Beck

Not "Campy" (as we cyclists say here in the US) Or Shimano. Just some unknown Taiwanese brand lever I found at a local bike shop, that was very reasonably priced IOWs, "Cheap".. Just made sure that it's the smallest I can find and it had a nice bolt hole at it's handlebar clamp area that I can use to bolt it on to the space on the subframe gusset plate, between the fuel pump and the bike's black box....... The cable and cable end of the latching mechanism went on to the lever perfectly (make sure the lever cable end anchorage matches what is on the end of the latch cable as brake cable ends come in different shapes on bikes), and I have a bonus of a cable adjustment mechanism on the lever if I want to adjust the required throw of the lever to unlatch the saddle. It's been working nicely and staying on the bike for about five years now.... Beck 95 VFR

As I noted before, I'll post a pic of how I used a small mountain bike brake lever to operate the seat latch on my 4th gen after I removed the passenger pegs from the bike.... Here it is for everyone's reference, in case some here wants to try the same solution on their VFRs.......... As it happened, there was already a hole on the seat subframe gusset plate where I bolted the lever to. I can easily reach under the tail fairing on the left side of the bike to push on the lever to release the seat latch... I can explain what is on the pic in more detail if need be... Beck 95 VFR

The fit for left exit exhaust had always been tight on the VFRs, especially right where it crosses under the swingarm, including the RC30s where they actually had to put a pinch on the pipe to get it to clear the bottom of the swingarm. What I think could be made better on the 2 Br. System is to get the can to angle and/or hang higher, as it looks a bit too low in a "not so sporty" way..... If one can hang the can to about as high as a typical high right exhaust system, it will look so much better, IMO.... Beck 95 VFR

Only way to find out is to try them out or find someone who did already. They cram in so much stuff under a bike's farings these days that just a little difference between two seemingly similar parts might make it a "No go" very quickly.... It's also puzzling why Honda might keep changing the design of ancillaries like radiators instead of saving money by passing on parts through a few model years.......at the same time, cheap out on more important items like shocks and forks on the bike.

That's strange.... Any loss in power from previous the knock??......I would think a valve problem would exhibit such.... I doubt if it has anything to do with the gear drive on the cams as there is really nothing to break there and cause the knocking, plus any bit of gear lash at the cam gears is usually handled by the split gear system that Honda designed for them that's also designed to reduce (but does not eliminate) the whining noise from the straight cut cam gears....

Something's wrong with this picture!............the elder/dad actually goofed up the bike this time?? Must be one of those hipster dads!

Oh, it's mostly an O2 sensor/EFI issue then with PAIR.......Thanks for clearing that up for me..... I assume then that carbed/non-O2 sensored VFRs with PAIR systems need not worry then....

The "PAIR" system injects air into the exhaust outlet ports after the valves, outside of the combustion chanbers to promote continuing burn of any unburnt gasses leaving the combustion system. Not really sure how taking that system off a bike will affect running performance...... unless maybe it might speed up exhaust evacuation in the manifolds. I always thought that removing PAR was mostly an exercise to remove weight from the bike....

Heck!, just have her ride the Rebel for a while till she tires of it for good then get her a proper modern bike to replace it......like maybe a DN-01?? ...seriously!.... Not really worth messing around with the very power wimpy and ancient design Rebel 250 if you and her are looking for more speed and power from a bike.....

Compared to other bikes of the class it is kinda wimpy. Just does not have as much "surplus" power in the system to keep it from getting overloaded once you start installing accessories on the bike.Remember the charging problems the early 5th gen bikes had just by running high beams for extended times on the road? They had to do a recall to uprate the alternator output on those bikes..If they really want to gun after companies like BMW, at least they should have tried to target their bike's charging outputs and battery specs they have. Maybe at least the same as the ST1100s.....

So, is this more of an EFI/fueling/FI issue then? IIRC, at least with carburetors, the butterflies usually have small bleed holes on them so the air supply is not totally shut on off throttle. Not sure if they were meant more for idling but maybe they also help to keep transition to off throttle to be less abrupt? As for my 4th gen, I never found it to have too much engine braking as I enjoy very much the off-throttle run on burble I get from the bike and I never felt the bike slow down too much when doing so....could it be you are just in too low a gear when you go off throttle??... Maybe its also more of a subjective perception thing on what might be too much engine braking for an individual might be quite normal to the next guy.....

I do not understand why a VFR might have more engine braking than any other 4 stroke, 4 cylinder bike and why this is all of the sudden a problem after all the previous 8 bikes you had (Some I assume were large multi-cylinder bikes like the VFR). could there be something other than the engine that's not letting your VFR to roll as easy as your previous bikes on off throttle?? could there be a drive chain adjustment needed as you might be getting too much lash from it, giving the impression of more than usual engine braking?? Beck 95 VFR

Honda actually addressed hot engine issues with the 4th gen by adding in the often maligned NACA ducts (and air channeling panels) under the fairings in the sides of the fairing, Those and the extractors right behind the rider's knees under the seat help reduce heat saturation at the rear cylinders which makes the 4th gen engines almost too cold when at cruising speeds on the freeway. Unfortunately,, I think one of the flaws in the design is that some of the hot air from the engine makes its way to the RR aft of the air extractors in the tail fairing....and we know the rest of the story on that one.......... As for adding on an electric water pump to improve cooling on the VFRs, That's almost counter intuitive, as the wimpy charging/electrical systems on the VFRs might not like that extra (constant) load. Beck 95 VFR....

