Gen. 6th Vfr: The Brake Lines Are Now Runnging Through The Swingarm!

[Guest lorenzo]

A tip that might be useful if you're doing this mod is that the swingarm gets filled up with all dorts of dirt and stuff from the road, which in turn absorbs moisture, which in turn seizes up hub assemblys, which finally in turn leads to lots of swearing when you next adjust your chain. So, to avoid this, get a can of expanding foam from a DIY shop and squirt it into one of the holes until it comes out of all the others!

[SEBSPEED]

Thanks for the input guys, I gotta check out that nylon bushing.

RRW, you're right about the burrs and chips, but in this case, it's a matter of doing the job 100%. You can do whatever you like on your own bike, but I would want the chips out to do away with the risk of excessive wear/binding the swingarm.

As for cutting the line, you can do it that way, but there is actually a how-to video posted above which was made by the folks who produce the line, showing the chisel as the best method. I do have a set of instructions at home from a previous job that show your method, so I'm sure either way works well. What I found is that using the chisel or a pair of cutters leaves a nice clean edge on the teflon hose inside.

Lorenzo, I've used the foam trick on my VF750 swingarm, and many newer models come from the factory with a form of this used(the 600RR for example), as it as a tiny bit of rigidity, and keeps vibration frequencies down in these complex parts.

[Guest SOTY]

Seb,

Not to be a critic or anything man. This mod looks really really awesome, nice work. BUT..

It makes me wonder about drilling that second hole undernear the arm to pass the 2nd brakeline.

Just makes me wonder if by drilling that hole, that you aren't compromising the structural integrity of the

strength of the arm. Sure, it's a pretty solid strong thing, but.. you know, the straw that broke the

camel's back does exist, and the littlest of things could create a big thing.

Any thoughts on that?

I think I'd like to try this mod, BUT.. that's the biggest thing I'd worry about (above).

[SEBSPEED]

You would have a better point if the hole was in a stressed area of the arm, where the hole is now, very little stress if any gets put on that area. Given the size of the hole, the location, the thickness of the swingarm, etc, I am not worried in the least that the arm was compromised to any degree.

I am not saying that there was no change, but it's far from making the arm weak enough to break or cause problems. The 5th gen/VTEC arm is thicker/heavier/stronger than the previous gens to begin with.

[2FAST4U]

Not compromising the structural integrity of the SSSA was my utmost concern. I spoke with our resident genius (Dan; the Torocharger guy) to see what his thoughts were. He told me that so long as the hole is small, on the bottom, and isn't on a bend, I needn't worry. Dan is an engineer and I trust his opinion.

Edit: I was just going through all the pictures I took while I was up at Seb's and noticed there was one I never downloaded. Here's a quick pic I took of Seb while he was on his break.

[SEBSPEED]

Not to toot my own horn, but I've been working in the aerospace manufacturing industry for the better part of a decade as well. All good, valid questions though, I'm glad to know that people think about these things before they just go at their bike with a drill!!

[tok tokkie]

Banjo connector.jpg

[Bikerholic]

Is there a how-to for the Front Brake Line SS replacement? (Non ABS- 6th Gen)

Thank you in advance.

[SEBSPEED]

Is there a how-to for the Front Brake Line SS replacement? (Non ABS- 6th Gen)

Thank you in advance.

Not yet, but I'm working on it. :wub:

[2FAST4U]

First it was this...

Then it was this...

And now this:

We did the swap at Dan's (the Torocharger guy's) house this weekend because I thought it was gonna be a lot of work. It turned out to be as simple as loosening the six nuts holding the sprocket, taking the sprocket off, putting the chain around the new sprocket, putting it in place, and then tightening the nuts.

I always thought the stock sprocket looked big. While my new one is a 43t (the same as stock), I think it being black makes it blend in with the wheel giving the illusion of a smaller hub assembly:

My new aluminum sprocket (in the packaging) weighed a whopping 10.1 oz:

My stock steel sprocket weighed 1 lb., 6.8 oz. It's kind of hard to tell from this picture, but we were surprised at how good my stocker looked given it had almost 12k miles.

I got to see Dan's Torocharged VFR and was impressed with what I saw. I don't think he's ever mentioned it, but he's also got a BMW M3 with a modded engine, suspension, and brakes. If you're ever in Philadelphia, think twice about instigating a race against an M3 because if its Dan's, be forewarned it's not stock. He let me drive it on the way back from lunch :fing02: (thanks Dan!)

Dan's little neighbor called my bike the "Spider Man" motorcycle because it's red. Little did he know, a true Spider Man motorcycle already exists!

Thanks again for all the help, Dan!

[TimC]

I just checked out this thread for the 1st time. Nice work, guys! :fing02: What a great mod that also improves the looks AND performance of the bike.

And that black sprocket looks cool, too!

[toro1]

I've gotta say, Steve's bike is really clean and quite a looker -- he's done a great job very tastefully modding it. He was also nice enough to let me take it for a spin, and being the first 6th-gen I've ever ridden, I can now add my own input to the 5th vs 6th-gen debate.

