HispanicSlammer

Craigs bike a 2002 VTEC was constantly spewing antifreeze out of the overflow tube, sometimes onto the rear tire while riding into turns. He reported that twice at our last track day that he slipped from this happening. Our trip to Maroon Bells following him I could see water pouring out of the tube.

He would refill the overflow tank with water at each stop, and the left side radiator was not hot. A sure sign that the thermostat was stuck closed.

Click Here for a large picture with text labels

Craig had already removed the tank and the air-box when I arrived at his house. He moved the tank to the seat and placed it back-wards, unplugging the fuel pump and fuel sensor. He unplugged the Map sensor and removed the vacuum tube, he unplugged the air box temperature sensor and unplugged the two crank case breather tubes. He Removed the air filter and the four velocity stacks, he had the taller ones in the back short ones in the front.

Craig removed the tank and air box

After removing the tow side fairings, on the left side is a hole for you to probe a long screwdriver, it needs a very long Phillips to loosen the clamps on the intakes.

Sticking in the screwdriver to loosen the intake clamps

Shine a light down to see the clamp and loosen it, that cylinder on the left is the wax element.

Loosen the four bottom clamps, this is the left front

Remove the drain plug and screw off the radiator cap to let out all the antifreeze

Gently pull on the fuel rails to lift the throttle body out, be very careful here not to force anything. There are two hoses connected to the wax element that need to be removed, the idle speed cable must be threaded from the right side and allowed to come loose careful not to break it. There are several wires in the throttle body for the fuel injection you can leave them on. We removed them to treat them with dielectric grease to prevent corrosion. Make note of which connectors go where most are unique but the fuel injector connectors can get confused.

You will need to remove the throttle cables by removing the two hex nuts on the throttle cable bracket and then popping the cables from the throttle wheel.

Gently lift the throttle body out carefully not to force anything

I removed the throttle cables and Craig threaded the idle screw cable free, here I am removing the two hoses to the wax element

With the throttle bodies free we unhooked the wire harness and exposed the thermostat housing.

Most of the clamps were facing down so we had to remove the housing from the other side of the hose.

Tape over the intakes so nothing gets inside the engine

Remove the old thermostat, there are two 8 mm bolts to loosen on the bottom and it cracks open like a clam

Craig seats the new thermostat in the housing

The O ring is a bit tricky its larger than the seat it fits into, with little nubs to pinch the ring into place.

We turned all the clamps facing up and fitted all the hoses back on, tightened and re-tightened each one. Then reinstalled the hoses to the wax unit, threaded the idle cable back in place, connected all the electrical connectors, and gently pushed the throttle body into place. With a flash light we inspected the intakes to make sure the rubber boots were seated and began to tighten the clamps.

Gently Craig seats the throttle body back onto the intakes.

I am flashing a light onto the clamps as Craig works the screwdriver onto the clamp screws, they are supposed to be 7mm from nut to bolt tight.

We slid the air box into place connected the temp sensor, the map sensor and the vacuum tube, connected the flapper solenoid and vacuum tube. Craig decided to leave the flapper tube disconnected and stopped it up with a screw in the hose. We replaced the air stacks tall in back and short in front. Replaced the filter, hooked up the crankcase breathers, and screwed on the top. Hooked up the gas pump and tank sensor and put the tank back in place. Filled up the radiator with 50/50 prestone no silica. We started it up - no fuel injector light so the electrical connections were correct, then we let it heat up, I put my hand on the left radiator and at 175 it started to heat up so the thermostat was working.

Then we opened up the radiator cap and filled it all the way, turned on the motor and blipped the throttle until the all the air was burped out of the system. Craig put the cap on and we ran it to full temp all the way to 220 when the fan came on and the temperature leveled out. we watched the level of the overflow tank after filling it to the top line. It stayed at the same level. I think his problems with antifreeze on his rear tire are over.

Your link is bad...details please ? I want to do this....

OK redid the writeup added the pictures into the original post.

