Jump to content

Bringing her back to life, The JunkenViffer Story


Recommended Posts

Hello all, My name is Miles and I'm a newbie on the VFR forums. I'm also new to owning a VFR as well; i have always wanted one since i was interested in street bikes but wound up buying new for my first bike (2013 Aprilia Shiver 750). That thing was great! Unfortunately i totaled it early last year and was without two wheel for a bit of time. While out searching for a new bike i realized $2500-$4000 was out of my price range but i was determined to pick up a 4th Gen Honda VFR.

 

I discovered the existence of CoPart after my Aprilia was sent there to be auctioned off. I starting looking through there for my future viffer; alas a 95 popped up in Eugene, OR totaled with 10,021 on the clock. It looked like complete hell but with mainly cosmetic damage from the wreck, i knew it was the one. $600 later and a nice road trip to OR and it was mine. Man oh man was she dirty and just bad all the way around, but the oil was clean and it started right up so it couldn't be all bad. Right upper fairing, side fairing, lower fairing, coolant bottle, windscreen and mirror were destroyed. The rest of the cosmetics were covered in rhino liner and rattle can trim black to hide the fact that they were all so messed up. Tires were old commuters that were complete trash, chain was rusted and toast along with the rear brakes. Suspension was shot and the bearings are all questionable. I knew I had my work cut out for me, also knew my bank account was gonna take a few hits on the way as well.

 

I started documenting the bike after i tore it down due to my sheer excitement and forgot to photograph the immediate condition it was in when i got it. It wasn't needed though for it would just cause a world wide cringe of all VFR lovers. With such low miles and the immensely poor condition it had to of sat for a very long time. Which worried me heavily that i would be spending some good cash to get the carbs redone (i don't trust myself with very small super vital parts, they scare me). I decided i wanted to ride it over the summer rather than just have it sit for who knows how long until its done, so i rocked the naked look with some quick shotty fabbing to get me by. First was OE style air filter to replace the aftermarket massively over oiled filter, oil, plugs, coolant ect. The coolant came out a chunky brown slurry full of corrosion, years of neglect, and the tears of every Honda engineer who helped create this machine. The bike was actually un-rideable as it was, sort of like a rocket powered sponge on hard plastic tires. So tires and suspension was next, a cool $1500 later for a rebuilt front end and some new Q3 tires and she felt great! Also dyno'd it at 93 HP right out of the scrapyard with no carb work!!!! She ran fantastic. Turns out it also had Two Brothers full system on it which is pretty cool, except for cylinder 3 header was almost completely cracked all the way around it almost broke in half coming off. The muffler was attached to the collector via Shucks $3 pre-bent 2.5" pipe with screws running through it as spring holders, which was then duck taped together and wrapped in an exhaust wrap to try to hide the shame. Talk about a bad exhaust leak!

 

I put about 1200 miles on it over the summer while repairing cosmetics and fixing issues as they arose. The bike is such a blast i love it, even in the state of always being 50% 100% of the time. Until winter struck, now its go time for fixing it up with no excuses! I started to get a leak from the water pump which didn't really surprise me due to the condition of the coolant when i got the bike. I resealed the front cover with a new gasket and flushed the system a couple of times, it started leaking the next day. I repeated the process to no avail; it was leaking from the weep whole and the pump was shot. I ordered a used pump from the UK and it looked so much better than my own. I replaced it with no issues the used pump works great. There was a rather large bulge on the outlet hose of my old one so i took it apart to see what it was and it was just a huge pile of corrosion that had sunk to the bottom of the system and congealed, i couldn't believe my eyes. I had forgotten all about the clutch master and slave until i started to lose engagement and had trouble shifting into a couple of gears. I opened the master to find about a half an inch of dark pudding....i had to scraped it out with an actual spoon, needless to say it was overdue. A quarts of brake fluid later and i had pressure again and clear fluid moving through the lines. When it was time to replace the old chain and sprockets i discovered a leaky slave with no surprise. I'm in the process of rebuild that right now along with bringing life back to the dirty rear hub while its apart for the rear disc swap. I'm going with 16 45 on gearing with a DID 530 chain.

 

The wiring was a complete joke, totally hacked up by some previous owner who thought splicing was done by tying wires together and throwing a piece of electrical tape on it was good enough. The tail end of this thing was such an atrocity it's mind boggling. Someone wanted and integrated tail light and no blinkers so badly that they actually cut the blinker mounts out of the plastics, and reshaped the tail fairing of the bike to only accommodate the taillight. They even cut holes in the taillight and stuffed some unregulated led bulbs in it for blinkers along with the 50 cent led's to replace the factory brake light. When those failed to give any illumination they used an old piece of the fairing to stuff into a slit the cut in the taillight to separate the lights! You can't make this stuff up. My lights also constantly fluctuated to the point my fellow riders would pull aside thinking i was flashing them for some reason, nope just me and my permanently flashing lights. I purchased a new REC/REG and a VFRNess and it solved that issue right away (awesome quality on the VFRNess by the way). I fixed the tail the best i could for what it was, but i already see cracks beginning to emerge (fiberglass to plastic joints will never hold for long) the fitment of the thing is atrocious, but with the new Project R led taillight in it does actually look fairly slick after 4 hours of bracket fabrication...

