And so for my next trick...

[Terry]

I finally got my USD forks back together; as a serial fork fiddler I can (nearly) disassemble and reassemble RWU forks with my eye closed, but the USD is significantly different and requires some quite different techniques. My contraption involving bits of wood, two bolts and a ratchet strap worked really well to compress the spring, and a piece of wire around the damper rod allowed my to pull that up to refit the cap without too much effort so I'll call that a win. I was surprised at the oil height in the manual (160mm) which is very low compared to other bikes but I'll stick with stock until I know better. It was great to get the front end back onto the bike so I can roll it around the Mancave again. I repainted the fork bottoms in satin black which looks very tidy, along with the cleaned brakes, new disc bolts and some repainted bolts the front end is pretty tidy now. I just have a score mark on the left calliper to repaint. 

 

In other news it looks like I have a buyer for my ST1300, and I'll be stripping the Racetech forks and damper parts out and resetting that to stock. I may end up reusing the springs and Gold Valves in the 1200 but will see how that all goes. I need to ride the 1200 first!

 

I'm also getting a CBR600F4 shock with DMr modifications built up; this is intended for my 6th gen but I believe (maybe wrongly) that the shocks interchange between 800 and 1200? The shock in the 1200 has only done 23000km so should be good for a while, but even the 92000km shock in my 6th gen feels pretty reasonable. 

 

 

[Terry]

Had a very satisfying shipping day yesterday as my new O2 cable turned up along with the Helibars. There's an eBay mystery with the bars, eBay customer help contacted me to say the package had been received at their shipping centre empty, so the deal was on hold and a refund was being process. Tracking showed the consignment had stalled there too. Imagine my suprise when I received the bars as originally planned!

 

The new O2 sensor cable slipped into place (if you ignore the contortions to fit the clips under the motor) and the MIL fault light is now gone, so I refitted and refilled the radiator (again). Tip for others, the radiator is much easier to fill with the engine running, which seems to stop the annoying airlocks forming; otherwise, this bike is the worst I have seen for slow filling and burps.

 

With repaired forks, working brakes, a working cooling system...I could have gone for a ride, but satisfied myself with a few short launches in my driveway confirming clutch and brakes, and also extinguishing the TC and ABS indicators, so all now checks out electrically. I'll move onto the rear end next to deal with the corrosion effects on the ABS ring and brake disc/bolts. I'm expecting some 90 degree valve stems from Aliexpress today so will see about fitting those to the rims, and also change out the oil and filter.

 

https://youtu.be/iEoRCQvdUJc

 

 

[mello dude]

Terry, thanks for the radiator fill tip, engine running, I may try that...😉

[Terry]

15 minutes ago, mello dude said:

Terry, thanks for the radiator fill tip, engine running, I may try that...😉

I haven't had an issue filling the 800, but the 1200 has a tiny (1/2"?) hose from the filler cap down to the radiator, with a 90 degree bend and a horizontal section...you need extreme patience and a willingness to see green burps happening. Running the engine seems to have allowed the air to be displaced much more quickly.

[Terry]

And so on we go. My attention has been on the back end and specifically the corrosion apparent. So I had the wheel off (putting a jack and block of wood under the shock link was a good spot to lift) and then pulled the calliper out and then the disc flange off the final drive; this took a bit of drifting to get free. The calliper was peachy inside, no sign of the corrosion that was on the end of some of the front pistons, and disassembled without a fight. The disc bolts were horrid and I had to hammer the hex bit in on a few, after an overnight penetrating oil soak they came out and were tossed, and the torx bolts on the ABS ring came next. Lots of Evaporust and a final wire brush got all the bits clean again, and the tone ring and the disc flange got a shot of etch primer and then some wheel silver. While we were there, I also swapped out the final drive oil, based on the crud that washed out, it was due. 

 

So I have gone from this...

To this.

Keen eyes will also spot the muffler has had the used main cover fitted (ex Japan) and I sanded and polished the few scuffs on the end cap  so they are barely visible.

 

I'll be moving on to repaint a few rusty fasteners and then the clutch cover, plus a bit of a touchup on the wheel weights (does anyone else miss lead weights which were compact and never rusted...?). If the weather permits, it will be time for a sneaky local test ride this weekend! Still plenty of work to be done, I'm really enjoying this project.

[mello dude]

Looking good! 

[Captain 80s]

Looking good indeed!

[Terry]

I also have an ethical dilemma with eBay now.

