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Last Sept. I finally got my new to me 5th Gen in running order. Unable to find any hard bags for it I ended up building a pair if saddle bag supports for my soft bags. I used 5/16" - 8mm weldable rod for most of it, with some 1/4" - 6mm for the forward stays. Everything was cold bent on my 6" vise with a 3lb ball peen, then welded. They are easily removable with 4 fastenings per side. I used them on a 3,000 mile trip that Fall and worked well. I did think though that a six pack rack would be helpful. Not finding anything available for the 5th Gen, and having trips to VA, TN, NC, then 4 days after that up to New Brunswick and the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia in May, I figured I'd have a go at making a serviceable six pack rack a shot. Again I used 5/16" - 8mm rod for the frame and some 5/8' - 16mm X 1mm flat for the slats. I piggybacked off the Saddlebag supports to make it easier to mount, and threaded the rod at the forward end to adjust the rack, but also make it removable. The cable clamps on the aft lower are for the same reason. I can remove the rack in less than 2 minutes, but it is strong enough that a buddy and I lifted the back of the bike off the ground with it. 2 trips and just under 5,000 miles this May, and it has indeed proved useful. I'm a form follows function guy, so I'm not bothered if its less than elegant. Besides, there's so little in the way of luggage options for the 5th Gen that I had to figure out something if I wanted to go touring The last pic was taken around the 20th of May at Rouses Point NY as I was returning from NC etc. I generally will go up to the Quebec Border and turn right to get back home. This eliminates going through CT and MA, a far more relaxing way to enter Maine.

I ordered a Brembo rear rotor for my 2006 non ABS VFR800. Checked with multiple sources including Brembo itself and all said it was model 68B407M6. When it arrived 8 weeks later (they make them per order) it would not fit due to the the Brembo not having the 4 holes to accomodate the heads of the tire mounting bolts that protrude from the axle face. Fortunately they owned up to the mistake and refunded my money. This model is supposed to fit 1998 to 2012 VFRs. Big Fail. They could not determine which model, if any, would fit the VFR or what bikes the 68B407M6 does fit. Too bad. It was half the price of the Honda rotor I eventually purchased.

There are many ways. I like to use a drift that is smaller than the slot. And I don't smash all the way down, but leave a small gap so I can easily get a small chisel in to release it later if I need to do some work.

Coincidence, or what?!? So, I'm buying a ~275 year-old, three-story "canal house" in the Netherlands with a ground floor which is destined to be my new garage. Not an American-sized garage by any stretch of the imagination, but if I can manage the space well it should be big enough to meet my current needs. The total garage area is about 40m2--with 3.5m ceilings. The challenge is that if I want to be able to use the space as a workshop (and I do), I've got to find some place to store 9-10 motorcycles... (No, selling them is not an option!) My tentative solution is to use the garage's height in a creative way, such that I will build a heavy duty shelf 2m off the ground on the three side walls and lift the bikes up and down using an electric "pallet stacker". The shelves will be constructed from 41x41 Unistrut, with 1m-spaced verticals attaching at the floor and the ceiling (as well as to the walls). I'll use a 45-degree shelf support bracket made of welded rectangular tube attached to the horizontal and vertical struts. The bikes will sit on metal "sleds" I will design and build, which may be based on the Baxley-type wheel chocks I have 6 of now, or maybe on an ABBA stand-type design. The stacker can lift 1000kg 3.5m (it was either that or install some sort of winch/gantry system to the ceiling--this is simpler!) I'm not a structural engineer, but I've read a bit about the Unistrut system, which is quite versatile and very strong. I won't need to weld anything to the Unistrut (which is good, because it is galvanized steel...), but I can build the 45-degree brackets and the "sleds" from mild steel tubing and plate. I should have enough room for six bikes, even if I only use the side walls. I can only ride one at a time, so as long as they are accessible (and the floor area remains free of obstruction), I should be able to retrieve them whenever I want to worn on them or ride them. It should look something like this: The front wall will have 4x folding doors with windows above, plus there are french doors at the back and a small office. I should get plenty of light. Thoughts...? (Especially re the crazy shelf idea!) Cheers, JZH

It's a new project. But I'm determined. 99 vfr800. Bought it as a project and am tearing into it... bodies aren't terrible, needs a few misc parts... I'll check mileage when I plop a battery back in. As for pictures, I'm tryin to get those figured out

I'm enjoying this thread, looking forward to all the other things you will figure out, and the final result. Are the elevated motorcycle "shelves" really just for display, or do you intend to walk downstairs one morning, decide which bike is perfect for a ride that day, bring it down and zoom off?

