1999 Vfr800 Project

[dude]

with that swingarm off...put a nice clean Penske on that SSSA...

get a 929 and send to jamie here on the board !!!!! Great job on the rebuild btw

[Rovari]

Thanks dude! I am going to wait with suspension changes until I get this puppy rolling..

Update:

Ended up ordering more parts ( ) , still waiting for rims from powder coating, got some of the back end of the engine cleaned up and had the toothbrush out cleaning the brake lines and harnesses. It's cleaning up nicely .

I was looking at the 2014 VFR800 and noticed that the rear hub is black with a silver sprocket....I am wondering if I should paint my hub black ...I have attached pics, please let me know if you like black or silver...I was thinking if I go with black I should use a Silver cap....

Cheers..

[viffviff]

awsome rebuild. I wish I had your mechnical talent so I could do mine now!

[KevCarver]

Hub? Yes! In fact powder coat the swing arm and hub to match. (I'd much rather spend other people's $$$ than my own! )

[Rovari]

awsome rebuild. I wish I had your mechnical talent so I could do mine now!

Thanks viffviff, if you can loosen and tighten bolts and know how to scrub..you can do this too...unleash your desire to get yours done and get er done...lots of support here if you have issues.

Hub? Yes! In fact powder coat the swing arm and hub to match. (I'd much rather spend other people's $$$ than my own! )

Thanks Kev, not sure if I want to do the swing arm. The wheels are getting done in a gloss black powder coat...thinking there will be too much black if I do the swing arm as well.

[Rovari]

Happy New Year to all!!

I have had a busy end to the year and haven't taken the time to provide an update. I have made some good progress cleaning up and painting a number of parts. Got my rims back from the powder coater and of course they coated the bearing and rotor mounting surfaces... even after explaining exactly where "not" to powder coat. I used a product called "Super Remover" it is a paint stripper that works well on powder coated surfaces. I've included some pics below.

Loving my new sandblasting cabinet... I ordered one online with free shipping for $200.00 CAD and it has paid for itself in no time. For anyone doing a restoration like this I would recommend getting one to clean any external parts..of course I did not and would not use this for any brake or engine related parts.

The new Pirelli's were mounted and the wheels balanced..mobile service..how convenient. For anyone in the Toronto area looking for mobile service you can contact Ricardo at 416-457-3714..he was knowledgeable, fair and professional.

Unfortunately after reinstalling the forks and handlebars I noticed that the front upper stay (fairing support) is bent...tried to straighten but no luck...had to order a new one...Partzilla is really loving me..ugh.

Installed new switches, clutch master, brake master and new grips...starting to look like a bike again

Reassembled and installed the rear chain tensioner, swing arm assembly, front & rear calipers and attached all the brake lines. Rebuilt the rear brake master cylinder, replaced the rear brake switch and springs and polished the brake pedal.

I happened to find a fan for the R/R for $5.00and will duplicate the mod that aokman did to help cool the rectifier.

Removed and rebuilt the clutch slave cylinder...waiting for gasket to re install. Plan on removing the crankcase cover and repainting. I have also removed the rear valve cover so I can repaint that as well. The list goes on....

I have included some pictures below..I will provide another update as I make more progress..enjoy

And some additional pictures..

[marriedman]

Ah, it warms the heart to see a 5th gen being restored. Good work so far and good luck on the rest of it!

[Cogswell]

Outstanding! I find that kind of project really satisfying - bringing something back to life. Can't wait to see some before and after pics. Cheers

[Veefer800Canuck]

Oh that sucks with the powdercoatimg.

Did they do the mounting flange on the back of the rear wheel too?

[Rovari]

Thank you for encouraging comments marriedman and Cogswell.....I can see the light at the end of the tunnel..

To answer your question Veefer...yes they did coat the back flange but not too bad..more super remover and it will be fine.

[Switchblade]

Looks good ..

[vfrcapn]

Looks great, it is going to look like a new bike when done.

[SCguy]

Looking good! I'm in the process of fixing up a 5th gen that has been sitting up for a while. Less than 2k miles in the last 11 years. I'm going to be referring to this thread often.

Keep it up!

RD

[Veefer800Canuck]

Thank you for encouraging comments marriedman and Cogswell.....I can see the light at the end of the tunnel..

To answer your question Veefer...yes they did coat the back flange but not too bad..more super remover and it will be fine.

Grr, I hate it when they do that.......

[Rovari]

OMG these brakes are a biatch to bleed...got the front done fairly easy...almost a liter of fluid because I didn't adjust the new front brake lever fully...lesson learned.

I am using the mighty vac and following the extensive post on 6th Gen bleeding. I just seem to be going through a lot of fluid on the combined system...haven't done the rear yet.

