I point the little screw doover... :goofy:

It's been a while & progress has been slow - work is flat out plus I'm going on holidays next Thursday, so that's been taking up all my time. I think I'm officially behind schedule now, I wanted to have the engine running before I went on holidays, but oh well.

It's not all bad though, got a complete set of radiator hoses for $80 from the wreckers

[image: 119_4434.JPG]

& it was a nice sunny day the other week, so I dragged the VFR out into the sunshine for some love.

[image: 119_4435.JPG]

So now we have coolant:

[image: 119_4443.JPG]

& oil.

[image: 119_4445.JPG]

I turned the engine over a few times via the crank & then the oil looked like this:

[image: 119_4459.JPG]

I'm hoping it's just moly assembly grease I used for the cams, but I'll run an engine flush through it when I get it started.

Bars are next. I have no idea what switchgear this was drilled for, but not even close.

[image: 119_4446.JPG]

About 42mm out IIRC.

[image: 119_4447.JPG]

Much better, now the Brembo MC has somewhere to mount, that'll probably help when I need to stop :goofy:

[image: 119_4448.JPG]

I picked up a China special Radial clutch MC on eBay, $30 shipped, quality is about what I expected, ie not great! Still, I'll see how it works.

[image: 119_4449.JPG]

There's a great deal of vertical play in the lever, but if it works ok I can shim that up.

[image: 119_4454.JPG]

Picked up what I hoped was the right seat on you know where for $10.

[image: 119_4437.JPG]

Propped the subframe up the roughly where it should sit

[image: 119_4462.JPG]

Seat is right, but it'll need some work to mate up to the VFR tank

[image: 119_4464.JPG]

Very different profiles, but nothing we can't fix

[image: 119_4465.JPG]

[image: 119_4466.JPG][image: 119_4473.JPG]

[image: 119_4471.JPG]

[image: 119_4472.JPG]

[image: 119_4474.JPG]

[image: 119_4475.JPG]

So now I have to become very good friends with this:

[image: 119_4455.JPG]

Luckily for me Kaldek included a big full colour print out :biggrin: Still not looking forward to it though...

That'll have to wait until I get back from holidays, next stop CSS @ Laguna Seca! :goofy:

Well, not the next stop, first LA, then Vegas, then San Fran, but basically the next stop. Can't wait, I hope that S1000RR doesn't ruin all other motorcycles for me.

I've ordered some custom rear set plates from Projection Components in the UK, hopefully they'll be waiting for me when I get back.

KrazyT3

So this thread is kinda old (6 months) whats the update. I love the look. Very impressed. Hows the new front fork set up treating you. I want to swap my front forks out. I am also working on swaping 08 cbr1000 fairings onto my 04 vfr800. There are so many options out there but everyone wants to make theirs original. I love the work so far except that gsxr stuff (not a suzuki fan

) but joking aside it looks great. Any update and pictures would be awesome. Hope it turned out well..

And WELCOME !

KrazyT3

So this thread is kinda old (6 months) whats the update. I love the look. Very impressed. Hows the new front fork set up treating you. I want to swap my front forks out. I am also working on swaping 08 cbr1000 fairings onto my 04 vfr800. There are so many options out there but everyone wants to make theirs original. I love the work so far except that gsxr stuff (not a suzuki fan

) but joking aside it looks great. Any update and pictures would be awesome. Hope it turned out well..

Dude, welcome! Have you modded your engine/exhaust at all? If not, get in touch with CandyRedRC46 for a free dyno run! He needs a relatively stock 6th gen in the Orlando area to compare his modded bike with on a same day, same dyno pull.

Plus he has done an R1 front end swap and can likely answer a lot of your questions...

Guess I haven't seen this one in a while.

Wasn't it expected to take 6 months or so? :goofy:

KrazyT3, 1/1/2016 at 1:47 AM

So this thread is kinda old (6 months) whats the update. I love the look. Very impressed. Hows the new front fork set up treating you. I want to swap my front forks out. I am also working on swaping 08 cbr1000 fairings onto my 04 vfr800. There are so many options out there but everyone wants to make theirs original. I love the work so far except that gsxr stuff (not a suzuki fan

) but joking aside it looks great. Any update and pictures would be awesome. Hope it turned out well..

VFR4Lee, 1/5/2016 at 1:45 PM

Guess I haven't seen this one in a while.

Wasn't it expected to take 6 months or so? :goofy:

Haven't turned a spanner on this since the last update. The problem with expectations is they never go as expected! :tongue:

I have a some pretty good reasons which I'll elaborate on shortly, but in the meantime I'm off for Tassie for about 10 days.

