Beck

Sooo.... to put it simply, a typical RR failure condition that includes the RR and wiring burning up and a low charging/system voltage reading means that the RR is wrongly shunting too much of the juice and converting it to destructive heat that eventually burns up the RR itself and the related wiring??? Also, what explains a good voltage reading at idle (13.8 volts) that drops to a barely adequate voltage like 12.8 volts when revs go up towards 5000RPMs. Is this just a symptom of bad regulating by a damaged RR?? I've seen a lot of posts descirbing this condition with their bikes. Beck 95 VFR

General concept seems sound except for the weight that those humungous stacks of washers must be adding to your bike. What if you use some sort of plastic rod bored out through the center and just have washers at the ends. You migh be lucky to find something that would work in a plstic shop like "TAP" plastics. Beck 95 VFR

Looks like a street "bodge job" from one of those hole-in-the-wall, quickie, bike repair shops in the darkest corners of Bombay. But I guess, that's the effect you were going for.... Great job, Mr. "MacGyver"!! :fing02: Beck 95 VFR

Lucky you!, LEOs over here do not like any kind of blue light on our bikes. The color is reserved for their cars and will get you stopped real quick and summoned to remove it asap...or else! They also don;t like to see any kind of flashing lights on your moving vehicle, unless you are flashing hazards on for an roadside emergency, or you are an emergency or road service vehicle, like a tow truck, ambulance or highway constuction/maintenance worker. You might want to double check if you have the same laws over there before putting in those blue LEDs for good. Beck 95 VFR

Bikes will run on our farts first before they can figure out how to do it with tap water! Seriously though, Isn't fuel cell technology water based in some way?? Beck 95 VFR

Wow! the Ducati bodywork goes very well with the VFR's mid section details! IMO, it might have actually improved(?) on Pierre Treblanche's original design, which I found a little too plain around the mid faring area. All he needed to add there was the Cheese Grater and Naca Duct! He was soooo close! I wish I had enough time and money to do something exactly like this to my 4th gen. Beck 95 VFR

So, what's the big deal about Shell Rotella oils. What I remember about them is my old boss used to put it in his truck fleet diesel engines (semis, 1 tons and big concrete pump trucks) back in the 80's. I would think it's the least comaptible oil to put it in a bike that has a much higher RPM range engine (high speed shear??)?? Beck 95 VFR

Clever, but those Beemer uber-bikers will most likely think it looks funny when you park your bike next to their's. Why not try the famous El-Cheapo, but neat Caterpillar Giant O-ring solution instead? Beck 95 VFR

Hmmmm. kinda looks like a flower...? I like the Beemer wheels of late much much better. JMO Beck 95 VFR

ARRRRGGHH!!!! Damit! that hurts!!!! Right through the NACA duct!!!???? NEIN!! NO GOOD!!, BLECHHH! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?? Beck 95 VFR

WADATFO??!! Me, never having the chance to find a good shock for my 4th gen at a good price could only throw a dart at that chart to figure out what spring I need :P Beck 95 VFR

It should get pinned just for it's novel hardwood board levering approach to getting those throttle bodies off the engine. I suspect it will also work on my "Flintstone era" 4th gen with primitive carb banks too, if I ever have to get them off myself one day. :P Beck 95 VFR

I hope you can still get it from the PO if you bought it used! Dang, I really can't believe that Honda can charge $118.00 for a simple shaped piece of painted ABS plastic! Maybe that's why I'm getting so attracted lately to minimal or non-faired bikes like the Ducati Hypermotard. Cause all this plastic is just turning out to be so superficial to the basic function of motorcycles. I think I have a subconcious feeling that I'm on an expensive and fragile egg, everytime I go out riding my VFR. Beck 95 VFR

I'm surprised not more people do the Hawk GT bar conversion instead of the aftermarket Helibars. They look like OEM after being painted and the rise on the Hawk bars seem to be enough to satify most needing a more upright position on their VFRs. Nice Work! Beck 95 VFR

Oxidation, fatigue, or something else? I'm not aware of any reason that a mag part that's been protected on the shelf for many years would be any weaker than a new part of the same construction. What other metals are you thinking of? I doubt Ti is a good material for brake rotors, but it may be OK for a little-used rear brake. I've even heard of aluminum rear rotors being fit, but man, I bet you'd burn through them in a hurry. Here's some info from: Introduction to Gray Cast Iron Brake Rotor Metallurgy Mark Ihm, TRW Automotive Properties Desired for Brake Rotors • High strength and durability to sustain torque loads from braking • Stable mechanical and frictional properties through range of expected service temperatures • High wear resistance through range of expected service temperatures • High heat absorption capability to absorb braking energy • High thermal conductivity to transport frictional heat away from braking surfaces • High vibration damping capacity to minimize NVH issues • Minimal thermal expansion to minimize performance variability • High degree of corrosion resistance • Excellent machinability • Inexpensive material and processing costs It's really magnesium's poor corrosion resistance and fatigue life that ages it quickly with use and just regular exposure to the elements. Here's an excerpt from Blackstone wheel's "Tek" page: http://www.blackstonetek.com/faq.php (Quote:) Q: How does Carbon fiber compare with Magnesium and Aluminium alloys? A: Wheels manufactured from metal are either cast, forged, machined, or manufactured as a combination of the three processes. Aluminium wheels have been around for many years. They are relatively easy to manufacture and also relatively cheap, but they are heavy because of the density to strength ratio of Aluminium (how much strength you can get for a kilogram of Aluminium). To improve the weight you can either choose a material that is lighter or one that is stronger, or one that is lighter and stronger. Using magnesium, which is lighter but not necessarily stronger, you can improve on weight slightly. The problem with magnesium is two fold: first - its fatigue properties are poor and so are the corrosion properties, so a wheel may not last very long even if perfectly cast and machined. The second problem is worse - very often micro-porosity occurs during the casting process, which has a negative impact on both fatigue life and corrosion. So magnesium wheels can be nice and light but may not last very long, sometimes less than a racing season. This makes magnesium wheels good for racing but unattractive to the man in the street. The only solution is to find a material that is lighter, stronger, fatigue free and corrosion free - Carbon fiber. As an engineering material, carbon fiber is far superior to Magnesium or Aluminium alloys. (End quote.) So as explained, once corrosion takes hold in any way on a mag wheel, it tends to go wild and destroy wheels or any other structural mag component in short time. That's why a lot of racers would dispose or take mag wheels out of service after a set legnth of time (much shorter time than aluminum wheels) in use. My uncle found out about mag wheel deterioration the hard way when he had to replace the four expensive Halibrand wheels on his vintage 1966 Cobra 427 a couple of years ago. A collector car that what pampered most of it's life and most likely never even been driven in any wet conditions. The moisture from the atmosphere actually rotted the wheels to the point that they started cracking and breaking up. This process could be accelerated on regular street vehicles that encounter harsher conditions. Beck 95 VFR