It was too cheap!

[Terry]

I have been a confirmed fifth gen owner for many years, but recently a 2009 which had sat on the local auction site reached my "buy now" level. The bike has 85000km, and the PO had parked it in 2022 after an inspection failure due to thin front discs. I just so happen to have a complete set of near-new lovely gold wheels with discs that I bought speculatively 5 years ago. The bike also has the dreaded cam chain rattle at low revs, a cracked windscreen, leaking fork seals and very minor stationery drop damage, but the seller put zero effort into resolving any of those or even cleaning the bike for photos (or possibly at all, during his ownership...). His loss, my gain!

 

I collected the bike last night and survived a chilly ride home which did not reveal any unexpected faults aside from weird handling due to low tyre pressures. I'm looking forward to peeling off the covers and giving this dirty bike a good scrubbing, and then setting to rectifying the faults. I am planning on trying the "two turns of extra spring preload" fix for the CCT but replacements don't look too expensive. I will also check out the valve clearances; as I don't want to buy the small dowels to lock the VTEC valves, can someone tell me what diameter rod I need to get to make my own?

 

And no new post is complete without a photo...

 

 

[St. Stephen]

Congrats Terry! Looking forward to more pics on those great NZ roads.

[YosemiteVFR]

Such a great color on a 6th Gen. Congratulations on the acquisition! Yes more pictures would be welcomed!

[Terry]

I'm going to repaint the fork legs in satin black when I fit my new/old gold wheels, so I end up with this. I must admit that I really do like the 6G's lines, even my wife commented what a nice looker it is.

 

[Grum]

Great looker for sure Terry. I'm sure the Candy Red with the silver wheels was for 2008, 2009 saw the same colour scheme but with the gold wheels, black frame and forks.

My 2009 Sword Silver with gold wheels was a great looker and all round fantastic bike.

As for re tweaking the CCT springs, that just doesn't seem to work as a long term fix. And especially with the front CCT you don't want to be in and out of the Vee replacing it again as it's a PITA. Best fit a new oem. Rear CCT is easily accessible.

Have fun with it Terry hope it brings you tons of riding joy.

Cheers.

[Terry]

27 minutes ago, Grum said:

Great looker for sure Terry. I'm sure the Candy Red with the silver wheels was for 2008, 2009 saw the same colour scheme but with the gold wheels.

My 2009 Sword Silver with gold wheels was a great looker and all round fantastic bike.

As for re tweaking the CCT springs, that just doesn't seem to work as a long term fix. And especially with the front CCT you don't want to be in and out of the Vee replacing it again as it's a PITA. Best fit a new oem. Rear CCT is easily accessible.

Have fun with it Terry hope it brings you tons of riding joy.

Cheers.

Thanks Graeme. I bought as a bit of a project so I am not fussed if I have to tinker from time to time.

 

Do I take it that you did the CCT re-tension on your 6G and it did not work? Or just not for very long? Did you also increase the oil feed hole size?

[Grum]

16 minutes ago, Terry said:

Thanks Graeme. I bought as a bit of a project so I am not fussed if I have to tinker from time to time.

 

Do I take it that you did the CCT re-tension on your 6G and it did not work? Or just not for very long? Did you also increase the oil feed hole size?

Correct, I gave it a go and within days the chain chatter was back, all solved with a new one. I'm also of the belief that increasing the oil feed hole does Jack, as these tensioners are not like some of the early car type plunger tensioners that certainly did rely on oil pressure in the punger to do the job, the VFR CCT's don't rely on oil pressure from the oil feed, just purely for lubrication. The VFR CCT's I've removed (3 of) have all been very adequately bathed in oil and operated smoothy, think it's an issue with heat cycles, vibration and age that the spring tension starts to go off resulting in chain chatter up at the head covers, probably a fine line with CCT's in applying just the right tension.

