BiKenG

1 hour ago, vfr1200f said:

 

He already HAS that new "old" part on the bike....

Really, I must have missed that. In fact, I still cannot find any mention by the OP of that having been done.

1 hour ago, vfr1200f said:

The Vfr 1200 F is discontinued since 2016.

There is no newer model year so it should be a leftover unit. There's no big deal applying the recall prior or after the delivery even if the bike has the "old" part on it. It's not gonna fail instantly...

 

Well I don't want to be a scaremonger, but "instantly" is exactly how it can fail and why Honda went to the trouble of the recall. 

Initially the Universal Joint is simply stiff due to the assembly process leaving the bearings too tight. So what you might then think is that it will simply wear out faster, but what Honda are concerned about is that the UJ will crack and break apart and that means instant and possibly catastrophic failure. They had I believe experienced 2 total failures like this prior to issuing the recall, although no injuries have been caused (to the best of my knowledge).

Part of the process was to have each bike checked immediately to detect any imminent failures and if new parts were not immediately available, they would have to remain off-road until the part (shaft assembly) could be replaced. In fact I seem to recall in these cases a new 'old' type part (checked before fitment to ensure it was not too tight) would be installed to keep the bike going until the 'new' part was available and could be installed. Expensive for Honda, but when it comes to safety, they don't mess about.

The above is not simply heresay. I have seen a drive shaft (my own, although not on my actual bike) where the UJ bearing mounts/retainers are badly cracked and likely to fail imminently if used. This was taken from a bike dismantled for entirely other reasons, not related to the shaft. I bought the back end and when the recall was announced some time later I had a look at my spare shaft and was horrified how bad it was. My actual bike was not that bad and the UJ simply stiff and 'notchy'.

If I still had the 'old' part on the bike and there were no untoward symptoms, would I have continued to use the bike? Possibly, for a short while until the replacement part was available. But that would be my decision and in no way a recommendation for others to employ the same course of action. This is a potentially very serious problem and should be taken seriously. I don't think it is possible for Honda to deny supplying 'New' parts to any bike not yet fixed. That's part of what an official recall means. It is a legal as well as technical process. So there should be no issue getting parts.

The replacement is a bit fiddly, but not hard and then you have a brand new drive shaft that should last the life of the bike.

6 hours ago, YoshiHNS said:

 

So...looked through the thread. All the pictures are still there. Can you not see them?

 

Here's the link to the new album if that helps

https://jbunjevac14.piwigo.com/index?/category/36-vfr1cati

I can see them now. That wasn't the case when I first looked. I'm poring over them now. 😀

Doesn't anyone have a Triumph wheel to measure its offset?

Fixing picture links would be great.

Carbon fibre finish vinyl wrap can be very effective when carefully applied 🙂

12 hours ago, RC1237V said:

Those carbon side covers are tits, where did you get them? 

Apart from the dash, the only carbon fibre on the bike shields the wheels. 😀

15 hours ago, RC1237V said:

Nice job!

 

Any idea on the amount of weight reduction?

No, apart from a wild guess. I'd be interested in weighing it to compare. Would need to think of a way to do that and also to obtain a standard VFR1200F to weigh at the same time (well, not simultaneously of course 🙂 ) to obtain a true comparison.

Sad to say, I've not visited Australia, but I've seen pictures of great scenery. Certainly less crowded than Europe and the UK in particular.

I have my 4th and 5th gen projects too. But the eVo4 is my longer distance bike. Although I still fancy a CrossTourer as well. Oh and ...

9 hours ago, keef said:

Can you lower the headlight a few inches?

Not really as it sits down on the original fairing stay. Well it could be done by making a completely new bracket, but why? I think it looks the right height and does the job it is intended to do, keeping the bulk of the wind off me and allowing comfortable riding at the desired speeds. Any lower and I'd just be fighting more wind pressure.

Personally I think any lower would not look right. But feel free to do your own conversion, with the screen in whatever position you desire. 😀

My main use for this bike is European 'touring'. Relaxed and easy mile munching but terrific in the twisties too. My FireFighter (damn, I need to change its name) is the ultimate weapon in the Alps, but although the eVo4 is initially noticeably heavier slinging it through the Alpine hairpins, that feeling soon vanishes and it is at least as rewarding. Also doesn't require any chain adjustment at any time during the trip. 😀

On 7/10/2018 at 3:49 PM, irishrOy said:

...I got a few questions, hope you don't mind 

Not at all.

