ShipFixer

Everything is installed and torqued down, including @SEBSPEED ‘s center stand stop.  Cleaning up for a test ride!

All-Honda parts in hand...now to install!  😁

Definitely not touching the injectors until I receive a package with all of the seals...

Should get the Honda M6 flange nuts tomorrow, and finally reassemble this thing.

Can't complain anywhere else :lol:

Delkevics arrived.  No M6 extra tall flange nuts yet.  Argh!

Still waiting on parts.  Tried again to separate the nuts from the studs and couldn't.  Lame...

Next set of studs came in...they are the right length but have a longer unthreaded section in the middle.  Would work, but that first alternate I found is better.

Meanwhile...not sure when the special M6 nuts from Honda will come in.  I found an alternative though, an M6 extra tall stainless steel flange nut from Bel-Metric.  They are in Massachussetts and will ship the next business day, so...it's a race.  Delkevics get here Tuesday, frustrating to wait this long!  I may yet try to torch the originals off the studs.

So I received the first of my exhaust stud bets today - a different part number listed by Honda as M6x22.  It's a dead ringer for the VFR stud, 35mm total length and the unthreaded section is in the same place, with equal threaded lengths on either side.  Part number is 92900-060220B.  The title on eBay was "QTY 2 NOS HONDA CRANK CYLINDER STUD BOLT 6X22 XR600 GB500 CB400 92900-06022-0B"

Of course, now I need the two "special nuts," but those are available in stock at Partzilla and elsewhere anyway.  

23 hours ago, ShipFixer said:

Well...you guys suck, I ordered the Delkevic 8 inchers...

You are all cutting into my surf and bicycle budget here!  :lol:

Well...you guys suck, I ordered the Delkevic 8 inchers...

Another quick question while I'm thinking about it - which O2 sensor goes in which hole?

Still waiting for the exhaust studs.  I've ordered a few "looks like" things from eBay, we'll see what gets here first.

Meanwhile...I e-mailed Delkevic to ask about the SS70 vs. Mini 8.  The short answer is "LOL they're both loud." 

2 hours ago, Gotama said:

All these attempts to achieve what is simple 

stock cans are crap lol plain and simple 

R1 cans from corresponding years can and will work beautifully .

 

Simple is for the money I've now put into rehabbing my repurchased 6th gen I could've gotten a new or like new 8th gen 🙃

Weeeelllll I guess I could go Delkevic, but I don't want crazy loud.  I'm in a quiet HOA and I'm the newest resident 😂  I think the 8" are supposed to be fairly quiet with the baffles?  But I also think way back in the early days of VFRD it was quantitatively  determined the stock cans arent that restrictive?

Searching the older posts gets tedious, but I seem to recall the cut-up cans didn't affect output much but did get louder.

I'd have to go back and look to be sure, but among other reasons I want to clean my injectors like starting issues, I think my self-tune map has a lot more +8's than yours, and that's with the stock exhaust. Great once it's running of course.

2 hours ago, Cogswell said:

First ride with it coming up later in the week.  Will let you know. Just got the MTB synched up with Racing module. Got on the phone with Yaman this a.m. who remoted in to the sytem for an initial checkup and to make base settings - got a clean bill of health.  He sets it up with a leaner AFR target below about 8,000 rpm  for mileage - IIRC 13.5.  For rpm beyond that the target goes to a richer mixture to optimize power.  The MTB will hit those targets even at higher elevations and then readjust back at sea level. Try that with a P.C. . . .   Now just other reassembly from other maintenance and she'll be good to go. 

Well, I am hoping to hear that it is in fact better, but I kind of expect that?  I'm more interested in hearing that your chain did not eat the sensor cable :lol:

While I'm on an indefinite wait for exhaust studs (I have one on my desk right now with calipers, to see if I can find some generic alternative in the US...argh) I'm thinking of sending my injectors out to be cleaned, or flush them myself.  At that point you and I should be about even-stevens for mods right?  I am probably going to keep my stock exhaust though, I don't like the looks of the Delkevics enough to reeeeaaally want to do it, and I think the advantage of the headers is going to dwarf any gains from the cans anyway.

Waiting to see how it works out for you guys before I shift to a wideband on mine 😂

Do they make sensors with right angle connectors by any chance?  Gonna go look...

12 hours ago, Gotama said:

Sheesh I just physically moved the front pipes in place by hand 

fit perfectly 

no fancy tools needed except muscle 

The wood shims and hammer were the only tools required to make up for the front end misalignment.  I think I could get them in place without them but it was a lot easier that way.  I'd assume all of these experiences will be a little different, but I got the right one in first, then the shims pushed the left one out a bit where i could get it more forward and between the stud holes, then when i took the shims out it was pretty easy to line up the last centimeter or so of movement in the left one.

If it were a bit harder for me and I didnt have the shims, I would consider removing the front wheel and fender so I could really get in and pull it a part and line them up by hand.

Meanwhile, no luck on the studs and nuts coming apart.  I may try a torch if I can find one, but meanwhile, if you haven't installed yet and you have an older bike like mine, you may want to order a few of the studs and nuts for the front cylinder ports just in case.

Well...one thing, the bolts are still seized on two studs.  I have them off the bike and soaking now while I play PUBG 😁

State of play:

Well, good news, I've got them about lined up.  I used wood shims from Lowes to separate/unseparate them until they were about right.

Bad news...two of my exhaust studs unscrewed out of the engine block rather than unbolt.  The bolts are seized pretty hard.  Talking to sfdownhill, not sure it's a good idea to screw them back in as-is since they will sit further out.  Soaking them in PB Blaster before I try a round of new tricks to get them off.  They don't look that bad, but hard to get a grip on.  I'm on travel next Monday so a week wait for new studs and bolts isn't a huge deal but I'd like to get it done.

All that said...everything looks really good right now.  No engine/frame interference, the pipe flanges line up just right with the gaskets and ports diameter-wise, etc.  

Where I am now:

Quitting for the night.  Lining up the front pipes is a serious PITA.  Everything else is in place, waiting to be torqued down.

Progress...

The VFRD headers are visually wider diameter on the inside, and my OEM gaskets were definitely intruding into the exhaust stream.  Had no problem hand-seating the new copper gaskets in the rear exhaust ports.  Going to clean as I go but smooth so far!

Ok I have all of the exhaust flange bolts off.  Just discovered the bolt in the bottom of the bike holding the catalytic converter to the frame.  What're the odds I can get that off without removing the sidestand or centerstand, with a ratchet universal joint?  Is it a capture nut on the other side?

Finally getting around to this since I cleared out my garage.  Headers, oil change, and RapidBike reset tonight...if it goes quickly enough maybe a test ride 😄