[TimC]

Nice score on that great looking 6th gen.  Congrats!!  🙂

[Terry]

The great clean up has commenced. I picked up some bits and pieces and set to work on Saturday stripping all the bodywork and cleaning. A new bike is always an interesting puzzle to solve when it comes to bodywork and the different fasteners used. Only found one chewed out fairing bolt, but someone had kindly cut a slot in that for a big screwdriver.

 

The level of gunge was amazing; the PO had been a motorcycle courier in UK back in the day and had treated his VFR like a dispatch bike, where cleaning wasn't a priority... Seemes to be well maintained under all the dirt with evidence of antiseize on fasteners and none over-tight. I spent all of Saturday with degreaser and a scrubbing brush transferring years of oily mess from the bike to me. Great clumps of dirt were washed out from all nooks and crannies, but I can see i have more to do around the suspension and swingarm. 

 

I removed some bodgy combination numberplate light/bolts; the PO had not realised there was a standard light (new bulb needed)!. One H4 headlight plug was completely absent and evidence of burning on the loose connectors; new socket fitted, back to two headlights.

 

The forks disassembled easily and were predictably nasty in side, obviously was some water mixing in the oil and a deep layer of gunge in the fork bottoms but near-new bushings, and no tube nicks. Fitted some new seals and refilled with clean oil, then set to prepping the legs for paint, which I did on Sunday.

 

I did the dreaded brake caliper clean yesterday, and the right caliper was hideous, full of a mix of fork oil, brake dust and dirt, and took a LOT of scrubbing to get it all off. The pistons were nice and clean and moving well, so I buttoned them up with new pads and called that done.  A full brake flush is in the plan.

 

The bike has a K&N air filter which was a little manky, but responded well to cleaning and re-oiling. The airbox was nice and clean but there was some emulsion in the breather tube; I think this bike needs a good thrashing to dry out after a few years of neglect. The engine oil window shows a little evidence of this too. 

 

Then I pulled the sprocket cover off, and yet again there was a gritty, greasy mess around that area; it needs a deeper clean, but for now I have scraped all the big lumps out, and so far avoided tracking any of that onto the carpet...I disassembled the clutch master, seal was good and I polished up the piston, and I cleaned and greased the pushrod. The cutch was complete PITA to bleed, even with my vacuum bleeder there was too much air leaking around the nipple until I wrapped that in thread tape. The clutch master had a layer of grey goop in the floor so all of that was removed. 

 

I bought a nice new T32 front tyre and some 90 degree stems from the dealer. When I fitted the stem, it seemed kind of small for the hole and I wondered how it would seal, but found that out after fitting the tyre and blowing it up. Apparently there are 8mm and 10mm holes, and I needed the bigger one... Bugger!

 

I have taken Grum's sage advice and orders up new tensioners from Webike in Japan; great prices, hopefully decent shipping times too. 

 

Anyway, she's all coming together pretty well. 

 

[VeeEffArah]

Those black fork bottoms look mint. That's going to be a definite winter project. 

[Grum]

Really looking nice Terry. The gold wheel and black forks look brand new, love the colour combination. You're not wasting any time getting some serious work done.

Tyre valves - Had a new rear tyre fitted to my 6gen years ago, wasn't aware they also fitted a new valve stem, just slightly longer than the original, kept hearing a tic tic sound when riding as the valve stem was hitting the brake caliper. Beware of valve stem height on a 6gen rear wheel.

Keep the pictures coming.

 

P.s. How's the ST's Neutral Switch behaving, no further starting issues?

Cheers.

[Terry]

1 hour ago, Grum said:

Really looking nice Terry. The gold wheel and black forks look brand new, love the colour combination. You're not wasting any time getting some serious work done.

Tyre valves - Had a new rear tyre fitted to my 6gen years ago, wasn't aware they also fitted a new valve stem, just slightly longer than the original, kept hearing a tic tic sound when riding as the valve stem was hitting the brake caliper. Beware of valve stem height on a 6gen rear wheel.

Keep the pictures coming.

 

P.s. How's the ST's Neutral Switch behaving, no further starting issues?

Cheers.