[image: IMG_2064.JPG]

Tasmania was great, one half was on fire, the other half was flooded! Didn't affect us much apart from being turned away form Lake Pedder, which is a great road apparently, but I'll have to check that for myself next time. The rain days fell on non riding days, so we didn't even get wet.

Poppy fields just out of Devonport, not long off the boat.

[image: IMG_0023.JPG]

A lovely bronze lady top of the North East Corner, near the Bay of Fires

[image: IMG_0024.JPG]

Somewhere down the East Coast, plenty of great views like this

[image: IMG_0026.JPG]

Definitely recommend you get there if you have the chance, very little traffic, very little police enforcement, amazing roads & great beer!

It's been an interesting year; several things have conspired to make this low budget build a no budget build! I've seperated from the wife, moved house (twice!) setup a new sharehouse from scratch & we lost our major distributorship at work. I still have a job, but I'm looking for an exit strategy, just in case.

They say if you want to achieve a goal, you shouldn't tell anyone - the very act of telling people about makes it feel as if you've achieved something & you're less likely to succeed. Well, that would make build threads pretty boring! & I subscribe to the idea that if I say it I should do it, unforeseen circumstances not withstanding of course. I also like to put my ideas down in here for future reference & to cement things in my mind, I find it helps. So this thread is as much for my benefit as it is for yours, but I hope you get something out if it anyway.

Anyway, new shed is setup & I'll have some cash to throw at it soon - which is good. I made a new bench. Something I always struggle with is dedicated bench space...

[image: IMG_0003.JPG]

On the goals front, this bike will be doing track days, drag racing & dry salt lake racing, so will need to fit into all of those with little to no modifications if possible. Eventually I'd like to add a dry Nitrous setup, using the second Rapid Bike Racing map, assuming it can deliver enough fuel to make it work. I'll get a second airbox to install the jets in & should be able to remove the Nitrous setup pretty easily for trackdays. Dyno tuning will be on the cards at some point.

I have some friends who go to Speed Week at Lake Gardiner every year, I haven't been, but I guess it's much like Bonneville; large salt flats where you test your top speed, so I'm planning making that next year. Their website is here: http://www.dlra.org.au/The extra requirements I'll need to add are lockwiring of the axle nuts, a steering damper & a lanyard style killswitch, none of which are a bad idea, considering my planned use for the bike. The lanyard killswitch might be a pain at trackdays, but I can bypass it pretty easily if needed.

Speed Week is usually held late February or early March, specifically Feb 27th to March next year, so that's a timeframe to work in. The bad news is the VFR falls in the 1000cc class, just misses out on the 750cc class, so I won't be breaking any records, but it will still be fun. Further detriment to that is I will have to run in 'Modified Gasoline' class, instead of 'Production' as I have changed the bike from stock, but oh well. I haven't looked into using Nitrous, but that would probably come after this timeframe wise anyway & really bump me up into some stiff competition.

Anyway, I'm getting slightly ahead of myself!

Right now I need work out how handlebars/fairing/speedo fit together & fabricate an exhaust mount. I dropped the bars back under the top triple clamp which I prefer height wise, but the angle of these bars is a bit narrow for me, I might need to replace the bars of modify how they lock into the top triple. Unsure on that one.

[image: IMG_0012.JPG]

With the bars above the top triple, they clear the fairing, but not the speedo/dash. At this stage I'm not sure which way to go, but I have a spare fairing subframe I can modify, I might be able to recess the speedo a little or I might need to use an aftermarket version. I'd prefer to have one mostly for the tacho function. That & modify the fairing perhaps...

Looks OK from the cockpit.

[image: IMG_0016.JPG]

The throttle cables are fouling the fairing bracket, I think I'll need to replace the throttle with a race version (front or left exit cables that will run over the mastercylinder) & run a seperate kill switch, anyone know if there's a race throttle that will fit? I tried checking the throttle cables to see if any other model use them, but apparently not...

[image: IMG_0006.JPG]

(Hmmm... appear to be missing some pics! Do I need to re-upload or will they be restored at some point?)

A few things have started turning up, lanyard kill switch & steering damper: the steering damper is from the 04-08 R1 & fork sizes have remained at 50mm for the entire model run, so I can use an aftermarket fork mount to mount the damper, rather than the stock R1 mount, which mounts to the underside of the clip on.

[image: IMG_2728.JPG]

The kill switch attaches to the brake or clutch master cylinder

[image: IMG_2731.JPG]

Damper mount from Gilles Tooling, very nice!