Webbike Japan lists these for USD79.

Couple things: "All fuses are good" Does that include the Main Fuse that is under a cover on the solenoid holder? I have to ask. Also, solenoids come in two styles and they are mirror images of each other. There is usually a "B" (Battery) and an "M" (Motor) molded into the plastic near the cable posts. If you got an opposite (and your original unit was really bad), you will need to re-pin the wires on the plug in the mirror image too. Also closely inspect the wires going into that plug. It is VERY common for those to be melted and burnt and can cause what you describe. Sometimes you don;t realize how bad it is until you really look close. Also, you can plug in your original solenoid just to see if you get any power again. Great choice in a VFR model and good luck.

This guy should be able to sort you out, he’s had everything I wanted for my 89 https://shop.xtremedecals.com/shop/category.aspx/vfr-series/38/

As Stray points out, having a structural member in your garages ceiling has some benefits as far as options for lifting or stabilizing the bike I have a 1 ton chain hoist mounted above my lift. They are about $70 at HF. First pic I used my hoist to lift the bikes rear up as bit to do some work this Spring. Second pic I used the hoist to stabilize the bike at the handlebars as I was going hammers and tongs working on it this past Fall. Good tip over insurance without having to strap the bike down.

It's this view that cements it for me. The shape of the relief/flare for the handlebars at full lock just flows better with the other bodywork pieces and tank. A little more organic looking. When final placement is done, trim the screen down a bit to compensate for the height proportions and you can even re-angle the top cut to (more) match the angle of the top of the tank. (If that makes sense)

Take your seat off. Look for a sticker similar to the one on the photo, this is the color code for the bike. A company called "Colorite" makes touch up paint for motorcycles. You may have to order it, and it won't be cheap, but should still be available. Alternatively check out the stock touch up sticks at your local auto store. Depending how big and the location of the dings you may find one close enough for your needs. I was able to find a red and blue that were very close for my 85 RWB 1000R that way. Good luck. OEM Motorcycle & Powersports Paint | Touch-Up Pens, Aerosols, Quarts | ColorRite

Not really that hard; remove the small hoses/cables while propped up, then remove the rear pivot bolt and flip the tank right over and then undo the fuel banjo. Place lots of padding on the rear rails to protect the paint then keep the tank upside down while stored. I had my half-full tank off for a fortnight while I serviced the valves on my VTEC and never lost any fuel.

If I tried to dig a basement in South Holland, I'd have a swimming pool! Yes, the reason for the cantilevered shelves is mainly to avoid interference with the workbenches and machine tools underneath. I could, of course, run at least some front verticals, but I've seen other workshops where they're using pallet racks for both storage and workbenches, and the extra vertical supports always seem to be "in the way". I'm trying to avoid that. I'm also trying to avoid supporting anything from the ceiling (which is also the bottom floor of our house). They built these houses very sturdily, but I don't want to chance doing anything which could compromise the structure of the house itself. I will try to post my progress here. I don't actually have the keys, yet, but that day is almost here! Then I've got to move fairly quickly to avoid having everything in the UK delivered to the same space in which I'm trying to build all this stuff... Ciao, JZH

Leaky Head Gasket Check... You can visual inspect for a leaking head gasket by pulling the spark plugs and peering down each hole... if the top of the piston is black then no leak that cylinder... if the top of the piston is a bright shiny aluminum then leak detected... because a leaky head gasket allows coolant in and that produces steam under the heat of combustion... the net effect is a super clean piston dome and no nasty black...

And yet another lot done ! From now on, it might get a little slower (yup, even slower than now 🙄) as I just moved out and don't have a space on my own to work from, I'll have to do whatever I need at work during breaks. Also, before I put her back together, I've got to spend about 1k in parts and quite a few hours, the lady needs a lot of attention ... The most worrying is that constant oil sweating at the top of the engine, I've moved the bike to a storage unit 3 days ago and noticed today that it keeps leaking a bit under even though the engine has been on for over 6 months.

You were absolutely right about both of those things. Thank you so much

The short answer is: You would not be the first motorcycle rider to inspect it for cracks, and if none found, put it in a vise and slowly bend it back into shape with a shifting spanner and maybe a pipe on the handle for leverage. Hopefully somewhere you have a photo of the bike to give you an idea of what the final product should look like. If not cracked but severely bent, you could do the same with heating it at the bend with a torch, but if you have not done this before, I would not recommend it as you can weaken the metal. Looking around, the 5th Gen and the 8th Gen pedals are different part numbers. Does not mean they would not work, but I have no personal knowledge having not swapped them. If you end up looking for a used one, as you are in the UK, you can try David Silver Spares. I bought a few things from them for my 91 VFR when I lived there. Good bunch. Homepage - David Silver Spares If all else fails, CMSNL over in the Netherlands, shows them ( Part number 46500MCWD00) for the princely sum of £120 plus shipping and I assume VAT. yikes. Honda Motorcycle Parts, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha Motorcycle Parts - ATV, Classic Bike, Dirt Bike Parts Hope this is of some help.

