JZH

Is your reg/rec flat on top of the fins, or curved? The original OEM ones were flat--as in pancake, like your battery will be if you rely on one! But, Honda upgraded its reg/recs at some point to the curved, or rounded fin version. I don't think they are MOSFET, but they may be less prone to failure than the original OEM reg/recs. Maybe you don't have a reason to panic! (FYI, I believe the SH847 Series-type reg/rec was OEM on Suzuki DL1000 Stroms). Ciao, JZH

Hi Lars, yes the Euro-spec bikes from that era had headlight on-off switches and 'passing' switches, whereas the US-spec bikes did not. I have fitted Euro-spec switch pods to US-spec bikes in the past, however, so they are not that different--but you do need to be looking at the right wiring diagram (which you are)! Thanks for the great write-up of your repair, and for high-quality photo of the wiring diagram, too. I'm sure that will be useful to someone in the future. Ciao, JZH

'No' is not really what I wanted to hear, but reading on it sounds more like a 'maybe' to me! One option I have considered (but hoped to avoid) was to convert the cantilevered shelves into a 4-post rack. Unistrut is also available in deeper channels (61mm and 81mm), but that gets expensive real quick. 'Back-to-back' 41mm channels are also available. But using any of them for the verticals forces the workbenches away from the wall--and I don't know if just using those struts would solve the 'moment' issue in any case. A 4-post rack may be the least-worst solution. I'd still have to work out the number of posts-per-bike, but that should be a fairly straightforward load (4x) calculation--and that could still allow me to position large equipment underneath (such as a lathe) if it were located "between bikes", so to speak. * * * Okay, so I've now looked at commercial pallet racks and I think that may actually be the way to go. They are available here in a number of configurations, but most critically in 800mm deep versions with spans up to 3.6m! I have 7m of wall, so I could fit a six-post pallet rack with two 3.3m spans, each of which is designed to support 1,100kg. A fully laden VFR800 (the largest bike I would be racking) weighs less than 300kg, so I could store three of them with no issue--and only have one vertical post "in the way" down below. Something like this, but with the horizontal carriers moved all the way to the top. (I've read that the loading and stability of "one-level" pallet racks are much reduced, so I'd have to brace it to the walls, at least.) I'd also have to think about the shelf covering (if any)... Thanks for your insight--critical comments are in many ways more valuable than encouraging ones! Ciao, JZH

Let's hope it stays a "fun" project! Floor smoothness requirement noted--thanks. Ciao, JZH

It shouldn't take too much time to take a bike "off the shelf", but I don't know if I will ever have the luxury of choice like that. I was thinking more about being able to take one down, prep and maybe do some work on it--as well as ride it for a while--before moving on to another one. Ciao, JZH

I've been thinking about the same thing: running horizontal struts side to side along the house's wooden beams in addition to anchoring the verticals into them at the top. That's a 4.3m span... But, it also could be a great way to suspend lighting, air lines, etc. (I'm not sure what kind of floors I have at this point. There's actually wood flooring in there now. Not sure what's under it--more wood? That's not a great for a garage!) Given my space limitations and bike collection, I kinda have to do this, but how it will be done remains an open question. I will definitely photograph my progress/downfall as I go! Cheers, JZH

Generally, Honda parts like that are bike-specific. That part number includes "MCW", which is the Parts Classification Number for the 6th gen VFR (VTEC), indicating that Honda originally designed that part to fit that bike. It is possible that they then spec'd the same part for other bikes (if so, the part number would not change), but unlikely. Ciao, JZH

Okay, I see what you mean now. Yes, I plan to make some sort of "sled" to allow the bikes to be lifted up using a fork. The frames don't need to be very heavy duty (i.e., heavy), but I do need at least six of them, so I'm pretty sure I'll be welding them myself. Because the shelves will not go all the way to the wall (because the verticals will be in the way), I was thinking about having each sled extend over the front and rear of the shelf with a kind of 30-40mm "tongue" to keep the sled effectively locked in place until lifted straight up with the fork (lift). Fortunately, I have something like 6-7 of these Baxley Wheel Chock knock-offs already, which is a wheel chock design I like because it pinches and holds the front wheel very securely: The clever bit of this design is the articulated wheel clamp, which would be fairly difficult for me to duplicate, but I could probably create a lightweight, fork lift-compatible frame which simply includes a horizontal bracket with angled pivots like that, thus allowing me to use the parts from the stands I've already got. Another thing to CAD... My Unistrut parts arrived, so I mocked one up to get the scale into my head. That bracket is 2m above the floor, which is where the top of the shelf would be. Yikes, that's up there! I'm not sure how deep the shelves should be, but the minimum would be 600mm, and maximum probably 1m. IIRC, the 5th gen in the background measures ~770mm bar-end to bar-end, but in theory the shelf could be narrower than that. The workbenches below will be a standard 600mm deep, but 41mm from the wall. They make these pre-welded "cantilever arms" for Unistrut in all kinds of sizes, up to 1m long, and they're silly cheap (like £8 each), so I will probably use them for the main shelf supports. I'd then only have to cut, drill and weld the 45-degree brackets supporting them, using 30mm mild steel box section and 40mm x 8mm flat bar. Another fun fact is that because my ceiling is 3.5m high, I'll have to buy the 6m lengths of strut and cut them down if I don't want to couple two of them (and I don't!). Fortunately, they will still fit in the van--so long as I cut them first. Ciao, JZH

Not sure what you mean? However, there is some question about whether I will be able to get my van (and its hitch) into the garage at all at this point...but there is no question that I would NOT have enough room to maneuver it around inside if I did! I will have some Unistrut to play with in a few days, so I will decide what to do after that. This is an electric "pallet stacker", btw: What makes it different than a "forklift" is that it requires support underneath the load, so I will need to be able to slide the front wheels of this thing underneath anything sitting on the floor of my garage below the bike shelves. So that means everything there needs to be on legs or wheels or a platform. No problem with workbenches and tool cabinets, but more of a challenge with machine tools such as my bandsaw, drill press, welding cart, future plasma table, lathe, mill, etc. Fortunately, I like planning; unfortunately, more than doing! Ciao, JZH

The last place she probably wants to go is the Netherlands! Ciao, JZH

I bought some of that stuff to build an enclosure for my 3D printer (not yet assembled...). Very cute--compared with the brute utility of Unistrut! Generally, however, aluminum anything is a lot more expensive than steel, plus I'd not really know where to start with calculating the loads and sizes required. I've seen unistrut used in countless (sometimes dangerous) situations, so I'm fairly comfortable using it for the shelving structure. I've ordered some test pieces and brackets, so I will have a better idea soon enough. Yeah, I don't think I want to put a pic of my actual house on t'internet, but it looks something like the house on the left: Mine's not red, not directly on a canal, and is a little taller, but it's a traditional house in a traditional row of Dutch houses like this. Most such houses have had their ground floors converted into modern living areas (from whatever they were originally, such as a retail shop or workshop). Ciao, JZH

You'll have to change your "In My Garage" blurb... Ciao, JZH

Strange. I once had an EBC (I think) on my 750, and both it and the OEM rotor it replaced had huge cut outs to allow the rotor to clear the axle studs. Bit of an oversight on Brembo's part! Ciao, JZH

Does the 1200 have a hollow rear axle? (Most of) the other VFRs do. If you had a pair of jack stands, a small floor jack and a piece of steel rod or bar that fit through the rear axle, you could set the axle on the RH jack stand, lift the bike up enough to rest the steel rod or bar on the LH jack stand and, once the rear is stable, use the floor jack to lift the bike under the exhaust to raise the front wheel off the ground. It shouldn't crush the front exhaust pipes if lifted that way, but the 1200 is a heavy beast... Ciao, JZH

Well, it would have to be really simple! I have been struggling with Fusion just recently (pointlessly re-designing the JD's Garage plasma table plans to my ridiculous specifications), but that is what happens whenever I try to pick up CAD again. But I've never managed to go beyond the CAD to the CAM, so you might need someone who has at least done that bit before... Ciao, JZH

If I tried to dig a basement in South Holland, I'd have a swimming pool! Yes, the reason for the cantilevered shelves is mainly to avoid interference with the workbenches and machine tools underneath. I could, of course, run at least some front verticals, but I've seen other workshops where they're using pallet racks for both storage and workbenches, and the extra vertical supports always seem to be "in the way". I'm trying to avoid that. I'm also trying to avoid supporting anything from the ceiling (which is also the bottom floor of our house). They built these houses very sturdily, but I don't want to chance doing anything which could compromise the structure of the house itself. I will try to post my progress here. I don't actually have the keys, yet, but that day is almost here! Then I've got to move fairly quickly to avoid having everything in the UK delivered to the same space in which I'm trying to build all this stuff... Ciao, JZH