 

I bought a set of used Helibars (for a decent price). The vendor was pretty slow to ship, and when the package eventually reached the eBay international hub, they found it to be empty, started a claim on my behalf and instructed the vendor to make a refund. Nothing happened for a few weeks, I sent a couple of "hurry up and refund me" messages, then out of the blue I get tracking notification and a delivery happens to my house, and the bars arrived on Tuesday.  So I sent messages back to eBay customer help and the vendor saying "close the claim, item arrived" and also closed the claim myself.

 

Then this morning, eBay emails me, I will get my full refund and lo, it shows as pending in my bank.

 

Do I take the windfall and use it to buy a centrestand now? 

[Mohawk]

eBay has lost the plot. I had a similar thing happen. Then another where the package arrived but eBay still showed it as pending delivery for months ! I blame it on AI being used by companies when its clearly not of sound mind. As I explained to someone the other day, AI is a toddler, it will be a teenager in a few years, then we will see if its friendly or stroppy ! 

[Gaz66]

14 hours ago, Terry said:

Wheel weights (does anyone else miss lead weights which were compact and never rusted...?).  

Got a bit of work on there Tez.

Car spec steel weights look a right mess on a bike wheel, personally I'd remove em & test spin the wheel on a balancer, I expect you have one in ya garage like most of us do? you may find it needs no weight at all, last few tyres I've fitted needed no weight.

Lead bike specific adhesive wheel weights are readily available over in the UK, I expect you can get in your neck of the woods, or is there some kinda ban on Lead use?

 

[FromMaine]

17 hours ago, Terry said:

I also have an ethical dilemma with eBay now.

 

I bought a set of used Helibars (for a decent price). The vendor was pretty slow to ship, and when the package eventually reached the eBay international hub, they found it to be empty, started a claim on my behalf and instructed the vendor to make a refund. Nothing happened for a few weeks, I sent a couple of "hurry up and refund me" messages, then out of the blue I get tracking notification and a delivery happens to my house, and the bars arrived on Tuesday.  So I sent messages back to eBay customer help and the vendor saying "close the claim, item arrived" and also closed the claim myself.

 

Then this morning, eBay emails me, I will get my full refund and lo, it shows as pending in my bank.

 

Do I take the windfall and use it to buy a centrestand now? 

 

My advice would be to hold yourself to the same standard you expected from the vendor and make every reasonable effort to return the funds.

 

As far as your refurbish of your 1200 goes, you are doing a cracking nice job!

 

[Terry]

10 hours ago, Gaz66 said:

Got a bit of work on there Tez.

Car spec steel weights look a right mess on a bike wheel, personally I'd remove em & test spin the wheel on a balancer, I expect you have one in ya garage like most of us do? you may find it needs no weight at all, last few tyres I've fitted needed no weight.

Lead bike specific adhesive wheel weights are readily available over in the UK, I expect you can get in your neck of the woods, or is there some kinda ban on Lead use?

 

I did put the front wheel on my static balance stand and it does need all those weights. I think wheel weights have gone the same way as shotgun pellets, no lead allowed here.

[eastbowl2]

Looking great!

[Terry]

I am embarassed now, I can't seem to set my clock. Aside from waiting until midnight to reconnect the battery, how do I do that? I have an owner's manual but I suspect they made a change in the later editions (mine is 2015). If I follow the instruction (switch to odometer, press and hold the B (r) button) I get the screen brightness control. 

 

Maybe, like my cellphone, I need a teenager to help?

 

Update: I solved my own problem, you hold the "B" button and switch on the ignition. Couldn't find an updated manual but was able to find manual for the "X" model which had enough of a clue. No teenager required (thank the Good Lord).

 

[Terry]

Don't tell the (fun) Police, but I have been out on the road for a 2km ride! All checks out 100% aside from a worn front tyre making for poor low speed steering, but the engine and brakes are great and I can verify that it has plenty of welly.

 

Next up I will change out the clutch cover; I wasn't able to get a perfect colour match but VHT "Cast Iron" isn't too far off and is rated for high heat. I spent a little time with some metal epoxy, then a bit of sandpaper and (because my wife went out at just the right time) it got a trip through the dishwasher, a final turps wipedown and the 3 coats of paint, followed by a bake in the oven (because she still wasn't home)...can this be our little secret???

 

Photo shows the inspection cover in original colour. It is getting painted now.

 

Coincidentally, it is almost exactly 4 years since I was doing this to my '86 project bike. Time really flies!

[Terry]

Well, that looks so much better. From this:

To this:

Amazing how little sealant was on the case joint; I did not clean any off before the photo. Obviously some great machinging work.

[Terry]

Kept cracking away on Sunday as the weather dictated staying home, not roaming the highways and byways of this fair land. 