What is better than a afternoon ride after some vfr work in the garage, especially as weather is nice, 26°C at highest and sunny ☀️ 😎 This time to a other cafe that has a bit bigger road there, "the green hell" I call it, lots of small elevation change's as curves, shame half the road has a 60km/h restriction these days, your driver's license is sure out in the wind..... But still a delight to ride !

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm driving at. Most screens that are cut like that, the top "plane" tends to match the angle of the top of the tank. Cheers!

Damn it Captain, you’re always right and make me rethink!

The forklift could easily lift this assembly like a pallet. If you put casters under it, you could push it around the garage easily. The 2" hitch would give you an easy way to attach it to your wall assembly.

I like them both. A big part of me likes the 1000F cowl. The larger proportions seem to work for me with the tank and tail.. Maybe trim the windshield down to reduce some overall "height". Anyway.... loving it!

Quick biker’s fairy tale for you guys. 5th Gen had a Rapid Bike Racing but she wasn’t completely satisfied and wanted “more”. So she skipped off to the woods and found RRPM in Meriden (where classic Triumphs used to be made). A nice man called Nick took the little 5th Gen into a dark cave and thrashed her mercilessly for 2.5 hours. She screamed LOUD!!! IMG_7441.mov You can see the puff of smoke as he lets off the throttle. She was rich when she went in… IMG_7446.mov …she was lean and mean when she came out. Breathless and powerful! Well, sort of. She went from 97-104BHP. That’s a 7% increase, which isn’t bad but I was hoping for more at the top. Midrange feels really creamy, though… Dyno results for the numerically inclined: He has an RC45 in his stable, so I didn’t mind waiting! Mods include: - Black Widow exhaust silencer with catless 1998 header - Open airbox with Pipercross filter - Uprated clutch springs (no slipping) And they lived happily ever after.

Vfr1200 is shaft driven

Shoot me an email, I'll try to squeeze it in

Not sure what you mean? However, there is some question about whether I will be able to get my van (and its hitch) into the garage at all at this point...but there is no question that I would NOT have enough room to maneuver it around inside if I did! I will have some Unistrut to play with in a few days, so I will decide what to do after that. This is an electric "pallet stacker", btw: What makes it different than a "forklift" is that it requires support underneath the load, so I will need to be able to slide the front wheels of this thing underneath anything sitting on the floor of my garage below the bike shelves. So that means everything there needs to be on legs or wheels or a platform. No problem with workbenches and tool cabinets, but more of a challenge with machine tools such as my bandsaw, drill press, welding cart, future plasma table, lathe, mill, etc. Fortunately, I like planning; unfortunately, more than doing! Ciao, JZH

Strange. I once had an EBC (I think) on my 750, and both it and the OEM rotor it replaced had huge cut outs to allow the rotor to clear the axle studs. Bit of an oversight on Brembo's part! Ciao, JZH

With RED especially, my experience with ColorRite is... ColorRong

Wow! Thanks! you were a big help. R334. I am just an old man who has been riding since '64 but I love this bike. My FJR has put on too much weight over the years and more likely my old body is weak and this wonderful bike and my 2017 Vstrom get me through the touring season. There are a couple of very small marks but on the pannier there is a patch 1.5 inches wide by 5 inches long. I could put a reflector over it but I thought I would try this first. Thanks for helping me.

This. +1

Oh what joy. Brake fluid flush time again. Good job I decided to pull the secondary master cyl to inspect/ clean the little green plastic return valve assembly, piston seals had let go & were weeping Dot 4 up the bore, rusty Schmoo had collected under the boot too. Poor design imho, no wonder Honda junked the idea a few yrs later. Anyhoo. Several lolly sticks / lint free cloth & a litre of brake cleaner later, she's nice n clean again, I also honed the piston bore, this shifted the brown rust deposits, I used a grey scotchbrite wrapped around my thread tap handle, approx M8 diameter, which proved a very effective way to get a good fine cross hatch hone in the piston bore, new Tourmax repair kit on order. I'm still amazed with the micro tech that's gone into the return valve. Wonder if anyone's drilled the return bigger, if so, any benefit or detriment to the braking?

https://www.visordown.com/news/longest-day-challenge-raises-more-ps120000-cancer-research-uk

Ball bearing held in forceps, works a treat, done hundreds this way.

