VFR to RC45 "ish" replica budget build

Been on here randomly for a few years just asking dumb questions. Sold my rc51 and my crf450 supermoto before I got married 7 years ago (Big mistake! Not the marriage part but selling my bikes. I want them back, well the one that wasn't totaled after the idiot crashed it and wanted to buy the spare parts that I was including with the bike but he was cheap... live and learn). I love singles and twins and never should have sold them but always wanted a V4 and growing up when the RC30 and RC45 where debuted I wanted to complete the trifecta. Can't afford a rc45 so I picked up a 95 vfr750. Already had a gsxr front end although I can't stand the three spoke wheel. Also, it has the 8 spoke wheel from the 3rd gen.

Rode it 2-3 times in a matter of a couple weeks then parked it in the garage for at least a one year+ slumber. We had a baby girl 14 months ago.

Been buying parts here and there to "try" to make my 45 dreams come true and things just started to come together!

I have a NC35 tail but my taste kinda changed so don't hold it against me. I can always swap out the tail for the nostalgia.

I'll post more pics and if anyones interested on parts and quality I'll share that too. Sucks being old when a iconic bike like an rc45 has been forgotten! 

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Do keep up the good work and post pictures to your heart's content!!

Yeah, getting older has the main advantage that you are still able to ride every day.  The # of people that have actually seen Slight, Edwards or Joey race is diminishing though....

And NO, you should never have sold your RC51  :goofy:

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Christ! Someone (myself) should tell me to never buy important parts from china (ebay)! Waited a month for front rotors and while they looked nice they did not look like the picture advertised and the machining was not symetrical?! How can you fuck up a brake rotor if you're copying it from a legitimate manufacturer? Sorry, but China sucks ass. Sure, the people are nice but they're screwing everyone. I'm an idiot... hope people don't buy brake rotors from china... you may end up dead, which is probably the intention.

If not as advertised, complain and get your money back. Tell 'm you will not rate the transaction "just yet".

And indeed, I woud go to a local shop for rotors...

Thanks, in the process of that. Chinese parts are so cheap but you get what you pay for... now I'll probably have to pay a butt load to ship them back to china. I knew better but rolled the dice!

Part of the trouble with China is that they produce so much legit stuff for major brands and then sell everything that doesn't pass QC on EBay or Aliexpress cheap enough that return shipping doesn't make sense.

I bought mine from ebay no problems.  Same price out of us exotic 1 motorports racing. Galfer wave knockoffs? After 4 laps at roadamerica chatter went away. Due to zero streetriding. In combination delink braided lines and nissin 19 radial master cylinder amazing bite probably better than my rc51. 

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The tail is awesome by the way. I did a rc45 conversion on my 86. I wish i could adapt that tail  my 6th gen.

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Functional ram air.

 Trying to get my ram air to actually function. I decided to not screw with the stock tank and have a fuel cell fabbed up soon. Love to see how you did yours.

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Used a hole saw and drilled into the tank  first marking it a marker and then through the tank into the airbox.  Drilling somewhat on a angle  I then went to the muffler shop and they welded some exhaust pipe long enough to stick out the top and bottom of the tank.  To make up the difference with fitting the fiberglass tube i just wrapped it with black tape ie electrical till it was snug  wrapped it again to hold it in place no clips like the rc45 racer .  Use foam tape to seal airbox to tube to somewhat create some pressure.i drilled a hole in the airbox in the back and screwed in a 90 degree brass fitting and attached a  appropriate sized vacuum hose to the carbs to equalize the pressure. The gas tank eventually rusted out and had a new one made out of fiberglass from cobalt racing in ohio  which also leaked and had to get that sealed again.   Your way is much more easier without all the headaches i went through.

Sounds like a lot work and headaches! I was thinking of doing that to my stock tank but was not confident that it would turn out well. Trying to keep things simple. Cheap plastic tank cover and a fuel cell.

Interested about the fitting and hose to equalize the pressure to the carbs? I know that's a thing with turbocharging carbed motors but is that necessary? Which hose?

Sorry for the questions but how did it work out? 

