Cogswell

Loooove 3rd gens . . . .

Check out HighSideNZ's engine thread - he bored his to 825cc using CBR pistons (IDR which ones - 954?) - that's about the limit. There's not enough material to take it much larger. Not for the faint of heart. An idea for a custom VTEC motor is to pin the VTEC valves open using the adjustment pins. I don't know that anyone has done that and written about it. It would add to the reciprocating mass of each valve assembly, but when you see the pins they're tiny and it would seem to be insignificant. You'd have maybe the only 4valve all the time VTEC out there.

With stock tuning, you do not need them, 98/99 did not come with O2 sensors. However, if you want to use Rapid Bike or Power Commander autotune, you will. Nice stainless plugs can be had for $10 +/-. Having the bungs gives you the option to do some tuning later.

Stock, no - but the kit came with heavier clutch springs and the frictions and steels need to be in excellent condition.

It is for sure concerning when threading steel bolts in to an aluminum engine case . . . When a torque value is not specified, in the FSM I look at other bolts with the the same diameter that thread in to the same or similar locations. So for example if those bolts are the same thread / diameter as the clutch cover or water pump bolts I use the torque spec for those as my "never exceed" value, my reasoning being that the bolt / threads should be able to accept at least that value without stripping or breaking. Presuming that the CCT bolts are the same, I would think that the CCT wouldn't need to be any tighter than those other components. I may be FOS, but it has kept me out of trouble so far - knock on wood. 🙂

I wish I could find a shop like that. The ones I've been to have been run by some Goober with two front teeth missing and who's got a dirty rag hanging out of his back pocket with a cigarette dangling from his lip. They look at exhausts as something underneath rusty pickup trucks, and they want to slap it together, stick weld it and send you on your way. I have one shop that's a bit of a drive to try - they seem to cater to hot rodders and customizers so I'm hoping it might be someone that will be similar to your experience. I guess once the mid pipe has been expanded there's no going back - it would be too big for the stock headers (thinking of when / if the bike is sold) - haven't figured out any way of filling the gap to go back to a smaller diameter header.

I don't know how the value of it could be better documented. Still . . . Despite being a mutual (owned by policy holders) company, S.F. like all insurance companies are not necessarily there to take care of your loss - they're there to make money. I just keep my receipts for add ons and extras and hope if the worst happens I can do the same - convince them of the investment. I was hoping there might be an agreed value solution, but alas, it appears not.

How do you insure the full value of all those parts and pieces? A typical insurance company is going to pay book value on what is now a 25+ y.o. bike. And since most of the parts are out of production there are no comparative values.

Bike porn . . . !

Hi Cogswell, Thank you for your donation of 50.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