Can you rent an engine lift in Shetland? That would make it so much easier

It’s really just a matter of unplugging the electrical connections, exhaust off and then the engine mounting bolts, take lots of photos of where the connections are Either a trolley jack or a scissor jack under the motor

The one I sent you a link to earlier has the throttle bodies etc on

Looks great! 👍 The thing I miss most about my VFR is the factory hard bags. I don't do a lot of trips, but those bags were a godsend for sport touring. I have struggled with what luggage to buy for my current bike, as I don't love any of the options. I'm close to making a decision now, but it has taken me a long time to get to this point. Kudos to you for making your own setup for your 5th gen. since there wasn't anything you liked on the market. 🙂

If nothing else it'll be a hell of a lot less work/$$$ than Colin Furze's underground lair. I'm guessing your benches/toolboxes will sit underneath the bikes, right? Castors will let you rearrange them easily to suite your needs. Please snap a few pics of the build to show your progress.

5th gen already has oil feed to stator. One of the issues with 6th gen is they closed that oil feed & early 6th gens burned out stators. The 5th gen has the worlds most power hungry clock. If you leave the battery attached & not on a tender it will drain it.

Bought these for my current front caliper rebuild, but turns out there's plenty of pad material left on the existing ones already. NEW not opened. Bought for the RC51, but looking on where used also F4i/954 possible CBR600. Please check on Parzilla for where used/diagrams for application. Selling $50 shipped US 48...

New seat cover! Way more grippy than the OEM. Also bought an OEM windscreen. I'll use the big one it replaced for long trips with lots of freeway miles. I just prefer the look of the original. Also, I just realized there are tiedown loops under the the back seat 🤯

Twenty years ago I flew to Nashville, borrowed a 5th gen, and rode to Charlotte NC on all the best roads. Went home and bought one soon after. Last week I flew to Nashville, borrowed the same bike (only 22k miles now) and spent 4 days riding some of the same roads. I now understand why VFRD meets in Franklin. We stayed in Townsend, and just rode everything we could in the area. It was epic, and I will not wait another 20 years to head east again.

Do it when your wife is out shopping and the pot will be fine. The action in boiling water is very obvious from closed to open.

Good morning everyone, Here are the progress and set backs from this week and last weekend. A lot of masking, painting, bleeding, re-masking, airbrushing, repeat. If anything, that job is teaching me patience and accepting my mistakes. Still unsure about what happened about on the "RC36" on the right hand side on the seat cover. Most likely a mix of airbrushing too thick, too soft sanding (p1200) and possibly a bad vinyl ? But once again, that will be adjusted on the next step. Slow and steady wins the race ! 🐢💪

2014 VFR for sale. Immaculate condition. 5700 miles. Lots of extras. Factory bags, 2 exhausts-Coffman’s & Titanium Delkevic, seat cowl, rear grab handles, Bar Risers, speed bleeders, Pazzo Levers, screen, pit bull & trex stands, Ram mount & charger and more. All goes for $7k!

My 99 runs at a right around 180F on the freeway which is the thermostat opening point, which tells me there is excess radiator cooling capacity at that point. I would be rechecking your thermostat as it sounds like it may be jammed. My easy thermostat test (no disassembly needed!) is to start the cold engine and let it warm at a standstill and keep a hand on the radiator. If the thermostat is working the radiator stays cold until you reach 176-odd which is when it should start to open and dump hot coolant out to the radiator, which you feel as a sudden jump in temperature. If the radiator slowly heats up from when you start the bike, the thermostat is jammed open. If the radiator doesn't get hot around 176 then it may be jammed closed.

With this Abba stand you will be able to not only lift both wheels of the ground but also remove the whole front end for instance when you need to replace head bearings.

Well, did some research and answered my own question! The mystery Pink Wire from the Ignition Switch to the ECM is possibly some form of anti theft hotwire security! Underneath the ignition switch is a Zener Diode that drops 12v down to 9v and sends this to the ECM via the Pink Wire. If the ECM sees 0v or 12v on this wire the ECM will NOT fire up completely, it must see 9v. Effects are Fi light ON and NO Fuel Pump prime. Definelty one to remember for anyone who has a four wire ignition switch having the Pink Wire. Cheers.

Propping the tank up will help you get a lot more siphoned out prior to removal as it concentrates the fuel in a small space. Using a small diameter vinyl hose I've gotten to where I can get it nearly dry. Also, it helps to have a second set of hands to hold the tank while it's flipped over.