VolatileVFR

Try to get verification of mileage on a used engine... odometer picture or something, I buy from established parts sellers.

Everyone seems to claim the used VFR engines have around ~20k miles on them ???

Yeah, just came across one with 13,000.... ummm.. wow, that sounds amazing, but really?

--yes, it has had a bare minimum drip for a bit of time, and this is the first time I have had things apart to actually see the potential area of leakage

Built in chain oiler?

negative ghostrider... that would be quite entertaining for the board though, had 'my drip' been from a purposeful and functional drip mechanism. hah

Answers to all of the above:

--mileage is right at 75, 000

--there is potential for the excessive tightening of the chain, however, not for extremely prolonged timeframes (which would definitley add to the diagnosis)

--yes, it has had a bare minimum drip for a bit of time, and this is the first time I have had things apart to actually see the potential area of leakage

That was an interest of mine as well, being the new engine swap.. What resources are there out there for finding another 5th gen engine? i dont mind the major surgery, just dont lie the downtime during this beautiful weather.. haha

On a side note, I used to receive immediate emails for replies to topics/posts.. is that no longer an availability, or is it hidden from me? haha

EDIT: ahh.. perhaps my settings were off with regards to the immediate notification.. my email wasnt selected for some reason... hopefully that fixed that, so I will receive communication to my topic in a more timely manner

Found a good chunk of these engines on ebay... hmm.. if only I could beconfident in an engine buy.. hah

5th Gen 99 VFR

Countershaft sprocket was being removed and I felt this....ouch.. Pulled the sprocket, and the shaft had been watching to much Dancing with the Stars, and had started dancing all around itself.

I am safely assuming this is a split, but randomly wondering if there is any availability to replace the bearing, etc without the split.. I havent split this case yet, so, question goes to all of those who have done this already..

Thanks!

Well, not changing the subject or anything...

But what color are your rims and are they painted or powder coated. They look awesome and I want them :blush:

WooHoo!! Don't they look good... I had a hold of these wheels for a long while before really deciding what I was going to do with them. I bought the front from a VFR rider in Birmingham, AL, and the rear 8-spoker came from Chonsey here on this site. The rear took all the work. It came with the old stock white paint job that had been semi-stripped to expose lips and a few aluminum areas. Well, needless to say, the exposed areas were not cared for, thus they were EXTREMELY oxidized. My original plans were to polish the whole wheel.. then I decided to polish the lips (the WHOLE lip, including the internal lip area, thus making one continuous polished lip) and painting the internal spokes black.. Then, I finally decided that I would not want the upkeep of the polished areas. Close to a year if not more later, I decided to paint them gold.. some shade of gold... So, I ventured over to my custom paint store, picked a base gold, and started adding shade by shade of bronze until I got the exact color I wanted.

I then proceeded to paint and clearcoat my wheels... done deal... then.. I was looking at the front rotors and fork tubes.. Bronzed gold + a very satin inner rotor gold + silver fork tubes= me no likey...

Off to the paint store again... Got some good black and some more clear... Proceeded the painstaking process of taping off the rotors, sanding a bit, priming + black + clear... done..

I then built a fork tube stand to hold the forks up vertically inverted. made out of PVC... Sanded these guys taking all the casting out.. whew!! Lot of sanding... painted and cleared... Now, done deal...

Fun process... I love to paint this kinda stuff... Little precision and care and a lotta love bring about great outcomes!!

Find them and send em.. I will make 'em pretty for you... :unsure:

Spontaneaus wakeboarding is illegal in 23 states, so be wary of LEO's

Haha... :unsure: That's why I do it.. hehe..

I do stickies as well... Marc Parnes + balancer.. and the stickies are already black... D*** it!! I painted my wheels a rustic gold.. pffft...

The clip-ons will take paint off when clipped though.. why do that when the sticky comes off with no problem at all. I as well have had no problems with stickies coming off either.

Mike,

Send it up via UPS or FedEx..then meet it there! :pissed:

You can even send it via Greyhound or Trailways on the bus.

Better yet, leave one there & get another one for here....... :unsure: :blush: :unsure:

I could do that Leland, but it would be sooo much more fun to be able to mount it on my bike and have it at a spot of the moment trip to ATL or some other undisclosed location to do some spontaneous wakeboarding... It would alos be kewl to be able to just MOUNT it on my VFR.. hehe...

Huh? Monstrocity? Wake board - piece of cake :unsure:

(No photoshop was harmed in the making of this image)

Thaaaaat's the one.... heh.. There ya' go Ptrbilt...

I think it would look ungainly pretty much anyway you put it on. One option would be to make a cardboard cutout and hold it against your bike in various places.

If I was going to run it parallel to the bike, I would build a mount such that it would run along my right leg, almost to the very front of the fairing. I would remove the bindings etc so it is just a bare board I think, otherwise you either have the bindings rubbing agaisnt the bike, or you have the bindings sticking out into traffic.

