magellan

Very cool project, and well done. I can't wait to see the ride report, final weight, and fairings.

I've been holding my breath waiting to make sure a well-respected and much loved fellow VFRD member, Keithbob, is going to make a full recovery from serious heart surgery (valve rebuild). So imagine what a great night I'm having when I tell you that he sounded like his old self on the phone this evening and is already taking walks around his neighborhood a week after surgery!

And now this! I'm blown away and grinning from ear to ear.

This news kind of makes American politics seem less important. Here's to international bonds of brother- and sisterhood :beer: , and to selflessly caring for the people you call family :offtopic: :unsure: :goofy:

I rode mine quite hard in the twisties over the past week and found them to stick extremely well with good feedback and moderate turn-in (not as quick as Diablos). Easy to get to the edge of the rear tire. I'm happy so far and wouldn't write Roadsmarts off as a head-to-head competitor with PR2s (which I admit I've only had brief rides on. Maybe I'll get PR2s next to be sure)

I picked up a pair of Powerlet's Proform heated gloves at last year's Seattle MC show. They look a lot like Tourceptor86's, with carbon knuckle protection. They're very thin, very evenly warm, and waterproof even in driving rain (yes, tested the hard way!). I can't remember what I paid for them, but I know I got a great deal at the show and a discount for multiple items. They're $169 on Powerlet's site, but I'll bet you can get them for less.

The only downside is the one you have with all heated gear. You have to fiddle with cords. Otherwise, they can't be beat on a cold, wet ride.

Nice to see some feedback on Roadsmarts. I wanted PR2s but couldn't get them at a decent price (Derby Cycles was out of stock), so I just spooned on some Roadsmarts. Initial impressions are very good, and I'm hoping these are legitimate equals to PR2s, since I plan on riding them like Baileyrock on meth (oxymoron?). :biggrin:

Picture 145.jpg

I plan to get the ss braided brake lines and running them through the swingarm for next season though.

You've done an outstanding job taking care of my one big complaint with VFRs (most gens): big, heavy-looking tail-sections. Once you get the lines through the swingarm (something I'll likely do this winter too), you're gonna need a prettier wheel, 'cause you'll sure be showing it off!!

I've never quite had the nerve to get rid of the chain-guard completely. I have visions of something getting dragged into the chain (I know, not likely). So I made my chainguard out of a free piece of L-channel aluminum:

Mistresses.jpg

Gear has saved my skin twice in 15 years. Lots of skin. As it is, I don't have a scratch. Pretty amazing, really.

I'll bet the new VFR (if it exists) will have cage-type VTEC, which would be okay except for the complexity of valve adjustments. Personally, I'd rather see direct injection and variable intake runner length.

Nicely done. It's amazing how well the lines flow into the 6th gen tail :fing02:

What's that saying again, "good things come to those who wait?"

Good things come to those who wait . . . . . but only what's left behind by those who hustle!

Believe me, we are all abaited breath for what you have in store for us. Your attention to detail and perfectionist ways will serve to a great, reliable product.

Now finish and share your toys :comp13:

Figured I would stop by and give this thread a :bump: It hasn't seen any action in the last twelve days. I am slowing putting the money away for one of these kits for the sixth gen when it comes out that is. I don't think that there should be that many adjustments for VTEC as there are many boosted Honda civics out there with VTEC.

VTEC on Civics is completely different than on the bikes. The way the VTEC kicks in on a 6th gen radically changes breathing. Therefore any SC kit will have to be tuned accordingly. Dyno tuning 100% required.

Looks good!

If you ever do this again, try adding a layer of mesh sheetrock tape on the backside of the fix along with the epoxy for a more secure fix. :dry:

It looks great. What technique did you use to fill the hole where the signals were? Did you epoxy a patch to the back side?

I filled the holes with cut-outs from an extra seat cowl, plastic-welded the perimeter, sanded to find low spots, cleaned the ABS with a swipe of brake cleaner on a rag, mixed epoxy, and smeared it on as thinly as I could and still fill any dips.

On the back side I slathered on a good layer of epoxy too, for strength. After the epoxy dried it was simply a matter of sanding with progressively finer sandpaper. 500-grit wet-sandpaper still leaves sanding swirls that can be seen after clear-coating, so I'd recommend a couple of coats of primer and a final sanding with 1000-grit or so before painting.

he's got signals in his mirrors

Tim knows that. He's just trying to be funny. Try harder next time, Tim... :dry:

:491:

Well, I finally got my bike repainted to my satisfaction. After low-siding in June, I tried repairing and repainting just the right fairing and front fender (which I had cracked earlier with a dropped floor jack handle :biggrin: ). The color match was terrible and my paint job sucked, but I did learn a lot. I think I could now paint a bike reasonably well with a good spray booth (believe me, I know where every dust fleck is in the current paint job).

I rode the bike in a semi-repaired state all the way to the Kootenay Hootenanny, but when I got back it was time to bite the bullet. Here are the results:

S7000892.JPG A sad sight

S7000890.JPG No more dumbo holes

S7000891.JPG Great ABS plastic repair epoxy!!

S7000894.JPG Lots of sanding...

S7000893.JPG ...and several coats of primer

S7000896.JPG Finally, painted, wet sanded, buffed, buffed, waxed, and buffed some more! You can see that I need to pull the side fairing and remove a blob of filler that's holding the front cowl out a bit. Later.