[image: IMG_2740.JPG]

HRC quick turn throttle & kill switch, looks like it will fit the VFR with no mods, but I'll need to confirm when I have 5 spare minutes.

[image: IMG_2797.JPG]

Just went back through the thread & fixed up all the photos, there's been a lot of changes in my life over the past couple of years! 

The HRC quick turn throttle worked, but a couple of caveats! The holes for the cable ends to pass through had to be enlarged slightly & the inside of the throttle housing (below) needed to be enlarged to gain enough clearance for smooth throttle action. I'm not sure if that's because the VFR throttle cables are different to the HRC ones or if HRC just expect people using these things to just make them work... anyway, got there in the end!

[image: Picture 010.jpg]

[image: Picture 007.jpg]

HRC start/stop switch, simply unlugged the pins from the loom & used the connector from the VFR switch gear, easy!

Still having clearance issues, I could use some bar risers, but I want the bars to be nice & low, it is a trackbike after all! 

[image: Picture 012.jpg]

Had to get brutal, I have a spare sub frame if need be, but I think this is the way to go. 

[image: Picture 002.jpg]

I'll need to find another place to mount the speedo or source another smaller unit... I pulled the VFR one apart to see if it was one piece or multiple PCB's, unfortunately it's one piece, so not much to be done there. Anyone know if there's a Honda speedo that will plug straight in or work with minimal modification? Also need to relocate the ECU, there's plenty of room up the front, but I don't think there's much length in the loom.

[image: Picture 005.jpg]

1 hour ago, MVinOZ

Anyone know if there's a Honda speedo that will plug straight in or work with minimal modification? Also need to relocate the ECU, there's plenty of room up the front, but I don't think there's much length in the loom.

CBR600F4i or CBR900RR

2 hours ago, The Phantom

CBR600F4i or CBR900RR

[video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/oSr3n076n7A?feature=oembed]

Is that plug & play mate?

I  don't think so. I have a NOS CBR600F4i dash ($50 brand spankers!!!) and I bought it because I found a tutorial online that explained what wires to join to fit it to a VFR harness. But do you think I can find that tutorial again? Well, it was 10+ years ago... I'm sure it's still online somewhere, or in the Wayback machine's archives.

Different plugs, but IIRC most of the wiring colour coding is the same.

Alright cool, thanks for the info! They seem to use the same speed sensor & I assume the RPM pick up would be similar too, so shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

MVinOZ, 9/14/2016 at 8:19 PM

Had to get brutal, I have a spare sub frame if need be, but I think this is the way to go. 

Careful of that suspicious lubricant. Don't overlube the mechanic before the job is done. :laughing6-hehe:

Oh no, I only had one glass of beer. It's only one if you refill it before it's empty, right?  :beer:

Correct oil cooler sourced, actually makes the lines run a lot better than other one, strange huh?

[image: Picture 031.jpg]

Plenty of room in the front now, I need to find an alternative spot to mount the ECU, unfortunately the loom doesn't have much length to work with, not sure how to tackle that one yet...

[image: Picture 024.jpg]

The clutch line is a bit too long, but I think I can sort it by running it outside of the triples & angling the banjo bolt forward to make a nice arc & take out the twist. I'll move the throttle cables out also while I'm there. I need to sort out some steering stops too, also not sure about how to tackle that one either, but I guess a high tensile bolt & a lump of metal will do.

[image: Picture 028.jpg]

Steering damper is from an R1, I was planning on mounting it off the upper fairing mount bracket like on the R1, but I think it will be easier to mount down the side of the bike as below. It should be hidden under the fairing. I'll be able to do it with just a flat plate & a bolt for the steering damper BUT it will require drilling & tapping the frame... I should be able to do it on the bottom of the frame, which will be neater but harder. Once you modify the frame in such a way here, it will be impossible to get the bike re-registered, but I've come this far!  :comp13:

[image: Picture 021.jpg]

I'm using an acewell dash on my 5th. Not plug and play, but pretty easy. 

Wire Colours from the Vfr wiring diagram, the acewell diagram, and just joined them up. Used a magnetic speedo pickup, though. 

Come on son, it's sad to see my old bike still not running!

(Slinks back into the corner)

Yeah sorry mate my bad! Life has been a rollercoaster lately, what can I say!

Started her yesterday, still sounds lovely :)

kaldek, 07/01/2017 at 1:45 PM

Come on son, it's sad to see my old bike still not running!

(Slinks back into the corner)

Hola, Kaldek!