Wheelbase of a 1998 is 56.7 inches. Shift board back 13.5 inches to clear the front wheel, and the board sticks off the extreme back of the bike 6". Wakeboard is <2 feet wide? So the board will be hidden by the right side of the bike except at the extreme tail. Of course with Givi's installed you will not be able to do this, unless you run Givi on one side, and board on the other for balance.

I agree about the view.. unless... it were mounted in some fashion in placement of the passenger pillion, but I think length becomes an issue then... Yeah, the board is 16.7 in. wide... The bindings would most likely be pulled off and put in a tail bag if installed on the side of the bike. No Givi's.. The idea would be to make it a light packed trip with few accessories, board shorts, etc, and my board and bindings..

You say right side of the bike.. why not left? Just curious... no reasoning, just different views.. I do usually keep left leg down upon stopping, but I also do right when I want... I would have to have some style of ability to be able to put the board mounted side leg down due to gradients and inclines.

Putting one Givi on for balance is not a bad idea.. odd? yes... but functional for balance? definitely..

I would NOT mount the board parallel to the bike, as it would greatly affect the amount of side force you get from wind, and not for the better. I would mount it perpendicular to the bike, across the passenger seat, with a platform that sticks back like the OEM rear bag rack. With the board angled only very slightly down, and sticking out a couple feet on each side at most, you should be ok.

Wakeboard is 4-5' long, depending on the board. Seat is 10" wide at the front of the passenger seat, slightly narrower at the rear. That means a 5' board would stick out 2' on each side almost exactly.

Or, you buy 3 of the exact same board, and save the money from the custom rack build. Buy the welder anyway, you will need it sometime.

Hmmm... perpendicular mounting.. most symmetrical? yes.. 21.5" hanging off on both sides, assuming your 10" is correct width at the tail section of a 5th gen VFR. I am not sure if this is the streamlined ideal I am looking for.. That would be a last minute opportunity if I could nothing else and I had to leave tomorrow.. Simple strapping and a cushioning to keep it off the paint.. then it would rock...

I am looking for something easily removed and reinstalled, so I don't hafta spend a day putting it on before a wakeboard weekend.. I want it look decent, and not unsightly, and I would love it to NOT take away from the design and functionality of the bike.. I like symmetry with the above case.. However, that puts the board out a bit too much on both sides I think.. That is much farther than Givi's, correct? I have never measured the distance my Givi's push out from the bike.. maybe it is not as far as i am thinking... hmmm...

Using these 2 Member made products build a over head rack With the legs of it using the sliders and solo rack as mounts to the bike... Think Ladder rack like on a construction truck... Light weight aluminum tubing.. OOh n the welder I recommend Northern tool...

Not only will you be helping out 2 members on this forum by buying there custom products but you will get shade and rain protection when transporting the board.. You can even leave the rack on the bike for daily comutes as long as you include some ergonomics into the design such as height and width of the rack..

ok.. First off.. no overhead rack will be installed on this bike.. although a great picture and funny site, I am not gonna be the one that employs overhead rack usage for a wakeboard and other traveling non-necessities. Ptrbilt, you should search around for that kayak shot mounted to the bike.. you would absolutely love it and the severe number of accessories he was able to mount on the bike...

Didn't realize you were going other places too, I meant bring the board there the first time in the truck, and then leave it there when you come home in the truck.

Ahhhh.. I gotcha... nope...this will be used on a Mobius here in Mobile, a SeaRay in TN, and a Mastercraft in ATL.. so.. yep, I will definitely be traveling with it... and, it is better to use 'your' board so you can efficiently become a better wakeboarder and learn new tricks quicker than going board to board..

If you keep it in tight to the side, you should be cool. Have it connect to the passenger peg and grab rail. If it just misses your leg, it shouldn't stick up too high. Or just strap it down on the passenger seat and let it stick out over the tail.

I like the 'over the tail idea' the best only because it would not impede my driving at all... however, there has to be some aesthetic planning done so it looks ok and so the board has good stability while driving.... take into account interstate speeds, although that is not a huge factor here.. just a point..

But..

If I make a cool rack that ties into the passenger peg and grab handle mounting points, it would prob be VERY easy to take on and off with a simple strap over mechanism.. ie: the links above..

Put two sets of hinges in the middle of the board, fold it up and stow it in your saddlebag.

Actually, how about a tall square piece of foam on the rear seat then lash the board down across it with a double set of really good bungees. Much of the wind will be deflected by your body and the fairings but make sure the board angles down to prevent lift. It might even improve rear wheel traction.

ohhh.. let's see.. angled down towards the rear? or angled down to the front?

it seems angling up as the board goes back would be better.. which may be what you are saying..

but, if the board is angled down to the back, with sculpted foam below it, wind should not affect it.. may even make a tiny bit of a smoother transition for the wind to flow over... perhaps less back resistance

Put two sets of hinges in the middle of the board, fold it up and stow it in your saddlebag.

