SEBSPEED

IIRC, the vertical alignment was off on my 4th gen TBR also. 

A few wraps of Nashua foil tape around the pipe that is too small would be an effective temporary fix. Not too hard to scrape off with a razor blade later, replace with sealant when timing is better.

20 minutes ago, Lorne said:

 

I'm guessing that it takes a mill or sturdy drill press to keep the drill but centred. In any case I was too chicken to give it a try.

 

Btw, that is a very tasty VFR you've made. I am a big fan of your work.

Thanks. I actually used a cordless drill. The bar is hollow, if you work up to the final size in small increments it goes quick and easy. 

I've drilled out the ends of aluminum bars before to fit parts like bar ends and turn signals. 

44 minutes ago, Lorne said:

Another problem is that the handlebar will now block key access to the ignition.

Possibly. Have you tried it?

Do you have room to flip those risers 180° to move the bar forward, or will the bar then foul the forks?

I've also found the mounting location of the bar in relation to the forks and stem changes road feel quite a bit. IMO the LSL kit mounts them too far back, almost directly over the stem center. What I found feels best is when the bar center is mounted forward of the stem center by 60-75% of the total offset distance. On standard VFR triples that would be 10-15mm back from the fork centerline. Mounting closer to the axle gives more direct feedback and feels lighter. 

The bars on the GS look to be a foot higher than the seat, you're not gonna be able to pull that off on the VFR and keep the fairing. 

I had a vintage K&N Superbike bar on my CB900. After the old guy ran me over, I replaced them with an Emgo Superbike bar and they feel the same as the old ones. 

MX bars offer more options. My blue streetfighter you rode has a "CR Low" bend, it's available in a High version too. Quite a bit wider than the street bars though. 

You can weld either bung to the stainless header, ss to ss would be preferred with ss filler rod. Could also weld the mild steel bung to the header using ss rod or silicon bronze brazing wire. 

Deposits for 2 sets sent, sorry for the delay. 

1 hour ago, sfdownhill said:

Hi Seb - I apologize; I should have reponded to your PM w how and where to place deposits. I will do so now. 

 

On another note - CornerCarver has order 5 headers, 2 of which (could be 3 - I have to check) are 8th gens. Are either the 5/6th or 8th headers you are ordering  intended  for him? Thought I’d pipe up to avoid a potential doubling of your intended order.

Thanks, got it. 

And no - the headers I have requested are for my own projects. Our (CC & me) orders will be separate but there is potential for crossover with shipping. I'll explain in PM. 

12 hours ago, sfdownhill said:

There are a couple guys on the list of individuals who placed deposits that haven't yet placed their deposits. At end of day Friday January 11, we will update the A list to accurately represent deposits actually received so get 'em in.

I didn't see details in the OP... how do I "get it in"?

Unfortunately, my experience was on the processing end, so I'm of no help with pricing references. All I can really add is that it will likely be more cost efficient to process a batch of headers at a chem processing facility vs doing one or two. 

6 minutes ago, zupatun said:

1% HF and 12% HNO3 by weight could be painted on the welds...dipping the whole thing may not be necessary...

Right. It's only needed if one wants to treat the back side/inside as well. 

4 hours ago, boOZZIE said:

Seb, would nitric/HF be the preferred option? 

 

Sfdownhill, yep the choice of response is upto you, whatever is easiest. 

Nitric/HF dip (full immersion) would be the best option for "ultimate" corrosion resistance with a bare/bright metal finish on this unsealed tubular construction.  

Whether it is the best option for this run of headers remains to be seen. It could add a lot of cost if the parts have to be shipped in bulk to a chem processing facility and back again for distribution.

In reality it may not be overly important, as Honda themselves don't even do this - you can see the weld joints are the first place our headers usually start to rot. I was really just curious if there was a finishing process planned for them, and I went and complicated things from there. lol

10 hours ago, sfdownhill said:

 

Hi Seb! You bring up a very good point. I have not asked Wade what finishing treatment, if any, he applies to his exhaust products. I had assumed the headers would be finished as the 3 cylinder headers shown in the OP images. I'll follow up with him. Should we specify the chemical cleaning followed by satin brush/polish you describe if he does not intend to clean or brush the headers?