I recall reading about such things back in the day when ram-air airboxes were first introduced. Maybe the ZX750? Anyway: carburetors deliver fuel through the jets based on the difference between the air pressure in the venturi (moving air hence Bernoulli's theorem of pressure dropping with increasing velocity) and the air above the fuel in the float bowl. If the pressure in the plenum varies due to ram-effect of changing bike speed, then the vacuum signal pulling the fuel through the jets will also vary. That could mean that jetting that works well at low bike speeds will be leaned out at high speeds (more ram pressure = lower venturi vacuum). So the pressure in the plenum should be equalised with the pressure in the float bowls, by connecting the float bowl breathers to a port in the plenum. Or so I read. 

8 hours ago, Terry

That could mean that jetting that works well at low bike speeds will be leaned out at high speeds (more ram pressure = lower venturi vacuum). So the pressure in the plenum should be equalised with the pressure in the float bowls, by connecting the float bowl breathers to a port in the plenum. Or so I read. 

Yep. My other bike is a metric cruiser and I fitted a Kuryakin Hypercharger to it. It Dyno'd fine but wouldn't run properly on the road and bogged horribly above 60mph until we took an air bleed from the back of the airbox to the top of the float bowl...

Thanks, that's good to know. There were a couple hoses not connected to anything coming from the carbs. Previous owner did it. One I believe should go to a little filter outside the airbox the other I'm not sure about. The bike ran fine but before but I'll have to identify them and hopefully one will do the trick. Maybe I'll take a picture or just look it up in the manual.

Finally found someone to make me bearing spacers to use the vfr front wheel with the 25mm suzuki axle. Hope my measurements were correct... vfr wheel has a wierd offset side to side.

 this guy started a similar project... but vanished... he has a bunch of posts  that may help you out..

https://www.facebook.com/The-RVF-Project-149364815117109/

Thanks, I actually found his project on youtube before I bought the bike. I followed his facebook but was disappointed there was no more progress.

He definitely has time, skill, and tools that I don't have. I would love to do a traditional swingarm conversion at some point. I like the look of the SSSA but it's heavy. Wish I knew of a swap with no modifications to the frame or linkage... and that looks good like the endurance style swingarm.

I trimmed down the rear wiring harness. I don't think I did anything drastic. Do I need the stock tank's sender to start it? 

2 hours ago, monstar

I trimmed down the rear wiring harness. I don't think I did anything drastic. Do I need the stock tank's sender to start it? 

nope.. you can run it from a hanging bottle..

Damn, I was hoping it was something simple. Now I have to go back and trace my connections. It was pretty straight forward shortening the rear harness and I think it might be the tip sensor delete. I'm sure I did it right but who knows. After I charge the battery I'll go through it.

this bike doesnt have a tip over sensor either..

4 hours ago, gll429

this bike doesnt have a tip over sensor either..

Previous owner/s deleted what I now find out is the fuel cut relay. They jumped the black wire and the blue&black wire and the bike ran. The fuel pump works but what I found is the red&yellow wire goes to the #4 coil and the ignition box. I'm guessing that if the #4 coil is not in the loop the ignition will not work. Turns out the ground wire to my #4 coil has broken. Hoping that was the problem. Not sure if that makes sense or if that is the cause. We'll see.

Should change the name to "Project Q" Hope everyone is healthy and doing well.

Redesigned the front support in order to mount the headlight, overflow bottle and gauge. Also wired up and modified new switch so I have headlight OFF/ON/HIGH from one light. Got rid of a lot of unnecessary wiring throughout... amazingly I managed to get everything to work even though I hate wiring.

Also decided to go with a 4-2-1-2 exhaust. Mocking it up now... pics soon.

Nice work!  

what did you use to make the "scoop" around the headliht? Much trial and error to get the angle at the front right so it fits snug to the faring?

Luckily for me, the headlight on my project is A LOT easier....  :goofy:

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I think I used a pvc drain adapter 3-4" I believe. A lot of measuring and making paper templates to get in the ballpark. Finally decided I was close enough, traced it, and just cut the thing and crossed my fingers. If I screwed it up they're only a couple bucks. Luckily it came out really close. Top touches and the bottom has a 1/8 inch gap but you can't really see it. Thanks for noticing the difficulty in not just the bucket but also drilling the 3 5/8 hole and getting everything to line up. So glad I didn't screw it up.

Interesting project.  The 4th gen frame is probably the closest in looks to the RVF's frame.  I hope you're going to get those brackets welded at some point...