Unbolting the hangers

My D&D is sounding rather blown out these days, after about two years of general abuse I decided to finally repack the can.

Start by removing the exhaust from the bike.

Loosen all the straps

Nasty! Road Grime

Take off the lead pipe

I used some OO steel wool and cleaned off the caked on road grime then some Mothers Polish to polish it back to shine.

Take off the rest of the pipe

You have to drill out the old rivets.

Drilling off the rivet heads

Punch out the rest of the rivet bodies

Once the rivets are punched out you can take off the end caps. ?The D&D is one solid unit with both end caps welded on, some other units have sews and are easy to get apart. ?I had to use a rubber mallet and a soft piece of pine to push the end caps out of the tube.

You can see the core is blown out

I used a utility knife to cut into the old packing, you can see the blown out parts

Use a wire brush to clean the core

I wrapped the core with steel wool to prevent blowouts

I read that wrapping steel wool around the core first prevents the new packing from getting blown out. You can get stainless steel wool here. If you use plain steel wool it will rust and desintigrate.

http://www.steel-wool.com

Fiberglass Pack kit ready!

I was going to use wire to hold the packing in but the kit said to use masking tape - so I did.

Compress the packing

Pop Rivet the core back in

I lined up the holes and tapped the core back into the tube, I used some high temp RTV on the end caps to seal them up, I had to pop rivet them on from below cause the pins would fall into the can if I did them from above.

I hammered the rivet caps flat and then cleaned the pipe and polished the whole thing with mothers polish until it shined! ?I also removed the headers and cleaned it up with a wire cup on my electric polisher. ?Painted the headers with 1200 degree black ceramic paint. Sealed up the connectors and put in new gaskets.

I'm slow (in most senses of the word) can't you tell?

I think that this question really boils down to "why use a relay instead of just a switch".

But I'll put it like this: Since I want both sides of my headlights to be on when on low beam (which it is not as I mentioned above) I can just put a wire between the low beam wire of the side that is lit and to the low beam connector on the side that isn't. Right? Now, to get it switchable I could just add a switch to this wire, couldn't I? Not having to add a relay to make it switchable?

/Swiffer (confused - but now on a slightly higher level)

The reason for the extra relay is to make a ground circuit that works WITH the hi lo switch on your left handle bar.  

The extra relay is wired to the Hi circuit, and switched to dual burn when you turn on the dual burn switch, that way when you ride past a car and you need lo beams it will switch to low beam only.  The third relay turns off the extra circuit off when the hi lo switch is on lo!  

The way you describing to get lo beam only (with just a manual switch and no extra relay), you would have to switch the main hi lo switch to lo, AND turn off the extra switch for the dual circuit at the same time.  The relay takes out the extra step and makes it automatic.

Moved to news

Slammer!

When going thru the wiring in this post, it seems to me that both of your headlights are on when "on low beam". That is not the case on my -94 Swedish version (and I'm told it shouldn't). When checking the wiring in Haynes for 94-97 (4 gen) UK model, it looks like both go on when on low beam also.

I looked at your mod partially because I wanted to do a double headlight on low mod, the same swichable way. Now it seems to me that this is standard in other countries.

Am I right or am I just plain undereducated in reading wiring diagrams?

You run a great site by the way,

Swiffer

Could you clarify what you mean by both headlights?  I am wondering if your 94 only has one side light up on low, like an RC51 does? Mine does indeed turn on both headlights (both sides) on the low setting, this is standard here, my friend Craig owned a 96 that also had a similar setup - I am sure the 94-97 has the same wireing circuit as my 98 and this mod can be preformed. Just consider that your adding at least 45 watts more draw.  I has to be managed on and off to conserve battery power, never leave them both on without the bike running.

In the US it is law that motorcycle headlights be turned on at all times. I know in Europe and the UK there is a switch to turn off your headlights.

It works too good actually, too hot on hi. It heats up faster through. ?I was going to tear it open anyway and put some more stuffing in there since it has gotten worn. ?Why not try somthing like that? ?No offence taken Leo, just customizing my bike again.

