Trace

No. Only tinkering that costs money can be considered illegal "fiddling". Of course, that doesn't include the cost of those metric pry bars you'll prolly need. Yeah, I love this sort of thing. I'm thinking it might help the flatness/notchiness at low-to-mid revs on 5th Gens. Removing the O2s helps, as does the PCII, but a little fuel pressure gives some tune-ability that otherwise might not be there. Clever mod, magellan!!

Very nice work, tokkie. I would have fixed it using JB Weld and a half-round file....or I would Blow 'Er Up! :thumbsup:

It's clearly due to spooge removal!! :D dude---I have no time on a 6th, so I can't compare/comment. But it did improve the snickfeel of my relatively low-mileage 2000, FWIW.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/uploads/1126494639/gallery_4707_678_845000.jpg[/img] I recently replaced my chain [EK 530ZVX, in CHROME!] and front sprocket [AFAM 17T], along with installing a FactoryPro shift kit. I chose to use EK's Screw-Link instead of buying a cheesy chain tool or trusting a bike shop to do it, etc etc as has been discussed here many, many times. But my problem was that there was very little information out there on exactly how to install it and if it was reliable. In fact, all of the vendors who sell it had little or no idea how it was installed, and some even had it totally wrong!! I Googled the crap out of it, but only our own BatBike Chris had used it, as far as I could tell. He said good things about it, so I decided to give it the full engineer's test and evaluation program. Finally, I got my hands on a many-times-faxed copy of EK's broken-English directions, and away I went. Let's talk about the testing first, then go back to the install procedure. After I installed according to directions and my best judgement, I rode the bike hard for a few days, making some extended 3-digit speed runs. Then, [since I had bought two link kits for testing purposes] I tried my darnest to pry the sideplate off. trying to pry.JPG That didn't work, so I ground the ends of the rivets down, at varying levels of destruction, and pried some more. No luck. Finally, I ground nearly all the way through, and centerpunched the pins out, no problem. So, we now know they're removable, if you work at it. We also know they won't pop off in a hard sweeper!! ground down pins.JPG ground down more.JPG I won't go into the chain install, but suffice to say that when you get it on, with the tension adjuster all the way forward and "loose", the unmade chain ends want to be at about 2 o'clock on your rear sprocket, like this. new link going in.JPG I used the x-rings that came with my new chain, and the lube pack. The Screw-Link didn't come with lube (or instructions). So, once you have the link in place with lube, o/x-rings and the sideplate is pushed on, you run the little black nuts onto the pins finger tight only. IMPORTANT: 1) the nuts have a slight chamfer at the threads on one end only that goes against the sideplate. If you muff this, you'll wring off the pin prematurely. 2) run the nuts in finger tight only. There's a reason for this that I'll get to next. nuts finger fight.JPG Once you're finger tight, you take a 5/16 or 8 mm wrench [iMPORTANT: little short wrench, please, NOT a 3/8" ratchet that's a foot long!!] and alternatively turn each nut 60 degress, or one hex flat. This is very important to do gradually and correctly, so that the sideplate is evenly pressed onto the pins. Remember, one hex flat at a time, alternating! Eventually, the nuts will stop turning with the same basic amount of effort you've been using all along and won't want to turn any more, assuming you're using a little short combination wrench like I begged you to, above. There is no torque spec for this. You simply turn a hex at a time until you evenly press the sideplate onto the pins and the nuts "stop". Now your remove the nuts and throw them away! Have a look with a magnifying glass at where the pin and sideplate meet, and see how it all looks. You should see a very small sliver of the pin where it meets the sideplate, indicating the plate is fully on the pin with an interference fit. If you feel like you should press the plate further on one end of the link or the other, you can replace the nut(s) with the chamfer facing the link, and give it a tiny little bit of rotation, but be careful and don't get greedy, because I have more to tell, below. You really don't want to wring the pin off. It won't be fatal, as it will break at the groove nearest the sideplate. But you won't be able to do the additional little "peace of mind" step I describe below. I mike'd the chain and the completed link. Chain was .898 and the Screw-Link was .876 This was the case for both times I installed the link, so we can assume the link is slightly less wide than the chain. If you use the same chain as I did, you should see these same numbers, of