Rush2112

+1

I found the ST exhaust gaskets referenced somewhere during my previous research into performance headers for the VFR800; unfortunately, I never got the chance to try them with a set of performance headers so they are still in the little plastic Honda pouches...

Thank you for considering me in the offer... I really appreciate it! That's the kind of camaraderie you only find here at VFRD! I found a sport bike rental place I may use.

I'm in... I have meetings in Atlanta the week after the Spring Ride. I'm flying into Atlanta 4 days early for my meetings and renting a car and driving up to Franklin (about 2 hours according to Google Maps) Now I need to rent a bike for a couple of days... I look forward to seeing everyone!!!!

Did you consider using the stock exhaust gaskets from an ST? I believe they will align with the 36mm you are looking for... I forget if it is the ST1100 or 1300; I have a set in the garage I’ll see if I can find the part number

+1 on everything Cogswell said. It’s a great story and I wish the best of luck! I’m looking forward to seeing your progress... 🍿

Don’t run your engine until you diagnose the problem... pull the plugs and check. It’s simple and free. If you run your engine and you have a stuck injector the raw gas is dissolving the oil off the cylinder wall with every revolution and the rings will score the MMC liner. It will become a self fulfilling prophecy because if you keep it up you will have compression issues. Dont risk making an existing problem worse.

Hmmmm... those 304 SS dimensions look familiar Did you consider using the stock exhaust gaskets from an ST? I believe they will align with the 36mm you are looking for... I forget if it is the ST1100 or 1300; I have a set in the garage I’ll see if I can find the part number

PS: when you had the injectors cleaned did they check for duty cycling? Cogswell nailed it... just because the injectors flow doesn’t mean they are working as designed. You could have a stuck injector that is flowing 100% of the time flooding a cylinder... or you haven’t consumed enough coolant to make a blown head gasket obvious.

Fuel in the oil and smoke = bad injector, bad plug or coil. Pull the plugs and look for a wet, dark plug... this doesn’t cost anything. Don’t run the engine anymore until you diagnose. You are likely dumping fuel into a cylinder and not burning it. This will wash the oil off the cylinder wall and rapidly cause wear on that cylinder wall. Don’t ride the bike until you diagnose and fix. did the oil level rise with the fuel dilution or was it just a fuel odor in the oil?

It’s a piece of cake with a Dremel and patience. The welds are located just inside the primary header pipes where the flange mounts them to the engine. You can see the circular weld bead when you look in the end of the pipe. I took them down to almost flush. Others have ground them down and polish the connection so you can hardly see that there was a weld there. If I had known it wouldn’t compromise the integrity I would’ve done the same thing. Don’t go to deep. There was a thread with pictures... i don’t know if it still exists. A search might show you everything you need.

Grind the primary pipe welds down on the ‘99 catless headers before installing. It will increase the cross sectional area of the primary header by ~30% at the crucial exhaust port exit location. A little bit of work will pay decent dividends on the top end and over run.

+1 Jamie has set up my F4i fork internals and built 2 929 rear shocks for me, all top notch work. Totally transformed the handling of the bike. Next up is a set of KYB ZX14 USD Forks

I just read this thread and I think it is awesome how you are giving your VFR a new life. Good luck on the reconditioning! There were a couple of questions throughout the thread that I may be able to provide some insights: Regarding valve clearances, the valves usually tighten up from recession into the valve seats from millions of impacts. Older metallurgy allowed valves to stretch which also led to valve tightening but modern valves generally don’t suffer from this as much as in the past. Regarding the force of valve impacts, intake and exhaust impacts are not necessarily the same. The speed of the valve is dictated by the cam profile, the duration and lift of exhaust and intake cams are often different so the valve closing speeds can be different; in our 5th gen engines cam lift and duration are the same (8mm and 225 degrees) for intake and exhaust so this simplifies things. The valve materials are different so they have different densities and they are different sizes; therefore, the intake (29mm) and exhaust (24.5mm) valves have different mass so they have different momentum when impacting the valve seats. This is likely why you see a difference in intake and exhaust valve clearances. Quick observation on your R/R replacement. R/R use the subframe as a heat sink to help dissipate heat so they need to mount with the back of the R/R flush against the mounting plate to facilitate heat transfer. It may not be an issue since the one you are using is so oversized and may have enough cooling with the fins surface area but it is something to look out for especially on long tours. If the R/R gets too hot turn on your high beam headlights to help reduce the shunt load on the R/R. sorry for the zombie resurrection of previous topics... they were new to me tonight

Nice find! I’m jealous... although, right now I don’t have room in the garage for another bike so all I can do is window shop. FWIW.... I like it without the stickers

I hope your not in too much pain and you heal fully and quickly! I just found this thread and was enjoying your descriptions and pictures... if it is any solace, the third from the last picture is a great picture! I was admiring the picture before I scrolled down to the ending... I did not see that twist coming. Get well soon!

Dude... I don't know why, call me a Honda geek... but I just think that is really cool! ... and now we know the legendary NR's upper fork dimensions

A clutch doesn't wear based on how many miles (or km) are put on the bike... the quantity and quality of the shifts are what matters. The likely culprit for clutch slippage is glazing on the metal pressure plates and friction material not a "worn out" clutch. The glazing can occur over time or can be accelerated by excessive heat from "riding" the clutch or poor throttle control on hard acceleration upshifts where the engine rpms "flare" on the upshift when the clutch is disengaged/engaged without matching engine rpms to vehicle speed and gear. Often glazing can be corrected with a light wet oil sanding of the metal pressure plates and friction plates with fine grit to break up the surface glaze on the clutch plates if they are still within the measured service limits (which they likely are...) If your clutch is performing fine and you shift well... your clutch is likely to remain in good working order and it isn't necessary to change it because of an upcoming trip. PS: I'm sure you already know this, but I'll state the obvious for any folks reading that may not know... we have wet clutches so adding oil additives could cause clutch slippage and require replacing the friction plates... but that's a different subject.

I’m thankful you found it when you did... I knew someone from high school that died from a snapped chain that wrapped around the sprocket seizing the rear wheel and put them down on the road in traffic. Please everyone... don’t neglect your chain.

I get about a 2:1 ratio front to rear on my 5th gen also... I love to accelerate hard off the edges and I steer with the rear quite a bit. You know better than I do about the torque and power of the 1200... I've only seen it leading the way through the twisty Arkansas Mtns... I couldn't carry enough speed to make it past GloryRacing on Push Mtn road when he was piloting his 1200... and he had a pillion! It's no wonder you wear out tires quick if you ride "enthusiastically".

Did you use the GT-A spec Angel's? I believe they have the sturdier side walls for less tire flex and better wear for the heavier weight sport tourers like the VFR1200 and ZX14. I get 4,500 miles out of my Angel GT rears of solid hard edge to edge riding... but that is the regular spec GT's on a Y2K 800... then again, with my fat a$$ our bikes probably are close to the same weight

Congratulations Timmy!!! Your captain looks happier to see you go than you do... why is that? Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and long retirement. It looks like you’re setting yourself up nicely in a great location with a good retirement job. I’m looking forward for my retirement and relocating to Eastern TN was my first choice for a variety of reasons... We are planning on selling the house next year to initiate the 6 year retirement plan. Good luck! PS: keep the TTC screen name...