It is very comfortable on lo, nice little extra bit of warmth.  somtimes I ride from Denver to Home and there is a section near a river that somtimes gets down to 25 degrees my lower hamstrings and butt for some reason feel the bite of the cold?

I had an extra heat element from a Kimpex grip set, I thought why not make the seat a heated seat. I had planned on adding some padding to my old Corbin anyway, 50,000 miles of hard riding the padding has started to get worn where I normally sit I bought it used anyway who knows how many miles it actually has, it was getting worn.

Prepping the seat

Remove the seat and drill off the rivet heads

I removed the rivets all the way to the pillion section then pulled back the cover, it was glued so I had to pull on it hard, the foam had to be cut with a utility knife in one place to keep it from ripping.

I took my switch and taped to the seat where I wanted to place it to see if it had proper clearance, it was touching the plastic in one spot but that was the lip that goes under the seat I cut a portion of it away to fit the switch, I also put it far enough back that it would not scrap against my leg or the pillions legs. Here is where I drilled, left side (free hand).

The switch comes with what looks like a switch blade for a paddle, I cut the top off and took a Dremel stone to it to round it off.

Drill a hole for the wires

Here is the extra piece of foam I added and the element on top, sizing and placement.

I tested the foam with some contact cement to make sure it doesn't eat it, then slathered both sides and glued the element on, and glued the extra foam to the old foam.

I cut a sheet of aluminum foil to help spread out the heat over a larger area of the seat.

I spliced some wires together and soldiered them to the switch, taped it all up with electrical tape.

I marked the part of the lip on the plastic I need to cut away, used the Dremel wheel for that.

I had some button self tapping screws I used to fasten the leather back on, I used the rivet heads over again to act as washers.

The little button is the switch, the leather was already torn on the seat below it, Now it has hi off lo switch. It uses 20 watts on hi and about 12 watts on lo. Gets hot fast and you have to switch to lo or your butt gets too hot. HEH :D

If you are installing a higher rate set of springs I would also recommend re-valving the dampers.  

I did not do so and instead used new fork oil and had a very harsh ride.  The heavier springs don't allow as much fork movement it takes more force to move the forks up and down.  With that being said I changed to the 5w honda ss7 oil in place of the ss8 10w oil that is standard for the 98 vfr.  After riding the bike about 20 miles of rough roads and twisties, It soaks up bumps much better.  I did not re-valve at all, just a lighter weight oil.  I think I will ride it for a while and decide later weather or not to get the cartridges re-valved.  

To explain what what happening by harsh ride I mean that the fork springs were sort of being rendered useless by over-damping, sort as if the fork was welded in place and did not move at all.  The lighter oil is allowing the springs to work, absorb a bump and keep the tire on the road, the greater spring strength handles the shock better, no wallowing.  I think I have it dialed in perfect now, in combination with my Ohlins shock I have a very sweet ride now!

it is super simple really, all your really have to do is ground the wire that goes to the thermo switch.  that is how the fan turns on.

So I have a wire extention from the fan wire to the thermo switch,  then I splice into that extention labled male and femal connectors.  Then I run it to a manual switch from there to a ground.

When I was working on Craigs bike I noticed that the low beam is just a standard H4 headlight that only uses one filiment of two.  The connector does not even have provisions to connect the other filiment.  

If you wanted to connect the other filiment of the H4 bulbs you would have to buy new connectors with 3 wires instead of 2, I am sure they can be purchased at most auto supply stores.  It is a standard part,  remove the OEM connector splice in the new one, connect the leads and the ground.  

Then you would need some sort of switch to activate the third circuit and a new headlamp relay switch, one that activates off the Highbeam like my system does, so that when you turn on the hi beams you activate the third cirucut and get triple lighting.  I would recommend you buy a voltmeter to monitor the voltage drop in the battery when using the new circuit.  The alternator on the 02 seems a bit weak at low rpm's

It would be similar to the wire system I came up with with just a few extra parts. splice into the high beam for relay power gorund that, have a switch to turn it on and off, perhaps an LED to indicate on the dash when the circuit is on like I do.  Splice into the main power headlamp lead for the third curcuit in the connectors and end with a splice into the common ground wire.