First off - I'd like to say that IMHO this is one of the most valuable 6th gen guides we have - I'd like to request that it be pinned to the maintenance forum where it's readily accessible. Secondly, although I've used this guide previously with success, I would like to add some nuances to Part 3, subsection C. In that part, bleeding the Secondary Master Cylinder on the L. Front caliper and the Left Side Proportioning Control Valve (LPCV), I made a still unknown mistake and managed to get a HUGE amount of air in to the system. After two hours of cursing and frustration I quit for the day and came back to it later. Here is what I discovered: * If you pump the rear brake pedal with the LPCV bleed open, the fluid will go directly through the LPCV and you will not add any fluid to the SMC. No amount of vacuum bleeding from the LPCV will add fluid to the SMC. * There is a specific timing of rear pedal actuation, SMC actuation and open and close of the LPCV. While the instructions are extremely helpful, there were just a couple of things I missed. As mentioned, cycling the rear brake pedal will fill the SMC with fluid and will be felt as the plunger pushes out. With the fluid gone however, you'll have to do that many times before enough fluid reaches the SMC plunger to feel anything happening. You will have to go through the cycle below to purge out enough air to even get fluid to the SMC. I kept thinking "WTF is wrong, this is supposed to move the SMC out but nothing is happening." You'll think you're going nowhere, but just keep at it until you feel motion at the SMC. Don't forget to check the fluid level in the RMC as you'll go through quite a bit. If you draw air you start the entire process again. The timing is thus Press the rear brake pedal until motion is felt at the SMC. The SMC plunger is retained and will not come out with rear brake pressure. See above if you feel nothing at the SMC while pumping the rear pedal - you may need to complete the drill below a number of times before that happens. Release the rear brake pedal. Push inward on the SMC as in the instructions. Hold pressure on the SMC while at the same time opening the LPCV bleed valve. As the SMC moves inward note the fluid movement out of the LPCV. In my case there were many, many bubbles as the air purged. Close the bleed valve while holding the SMC plunger in. Keep the SMC under pressure - do not release it. If the SMC is then released and allowed to return to the relaxed position on its own, the air compressed in the line to the LPCV will expand and push the SMC plunger out, refilling it with air. You'll keep going in circles pushing the air back and forth but not purging it. If there is no air in the system this likely is not an issue as there's only fluid on either side of the SMC. This is the main thing that I missed. The key is to replenish the fluid in the SMC by only pumping the rear pedal to supply fluid from the RMC and not from the line between the SMC and LPCV. The SMC plunger should *never* be allowed to move outwards on its own. Now pump the rear brake pedal again to bring more air-free fluid to the SMC - you'll feel the plunger pushed out as new fluid moves in. Repeat the cycle. It may take a fair number of these cycles before motion is felt at the SMC if the SMC started out empty. The SMC is small and does not move much fluid, so it can take quite a few cycles to move all the air out. Lastly, while having a helper to cycle the rear brake pedal is helpful, it can also be done solo. Scrounging around some scrap wood I found a 24 inch piece of 1X2. Placing it vertically on the pedal provided a perfect way to push down on the pedal from the opposite side. I could push down while at the same time hold the SMC plunger with my left hand and feel it coming out. That feedback loop was helpful in "figuring it out". It just leaned neatly against the frame when not needed until the next cycle. If you didn't bollix it up like I did, it shouldn't take long to do this. In my case even once I had it down it was still a good half hour until I was satisfied with it. Lastly, you can check SMC operation. Wear some soft soled athletic shoes and turn the steering head to right lock. Now push moderately on the caliper with your shoe to activate the SMC. Either reach back to turn the rear wheel or have a helper do it - if it cannot be turned then your SMC should be good to go. Release pressure from the SMC and verify your rear wheel now turns easily. You should also feel a solid rear brake pedal. Top up the fluid and you're done. While a PITA, IMHO this is a step that should not be skipped. As we've seen with bikes that have rear calipers that will not release, the SMC can be a villain in that process, so keeping the fluid clean is important.

Hmmm . . . they were patterned off 2 Brothers headers - Wade, Lance & Darryl - maybe 3 Brothers? Dunno . . .

Just turn it until you feel sufficient resistance - you'll instinctively know when to stop. Just don't reef on it trying to turn it too much - you'll probably either bend or break the key. It's the same as you did to initially have the key in there before the little tyke took it out . . . All you're doing is retracting the plunger - if you don't retract it exactly 100% it's not that big a deal. You're just winding the tensioner spring to retract the plunger from the chain so that you can seat the tensioner properly to secure it with the bolts. Then release it so the plunger once again contacts the guide/chain. Do a youtube search on "rebuilding VFR tensioner" - the presenter shows the internals of how they work. Actually, the best way to deal with CCT's on a 6th gen (or 8th for that matter) is not to deal with them - some of you know what I mean . . . If that is a Bently in the photo, thank God - better a Bently than a VFR!

You can use the key to re-wind it by turning it clockwise. Then re-install. Not a big deal. Don't forget that the washer on the bolt is aluminum - if you drop it a magnet will not retrieve it, so be careful on the front one (DAMHIK). You have an interesting avatar - is that a Bently that's flooded? Where was that photo taken?

Might I ask where you souced the plugs for the O2 bungs?

Yes - if it will (or can be made to) work for a 5th gen.

Wondering how you're doing that - do you have a dedicated bench mounted polishing setup?

I haven't seen this previously - for anyone interested in these but siting on the fence, below is the #3 tube next to the OEM 6th gen equivalent. It's one thing to have the diameter measurement, but visually the difference is striking.

I'm curious if anyone here has done this with the 8th gen version. The gap between the #3 rear tube and the collector is just a touch under 3/4 inch - while the upright on the center stand is 1 inch material. I don't want to bend the tube that much, and while I'm no 98 pound weakling, neither am I Schwarzenegger - it's a tough fit. That leaves removing the C-stand. Is that the only option? Not the end of the world - just hoping there's a more elegant solution.