I see that the RVF Project guy used a swing arm from a 99-05 Aprilia Falco, but he said it needed to be modified (not sure how much).  I was interested in doing something like that.  I was going to try a Blackbird swing arm, but having an RC30 one is probably bling enough...

Ciao,

JZH

Thanks. The support bracket is fairly sturdy as is, a little locktite on the hardware will do the trick. For now I'm running the SSSA but at some point I may try to do a conversion. In the meantime I'm going to rock this...

Don't mind the mismatch cans. Got another chinese one like the right coming soon. I know is just for looks but I always wanted a dual high mount for my RC51 which I never got a chance to do.

Also, I decided to make the tail and tank cover a one piece deal. Comes off with no tools in a few seconds once the ram tubes are disconnected. Stripping the whole bike takes a couple minutes tops.

Great project, thanks for posting.

I just got my Airtech-Streamlining RVF750 fairings on Monday, so I am just starting the adventure.

Thinking of using dome head Dzus fasteners; what are you using for fairing fasteners?

Brian

Cool! What do you think of the quality of the Airtech fairings? Pics? I went with Sebimoto and I'm not really impressed with the quality and fitment. Nothing seems straight and very thin in some areas.

I'm using quik-latch fastners for the upper that mount to the frame and Dzus style for the lower. I'm not really a fan of the dzus, they seem sloppy no matter what I do. I'm thinking of changing them to a calder pin style which I'll have to make myself.

Well, I'm about to take the carbs off to clean the jets and circuits because they are so clogged the bike can only idle.

In previous posts, some members suggested to run a line for atmospheric pressure to the airbox to account for the slight ram air effect. I'm using the big line that went to the little filter outside the airbox and now rerouted that to the PCV inlet on the airbox "which is filtered by the airbox element". Pic below:

Is this correct?

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My main question is what are these lines and what to do with them? (they have the blue painters tape on the ends) I believe they are from the air injection lines from the emissions pumps from the exhaust. Since I got the bike they have been open and the bike ran well. Should I plug both, join them by putting a union in, or put filters on them?

Those should be just your carb vent lines and need to remain vented to atmosphere.  You can just make sure they point down so nothing gets in or install a filter if you want.  You could join them with a T and run to something like this too.

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2 hours ago, Captain 80s

Those should be just your carb vent lines and need to remain vented to atmosphere.  You can just make sure they point down so nothing gets in or install a filter if you want.  You could join them with a T and run to something like this too.

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Thanks for the help! I thought the big one that I routed to the airbox was the vent line. Any idea what that does or just another vent?

The little one in back is def carb vent, you can see it attached to the T fitting on the carbs.  On my 86 VFR, there is a separator/breather on the rear Valve Cover that routes to the air box there.

I did have a problem routing something similar on the first 86 VFR Cali bike I de-smogged.  There is an extra spigot on the front of the Cali bike airbox and I routed an extra breather hose (larger like that) there.  The rush of intake air created a vacuum at that spigot and totally fucked with carburetion out on the road.  Took me a while to figure out what I had done.

11 minutes ago, Captain 80s

The little one in back is def carb vent, you can see it attached to the T fitting on the carbs.  On my 86 VFR, there is a separator/breather on the rear Valve Cover that routes to the air box there.

I did have a problem routing something similar on the first 86 VFR Cali bike I de-smogged.  There is an extra spigot on the front of the Cali bike airbox and I routed an extra breather hose (larger like that) there.  The rush of intake air created a vacuum at that spigot and totally fucked with carburetion out on the road.  Took me a while to figure out what I had done.

Ok, thanks. I quess I won't know until I actually ride it then.

Anyone have a new 520 rear sprocket for a 4th gen? The only company I know that sells them have been waiting on their chinese supplier with no word on when they'll get them.

https://sprocketspecialists.com

try them. DO NOT BUY A CHINESE CHAIN.

2 hours ago, monstar

Anyone have a new 520 rear sprocket for a 4th gen? The only company I know that sells them have been waiting on their chinese supplier with no word on when they'll get them.

I have been waiting since OCTOBER for a 520 Steel VFR sprocket. Last I heard it was supposed to ship in April. I should have just machined it myself from a PBM sprocket blank. I can get Aluminum, but I want Steel.

So if you are really in a pinch and want a steel sprocket, that might push me over to making a batch of them. 

