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'95 Vfr750 Conversion


mrmatt

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  • 2 weeks later...

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I had to take the exhaust off to slip the wheel on, but will look great when I get this finished.

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The sprocket lines up very well with the chain, also it is the same size as the VFR (42T) so no chain conversion will be necessary.

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I took a straight edge and marked the relative offset on the swingarm of each wheel and sprocket. The hub is actually about 1mm off and the wheel may be about 5mm. This was with the tires on the wheels and not from measuring the rim. The Dunlop on the VFR rim actually slopes out from the rim edge so the width of each with their respective tires is very close. I think the Ducati is around 2mm wider, so the offset I have to account for would be 4mm (not finalized yet, I'll post up exact numbers when I know)

I probably am making things harder than should/could be, but I started going this way for a couple of reasons. The bearing hub that fits in the swingarm is the exact same size as the VFR, so now I don't have to worry about matching the inner/outer diameter on the bearings since the complete assembly is from the same model. Also, the sprocket is the same size so no chain/sprocket/gearing conversion, I might look into this later but right now I didn't want to mess with that. Again, since the assembly is from the same model the rear brake caliper will fit on the disc inside the wheel and I only have to think about the torque arm to fit to the swingarm. Initially I was trying for a way to not have to machine anything and be a bolt on, but the axle is just too long.

I don't know how close the VFR400 axle swap would be, but this seemed to be viable and I haven't seen anyone else try it so I thought I would. Then at least we'll know what works and how much work is needed. Going the Ducati route is very interesting, be sure to post up and let us know the result (might try it myself if I can't conquer the Speed Triple)

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Matt, show me a pic of what you want to do on the rad, I might be able to help you.

Thanks Seb, I might take you up on that but we'll see. I've sort of not been thinking about the radiator with trying to get the rear wheel aligned.

On the right side just the bottom corner of the rad needs to have an angle on it instead of being square, but on the left there is the hose to the water pump so it might have to be moved higher which would require a bit more work. If I can find one on fleabay that's the right size/price I'll probably go for it, but I haven't really looked yet. I just saw vfroem's work on his VFR837 and he's really changed up his cooling system. I probably won't go for all of it but maybe some ideas will come.

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Alright, have had some time to look things over and got a better grasp of this one

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Rear wheel from 07 Ducati Multistrada

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Rear hub from 06/07 Speed Triple

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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

i have the same problem.. every shop tells me the axle is hardend steal and they cant cut the treads..

one shop did say they can cut them.. but only to a standard .. no metric.. so now i am looking for a nut to fit.. with fine treads.

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Well, in the interest of riding my 750 until all the rest of the bodywork comes in and my ambition builds up again, I've put it all back together and ordered a 954 front fender. Tonight I was working on the dashboard and was finally successful.

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To mount the CBR900 gauges I needed an L bracket that would tie in to the fairing stay. I found a thin piece of aluminum at home depot that would work nicely. I first cut it down to about 6"x6" and bent a 1.5" L in the bottom that would hold the dash. Then 3 holes in the upright to match the fairing stay, 2 holes in the L to hold the dash, and a final one for the solitary screw that keeps the dash from falling off.

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I had to reroute the wiring harness to go beneath the dash since I didn't make the wires long enough from my gauges. The oil radiator I had moved lower for clearance for the forks so there was plenty of room anyway.

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At full lock the brake and clutch masters pass overtop of the gauges nicely, though it is a close fit. Also it barely fits under the windscreen (I think it's just touching), something I didn't measure for and just happened to work out. To do it again, I would move the dash about 1/2 to 1 inch lower for good clearance with the windscreen and gauge wiring, but I think this will work.

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4 miles to the gallon?

Couple of days with the new gauges and hate to say that the speedometer didn't convert correctly, reads somewhere around 10x slower. All indicators work, and the tach feels close so it wasn't a total failure smile.gif. Right now it looks like I'll be investing in a speedohealer. I ordered a CBR900 temp sensor so when I put that in hopefully it will fix the temperature reading. Also have a 2 wire voltmeter from Datel digital meters and a fuel gauge from Cyberdyne that I can put in somewhere next week.

