Careca

They are condensation drain holes and supposed to be there. Nothing to see here , move along please.

I know it was a pig to get out but that doesn't look anywhere near as bad as I thought it would look like. Should clean up a treat.

That protector is probably the worst kind. It will trash your tank. Grit will get underneath it and scuff it beyond repair. Whats worse is that being so large you won't find another one bigger to cover up the damage. Ask me how I know.

No 2

Give Graham @ image works a shout. He can make you any decal you want. I have used him many times. If you are going to repaint , Honda painted their bikes then put the decals on . I would paint , put decals on then clear lacquer over the top . Much better and longer lasting finish . http://www.bike-stickers.com/homepage.htm

His name is Dean Bowley. You will find him on Facebook or Messenger. He is a member of the Honda VFR owners club tm UK on Facebook . As a reference his post code is CF53EX. Tell him I sent you .

I think service history is so important. I get the fact that I am buying a bike and its 2021 and some will argue who cares if it was serviced back in 2002 , it is how it is now that matters. However I like to be able to se that everything was done when it should have been done and no one skimped on anything.

I used Hammerite smooth silver. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hammerite-5084894-HAM6700043-250ml-Metal/dp/B001GU4DEC

I am not doubting you , but I have never heard of this and feel its all very strange that's for sure. Perhaps any engineers on here can enlighten us ?

I would say It took me a week , taking my time , not rushing anything , doing it between work and family commitments. Having done it before I kind of knew what to expect and which bits I was going to have to change. If you were to work 10 hours a day and had all the parts I would say 3 full days should do it, assuming you don't run into any issues. I had 1 broken bolt to drill out and a bar end that took over 2 hours to get out because someone had used a load of threadlock on it . Everything else went fairly straight forward.

This is a link to their website and for the record I am in no way connected at all . https://www.blackwidowexhausts.co.uk/vfr800f-vfr-800-1998-2003-rc46-exhaust-collector-downpipes-228-p.asp

I am not arguing here but I have never heard /experienced that . An engine wont run because of a random exhaust port configurations. I am not an engineer , but until someone can 100 % prove to me that you can stop an engine from running because you joined the exhaust header pipes of cylinders 2 & 3 + 1 & 4 together instead of 1 & 3 + 2 & 4 I am not accepting this. You join corresponding cylinders to each other, so that after 1 fires its gasses leaving the header help scavenge the gasses of the next one to fire. I get that an engine might run crap if you just randomly connect cylinders together but I have never heard of it stopping an engine from running. On a side note, i have the 5 th gen Black Widow headers and exhaust and I have only good things to say about it . Regards, Nat.

Best you do us a nice video so we can see and hear it .

Hi, There are 2 places I got the Ti fasteners from . 1. https://titanclassics.com/honda-parts/ 2. https://www.racefasteners.co.uk/ Please remember with Ti bolts to reduce the quoted torque values by 20% . Ti does NOT stretch like steel / stainless steel so they don't need to be as tight.

Windcreen wise , 1 is a powerbronze , the other is an airflow ( never heard of them ). I have ordered another powerbronze one to fit so both will be the same. i have found that powerbronze fit the best . I even have one on my 8 th gen bike. Those Ti fasteners are not that expensive, relatively speaking. Some are a little more than the Honda items, a couple are less and yes the brake pad pins are £11 each but they make a big difference. If you polish the Honda items they tarnish / rust really quickly. I don't intend on selling the bikes for a long time . In the mean time I shall ride them . I think these bikes are so cheap , I am buying as many as I can ( wife permitting because of space ) and I fix them up, make them as good as I can make them and in years to come people will want to buy them . Currently buying these bikes between £2000-£3000 which I think is unbelievable value for money but they have to be right to begin with . By the time I am finished with them , given most have had a new exhaust/rear shock and a full going over / other essentials you can generalize spending £1k on each bike to get it absolutely perfect. I think people would easily pay that and more for one if I went to market . VFR's are plentiful, but most are in a terrible state with big mileages . Id like to have half a dozen at least. One thing is funny. Red ones were everywhere . When I started buying them I wanted a blue one and could never find one. Now I want a red one, all I can find are blue ones.

I completely agree with you . Thing is , I have more than 2 and I keep looking for more. Can't hide the banana .

I keep telling my wife its the same bike. I have got away with it so far.

The oil pipes are made by a man in Wales. He only makes 5 th gen oil cooler lines . Made in 316 stainless steel and stainless braided hose. Each set is test fitted to a spare vfr he has. They are £140 for the pair . He would appreciate you sending back the the old engine ends from your old ones as those are cleaned and reused to make new lines. They fit very nicely .

I do like a project . Not done a gen 3 .

It does look better with new fasteners .