4 hours ago, YoshiHNS

I have been waiting since OCTOBER for a 520 Steel VFR sprocket. Last I heard it was supposed to ship in April. I should have just machined it myself from a PBM sprocket blank. I can get Aluminum, but I want Steel.

So if you are really in a pinch and want a steel sprocket, that might push me over to making a batch of them. 

The vendor I was speaking of is sprocket specialists also and I ordered in November and they refunded my money in January. I would prefer steel but where can you get aluminum?

2 hours ago, monstar

The vendor I was speaking of is sprocket specialists also and I ordered in November and they refunded my money in January. I would prefer steel but where can you get aluminum?

SORRY. My bad... I meant sprocket center! I'll give sprocket specialist a try, website looks like they do quality stuff.

Anyway I cleared up what hose does what. A honda mechanic loosely confirmed. The large hose goes to the slides, the smaller one in the rear next to it go to the floats, and the one in the front is a vent to atmosphere. So I shouldn't run the slide to the airbox but to outside air with possibly a filter or protection of some kind. The front vent probably the same. The one from the floats should be the one that goes to the airbox "we believe" to pressurize the floats in theory.

Just pulled the jets out of the carbs and they are the stock jets as expected even though the seller said it had a jet kit, hahaha.

So, I can't find a jet kit that comes with needles and springs... All I can find are jets and shims.

Are needles & springs necessary? If not, what size jets should I run to get in the ballpark?

I'm pretty much at sea level, running a UNI foam filter and a pretty open and pressurized airbox and two brothers headers to dual 2" cans (4-2-1-2)

Had to take a look around. Absolutely stupid. Vortex makes and aluminum rear. I have a used one. You can buy off their site. If you do the individual sprocket, they say they don't do a steel sprocket.

BUT...Go to SportbikeTrackGear, and right there, you can get a complete Vortex sprocket kit, with a STEEL rear 520 sprocket. What a scam. I know its an uncommon bike and all, but somehow you're only able to offer a steel sprocket if it's paired with a front sprocket. This isn't Noah's ark.

https://www.vortexracing.com/builder/#

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/vortex-honda-vfr750f-90-97-v3-chain-and-sprocket-kit/

Anyways, its PBI sprockets, not PBM. Blank steel sprockets or custom aluminum ones. 

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=548&categoryId=56

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=551&categoryId=56

38 minutes ago, YoshiHNS

Had to take a look around. Absolutely stupid. Vortex makes and aluminum rear. I have a used one. You can buy off their site. If you do the individual sprocket, they say they don't do a steel sprocket.

BUT...Go to SportbikeTrackGear, and right there, you can get a complete Vortex sprocket kit, with a STEEL rear 520 sprocket. What a scam. I know its an uncommon bike and all, but somehow you're only able to offer a steel sprocket if it's paired with a front sprocket. This isn't Noah's ark.

https://www.vortexracing.com/builder/#

https://www.sportbiketrackgear.com/vortex-honda-vfr750f-90-97-v3-chain-and-sprocket-kit/

Anyways, its PBI sprockets, not PBM. Blank steel sprockets or custom aluminum ones. 

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=548&categoryId=56

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=551&categoryId=56

I don't know what the deal is but I bought a vortex aluminum from some company like iMoto or something and it did not fit 251AK. Trying to return it still. I searched vortex site after that and the don't make a 520 steel but an aluminum 249AK. I already ordered one through spocket specialist, oh well, just tired of searching and waiting and getting the wrong part.

Most of the stuff has been discontinued but these sites don't update their catalog and still list them or send you the wrong stuff!

Hi Monstar.

Interesting work.

I 'm working on a similar project based on RC46 (VFR800).

All information that you will share are appreciated.

This is actual situation. My idea is swap swingarm with another one from a CBR for weight reasons.

I'm also working on an RC46=>RC45 replica so all info on similar projects is of interest.

However I have NO intention of eliminating the Single Sided SwingArm as that is so much a part of what makes an RC45. Yes I know, they did try double sided at the end of its racing career, but it was never actually produced with that. For me, it has to be SSSA.

Thanks luigi and BiKenG! I would love to see what you guys have done and are doing. I'll also try to post the progress with mine as well. I was kinda bad about documenting I as went but here is a list of things I have done, I can post pics if needed or answer questions if I can:

Suzuki front end (swapped out the 3 spoke for the vfr750 wheel)

Two brothers full exhaust

Silicone radiator hoses

New clutch and brake masters, braided lines, etc.