Front fender is in but mounting hardware is not (forgot to order it before), should be able to use the same screws when I get the RC45 fender so it won't be a waste.

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Also fitting 954 front 2 me 4th gen. aNY CHANCE YOU CAN DROP ME THE bearing sizes, any clues to fitting the yokes to slip in front. Keep it up the work.. i know i will till im dun!

I just ordered the stock VFR top and bottom bearings online (hdlparts.com) and they are the same size that will fit on the 954 triple. Sorry I don't know the exact sizes, but if you look up on allballs I think they have the equivalent tapered roller bearing part numbers that will fit as well if you want roller instead of ball.

I am not sure what you're asking on the second part about the yokes, for the height of the forks above the top triple I set them just below the blue cap and made sure that they were even by sliding the axle through.

Also with the stock body there are at least three issues that I am aware of: dashboard clearance, oil radiator interference, and inner shroud/wind deflector clearance.

The brake and clutch reservoirs/master cylinders will not fit with the 954 clipons and would hit the dash since the clipons have to go below the top triple, this could be probably fixed with some tall helibars. The front forks and lower triple will also hit the oil radiator and oil lines, this can be temporarily fixed by moving the radiator to the lowest hole in the upper stay, or a better/more permanent solution is to put a slight bend in it and curve it away from the forks. I just discovered the last problem this weekend, the inner U shaped shroud will need some cutting away at the top which shouldn't be very hard at all, and won't effect any of the tie in points.

Hope this helps, have any more questions post them up

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Also fitting 954 front 2 me 4th gen. aNY CHANCE YOU CAN DROP ME THE bearing sizes, any clues to fitting the yokes to slip in front. Keep it up the work.. i know i will till im dun!

I just ordered the stock VFR top and bottom bearings online (hdlparts.com) and they are the same size that will fit on the 954 triple. Sorry I don't know the exact sizes, but if you look up on allballs I think they have the equivalent tapered roller bearing part numbers that will fit as well if you want roller instead of ball.

I am not sure what you're asking on the second part about the yokes, for the height of the forks above the top triple I set them just below the blue cap and made sure that they were even by sliding the axle through.

Also with the stock body there are at least three issues that I am aware of: dashboard clearance, oil radiator interference, and inner shroud/wind deflector clearance.

The brake and clutch reservoirs/master cylinders will not fit with the 954 clipons and would hit the dash since the clipons have to go below the top triple, this could be probably fixed with some tall helibars. The front forks and lower triple will also hit the oil radiator and oil lines, this can be temporarily fixed by moving the radiator to the lowest hole in the upper stay, or a better/more permanent solution is to put a slight bend in it and curve it away from the forks. I just discovered the last problem this weekend, the inner U shaped shroud will need some cutting away at the top which shouldn't be very hard at all, and won't effect any of the tie in points.

Hope this helps, have any more questions post them up

Ok im off to garage now to try out the vfr bearings i have already. Hoping your saying the vfr bearings will fit on the 954 stem. will soon find out.

Ill also take a few picks.

Had same project on table over two years now. Just picked up a decent '95 engine and parts so now have good donor. But my last blade front end project has been so good that i havent needed to upgrade.

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Hey Kev great to see you're still on the case with your bike :biggrin:

How's the business going?

hi buddy,

things goin good here on Isle of Man thanks.

TT comming up in next few weeks. Just had more stock arrive than i have space for in shop!

Am just sorting a low milage vfr(was a cheap damaged front ender which ive put back to standard for ease getting road paperwork sorted) before i butcher and put me two bros system on.. and now 954 front.. and few other shiny bits..

Checked bearing fitments today on front end and yes indeed look like they are same bearings to fit 954 yokes and stem two vfr frame.. woop woop

Still a few bits to do like lock up me rear rc30 brake stay. But hopefully wont be long before me dymag in 954 front is rolling with me 5.75 dymag rear. The Marvics will have to go. The rear is a massive 6.5 and too big to run on this set up.

Was going to take a few pics today, but i ran out of time.

Gotta take all the weight out of the standard bike and fit different body work properly yet, so a total strip last on the list.

The rear end ducati subframe convertion is sorted, so can change from road to track subframes with ease.

The list goes on..

