SEBSPEED Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Good work, keep it up! :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 (edited) Wow Just put the head/taillights back on to take it for a spin and it feels like a competely different bike. Now the steering is much quicker, the lower clipons make me hug the tank. 954 calipers, 330mm rotors, EBC HH pads, Galfer lines all make the brakes very much more responsive than before, all I have to do is touch the brake and I'm stopped. I feel I've made it a bit of a beast just by replacing the suspension, or maybe I was just heavier on the throttle than I usually am, but all of it together was quite a rush switching from the ol' 700. Didn't get out of the city tonight, but tomorrow is looking good. Only problem is that the gauges are still off the bike so speed will be a guessing game I'm definately still going to put the RC45 body on it (placed an order Monday), just going to ride it for a couple weeks (weather permitting) while I'm waiting for more parts to come in. and been looking at that marchesini rear wheel a lot lately... Edited February 26, 2009 by mrmatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Right on!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vfroem Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Nice work !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 DSC01699.JPG Next step, my CBR900 subframe finally came in so I could get some rough measurements DSC01702.JPG It looks like it is about 1" longer, 1" taller (between the two struts at the bolt locations), the top is the same width as the frame side, and looks a steeper angle, so there's going to be a bit of modification needed for this to work. Stay tuned, if I can pull this one off with my Dremel then anyone can do it. Good thing is that it's very light, will be another good upgrade to the VFR. Also, my tailpiece hasn't come in so nothing can be chopped/bolted yet. Looking at it, I think my exhaust will have to be pulled away from the tail, but there's a lot of room for adjustment on that side for anywhere I want to put it. I have a pretty good idea of how the gauges are wired, downloaded the CBR900 wiring diagrams so all I need is the harness I ordered yesterday and I'll be able to test them out shortly, speedo and tach are obviously the ones I'm worried about the most. Odd thing is that the back has 20 pins, but the diagram only has 14 wires going to them, guess I'll find out soon. I'll post up the pin numbers and function when I get it figured out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateRC36 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 This is an awesome build! I'm looking to junk the rear plastics from my VFR too ('94, same shape as yours) and I will be interested in seeing how your subframe mod goes. Good luck with it all, keep up the good work! Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguyeddy Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 DSC01699.JPG Next step, my CBR900 subframe finally came in so I could get some rough measurements DSC01702.JPG It looks like it is about 1" longer, 1" taller (between the two struts at the bolt locations), the top is the same width as the frame side, and looks a steeper angle, so there's going to be a bit of modification needed for this to work. Stay tuned, if I can pull this one off with my Dremel then anyone can do it. Good thing is that it's very light, will be another good upgrade to the VFR. Also, my tailpiece hasn't come in so nothing can be chopped/bolted yet. Looking at it, I think my exhaust will have to be pulled away from the tail, but there's a lot of room for adjustment on that side for anywhere I want to put it. I have a pretty good idea of how the gauges are wired, downloaded the CBR900 wiring diagrams so all I need is the harness I ordered yesterday and I'll be able to test them out shortly, speedo and tach are obviously the ones I'm worried about the most. Odd thing is that the back has 20 pins, but the diagram only has 14 wires going to them, guess I'll find out soon. I'll post up the pin numbers and function when I get it figured out. god im so jealous of you guys with the 4th gens and no nasty frame vents!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) Latest DSC01703.JPG I got the gauges hooked up and (mostly) working! There's one spot on the tach at 9krpm that's messed up, I've been looking for some different backings but haven't found it yet. Might just have to put some paint over it. For some reason it thinks it's a little warm in my garage, but all the signals and tach looked good, haven't taken it out so I can't say about the speedometer. To splice it into the VFR wiring harness, I found these at the local Home Depot, it was even the correct size for the small wire ends. DSC01704.JPG DSC01706.JPG All the connectors together is a little messy, I wish I could find some that take more than 3 on each side so I'll keep looking, but for now it works much better than more permanent things like wire nuts. I tried to figure out what was wrong with the temp sensor, but have so far not come up with anything. From the VFR manual the resistance on the wire to ground should have been around 60 ohms, which it was, so I cross checked it with the CBR and it appears to have close to the same temperature scale. Anyone know what might be going on? For all of the other wires, here's the map I used. Most turned out to be the same color anyway. From the '98 CBR900 side: function/ CBR wire color/ VFR wire color Right turn / L Blue / L Blue Left turn / Orange / Orange Neutral light / L Green:Red / L Green:Red Oil / Blue:Red / Blue:Red High beam / Blue / Blue:Black Tachometer / Yellow:Green / Yellow:Green Ground / Green / Green or Green:Black Ground / Green / Green or Green:Black Battery (to main fuse) / Red / Red:Green* Speed Sensor / Pink:Green / Pink Meter and lights common to 10A fuse / Black:Brown / Black:Brown