Danmoto cbr900 rearsets (modified, wouldn't suggest these)

Uni filter and ram air mod the airbox (emissions equip delete)

Sebimoto bodywork (not the best quality but cheaper than most)

Tyga tail/s subframe NC35 (modified to fit)

NC30 tank cover (tail and tank joined with custom brackets)

Custom fairing brackets, quik-latch fastners and endurance style headlight

Rewired everything, keyed ignition delete, trailtech gauge, tail light on/off switch, fan on switch (small spal fan to fit COP's)

COP mod using zx10r coils and custom harness (wired 2 in series and working on clutchless upshift)

Cerakoted engine cases and valve covers (deleted PCV breather by using a front valve cover on rear cylinder)

Custom Carb/airbox heatshield

Custom integrated led rear brake/turn signals and bar end turn signals w/ new 3 position headlight switch (off/on/high)

Working on:

Cleaning/jetting carbs

Finishing exhaust

trimming and cleaning up bodywork/tail fitament

Sorting out a quick disconnect ram air tube setup that looks clean

fuel cell

rear sprocket

etc.

Very nice profiled tail.

Thanks, the tail is from Tyga performance. That was the initial fitting and has moved up and forward quite a bit along with the tank. Also, I'm in the process of making some cosmetic changes to fit the rc45 spirit. (mocked up in the pics)

I see you've done quite a nice job on fabricating the rads, exhaust, and subframe on yours. Did you do the work yourself? Wish I had the means to weld.

Anyway, here's latest pics:

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9 hours ago, luigi

Hi Monstar.

Interesting work.

I 'm working on a similar project based on RC46 (VFR800).

All information that you will share are appreciated.

This is actual situation. My idea is swap swingarm with another one from a CBR for weight reasons.

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Sorry, I was looking over your build, VERY impressive! What forks are you running? They look similar to my suzuki forks. The yolks or triple clamps are nice and would love to get some if they fit. Where'd you get them if you don't mind me asking.

Messing around waiting to get some jets and such.

Hi Monstar.

Yes, forks are from a Suzuki GSXR 750 (i don't remember M.Y.).

Yoke are in Anticorodal alloy (i don't know if have same name in U.S.) designed by me on CAD, then machined on CNC, but it needs a new project with different dimensions.

Radiators are actually in unsolved situation, i decided to move them from stock position to front and to be sure to have a well cooling in track use (VFR 800 are always near to overheating in road use) more, i swapped stock oil cooler, with a water/oil cooler from a CBR 900, so the cooling needing for water in circuit are increased. I looking for a right solution using all room available in the front.

Full exhaust are made by me using inox steel tubes (bought already curved, on in straight pieces), then spot welded to correct position and finally TIG welded by a specialist.

Rear subframe needs modify to look better.

All work are made by me for ideas or design parts, for manufacturing i have some reference (welding, CNC... ) i prefer so 'cause i have not lathe of other machine tools, so i choose to let the work to someone who can assure me high precision and tight tolerances.

Recently i've bought a non-professional TIG welder why i want learn some basic, but with the Covid lockdown have no buy yet the required Argon gas...

ciao, Luigi.

Very nice fabrication, Luigi! 

I, too, am a noob TIG welder.  Learning to TIG weld is a lot of fun (and a bit frustrating!), but hopefully will be worth the investment one day soon.  But you do need Argon...

Ciao,

JZH

Hi JZH.

Argon is sold in a near town of mine, find it is not a problem. 

Now i'm finishing a work on a GSXF 750 Suzuki frame using the usual MMA welding, then i will "launch" myself in TIG welding world...

Ciao.

Hi Monstar, i really like what you are doing. I have a 4th gen too and i always wanted to make an rc30 replica. I was wondering what front end are you using for on your bike? I read you are using some gsxr 750 s. Did you also use a suzuki triple tree?

5 hours ago, davideb23

Hi Monstar, i really like what you are doing. I have a 4th gen too and i always wanted to make an rc30 replica. I was wondering what front end are you using for on your bike? I read you are using some gsxr 750 s. Did you also use a suzuki triple tree?

