criticalmass181

Too true...... Lighter is always a good thing. Thanks for the reply.

Hi Guys. Does anyone have a definitive frame weight for a '97 VFR 750 FV? I've got my bike down to just a frame, and have read that it's supposed to weigh 14 kilos (30.8 pounds). I've weighed it on my digital scales, and it only comes up at 10.9 kilos (24.03 pounds). I've taken all of the cast marks off, but I don't think, by any stretch, that i've managed to get rid of 4 kilos (8.8 pounds). Any help would be appreciated.

I'm a big fan of Chameleon. It looks great, and you've done a great job. It's a little too blingy for my project, though. Anything that's being designed with a duck tail as one of the main focuses, shouldn't be anything more exciting than a picnic basket... I reckon it's just what the Doctor ordered, as far as what i'll be doing. Such a shame that i've got many months of redesign, before there'll be any body paint....or even fairings, for that matter. I'll be designing and manufacturing the fairings and seat unit, myself.

Will do. Thanks for the advice.

I'll be doing bits of my bike, using this stuff. Look it up on Youtube. This isn't so much a discussion.....well, maybe it will become one. Not sure. In any case, i'm just posting this, so anyone who's going to get into a custom paint scheme, will have another thing to have a look at. I'll be using this stuff to do a gold base, grey mid, and candy red top. It'll just be in small places, as the rest of the bike will be a deep (and I mean DEEP) light custard cream. The look i'm going for is a 50's kinda thing. The candy/ 'faux crushed' gold foil accents will have polished alloy strip surrounding them. Might well sound like an old 50's fridge??????? Yeah..., that's what i'm aiming for, to be honest. Anyway, something to have a look at. Awesome stuff, if you're looking for something a little different. I'd not suggest a whole bike job, but a few stripes, as it's a bit too busy. Up to you, though.

Wise words, indeed. Thanks.

So many cans of worms...from so many countries. It's good to see that no one is sleeping, when it comes to engineering. So, what have I learned? Most are in favour of just keeping the cooler, as is, as it wouldn't benefit my bike, by making any changes. Tick in the box, as far as that's concerned. I'll still have to relocate it, as i'm designing a fresh fairing and tail. It'll be 'somewhere', but no different in size. That only leaves the radiator, then. I'll probably make it into something bigger. It's not going to effect the bike, as it's thermostatically controlled. If one was to overshoot the runway, it'd make no real difference. It's a supply and demand setup. Thanks for all your suggestions.

I get that good oil will do wonders....However, I like to play hard. I don't own this bike, so I can be the fastest kid on the block. It's more of a 'David and Goliath' thing....The bike is being reengineered, to get every free pony...every degree of handling, and every drop of soul out of it. I'd rather ask the questions, now, while it's an engine on a bench, than to look back in anger. Sounds good... A little rustic, for what i'm trying to achieve...but good. I was, however, thinking of getting another (same model) oil cooler, plumbing them together, and sticking them in the sides of the seat. Could be a bit of a drama, though, as a good deal of crap is already earmarked for that location. The battery, and the two rear exhausts will be there, too. Seeing it'll all be a bit 'arse upwards', I don't want to stick too much in the rear. No VTEC on this ol' baby. Thanks for your input. I'll be riding it in the Summertime, in Australia. Nothing below 35c, most days. It was well into the 40's, over the weekend. The bike is just an engine on a bench, at the moment. I just want some input, before I stick it together.

As a result of reengineering my tired ol' bike, i've come across a few sticky questions, with more than enough room for different angles of attack. This one's no different. When I pulled the fairing off, I almost laughed at the size of the oil cooler. Come to think of it, I think I did laugh. A 200mm three core radiator? WTF????? The question is, however, what do you all think? I was going to throw a bigger oil cooler at it, and be done. Then I saw a post of a bike with an extra radiator....right where I would have put the cooler. So which way would you go, if you were going down this track? Keep in mind that i'm in Australia, and not a winter rider. Over to you.

