JZH

Judging from the photos, it's for either a jet airplane, a robot, a tractor or a car.  

Ciao,

JZH

It is, or course, the Yellow Peril.

Ciao,

JZH

Well, activity sure has slumped...  I do hope VFRD can be rescued!

Ciao,

JZH

VFRD/WiLD header group buy timing not good!  Fingers crossed...

Ciaom,

JZH

Lookin' racey... 

Which 900RR swingarm did you end up using?  The RRW/X version Ken mentioned?  How much shorter is the swing arm?  It looks shorter, anyway!

Ciao,

JZH

That'll do.

Was the bike just positioned incorrectly on the roller?

Ciao,

JZH

I was going to refer you the my build thread "Beware the Yellow Peril", but it's so old it seems to have vanished... Yes, I still have it, but it is on my yellow bike in California, but I'm seriously thinking of moving it to Europe soon.  

If so, I will definitely be discussing some oiling system modifications with Seb!

Ciao,

JZH

[Found the thread, thanks to Google!  

]

On 5/17/2023 at 11:28 AM, Mohawk said:

Its one of the regrets of my life, not buying the Toro Charger ☹️🤷‍♀️

Since I've got one A&A supercharger kit and two 5th gens, I have often thought about making my own.  It wouldn't be rocket science to reverse-engineer what A&A did and assemble a new kit of parts doing pretty much the same thing, but neither would it be "cheap".  Ethically, once he abandoned the market, he can't really blame people for thinking about resorting to "self-help". 

Unfortunately, I didn't measure anything before I installed mine, so I'd have to remove it from the bike to do that.  If only someone with mad engineering and fabrication skills had had such a kit in his hands for an extended period of time before installing it... 

Ciao,

JZH

I was cleaning the garage and decided the safest place to put my blue '01's LH side fairing panel was...back on the bike.  (It had been off since I had parked that bike just before Covid.)  I'm now tempted to get it ready to ride again...  

Ciao,

JZH

19 hours ago, YoshiHNS said:

OEM or SKF fork seals are the only ones I would trust. I've heard enough All Balls not lasting long. Price isn't that different.

IMHO, you don't need to buy Honda for seals and bearings (Honda doesn't make either of them): most automotive bearings and seals are available through other distribution channels for a lot less than Honda charges.

The problem I have with AllBalls and, I suppose, K&L and the others, is that they generally use the cheapest functional parts they can find.  So, while the re-packaging is handy and easy to buy (one part number vs. four for a typical set of stem bearings), they can't really undercut the price of quality parts sourced from anywhere other than Honda.  Figure out how to read part and bearing catalogs and you can get OEM quality (or better) at not much more than AllBalls price.

Ciao,

JZH

Delkevic almost certainly doesn't make gaskets.  We just have to find the source they're buying from...

Ciao,

JZH

According to the professional motorsports wiring guys, the problem with solder connections is that solder embrittles the wire where the solder meets the rest of the un-soldered wire, creating more of a weak point than does a properly crimped butt connector.  Both solder joints and crimp joints have to be done correctly and protected from the environment with adhesive-lined shrink tubing, but from what I have been reading over the past couple of years, toreckman's got it right with the heatshrink-crimps.  Ideally, the three crimps would then be sealed within a long piece of adhesive-lined heatshrink, rather than leccy tape, however!

Btw, whilst you're in there, you should see to that Big Orange Connector with all the GNDs.  Especially if it is exposed to the environment like that it will only be a matter of time before corrosion begins to form on the terminals.  A couple of years ago I would have said to solder them all together, but... 

Ciao,

JZH

I definitely noticed... 

Ciao,

JZH

Someone (who hasn't had it dump their stuff all over the highway) will want that Tail Locker... 

Ciao,

JZH

I missed the last run, so I really hope we get this one over the line!  

Maybe some eye-candy pics from those who have installed VFRD headers might help prime the pump?  

Ciao,

JZH

5 hours ago, Lorne said:

Lastly, one of the fellows on the old mailing list, Dave Matthew, found that a 2" diameter VDO clock could be fitted to the left side panel. There's a round knock on the panel near the front of the tank. That is where Euro models housed the fuel switch. Here's a link: VDO Marine Clock

 

Best of luck with your project.

 

 

As this is a VFR, possibly a better use for that location would be to fit a voltmeter!

Ciao,

JZH

Arguably, you shouldn't re-use bearings you've driven out by the inner race.  All those hammer blows went through the ball bearings to the outer race.  Even if they still roll, I wouldn't trust them again.