Temperature / Green:Blue / Green:Blue Dash illumination / Brown / Brown:White Speed Sensor Ground / Green:Black / Green or Green:Black 14 leads on CBR gauges, 20 leads on VFR *for the Battery I used the positive clock lead since it is the same, only passes through a 10A fuse This wiring is still untested, but by looking at the diagrams I believe it should work (minus the temperature) I didn't get time to look at the subframe, I want to wait until the tailpiece comes in anyway. All of the fairings have been ordered now, maybe they'll start coming in this week, though some is coming from ARD so it might take a bit longer. Edited March 9, 2009 by mrmatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FotoMoto Posted March 9, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted March 9, 2009 Love the connector idea but in my situation I wouldn't have the room to fit a bundle that size behind my tiny cbr1000r gauges. I hardwired the cbr harness into the vfr main harness. To make a super long story short, I all ready had an aftermarket water temp sensor installed that gives the correct range. See if the cbr9 sensor can be installed into the thermostat. That was my next plan of attack if the aftermarket unit (koso) didn't work. IIRC my original stock sensor (analog) also sent too high of readings. Good luck and keep up the good work. A lot of folks (myself included before I did mine) don't realize the amount of work and hours that it can take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer pres589 Posted March 9, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted March 9, 2009 If you can give me an idea of what number of pins you need there, and what gauges, I could take a look through an ITT Cannon MIL-spec catalog at work tomorrow. Cannon's catalog is the easiest one I know of to actually find things, although Positronics isn't bad either. MIL-spec just gives you a nice part number so that any company that makes that part number will work, the parts are not company specific so you can mate a Cannon male plug to a female receptical made by Positronics, for instance. They're also weather hardened. I also have no idea what they would cost you on the open market, but they'd be a great way to get a lot more pins into a smaller package than the multiple three-socket connectors you're using now, if you want to reduce size. If not, no big deal, just thought I'd offer a little help. Cool project, I love the look of of the RC45 from the front, can't wait to see how your conversion turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 After waiting about 1-2 weeks, I have my upper from Beasley Composites DSC01712.JPG DSC01713.JPG I am pretty happy with the turn around, I still have not heard anything from ARD who took my money 3 weeks ago. Hopefully it's in the mail. I still need to order a lower, the one Beasley makes is slightly different in the front, does not have the small shroud at the bottom of the V, so I may just get one from Airtech since it is taking so long to get anything from ARD (who is cheaper even with shipping). I spent some time trying to make a $5 multimeter into a fuel gauge/voltage monitor combo, but was not able to make anything of it. I wanted to hook it up so a push-button switch would toggle between the two modes and get rid of the dial, but there were too many wires for me to simply connect. I think I would need some logic circuits to make it work, which is beyond what I had in mind. I'm looking at the Datel ones but haven't bought anything yet. Would really like to combine these on one display. I also need to figure out what upper fairing stay I'm going to use/modify. I think the 93-94 900RR might be the closest candidate which should be able to bolt onto the two stays on either side of the steering head. Also I've got another mod sitting in the back of my garage that may or may not work... more on this later :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sa1713 Posted March 19, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted March 19, 2009 Also I've got another mod sitting in the back of my garage that may or may not work... more on this later :biggrin: I hope it does as that will uncork a bunch of happy 3rd/4th gen folks! Awsome build. Really neat to see the progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyguyeddy Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Also I've got another mod sitting in the back of my garage that may or may not work... more on this later :biggrin: I hope it does as that will uncork a bunch of happy 3rd/4th gen folks! Awsome build. Really neat to see the progress. secrets dont make friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tightwad Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Another option for your connectors would be to use a DB9 or DB15 or DB25 from a computer cable. Since the gauges are mostly low power the small wiring should be ok. You might even be able to use a Disk Drive cable that is flat...plenty of those connections to be had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Perhaps I'll figure out how to post pics here, and take some of my RC-51 tail implant. It just might give someone else ideas, like all of you have given me. I wouldn't be attempting this w/o assistance from guys like fotomoto, mrmatt and a few select others. Good luck, and keep the pics coming!