Leaderboard

Better pic

Had the same issue with the Wax Idle unit bracket, this shows how much I took off for the AS3 hoses:

Getting ready to go... labeled every OEM hose as I was removing so I know where it goes... then I can match the AS3 hoses.. Its the only way (for me) to keep hoses straight in the labyrinth of connections. Scrubbed the hooey out of the hose connections and thermostat housing with degreaser and several different stiff brushes. (not fun) Took far too damn long. -- Makes me wonder about getting an ultrasonic cleaner machine....(any tips?)

It's been a few years since I did this (wow, nearly 10!). IIRC there is a need to space the calliper a few mm off the fork leg to centre the disc and the calliper, and I used 2 stainless washers superglued onto the leg. Then the only area where there is insufficient clearance is the top rear of the lower mount. I chose to use a hand file and just removed some of the fork leg material a little at a time until I had a non-interference fit. I only removed material on the inner part of the mount so from the outside the mount looks untouched. I did not modify the calliper at all.

If anyone asks, "Why aren't there any nice 5th gen. VFRs left for sale in Canada?" I think we know the answer: @maxredline is hoarding them! 😆 Just kidding. Congrats on your latest VFR!

Ehi Max! Silver is still missing... 😏 😁

One day I will join that crowd with a garage ultrasonic cleaner too... Good strategy on keeping the hoses together. I did ye olde find & replace method, so I didnt have to stay so organized, only working one side at a time. Those hoses are great, btw. Only Issue I had were the ones going to the Wax Idle unit, but a dremel tool took care of that 😬

Copy all! You both answered the question i didnt dare to ask: "Should I instead shave the forks" Thank you both! This methods sounds like a safe way to do it, either by hand file or ye-olde tiny rotary problem-solver... And good words on the spacers topic @Terry. I have that (theoretically) taken care of by the checklist @Tirso so kindly made for us. Quoted from the first page of this post: * Caliper Spacers: (4) https://www.mcmaster.com/93849A105/ * Caliper Bolts: (4) https://www.probolt-usa.com/stainless-steel-flanged-hex-head-m8x1-25mmx28mm/ I have not personally verified this just yet, as those bolts come from ...checks notes.... Deutschland... but they should arrive by this weekend, and will combine the powers of both yalls methods to not create a VTR-flavored boat anchor 😆 --- Thanks on the looks of the calipers, @mello dude! They are not at all perfect, but I was able to scrub them to about 80% of their former glory after many evenings with various chemicals and non-marring abrasives...

The VTR lower fork leg has a casting draft, I ground that angle off. Then just a bit on the outer radius. The calipers...I bolt loose on the top boss, swing it down and gradually sneak up on the area to grind off. ---Screw this up and you have a boat anchor. 😉 btw - the calipers look great!

So I finally have nearly everything together! I am just waiting on the bolts for the calipers to arrive, and for me to finish grinding away at my way too fancy rear caliper to get the proper clearances to the rear rotor.... But as I wait, I know I need to worry about shaving the Fireblade calipers to fit the Firestorm forks Any tips for me before I commit to some permanent modifications? I intend to use a dremel tool... but perhaps I should use a die grinder attachment from harbor freight... Open to any thoughts here Maybe a good source for a golden paint pen for my certain mistakes....

Excellent posts, lads--with part numbers! I'd just add that many of these special Honda fasteners have been duplicated in titanium by TitanClassics.com in the UK. (In case you win the lottery.) Ciao, JZH

I have very similar feelings. I did an overnight trip this weekend to SE Ohio, home of most of the best twisty roads in the state. It has been a while since I did any real sport-riding, and rather than push it, I rode more conservatively than usual. I think as I get older I'm less willing to risk it all just to go 5-10% faster. I'm not racing, after all. Just looking to go reasonably quick and to ride as smoothly as possible, practicing good technique into, through, and out of corners.

Got up early and went for a long twisty one. I decided it was going to be a day spent trying to work on my vision and regaining some flow in my riding while staying in complete control, and I feel like I accomplished that. I will never be the rider I was before I switched to dirt so many years ago, but I can apply some old man wisdom to my current riding and be a lot smoother and safer than I ever was 🤷‍♂️ Now I just need to learn to take pictures of the bike from a different angle 🫥

Yes... plates can be cleaned and reused... First inspect the friction plates for glazing... make sure you have plenty of material to work with... your shop manual states clutch thickness in thousands of an inch or mm... Next removed the contaminants with Acetone... pick a hard surface to lay over a 600 grit black dry emery paper... rotate the clutch plate in a circle... you're just busting the glaze... don't get carried away remove too much material... You should end up with a friction plate looks dull like a new one as opposed to a shinny glazed one... recheck thickness... Finally check the pressure plates for bluing caused by localized heat... make sure they are not warped... consult the manual for a thickness range... now removed the contaminants with Acetone and wire wheeled them to erased the blue and also to generally scuff up the surface... you should end up with a dull surface free of Blue marks... Steps to check your clutch for drag... your gears can't shift smoothly if your clutch is part way engaged... 1 Place your bike on the center stand... 2 Start engine and establish a warm steady idle... 3 Squeeze in the clutch lever and shift into first gear... 4 Hold in the clutch lever and note if the rear wheel coast to stop... if it continues spinning trouble shoot the lever for travel and master cylinder for condition... open the oil filler and look at the clutch pack to note just how far the plates spread apart when you squeeze the lever... Ultimately you want the rear wheel to coast to a stop when the engine is idling and first gear selected with the clutch lever is squeezed in... Bike on its side is a simple way to shift the oil level to an angle in order to remove the clutch cover without spillage... Have a new gasket standing by...

Used the winter months to replace fluids in my 02. Changed the engine oil and filter, fork oil, dust caps and oil seals, brake fluid and brake pads on the rear. Coolant is a year old so I skipped that. Noticed the rear caliper wouldn't slide so I partially disassembled all calipers and cleaned and greased the slide pins. Fixed an oil leak at the stator cover by replacing the gasket. Reused the gasket once before. Didn't hold for too long. Removing the old stuck on gasket was a faff. Stator still looks good.

Here's what LED bulbs do inside reflector housing. While there's more overall light, there's also A LOT going above horizontal and into on-coming traffic's eyes. Notice flare going up in centre as well. This will severely annoy anyone directly in front. There's way, way worse examples out there. Yes, projector lights are self-contained lights with their own reflector and lens assembly. In old days, I used to roam breaker yards to get OEM halogen projectors from BMWs. Then they evolved to use HID bulbs and now LED. I recommend 3.0" projector lights for better light control. OEM Nissan and Lexus ones are best if you can find them. Rather than thin stamped steel, they are usually heavy-duty cast aluminium assemblies. However, aftermarket ones have improved significantly. I would still disassemble these and paint front lens-holder flat-black to prevent rust and stray reflected light. Here's an installation on Ninja 250R. Remove factory lights and disassemble to toss reflector assembly. I use heat-gun, baking in toaster-oven works as well to soften glue. Projector light is mounted on plate to hold them to original headlight casing. I use longer screws to hold seam of clamshell solidly to plate (light inserted from behind). Then install bezel/shroud to clean up looks and block stray spill light. Re-install into housing. Toyota has good butyl-rubber seal to glue headlight halves back together. Voilà!!! Note sharp horizontal cut-off to prevent glare to on-coming traffic. Yet very bright light on road below. Penetration is very good, easily 80-100m. Figured I'd use original glass VFR headlight as plug to make mould. Then vacuum or pressure-form polycarbonate lens to cover opening in fairing. Projector lights would be independent assembly mounted on bracket behind it.