Ciao,

JZH

I didn't even remember about that thread (!), but it reminded me about heavily restricted bikes sold in Germany and (apparently) Switzerland.  I recall that there wasn't a national power restriction per se, but individual purchasers would voluntarily restrict their bikes to qualify for cheaper insurance.  Unfortunately, I don't know how the bikes were restricted, but with carburetor engines the usual way was to fit restrictors into the intake ports.  There may also have been "learner" restrictions, which were more likely to have been removed once the rider earned their full licence.

Does the bike feel slow?  If not, someone may have removed the restriction and not told the government...

I don't think the Swiss ECU was restricted THAT much for everyone.  They always had special ECUs for emissions reasons, not speed/power.  So I don't think changing the ECU will remove the restriction, if it is still there.

Ciao,

JZH

On 3/7/2023 at 12:49 AM, Stray said:

Back in the house of pain, I got busy removing a Datatool S4 alarm system fitted by a professional (could tell by the splicing). 
 

How hard could it be? Famous last words…

 

Took 3 hours of removing parts, tracing wires, unraveling looms and carefully cutting to get it all off. The fitter butchered my loom real good, cutting into almost every circuit. Removing the alarm requires bridging and resoldering all the wires he originally butchered, which is a lot. 
 

Finally, the hateful thing was removed and ignition starts fine. But the mess it left has made me quite angry. Why would they need to splice the red LED light into my main fuse wire? Unnecessary damage.

 

 

And I broke one of the main fuse plug clips trying to get it off, further damaging the loom (the two white spots near my thumb). Will have to cable tie it now.
 

  

If anyone wants the alarm they can fish it out of my bin…

FYI, I think CycleTerminal.com in the USA has those red covers (new aftermarket).  Or you can grab one from another bike...

Ciao,

JZH

On 2/9/2023 at 5:39 AM, Stray said:

The builder is a great artist but poor mechanic. He could have taken the opportunity to improve the bike quite a lot but opted to just throw on the printed fairings. 

All show and no go!  

To each his own, as they say.  To me, it looks "distinctive".

Ciao,

JZH

Surprised I didn't mention on that linked thread that I ran my RC36 gravity feed for a while (weeks or months) after the fuel pump stranded me on an Austrian Autobahn one summer.  Always carry tools!

It ran fine, as I recall.  I probably didn't allow the tank to get very close to empty, but it was absolutely fine at half-full and up.

Ciao,

JZH

Oh, well aftermarket headers could be any size, not always exactly what the OEM was at the time.  Predator also made "OEM replacement headers" for the 5th gen.  I think that's what I have on my UK-based 5th gen.  Delkevic, too, IIRC.  And then there was Black Widow (Sandy Bike Spares)...

But if that's an actual pic, they'll be fine.

Ciao,

JZH

But if you're in Croatia you may be looking at German- or Swiss-market RC46s, which were sold with (optional--the "HECS3" version) catalyst exhausts in '98 and '99.  

Honda explained the changes made to the Y2k model in the 2000 Press Information brochure:

"The pivotal key to the difference in the performance of the VFR’s ‘standard’ and HECS3 configurations could be found in the design of the exhaust system, particularly in the vicinity of the catalysers themselves. To work at optimal efficiency, the catalysers must reach a certain temperature threshold that permits their catalytic elements to function properly. This is especially important at start-ups, and can be a problem in very cold weather conditions, since the catalysers are positioned relatively far away from the engine and therefore take longer to reach their optimal operating temperature.

The exhaust system for the current HECS3 system overcomes this problem by using narrower tubing to help accelerate this pre-heating process. This may be a competent fix, but the smaller tubing has the additional effect of restricting maximum power output somewhat, so the HECS3 version of the VFR ended up being approximately 8PS down in maximum power compared to the standard version. While not a major drop in power, and certainly better than any catalyser system developed until now, this was not what the VFR’s design team was hoping to achieve. The solution to this problem came in the form of a new development made for the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird’s fuel injection system."

(That new development was the "new automatic bypass starter" system.)

So you can find OEM early RC46 exhausts with CATs and O2 bungs--if you're looking at one of those early "low-emissions" models.

Ciao,

JZH

Honda VFR800FiY Press Information.pdf

Silicone hose is very thick-walled.  It even comes in black.  Some experimentation could find an ID size which fits snugly without slitting or zip-tying?

Ciao,

JZH

FWIW, I should also be ready to participate in the next round (if there's a next round...) 🤞

Ciao,

JZH