Not Another Usd Conversion Thread!

Sorry about that. I promise to update with pictures for the sake of every other lurker who searches this forum in the future.

Last memorial day weekend I pulled the trigger on buying a '99 VFR. Somewhat impulsive purchase. Must have been the cam whine, or just the feeling I got on the test ride that reminded me of my first bike, an '87 CBR600. Two weeks and a few hundred miles later and my first impressions are for the most part good, but what really bothers me is how soft the suspension is. It's admittedly a bit unfair, but I can't help but compare it to my 2006 GSX-R600. Where that bike has crazy sharp steering and handling, the VFR is quite a bit lazier. I find that to be a good thing though, far more relaxing. The VFR seems like a bike that is easy to ride quickly through the corners- it tips in and holds a line easily enough, and its easily accessible torque is nothing like a 600cc inline four. Where I might fuss about entry setup with gear selection and keeping my suzuki in the right rpm range before tipping in to a bend, on the VFR it doesn't seem to matter nearly as much- it's a far more pleasant street bike.

All of that said, its rear shock is rubbish, and the front end dives under the lightest of braking. Speaking of brakes, god damn what a nightmare- doing a 'quick' bleed I was moving around the bike so much I felt like I was dancing. The linked brakes gotta go.

Been reading and searching this forum for the past couple weeks trying to find the perfect part combination that strikes that right balance of cost and performance. Like I said before, I actually prefer the change of pace the VFR has and the lazier steering suits it, so keeping nearly similar steering geometry is a priority of mine. The most popular setups seem to involve RC51 yokes or entire front ends, but that's quite out of my budget. I've opted for a complete first generation R1 setup- parts are plentiful, the triples have a 35mm offset compared the VFRs 40mm stock (which seems like the closest I can get without laying down a grand for CNC'd yokes) and after receiving the forks today a quick measurement shows their length from the axle to the top triple is roughly identical. The VFR's front wheel was also said to work with the calipers, although the R1 had 2mm bigger brakes.

But here's the first big hang-up: the difference in axle diameter! Didn't measure, but it's a difference in millimeters, and I doubt it could be lathed to fit without compromising it.

So a couple questions to start with. Do I try and press in non standard bearings on the front wheel, or just buy a compatible yamaha wheel and rotors? I appreciate the advice.

A few pictures (what's a thread without pictures?)

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Big Red and his little step brother.

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Not a fan of the stickers but the Givi case and Throttlemeister were great perks to the purchase.

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My ebay R1 forks. Will probably wait until snowfall to press in new steering stem bearings.

Reading up on some of the projects here has been a blast! I think my favorite so far has been Toro and his supercharger setup, a close runner up is the guy with an SP2 sticker on the side with a glass clutch cover and modern front end (canuck is in the name I think?). Looking forward to reading more threads here; Truth is I was hunting for a 4th-5th gen VFR five years ago but settled for the GSXR after nothing turned up in my area. Glad to have finally found one, even if it needs a bit of work to be everything I want out of it.

hi, I'm here. :-)

welcome to the forum

The R-1 front wheel would be your easiest bet.

Then you can use the Yammie brake setup in it's entirety.


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Welcome to VFRD from across the pond

Since you will be fitting the usd over the winter....

for now, you can do a few things...

remove the front forks

Measure the air gap (spring out, inner damper rod all the way down -tie a bit of string to the top nut so you can raise them easily)

4th gens have 170mm, try 130mm

if the oil is old already, pour in new 10W

raise the front forks through the triple clamps maybe 10mm

Rear shock, put 2mm washer (best use u-shaped, easier to fit) between top op shochk and frame.

Check you tire pressure and go for a ride...

i think the brakes are GREAT on my '98.  Perhaps there's an issue?

Talk with Jamie @ Daugherty Motorsports before you do anything on suspension:  http://www.daugherty...com/vfr800.html

I would have paid extra for that Welsh Dragon sticker!

^^^  He  lives  ^^^

The R-1 front wheel would be your easiest bet.

Then you can use the Yammie brake setup in it's entirety.

Was afraid of that answer. That money was gonna go towards the racetech fork respring/revalve fund! Drat.

i think the brakes are GREAT on my '98.  Perhaps there's an issue?

Talk with Jamie @ Daugherty Motorsports before you do anything on suspension:  http://www.daugherty...com/vfr800.html

The brakes stop the bike, no argument there. After bleeding the VFR I had plenty of fluid left over and decided to do the GSXR too. It was three bleed nipples and less than 10 minutes, the way the good lord intended- not that unholy mess of two bleeders per caliper and a bias valve and this super important sequence along with rotating the front left caliper just right. It's absolute bonkers in my opinion. Going USD forks gets rid of all of that complicated plumbing for something easily serviceable, plus adjustable USD forks. Win/Win.

Was already planning on getting a refurbed fireblade shock from that guy- Four hundred some odd dollars is far more palatable than laying down a grand for a Penske or Ohlins.

Well I guess I'm off to poach a wheel from everyone's favorite parts salvage website. Wish me luck.

good luck  :beer:

Also, the VFR discs are something like 280mm, and the Yamaha calipers and pads are probably suited for 320mm discs.


One rider here, a long time ago, found some Ducati 320mm discs with the same center bore as the VFR ones, but he had to redrill the Duc discs to suit the VFR disc bolt pattern.

And then deal with the offset, which is fine with conventional calipers, you can spacer them with washers, but with radial calipers, it's not really an option to create a different caliper centerline to deal with offset discs.

For those reasons, I still say the R-1 wheel is the better bet.

VFR discs are something like 280mm, and the Yamaha calipers and pads are probably suited for 320mm discs.

Your figuring is a little bit off I'm afraid. I'm unsure how many different honda's there are that use their six bolt 296mm disks, but off the top of my head the 4th gen 750, F4i, and vfr800 all use 'em. The first generation of R1 had 298mm disks mounted conventionally. The R1 didn't get radial brakes until 2004ish which were 320mm to start with, but moved into the 'standard' 310mm size like every other superbike and supersport a few years later (must be a toss up between clamping force and rotational mass?)

Still right about getting a stock R1 wheel though, better to play it safe and save the inevitable fitment headaches for later. A mock fitment of the vfr wheel to the yammy forks (with a loose fitting honda axle) made it look possible with the right wheel spacers, although I'd have to wonder if everything'd clear with new and thick brake pads. At the very least all of the r1's calipers cover the disk with a couple mm to spare.