How did you get your hands on such a nice front fairing, though? Did you make it on your own, or is there a shop that sells fairings that fit on most bikes?

It's the Alien by Puig. I chose it because it was the look I wanted and only later discovered I could mount it to the original front fairing bracket with the original mirrors, although I raised them slightly with a 10mm spacer. Rear view is good even though they look quite low.

I'm intending to replace the projector light units with LED, but not found anything suitable yet. I have an idea though so watch this space.

I think I may have bought the last 2 Aliens though as Puig has discontinued that fairing/screen. It's always the same, I discover something I want just as the manufacturer decides to discontinue it.

Any different sounds from the engine-mechanics itself?

Not that I'm aware of. The engine is quite quiet mechanically and the exhaust is surprisingly quiet despite the very short muffler (from a ZX-10R). In fact it makes a lovely V4 sound. Very smooth and mellow. Ask Mohawk, he's followed me.

What is the yellow stuff between the frame and the tank?

What I think you're referring to is gold aluminium mesh which covers the air intakes into the airbox.

Is there an option you might post a video of your bike while running? 😄 

That's a possibility, but right now I think the exhaust might need re-packing. It has about 7-8K miles on it so it quite likely does and I thought it was sounding a bit more raspy than usual on the last trip. I'll see. I might try and just record something anyway. I'll add it here when I do.

1 hour ago, Spreeweiler said:

Nice, these streetfighters just need machine gun mounts and retractable bayonets!!!

That's why in general I tend to not use the term 'Streetfighter'. I prefer 'naked roadster' or something similar.

The original streetfighters were stripped down (often after a crash) and the intention was for it to look scary. But I just want a naked version of bikes I like, that Honda don't do as standard. Not intended to be stunters, or scary in any way. Just with a more upright and comfortable riding position and not covered in plastic. When I started riding bikes there were virtually no fairings on road bikes. I followed the 'faster is better' mantra with sportsbikes for years, but eventually grew out of that. I no longer feel the desire to try and wrap myself around the petrol tank and always having to don full leathers before going for a ride. I guess most here feel similarly, that's why we like the VFR, but I like to go further and shed the plastics.

But 'streetfighter'? Nah. 😀

Just seen this and wondered about the final outcome. I cannot now remember the cam cover to head seal on the VFR1200, but I do remember many years ago after a service on an RVT1000 (RC51 / SP-1) when I noticed it smoking on the overrun. As has been mentioned above, it was a missing PAIR oil seal. Allows oil to get sucked into the exhaust although I don't recall any oil leaking out of the engine. Once I took the cam cover off I could spot that the seal was missing and once replaced and all back together, no more problem.

So that sounds like the exact same problem.

10 hours ago, andy said:

...Where did the tank “wings” come from?  

Actually RC30 I believe, but that style is readily available on eBay.

12 minutes ago, FJ12Ryder said:

I mostly don't like bikes that are converted to "streetfighters", especially VFR's. But that looks very good, almost looks

factory built. And the engine is hidden enough that you don't get the agricultural look that generally comes with converted

VFR's.

 

Just an excellent job, I may even prefer it to the OEM look.

I think my FireFighter worked out and looked pretty good too. All images here:-

FireFighter Phase 2

I finally got around to finishing Phase 3 of my eVo4 project. This should have been completed last year, but some health issues put paid to that idea while still in the middle of some serious re-wiring. Once I tried to continue this year, it was a nightmare trying to remember what I had planned to do and even what I'd already done (I blame the drugs:-). However I finally got it back on the road last week and I think it now represents my original vision.

I noticed that the first and second phases of my conversion project are no longer viewable as I believe DropBox changed the URL scheme, so here's the full story:-

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/z8yu4aut96wabsa/AADRBsQyLx4MbN2gPIAUROOUa?dl=0

11 hours ago, gig said:

plain flat washer

Thanks gig. Just what I thought it would be.

Question for those who've used Ducati axles. On the (driven/cush) LHS what type of washer do they use under the nut?

Honda like to use a dished/spring washer, but are Ducati the same or is it just a plain flat washer?

I've looked at parts lists, but they just state "washer" which is no help at all.

So you got a 20.5mm offset? Is that for the 1098/1198 wheel for the larger axle?

