JamieDaugherty

I got an offer on Wilbers 641 + front springs (including shipment) with ~860$

Should I go for this or is Öhlins the only good choice?

Out of the box, Ohlins shocks need some work to perform best. They are mass produced just like the OEM Showa units - and suffer because of it. For sure they perform better than the OEM shock, but do not be fooled into thinking you are buying the best - in fact that is far from the truth. If you consider an Ohlins probably best to consider sending it off to get the correct spring rate and valving package installed. FYI!

Jamie install the kit on my 03 and I would definitely ....

AHHHHHHH! No I didn't! Everything I install is my own valving, I don't like to help out my competition!

As for an upgraded rebound, that only really helps the very aggressive or track riders. New shim stacks on the stock rebound valves is plenty for most riders. The trick is getting the correct shim stack setup, but that's where experience comes into play.

In this day of customizing everything it is hard to believe nobody what produce a generic blank (Honda or Kawasaki or whatever) triple that can be bored to the bottom that you wanted to use ....

I wish it was that easy! In the end I've found that I can make custom triples to the precise dimensions I want for about the same price. It pays to have suppliers that you've developed a good relationship with!

I do not suggest using an extended upper mount to make up that much distance. You would be running a serious risk of failure. All of the 929 shocks that I build are converted so they fit without any changes to the upper mount - FYI

eMachineshop = VERY expensive. Try a local machine shop and I think you will be able to cut the price in half.

I've used 3D printed parts on some of my motorcycle products. They work really well. The printed ABS parts are 70-80% as strong as their injection molded counterparts. That said, there isn't very many applications for what I do that a plastic part is appropriate. The printed parts are good for making physical prototypes just to check that everything works the way I want it to do. I have a bunch of these sitting on the shelf - at least they look pretty!

All of that said, I have found that having parts CNC machined from aluminum and paying for the 1-2 qty piece price is about the same as a 3D printed plastic part. So, for the same $$$ you can have a real functional part. I have found 3D printed parts work best when the final result is a complicated piece that would take fixturing to machine.

The CBR1100XX is no better than the VFR800. Nothing to be had there!

I'm talking from merely a higher rated spring than the VFR point of view. Not everyone has nearly $400 to throw at the suspension, and you can pick up a XX shock for less than $50.

If you HAD to go cheap on the quick, it is a viable option for people over 200 lbs.

This is true, but it is still WAY low for the VFR. The spring on a CBR1100XX shock is good for a 65lb rider, so if my 10 year old daughter was riding the bike it would be ok.

The 929 is a much better option. Has external reservoir, fully adjustable, same srping rate as the VFR too. You throw a spring on one of those for $80-$100 and you might have $20-$30 in the spring.

Same goes here too. The stock spring on the CBR929 shock is the same as the VFR800, the problem is an ideal rider for that spring is 12lb. None of my kids are that small anymore so I won't even make a correlation for that!

05 VFR. This question probably has been answered already, but I weigh around 270lbs and losing weight, thank God! But with my leather, I am closer to 290 right now. Could a CBR1100XX shock work for my lardassness? What spring should I use with it or would a spring heavy enough for me be too strong for the shock? Should I just buy some thousand pound Harley full dress tractor?

You might as well upgrade the standard shock, and then get a better spring, tailored to your weight. Just getting the XX shock will do little, but it might be a small step up from the standard VFR shock.

The CBR1100XX is no better than the VFR800. Nothing to be had there!

great thread everybody. I am a new forum member with a 5th gen and I am going to do the 929 shock swap. If anybody has an extra 929 shock, let me know, thanks!

I keep plenty of them in stock, not a problem!

Congrats on the install . Requesting JD to build an F4i shock instead of the 929 will save Major headache when installing in a 6th gen. BR Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

I've been doing that for about three years now. The F4 is required for ABS models but either the F4 or a 929 is an option for non-ABS 6th Gen bikes.

Those covers look great! What a neat idea.

Here are the tables for a VFR800

Forks:

110-145lb 0.85kg/mm

145-175lb 0.90kg/mm

175-210lb 0.95kg/mm

210-245lb 1.00kg/mm

245-280lb 1.05kg/mm

Shock

110-145lb 1050lb/in

145-175lb 1100lb/in

175-210lb 1150lb/in

210-245lb 1200lb/in

245-280lb 1250lb/in

I would certainly suggest a set of 0.95kg/mm springs up front and a 1150lb/in (20.54kg/mm) spring out back. This would apploy to all street riders, the only time you would need to change is if you were an expert track rider on slicks. I hope this helps!

The CBR-XX is the same length as the 02+ VFR800 shock - FYI

After a bit of a hassle, with a 929 shock simply not having room without modifying both sides of the LBS bracket, I got a F4/i shock modded by JamieD and got that installed.

Only mods required were a bit of trimming of the wire tray around the battery to clear the remote-reservoir hose.

The reservoir is currently zip-tied to the frame rail just below the battery.

I've found that mounting the reservoir on the right hand side does not require any modifications to the battery box. As you have shown, it can be done either way. it's always nice to have flexibility!

Budget would be the Blackbird shock(bolt-in) and .95 for springs.

BR

Bear in mind the CBR-XX shock is no better than the VFR800 stock unit, so no advantage to changing to it.