Actually, how about a tall square piece of foam on the rear seat then lash the board down across it with a double set of really good bungees. Much of the wind will be deflected by your body and the fairings but make sure the board angles down to prevent lift. It might even improve rear wheel traction.

Haha.. hold on.. lemme run outside and cut the board in half really quick.. hehehe..

hmmm... foam, sculpted a bit... board angled down.. things to be weary of: 1. make sure it does not cover the taillights.. don't feel like getting rear-ended.. 2. wind resistance? may put more traction on rear wheel, but will also take more traction off the front... no biggee, I can deal with that, but, hmmm

Need to make sure I am picturing this right in my head...

PS... I am loving see all these members reading my topic that I just read about how they developed their screenname in shaynej's topic... ie:cigarbuf, timmythecop, joker, etc etc.. hah!

I wonder if I should go get myself a MIG welder today... My ideas are popping up, and I feel I may need the use of a good Lincoln to start toying with my ideas... plus, I have wanted one for years, and this may be my opportunity to start enhancing my welding skills.. hmmm

I've seen this done so anything is possible. There's a pic somewhere of one with a kayak.

http://www.hiperform.com/vfr/VFRBike1.jpg

I have seen the kayak pic, but thing was a huge monstrocity.. kinda took the meaning and fun outta motorcycle.. Heck, I remember he had that bike packed completely out with a full outfitters store it seemed.. I still want to be fully maneuverable and sporty as well. If I lose any functionality or have any decrease in maneuverability, I will probably avoid this build...

I know! :fing02:

Mount it on top and you will enjoy the added benefit of a sun shade or rain protection. If you angle it down, you'll get some down force and additional grip in the corners. :goofy:

I can guarantee that noone in the country has a VFR with this set-up. :ohmy:

P.S.

Just thought of something... Wouldn't it be funny if a stupid joke like this turned out to be the next best thing in motorcycles?

Sorry - I am at work and kinda bored at the moment :blush:

hmmm... not quite, but same idea below:

don't wanna sunburn do you? pffft

hehe..

Brings new meaning to the term asphalt surfer...

Haha.. :fing02:

Maybe you could use this as a starting point and modify from there.

http://www.electriccyclery.com/catalog/sco...rack-p-103.html

Yeah, that is the idea.. hmm.. I am wondering if I will need to maintain a good center of balance for tire wear and driving functionality... I am not sure how much a light weight <20 lb board + rack would effect the driveability of the VFR...

Just mount one on each side and bring a spare board along to balance things out, haha

Hah! Great idea!! I could always use a little more variety in my boarding technique... :fing02:

Put the board in the truck, then leave it there for next time when you take the bike?

Whatcha mean Seb? Are you saying leave the board behind? I am not worried about the transport of the board upon buying it.. I am looking at future runs to our lakehouse and up to Atlanta to meet buddies for boarding days... I don't mind taking the truck wherever I go, however, it would not only be fun, but more enjoyable on the bike; as well as a bit more cost efficient.

Plus, who in this country has a wakeboard rack for their VFR? Sweeeeet.... This Discussion group is full of engineers and fabricators, and I like doing my own customizations and fabricating, so why not make a board rack? Hell, I may never use it, but I can say "Well, I have a wakeboard rack for my motorcycle!!" hehe.. but I would use it of course...

Maybe you could use this as a starting point and modify from there.

http://www.electriccyclery.com/catalog/sco...rack-p-103.html

Yeah, that is the idea.. hmm.. I am wondering if I will need to maintain a good center of balance for tire wear and driving functionality... I am not sure how much a light weight <20 lb board + rack would effect the driveability of the VFR...

Hey all.. So, I recently bought a new wakeboard for my adventures on the water, however, I don't feel like driving my gas guzzling pickup all the way from Mobile, AL to Tennessee, and I am looking for a way to potentially mount the board to my bike. I have always jumped on the bike and packed lightly when the family meets at the lakehouse for a little boarding and relaxation. I really do not want to have to spend tons of money on gas just so I can bring my own board.

The first thought I get is mounting the board parallel to the bike along one side..... hmmm... ie: a Givi on one side.. however, I would have to balance that out on the other side of the bike too...

Specifications:

Length: 135.00 cm/53.15 in.

MId width: 42.41 cm/16.70 in.

Weight: .... ? will find out... not even 20 lbs..

Bring on the ideas..

PIcs are as follows:

The bike with my stock seat on for two up riding... Usually run the smuggler...

5th gen with stock seat for passenger riding 5th gen with stock seat for two up riding

The board.. This is a pic of the board without the bindings (the shoes/places where the feet go in):

Mount this to my bike? This is the board I need mounted to my bike..

Very nice... I borrowed a Nuvi one time, and since I did not have any RAM mounts or anything that would hold, I suctioned it directly to my tachometer since I know my bike after years of owning to know exactly what RPM is being delivered from the engine. I like that RAM mount off the tank mount bolts though. I have my voltmeter installed and mounted right there, but, in the case that I invest in a NUVI or some other GPS, that is a very nice location...

:unsure: