JZH

Yes and no--respectively! It was a Hondaline accessory in the USA, and I bought one for my FL ca.1990. Sadly, the 4th gen centerstands are incompatible with the 3rd gens. Ciao,

No, get a longer lever! A scafold pole is the old standby. I had an eBay swing arm I wanted to dis-assemble, but no bike to mount it on, so this was what I did: I didn't have a socket handy, so I used my trusty 24" Craftsman C-wrench (it's fine if you're careful--and lucky!) I used a square steel tube (about 2"x2") to keep the axle from turning. The nut loosened without any drama, IIRC. (You did un-stake the nut, right?) Ciao,

Third-gen VFRs have mechanical speedometers, so they require a separate wheel speed sensor, which you have to locate somewhere next to one of the bike's spinning bits. Fourth-gen and above already have electronic speed sensors, so it's just a matter of tapping into the wiring. The GiPro X (made by the HealTech guys in Oz) is a nice little unit, and the same display can work with different bikes (with the use of a different wiring harnesses/speed sensor and re-calibrating). Cheapo gear displays are available on the 'Bay, but having taken one apart, it was junk, and nowhere near as clever as the much more expensive GiPro X. That said, I've never ridden with one, so I don't know if I'd be excited to have it... Ciao,

Don't you need a special charger for these batteries? I mean, I couldn't use my Optimate, right? Ciao,

Make sure it's not an engine from a California bike--I thought there was a cam difference in 2000, either intake or exhaust? Ciao,

Skidmarx, from the UK. The clear version is practically invisible. Glad it runs! Ciao,

Ohlins data: VFR1200F: Length 321.5mm, Stroke 50.5mm, Spring 01092-74 (1,028 lbs/in) VFR800Fi: Length 325mm, Stroke 58mm, Spring 1092-59 (857 lbs/in) The spring rate is probably more suitable now (Hondas are usually undersprung), but you can't fix the significantly shorter stroke with a shim. Ciao,

Same reason he started making self-drive moving vans, amazingly enough... Ciao,

That rear hub has to go! NC30 sprocket carriers are interchangeable with the RC30 (which had a black version, rather than the gold one on the NC35), but of course, you'll need an axle, and a centre-nut wheel.... I'm not building a replica of anything, but I enjoy showing people how little discernible progress I make on my own bike projects. Here's a pic from 2016: (It still looks like that.) The swing arm on my bike is from an RC30, which are not easy to find, unfortunately. An NC30 swing arm might fit, but it's probably quite a bit shorter than the OEM arm (I don't have the measurements to hand). However, it would solve a lot of problems. Good luck. Ciao,

My Y2k is a US model; my '01 is a UK model. But that shouldn't matter. According to the ROW Parts Catalogue (which includes Canada, but not the USA), the change from 37109-MBG-671 to 37109-MBG-672 happened during the 2000 model year, but I don't know which VIN was the changeover (unless you have a Canadian bike). Ciao,

Two Brothers' end cans were nearly always "universal", so any of them would fit any bike--given the right tubing. Most automotive muffler shops won't have the ability to mandrel-bend the thin-wall stainless steel tubing TBR used, however. Thick-wall, non-mandrel bent tubing is going to be a bit ugly, but if the price is right... Ciao,

You also don't know if it has the right stroke for a VFR750FL-P. Someone could have just bodged the shock from another bike to fit the VFR (this happened to me!). Also, when I had my "mystery" Penske rebuilt by Ed Sorbo (Lindemann) he noted that the 15 year-old internal bumper was disintegrating and the bits clogging the rebound circuit. So, the rebuild of shock of unknown origins and vintage is probably a good idea. Ciao,

I've never heard of this mode of failure. You mean it's leaking from the seam underneath the rubber mount, or from under the plastic end cap? Either one is probably bad! I don't think I'd want to be going on a trip with a bodged fuel pump. Many, many bikes from different manufacturers use Mitsubishi pumps similar to that one, but I don't know how much time you have to sort this out with a creative replacement. However, you can remove the pump entirely and go gravity-feed if you need to. You'd have to re-route the fuel lines. I've had to do this in an emergency and I know others have done it as well. Just keep the tank fairly full. I left it like that for months before replacing the pump. Ciao,

I bet the crowd did roar at that...briefly! Dovi was ready for it, though. Sounds like you had a great time--and fantastic weather, too. ㊗️ Ciao,

Honda had a similar problem with the 5th gen VFR, actually. Some time during the 2000 model run they changed the instrument surround to include two butt-ugly little raised triangles, which I guess solved the problem. My Y2k must have pre-dated the change, but my '01 did not, so I have purchased a set of dead instruments so that I can swap over the surrounds. There's no sun in the UK anyway (well, normally). Ciao,