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted March 21, 2009 Author Share Posted March 21, 2009 (edited) DSC01717.JPG I've taken the front apart again, all the way back to the frame now, so I'm committed and probably won't be riding it until the new body is done (but at least I'll still be riding thanks to MBD ) The fairing stays that hang the radiator were in the way of sliding the RC45 upper on, the Dremel took care of this. Now they still hang the radiator and front ignition coils, but not the fairing, so coming from a bit of an upward angle I can slide my new fairing into place, approximately. But with moving it around to where I think it should go, I've run into my first problem. The RC45 is apparently pretty narrow, so now some oil lines on the right and both bottom sides of my radiator are hitting the body. I think I can work with the oil lines, but not so much on the radiator. My first thought is to look for some other radiators that I can swap out and would have a more narrow profile, it would not have to be by much. I found a CBR F4 looks like it might angle inward at the very bottom, also the CBR 1000 is very much like a 'V'. So now I need some help on a couple questions, what are the dimentions of the F4 and 1000 radiators, and are either the right size? If I get one too small I'm sure to have overheating problems, too big and I might run too cold. If those of you with CBR's can measure your radiators for me I'd be really grateful and give me a better idea of what space I have Edited March 21, 2009 by mrmatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 DSC01717.JPG So now I need some help on a couple questions, what are the dimentions of the F4 and 1000 radiators, and are either the right size? If I get one too small I'm sure to have overheating problems, too big and I might run too cold. I wouldn't worry about the size of the rad affecting your running temps. We have a thermostat that allows water to flow in and out of the rad, so get what will fit, and leave the cooling to the components. I am planning on retiring in Phoenix when my military career is over. When I was in Vegas for 3 years my VFR would run warmer than I wanted it to, so I have been considering running an additional radiator. Remember, all the rad does is hold the water and cool it, the thermostat allows water to enter and leave the radiator when the temp is appropriate. You might be able to augment with a rad from a suzuki or something else like that as well. I'd go down to your local used motorcycle dealer with a tape measure, and start mapping out dimensions. Another thing you have to take into consideration is how the front exhaust headers will affect the way the rad mounts. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Pretty sure you'll find the CBR rads will be too wide, they go across the front of I4s... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglasthecook Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Good point, how about a radiator from a Triumph? It's an 3 cylinder, although it might be harder for him to find, but it'll be narrower... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobie1dog Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Great job , keep the pictures coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Try the VFR400 or RVF400 set-up. They are smaller bikes than the 750s so the rads should be correspondingly skinnier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Heck, the 3rd and 4th gen VFRs have such small stock radiators to start with (looks very similar in size to what my Hawk GT 650 had), that most other radiators from other sport and ST bikes might provide more cooling capacity....unless the VFR's radiator is a double row type and the others use single....not sure about that detail. Beck 95 VFR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 How much interference is there? You might be able to slim the stoack rad down by cutting and rewelding it. Or try curving it, if you have room to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatt Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 (edited) Alright, have had some time to look things over and got a better grasp of this one DSC01719.JPG Rear wheel from 07 Ducati Multistrada DSC01720.JPG Rear hub from 06/07 Speed Triple DSC01725.JPG I got the hub from a member here that was trying a similar conversion on his 5th gen but it didn't quite fit for him, wheel from ebay. Two issues that I know of right now, alignment and axle length. It looks like the axle can lose around an inch, so I'll need to find a good machinist to cut and rethread it for me. Alignment looks very close, I haven't actually put it on yet, but from sighting the hub I might be 4-5mm to the left (max). Any ideas on these two? Hopefully tomorrow I can actually get it mounted up and check the alignment for real. No update on the radiator situation yet, still thinking about this one. The VFR radiator is 17in wide and 7in tall. If I were a welder a couple of cuts to the corners is all I need, however (sadly) no welder am I, so off to take some measurements, maybe all I need is one from a 400 (good idea), we'll see Edited April 4, 2009 by mrmatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FotoMoto Posted April 4, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted April 4, 2009 Aren't you making things harder than they need to be? Get either the corresponding matching wheel or hub. Here's what I planned on doing but have put things on hold: ducati spindle and wheel. Machine off the backside half of the ducati axle so you are only left with the brake rotor mounts and the threaded front portion of the axle for the wheel mounting. Cut off the brake rotor mounting points as they are offset and you want a flat surface. Drill press on the remaining rotor carrier 4 matching holes for the vfr lug bolts. The triumph axle in the above pics all ready has the holes in these spots but they are WAY too large. Slide it on to the vfr hub and bolt it down with regular nuts (not the lug nuts). Clearance backside of wheel to clear nuts if needed (probably so). Bolt ducati wheel to the ducati axle. Hope this makes sense. A quick check with a hypermotard wheel on my 4gen showed that the offset clearance with the vfr brake caliper could be tight; very, very tight. Wheel alignment is, of course, critical too but you won't know until you do it. (yikes!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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