86 VFR700F Retool or therapy or both

[Captain 80s]

I'm reading.  Keep posting, please.

[Wald]

1 hour ago, Captain 80s said:

I'm reading.  Keep posting, please.

Same here! Keep posting please. 

Right now, I am just riding,  the maintenance work wil kick in soon.

[tsmitty]

Here are the plugs. I'm not real impressed. I don't like how the center electrode is darker around half their peripheries. The exhaust side of the plug as it sets in the cumbustion chamber I assume?

#1 looks leaner than the others and the others look too rich. But I have to remember the bike was a heaping mess when it got delivered into my sons then my hands. I probably won't get to the engine this year so I have time for evaluations and recommendations. 

The last time the bike  was shut off 2 years ago, my son had no idea the following had happened to the machine;

Stator plug melted off, all three connectors shorted out and in turn the windings.

Plug wires cracked and showing spots of arching.

#1 spark plug boot was cut in half to expose the internals and glued back together.

[Captain 80s]

Nothing that I wouldn't chance a set of new DPRs with some properly sorted carbs and do a new reading with.

 

Certainly doesn't look like you will foul new plugs.

 

 

 

[tsmitty]

9 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

Nothing that I wouldn't chance a set of new DPRs with some properly sorted carbs and do a new reading with.

 

Certainly doesn't look like you will foul new plugs.

 

 

 

No they don't , wish they all looked like #1 though. I'm the one that had the carbs apart last. There is quite the discouraging story cense the old girl came back into my family, the bike got kind of rescued from my son in Wisconsin brought back to Ohio into my garage in boxes. My son got the bike from a guy in Wisconsin that never was able to get the bike over 40mph but loved how the bike handled, he had a working 86 VFR750 that handled like crap compared to this 700 he had told me. I'm not one to pat myself on the back, at all, but when I sold it about 1999-2000ish that bike run and handled very well. Here's the thing, when I picked the bike up from my son's, I had just had spinal fusion of 4 vertebra in my neck and knew my riding days were all but gone, depressed and discouraged of the condition of this pile of shit in my garage I sold everything to my brother in northern Ohio, my lift, specialty tools, everything flippin thing!!

Are you still with me? 

So big brother and his son-in-law start their turn with the bike... ... ...carbs, reg/rec, everything!

They changed parts and re-wired for a year or so, now my son buys it back, he's living in Ohio now, with dads (me) help and against dads council, we throw the thing back together, get it running almost right and he takes it home and goes joy riding...The engine did make a lot of power when we finished, but sounded rich, about 1 needle drop worth I would guess. So he lets it sit for 2 years and then "Dad it wont start!" So he trailers it over... 

Now the bikes' in my stable, I own it and I HAVE THE FLIPPIN KEY! 

So I'll just meander my way through suspension and electricals and find my way to the engine on another day, I know it'll be an expensive day. 

 

[Captain 80s]

Not sure why you think that will be an expensive day.  You expect to have to dig into internals?  I wouldn't expect to.  Those engines are very resilient.   Verify/adjust the carbs, check/adjust valve lash, enjoy the glorious sound.

 

I own 4 86 VFRs, two 700, two 750.  Ranging from 50K+ hard miles to 14K.  The 50K 750 is the smoothest and quietest engine of the bunch.  I have found that every single one of my 86's (and the 3 other VFR's of my friends) has a different personality too.  Everything gone thru and adjusted exactly the same by me and they are very different.  Not "bad", just different.

 

When I worked at the Honda Dealership I had two customers well over 100K with no major work.  One of them was ridden AS HARD AS F-ING POSSIBLE ALL THE TIME.  Zero issues.

 

Have a friend also with well over 100K on an 87. 

 

Cheers dude!  Quite the home coming story.

 

 

[tsmitty]

The only engine internals I’m expecting are stator, along with a mosfet rect. , clutch. 

[Captain 80s]

4 minutes ago, tsmitty said:

The only engine internals I’m expecting are stator, along with a mosfet rect. , clutch. 

 

Yeah...   not cheap I suppose.  😉  

[tsmitty]

35 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

 

Yeah...   not cheap I suppose.  😉  

I have time, as God gives...besides I'm getting pretty stoke about getting to the front brakes after the forks are done. They were still rock solid, twin braided, and have enough pads to put back together with. They were sticking pushing the bike into the garage, I had to convince them with a soft mallet. The new dusters and seals are on the way lol!

[Captain 80s]

11 minutes ago, tsmitty said:

I have time, as God gives...besides I'm getting pretty stoke about getting to the front brakes after the forks are done. They were still rock solid, twin braided, and have enough pads to put back together with. They were sticking pushing the bike into the garage, I had to convince them with a soft mallet. The new dusters and seals are on the way lol!

 

I am SO SICK of rebuilding brakes (and cooling systems).  Seems it's all I've been doing last few years.

 

This is hopefully my last set for a while!

 

 

The brakes for my next 2 projects are done.  I hate brake fluid.

[tsmitty]

The finish on the calipers looks nice. I think the original paint on mine is going to clean up pretty respectable. When I do the engine I am going to and have coming a couple free swatches for the covers.