I measured 23mm on my 916 wheel and that concurs with what I have seen reported elsewhere. Which means Ducati used a different offset on their different axle sizes.

7 hours ago, BiKenG said:

... The Ducati hub is 80 wide by 110 dia...

I now think that is incorrect as I misread the diagram which in fact states the 916/996 etc hub is 98mm dia. which means it would need a 3.5mm sleeve to fit in the VFR750's S/A which uses a 105mm dia hub. Possible but not ideal and I've no idea where that would position the wheel. Although being 10mm wider might allow some 'adjustment'.

All in all, not a great solution I think.

A bigger problem is trying to arrange a single nut fixing for e.g. the RC45 wheel as the 400's axle cannot really be shuffled sideways in the 750 hub the 7mm required to align the wheel. Not sure where I go from here. 😞

I may not have explained that this bike is based on a VFR750 with Gen3 SSSA whose rear end is 70 wide by 105mm dia. The Ducati hub is 80 wide by 110 dia. and no matter which way I look at it, 110 into 105 don't go 😞

So the simplest solution is to stick with the 750 hub and axle and just make an extension to suit the 916 wheel.

In that case, the goal is the wheel, but I won't be using Ducati axles and stuff. Goes against the grain on a Honda (apart from the wheel of course 🙂 )

Anyone got an accurate Ducati wheel offset? Hard to measure exactly. Is it 23mm or 7/8"?

1 hour ago, keef said:

For a couple hundred bucks, why not just buy the ex creations kit?

Well, for starters, I think that's a LOT of money for not a lot. Just a few brackets that are not suitable for my purposes and I'd still have to buy a complete Ducati axle assembly. Secondly, why pay for someone else to do something I can do myself (once I have all the info). Where's the fun in that 🙂

My intention is to have a 916 type nut and axle thread on an NC[30|35] axle that will provide what I need for these bikes. Same concept as Steen's, but with a different thread and no need to manufacture the actual nuts.

Since I'll be using my own calipers and hence need to make my own mount brackets for those, even less reason to waste money on the EC kit which would actually provide me with nothing that I need.

"Paddle my own furrow" eh Mohawk 😉 

Further consideration has made me realise that my dream of using identical axles to allow swapping of RC45 and 916 wheels is not going to happen. The 916 wheel is 4mm wider at the centre AND will require a 4mm spacer, so the axle will need to be 8mm longer which is too much to allow for with a special conical spacer. No big deal though as I never actually intended to swap wheels, just thought it would be a cool feature.

However I did weigh both wheels as it was clear to me that although 1/2" narrower, the 916 felt a fair bit heavier:-

• 916 = 6,055 gms
• RC45 = 5,260 gms

That's bare, clean wheel with valve.

More questions now. Could someone with the LARGE Ducati axle (1098 etc) let me know some measurements of the wheel/nut end i.e. length of axle from flange face to thread end and also diameter(s). Just pondering whether to use those dimensions (and hence 1098 type nut) for the RC45 wheel.

I am working through 2 conversions. One is to accept an RC45 wheel and the other a 916 wheel. Those are now set. I just need to figure out the best way to modify the NC[30|35] axles.

Since both wheels rely on the conical spacer to centrally locate them, I'm thinking I might make 2 identical axle extensions to suit the (smaller bore) 916 wheel and use std. 916 axle nuts (well, Ti ones). Then a std. 916 spacer can be used with the 916 wheel and I'll make a special spacer to suit the RC45 wheel. That way, either wheel can actually be used on either bike.

Actually the axles will need some slight machining to the outer end so the 916 wheel will fit, but they can be identical. Just need the special cone spacer to suit the RC45 wheel and inner spacer with longer drive pins for the 916 type wheel.

I like the fact that then any RC45 or 916 (748 etc) type wheel could be used on either bike with minimal work involved.

I'd still like to know though what steel Steen used for his axle extension as I presume it's suitable and I'll then use the same.

14 minutes ago, gig said:

I don't know if you saying he is "very busy" is code for something like he is "in prison"; because no matter how busy, he should be able to respond to a question.

Ha, no, not code. I have been in touch with Steen, but he was heavily involved in something (business, or moving house, I now forget which) and is apt to take a very long time to reply. In any case, I'm sure he gets posts to this thread, so I figured asking here provided the best 'audience'. 😀

Did you ever mount an RC45 wheel to your modified axle? Surely someone has and can comment on its fitment and the length of the modified axle?