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My headers arrived unscathed! Mr. Squiggle did a very thorough job of packing, and he even threw in all the hardware, gaskets, and aluminum Sebspeed center stand stop that he had collected for the header! 😆 Due to the fact that now is coming into some of our best riding here (cool mornings/evenings, warm afternoons, mountain roads open and clear, many days still sunny) and due to a lot of my spare funds currently going to my Suzuki Cappuccino restoration project, I will probably install these and work on a tuning solution sometime this winter. Here's a few photos of the big sturdy box, and the headers out of the box on the kitchen floor. And before someone asks, yes, that is a dirt bike wheel in the front entry of my place. 😜

August 22 2012 I purchased my 2002 VFR800... I've been on VFRD for the duration of this time and its been a tremendous resource. BUT you folks have turned me into one of yourselves... and for a few years now I've had real interest in a 5th gen. In the meantime I moved to a house with a garage. The hunt has been on for a winter project... I've done a lot of work on my 02 and the increased confidence (and quantity of tools) makes me want to try a full rebuild. Budget was <$1000 to buy it. Doing the daily search online, find a local 5g which has a write-up indicating that the fuel tank rusted out and the bike wont run due to debris. He just wanted to get rid of it... we emailed and chatted... I rode over to take a look. $900 and 3 hours later he's taking it out of his truck in my driveway. Was it fate? I did NOT expect a VFR to be my <$1000 project, and I couldn't be happier! So we have a 1999 VFR800. Not quite 47000km. Original colour was yellow. Non-running currently. New battery. Ancient scary tires. No exhaust can. Cheapy ebay REPSOL fairings with paint runs under the clear & decals... good from 10ft [they will attach better than in pics; mount points on bike are tweaked, and there are only a few bolts currently holding all the plastics on... yikes]. Bike lived outdoors for a couple years per the PO, and parts are weathered. Shout-out to my wife for agreeing and not being angry. I can't believe she was cool with it... she's a keeper. The plan: I don't know! The goal of the 'winter project' was to refurbish a bike I wanted to ride on a low budget, ride it next summer, and sell it the following spring unless its a keeper. [I still don't know if I'm allowed to KEEP multiple bikes]. The first step is to get it running... once riding season is over, I will take my 6g tank and hook it to the 5g and see where we are at unless I can de-rust or replace* the current one by then. In the meantime, fairings are off, and I'll be digging in looking for anything else which needs repair. Looking forward to some quality garage time over the next year! I'll keep this thread updated with progress.

^^^ yes, alot of riders don't take the time to find the tightest spot along the chain and adjust for proper tension there. if the loose spots then are too many or too loose, a new chain is in order. best to adjust chains cold and lube when hot and after riding in the rain.

My simple brain method is to move the crank for the valves that I'm working on so the cam lobe is pointing away from the valve bucket/rocker; that is the point of maximum clearance.

Would just like to say that with the three 6gen's I've owned, I've traveled 10's of thousands of kilometres two up and never experienced any changes in vibration. Correct chain tension is even more important with the added load of an extra person. Err on the side of slightly looser, NEVER over-tighten. I remember riding with another VFR owner once that was complaining of a vibration issue. I noticed the chain was too tight, we pulled into the nearest fuel station and backed off the chain tension - no further issues. Chain age, sprockets, and chain tension seem to be major cause of strange vibration issues, along with all the other good suggestions here.

Continued my journey to Lourdes.. Miles and miles of dried sunflowers.. Except for 1 field! Met up with a fellow turntable/vinyl records enthousiast on my way Lourdes. Ate some cheese... Drank some blessed water... Could park in the courtyard of the neighbouring hotel... KARMA! My wife is from Luxembourg