Granted, I didn't spend too much time on it, but during my short jaunt, I found the non-PC enhanced VTEC to be a non-issue. The sound changed, and the bike moves faster, but it wasn't a jarring experience and certainly not a deal breaker. Also, as I've read before, the suspension on the 6th-gen bikes is superior to the 5th, and it certainly didn't feel as heavy as it would seem to be on paper. Overall, I liked it a lot. It's still a VFR, after all.

[JHKolb]

Any other questions, let me know!

Uh, yes I've got one - How much do you charge for this and what's your schedule :rolleyes:

[SEBSPEED]

Any other questions, let me know!

Uh, yes I've got one - How much do you charge for this and what's your schedule :rolleyes:

My schedule is crazy. I don't remember off the top of my head what I charged Steve, I used my "profit" to enlarge the order of brake line and fittings to cover my oil mod on my 750 project. I still want to expand on Steve's mod and convert my whole VTEC to stainless lines, maybe we can work something out there.

I can probably find some time in August... got a week of vacation(solo bike trip to TN) coming up at the end of the month, bike projects, family, NEST FEST in the Catskills(VFR group ride) third week of July, in that order. Then going to Indy for MotoGP in Sept, the annual Fall Ride in the Catskills that I host in mid-to late October, and a track day at the end of October.

Pick a time slot and cross your fingers!! PM me if you're really interested.

-Sebastian

[spud786]

I know its kool to do all this modding stuff rather than just ride the bike, but Damn look at that chain LOL

[daword2011]

i know this is super old... but will the same ends work for the 5th gen at the PCV? I know the calipers are the same and the holes are the same but curious since the PCV is on the opposite side of the bike on the 6th gen

[2FAST4U]

I own that bike but can't answer your question because Seb did the work Maybe he'll chime in shortly and help you out. He lives in upstate New York so getting him to do job probably won't happen (I lived in Philadelphia eight years and rode up there.)

I would not have attempted this mod on my own. No way.

[daword2011]

I own that bike but can't answer your question because Seb did the work Maybe he'll chime in shortly and help you out. He lives in upstate New York so getting him to do job probably won't happen (I lived in Philadelphia eight years and rode up there.)

I would not have attempted this mod on my own. No way.

i am pretty mechanically inclined and knowledgable, just curious on the brake line differences between 5th and 6th gen

[Duc2V4]

I own that bike but can't answer your question because Seb did the work Maybe he'll chime in shortly and help you out. He lives in upstate New York so getting him to do job probably won't happen (I lived in Philadelphia eight years and rode up there.)

I would not have attempted this mod on my own. No way.

i am pretty mechanically inclined and knowledgable, just curious on the brake line differences between 5th and 6th gen

One of the members here, Stoshmonster, posted a good write up on 5th vs. 6th Gen braking systems, but it was posted at VFRW (http://vfrworld.com/forums/general-vfr-discussions/34274-slow-speed-maneuver-lbs.html) see post #5

[Mohawk]

Basically the rear braking system is the same for both gens. The fronts are slightly different. So if it just moving the lines into the swingarm, then its fine.

I had to totally delink mine to fit the single nut rear wheel, but I put the remaining brake line through the swingarm, as per the pics below.

The line runs forward from the rear master cylinder, inside of the foot rest hanger, then under the front of the swingarm & enters in to the arm via the square hole that is already there on the left inner side. It exits through the drain hole at the rear, which I rifled/drilled at an angle to make it big enough for the banjo head to fit through & gave the right angle for the hose to exit towards the new caliper !

Have fun.

Edited February 28, 2013 by Mohawk

[KevCarver]

^^^^

Mmmm, purdy...

[daword2011]

Basically the rear braking system is the same for both gens. The fronts are slightly different. So if it just moving the lines into the swingarm, then its fine.

I had to totally delink mine to fit the single nut rear wheel, but I put the remaining brake line through the swingarm, as per the pics below.

The line runs forward from the rear master cylinder, inside of the foot rest hanger, then under the front of the swingarm & enters in to the arm via the square hole that is already there on the left inner side. It exits through the drain hole at the rear, which I rifled/drilled at an angle to make it big enough for the banjo head to fit through & gave the right angle for the hose to exit towards the new caliper !

Have fun.

Got all of that, that will be the easy part. My question lies where the block is for the pcV line that runs to the rear. That's the one I'm wondering about

[vfrcapn]

Question on slipping the Earl's fitting on. Is the nut that slips over the ss line supposed to be a freakin tight fit or slip on somewhat loosely? I guess once on you flare the braids, slip the olive over the teflon and screw the nut and fitting together with the braids over the olive? That nut is just not cooperating, I oiled the outside of the line but it wasn't much help.

edit: Ok, lol. Cut the plastic coating off back an inch or so. Got it.. <head slap>

[SEBSPEED]

Yeah I wish there was a little more room there. I have been cutting back the sleeving and also fishing on a bit of heat shrink tubing before the nut. After it's all assembled I pull the heat shrink up to cover the exposed braid.

[vfrcapn]

Seb, do you have any preferences on SS vs. the anodized AL fittings?