Sirbike

I’d look at the condition of the other linkage bearings to make an educated guess about the condition of this one you can’t get to. Just after my project threw strange clutch line bleed hassle at me I see what you are doing. Talk about dedication. I like it.

I caved and got the Delkevic muffler to make it a full system. The stock muffler wouldn’t tighten all the down, the color was off. Powder coating the Delkevic to match the wheels would be cool but not now. A couple times I thought I shoulda bought a better condition bike for more money then I remember that I would do the same thing. This one came with 6th gen bags with the racks partially set up to fit. There was no rear hardware so I add a plate to the rear fender. Then there is the rack blocking key access to the seat release. Taken care of. Now that I have the rear of the bike done I strapped it down. While the forks are out of town I still want to sort out wiring grips and gps and make sure cables clear steering lock to lock with mock fork legs. Getting closer.

More parts arrived and more adjustments going on. It kind of bugged me that the left front peg mount didn’t go on as neatly as the right. So I took it off and had a close look. At some point the bracket was tightened while not lined up with the stud, twisted the whole bracket. Creative untwisting ensued. Another take a deep breath couple hours was cleaning up overspray powder coating. I guess saying protect all machined surfaces was not clear enough. At least the price was very good. I got all the brake lines hooked up. Pushed the brake pedal and it hit the exhaust pipe. Fussed with the pipe to no avail then stood back looked more carefully and notice the right peg and bracket are pushed in and down. The right bracket was mounted fine on the alignment stud but the that peg got pushed in when the bike was red. The Delkevic exhaust was just 2mm over from where the stock pipe was not hitting it. Disassemble, brake pedal off, 15” adjustable wrench on brake pivot, 24” pipe wrench on the adjustable, then bend into place. Next the gas tank won’t set all the way down. I play with this for quite a while. Then I notice the overflow line is somewhat crushed. I very carefully look at the pictures in the shop manual and notice that when a previous changed to the silver fuel tank the clip that holds the line in place was at the wrong bolt. Moved it over and the tank set all the way down. You know, without using the bolts to drive it home. The 847 r/r arrived today. Hooked it up, started the bike, the 6th gen new oem stator and eBay rotor works. But the bike is idling at 2000 rpm. The smaller hose that angles up off of the 6th gen thermostat housing pushed the fuel return line lightly against the idle control plate. It could not return against the idle stop screw. Fortunately I was able to pull the fuel return line down out of the way with zip ties. It’s good for now though at some point I will put in a new maybe 1” longer line that will loop more naturally out of the way. What next? The chain guard tire hugger assembly. I had to elongate a mounting hole that was not lined right. I changed some mounting points to use shoulder bolts and rubber washers to positively secure the bolts without undue pressure on the fiberglass. Overall this is a really nice piece that I picked up on eBay. They produce on order. Took about five weeks. No problem. Tanklock bag came. Really nice system. Starter valves set today. Good to hear the engine running. The chain and sprockets looked good until I found one frozen link with the roller flopping around. Ok the new chain and sprockets look up to par with the powder coated swingarm. Tail fairing lined up. I’ll hook everything there up tomorrow. This is taking more than I thought it would but I am getting an equal amount of satisfaction. I cleaned up the freshly coated fork lowers, sent the forks out to Traxxion. Maybe four weeks until they come back.

The shock came back from Traxxion. Nice getting that all hooked up with the swingarm and the gas tank mounted. Easy things to do after a long day. When taking the bike apart, wheels off in particular, it ended up with the center stand committed in the down position blocking access to the linkage bolt. Off came the spring and its bracket. It took a couple tries to get it back on but it happened.

I just used my no mar bar last night for the first time to mount a tire on a recently powder coated wheel for my ST1300. My harbor freight stand is set up not to scratch rims. The only materials touching my rim are the, what is it nylon?, fittings on the bar and leather in the clamps. Knowing what I know but putting my self in a position of not being able to change my own tires, I would ask if metal ever touches the rim. If I were the service guy not wanting to give an absolute guarantee of no problems, I would say I can’t guarantee the quality of the powder coated wheel but I can guarantee that I won’t scratch it.

It fired up last night.

I installed rear suspension and hub bearings. I got this press for the job. Not necessary but it has advantages and I have trailer bearings to do. it knocks out bearings great. It is not precise when it comes to installing bearings. Same for the cheap bearing driver kit. I find that for installing bearings I am better off starting with the hammer and socket technique. I can apply just enough force here and there to keep the bearing lined up as it goes in halfway or more the use then press to drive it home. My bicycle lift was perfect for hold the arm level with the press or bench. The swingarm just wouldn’t come really clean. Usually bikes are dirty but I may be getting carried away at my initial cleaning. I had it powder coated. There was some temptation to overhaul the throttle bodies. The bike ran ok so I’ve decided to save that madness for later. There was some soft soot on the bottom side of the plates. That factory material that lines the upper plates is completely intact. The vacuum hoses are all supple. Checking the starter valves synch will suffice for now. I changed the fuel filter. Someone has changed the filter but I didn’t know until I got the assembly out. May as well do it anyway. An ST1300 filter I had on hand fit ok. I only noticed the broken off stud when putting the assembly back in. It didn’t leak before, I used a new gasket. At least for now if it doesn’t leak, I’ll get the motor running to check new exhaust for leaks and synch the throttle bodies. I see how much this bugs me and see if opinions come in about this. And I cleaned the brake pedal pivot.