Any tips or tricks or comments appreciated..cheers..

[Guest]

with that swingarm off...put a nice clean Penske on that SSSA...

get a 929 and send to jamie here on the board !!!!! Great job on the rebuild btw

Agreed!

I got one for mine with the "middle" setting and I'm quite happy with it.

[JimGregory]

Bike looks just great. Very nice work!

I think somewhere you mentioned it was hard starting but then ran well. I also think I noticed the choke lever broken off? Have you seen to that?

Best

Jim

[Rovari]

Thanks Jim, yes the choke / idle control lever has been replaced...

and THE BRAKES are DONE!! It's amazing how well depressing the brake pedal overnight helps evacuate those last bubbles...now onto the clutch install and bleeding...cheers

[BrownieSlayer]

For $1,500 I would have sold you a '98 that only needed new plastics, battery and tires! Great project though. Wish I had the time to fix up mine.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Rovari]

For $1,500 I would have sold you a '98 that only needed new plastics, battery and tires! Great project though. Wish I had the time to fix up mine.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks rolomarr, as you can see this is getting close to being finished...I will be ready for a new project soon, how many KM or miles on the 98? This bike only has 10,000 km and for that reason I feel there is value in this restoration..probably spent $2500.00 in addition to the $1400.00 purchase price but it will be immaculate once complete.

[TimC]

Looking good! I'm always impressed by folks who do restorations like this. Unfortunately I have neither the time or patience for this kind of work. I'm also short money and space most of the time, but I'm also just not much of a mechanic. I'm hoping to tackle something like this someday, however, maybe on a slightly older machine - but not one for which it's impossible (or very expensive) to find parts.

Anyway, great work and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result of all your terrific efforts!

[BrownieSlayer]

40k miles last I checked. I laid it down in a freak snow storm in 2012 then bought some cheap Chinese fairings, replaced the clutch springs and plates and rode it on a 4k mile trip to California and back. When I got back I was soooo unhappy with the way it looked that I bought another red 98' VFR with 16k miles and a two brothers exhaust for $2,800.

The other VFR has been sitting naked in my garage since. I really want to plastic weld the fairings. Do the basic stuff (plugs, oil, battery etc) and sell it.

You really did get a great deal though and when she's all done she is going to be worth a lot more then just the money you put into her.

Edit: as mentioned by many others, I look forward to your final update!

[Rovari]

Looks good ..

Looks great, it is going to look like a new bike when done.

Looking good! I'm in the process of fixing up a 5th gen that has been sitting up for a while. Less than 2k miles in the last 11 years. I'm going to be referring to this thread often.

Keep it up!

RD

Thank you Switchblade, VFRcapn and SCguy, appreciate your comments. Drives me to keep going and do better...

Looking good! I'm always impressed by folks who do restorations like this. Unfortunately I have neither the time or patience for this kind of work. I'm also short money and space most of the time, but I'm also just not much of a mechanic. I'm hoping to tackle something like this someday, however, maybe on a slightly older machine - but not one for which it's impossible (or very expensive) to find parts.

Anyway, great work and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result of all your terrific efforts!

Thank you TimC, I wish you all the best on your project. The hardest part about doing a project like this is starting. I am confident that you can do all of this. Limitations may be tools and time but definitely not resources or information. Jump into it with both feet and and make it happen..lot's of support here...good luck

[Rovari]

Here is another update and a couple o questions....

I removed the valve cover and painted, cleaned up the air box, butterfly valves and intake tubes. Started bleeding the clutch and unfortunately it started leaking under pressure..This is with a new seal kit incl a new spring, there is no pitting on the slave bore although there is some discoloration...I didn't feel comfortable trying to smooth out the bore so I ordered up a new clutch slave and another gasket from Partzilla. (I may buy shares in Partzilla ) To justify the shipping cost I also ordered a new gear shift lever and a new coolant reservoir.

When cleaning the throttle tubes I got an inspection camera down to the intake valves and noticed some minor rust on the valves (looks like water was sitting on top of the valves) I managed to scrape away most of it and macgyvered a paint cap, some tape and a 1/4" tube on my shopvac...was able to suck out the debris and carb cleaner on top of the valves.

Questions:

1.Should I be able to manually push the clutch rod and manually engage the clutch? I tried and nearly pushed the bike over with no movement...is it possible that the clutch plates are seized together??

2.I have noticed that when the bike is in gear the front sprocket has approximately 1" of play...seems a bit much....is this normal?

Appreciate any help....cheers

[KevCarver]

The magic of leverage and hydraulics is what enables you to disengage the clutch using the lever!

And if they were seized it wouldn't change anything. You'd still be able to move the lever.