Member Contributer RC1237V Posted November 29, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted November 29, 2020 Decided to make my newly acquired '93 into a street fighter. Being a salvage title bike, and rough around the edges with brittle plastics, it's just not worth restoring to original glory. Here is a picture as I purchased it from a member here. I will try to take pics along the way and update every time I make progress. I have so many parts laying around, I think I can do the conversion on a shoestring budget. I will remove everything that is not absolutely necessary to ride the bike, in order to keep the weight down. Once I am finished, and it seems to be fun and working, I will decide if it's worth it to make it look cosmetically nice, but for me to have fun it just needs to be decent. Feel free to PM me if you want any parts I take off, before they go on to CL, or flea bay. No, the rear wheel is not for sale...hahahaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted November 29, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 29, 2020 Took the Givi rack off, the grab handles, and Corbin seat. It's already down by 20 lbs.... I should have weighed it first - oh well, the finished weight is all that matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted November 29, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 29, 2020 Here is a list of parts I have to go on the bike: Complete 929RR front end, forks, brakes, triples, wheel, clip-ons etc.. 600RR tail section, seat, sub-frame, and tail light 929 Penske rear shock CRG bar end mirrors Here is what I need to buy: Koso dash/meters Chain and sprockets FZ-07 headlight Here's what I need to make: Rear sub frame support Headlight bracket Filler panels for 3rd gen tank (where the seat was) Wish list: Exhaust / Header Nice paint / powder coat / polish, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted November 29, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 29, 2020 Oh yeah, I also have my Rizoma bars and triple clamp off my RC51 when I bought it in "Tuono" form.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer St. Stephen Posted November 30, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted November 30, 2020 No wood paneling on the tank please. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted November 30, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 30, 2020 Ha, no worries Noel, I said it will be decent...no plans on wood siding or faux wood siding 😂 Took it for a shakedown run today with the guys. It was by far the fastest bike on the rough goat trail called Hicks Rd, leading up to Mt Uhminum. The amount of mechanical traction from a worn out 30 year old 3rd gen suspension is unbelievable! Same with Bear Creek Rd, whoever was on the budget viffer was pulling away from everyone. We were laughing out loud inside our helmets on how fun a budget bike can be. And no rocks through the radiator! Only two issues - a small oil leak makes it smell like an old bike when you park it after thrashing, and the carbs are a bit out - when you get off the gas, then back on, there's nothing there for half a second or so, then it hits. Any carb whisperers have any advice? It smells rich, but the carb issue goes almost away when I pull the choke up a bit while riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelman Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 that bike is beautiful, and i can't imagine way you'd want to convert it to anything other than what it is. whatever the condition, that bodywork is rare and hard to find. chop it up and you will regret it someday. VFR's have too many hoses, wires, brackets, coolers, coils and other things (stuff that should hide behnid bodywork) hanging out to make a tidy street fighter. any resale value will take a nosedive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted November 30, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted November 30, 2020 The body work is shot as RC said, the lowers are held on by bug guts... There are plenty of nice streetfighter'd VFR's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 1, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 I really don't think this particular bike is beautiful, but I have seen some 93's that are! Additionally, there is no resale value as it has a salvage title, it's 30 years old, the frame is oxidized, and everything on it is shot, except the engine and carbs. It would far exceed the value of the bike to try to restore it, and probably be an exercise in futility. My other 3rd gen which I bought new, is beautiful, with almost perfect plastics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 1, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 I have already received flak from quite a few people, some in private messages. Your disapproval is just that, and is absolutely not the way I see this project. I want to create something that FOR ME is faster, lighter, looks less beat-up, handles better, and is more fun without worrying about brittle plastics, and is cheap. I love seeing all the nice bikes, and cool projects on this site. I have gained plenty of knowledge from this community and supported it financially over the years. In the muscle car, and Porsche community it used to be the same. But now resto-mod cars built to better the specifications of the higher end factory models, and are fetching big bucks ( like the perfect stock original cars ). Those builds almost always start with a beater 2 barrel low end automatic junker, and can end up being a top-notch ride. I'm not modifying an RC30 that's worth 50 grand, I bought it because it was cheaper than the 80cc scooter I wanted. Most parts coming off will be free to whoever wants them if they pay shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer flya750 Posted December 1, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 1 hour ago, RC1237V said: I have already received flak from quite a few people, some in private messages. Your disapproval is just that, and is absolutely not the way I see this project. I want to create something that FOR ME is faster, lighter, looks less beat-up, handles better, and is more fun without worrying about brittle plastics, and is cheap. I love seeing all the nice bikes, and cool projects on this site. I have gained plenty of knowledge from this community and supported it financially over the years. In the muscle car, and Porsche community it used to be the same. But now resto-mod cars built to better the specifications of the higher end factory models, and are fetching big bucks ( like the perfect stock original cars ). Those builds almost always start with a beater 2 barrel low end automatic junker, and can end up being a top-notch ride. I'm not modifying an RC30 that's worth 50 grand, I bought it because it was cheaper than the 80cc scooter I wanted. Most parts coming off will be free to whoever wants them if they pay shipping. Oh My Flying Spaghetti Monster!! I say do it! Don't listen to the old fuddy duds here.... I agree with you, a 3G in rough shape with a salvage title isn't worth much. Sounds like a perfect project bike to me! I can't wait to see what you do to it? 