HispanicSlammer

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

The stripper workes better if its warm where your doing the work. Cold weather really makes it tough, with that in mind keep your work place ventilated. If you can do it on a tarp and dispose of the stipper properly, that would be best. That is some nasty stuff you dont want it in the water table.

You have any pictures? Interesting I take it you had the tire off, so that you could raise the swing arm?

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.

Upgraded? this is for my 98. its flat, some guys are putting 2 fans on the larger RR that the VTEC uses. The curved surface can be handled with the top of the fan being flush and secured and the bottom sitting out a bit and attached with zip ties to keep it from flapping around. You still get cooling air on it and that is what is important.

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.

Well This Tutorial is probably as simple as a tutorial as can get - certainly there are larger fish to fry but for the cautious member, this is how I do it. Begin by removing the seat and cowl, this gives the tank room to swivel up. Remove the 2 tank bolts Prop up the tank, if you don't have a good stick you can use the handle and shock spanner in your tool kit, thread one of the bolts back in to keep the tool from slipping off, there is a small hole-in the tank that the spanner sits in. Remove the 7 screws, you will need a long handled phillips driver the brake lines are in the way. Remove the flapper hose Dont lose the wire clips It is easier if you leave the 2 screws in the top front in as long as you have them unscrewed, that way they wont fall down where you cant reach them. Nasty Dirty filter - I clean mine as often as I change the oil, but I noticed I had a slight drop in fuel efficiency on the trip to South Dakota, I also rode on some dirt roads, my guess was that the filter was clogged. Remove it and check the pleats for bug that can get stuck inside - sometimes water will not remove insects, I just use an old dull awl to pick them out Now what to use to clean it? K&N sells a degrease that is recommended, any de-greaser should work, just don't mix cleaning products (ammonia and clorox for example will gas you with chlorine gas) I just use Simple Green detergent in warm water and a big bucket! The material is a surgical gauze that can get damaged if you use bleach, use something that can cut grease but wont damage the matierial. K&N Customer Service! I noticed that my filter had broken and I wondered it was possible to glue it back together, so I wrote them for suggestions. The filter is actually usable it is just cracked on the backside but still seals up, K&N says they will replace it for me YEA! Well I put this one back in after letting it air dry, I sprayed some filter oil on it to re treat it, spray side to side not in circles. If you don't treat the filter with oil it will not be effective, the oil is what traps dust. I also drilled a new hole for my air temp sensor, the OEM spot is right next to the radiator and it was reading too high. </font>

Glad you made it home safe Spinalator it was nice to meet you in person. ?You know I had on the heated vest and the heated grips that trip quite a bit and the meter reveled that I have a bad stator (posted details elsewhere) ?If I did not have the meter, imagine getting stranded in central wyoming with a dead battery and bad stator cause I would have gone on juicing it up with the heaters? ?I did some adjustments and was cautious enough to make it home and test it.

As you May know I change my own tires, up till now I just used a set of jack stands to balance my wheels. But I converted an outside gardening bench into a balancing stand VFR Wheel Adapter The inside diameter of the hole is about 2" I found a 1 1/2 inch bushing (inside diameter) that fit just perfect, tap it in with a hammer and I am good to go. One end of the bushing was smooth the other was threaded so I found some adapters that had 3/4" threads on the inside, and 2 end caps with 3/4" threads on each end, I used a 5/8" bore bit to cut a perfect sized hole for the 5/8" rod washers and bolts. ?I have it set out how it fits together. The Bench I cut a U shaped hole in the bench and reinforced it with 2x4s and put legs on the ends, leveled the table and screwed the legs on. Here are the screen door wheels I used to let the rod turn freely, its just 4 sliding door wheels screwed into a 2 x 2 block of wood on each side. I had to chisel out some wood to keep the rod from rubbing, it sort of screws side to side but not so much I cant get a good balance. Here you can see how the adapter is used The endcap on the right screw thru the hole in the wheel and it is all tightned down with the bolts on the rod. Total cost for the hardware $18, bench was already there, the extra lumber was too. Home Depot, Sorry Lewis the post doubled up on me so I erased that one, with the questions you asked, I believe they are all answered now. I just use the rod to tap out the adaptor when I am done a few gentle taps ?thru the hole and it comes out the other side.

Yep that all it is, the OEM switch that turns on the fan grounds the circuit when it gets hot and the fan motor starts, They way I have it wired it will work if the thermo switch gets hot or if I turn it on manually. So in other words it if the manual switch is off it will still be able to turn on the fan if the thermo switch kicks in.

fixed the pictures they were not showing before

You can visit the gallery and see how I did mine, there are sections on the spokes that are just cast and not polished, After a year of having them polished there was some sections that had been stained by road salt or acid rain, anyway there were places that had become stained and would not come off without scrubbing hard with steel wool. On my spokes I put a wire cup on my portable grinder and cleaned them up with a power scrubbing, they look much better now. Some of the brake dust and the paint would not come off in the corners, I used a handheld brass wire brush when I first stripped that off. The brass wire cup attachement to my grinder really make it look shiny on the spokes. I wore a leather apron gloves and safety glasses when I cleaned them up. http://www.delmiguel.topcities.com/gallery/polish

fixed the pic and the link to the gallery

fixed the pictures in the first post

I rode up the canyon Saturday the bike does not take as much effort thru the hard turns, not as bumpy as it was going over rough stuff. I also have the Ohlins now so my ride is so smooth now, the only thing is I still have to dial the shock in a bit, its almost right but still playing with it. I am running about 35mm of sag up front and 30mm in back so it is jacked up higher in the back, a 2mm shim back there too. So the bike steers very quick, sometimes when I downshift I get some rear wheel hop so I think i might need to soften up the rebound compression a little. When I crank on the throttle hard its smooth. The suspension is very tight now, 90 mph feels like 70 used to feel. So far I have been able to push it fast on some smooth sweepers at about 70-90 mph and it feels very smooth, but have not had some really tight stuff yet so I dont know if Its dialed in all the way yet.

Does the switch have a cover on the exposed part? ?If not I you can superglue somthing on there, like I did to Larrys Heat Grips. I cut a rubber section off of a fan switch and glued it to the nut that tightend the switch to the housing.

heh you dont want ME drilling a big hole in your plastic! Me and drills are not on friendly terms!