 

I did a trial fit of the bodywork again with the bellypan reinstated. This highlighted that I am missing a good number of the "5x11 special screws" which hold the bodywork on. I think I will get those ordered but may also look at bodging something up using cut-off bits of aluminium tube as spacers. 

The body panels obviously need painting and I will get a Real Painter to to that; I did spend time with my brush putting rust neutraliser on the tank rear bracket which did not enjoy its previous "Outdoor Lifestyle" very much. Fortunately all the rust is superficial, unlike the wave washer on the gearshift which had been eaten half through. In spite of my best efforts, the frame still looks a bit scruffy,being faded and with a bit of alloy crusts in places. Any suggestions on how to improve this? I am leaning towards a lot of masking and a light spray of satin black at this point, at least on the exposed bits.

 

And lastly-an Oil Question! There's not  alot of 10W-30 MC oils available here (I found one). What are other 1200 owners using? All my other bikes (including the MT-10) have 10W-40 specified. Would the bike explode if I use that instead?

 

I also got as far in as the air filter; predictably ugly but at least serviceable.

[Lorne]

3 hours ago, Terry said:

And lastly-an Oil Question! There's not  alot of 10W-30 MC oils available here (I found one). What are other 1200 owners using? All my other bikes (including the MT-10) have 10W-40 specified. Would the bike explode if I use that instead?

Ooh, can't resist jumping into an oil discussion.

   Fwiw, I've used Motul 10W-40 since the last century without any issues. Of course, my 3rd & 5th gen owners manuals suggested a number of viscosities: 10W-30, 10W-40, 20W-40, 20W-50. My 6th gen says 10W-30 or 10W-40.

   That said, I think the more important consideration is the additive package because of the integral gearbox and wet clutch.

 

[Terry]

Thanks Lorne; who doesn't love a good oil discussion? In this case the 1200 specifies 10W-30, whereas all my other bikes (both VFR800s, my ST1300 and the MT-10) all specify 10W-40. The 40 will be marginally more viscous when hot than the 30, which maybe means a little more internal drag and heat generated. 

The diagram below is from the 5th gen owner's manual (although the service manual just says 10W-40). The 40 certainly covers a wider range of riding temperatures (over 40! No thanks, I will stay home by the pool). 

 

I just wondered whether other 1200 owners were fussy about this or had been using 10W-40?

 

[Terry]

Information on the 1200 suspension seems a little sparse so thanks for that. I have been in contact with the esteemed Mr Daugherty and he confirmed that the CBR600F4 shock that I have being rebuilt (new spring, piston, shims etc) should be a a straight swap if I choose to do so, i.e. I can use it interchangeably with my VFR800 VTEC or 1200. He wasn't 100% on the upper shock mount being the same but I note YSS list the exact same shock for either the 800 or 1200 so that tells me the clevis must be the same dimensions. I'm quite looking forward to taking a decent ride on this now, but I have the recertification hurdle to overcome first.

 

A few more pictures of the (nearly) finished project. But are they ever really finished??? I still need to diassemble the nose cowl and pull the screen out for a proper clean and polish, but the rest is looking pretty good now. A lick of paint and you will never know it has had a few lie downs...

 

[St. Stephen]

1 hour ago, Terry said:

 

 

Already looks better than 90% of the 1200's on the road--not that I see many on the road. Nice work Terry.

[mello dude]

Sweet looking bike. I like the black/silver more that the red/silver that first came out. 

[Skids]

I love the Titanium colour. 

 

A smoked screen will hide those impossible to clean pockets.

 

Fantastic and rapid job sorting her out there, nice one 

[Terry]

So I have started the journey towards "road legal" status; the bike was an insurance write-off and was deregistered as a result, so I need to get it back into the NZTA computer system, which requires "Entry Certification", basically a thorough check over of the various items needed for compliance like lights, horn etc. That went well but because the bike was written off, I now discovered I need a "Repair Certificate" from an engineer. And...there's no one in the largest city where I live, the nearest is an hour's drive away in Hamilton, and booked out for a couple of weeks. This bit is proving costly in time and money, the repair cert is NZD710 and 3 hours time, on top of the NZD520 and 2 hours spent to get the entry certificate today.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my 50km round trip through morning traffic however; the bike is sneaky fast, super steady and effortless on the motorway, and ran perfectly. There was a fair bit of cooling fan action at traffic lights but the heat was well managed (unlike my ST1300 "Frying Pan"). 

 

Anyway POIDH.

[MBrane]

I always thought of the 7th gen as the gentleman's sport bike. Good job on the restore. She's lookin' good. Good luck with the gubment crap.