Is this from never changing coolant, a bad run of metal, loose hoses, wrong coolant? I’ve seen flakey coolant build up but never this kind of corrosion. I am always concerned when the coolant isn’t Honda blue. The bike had no cooling issues.

More parts arrived. I used to order everything that I need, or thought it was everything, and I’d get free shipping. But the way it worked out would find need for some little thing then another. Now in this size project I order enough with some focus on an area of the bike to get free shipping and progress. If I miss something that area, I’ll order just enough in the next area and get the little straggler from the previous one on a free shipping order. The lead time takes patience. Having another bike to ride makes it easier. The big one here is an ‘03+ 6th gen stator. This box has the rest of the bearings to cover the hub, swingarm, and linkages. The rest of the as3 hose clamps came in today. The $25 6th gen thermostat housing from eBay. This was a buy it and try it move. I found a difference between the 5th and 6th water pumps. The bypass hose nipple on the 5th is 12mm, the 6th is 12.65mm. That correlates to the thermostat housing. The bypass hoses are that slightly different. The 6 gen bypass hose fits in the place of the 5 gen. The pre bending of the hoses are different but close enough. The difference in diameter is marginal, A little extra turn of the screw should cinch the rubber down. The 5 gen as3 bypass hose was just tighter enough to notice on the 6 gen thermostat housing and water pump yet fit fine. Another difference with the thermostat housing is the line that goes to the radiator angles upwards much more than the original. Throttle body clearance was the concern. The throttle body assembly fit with it just fine. The wax idle nipple will be capped. Thanks to advice here, I smoothed down the casting flashing on the thermostat housing.

Just a little bit last night. I pulled the clutches and they look great. I got the left heated grip and Throttlemeister bar end installed. I use a liberal amount of epoxy to install heated grips. I also lightly scratch up the inside of the grip and lightly draw a a few streaks with a dremel grinding wheel across the handlebar to in case that helps the expoxy have little places to pool. it was late enough and I was satisfied enough that I let the right side wait for today.

More parts. Big ones are a new 6th gen water pump and a flywheel from a 2007. It was nice to get spark plugs in. as3 shorted me on some hose clamps. They responded quickly, and those clamps cleared customs today. Getting the radiator and some hoses installed feels good. I ordered a 6th gen thermostat housing off eBay. We will see if that fits.

I had a little detour. Tired of using levers, scratching rims or being very careful not to at times using my harbor freight tire changer I decided to upgrade it. I wrapped the rim grips and bead breaker with leather. I wouldn’t commit to drilling floor anchors because they will never be in an ideal place in my shop. I got a no mar mounting tool which will require the floor to be attached to the stand. I have room in another shed to store the stand. Since I took these pictures I found a thread here about bolt the post clamp spools. They are on the way. Some parts came. The forks won’t be back for several weeks. Some rigging is done to keep things moving along. Having successfully done surgical work with a mini sledgehammer for years, I sprung for proper tools to remove bearings. The sprocket hub bearing had some wear. The wheel hub ball bearings felt great even while looking a bit dirty inside. The needle bearing looks good still getting replaced. Time to work outside while more parts are on the way.

I didn’t do much in the garage today, this is a great thread to carry me the evening.

I poked around the shop a little today. I started putting coolant hoses together with some parts. Was a little surprised at the revealing of this pipe. Ordering a new one. Next I made pair block off plates. Not having delicate tools or fancy machinery, a sawzall and a grinder didn’t make for an award winning look but they will work fine. 3/16” aluminum sheet. The tires have good tread. Today I noticed the build dates. 1013 and 4015. I found my VFR rear wheel balancing jig. Yes!

Poking around the net I found potential good news about the charging system. The voltage reading on the lithium ion battery will be lower, 13.4 and stays flat as rpm increases. The stator will probably be ok when I do a running check. The battery that showed 2 volts a couple weeks ago after attempting to charge went up to 6.5v while not on the charger. I peeled the inspection stickers. They skipped from 2020 to 2025. 1100 miles. For a bike that seemed pretty rideable this looks like a mild rescue project. I am pretty much at the peak of disassembly now with some parts coming next week. Valve clearance passed, hurray. I did not like the aftermarket levers that came with the bike. I had a spare VFR lever. Have to order a brake lever. I prefer a shorter reach clutch lever than stock. I grind a little bit off by the adjuster to get in closer. My St1300s all have VFR lever done this way.