🙂 I'm always shocked by the hard headed purest in the VFR community. Always remember opinions are for paint colors! I bought new in 1993 a 1991 3G. I kept it bone stock for 27 years. I then bought a new 8G and inquired in the VFR community as to modding the bike with some performance mods? I was met with a slew of negative nannies. Many said the performance mods I wanted to do WOULD NOT improve the rideability of the bike. I bought the new Deluxe 8G for $5999, so I felt I had tons of wiggle room for performance mods. Long story short, I went all out in personal, tasteful performance mods and now I'm convinced I have one of the best 8G's on the planet...LOL! I now look back and laugh my ass off at all the negative nannies I encountered...I have ZERO regrets for the $2k I spent on performance mods. Thank goodness I didn't listen to the old fuddy duds. 😉 I think the 3G makes a PERFECT specimen to make a street fighter... (My opinion 😉 ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted December 1, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 1 hour ago, RC1237V said: I have already received flak from quite a few people, some in private messages. Good grief... Well, I'll be following to see what you do with it. Your red 3G is gorgeous, polished frame, custom gauges and custom triples? And the left exit exhaust... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Haters gotta hate. Do what makes you happy. I've seen some a few really nice streetfighter builds from older VFRs on this site. I say go for it. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Go for it!! With one less fully restored 3rd gen on the planet, the price of those will go up. Maybe even a couple of dollars! I'd love to have a custom 3rd gen but at this point, I'm only doing fuel injected bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted December 1, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 14 hours ago, RC1237V said: I have already received flak from quite a few people, some in private messages. Seriously? I'm gobsmacked that people are afraid to voice their opinion in public. Ignore them and do as you please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted December 1, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 1, 2020 "Feck the begrudgers" as the Irish would say.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrelman Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 vfrcapn's bike above is an excellent example of a well done conversion and required alot of imagination and some excellent fabrication. not many have enough talent to come up with anything that nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 2, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 2, 2020 On 11/30/2020 at 2:52 PM, vfrcapn said: The body work is shot as RC said, the lowers are held on by bug guts... There are plenty of nice streetfighter'd VFR's... That blue bike was Apex Andy's bike. Vfrcapn is the one who sold me the white 93, and verified that the body work was shot, and the lowers were held on by bug guts. 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted December 3, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 3, 2020 On 12/1/2020 at 3:55 AM, RC1237V said: I have already received flak from quite a few people, some in private messages. Your disapproval is just that, and is absolutely not the way I see this project. I want to create something that FOR ME is faster, lighter, looks less beat-up, handles better, and is more fun without worrying about brittle plastics, and is cheap. I love seeing all the nice bikes, and cool projects on this site. I have gained plenty of knowledge from this community and supported it financially over the years. In the muscle car, and Porsche community it used to be the same. But now resto-mod cars built to better the specifications of the higher end factory models, and are fetching big bucks ( like the perfect stock original cars ). Those builds almost always start with a beater 2 barrel low end automatic junker, and can end up being a top-notch ride. I'm not modifying an RC30 that's worth 50 grand, I bought it because it was cheaper than the 80cc scooter I wanted. Most parts coming off will be free to whoever wants them if they pay shipping. It must be "mainly" in private messages, because the only negative comment I can see on this thread is one person saying you'll regret chopping up such a nice bike. As a long-time, non-purist 3rd gen owner, my only comment is that, unlike the 4th gen, the huge "strakes" in the 3rd gen frame makes most mods to the rear cowl look pants. In fact, the nicest treatment I've seen is probably the red paint accents on your other bike (but that only works with an OEM-style rear cowl). Okay, one more comment: The OEM exhaust on both models is highly unphotogenic, and almost no one who "streetfighters" these bikes bothers to change it (probably because making custom exhausts is hard). Solve those problems and you will be praised like a god. Good luck! Ciao, JZH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 4, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 4, 2020 18 hours ago, JZH said: It must be "mainly" in private messages, because the only negative comment I can see on this thread is one person saying you'll regret chopping up such a nice bike. As a long-time, non-purist 3rd gen owner, my only comment is that, unlike the 4th gen, the huge "strakes" in the 3rd gen frame makes most mods to the rear cowl look pants. In fact, the nicest treatment I've seen is probably the red paint accents on your other bike (but that only works with an OEM-style rear cowl). Okay, one more comment: The OEM exhaust on both models is highly unphotogenic, and almost no one who "streetfighters" these bikes bothers to change it (probably because making custom exhausts is hard). Solve those problems and you will be praised like a god. Good luck! Ciao, JZH Thanks for the words of encouragement! I actually love the frame accents on the 3rd gen, and think I can work with them on this street fighter. I just have to be careful not to exceed my budget, and the value of the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted December 4, 2020 Member Contributer Share Posted December 4, 2020 Tyga makes a nice looking full exhaust system. Maybe one day I'll get to see one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 4, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 4, 2020 Yeah, I saw that...a bit too pricey for this project. I may cut the big fat belly out of the stock exhaust, but that would be about it... I did think about getting the titanium system from the RC30, and cut and weld it to fit my red bike, but that is a big dollar risk. Too many things that will give me way bigger gains for less money, so for now, it's just a pipe dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 17, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 17, 2020 Took more stuff apart and did some initial cleaning. The chain guide rubber piece is barely useable, and discontinued. Anyone know of an alternative, or will I need to make one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 17, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 17, 2020 Liquid motivation, and new parts...went from 16/43 to 15/45, not stunting gears, but really gets the most out of a 90 hp bike... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RC1237V Posted December 17, 2020 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 17, 2020 Modified sprocket cover, and removed rear chain guard, and clutter. Made a stainless bracket for the brake line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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