S7000897.JPG The paint is a pretty good match after three tries at the paint store (DuPont), but not perfect. ColorRite is no doubt better, but they have no retailers in Portland metro.

S7000899.JPG You might be able to tell that the front fender is 1.5" shorter and re-contoured for a slightly sportier look, but it's hard to spot.

And the money shot:

S7000900.JPG

I'm pretty happy. Of course I toyed around with painting the whole bike a different color, but who wants to lose 10 HP?? :wheel:

Ya know, Lenna, it's not nice to make hundreds of grown men cry. It's not nice, but it's pretty damn cool anyway :biggrin:

That is so awesome! Congrats on getting back on two wheels, Lenna!! I'm going for a big ride tomorrow and will throw a wheelie up in salute. :pissed:

Nothing you accomplish will surprise us here (but we'll cheer and hoot a lot anyway). :beer:

PM sent!

Shoulda known it would be you... :laugh: :laugh:

:laugh:

So if I understand correctly, that's a ground-down bolt head through the clevis, but you went ahead and welded it too. That should be strong enough

Looks great :rolleyes: . I think I'll do pretty much the same thing this winter, but I'll make extremely sure the top of the spacer block can't spin. I'm tired of my stupid shock twisting when I change preload... :blink:

If anyone wants a pic of the finished piece, PM me.

Why not post it here? I'd love to see it.

so that i can keep my hand on the brake for quicker reaction time, i only use 2 fingers, but leave them on ALL the time. i just put ebc pads in and find that for cornering...1 finger is just fine. i cant imagine how 4 fingers could be better as i can lock my front with 2.

Using 4 fingers on the brake lever with modern supersport brakes (or a VFR with EBC HHs) is overkill and might even encourage you to tuck the front and lowside if you're careless at an apex. Four fingers makes me feel ham-fisted, so I prefer using one or two fingers.

I only run pilotpower fronts

I put alot of miles on z6 rears, they met a minimum level of performance and life, I went to the bt 21 rear and it turned the bike into a complete snake, and gets every bit of milege a z6 rear does, but perfomance is 2 worlds ahead.

The proad2 rear is a longer life tire but not as quick cutting as the Bt21 (rear), those are the only 2 rears I' run now, I'm going back to the Bt rear to confirm my thoughts.

I thought the bt21 was much better bump wise right off the bat, and excellent rain tire , the proad2 less bump compliant until a few thousand mile, then gets better.

But I do agree the Proad2 rear is the longest life and provides an excellent level of performance

Interesting. I ran my Z6s like they were Powers :idea3: and they never let me down. And yes, I ride very hard once I reach the twisties. I never thought of them as "minimum spec", and I sure like them better than Diablos! I suppose I'll have to see just how much the latest and greatest make a difference... :comp13:

My current PP/PR2 set is basically at the wear bars front and rear with 3200 miles on them and that's kind of what I expected, change them as sets. During the first 2000-2500 miles on this set-up I thought my bike felt better then it has at any previous time(loved it), BUT during the last 1k miles it seemed to have lost a bunch of feel on the front and my confidence faded rapidly! :fing02: I could still haul butt, but something just didn't/doesn't feel right???

I have not isolated just exactly what is causing this issue so I have not posted my tire ride report yet on that PP/PR2 combo, my plan is to slap a new PP front on as soon as I get one mounted and change nothing else on the bike to see if in fact it is a worn PP front causing this problem. If in fact it is, I will most likely go back to a PR2 front and adjust my steering input to suit.

As soon as I know for sure what is causing the poor front end feel I'll post up about it. :pissed:

That's what I was getting on that combo when I ran with you and HS. I couldn't ever pin it down but it just didn't feel 100% to me. I would like to try a PR2 front and rear some time but as long as my trips are only 1500 miles I definitely prefer the powers.

I remember you saying that Dutch, but like I said the first 2/3's of the sets life felt fantastic then one day it was gone!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you replace the set. I think what you're experiencing is pretty common with lots of brands and models. I loved my last Z6s and got great mileage out of them, but the last 1000 miles felt pretty sketchy. Then I went to Diablos (which I'm still on) and low-sided early this summer at a speed I thought was pretty reasonable. It took 2000 more miles on those tires to get my mojo back, just in time for them to be 1000 miles from worn out and starting to feel kind of weird, just like the Z6s and your combo.

I've kind of narrowed my shopping to PP/PR2, PR2/PR2, Dunlop Roadsmart, or Z6s again. The Roadsmarts are pretty new and I know nothing about them, but I suspect I can't go wrong with the other choices.

So, BR, will you go with a PP front and PR2 rear next time, or put PR2s on both ends again? Do you see significantly faster wear of the PP front over the PR2? And if so, is there enough difference in grip and feel to justify the shorter life? Derby has the PP front at $101.99 and the PR2 front at $113.99 right now, so cost difference is negligible. I'm about to pull the trigger and order, so your feedback will help me decide.

Thanks!

Nicest homemade setup I ever saw was a set of '04+ R1 mufflers shortened and wrapped in stainless at the Kootenay Hootenanny in Nelson, BC this summer

Looked almost OEM - in my opinion even better than the OEM mufflers. All of the aftermarket setups for the VTEC I've seen suck ass esthetically in one way or another.

It's 12-Volt terry's, and it's very nicely done :fing02:

6000 miles on mine now with no problems other than a tendency for the entire shock body to twist when I turn the preload collar. I'll probably take the shock out this winter and machine a spacer that prevents twisting. Otherwise, a better shock than the original by a fair margin.