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Don't make a simple task complicated, the best thing about tapered roller bearings is they can have more play than standard roller bearings & not overly move due to the seating tapered profile. It's due to this you should only ever hand tighten the top locking rings & only torque the triple clamp nut. What is most important is to remove top triple & re tighten lower locking rings after a few rides just in case the bearing shells you installed had some extra movement to seat correctly. Also don't spare the grease work it into those tapered rollers before install.

All that time to make the lazer (my fav vfr 6th gen exhaust) piping all polished yet few decent rides especially in rain will be covered in grit again. The only hope to try keep clean is also fit a hugger, I gave up trying to keep headers connecting pipes clean after polishing like you have & then also tried jet hot coating that I was told was easier to keep clean, nope.

I'm not going to enter into a flame war so if you read this it's solely my opinion if you don't agree that's fine, but you need to have ridden a VFR with lighter wheels to have an opinion. OP I would use your standard VFR wheel/rotors with the F4i/vtr forks as it will save allot of $$, swamping to the lighter RC51 wheel or even lighter front forged wheel the effects are so negligible on the VFR it is a total waste of time/money. My 6th gen was fitted with CBR1000RR Ohlins FGRT forks with modified RC51 front wheel, the RC51 wheel was later replaced with a OZ racing forged wheel which was much lighter. There were zero & I mean zero difference in performance with lighter front wheel on the VFR that I could notice. This is due to bikes overall weight & frame set up, in fact the heavier front wheel supplied better rider front end feel as far as I was concerned & I'm a front end feel rider. Yes there is a gain in power to weight & suspension with lighter unsprung weight, etc but what I'm saying is focusing on the VFR the gain is so unnoticeable the money to spend to achieve it is wasted. Others may feel differently but I felt fitting a lighter wheel front end was a total waste of time on my 6th gen. I however just sold my VFR because I purchased BMW S1000RR which I bought with forged lighter wheels & I do notice a major difference between it & the stock wheels same bike but that is a sports bike with totally different frame/geomatry that is based on major loading front end unlike the VFR which is very neutral.

stryker with rearset linkage having each linkage at 90deg to each other is optimal but should work even with less angle. You say even with current pic setup it's not shifting some gears, well to me that gear shaft spline linkage doesn't have enough leverage & also looks weak so your probably getting allot of FLEX with next to no leverage. For example know brands like vortex that use same linkage system lever but on piece billet which would create more leverage so more movement. Vortex sell parts separately & there gear spline linkage for say the CBR1000RR will fit your setup & probably fix the problem you have & it also suits the knuckle you have on the shaft as same as what they use. This is link to pic of vortex rearsets & you will see the shaft spline linkage https://www.google.com.au/search?q=VORTEX+CBR1000RR+REARSETS+PIC&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&imgil=lBZPWdd-_jjzCM%3A%3BBbAch__9c16UlM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.revzilla.com%252Fproduct%252Fvortex-adjustable-rearsets-honda-cbr1000rr-2008-2015&source=iu&pf=m&fir=lBZPWdd-_jjzCM%3A%2CBbAch__9c16UlM%2C_&usg=__VhBYQ7C2Qhd5H1GJZPzdz55u-Zc%3D&biw=1548&bih=843&ved=0ahUKEwifq96NyPDNAhUGp5QKHRYkA2AQyjcINg&ei=b0SGV9-3A4bO0gSWyIyABg#imgrc=lBZPWdd-_jjzCM%3A

Just maintenance which was overdue but was kicked off when my stator failed, you expect a stator failure at some point & mine lasted 95000kms 12 years so no complaints. So replaced stator & also R/R, there was nothing wrong with current R/R but didn't have molex plug as wires were straight soldered & had new spare stator & R/R ready for when required, will purchase another set when our $$ better as there are a consumable part on any bike it's always just a matter of time & I'm never going to sell the VFR. That kicked off me doing valves which I haven't looked at in 60000kms, only exhaust were out & I removed the APE manual cam chain tenioners because there a pathetic design & leak oil, went back to standard. While I was there had injectors cleaned & flow tested not because there were playing up but just for peace of mind with age & 100000kms on the clock & starter valve balance. While apart cleaned every electrical connection & applied dielectric grease, which I try to do yearly but hadn't done in about 3 years, also changed my geometry a little to test out as want a little more front loading. Then there is new chain & sprockets, old chain still fine but is developing a tight spot so thought why not replace them because the last thing I ever want is to be away & have issues. In the time I have owned my 04 not once have I been riding & it let me down except for the odd puncher so would like to keep it that way. I would like to do more day rides weekends as most I normally ride with don't do them just the trips away which are to few & far between, but there is the week away PI in november we do & there is also a 2 week trip to TAS in 2017 late feb to early march.

Bugger need a ride to make sure all the work I have just completed on my ride has no problems, but alas just this morning I agreed to go to a bbq with the misses Sunday. I also don't look at this forum as much as I used to so join the ozvfr fb group if you havent already & post rides there, I'm more likely to see them.