 

For the paint and cosmetic it was pretty simple for me because I'm an auto body painter so i do it day in and day out, just a full weekend and a few hours after work every day and she was sparkling new. I went with a color names Sapphire Black because i couldn't decide on blue or black, so i did both! in the dark, or shade, or if you're looking at the bike from an angle (the flop of the color) in industry terms the vehicle is straight black. Only when the sun or light source hits it directly does it show the deep blue pearl hiding underneath. It took a little time to modify the paint to look how i wanted and I'm stoked on it! Also my wheels are getting powder coated white as i write this :D due to a very bad paint reaction when i went to spray them, sandblasting and powder coating is the choice for wheel coating. I have wheel bearings on the way for when i go to put them back on, figured might as well while they are out. I'm going with a smoked Zero Gravity DB on the windshield to tie it all together. I'll begin putting all of the fairings back together this week, my front stay fairing and gauge cluster mount is bent to hell though...i did some pulling on it at the shop but who knows how bad it really is. So as an offering to my future self i ordered a used one off Ebay that will be here Friday. I'm also going to get the Delkavic DL10 high mount exhaust to show off the SSSA when i have the proper funding, looking forward to getting it all put together here in the next month or two.

 

I have tons of photos documenting most everything i have gone over in my write up, i also have a few good videos as well. But i believe I'm going to make a YouTube compilation of the "VFR Chronicles" so it can be viewed as one big long video of the debauchery that went on to make this thing what it is today. When that is complete I'll be sure to post a link to it for your enjoyment :). If you read this whole thing you are a champion and i truly appreciate the time you took to analyze my poor sentence structure along the way! I'll try to keep updating as much as i can going along in the future for anyone who is interested in my little adventure into the 4th Gen world!

 

Thanks, Miles

IMG_20160620_211049290.jpg

IMG_20160620_211057504.jpg

IMG_20160620_211105049.jpg

IMG_20160620_211110936.jpg

IMG_20160620_211118488.jpg

IMG_20160622_201632227.jpg

IMG_20160622_201646958.jpg

IMG_20160622_201658031.jpg

IMG_20160620_211235843.jpg

IMG_20160620_211252412.jpg

IMG_20160624_205111335.jpg

IMG_20160624_205122479.jpg

IMG_20160624_205128595.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Welcome and congratulations....
Shocking how some treat fine machinery, but this one's found it's place!
Low miles, the rest can be fixed....

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmm... I've never named a vehicle before for I never seem to find the right one. But I'll be damned if that isn't half bad! Thanks, I'll need some of that I'm sure. Also I uploaded most of the rest of the photos for anyone interested. I didn't have time to label them all yet, but I'm sure you'll figure most of it out ?

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer

Welcome Miles!

 

If u ever need another waterpump, it is yours for shipping... :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you! That I do, luckily I'm on the home stretch stretch now. Just got the wheels powder coated semigloss white ? so it should look pretty nice! I'll post pictures in the album since I can't post anymore on this thread. Have a good one!

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome! You should get the matching front turn signals for your tail light with a set of switchback led bulbs. Also I see your original TBR muffler is the same style as my left exit can. I've been contemplating a low dual exit setup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been contemplating that for some time now. But I'm not sure how many in-line resistors I really want to put in. For now I'm just trying to get it put together for the first time. The fairing fitment is becoming an obscene task in itself. Is the exit placement the same as mine? I had to fab an S pipe for the muffler and wouldn't mind doing a left exit. I'd like to show off that wheel a little more!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
On 1/25/2017 at 7:38 PM, FairWeatherFellow said:

Hmmm... I've never named a vehicle before for I never seem to find the right one. But I'll be damned if that isn't half bad! Thanks, I'll need some of that I'm sure. Also I uploaded most of the rest of the photos for anyone interested. I didn't have time to label them all yet, but I'm sure you'll figure most of it out ?

 

Thanks, Miles

Welcome, a great write up Miles. But it is hard to go past "Rocket Powered Sponge" for a name!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
2 hours ago, FairWeatherFellow said:

I've been contemplating that for some time now. But I'm not sure how many in-line resistors I really want to put in. For now I'm just trying to get it put together for the first time. The fairing fitment is becoming an obscene task in itself. Is the exit placement the same as mine? I had to fab an S pipe for the muffler and wouldn't mind doing a left exit. I'd like to show off that wheel a little more!

You will need an in-line resistor for each individual LED indicator, or you can swap out the flasher relay for an LED-specific one and not mess up the messed-up wiring any more. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, FairWeatherFellow said:

I've been contemplating that for some time now. But I'm not sure how many in-line resistors I really want to put in. For now I'm just trying to get it put together for the first time. The fairing fitment is becoming an obscene task in itself. Is the exit placement the same as mine? I had to fab an S pipe for the muffler and wouldn't mind doing a left exit. I'd like to show off that wheel a little more!

