JZH

I used to have a black plastic hugger made by Pyramid Plastics on my '93 FP, but I don't know what happened to it. It's tricky to mount a hugger on a SSSA, but it is certainly possible. I've got a Harris one on my RC46 in California and a Durbahn one on my RC36 in London. The latter is actually an RC30 hugger, because it's mounted on an RC30 swing arm. The mounting holes would probably be different on an RC36 swing arm (and it was very expensive!) Ciao, JZH

Emulators? VFRs haven't had damping-rod forks since the RC24. Do you mean aftermarket valves, e.g., R-T Gold Valves? In any case, the '98 RC46 has cartridge forks, so the bike's existing cartridge can either be re-valved or in some cases (not sure about this particular model) entirely new aftermarket cartridges can be retro-fitted into the existing forks. Ciao, JZH

Hey! What's wrong with bling? Ciao, JZH

Your ignition? The ignition switch? Ciao, JZH

Wemoto in the UK is a very reputable outfit, but they're not a VFR charging system specialist. After years of trying other things (Electrex, etc.) I've gone back to OEM-spec Shindengen, only, on my bikes. Ordinarily, heat transfer paste and cooling fans were only "useful" on the original OEM reg/recs without cooling fins. We're talking 20 years ago! Modern MOSFET and series reg/recs are almost bullet-proof and do not require either heat transfer to the frame or extra air cooling from an external fan. Ciao, JZH

A bunch of 0-rings... Just drill out the rivets, tap the holes and buy some o-rings. If it still leaks, buy some different o-rings! I've done this a couple of times, but I don't know where the threads are. Here's one: https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/82015-leaky-4th-gen-gas-petcock/ Ciao, JZH

There's nothing much to do if the 3rd gen doesn't have a center stand. The TBR on my 3rd gen was designed for a 4th gen. If you insist on having an aftermarket header on a 3rd gen and retaining the centre stand, it's still possible, but it gets complicated... This pic shows why the 3rd gen main stand is kinda in the way: I don't remember if the temporary bracket in the picture above was 35mm or 40mm, but I think I settled on 40mm for the final design, which gave me enough clearance for the header outlet. However, in order to get the ground clearance back I had to raise the rear of the bike by flipping the eccentric from the top to the bottom. And in order for that to work I had to countersink one of the rear brake bracket bolts. Then my side stand was too short, so I had to lengthen it to keep the bike from falling over... I ran the bike that way for years, but in the bike's current (stalled!) project phase I've actually removed the center stand. Ciao, JZH

I'm pretty sure the new dash was to solve this very problem, but I find it ugly. I actually bought a spare set of earlier clocks for my blue bike to swap the surrounds over. Ciao, JZH

I really should ship that bike over here. I miss her badly. Not having her around makes me do crazy things like plan to put V8s in vans. Just as soon as I figure out where "here" will be... (Muscat, Amsterdam and Zurich have all been possibilities this year.) Ciao, JZH

Definitely bent (pretzeled, really). The shift lever is easy to find second-hand, and fits other VFRs (like my 3rd gen). Brake lever looks expensive to me! Ciao, JZH

Yep. Honda actually modified the instrument surround sometime during the 2000 production run: That's my '01, but my Y2k doesn't have those raised areas. Ciao, JZH

US-spec bikes of that era had no light switch. The lights were always on, so all you needed was a high beam switch on the other side. UK-spec bikes of that era had light switches: off, P and H (with P relating to the position lights). I long ago re-wired my US-spec bikes to use light switches (as well as Passing light switches), which just requires some used parts and some extra wire and terminals to do it in an "OEM" way. Ciao, JZH

It's cheap to upgrade the ground connections, anyway: You can upgrade the grounds and then check for an improvement--before buying any new parts! And if it doesn't help, you haven't wasted any money on something you don't need to do as part of a charging system upgrade anyway. Ciao, JZH

Which ones are LifePo4? Ciao, JZH

FWIW, Honda's OEM lithium batteries are explicitly identified as "Lithium Ion", according to the press release I linked to above. Ciao, JZH

I've waited until the OEMs adopted the technology, and Honda now has at least three models with Li-Ion batteries as standard. Their OEM supplier is ELIIY Power, a Japanese company I'd never heard of, and their largest OEM battery is the HY110: https://www.eliiypower.co.jp/english/vc-files/pdf/pdf_eng/20180308_Release.pdf So that means the technology is probably good enough for me, but they're still quite pricey... Ciao, JZH

At least we know it will work with the PAIR valves! Ciao, JZH

Well, it's an RC30 rear hugger from Durbahn in Germany, so only an option if you've got an RC30 swing arm--or an RC30! Ciao, JZH

Yes, they're from the 900RR. The VFR's more protruding versions are commonly called "Frankenbolts" around here... Ciao, JZH

I feel your pain! I wanted a little bit of control over the appearance of the rear sprocket on my Yellow Peril (5th gen), and I ended up getting a very simple, very expensive (and very late) custom sprocket from Sidewinder Sprockets... Based on internet reports, I got lucky/unlucky to have actually received a sprocket from Sidewinder Sprockets (Krause Racing). I doubt it is made from any kind of titanium alloy as was claimed. At least it looks good! You can buy sprocket "blanks", and get a friendly machinist to machine holes in it. I did this for my RC36's custom rear sprocket, but you'd have to find someone local to you (my guy doesn't even have an email address--I had to call him!) However, he talked me into giving him the blank and selling me a laser cut stainless steel sprocket he had sourced from somewhere else: OEM is probably your best bet if you can't buy in person. Good luck. Ciao, JZH

That is the OEM reg/rec, and yes, it it worth changing now--even if it is functioning properly. Honda now sells an upgraded version, but you can replace it with other options, such as a MOSFET or a series reg/rec. Ciao, JZH

Well done everybody. Nearly there, as I write. Ciao, JZH

A left-exit 5th/8th gen exhaust system would certainly be unique. It's probably the best way to show off the SSSA--but I'm not sure there's enough room for the link pipe to pass under the beefy swing arm. I believe HRC had to deform the link pipe and bevel the swing arm on the RC30 to get enough clearance. Ciao, JZH

Hi JZH, Thank you for your donation of 50.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

Good point. Ciao, JZH