Will prob run this low milage standard vfr this summer before taking apart and adding above tweeks. I have a further main frame and parts to practice with and mock up on.

Hope to race it here next year as i missed the start of season this year. Just hope the vfr power deficit will not let me down too much on track up against newer stuff... will c.. some guys dont push so hard and so hope vfr will be a good bike to compete on and get me next licence. the vfr on the right of pic here was awsome to ride on so hope the new and improved mode will be even sweeter

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mock up some time ago soon my pretty

WHERE ME INDEGO SYSTEM MATE???????????????????

Edited by B4D80Y
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Also fitting 954 front 2 me 4th gen. aNY CHANCE YOU CAN DROP ME THE bearing sizes, any clues to fitting the yokes to slip in front. Keep it up the work.. i know i will till im dun!

I just ordered the stock VFR top and bottom bearings online (hdlparts.com) and they are the same size that will fit on the 954 triple. Sorry I don't know the exact sizes, but if you look up on allballs I think they have the equivalent tapered roller bearing part numbers that will fit as well if you want roller instead of ball.

I am not sure what you're asking on the second part about the yokes, for the height of the forks above the top triple I set them just below the blue cap and made sure that they were even by sliding the axle through.

Also with the stock body there are at least three issues that I am aware of: dashboard clearance, oil radiator interference, and inner shroud/wind deflector clearance.

The brake and clutch reservoirs/master cylinders will not fit with the 954 clipons and would hit the dash since the clipons have to go below the top triple, this could be probably fixed with some tall helibars. The front forks and lower triple will also hit the oil radiator and oil lines, this can be temporarily fixed by moving the radiator to the lowest hole in the upper stay, or a better/more permanent solution is to put a slight bend in it and curve it away from the forks. I just discovered the last problem this weekend, the inner U shaped shroud will need some cutting away at the top which shouldn't be very hard at all, and won't effect any of the tie in points.

Hope this helps, have any more questions post them up

Yes indeed , bearings are the same, so thats just the best news ive had in a long time! no messin with washers, spacers or anything!

I have all sizes and part numbers on file.

Will be setting forks as low as poss on yokes as im not keen on tank slappers.

The dash im considering is a Vapour unit as ive seen else where they work real nice, plug and play.. altho id much prefur a dial for the revs,, so like yourself, plenty to worth with there.

oil rad can be relocated no worries.

Am seriously hoping to junk vfr bodywork for ducati 916 stuff so will go with race clipons, 954 brake and clutch master units and fit body to match with ally adaptor bolted to headstock. Weight is everything in this build. So not worried about standard bodywork getting in way... yet. depends if i decide to do things bit by bit or just go balls out... soon.....

Edited by B4D80Y
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Good to hear things are going well on the IoM. Pics and vid of any racing you do on the VFR are a necessity you know :biggrin:

The owner of that other Indigo system knows to contact me if he ever wants to sell it (the 3rd Gen it's on has been sitting around for a few years now since he bought 4th Gen). Did you sort that TBR system out? (sorry for the threadjack Matt but Kev's project would be interesting to you).

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Good to hear things are going well on the IoM. Pics and vid of any racing you do on the VFR are a necessity you know :biggrin:

The owner of that other Indigo system knows to contact me if he ever wants to sell it (the 3rd Gen it's on has been sitting around for a few years now since he bought 4th Gen). Did you sort that TBR system out? (sorry for the threadjack Matt but Kev's project would be interesting to you).

No worries, that's the kind of discussion I want to keep going.

Thanks for posting this up, another great project, don't forget to show some final pics with that 916 body and some steps along the way if you can. I'm very interested in the rear wheel conversion, and the ducati subframe if you have some more details on those, things like spacing and alignment on the wheel and modifications you had to make to the subframe.

Update on my project, all of my RC45 bodywork has come in now so I can finally start the grinding/sanding/cutting... (not as much fun as the suspension). I found some 5 3/4 inch headlights from Aztec8, rather expensive but I'm keeping them in mind if I can't get the CBR headlights to work.

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No worries, that's the kind of discussion I want to keep going.