Oh, my Lord, it's hot down here. Anyway...To the chase! It's a given that you have to seal every single part of the engine, before you attack it with bead blast. I did that, and then ground off all the cast marks, just so it'll look great, once back in the bike....Or once the bike is rebuilt around the engine, to be more precise. My thoughts, for this week, as i've been blasting in 42C (107F)??? The oil cooler has an insane amount of plumbing, to get it to where it lives. I have no idea why, to be honest....Therefore, i'll be moving it to a better place, and making it bigger. It'll be directly in front of the crankcase, from now on. I'm starting to see a COG drama unfolding, aswell. I'll be moving the rear two exhausts to the left hand side of the seat cowl, and also moving the battery up there, in the center of the tail, behind my bum. The tail will be a semi monocoque, but I don't think i'll have shed enough weight, even with the relocation of all of the crap that lives up there, and the sacrifice of the rest of the tail framework, to rebalance the bike. I've looked into having two 6V batteries hooked in parallel, but I still don't think i'll be able to put them anywhere better. Maybe a bit, but not enough to really warrant all of the extra wiring that would go with making it happen. Capacitors? Too hard basket.... Leave it where it is? No can do. That real estate's now taken by the back two exhausts. I'm starting to get the impression that you all think this is "pie in the sky' kinds stuff, and I don't blame any of you for thinking that. So, in a nutshell, here's the deal, as far as the redesign of this bike. I'd love to call it a rebuild, but it's not strictly a 'rebuild', by any means. I bought this bike to fix and ride, but I was fooling myself. I've never been very good at just fixing stuff. I can spot a design shortcut a mile away, and this bike has a few of them, to say the least. It's well built.....Don't get me wrong. It's built to a price, and a strict design regime, though. Honda, nor any other manufacturer, makes any money by hand finishing, or using anything better than the material that will fulfill the task. Nor will they get anywhere by making something that's out of reach of their perceived audience. It's a fact of life. I use to own, in a different life, a Ducati 1098S. Now there's a bike that doesn't hold back....Price? What's money? Technology? Yeah...., put a bit more optical fibre into it.....For $38,000.00 they'd want to push the technological boundaries. This bike...No. You have to do it yourself, if you want something special. And that's what i'm going to do. It'll be no match for a 1098S, but it'll be special, none the less. I'd like to hear your thoughts....Good and bad. Nothing ever happened, by good men staying silent. I'm looking forward to some sort of feedback..........Good or not so good.

Hmmmm....I'd be tempted to steer clear of anything that involved gold. Ducati sort of killed that option, in my opinion..... Candy Apple would go nice with polished silver (alloy), or something similar. Nothing too glary, but something that compliments the colour you have, already. Maybe Candy Apple, with polished edge machining???? Just a thought. Do as you will....It's your bike.

Funny......That looks about what mine does, at the moment. Are you planning to do a blog about your rebuild? I hope so, as i'll be keen to see which way we both go, as far as ideas. I'm going to be glass bead blasting my engine, this weekend. Happy new year.

How's this for a good start? Keep in mind, this engine is over 200,000 kilometers old. I started into it, over the weekend, and was going to go to town on it. Something this old SHOULD be showing signs of wear, right? It'd be in need of major work.....right? Well.....no, actually. The next time someone says to you that your VFR is getting a bit long in the tooth, keep this entry in mind. The cam lobes are literally unmarked. All of the warranty yellow marks are uncracked, and there's no real need to go any further, as far as i'm concerned. If I were made of money, i'd go for it, regardless....but i'm not. There are much better things to blow my hard earned on, than speculative rebuilding. The engine has no pair valves (none, as in the castings are left unmachined.), so that's off the list. The carbs are perfect, and all I need to do is hit the whole thing with some glass bead, to make it all shiny, and that's about that, for this bit. If it ever goes pear shaped, i'll drop it back out of the bike, and play with it then. For now, though, why fix something that isn't broken?

What a beast! I remember saving every cent I could to buy one of these, when they came out. The sound, alone, was worth every cent. Massive induction noise, during acceleration, and all that whirring and crackling, when you'd shut it down into a corner. I hope it comes together for you.

I've just finished....(insert almost)...pulling my VFR down to nothing. What's left of it is quite light, and there's a heap of mods you could do to get yours sorted for track use. I reckon a VFR would be awesome as a track bike. Might want to do some work on the suspension, though. In saying that, though. A 600 would set you back a bag of beans, and it wouldn't matter if you killed it. If I were trying to push my limits, i'd much prefer to do it on something disposable. It all depends on the milk you spill, as to how much you can cry over it.

Hi Oliver. You're right. It's not the best bike in the world, but it'll do, for us. I'll be doing work on mine in the coming months. I hope we can share some ideas.... Merry Christmas.

The leg bit, I get. I caught my left leg in between the frame, and front wheel a few (insert 10) years ago, coming through a creek crossing. I broke my shin in 14 places, and still had to ride to our campsite. The bike stopped dead, on it's side, as did my lower leg. Unfortunately, the rest of my body didn't hear the signal to halt, and just kept going. In any case, just be gentle with it. Be active....but gentle. Bad injuries are deeper than a testosterone fuelled "walk it off' kinda mentality.