OH so it uses the mudflap as a mounting point?  I guess those guys that removed it are out of luck.  It sits really far away from the pipes too how much space would you say is between the pipes and the rack?  

I think I would just rather have a top case and a tank bag.  It would drag less in the wind and I wouldnt have to worry about balancing the load side to side.  JUST my opinion.  Of course you lose a lot of storage that way too.

Changing Your Own Tires

By Miguel Mayo

Reason

Most Motorcycle Shops are closed on the days that I take off, and I end up paying $370 for a set of tires when I take my bike to a shop. I am what you call a cheap skate, so I do it myself. I buy the tires either off the internet or the cheapest I can get at the local dealer, they are very competitive when it comes to tire prices.

The Bike is a 1998 VFR that just clicked over 12k miles, the original tires were still on (Dunlops), the front tire was cupped awfully, a condition that caused the handle bars to wobble at slow speeds, It was unnerving to go around a corner when the front tire shakes. I decided to put on new Bridgstone BT 010 Battalax sport touring tires as a set. They are a very good tire and a very good price $210 for the set from the local dealer Apex Sports.

I have changed 7 or 8 sets of tires on my old bike using a homemade system that I copied off the net from a guy named Adam Glass, this time I decided to buy a tire changing tool from Harbor Freight Tools, a 2 piece system on the advice of BigBike, much easier


Harbor Freight Tools



Getting Started

I used a masonry bit and some concrete anchors to set the unit in place.





Remove the rear wheel, move the pipe out of the way, remove the lugs and take it off



Set the wheel on the bead breaker, now this is so easy compared to using a c-clamp!



Turn the tire and be careful not to scratch the rim, turn it over and do the other side




Set the rim into the jaws like so, tighten the clamps down.



The tool has a screw type clamp to tighten clamp the tire



You must lubricate the rubber, I used some left over antifreeze, it works great.



I used some duct tape to protect the rim when starting to pull the tire, you must take the bar using the flat end and dig it behind the bead then pry it up, then use the center pole to provide leverage and go around the tire till you get that side off.



The tool came with a bar that has a flat part for dismounting and a cupped side for mounting







Lift up the tire in the jig to do the other side while the wheel is clamped down.





Mounting the tire make sure that the tire is in the right direction, the arrow must match the arrow on the wheel (direction of spin), there is a dot on the tire that indicates the light spot from the factory, that is lined up with the valve stem, (usually the heavy spot on the wheel). you use the cupped end of the tool to mount the tire the opposite of dismounting the tire, The hardest part is getting the last bead mounted, after mounting the other bead, the last stretch is the hardest to get onto the wheel. One tip is to push the tire down so that the bead stays toward the middle of the wheel where the diameter is smallest, its a snap that way, if you leave the tire on the outside edge where it is the biggest diameter you are going to have one hell of a time.



Remove the stickers Doh!



I used a tie down to help keep the bead from slipping around the tire, making sure to push down on the tire to keep it in the center of the wheel well.



View Full Message more! Its a big post!

One down one to go, when you fill up the tire you will hear 2 loud pops that is the bead seating, don't worry about it, just keep clear fingers and such. Remount the wheel to the bike!





Removing the Front Tire

I Don't have a front stand anymore so I used a block of wood and a sissor jack, just let the block rest on the header pipes, that is how it is described in the owners manual. Before you lift the bike, Remove the Calipers from the forks first, Left side has 2 hex key bolts, the right has 2 10mm bolts. remove them then loosen the 4 fork pinch bolts. Unscrew the axle bolt, mine was on like a Mutha, It was too tight, but I managed to get it off by getting a pipe for leverage, I almost lifted the bike off the center stand so be carful when loosening that bolt. Once you have that done raise up the front end, then remove the axle, if you have a rod you might have to pound it out, just don't go crazy or damage the treads where the bolt screws in. Remove the wheel. Do not squeeze the brake lever while the caliper is off!