Guilty!,....Mehhh......

Is that a bad thing? It means the Viffer crowd is growing... Great answer! I am currently looking at doing this exhaust, while the dummy can bothers me, my old 93 had a 2bros can and I loved the sound of it. So in my opinion sound > dummy can. It does sound GREAT, just looks goofy with exhaust only coming out of one... I guess we can learn to accept the dummy pipe on VFRs as people didn't seem to mind when Honda put on a humungous sized dummy fuel tank on the first GL1000s........

Relay's real function in the system is that it will keep you from accidentally leaving the system on when you park your bike, so you do not end up running down your battery. You can do without one and just a fuse in the system connected straight to the battery.....if you can always remember to turn off the grips after you ride with them on. You might also consider just directly connecting to an ignition switch controlled circuit, like the lights as long as you are sure that it will not overload that circuit you choose to tap into. As I noted, the systenm does not draw that much power surprisingly...something like 5 amps max., IIRC,. so directly piggybacking to a ignition switch controlled circuit could maybe work as long as there's enough capacity left in it. Beck 95 VFR

You can get an automotive relay that would work from any well stocked auto parts store. I used a very small one made for a Japanese fog lamp kit I just happen to have lying around in my tool box. You can google up a wiring diagram for relays to figure out which wire goes where. The relay housing have markings that will tell you the spade contact code/locations are, which will be called out on relay wiring diagrams. The grips don't really draw that many amps, so most relays (contacts usually rated at 20amps) are more than up to the job. The switching power as you suggested, can be taken from the license plate light circuit. Make user you have an inline fuse on your main positive power wire to protect the system. Your switching power will be protected through the fuse used by the license plate light. BTW, lots of riders had fun finding locations for the nice round two way switch that Kimpex provides with their heated grip kits. Most mount them on their instrument panels or their fairings when they find the space, but some had also mounted it on top/in the steering tube (it fits perfectly) so it is easy to see and reach right in the middle of the triple clamp. Just be careful if you go that way as you will need to adequately protect the wiring to it as it goes into the steerer tube from below as the movement from steering the bike can eventually chafe the wires at the lower edges of the steering tube and cause a short if it is not protected. Beck 95 VFR

Honda Hawk 650GT bars will also work on VFRs with 41mm fork tubes...... They have a very similar rise as the one you used on your project here.... Should be easy enough to find too as lots of Hawk owners (including me) modded their bikes to lower CBR1000 bars. Beck 95 VFR.

I think mine is like going on 4 years on my bike already and it still work very well. Made sure I wired it really well with a proper relay to keep it from being left on when parked. I don't use it much here in SF, but it does get pretty cold once in a while. I got to "test" it yesterday when I was cleaning the bike and I hit the switch by accident and the grips heated up nicely. Only thing I might have to attend to are the rubber grips on top of the heating elements are twisting a bit, everytime I ride the bike these days. I might try some "spray net" to keep them from doing so. Don't really like the idea of using something too permanent like epoxy as suggested by many.....

i have never seen a rebel with a dummy can,. they dont come that way.. and having a hidden functioning storage spot is nothing like having fake nonworking cylinders. i hate fake carb covers on cruisers.. but i have turned them into a cellphone holder and charger .... My mistake, it was the small Yamaha cruiser that have it......I just saw one in the local Honda dealer yesterday, and yes, the upper shotgun pipe ends near the engine with a blank mounting plate, just short of the cylinders...

I dunno,...but having a "dummy" can on an otherwise cool bike like the VFR, is almost like having dummy cylinders on your V4...... Maybe on a smaller, less sophisticated ride it would make sense, but not on a classy VFR...... IIRC, the old Honda Rebel 250 had a dummy can too.... Storage problems can always be amended by using backpacks, tank or saddle bags. I guess that in the end its up to the VFR owner whether to have it on his bike or not, but one should never be surprised if the thing gets questioned by other riders quite a bit.... JMOs... Chombi...

I also remember that system from 2 Bros. as the "Stash", with one functional muffler on the right side of the bike and the left one, IIRC, an openable storage "dummy" can that does not have any baffles and packing of any sort in it.. I can't see why 2 Bros. will waste customer's money by providing a real can and not hooking it up.... If you do have a real can with your system, someone might have started a mod of a "Stash" system to a two muffler system and did not get to finish the project?? I always thought the whole stash thing was kinda goofy to start with. I've read a lot of posts through the years from people with eventual "buyers remorse" with that system.... JMOs Chombi

I guess there' a bit of Japanese "Bosozoku" style to the tail as it angles up quite a bit plus it seems to be quite longer than the original. A bit jarring to the eye at first but one might get used to its looks after looking at it for a while. Other than the looks, might you find it a bit uncomfortable with the saddle angling up so much like that, as you might end up sliding up against the back of the tank more than you want to be.... JMOs. Beck 95 VFR...

It's funny that for all the heat a motorcycle makes from its engine, nobody had really tried to harness some of it to warm up the rider and passenger.. Anything from channeling warm air from the oil cooler or the radiator or using some sort of heat exchanger/fluid system that can be incorporated into a rider's suit. Most of it can be mostly passive systems that required minimum electrics (maybe vaccuum actuated dampers and thermo actuated valves) and mechanics. It can actually be more reliable than most electric heated systems out there now....but I guess just plugging into the bike and heating up some wires is still too easy to justify replacing at this time?? ....just thinking..... Chombi