Firstly you answered your own question when you expressed everything fine when you give your bike a good thrashing & everything then seems normal. To much putting around commuting under vtec is building up carbon deposits, ride the thing more in vtec even if you stay lower gears in built up areas. More motors have problems because people hardly rev them so bores glaze & carbon builds up. Don't worry about cam chain noise at idle, you will get some clatter even with brand new adjusters at idle, the clutch will also make noise. My vtec has traveled 100000kms & just did valve inspection only exhaust valves were out, the inlet valves were perfect, I wouldn't have even bothered but just felt the need while had bike apart doing other stuff. Also I thrash my bike mercilessly as really never out of vtec due it is my weekend fun I don't commute on it at all, so that is 100000kms of high rpm low gears most of the time in the twisties. My advise is do a cheap tune up go out & thrash your bike for a whole day, it will thank you for it :-)

I'm not a chemical engineer which is about the only person who I would listen to but that person specialty would have to be petroleum products. I have never used an injector cleaning product, mainly because a long time ago a chemical engineer expressed the view there pointless & so many of them actually do nothing & a very small number do more harm than good but that was along time ago. The companies selling them will always express there worth because they wish to sell there products but the simplest solution is run tanks of high end fuel like most 98ron mainly because most have cleaning agents added. But again beware some high end fuel can also do more harm than good. The only sure way to clean injectors for piece of mind is have them ultrasonically cleaned & also include a flow, spray pattern test. The injectors actually have little filter buckets so any real grit should stop there but to much will restrict injector, I just had my injectors done but lucky for me a friend was able to do them so zero cost except for new seals (old seals were fine but replaced them for peace of mind). My injectors were fine before clean so in the end didn't require a clean but bike has 100000kms so thought why not. Unless your bike starts showing symptoms due to fuel delivery I wouldn't bother doing anything.

I use the K&N filter mainly for the ease of the front nut install but I don't torque the filter down just do it up to a resistance I'm happy with, but I have had one leak from o-ring over time & heat cycles. After reading this thread I'm not using them anymore, it is better to be safe than sorry, thanks for posting op.

Trev if lower triple is out of round be very careful as they could dent fork tubes, they may have just been clamped without a fork tube inserted so carefully open them you will prob need to use a large screw driver as a wedge & tape a few times. The F4i axle is from memory about 10mm longer than the vfr axle your trying to use. Fork length with F4i just works again from memory think you want min 500mm from bottom of frame steering head bearing location to center axle.

the vtec valves shims are built into the buckets & there are only a limited number of sizes, unlike the normal valves that just use shims which you can buy more or less any size. the vtec bucket/shim also cost a lot more so if within spec don't touch them.

nothing more frustrating in this world than losing loved ones to medical problems, duccmann thanks for sharing & may the rest of your family live long life's.

I have replaced my hub assembly, I noticed movement when removing wheel for new tyre. A good check is when bike on center stand grab wheel & try to wiggle you can feel movement if bearings bad, just don't mistake the small amount of movement in shock linkages is the hub. I have a press so removed bearings from hub but due to reason tyre was being changed for trip away I was time limited to fix before trip & couldn't get replacement bearings in time. But lucky for me a mate had a new hub assembly for his 5th gen which is a different part number to the 6th gen but fits the same. There isn't much cost difference buying complete hub & buying the bearings, if you add the time etc to fit bearings the hub replacement is the way to go. It was an effort to remove hub from bike & axle from hub because of build up of dirt corrosion, the worn bearings had little grease (I added extra grease to replacement hub). It is recommended you also replace the hub nut when replacing mainly due to locking collar you punch down into slot once nut at torque.

Rant engaged................if I had my way every so called professional that sprouts this & that is wrong should be shoot. I'm in my 50's & growing up we didn't need pushbike helmets, we made ball bearing billy carts, we climbed trees, etc & kids weren't dying left right & center. I live in NSW Australia & it is known as the nanny state because we have so many laws idiots have made to protect yourself your lucky your allowed to walk on the streets. The world has changed so much with the insanity of terrorism that no one is really safe so people need to live there life's the way the see fit, not the way authorities tell us to live them because they still haven't worked out they can't protect us from the insanity in the world. Now as to the op question, you have kids that's great but your still an individual & you need your release from the mundane & if that release is riding a motorbike then if you have a loving family they should understand that. There are zero guarantee's you won't chock on a chicken bone eating a family meal, but on saying that there is a thing called self assessment. I was young when I had my first child (wasn't planned) & at the time I road everywhere like it was a race & I new my will power to curb that was pathetic. I sold my bike & didn't ride for about 10 years until both my kids were old enough to understand dad was doing something he enjoyed, the added bonus was I was also older & the race mentality had changed to thinking about when to really open the throttle, not like my young brain the only throttle position was full bore. Life these days is a risk, it's just the times we live in, live your life because you only get one go at it.

the only rearsets I know of that you can still buy for 6th gen are sato