Be carful with the front tire it has 2 brake disks on it that can be damaged if bent, I used the old tire from the back wheel and a rag while breaking the bead so that the disk would not contact the ground. I just put the old tire underneath the wheel to cushion the front wheel, see how it got smashed breaking the bead!





Getting the front tire mounted was much easier, it went on very quickly





To balance the tire I used my handy dandy Miguel balance, 2 jack stands and gravity, I spin the wheel several times to find the heavy spot then move the clip on weight to balance it. Came out fine!



When remounting the front wheel you must insert the axle carefully, reinstall the 2 calipers, then spread the forks to make sure that the brake disks have clearance and spin freely before you tighten the 4 fork clamp bolts and tighten the axle bolt and your done!

After using this mod for over 2 years it still works great, no blown fuses, I have yet to have it on superhi - vest pumping -and engine fan on, cause well its too cold out to need the engine fan.  

Whenever I am riding behind sombody I keep it on lo unless I really cant see, cause it blows up their mirrors with blinding light.

I wired a computer power supply fan to my Regulator Rectifier to help draw air into the unit when the bike was not moving, or stuck in traffic. ?

I began by removing the RR from the bike and setting the fan next to the fins where I planned to mount it, I used a pencil and marked on the RR where the mounting holes are on the fan.

Then using a drill I bored holes into the fins where the marks were.

Then I used wire to attach the fan to the RR, just threading it thru the holes and tightly wrapping the ends and cut them off. ?Small Zip ties will do the job too, but the plastic might melt if it gets really hot, I doubt that though.

I used the leads from my licence plate light to power the fan originally, but later tied the power into my accessory fuse box that I later added. ?The wires must have the correct polarity or it wont run! Make sure the fan you buy is rated at 12v, this one came from Radio Shack and has been working non stop for 2 years now!

I would suggest you wrap up the wires tightly with electrical tape and secure them to the frame with more tape or zip ties, as the jarring of riding might cause them to work loose.

I did a test of my charging system and found a short in one of the phases of my alternator, checking the 3 yellow leads to ground to see if there is continuity. So I ordered a new one and put it in today.

You must begin by removing the left side plastic, then remove the antifreeze overflow bottle. This gives you access to the stator cover.

There are (8) 8mm bolts that need to be removed

Once you remove the bolts the stator cover might be sealed on rather tightly with the gasket, I had to tap it with a rubber mallet to get it loose. Here you can see my deep fried old stator. Make sure to have an oil pan under the bike to catch what oil drips down.

I removed the rear plastic and disconnected the alternator wires from the Regulator Rectifier harness, and threaded the wires loose and removed the stator cover and all.

There are 4 star bolts that need to be removed and a 5mm bolt that holds the wire harness in place with a bracket. I am not sure the size I had an assortment of star bits and found the right size. It is larger than a 120 but smaller than a 130 and it has deeper stars than most star bolts.

Tighten ALL the bolts back up 9ft/lbs is the torque setting, inside and outside bolts.

I had some gasket remover, but still had to scrape the toughest parts off with a blade. That old gasket was really baked on. Make sure you replace the gaskets.

Here is the new gasket seated by the dowels, you can see the flywheel and the magnet. Hardly any oil came out, I had my oil-pan underneath to catch what fell.

I threaded the new wires back the same way as the old ones PITA!! its really tight in there. And used some dielectric grease on the connectors to prevent corrosion.

I also replaced the fan switch on the left side radiator, it was not working.

It just screws on, a small amount of fluid came out but not much

I also removed my shock plates and replaced them as well, they had grooves in the side where grime had cut away at the alluminum.

Here is why I stopped using PJ1 that stuff makes a mess! I cleaned that up too with WD40 a rag and a lot of elbow grease.