Thanks for posting this up, another great project, don't forget to show some final pics with that 916 body and some steps along the way if you can. I'm very interested in the rear wheel conversion, and the ducati subframe if you have some more details on those, things like spacing and alignment on the wheel and modifications you had to make to the subframe.

Update on my project, all of my RC45 bodywork has come in now so I can finally start the grinding/sanding/cutting... (not as much fun as the suspension). I found some 5 3/4 inch headlights from Aztec8, rather expensive but I'm keeping them in mind if I can't get the CBR headlights to work.

45 stuff sounds cool, might have to ditch ducati stuff so i can get thru scrutineering easyer.. but thats will be another story...

Heres a pic of the mock up from a few yers ago hack saw and file style made before i got asimilar stronger cnc adapter sorted for ducati rear fitment... not that this one wasnt stong enough anyway!

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ducati adaptor fitting

Also have the ally race rear unit which will slip right in.. That was the origonal idea.. change from road to race one or two passengers when i liked..

Am thinking to fit all electric ancilleries to the carbon under tray.. but not at that stage yet.

more to follow.. lol

Edited by B4D80Y
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Update

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I took the entire rear subframe and wheel off and started matching up the new stuff I'll be putting in. My spacers came in so I was able to bolt on the rear axle to see how it looked

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I still need to check with a local machine shop if they can modify the axle and spacer for me, then I can put it together for real. The CBR900 subframe will take a lot of work, but first I'm trying to fit the tailpiece in place so I can see where the subframe will need to be. The tail needs some material taken out of the middle to match the tank, and on the sides to fit over the frame, but it's pretty close.

I tried to fit up the upper and lower fairing as well, but I think the exhaust is getting in the way where the 4 headers join into 1, also the center stand will have to go. I really hope this doesn't drive me to a full exhaust system change, which would be a nice but unanticipated expense.

Edit:

One thing I forgot to mention, the first spacer that is on the axle that fits inside the eccentric hub is 5mm (for the wheel alignment), and the one that fits inside of the cush drive/sprocket carrier is 2.5mm (for chain alignment).

Edited by mrmatt
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Nice work!!! I'm going to try and take some pics of how I mounted my RC-51 subframe so you may be able to get an idea or two from what I did. How I did it, it is completely bolt-on, and can be changed back to stock in around 1-2 hours. PM me your e-mail, and I'll send you the pics directly if you want, once I take them.

Edited by douglasthecook
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  • 2 weeks later...

Pre-update

I found an awesome mechinist in town and he rethreaded, cut, and drilled everyting I needed on the Speed Triple axle for $60, really helped me out and I will highly recommend him to anyone. He's got several bikes sitting in the shop (mostly Yamaha's, couple FJ's, and rides a CB550). I'm hoping tomorrow I can get it all back together and ride with the new rear end.

RC45 bodywork may have to wait for a little while longer... (sorry to anyone waiting to see this part)

Edited by mrmatt
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So it works... well done MrMatt on coming up with something new! :fing02: :fing02: :fing02:

Now added to my list of potential mods... I'd love to have the lugnut holes on my 8-spoke welded up and convert it to single-nut...

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All day in the garage but I finally have it back together, with the Ducati rear wheel installed

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I used a few washers to space the rear caliper the same 5mm

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And made my own torque arm (with my dremel and hand-held drill)

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Its pretty rough, just used two 1/8 inch aluminum bar stock because I couldn't find anyone with the 1/4 inch stuff. I'll be making a better one later, but it'll do for now. I didn't get much of a chance to ride tonight, but what I did felt great, I'm really happy on how it's turned out. Also, I only swapped brake calipers out and it seems to work with the VFR rear master cylinder.

And I fixed the temperature sensor, ordered a CBR900 one and it is the same size as the VFR, just screwed it in and I get the right temp.

Edited by mrmatt
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So it works... well done MrMatt on coming up with something new! :fing02: :goofy: :excl:

Now added to my list of potential mods... I'd love to have the lugnut holes on my 8-spoke welded up and convert it to single-nut...

Thanks, it was really Jim (sa1713) that got me going on this, offered me the Speed Triple hub that he had and told me it would fit in the 4th gen. All you need is a really good machinist and some precision spacers and it is a bolt on conversion

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