 

I did ask him about ceramic coating the headers, and he strongly recommend not ceramic coating them, because the high heat retained by the coating beings a degradation process on the stainless steel He pointed out that the TBR headers show signs of having been run lean enough long enough to begin very slight damage. The surface of the headers have a light surface roughness and coloration because of being subjected to higher than optimum heat.

 

On a separate topic, I could use a little guidance on VFRD etiquette; would it be more appropriate to post multiple answers to multiple posts in a single post, with answers to questions/information from multiple individuals? Or is it better to continue responding with a separate post to  answer each question? Thanks!

I agree on not coating or wrapping stainless headers. Satin brush/polish would surely raise the price if it's not already included. It looks nice, but not sure what it's worth to Wade vs what premium folks here might pay for that. 

More important than looks however, is restoring the anti-corrosion properties at the weld joints. The high heat from welding removes the chromium oxide layer which is the element that prevents rust in/on SS. Mechanical cleaning (grinding/wire brushing/scotchbrite brushing) can accomplish this as the material will auto-passivate, but this only helps the outside of the joint. Dipping in a citric or nitric/hydroflouric acid bath would clean inside & out. Citric won't etch the material & will preserve the raw finished look while nitric/HF will etch and create a uniform silver (clean) look. 

That may be information overload there... and not hugely essential for production... but it would be nice. 

RE: your separate topic... do whatever's easiest for you... and thanks for the efforts so far!

Question... what is the final finishing process on these? Is it straight off the welding jig and into a shipping box, or is there a final finishing process such as chemical cleaning followed by satin brush/polish? 

7 minutes ago, GreginDenver said:

Hope this isn't a dumb question, here goes: It seems to be assumed that every VFR getting one of these exhaust systems will also have some sort of tuning box/device.  I haven't gotten into tuning either of my 5th Gen VFRs, is it a necessity with this exhaust? 

 

I was just going to buy the exhaust as a replacement for the ugly, rusted OEM exhaust that's on my '99 without any thought about tuning the bike for more horsepower.

 

Am I thinking wrongly about this thing?

Bottom line, the bike will run, but it would be to your advantage to add a tuning device. You don't have to tune it for "ultimate powah" if you don't want to. You could instead tune it for efficiency if that were your preference. 

I'm in for: (1) 5th gen and (1) 8th gen system, will send details in pm in a bit

I used Google to find it, it's been archived.

Link:

6 hours ago, boOZZIE said:

The acceptable dimensions are 95x45x55 / 95x44x56 at a cost of approximately  $415

"Approximate" because I'm not sure how much shipping will be from the manufacturer to Auspost warehouse in the states.

So going this route thru Auspost is going to be approx au$1500 to the door

Wouldn't you be better served by checking the cost to ship via USPS? 

I did a write up here on using PlastiFix

Probably worth noting that the donated/loaned slip on will not be usable after being loaned, unless it is then used in conjunction with one of these headers or a custom gasket is made to fit the newly expanded end. On the up side, a good way to ensure good fit is having the fabricator fit them personally. lol 

I have a set of Remus carbon pipes hanging on the wall in my shop. I'm thinking about it, but, I couldn't really be any further away. I'm also unsure if I want the 5/6 gen configuration or the 8th, as I haven't sorted my cooling system plan 100% yet. 

Check Honda microfiche for front wheel bearing ID comparison. 

Good chance spacing in calipers will be correct as the fork spacing is the same, but be prepared to shim calipers and rotors to align properly on center. 

CBR600F4i (2001-2006) 296mm discs will bolt straight to the SP2 wheel. Believe it uses the same axle size but don't quote me on that... I know for sure it is smaller than 25mm as I had to bore the wheel to fit a 25mm CBR1000RR axle when building my streetfighter.