Coincidence, or what?!? So, I'm buying a ~275 year-old, three-story "canal house" in the Netherlands with a ground floor which is destined to be my new garage. Not an American-sized garage by any stretch of the imagination, but if I can manage the space well it should be big enough to meet my current needs. The total garage area is about 40m2--with 3.5m ceilings. The challenge is that if I want to be able to use the space as a workshop (and I do), I've got to find some place to store 9-10 motorcycles... (No, selling them is not an option!) My tentative solution is to use the garage's height in a creative way, such that I will build a heavy duty shelf 2m off the ground on the three side walls and lift the bikes up and down using an electric "pallet stacker". The shelves will be constructed from 41x41 Unistrut, with 1m-spaced verticals attaching at the floor and the ceiling (as well as to the walls). I'll use a 45-degree shelf support bracket made of welded rectangular tube attached to the horizontal and vertical struts. The bikes will sit on metal "sleds" I will design and build, which may be based on the Baxley-type wheel chocks I have 6 of now, or maybe on an ABBA stand-type design. The stacker can lift 1000kg 3.5m (it was either that or install some sort of winch/gantry system to the ceiling--this is simpler!) I'm not a structural engineer, but I've read a bit about the Unistrut system, which is quite versatile and very strong. I won't need to weld anything to the Unistrut (which is good, because it is galvanized steel...), but I can build the 45-degree brackets and the "sleds" from mild steel tubing and plate. I should have enough room for six bikes, even if I only use the side walls. I can only ride one at a time, so as long as they are accessible (and the floor area remains free of obstruction), I should be able to retrieve them whenever I want to worn on them or ride them. It should look something like this: The front wall will have 4x folding doors with windows above, plus there are french doors at the back and a small office. I should get plenty of light. Thoughts...? (Especially re the crazy shelf idea!) Cheers, JZH

Or just convert it to gravity feed. My 3rd gen was pump-less for a while and still seemed to run fine (although I didn't test it thoroughly). Ciao, JZH

I don't know very much about NC21s, but here's my info page, FYI: https://www.vsource.org/VFR-RVF_files/Bvfr400zg-rj-mi.htm The corresponding Paint Codes are here: https://www.vsource.org/VFR-RVF_files/BHondaPaintCodes.htm Ciao, JZH

Having more or less retired my last Zumo a few years ago, I now use Android Auto exclusively, but I still kinda hate it. The Zumos always "had your back" with things like finding petrol en route, or a place to stay or eat, whereas Maps/Waze seem to me like a rather dumb imitation. Yes, I get that it's "12.6km from here", but is that in the direction I'm going?!? Loss of signal is also fun. I always seem to end up "offline" when crossing into or out of Belgium (as if anything could make driving through Belgium worse...) Full restart required. Sure, but that takes two hands on my phone... But I'm not buying another Zumo--even these annoyances just don't justify going back to what is, after all, a very limited, dedicated navigation system. I was never a detailed route planner, so I never pre-loaded routes anyway. Maybe that would make the difference for some? Ciao, JZH

Lol, that's my drawing from 2009. I always enjoy seeing my work shared years later in different threads. FYI, most Hondas sold in Europe used "regular" H4 bulbs. Terry, the only parts of the bulb which are subject to the H4 design "specification" for mounting are the tabs. So, while different bulb manufacturers may use similar designs for the "flat part of the base", that's just coincidence/copying each other's designs. I'm sure it makes little difference in the real world (the H4 reflector headlight design being pretty loose to begin with), however. If the bulbs are out of position, the filaments will not reflect the "proper" beam precisely, but it would probably be very difficult to notice the difference on the road. (But I would know, which is why I won't do it. YOCDMV.) Ciao, JZH

I don't see a "non-machine shop" way of solving this problem, unfortunately. From the installation instructions and the picture on the Scotts website, it looks like the damper mounting bracket is supposed to sit flush on top of the top clamp, but your VFR's top clamp is not flat. Assuming the raised surface would be able to adequately support that bracket, yes, a machinist should be able to turn an extended nut (with the groove) which would allow the damper mounting bracket to sit flush on top of the top clamp. You might also need to raise the tank flange bracket to match the new position of the top clamp bracket, but that should only require some alloy spacers of the correct thickness. (You might also ask Scotts why they didn't make one for this model, considering they've had 10+ years to do so...) For the new custom steering stem nut, I would probably choose stainless as the material, but I'm not the one who has to work it! Good luck. Ciao, JZH

Interesting! Sorry, I am away from my bikes and cannot take any measurements right now, but I have measured rear wheel offsets in the past and was surprised to discover that the offset (from the face of the wheel flange) was identical on every Honda SSSA rear wheel I had measured. (And that included the RC46, RC36, NC24 and RC40.) Looking through some of my previous posts on this topic, however, I had measured from the centre of the wheel to the face of the mounting flange on each wheel, and found a positive offset of 1.0". (Yes, in inches!) Gotta love standardisation. Ciao, JZH

Can't see the pics. Clutch diode is all that comes to mind from your description. Ciao, JZH

Excellent posts, lads--with part numbers! I'd just add that many of these special Honda fasteners have been duplicated in titanium by TitanClassics.com in the UK. (In case you win the lottery.) Ciao, JZH