5 th gen VFR's are my thing really. I buy them then rescue them but I always try and start with a bike that has good provenance / a verifiable history and certainly all its papers/books/service invoices as well as owners handbook and original service book etc etc . I don't know if its me, but the amount of bikes I come across that only have a log book ( the ownership papers for my American friends on here ) and nothing else. So many people seem to lose their other documents . I just don't get it. Personally , I won't buy a bike without supporting paperwork unless it is cheap. Im not scared of the many jobs that need doing , and whilst I look, inspect and renew parts as needed, if it is perfectly serviceable then the part gets cleaned and put back . In the case of this VFR , it was a 7 hour round trip. Half a dozen owners and just 15,300 miles on the clock with lots of history /paperwork and its not been got at . Where needed things are replaced or cleaned and put back . The original exhaust was in such good condition that I left it alone. The rear shock absorber although with a few marks is working remarkably well. A pictorial for you of the work in progress. This is how it came to me and it is presented to you after a wash. First job was to strip it of all its bodywork and give it a really good clean . There was 2 years of chain wax/grease all over the back of the bike and the front sprocket cover was oozing the stuff. All cleaned up . Chain guide removed. Old rusty bolts replaced with stainless steel items. Swing arm cleaned along with the entire back end. I used a lot of brake cleaner & degreaser. Back end looking a lot better, and the chain adjuster is nice and free. The next job was to clean the engine, replace the coolant, oil and filter , fix a coolant leak , couple of new coolant hoses and clips and replace the oil pipes with some better stainless steel items that are made for us over here at less than half the price of the Honda part. I also replaced the fan housing, as these rust and I had a freshly powder coated one so on it went. New oil line and clean engine cases. Cleaned oil cooler and new lines. New oil line, oil filter and clean engine casing. That exhaust is in such good condition. Radiator off and the fan housing has been replaced by a freshly powder coated one. It looks so much better and will be much more durable. Fan and rad back in place and being tested for leaks and making sure the fan kicks in at the right temperature. Next job was to change the air filter for a K & N item . All reassembled and everything here was inspected and cleaned . The VFR had heated grips that didn't work. They had to go and new grips were fitted. Then it was time to tackle the front end. Fork seals, stanchions were cleaned up. Lowers were striped, cleaned and repainted. I have seen much worse. After a repaint, waiting for the legs to dry . The front brakes were fully serviced. Cleaned and any internals where needed were replaced. I always replace the pad pins with titanium items ad Ti doesn't rust and use Ti caps. New brake pads from Mr Honda fitted all round and all the brake fluid was also replaced. The wheel was replaced with a white item , with new bearings, Ti disk bolts and Ti pinch bolts . Disks were in excellent condition and were cleaned up . New Pirelli tyres were also fitted . A different view in daylight so you can see the result. I think its come out very well . And not forgetting to clean up here either. Yes thats a dirty mark, not a flaw in the fork paint. Thats the front end done. Now took the back of the bike off. Everything was checked , cleaned and every connector removed and refitted to make sure it all connects as it should, especially the RR connections. New clips and bolts for the rear brake lines too . Its all good this side. And this side . And also in here. Then all the bodywork was put back and the whole lot was mopped and polished. Its easier to to on the work table. And there you have it. One 20 year old VFR , refreshed and ready to do another 20 years. There are lots of things I have pictures off that I have not posted. I didn't want to bore you . Overall Im very pleased how this one turned out. Thats the third one I have done. Those Ti bolts look so good. Out with its older brother today as the sun was out . Proof that you can have more than 1 VFR and get away with it. As they are both blue my wife thinks I only have 1 bike and its the same one she sees. At least thats what I tell her . Now looking for my next project VFR.

I would always go new , especially as you have done all the hard work and are there anyway. A stud extractor makes easy work of it. However , If you are going to re-use them , run a die over the studs and a tap on the nuts to really clean up the threads and don't forget your copper ease.

I have used Armstrong disks before on a ZZR 1100. I have to say they were very good.

Been there. They are unlikely to come apart. I had to cut mine off.

Ok .........so we all know how to use a torque wrench . Correct torque is good. However , like the OP I have re-used my bolts many times. Other than a titanium bolt I have never snapped a Honda bolt , ever. With titanium , which doesn't stretch like steel you need to reduce the quoted torque by 20 % as titanium doesn't stretch like steel . With regards to Honda bolts and in particular with any bolt that has thread lock on it. if you remove the bolt, you need to remove all the old thread lock off it and most importantly also tap the hole to get all the old thread lock out of it. Otherwise your bolt will seriously drag as you put it back in and can snap . Imagine how much thread lock is in that hole after 30 times of having thread lock applied every time someone put that bolt back in . If you haven't removed the previous thread lock you are just making things worse for that bolt.