As Terry suggested the best bet is a new flasher relay. They are fairly cheap. As far as making your exhaust a left exit, probably doable if you can make your own S pipe. I am 99% sure the left and right exit exhausts got slightly different manifold designs. 

 

If you ever consider scrapping the TBR muffler let me know, I could use the end caps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Terry said:

Welcome, a great write up Miles. But it is hard to go past "Rocket Powered Sponge" for a name!

Thanks! I figured I wouldn't skip on details for those who enjoy it. Haha well that name isn't too fitting now, she feels like new after I got done with her. It's no wonder the bike was wrecked, the damn thing wouldn't have turned if you wanted it to!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Terry said:

You will need an in-line resistor for each individual LED indicator, or you can swap out the flasher relay for an LED-specific one and not mess up the messed-up wiring any more. 

Thanks for the info! I received a led flasher relay with the rear blinkers that I can't use. Do you replace the factory one with it and you're good to go? Also how is it affected with having the factory blinkers up front? 

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member Contributer
49 minutes ago, FairWeatherFellow said:

Thanks for the info! I received a led flasher relay with the rear blinkers that I can't use. Do you replace the factory one with it and you're good to go? Also how is it affected with having the factory blinkers up front? 

 

Thanks, Miles

Ok now I'm not sure. Easiest would be if you put LED bulbs in the front flashers as well, then all you need to do is swap the standard flasher relay for the LED relay, and all will be well. If you retain the standard 21W bulbs up front, the LED flasher may not have enough oomph to operate them. Does the LED flasher have a maximum wattage rating? If it is 42W or more then it ought to work well with standard bulbs in any case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, V-FORE said:

Miles you can buy led bulbs that take the place of regular bulbs at O'rielly that is what I did for the 5th Gen and just buy a led flasher from  https://www.superbrightleds.com

Problem solved : )

 

19 hours ago, Terry said:

Ok now I'm not sure. Easiest would be if you put LED bulbs in the front flashers as well, then all you need to do is swap the standard flasher relay for the LED relay, and all will be well. If you retain the standard 21W bulbs up front, the LED flasher may not have enough oomph to operate them. Does the LED flasher have a maximum wattage rating? If it is 42W or more then it ought to work well with standard bulbs in any case.

I have a flasher relay already but I'm not sure on the specs of it. I'll look at it when I get home and see what the wattage rating is on it. Anybody know the part number for the blinker bulbs? It would be easy just to do led all the way around. Even though I don't even have rears yet...I'm not sure what I should do for rear blinkers once I put it all together. Strip LEDs on the passenger pegs maybe?

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, FairWeatherFellow said:

 

I have a flasher relay already but I'm not sure on the specs of it. I'll look at it when I get home and see what the wattage rating is on it. Anybody know the part number for the blinker bulbs? It would be easy just to do led all the way around. Even though I don't even have rears yet...I'm not sure what I should do for rear blinkers once I put it all together. Strip LEDs on the passenger pegs maybe?

 

Thanks, Miles

The front blinkers run an 1157 bulb. You could always do something like these for the rear. http://r.ebay.com/xbGvJU

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, coupedupsubie said:

The front blinkers run an 1157 bulb. You could always do something like these for the rear. http://r.ebay.com/xbGvJU

 

4 hours ago, slovcan said:

Awesome suggestions thanks guys. I purchased a pair of flush mounts for the rear but they were crap. Not the size advertised, poor construction and they weren't even LED! I'll give it another go. I'll probably use those for the front's though.

 

I also have a new issue. My master and slave went out, and I was buying some items from V-FORE and felt his clutch pull on his old bike and it was great. He gave me the master and slave combo and I put it on my bike. There was no pressure or anything once installed. I bled the damn this for a while to no prevail. Is there something that could cause my slave and master to have no pressure that isn't involved with the salve and master at all?

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, FairWeatherFellow said:

 

Awesome suggestions thanks guys. I purchased a pair of flush mounts for the rear but they were crap. Not the size advertised, poor construction and they weren't even LED! I'll give it another go. I'll probably use those for the front's though.

 

I also have a new issue. My master and slave went out, and I was buying some items from V-FORE and felt his clutch pull on his old bike and it was great. He gave me the master and slave combo and I put it on my bike. There was no pressure or anything once installed. I bled the damn this for a while to no prevail. Is there something that could cause my slave and master to have no pressure that isn't involved with the salve and master at all?

 

Thanks, Miles

 

I would suggest taking the slave cylinder off and slowly squeezing the handle to check for movement. You can even try squeezing it to try and keep it depressed, should give you an idea of if it is working. From there I would say you could have something broken or weak in the clutch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, coupedupsubie said:

 

I would suggest taking the slave cylinder off and slowly squeezing the handle to check for movement. You can even try squeezing it to try and keep it depressed, should give you an idea of if it is working. From there I would say you could have something broken or weak in the clutch.

Ok, I checked before hand on the slave. There was movement in both the used one, and the one that came off too...So it could be on the mechanical side. Weak springs maybe? There's a noticeable clatter from my clutch when it is disengaged, when it's engaged it goes away. Not sure if that has any relation.

 

Thanks, Miles

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.