Marvelicious

This is like finding out someone you know is a furry... I don't have a problem with it, but don't expect me to understand!

I used racetech fork springs, f4i cartridges and Jamie's rear shock. It took a shit load of head scratching and a lot researching old posts to get the damping right on those cartridges and I feel like I got lucky to get what I did as quickly as I did. The two options as I see it are - spend money, or use a lot of time and maybe get lucky and not spend quite as much money. I wish I could give you better advice, but even the shortcut isn't cheap.

I've followed the Megasquirt project since its early days and it has come a LONG way. It's really an amazing piece of gear. I've occasionally considered using it in place of my 6th gen ecu/power commander to get full tune-ability, but then I come to my senses and realize I have a perfectly running bike and enough other projects to last 3 lifetimes. First: do no harm.

I'm having a difficult time picturing what you're talking about as well... Are you talking about the actual threaded nipple that the filter screws onto having a hex? Personally, I'm not particularly a fan of paying a premium to Honda for products that are identical to things I can get more conveniently for less money. Oil filters, fluids and the like... Do what you like... You certainly won't go wrong with OEM, but a little homework can save you money and time. As for K&N, let's just say their marketing department is a lot better than their R&D department!

I've got RaceTech springs in my forks. I used their recommended spring (for my weight on a VFR) with custom damping, and they feel excellent. Getting the spring right is the first piece in the puzzle, but you have to get the damping right as well. Of course, getting the front end right just highlighted the problems with the rear... I'm using one of Jamie's shocks on that end. It all works together and getting it right isn't cheap, but the end result was huge for me... I'm pretty big though, so the stock suspension was seriously out of its comfort zone.

I truly appreciate this kind of info. I'm pretty brand agnostic when it comes to parts. If it fits and works, it's the right part!

I do like those stands. A buddy and I both have those HF lifts and we both have the same problem: a long term project has more or less put down roots on them and various parts and other sundry have accumulated. They're a good lift for the money (at least for what I paid... they've gotten expensive since then), but that Skylift looks a lot more suited for normal maintenance tasks. I texted a link to my buddy as well and he's been sending me ABBA lyrics back for the last hour...

I'd be afraid of having "Dancing Queen" stuck in my head while trying to do maintenance.

Hi Marvelicious, Thank you for your donation of 10.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

You have a Kawasaki Vulcan and you want to wrap the frame? This seems like a pretty weird place to ask, since this is a forum dedicated to Honda's V4 sport bikes. That said, I'm with Terry!

Does he ever get to the point? I'm 7 minutes in and I haven't heard anything but basics yet. Edit: 15 minutes and he still hasn't convinced me, or presented any information that I wasn't already familiar with. I get that the bobbins don't need to spin, but I'm not trying to make them spin, I'm trying to clean crud out of the gap. A couple of twists with a socket wrench will do it... (I'm with him that spinning them with a drill is stupid). Well, it ran out in the background while I typed this and he still hasn't convinced me, but make up your own mind... I mean, he's wearing a riding jacket to make his video, so obviously he knows what he's talking about.

Very much agreed on cars... motorcycles may be more of a mixed bag. The difference with bikes is that the discs are much thinner and far more exposed. Realistically, warped is a bit of a mis-characterization... more like tweaked, and as has been noted, it is probably the carrier that is the issue. Also, anyone who is concerned that they may have compromised the integrity of their parts: rather than X-ray as zRoYz mentioned, dye penetrant is an excellent form of non-destructive testing and can be performed at home. Completely unnecessary for brake discs unless you've really hammered your parts, but if you need something to make you feel better this would find the cracks that won't be there. Pretty useful stuff for the gear head when looking at parts of unknown history (heads, pistons, connecting rods, cranks...). The test isn't difficult (YouTube it...) and it's available at welding shops.

This is interesting... I don't have any dragging brake discs, but spinning the bobbins is an interesting thought. Despite the misgivings of some on here, the point of the bolt is not to "compress" the bobbin. It's just used as a way to grip the bobbin so that you can turn it and clear any trapped debris. It actually works quite well, though I'm sure EBC would just as soon sell you new rotors. If you're having to apply real force, you have a problem beyond the scope of this method.