Guest DonnyBallGame Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 (edited) I just got my triple tree clamp today, Lines should be here tomorrow. This weekend is suppose to be sunny, so I will get it ou and take more pictures when it is finally complete. Thanks for your comments. I can't wait to get it out and ride it. That will be the real test and reason for doing this mod. Oh, and to be different of course. Douglasthecook, or anyone else for that matter, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me anytime. I am always glad to help. OK, I could not resist the urge to visit the garage. The RC51 Top Clamp by vortex was made just for me. (Pictures to follow soon) Since I have the longer YZF-R1 Forks, the Fork tubes are flush with the top of the clamp. Looks great. I was also able to raise my clip-ons another .625 inches. Whahoo!!! No more collisions with the instrument cluster and I get to use the full range of adjustment of the Cycle Cat Risers! I am pumped! Now I am really excited about getting it on the road. :beer: Edited March 13, 2007 by DonnyBallGame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 OK, I got all my database info updated on the previous page. I added the length and fittings of the lines I used. I got the brakes and the clutch bled tonight. I was so excited that I went over everything twice, torqued things that need torqued, and took it around the block a few times. IT"S ALIVE!!! The steering was a bit heavy, after I got back I checked the front tire pressure. 18 psi will have that effect on handling. Other than that things worked out great. I can't wait to get it on the road for the real shake down. The major thing I noticed first was the brakes. They work really well. The first bad thing I noticed was the increased turning radius. I made a few U-turns at the end of the block and it became noticable really quick. I am going to adjust my dead stops to gain the most steering movement I can. The one place I need to watch is the fork tube to radiator collision. I maay look into moving the top of the radiator back to gain some more room to turn the steering. More on this later. Right now, it is 100% rideable, and I am happy. Now it needs a good bath and some "After Winter Mods" pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Yippee! Very pleased for you. Looking forward to pics and futher impressions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) SWEET!!! Glad to hear that she's alive, and breathing again. Mine is still on life support, although she is getting noticable better. Hanging the forks the other day really made me feel like I've accomplished something. Now if the rest of the parts would get here...follow the link for pics... http://vfrworld.com/photos/showgallery.php...500/ppuser/1185 Edited March 14, 2007 by douglasthecook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 (edited) Ok, so I got most of my parts in last night. All the ones that I need to finish up my front end swap hopefully, providing I don't have any issues with some of my stock components. I decided to swap the left and right bar risers so that the mounting tabs face the rear of the forks, and won't hit the instrument cluster. We'll see if this works. I'll be busy this weekend for sure. Your bike looks really good BTW, DBG!!! HEY!!! Where are the pics of your custom upper??? Edited March 16, 2007 by douglasthecook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vfrrider Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 Donny Ball Game, Good luck on moving the upper radiator mount. Its VERY tight there. Maybe you could move it down and back and redo the entire radiator mounts system. That would be fun. Larry VFRrider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 All buttoned up, for now. I need to start riding it now. Later next week looks like the weather will finally start to cooperate around here. IMGP0792.JPG This top clamp really needs to be black. IMGP0795.JPG Note the clearance between the reservoirs and the Cycle Cat risers. IMGP0796.JPG IMGP0794.JPG This project has been fun. I have enjoyed chatting with everyone. A big THANK YOU goes out to all who have helped, you know who you are. :thumbsup: Let's keep it going for Douglasthecook. The stage is yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Your bike looks really nice, glad it all came together!!! Hopefully I can get mine looking as sharp as yours!!! I think I'm going to use the Cycle Cat bar ends, as it doesn't look like I'm going to trim my tubes, but as you know with this project things change daily it seems!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Ok, a little update on my project. I'ts 90% completed, I have a clutch master cylindar on the way, as well as a new 954 top triple clamp. My bike is finally off the stand, and is proudly standing on it's own power and two wheels. Hopefully I'll have it finished by next weekend. It would have been finished alot sooner if I were back in the States, but I'm not ( quite enjoying Germany BTW) and it takes forever for stuff to get here in the mail, priority even!!! Soon I'll have pics on my bike, I've been calling her the "Swan" after hat goofy show that lasted two seasons where they took some average looking woman, spent alot of $$$ on her to make her look above average. I'll let you guys decide when it's all said and done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Ok, a little update on my project. I'ts 90% completed, I have a clutch master cylindar on the way, as well as a new 954 top triple clamp. My bike is finally off the stand, and is proudly standing on it's own power and two wheels. Hopefully I'll have it finished by next weekend. It would have been finished alot sooner if I were back in the States, but I'm not ( quite enjoying Germany BTW) and it