I found this while cleaning the back of the motor. What say ye? Honda marking or junkyard marking.

Perhaps I was overly optimistic when I initially looked at the clutch line fluid through the window. The bike ran fine but today I thought I better at least look at the spark plugs. More shenanigans or a mod I haven’t read about? The spark plug on the left was the odd one in the back left cylinder. See @natnif‘s project got me more motivated to clean. I think I got the easier job even with similar disassembly. I worked in the valley a bit today. Tomorrow I’ll get the rear of the motor. May as well take a peek at this. Feels fine. It will be easier to clean the pipes of the bike. BTW, it made sense at the time about eight years ago to sell my 2000 VFR. Funny how that happens sometimes. Some of you may recognize it from the previous owner. Anyone’s here now? Tomorrow, valve clearance check.

Nice find. Great color.

The elbow was bolted on a paper gasket with the rubber O-ring in place then welded, which fried the o-ring then gasket sealer was smeared on top of everything. Fortunately I am not seeing this kind of shenanigans elsewhere. The mating surface cleaned up pretty well except for a small divet. I’ll have to pick a sealant for that spot. I have SMC and brake calipers cleaned. Pistons look good. Seals for masters and slaves on the way from BrakeCrafters recommended here on vfrd. In a youtube video the rear axle was out a few seconds after the nut was off. From the time I had the nut removed to having the axle out took an hour and fifteen minutes beating with ever larger hammers. Thinking if I didn’t need bearings before, I’d need them after this. Taking turns getting it to move a couple millimeters then tighten the nut down again to drag some penatrating lube in there. The axle passes my finger nail test. There is slight discoloration on the bearing surface. This look typical? Anyway I am calling good to go. Measures good. Bearing grease was in good condition. The first goodies arrived. Also recommended here. Thanks for the tips.

Perfect, I was about to ask about the “while I’m in theres” Check out the skills used here. They welded up a crack so close to the bolt that I had to dremel out some room for a socket.

I was able to peak into V and see some funky stuff on a coolant elbow. So it was time to go in. And since I am this far I’ll do valve clearance check and took mello dude’s advice, ordered as3 hoses. I checked the rear brake fluid. This motivates me to thoroughly flush the lines then overhaul the calipers. I missed my chance to do a dynamic test for a while. First look at the charging system. Wires and plug look good. Here is the R/R. Now that I’ve got some momentum I am looking forward to more wrenching.

I only got to ride this 94 miles before the weather ended the 2025 riding season. Good thing I got in 11,000 miles on my ST1300s. With those made ready for next year I got the VFR into the shop before it snowed too much. Yesterday I fitted helibars. Today I mounted the racks and bags that came the sale. Nice. Sitting here wondering how far do I go maintenance wise. Brake pads are new. Brake and clutch line fluid is clean, the wheels spin freely. Normally it would be complete overhaul of cylinders with new rubber. maybe next winter. The clutch mc boot is broken. That will get rebuild kit. No known valve clearance checks with 54,300 miles and told probably not. I act like I am thinking about it but I will almost certainly go in there. The night I rode I noticed that the headlight brightness did not change with rpm. Voltage was about a flat 13.1v. Another thing, the key apparently needed some jigging to start the bike then all ok until next key on. Then the lithium ion battery was low from sitting a few weeks. Accidentally charged it for 5 minutes in lead acid mode. Ran back, changed lithium ion mode and find it only has and only achieves 2v. Put a battery from an ST1300, fired up with no extra key wiggles. Ok. I see it has a same style but not original R/R I have been down this road before with my previously owned Blackbirds and VFRs. I see a new stator, 847 R/R and battery in my future. 28 years old. Just do the coolant hoses? Height adjuster on the Penske shock was loose. Does not inspire confidence in previous mechanic. Front brake line clamp under triple clamp not tight. Looks like I’ll be checking everything. I need a lighter spring. Do I learn how to rebuild the shock or luxuriate by having Traxxion do it? I’ll probably have them set it up for me initially then consider doing rebuilds myself. Still, overall the bike looks fairly well ridden and taken care of. I am very happy to have this bike. Time to look under the hood.

Hi Sirbike, Thank you for your donation of 30.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

So the story is that the previous owner damaged some bodywork. Right? It is always the previous owner. Really I think this bike had a couple good previous owners. The owner at the time lived near the Canadian border. That made it easy for him to order and pick up silver. Looking to finish getting the sporting oriented silver ST1300 together this week. Tidying up the 17” CBR front wheel install that worked so well last season. Then the comfort touring oriented ST1300 gets oil change, new hoses and thermostat. Then I can get the VFR into the motorcycle spa.

Hi Sirbike, Thank you for your donation of 25.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion