The Phantom

Sebspeed Engineering is GO!

It's gone, Kev... traded for the green lowrider truck

Has anyone seen the latest Performance Bike magazine? I absolutely love the paint scheme on the new Fireblade and I'm thinking of doing something similar to my bike. White wheels and the blue red and white color scheme but with silver stripes/accents instead of the gold accents they have.

Haven't seen the latest but I have the one that you posted the bike up in Readers Projects

Good to see it is still coming along Chris. Say hello to your dad for me.

Murray

I agree with the comments above.

Mine is still under construction, and it is a total custom - I'm even building my own bodywork with donor panels and a plastic welder. I know that I'd be lucky to get market value for it though, despite hundreds of hours of work, so if it ever was sold I'd refit the original forks and shock to it - the forks in particular have a lot of dollars invested in their purchase and modification, almost as much as what a standard 4th Gen would cost in fact. So no point letting those go 'for free'.

If I were to build a Frankenviffer from scratch, I'd start with one that is already a cosmetic write-off. The exception would be if you managed to score a clean one with very good bodywork for a cheap price - there is a market for good 4th Gen panels and you could almost end up cost neutral before you spent a cent on your replacement hardware.

Very promising build. I'm loving all the superlight 4th Gen stuff here lately.

I swapped to a 2002 R6 tail/subframe, and the whole thing with seat, pillion cowl, lights and wiring is lighter than just the original metal subframe... I really like the idea of knocking another 10kg off with a CBR swingarm/wheel, but I just like the look of the SSS too much to part with it.

Why don't you run a CBR1000RR fuel cell and plastic tank cover?

Who's that other guy from New Zealand that signed on not too long ago? Didn't he buy a 4th gen done up as a Castrol RC45?

That's Gav, will dig up his topic(s) and post links here.

Hi Sandy

Regarding which bike to use as a base - the 5th Gen actually has the RC45 motor (with a 180 degree crank instead of the 360 degree crank that came in RC45), but the frame is quite different due to the swingarm pivoting in the engine case. The 4th Gen frame, however, is almost indistinguishable from the RC45 frame to the untrained eye.

There are a few 3rd and 4th Gen VFR750s here with RC45 bodywork. MrMatt has one under construction and I daresay he'll be along to post his thoughts here soon.

Thanks Mur.

And What about the "bike who parks"?

We're still waiting for it to move under it's own power for the first time in a decade!!!

It continues to park, but every now and then it gets some attention... actually Seb should take some credit there, as its his occasional push (and his engineering talents!) that have been driving the more recent work on the thing.

Right now I can't even get to it as other things fill my workshop and free time, but we'll get there :)

Yeah, saw that post saying there would be 2 made.......

Actually Seb made more than two.

Nice installation Rob, as always, and good find on the oil filler cap - I had the same problem, the one I ordered didn't fit, so I'll get one of these ones now. And it kind of matches my silver Traxxion Dynamics preload adjusters too

Stock gearing on all 800s is indeed 17/43, if yours had a 16t front then someone has put a 4th Gen front sprocket on it at some stage.

Given equal riding style/conditions, a 520 can't last as long as a 530 - it might do 2/3 of what a 530 will do - but it will certainly make the bike feel a lot more lively.

And as another data point - member HyoFighter discovered that the CB1000R rear wheel goes onto the VFR, as does the front with a few mods.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/65548-a-different-wheel-option/page__p__768468#entry768468

trust me dont even bother if you think your just gonna play with a dremel for the afternoon and get decent results.

if all your going for is the shiny bare/brushed aluminum look, just sand off the powder coat, but if youre going for a mirror finish youre in for a rude awakening.

it is truly a labor intensive bitch. your talking about a few weekends with a few hours a day. staring with 80 grit to get the paint off,

then 120 grit, 200, 300, 400, 600, 800,

then wet sanding with 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grit,

then rubbing compound

then polishing compound

and if your smart getting it clear coated.

or you will be like me and having to for ever keep up with it.

Beautiful beautiful bike... well worth the effort, I think.

I know clear-coating it for you is a bit of work - strip it right down again etc. - but Nyalic aka Everbrite is the stuff you want. It is absolutely the best clearcoat around.

For those that may want to hear and see the first outing I've put together a few snippets

Top stuff Gav!!!

That track looks like a good facility, is Hampton Downs the one that we heard rumours about getting a WSBK round?

If you have a spare few moments I value your thoughts on the machine below, and indeed any suggestions you may offer with which I could improve it- it will be seeing track day work as well as a road bike from days gone by for me, I was racing the early 'blades on the national circuit in the mid '90's and this era of bike holds a lot of nostalgia for me- along with the fact this is an Aaron Slight(from NZ) replica:)

Hi Gav and welcome to the site.

I've been around the 'VFR scene' for 12 years and have never seen that bike. It's very nicely executed.

Rear Suspension appears to be the factory RC36 unit with pre-load adjustable only, This is one thing I would like your thoughts on, I'm around 95KG and would like to be able to adjust Rebound/Compression or at least rebuild this one to a suitable state for track work.

Throw away the factory shock. CBR929 shock is a bolt-in if you make up a longer top clevis mount (45mm longer from memory). This is a very cheap and effective mod, because Honda's all use very similar chassis dimensions and geometry and the VFR works the CBR shock perfectly. It also means aftermarket shocks for CBRs go into VFRs, and for a bike like this I'd definitely go aftermarket, most factory shocks are running out of spring for your weight.

You can change the geometry further by flipping the eccentric if it hasn't already been done. Some 3rd Gens (not all) have the two bolts that hold the rear caliper bracket to the hub recessed, meaning you can run the eccentric with the axle at 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock (the latter being the standard position). If the two bolts are actual bolts rather than countersunk set screws, you pull the hub apart, countersink the holes, and reassemble with allen-head set screws so the eccentric can then rotate right around without the boltheads hitting the swingarm (all will be clear when you look at it).

At 6 o'clock you raise the swingarm by 30+mm which raises the tail of the bike - steepening fork angle and increasing swingarm angle of attach. You can also get an immediate and effective improvement in handling by placing shims between the top of the shock and the frame (does a similar thing). Your forks are however shorter than stock VFR forks so be careful with this stuff otherwise you could easily lose the neutral handling that makes the VFR such a nice ride.

If it is an original VFR motor, the right hand forward head casting should have a mark (probably under the coolant overflow bottle) which looks like a finger has been pressed into the alloy before it hardened, this is a simple way to pick a VFR750 motor.

If it is a 3rd Gen motor it has the biggest carbs fitted to a 750 (they went smaller for the 4th Gen). There isn't a lot you can do to them without getting radical - you can shim the jets with 0.15-0.30 shims for strong midrange, the jets are 125s which are already pretty high flowing for a 750. A K&N can help with torque.

You can pull the cams and remove the scissor-gears that eliminate gear chattter - with no ill effects, RC30s and RC45s don't have scissorgears. This reduces friction and rotating mass. Sounds different - an unkind soul might say it sounds like someone has tipped a bag of nails into the motor - but when under load the rattle goes away, just like a dry-clutch Duc.

If it doesn't already have a Factory Evo Star shift kit - get one into it immediately, makes a great difference.

A Triumph SSS hub goes into the VFR swingarm (direct fit) and you can have the axle turned down to run Ducati style single nut wheels. A member here pioneered that one and his topic can be found with a search (MrMatt).

Also a 520 chain conversion - if not already done - will help free up a horsie or two.

Very nice work indeed! You've done some interesting things that I haven't seen done to 4th Gens before.

Swapping the swingarm is a great idea for performance as the SSS weighs twice what a conventional arm does. Normally I'd miss the look that the SSS gives a VFR, but you've balanced it out perfectly with the dual exhaust, very clever. The VTR wheel is also lighter, so your unsprung weight at each end is greatly reduced - excellent for handling. Are you still running a 530 chain, or smaller?

The shock pivot point on the swinging arm matches up perfectly. Thats why the vfr swinging arm into a fireblade is so easy (all offsets and distances are the same).

And why CBR900/929 shocks work so well in VFRs, the linkages allow the shock to work perfectly within its design spec. Amazing how Honda parts interchange.

You have a similar side profile to mine (which has a 2002 R6 tail). The 600-class seats line up nicely to the back of the VFR tank, because even though it is such a large tank it narrows at the rear courtesy of the narrow V4 layout.

Not sure if you can see in this shot, but the Fender cut out contour matches the lens profile exactly.

:fing02: That is a nice bonus. The headlight looks great, much better than the previous one.

Yeah, I'm surprised - I expected to dislike it, but it works really well. And would look even better in the metal, as they always do. Just needs a bit of red to tie it into the rest of the scheme :fing02:

You are certainly pulling some disparate elements together to build a cohesive whole, nice work!