takes forever for stuff to get here in the mail, priority even!!! Soon I'll have pics on my bike, I've been calling her the "Swan" after hat goofy show that lasted two seasons where they took some average looking woman, spent alot of $$$ on her to make her look above average. I'll let you guys decide when it's all said and done. Sounds like your having fun. I can't wait to compare our 2 bikes once you are done. Too bad we can't get together and do a ride comparison. That would be fun. I have riden mine for 3 days now. Biggest improvement I notice is the brakes. THEY ARE THE BOMB! The springs are too soft for my liking, so new ones are on the way. BTW, R1 front springs are a pain to change. You really need the correct tool to compress the spring before you can get the fork caps off. What a rip. Anyway, IMHO, if you are as happy as I am after the swap, all the pain in shipping and $$$ spent is all worth the out come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 (edited) Ok, so after about a month of waiting for all my parts to come in, everything is back together!!! So far the initial riding impressions are quite good, the 954 Front end offers up ALOT more feedback, and the brakes are OUTSTANDING!!! The Micron pipe sounds GREAT!!! I'm quite happy with the sound, appearance, and build quality of it. I haven't been able to test out the wind protection of the new windscreen yet, as I'm still scrubbing in my new tires, and don't want to put myself in a position that would put me back to square one. As far as the change from the 45T rear sprocket, again around town I haven't had a chance to really fel it out yet. Perhaps by the end of the week. Pics can be found here... http://vfrworld.com/photos/showgallery.php...amp;ppuser=1185 I found it easier to just use my VFRWorld album, as the pics were already updated, and didn't see a need to post them twice. However if you guys think I should post some here as well, let me know and I'll attempt to do such. Thanks to everyone that helped, listened, gave advice, and paved the way for this to get done. It it weren't for the VFR community, this would have never happened!!! You guys and gals are the best!!!!! Edited April 8, 2007 by douglasthecook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer magellan Posted April 8, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted April 8, 2007 Very cool! Thanks for inviting us along. :thumbsup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NYMBYSS Posted April 8, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted April 8, 2007 i like it !!! sweet !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Great looking work. Everything looks like it went together as planned. I like the front fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NYMBYSS Posted April 8, 2007 Member Contributer Share Posted April 8, 2007 well done,bravo :beer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the compliments!!! It was rather fun to do. DBG, as far as the front fender goes, I think yours is of a better quality, if mine ends up cracking I'll order from the same place that you got yours from. Other than that I'm quite pleased with the results!!! I ended up swapping the Cycle Cat clip-ons to the opposite sides, as the coffin style reservoirs gave me some clearance issues. The 954 brake master cylinder fixed that, and I found an Aprilia clutch master cylinder of Ebay as well. I kept the clip-ons swapped because the pinch bolt contacted the instrument cluster, the way I have them now they are in the back and don't touch the instrument cluster. I didn't have any issues with my throttle cables, however it seems that my choke cable may be a little short, or in need of adjustment. It never seemed to work 100% before the swap, so it's something that I'll look into at a later date. After I get a good set of leathers and boots the next items on my list are an aftermarket rear shock, and some Predator or Motad headers to go with the Micron pipe. Edited April 9, 2007 by douglasthecook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Thanks for the compliments!!! It was rather fun to do. DBG, as far as the front fender goes, I think yours is of a better quality, if mine ends up cracking I'll order from the same place that you got yours from. Other than that I'm quite pleased with the results!!! I ended up swapping the Cycle Cat clip-ons to the opposite sides, as the coffin style reservoirs gave me some clearance issues. The 954 brake master cylinder fixed that, and I found an Aprilia clutch master cylinder of Ebay as well. I kept the clip-ons swapped because the pinch bolt contacted the instrument cluster, the way I have them now they are in the back and don't touch the instrument cluster. I didn't have any issues with my throttle cables, however it seems that my choke cable may be a little short, or in need of adjustment. It never seemed to work 100% before the swap, so it's something that I'll look into at a later date. After I get a good set of leathers and boots the next items on my list are an aftermarket rear shock, and some Predator or Motad headers to go with the Micron pipe. I wondered what reservoirs you were running. That is something I may check into later as well. The one thing keeping me from that right now are my great Pazzo levers. If I got different master cylinders, I would have to buy another set, and I really just want to ride now and put things off 'til next winter. It was also good to see your wheels. I like the looks of the polished rim lips on the 4th gens. That may happen soon here as well. You have a great looking bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) Thanks for the compliments!!! It was rather fun to do. DBG, as far as the front fender goes, I think yours is of a better quality, if mine ends up cracking I'll order