course. Another interesting thing--as I was cranking the nuts down, I frequently removed them to see how the process was going. Once I loosened the nuts with the wrench, the nuts easily went off and back on with fingers only. However, once the nuts quit turning and the pressing action was complete, I noticed that the nuts would no longer come off by fingers once loosened by the wrench. I assume that at this point the pin threads had stretched a bizillionth, making the wrench sorta required for nut removal, unless you have real strong fingers. So now if you're satisfied with the job, you simply snap the long ends of the pins off. It's real easy, using a basic plier. nuts done, snapping pin.JPG all done, sweged proper.JPG So now, you're done. But as promised, I have some more good news. As it turns out, these black nuts aren't metric (!!), they're a good, ol' 10-32 thread. And if you notice, there's a few threads left after you snap the pins off!! So, I know what you're thinking---put the black nuts back on for safety. Wrong. They're way too long and hit inside the front sprocket cover. But, as you can see below, you simply use a quality 5/16 10-32 nut. Stainless would be cool! Do this: using lacquer thinnner or brake kleen, very thoroughly clean your hardware store nuts and the few remaing pin threads. Apply a dab of Loctite to each nut and thread onto the remaining pin stub. IMPORTANT: I torqued these nuts to a mere 30 inch-pounds, and I could feel the few meager threads beginning to yield. So, DON"T crank these nuts down, it's NOT necessary. [Remember the grinding I had to do to get the first link off? It's a tight interference fit!] Allow the Loctite to do its job to hold the nuts in place, giving you total peace of mind. These little nuts are the exact same length depth as the remaining pin stud, so you can be sure it will clear all the stuff up forward in the front sprocket area, but I stronly suggest you run it through by hand like I did before I fired it up for a test ride. Note: My addition of these "safety nuts" is not part of EK's directions. They provide little o-rings that go on the groove for the same purpose. I'll take the Loctited nuts, thanks. Another concern: If you have the stock sprocket, these nuts might touch the rubber damper. But since you're changing the chain, you'll be replacing the sprocket(s), so get an aftermarket and don't concern yourself with the false belief that the stocker is "smoother" or "quieter". It's not true, trust me on this one. You won't hear anything over your slip-on and your helmet, anyway. And nothing is "smooooother" than a new chain. 10-32 nuts installed.JPG nut comparison.JPG You'll need to tension your new chain, of course. I have no advice there...I'll leave that can of worms alone, along with the type of oil I use and color of bike is best. As for chain tensioning in general, I have some advice. First, make sure your pinch bolt is properly torqued [70 ft-lbs], and put matching punch marks on the bolt and on the swingarm. You can see my little punch marks at that corner on the arm. Then, all you have to do after any future adjustment [like an unscheduled roadside adjustment!] is crank the bolt back to the punch mark to properly tighten it. Second, I don't use the spanner tool.....it's too....clumsy.....for small adjustments. Instead, I leave the pinch bolt a little snug and use a long, beefy screwdirver and a light hammer, and gently tap on an adusting notch one way or the other until I'm happy with my perfect tension measurement. :goofy: Now, will the Screw-Link work with other quality chains, such as DIDs? I don't know. But, I did mike the pins on the Screw-Link, and they're .2125 inch in diameter [that's to ten-thousanths' folks]. So, if the master link on other chains has this dimension, I would assume it would work. However, I suggest you ask the vendors if they have better info. The link width is another key dimension, and that is probably a spec that's easy to find. I'm totally confident that this mysterious Screw-Link is on there to stay. The x-rings are visible but compressed, and the link is exactly as flexible as the rest of the chain. It feels no different when worked. I will use it again when I help a pal with a new chain on his imported bad-ass FireBlade. This is a good product. It's been around for 12 years, but nobody trusts it, and thus won't use it. Instead, they take a chance with a dicey chain tool that has little control over pin staking depth and the resulting o-ring compression, or they take the clip-on risk, or they have to go to a dealer or shop and hope they get it right. And as we know, they often don't. Of course, if you have a quality tool and you're experienced in master link staking, you'd have no issues with it. But if you do a chain every 15-20K miles, well, your results may vary. The Screw-Link gives proper, accurate results, every time.

Yeah, those strokers worked good, except that you may have dodged a bullet. The weak link at the time, and still is to some extent, is the clutch. Lotsa problems with grip and longevity, including the odd LS1/6 engine balancing game. I know guys who actually SOLD their cars and bought a new stocker just to get away from the clutch/throwout/master cylinder nightmare they had created. Not available at the time, the new (02-up) Z clutch became the best bet for most applications. And now, most tuners are doing 427s, using the "Australian" clutch. As for me, I'm working the issues to get a 2006 Z. No mods needed. Ever! Okay, now back to VFRs. :goofy:

joe--The Z-06 is an amazing car. So fast, yet so docile in city traffic, highway, etc. Great mileage at about 24-26 mpg if you just drive "normal" at 70 mph. CD player plays, A/C blows cold air, seats are comfly, lots of luggage space. Long trips are effortless, as are trips to the supermarket, and on top of all that, it will go 11.80 in the quarter and climb to over 170 mph. It has no irritating qualities and does everything well. Kinda like a VFR.....

joe603, The clunk to 1st is still there and always will be. That's your internal tranny guts&gears coming to a halt after spinning with the clutch released while in neutral. You'd better HOPE you get that clunk, otherwise your trans is not there.... As for shifting from 1st to neutral, that's EXACTLY what this kit is intended to reduce, and it does a good job of it. I shifted to N last weekend, but I know it was due to pilot error and laziness, not the kit. Strong upward foot pressure and proper clutch work (or throttle work) is still required. Nothing is free. But, the kit makes it so good technique is rewarded with good shifts, not false neutrals.

tok-- 1) The bore is not an issue, and it might be an optical "delusion" from the photo. In fact, the smaller bore of the FactoryPro might even be better, as long as the bolt fits (which it does, of course). But anyway, non-issue. 2) Homemade arm bearing--Well, I guess you COULD do this, once you do the research to find the right bearing and be 101% sure that you've proberly sweged it to the arm. But then what do you have? These three parts make a system that works....by leaving two of them out might not be worth your time. 3) Instead, spend your time getting the kit direct from FactoryPro (I can't imagine why they wouldn't send it to you!) or enlist the help of one of your VFRD brothers to buy it and ship it to you. Maybe you will become the South Africa distribution rep!!

wera and everybody-- As for my endorsement of this mod, yes, I heartily recommend it. I think that for a mere $200 bucks, it's a very nice mod that directly affects your enjoyment every time you ride, every time you shift. The more you shift, the more you can amortize that $200. 200 nice shifts--a buck apiece. 1000 nice shift--20 cents each, and so on. The next time you're hammering up thru the gears, how much would you pay for each false neutral that you didn't hit? I seriously think this mod has plenty of "enjoyment factor", maybe better than most other mods that cost $400, 800, 1200. But then, like everything else, to each his own. NOW--will this mod make your bike shift like the sequential tranny in an F430 Ferrari? Nope. Will it shift noticeably better? Yep.

According to their website, YES. http://www.factorypro.com/

wera-- I don't reckon I can answer that question, but frankly, when I first saw Jetpilot5's report, I wondered how the $90 kit with just a fancier detent arm and a spring could really make a difference. When I went to FactoryPro's website to learn about the $90 kit and then saw that the kit now had a new star, I ordered one instanlty. To me, the reshaped star makes total sense, and the arm/spring items only enhance the star's improvement. Is it worth $200? Was the orginal kit worth $90? Does the $110 matter if it works? Well, you couldn't give me $500 to take it out, so......what's it worth? "You pays your money, you takes your choice."

Jetpilot5- Your "How To" for 99 percent of this install was most excellent, thank you very much. My 1 percent contribution for the star wheel was easy, after all of your hard work in the original write-up and pictures. And yes, this is a very good mod. Snick, snick!

Here's the stock star on the left, new unit on right, with matching detent arms. Spring is a tiny bit thicker than the stocker, a bit more positive detent pressure, but no strain on the top of your foot, by any means. border='0' alt='user posted image' /> shifter wheel comparison And here's the case, with the star (and everything else) removed. You can see the little dowel pin in the end of the shaft. You pull it out with needlenose pliers (comes right out) and put it in hole on the back of the new star, otherwise the star won't engage it for some mysterious reason. Once that's done, it's fine. Threads in the center of shaft get cleaned, dried, and the bolt Loctited. border='0' alt='user posted image' /> shifter case Of course, pictures don't really mean anything, I just figgered you guys would want to see what your $199 gets ya.

I installed FactoryPro's "Evo Star" shift kit this past weekend. http://www.factorypro.com/ It's a straightforward install, technically simple but somewhat time-consuming when combined with chain replacement. On the other hand, it's a good excuse to do the whole left-side area: cleaning gook, new parts, new chain and sprockets, and a really, really thorough oil change!! Most of the work is nicely documented in this How-To Guide, http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=7886 , with the exception of the heart of the matter, the star wheel (detent wheel, shifter cam, etc). I assume this part was not available when the how-to was performed. This star piece is the final step before you start to reassemble the whole thing. It's simple, except that you will need a 6mm hex bit (allen) to reach in and unbolt and properly re-torque the bolt. Torque is 23 n-m/17 ft-lbs, and threads of bolt and shaft must be clean, dry and Loctited. So, you'll also need some brake cleaner to spray into the bolt hole. You'll find a small dowel behind the stock star. Remove it from the shaft that you see when you remove the star, and put it in the new star. Then you simply put the new star in the obviously correct location (where the little dowel goes), install bolt with Loctite, torque. I also replaced the shifter shaft seal in the linkage cover. Mine wasn't leaking except for typical seepage. That seal catches hell due to dirt, constant reversal of shaft rotation, side loading...all of which lets fine grit into the seal. Anyway, might as well replace a 4 dollar part while it's all apart, just like the water pump gasket (o-ring). The result? Very, very nice. Shifts are "shorter", easier, less clunky, faster, more positive....less false neutrals, whatever you want to call it. I highly recommend this mod if you like to really zip through the gearbox. Clutchless and throttle-on/stab-clutch powershifts are far less scary. YMMV. All, I'm re-posting the photos of the stock parts vs. the FactoryPro stuff, and a shot of the inside of the case where the star wheel goes. I didn't realize that deleting the pics from "My Album" would kill 'em on the thread. A few guys PMd me to ask for the pics, otherwise I wouldn't have known. Thanks HS for straightening me out. A little tip: That little dowel pin that indexes with the star wheel is a funny thing (you see it at 1 o'clock in the pic, but it can be anywhere, depending on what gear you're in). I could NOT get the new wheel to engage it when I placed it on the shaft and turned it a bit, expecting it to "drop in". I was in the 'uh-oh, damn, doesn't fit!!' stage, when I simply pulled the pin out of the shaft with needlenose pliers, put it in the hole on the back of the star wheel, and PRESTO, everything lined up just peachy fine. After a month or so of doing this mod, along with the SERIOUS oil change that goes along with it (good to the last drop!), I'm satisfied that my $200 was well spent. Snick, snick..... border='0' alt='user posted image' /> compare--stock vs. evo star stuff (on right) border='0' alt='user posted image' /> inside of case where star wheel goes