I'd be inclined to leave at least a bit of the clear acrylic visible to the rider - might help for those occasions when one forgets to turn their indicator off...

The bike is looking good.

I'll get back to you on that rad shroud idea I have - been sidetracked lately by a few weather events down here.

...how much does the 900RR swingarm weigh?

I would put money on it being almost exactly half the weight of the VFR piece.

Pretty substantial difference then! Wheel would be far lighter too. RV4 put one on his ultralight VFR.

Good to see the project moving along Luigi, hope you're doing well physically?

Gee, here we go again... cue Viffer owners checking bank balances, selling kids...

Rick, haven't seen Murphy for a (long) while - post up a recent pic!

Good looking bike. Looks nice without the cooling system and wiring. Too bad we can't run 'em like that. The photo is very dark but I would like to see what headlight you plan to use.

The bike is being built as a sportsbike/streetfighter, in SF guise it will run Renthal bars and a modified MV F4 headlight . With the Epro billet clip-ons in that pic, it will have a custom full fairing (combination of CBR600F4 and CBR1100XX - see pic in the 4th Gen picture thread) and the headlight for that is a CBR600F4 shell with the reflector replaced by dual projectors with HID conversion.

Since you can't tell if someone is joking or not half the time, I have to take everything at face value. That was a strange post he made.

Well, it's probably fair to say that most of his posts are a little different to the norm, but I find the best course of action when I don't know exactly what point someone is trying to make is to either politely seek clarification, or just keep my mouth shut... saves a lot of hassle, and wasted time.

I have some bits of plastic off a CBR1000RR that are perfect to tidy up the radiator, will send a pic to show you what I have in mind. I'm also running an EWP electric waterpump so my plumbing is entirely different to stock and I can hide the hoses or reroute them to where they are less visible, and my wiring harness is modded and rerouted too.

If that was a shot at being clever.... try again.

You'll have a better time here if you adopt some of the good manners you've commented on. Maybe I just know Greg better than you but I see nothing in his comment to prompt a rebuke... and you just need to read the guys sig to get a handle on his approach to life.

Love the bike. Unlike you, I haven't ridden mine at all since I started on it, but one day she will roll under her own power again...

Here you go Kev! Parker's bike after the R1 front end went onto it (lifted from the topic he linked in his reply, g'day Steve).

Raoul, mine is set up with the 2004 R1 master cylinder (got a VTR1000F clutch master cylinder, with Beringer reservoir kits for each side. My brake lines are HEL custom made (two equal length lines from master to calipers). CBR929 lower triple, and I have both CBR929 and SP1 upper triples, still haven't finalised the cockpit set-up so not sure which I'll use.

My clip-ons are 4-piece Epro billet items (Japanese top-shelf Yamaha parts specialist). They are 25mm higher than stock R1 position. My bodywork and riding position are more sportsbike than VFR so I don't have clearance problems.

The 2004 R1 master cylinder perch definitely has a brake switch (mine came from the US so same spec as you'll find locally).

this is a rad install!

I'm wondering if you could post some specifics? Like what front master cylinder you used? And did you use the plain 50mm convertibar, or a bike specific version?

You mentioned you were going to post more specifics... any ETA on that? I'm looking to do the same conversion and would love to pick your brain!!!

Thanks!

Jeff

Hey Jeff, Roy has sold this bike but the front end lives on, on a mint 4th Gen VFR750 owned by VFRD member Parker. I'm sure he (or Roy) would be happy to elaborate, will see if I can shake one of them out of the tree, or just PM Parker.

Roy currently rides a 2009 CBR1000RR with a few of your more typical mods like Ohlins R&T forks, but I reckon a VFR1200 is going to get the zRoYz treatment in the near future...

I've been looking into this, as I got an in-tank pump assembly from a 2004 CBR1000RR in an ebay job lot of parts.

Apparently the Blade guys that put turbos on carbed Blades use these, as they need a higher rate of fuel delivery. But you do need to regulate it, just like a fi bike, so you install a FPR (fuel pressure regulator). The stock set-up has a return to the tank so you hook that up to the new pump, of course.

Members here replace OEM FPRs with Turbo City FPRs with good results.

I was going to do it so I wouldn't have to find a home for the stock pump on my 4th Gen (have fitted a smaller tail unit/subframe). But having to then find a home for the FPR sort of defeats the purpose somewhat, as the FBR is almost the same size as the stock fuel pump...