I actually bought the wheels off Highside, a member here, who put a 5G motor in a 6G chassis, and then (I think) put an R1 front end on, plus sexy wheels. These don't look to have seen much use and have been living on a shelf in my garage for 5? years. 

 

Good tip on the valve length, I had a small issue with 90 degree stems on my 86 750 but could rotate the stem for clearance. 

 

The ST has been starting on the button since I changed the switch. To be fair, the weather has not encouraged to many rides lately...

[fabio222]

That is a beauty of a bike, the very best of luck with it Terry! Looks like you're getting stuck in to the work too!

 

Is the cam chain tensioner failing a very common issue on this generation? I don't think I've had it as an issue on my 6th gen. Certainly wasn't on my 4th gen (I know I know, gears!).

 

On the topic of fairing fasteners and whatnot, isn't it amazing how nicely the bodywork removes from the 6th gen? I'm comparing it to my 4th generation which, obviously, is a good deal older and the plastic more brittle. 

[Terry]

4 hours ago, fabio222 said:

That is a beauty of a bike, the very best of luck with it Terry! Looks like you're getting stuck in to the work too!

 

Is the cam chain tensioner failing a very common issue on this generation? I don't think I've had it as an issue on my 6th gen. Certainly wasn't on my 4th gen (I know I know, gears!).

 

On the topic of fairing fasteners and whatnot, isn't it amazing how nicely the bodywork removes from the 6th gen? I'm comparing it to my 4th generation which, obviously, is a good deal older and the plastic more brittle. 

From my reading it seems that the CCTs are a weak point on the 6G, fortunately they don't look too hard to swap, and aside from getting noisy there don't appear to be any consequenial effects. The same issue occurs on the VTR1000F Firestorm, but on that bike the front CCT failing is often catastrophic resulting in valves getting bent by piston contact...

 

I took the fairing strip slow and steady; the only bits that were difficult were the small panels either side of the instruments, probably due to the grommets being very dry. I make a practise of adding a smear of silicone grease to these which should make it an easier job next time. Other than that and the multitude of the weird plastic push-connectors it was easy enough. 

 

I reassembled the front end last night and the gold wheel, black fork and red fender certainly do pop! Unfortunately my front brakes are now not releasing after application so I will be stripping the master for a clean soon...

 

My wife observed that I was spending a lot of time on the bike too...she has suggested that if I keep at this pace, my "project" will be over too soon. Women, eh?

[Captain 80s]

49 minutes ago, Terry said:

From my reading it seems that the CCTs are a weak point on the 6G, fortunately they don't look too hard to swap, and aside from getting noisy there don't appear to be any consequenial effects. The same issue occurs on the VTR1000F Firestorm, but on that bike the front CCT failing is often catastrophic resulting in valves getting bent by piston contact...

 

I have what's left of a Firestorm valve on my shop shelf from when I was riding one.  I had to hold about 3K RPM at stop lights with 5 foot flames shooting out the high mount Two Bros pipes.   The owner of the bike on another bike next to me looked at me and shrugged his shoulders....    "Just get it home".   Can do, we were about a mile or two away from my place.

 

He had the choice of buying the '98 Superhawk or a '98 VFR.  He still regrets his decision.

 

 

[Terry]

51 minutes ago, Captain 80s said:

 

I have what's left of a Firestorm valve on my shop shelf from when I was riding one.  I had to hold about 3K RPM at stop lights with 5 foot flames shooting out the high mount Two Bros pipes.   The owner of the bike on another bike next to me looked at me and shrugged his shoulders....    "Just get it home".   Can do.

 

He had the choice of buying the '98 Superhawk or a '98 VFR.  He still regrets his decision.

 

 

When I bought 1997 VTR, the first thing I did after getting it home was to change the tensioners for manual items. More time consuming to maintain and I had to learn about tensioning them correctly, but it got rid of my impending doom feelings.

[Captain 80s]

We switched to manual tensioners after the warranty repair.

[Terry]

I have spent a few more evenings working on the VFR, getting the front end reassembled and testing the brakes. The dealer that sold me the 90 degree stems was decent and swapped them for the correct size, and I was able to shame them into physically swapping them from my wheel, so well done Auckland Honda.