from the same place that you got yours from. Other than that I'm quite pleased with the results!!! I ended up swapping the Cycle Cat clip-ons to the opposite sides, as the coffin style reservoirs gave me some clearance issues. The 954 brake master cylinder fixed that, and I found an Aprilia clutch master cylinder of Ebay as well. I kept the clip-ons swapped because the pinch bolt contacted the instrument cluster, the way I have them now they are in the back and don't touch the instrument cluster. I didn't have any issues with my throttle cables, however it seems that my choke cable may be a little short, or in need of adjustment. It never seemed to work 100% before the swap, so it's something that I'll look into at a later date. After I get a good set of leathers and boots the next items on my list are an aftermarket rear shock, and some Predator or Motad headers to go with the Micron pipe. I wondered what reservoirs you were running. That is something I may check into later as well. The one thing keeping me from that right now are my great Pazzo levers. If I got different master cylinders, I would have to buy another set, and I really just want to ride now and put things off 'til next winter. It was also good to see your wheels. I like the looks of the polished rim lips on the 4th gens. That may happen soon here as well. You have a great looking bike. Thanks!!! I would like to get the Pazzo levers as well, but that'll be saved for later, waaay later!!! Spiegler has some sweet radial master cylinders for the brake and clutch (http://www.spieglerusa.com/cfm/mc_ca.cfm), that is another option that I have considered, but I just want to ride, I'm tired of down time!!! I would like to upgrade to those eventually, but I have other mods on the list ahead of those. Your bike looks really good to, your fairings are in ALOT better shape than mine!!! It's kinda funny how we both went with a CF front fender, and a double bubble windscreen. As far as the rims go, it wasn't that time consuming, very rough on the hands though. I did all the sanding and polishing by hand. It took about a day per rim. I don't like alot of chrome or polish, but a little can go along way to making a big difference, like your custom top triple clamp (that thing is SWEEET), really makes your cockpit stand out!!! If you decide to do yours, just hit me up, and I'll give you the details, I'd be more than happy to help, as you've helped me quite a bit on this, thanks again for that BTW!!! Now if we can only get Phantom to finish his project up, there just might be enough Frankenviffers to take over the world!!! Edited April 9, 2007 by douglasthecook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobie1dog Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 What are you doing about mirrors? Didn't see any on there..did see mirror block-off plates on the fairing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Now THAT is how the 4th Gen should have come from the factory! Congratulations DTC - fantastic job. You and DBG have kicked it hard! I hear ya about finishing mine - just had four days off work and didn't have time to hit the shed even once... sigh... this week I have some 'quality me/bike time' locked in, and I'll be making up for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goodhawk Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 excellent work guys. I was thinking of changing a VFR 750 into a ' streetfighter' with just a small fairing ( I actually like the kinda 'mod' Kawas. Z 1000 mini faring) - I think the V 4 - if it could be 'cleaned up' plus Alum frame, single S. Arm would be cool, but further investigation kinda rules that out as too complex for me ( headlight / fairing wiring the biggest drawback. ) and the fork conversion looks a little complex - I think with the old classic NT 650 Hawk, ya can just bolt on the fireblade triple clamps / forks, and the 'blades weight is actually fairly close to Hawks . I still think Honda shoulda offered a VFR stripped down ' streetfighter style' - with sportier 'blade forks, etc of course adjusted to different weight. Maybe next year. NOT intended to divert this useful thread to THAT useless rant. good job, with bikes & writeups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 What are you doing about mirrors? Didn't see any on there..did see mirror block-off plates on the fairing. I owe you guys one more picture. I use a set of Bar-end mirrors that I designed. I saw them on a friends ZRX1100 and reverse engineered them. They take a little getting use to, but I like them. They are alos powder coated black now. IMGP0451.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 Thanks Phantom and Goodhawk for the kind words. DBG, dang dude, everytime I see your bike I notice yet another nice touch on your bike, such as the custom exhaust hangar, and lack of passenger footrests. I wish I could could do that to mine, however I like it when my wife holds me close on rides!!! I like those bar end mirrors, how well do they work? Your bike looks really clean w/o the mirror stalks sticking waay out in the wind!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DonnyBallGame Posted April 10, 2007 Share Posted April 10, 2007 I like those bar end mirrors, how well do they work? Your bike looks really clean w/o the mirror stalks sticking waay out in the wind!!! My wife doesn't ride with me much, so there are a few weeks in the summer when my grab handles and passenger pegs go back on for her and my kids. Otherwise the seat cowl and lack of pegs keep our marriage entacted. I really like the bar end mirros. I am no longer looking into my shoulders. I also like the racy look that the bike gets with the block off plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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