Thanks. I believe its a 04-05 gsxr 750/1000 front end, however I can't be 100% certain since the guy I bought it from supposedly did the conversion and I have no paperwork. I'm sure there are others on this forum who have used a similar front end. I'm currently looking to replace top triple to get rid of that key switch hole. Hoping other year gsxr top will fit. Sorry that probably wasn't much help. Good luck and share your findings.

Thank you! I saw many cbr600rr front end swaps on the 4th gen and i was thinking about going that way. They say is almost "bolt on", the treeple trees should fit without any modifications, they also share the same bearings. I know i am going to reduce drastically the length of the forks but since i am going for a more "sporty" bike and riding position, i think with the right clearences where needed. Correct me if i am wrong. These are only informations i gathered on line. I know that a "bolt on" swap doesn't exhist, i am trying, knowing what i am looking for. to find a swap that requires minor modifications.

Just an update:

Cleaned and rejetted the carbs. Cleaned the block, replaced the small water hoses to the heads and put the heatshield and carbs back on. Not as difficult as I've heard.  Start it up and idles fine like before. Give it throttle and won't rev easily (like before, when I thought my carbs were the problem) and when I can get the rpms up I'm getting a backfire. So, I figure it's not the fueling but my experiment with wiring the COPs went wrong (paired coils wired in series). So just to make sure I decided to make a new wiring harness for the stock coils and find a new place to mount them. Wouldn't you know it runs perfect! Oh well, the failure didn't hurt as much once everything was running again.

Now, I'm waiting for more parts and seem to think my fairings are sitting too low. Just doesn't look right and the TBR headers are touching the belly pan in a couple spots. I'm going to buy some stock headers and give them a try. They look like the hug the underside tighter. So, I may possibly be selling the TBR exhaust...

Also thinking I may run the stock fuel tank if I can find someone to cut and weld intake runners through it to the airbox. probably be cheaper than a custom fuel cell, have more fuel capacity, and hopefully less of a headache which I seem to cause myself.

Hi Monstar.

Be careful to make many changement all in one. If something going wrong work to fix it became hard...

Ciao, Luigi.

luigi, 5/31/2020 at 1:34 AM

Hi Monstar.

Be careful to make many changement all in one. If something going wrong work to fix it became hard...

Ciao, Luigi.

Thanks Luigi,

Yeah I've run into that problem a few times and I don't seem to learn my lesson. This time it was more about the long stretches of time between the changes I made. I remember it was running rough because I reused the fuel filter but put it on backwards and debris went into the carbs. Then I did the coil conversion. Then I worked on the carbs. All that and other stuff was over 4+ months.

That's impressive. I look forward to read any progress 😉

I would be interested to hear a little bit the more the details about the Coil over plugs. I read several info on this forum and I thought the output was it did not work on 3rd and 4th gen for obscure reasons. I understood it works fine when idling then start making some weird thing (so unreliable) when hot. @monstar could you please elaborate a little bit more?

Thanks a lot in advance.

12 hours ago, bdouvill

That's impressive. I look forward to read any progress 😉

I would be interested to hear a little bit the more the details about the Coil over plugs. I read several info on this forum and I thought the output was it did not work on 3rd and 4th gen for obscure reasons. I understood it works fine when idling then start making some weird thing (so unreliable) when hot. @monstar could you please elaborate a little bit more?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Thanks. Let me start by saying I'm not an electrician or skilled in electronics. So, that being said, I came across a forum for v4 400 bikes. One individual used zx10r coils and ran two in series to supposedly "double" the resistance seen by the ignition controller. I don't have my notes with me but I wired coils 1&2 together and 3&4 together. Each pair, wired in series, measured close to one factory coil per honda spec. So, this was just the primary coil resistance measurement and I have no idea what the secondary is supposed to be or even have the means to measure it. The bike started and idled fine but refused to rev past 2000 rpm or so with occasional popping or backfire. So my guess is the firing of two plugs at once is too much for the coils or the ecm to handle. I have no idea. My wiring was what I intended but it was a failed experiment. I don't know the specs on the 400 coils but there are only two coils on those bikes each firing two cylinders so this setup probably works fine on them. I gave up chasing COP's and went back to trusty factory coils 🙂

I received a stock header. Weighs a ton compared to the TBR system. 13.8 vs 7.8 lbs.!  Main goal is to get more underside clearance for better fitment of body, second is weight. Well, bad news the body fowls a different area with the stock exhaust. Good news is I will be using the lighter TBR header and probably make it into a 4-2 like some of the endurance bikes... By the way I already have a set of legit round carbon cans on the way.                     