 

The brakes have been a little frustrating as there is an inordinate amount of drag between the new pads and new (old) discs. So far I have disassembled and cleaned the master (in perfect condition apart from external dirt) and then did the same to the calipers. I had the seals out and the grooves were spotless and the seals perfect to eye and feel, and the pistons are unmarked, so it has all been cleaned and reassembled with some silicone lube, including the sliding pins, and the pistons slid in smoothly with no binding. The result is about the same; I can get about 3/4 of a revolution with a good shove on the wheel. I suspect the discs have got a bit of surface corrosion (they sat in my unheated garage for 5 years) and I have some assertive new pads, so assume this will correct itself with a short ride. Anyway...on the bright side, I know they are all clean now!

 

As I had to break the SMC line to get the LHS caliper off, I carried on to the do the back caliper and will repeat the full strip and clean process (it had a great coating of chain lube and other grunge), and then get into a decent bleed.

 

I learned my lesson with the clutch slave, so I am carefully adding some thread tape to all the bleed screws as I work. The back pads were just about worn through so intervention was timely. 

[VeeEffArah]

More than likely, a few miles with those new pads will sort itself out.

 

One thing I've done since the mid 90's, is always bead blast the surface area of the rotors when changing pads. Luckily we have a bead blaster at my workplace .

Not knowing the previous pad material and such, I'm starting fresh and new and it always seems to reduce said drag on the ones that I experienced any.

Also, I always give the bobbins a good cleaning on both sides and a spin with larger flat blade screw driver to make sure they are "floating" correctly.

 

[Terry]

6 hours ago, VeeEffArah said:

More than likely, a few miles with those new pads will sort itself out.

 

One thing I've done since the mid 90's, is always bead blast the surface area of the rotors when changing pads. Luckily we have a bead blaster at my workplace .

Not knowing the previous pad material and such, I'm starting fresh and new and it always seems to reduce said drag on the ones that I experienced any.

Also, I always give the bobbins a good cleaning on both sides and a spin with larger flat blade screw driver to make sure they are "floating" correctly.

 

Thanks, those are some helpful suggestions. I think I will give the discs a light sanding to remove the surface corrosion before I give it a test ride. I know all the slidey bits are slidey and properly aligned so corrosion is my last likely drag cause.

 

I finished off the back caliper last night, then did the dreaded linked brake bleed starting from empty lines. Actually not as painful as I thought, I followed the manual which (unless there is a typo) goes PCV --> Rear Centre --> PCV --> Rear outers --> Front left centre. The repeat on the PCV was interesting, not sure if it was needed, but the brakes bled up like a charm with great pedal feel.

 

I'm expecting a new Aliexpress screen to be delivered shortly, and I have some new grips to go on (the old Hot Grips had been worn to slicks). Then I plan to swap the 50% worn Road 5 onto my nice gold rear wheel, and then move to a coolant, oil and filter change. The new CCT's have been dispatched from Japan so should see those in the next 7 days I hope. 

 

That gold wheel certainly makes the stock silver wheel look a bit dull! Good thing I like cleaning though...

 

 

[Terry]

And this is what I have ended up with. I have even been out for a sneaky run around the block, and the bike is now handling, braking and running sweetly. The camchain rattle disappears after 2K and I am left with a lovely induction bark and an appetite for revs. The clutch remains quite grabby and also has a decent rattle, so I think I will get some new fibre discs next. I also checked out the plugs and they look like they may never have been changed, so will order up some of those expensive little blighters as well.

 

[tsmitty]

Very nice Terry! 

[Grum]

Great job Terry, really looks nice and classy.

You didn't waste any time in getting it to this state. Glad you found something to fit the Gold Wheels you had sitting around.

[VeeEffArah]

Do you use some secret sauce on the black bits like the chain cover or was it still new looking and not faded yet?

[mello dude]

Terry, those gold wheels really compliment the candy red paint....