I think my clutch cover look bad-ass. I came across an archived article talking about it. I'll try to find and share. I'm still trying to get used to navigating this place.  

[Captain 80s]

27 minutes ago, tsmitty said:

The finish on the calipers looks nice. I think the original paint on mine is going to clean up pretty respectable. When I do the engine I am going to and have coming a couple free swatches for the covers.

I think my clutch cover look bad-ass. I came across an archived article talking about it. I'll try to find and share. I'm still trying to get used to navigating this place.  

 

I've looked and tried a lot of paints to get an "exotic" look.  The original finish is very hard to duplicate and I am fucking done with powder coaters.  I had to be something I could spray, 

 

[tsmitty]

2 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

 

I've looked and tried a lot of paints to get an "exotic" look.  The original finish is very hard to duplicate and I am fucking done with powder coaters.  I had to be something I could spray, 

 

So what's the story with the powder coaters..?

[Captain 80s]

23 minutes ago, tsmitty said:

So what's the story with the powder coaters..?

 

Around here they apparently think they have a doctorate in PC and charge accordingly.  And then can't follow the simplest instructions (and markings on the parts) regarding masking and then they get the cheapest person on the payroll to "remove" their fuck ups and refinish the parts.  Typically the surfaces that shouldn't have finish are some of the most critical to remain flat and pristine.

 

I think there are some true hot rod PC-ers up a few counties that can identify that machined surfaces typically shouldn't get powder.  But I'm not driving or paying anymore.   Not when I get the look, quality, and durability I want at home with paint..

 

In my area, most are Aerospace or Industrial outfits.  It is SO FRUSTRATING to have someone look you in the face and tell you they understand completely and it will be done right, to have it not.  Not even close.

[tsmitty]

2 hours ago, Captain 80s said:

 

Around here they apparently think they have a doctorate in PC and charge accordingly.  And then can't follow the simplest instructions (and markings on the parts) regarding masking and then they get the cheapest person on the payroll to "remove" their fuck ups and refinish the parts.  Typically the surfaces that shouldn't have finish are some of the most critical to remain flat and pristine.

 

I think there are some true hot rod PC-ers up a few counties that can identify that machined surfaces typically shouldn't get powder.  But I'm not driving or paying anymore.   Not when I get the look, quality, and durability I want at home with paint..

 

In my area, most are Aerospace or Industrial outfits.  It is SO FRUSTRATING to have someone look you in the face and tell you they understand completely and it will be done right, to have it not.  Not even close.

 Sucks... I'm gunna have to rely on the paint dude someday! 

[tsmitty]

Memory for the day:

Grattan Raceway Park, Belding, MI;

Ok so there's this left hand downhill hair pin, off camber...this is counter normal race direction, so every time i'm hitting this turn I'm dragging my left foot peg making me total loose focus, over correct and off into the mud I go!

Annoyed, I come in a d unscrew the feelers on the foot pegs...STILL into the grass! I was just a novice with a beat up pickup truck and a toolbox about the size of a fishing box...so I pull out a hacksaw and cut about a 1/2 inch or so from the pegs. Problem solved. When I got home I had a guy Tip a ridge on them so my foot wouldn't fall off...

[tsmitty]

I'm  embarrassed to have this in my garage... 

[DannoXYZ]

You need some of these footpegs:

https://www.scar-racing.com/en/products/456-titanium-footpegs.html

 

[tsmitty]

1 hour ago, DannoXYZ said:

You need some of these footpegs:

https://www.scar-racing.com/en/products/456-titanium-footpegs.html

 

No more riding barefoot...lol

[tsmitty]

By popular demand I decided to replace my state of the art fork spacers with some 1" alum. tube...

 

[tsmitty]

The front end is ready to go together but I'm waiting for an aftermarket radiator to come in. Captain80 and I touched on this subject earlier in this topic. 

So there's a new aftermarket radiator coming in; after I mount it up and determine if the various mounting locations for the frame and fan are where the're suppose to be ...then the thing goes to Brett at ICW Radiators, he'll make any mounting adjustments and pressure test. What better way to fit the the radiator is if the front of the bike is off.

[Captain 80s]

15 hours ago, tsmitty said:

I'm  embarrassed to have this in my garage... 

 

On the "RC26" I cut the mount off and blended away the remnants.  Wasn't fun to make it look good, but the end result is clean and tucks in really nice.

[Captain 80s]

37 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

 

On the "RC26" I cut the mount off and blended away the remnants.  Wasn't fun to make it look good, but the end result is clean and tucks in really nice.

 

[tsmitty]

6 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

 

That does look slick! Thats one of those things where if you didn't tell me...I would be staring at it for hours trying to figure out what's wrong...lol

 

[Captain 80s]

1 hour ago, tsmitty said:

So there's a new aftermarket radiator coming in; after I mount it up and determine if the various mounting locations for the frame and fan are where the're suppose to be ...then the thing goes to Brett at ICW Radiators, he'll make any mounting adjustments and pressure test. What better way to fit the the radiator is if the front of the bike is off.

 

I'm interested to hear the feedback regarding what a real radiator guy has to say about these units, and the fitment report from you.