Anyway, rerouted the rear wiring and moved components around. So I decided to run the battery shutoff and hidden key switch and will probably put in a hidden fuel pump kill switch. Finally got all pod filters, fabed up some latching for the battery/component box and the tail. The tail seat is finally supported and stock tank line up for the most part and fuel pump is relocated and plumbed up.

monstar, 5/14/2020 at 1:15 AM

SORRY. My bad... I meant sprocket center! I'll give sprocket specialist a try, website looks like they do quality stuff.

Just saw that they have the 520 steel sprockets back in stock at drive system usa and Sprocket Center. Not sure how long they've been in stock, but it sure seems like I had to remind them to ship my order.

15 hours ago, YoshiHNS

Just saw that they have the 520 steel sprockets back in stock at drive system usa and Sprocket Center. Not sure how long they've been in stock, but it sure seems like I had to remind them to ship my order.

I got my aluminum sprocket already and looks nice. May reorder a backup steely though. Thanks for the update!

I realized that I'm probably better off modifying the stock header rather than the TBR. Plus if I screw up the stock header I still have a good TBR for backup. Basically I'm going to remove the center merge area which is where all the weight is and hopefully plumb in the new sections for the left and right exits. Seems simple enough... yeah right.

Quick update:

Bored and finding things to do. Wired in a few things. Oil warning light, fan light, fuel low light all to dashboard.  Fan switch moved to handlebar light switch, hidden ignition switch moved, wired the battery cut and reorganized the battery tray. Wired the tailight to the quick release tail mechanism.

Got a plan, cut the stock header, and ordered tubing to do my own exhaust. Hurry and wait.

Have to remake fairing brackets and coil brackets to raise the bodywork up to where it's supposed to be. Third time is the charm hopefully.

Also ordered a little led volt meter with two usb ports from ebay that should be useful on the dash as well.

Anyway random pics with bad lighting...

Battery and electrical stuff position looks very nice.

Ciao, Luigi.

luigi, 6/24/2020 at 1:36 PM

Battery and electrical stuff position looks very nice.

Ciao, Luigi.

Thanks Luigi.

Received exhaust tubes and I made some miscalculations so I'm waiting for the correct size and lengths to get here. Good news is that I think the system will be fairly simple and I have found a good shop willing to help weld it together. They actually manufacture exhausts for harleys and porsches amoung other things. Just have to get a quote once I get it mocked up.

If it works, I may be able to offer these as somewhat "slip on" full exhaust. NOTE: you need a stock header and you will have to cut off the rear pipes where they merge. Also, the centerstand mounts on the frame will need to be cut off as well. Mufflers (2" inlet) and hangers will most likely be up to you since I don't have a relationship with where I'm getting mine but who knows.

This will be a true dual setup 4-2... pretty much a replica of the factory endurance setup. Who knows how it will sound or run!

Decided to use the stock front header tubes, the rear TBR header tubes and make the system slip together in case I wanted to run the TBR or stock system in the future. Made the left side first and it's been pretty difficult to get the right side to exit at the same angle as the left until I came up with this pvc jig idea. Well, it's getting closer.

Funny because I just came across this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Akrapovic-EVOLUTION-Honda-RVF750-RC45-4-2-exhaust-Stainless-Carbon/352839941260

My mid pipes will be symetrical if that means anything to anyone but me and won't cost me $3k

This is a cool project 👍

Can I make a suggestion - plumb your clutch cover breather up and into the airbox, you're going to end up with an oily mess where it is.

3 hours ago, The Phantom

This is a cool project 👍

Can I make a suggestion - plumb your clutch cover breather up and into the airbox, you're going to end up with an oily mess where it is.

Thanks. Yeah, I have forgot to put the breather on when I started it and oil definitely won't stay in with the breather that close. I really don't want it to go into the airbox because it will be pressurized in the future (when I attempt to add the ram air ducts through the stock tank).

So my solution is to press fit an aluminum fitting in the cover and run a hose up to pretty much the top of the radiator to get some height so the oil won't soak the breather material. I did the same on my rc51 and had no oil mess issues.