Springs rate is independent of fluid height. Fluid level is directly related to fork travel.

Course your assuming, not running stock springs, 120mm on stock springs or even 100mm, is instant bottoming and blowing through the travel, Just an FYI for those who think of trying with stock fluid weight and springs.

Actually, the spring rate plays no part in this discussion. Fluid level creates the available volume for the air to compress when the forks travel. Without enough air gap in the forks the air pressure will ramp to an excessive level. This causes a variety of problems. Not only can this lead to premature seal wear but there are performance drawbacks as well. The air "spring" inside the forks ramps up at an exponential rate, with too much ramp up the effective travel of the forks will be reduced. The VFR's have approximately 109mm of fork travel, the commonly accepted "good" number is more like 120mm. Since the VFR's are already starting out behind the 8-ball in the fork travel department it's best to not reduce it any further.

100mm is far too much fluid. For the VFR800's I suggest 130mm, but never go beyond 120mm. Any more fluid and your internal air pressure ramps to the moon before full travel is reached. Each bike/model/generation is different and this information applies to VFR800's only (both Ø41mm and Ø43mm forks).

Heat on the reservoir is not a problem. The shock itself generates more heat than it would get from the engine. Don't worry - it's designed for that kind of environment. With good quality fluid it will be just fine.

I upgraded my suspension with Jamie Daugherty (occasionally postes on VFRD). I have to give him props.... The forks are a great improvement over stock, and he also provided me with a revalved/sprung 929 rear shock. Although I struggled with the installation ('07 non-ABS), it did fit....barely but with no modifications necessary for just installation (access to adjusters-maybe). I did, however have to remove the adapter he provided, and reinstall it after the shock was in place.

The bike turns much better, with less dive under braking and less squat under acceleration than before -- and that's without touching any adjustments, just installing it as he sent it. I'll check the sag and maybe adjust a little rebound dampening in the shock, but I expect the adjustments to be minor. He did all this from the information that I provided...weight, ridiing condition/level, etc.

We would like ALL the info on this install as you are the first to get a 929 shock to fit a Vtec w/o more mods.

Please tell us exactly what and how you did it, where was the spacer installed? Top or bottom, what way was the reservoir facing? front or rear, is it hitting the head or tray? etc., etc.

There are several members trying to get their 929 shock to fit w/o any luck.

Thanks

BR

This is not a true statement. I have built MANY of these and they were installed without a problem. The 6th Gens are tight but it can be done without modifcation. Not sure why you are trying to discourage other forum members but this is a very viable performance upgrade for non-ABS 02+ bikes.

Try checking out hondavfr.org . There is lots of details in FAQ section. For those not wanting to cut/weld the rear caliper bracket I'm planning to come out with a plug-n-play Machined bracket later this coming spring (hopefully). I'm also hoping to get a it together for use with the stock forks too.

I think the above mentioned site should give you a lot of details, at least enough to get you started.

Very nice!

I think the answer is clear - use a matched triple clamp set. I've not seen anyone try to use an RC51 lower with a CBR upper as you are trying to do. What is the purpose for this?

Here is a table that I've made using the calculations I've come up with:

Rider Weight Range vs. Shock Spring Rate (lb/in)

110-145lb = 1100lb/in

145-180lb = 1150lb/in

180-210lb = 1200lb/in

210-245lb = 1250lb/in

245-280lb = 1300lb/in

To be specific, a 250lb rider calculates to 1270lb/in. Since you can't buy a spring with that rate, you have to select the closest one available. I typically go up, in this case to 1300lb/in. There are other factors that play into it as well. Hopefully this gives you an idea!

Looks like I'll be the latest one to drag this topic out of the depths...

Did anyone decide that they would be willing to fab up one of the mounts that works with the 5th Gen/929 shock for the general public? :wheel: If so, what was the cost? I saw a few people in this thread that said they would make more of them, but I didn't see any followup.

I've been doing that for almost a year now. The cost is $270 which includes the conversion to the 929 shock to make it fit the VFR plus a new spring (the 929 spring is too soft, by the way). This is a modification to the shock itself which makes it a bolt-on replacement for the stock unit, not a separate bracket. PM me if you would like more details!

I don't have a pic handy, but I know what you're talking about. You're right, it's seldom mentioned when oil kits are referenced. All you need to do is stick a bolt in there along with a new crush washer to block it off. I don't remember the bolt size off the top of my head, and the PM I had that contained the info was lost the last time we had an outage here, I lost at least 100 PMs that had good info in them! I will take a walk out to the shop and see if I wrote it down in my notes out there. It's either M10 or M12, x 1.0 or 1.25, 25mm long I believe.

Sorry for being vague, just don't haven't had my head in garage mode for too long now. I do know that I bought the bolt at Home Depot(will replace with an nice anodized part eventually...). If you take the old bolt to a hardware store, you should be able to find what you need. You'll want to engage at least 5-6 threads, and you don't want one that's too long either. Just subtract the amount of shoulder on the old bolt that accommodated the banjo fitting.

The actual bolt needed is an M10x1.25 hex head bolt 20mm long. This is a fine thread, so don't try forcing in a course thread bolt! Here are the detailed instructions for installing a top end oiling modification, in case anyone is interested:

http://www.daughertymotorsports.com/pdf/V4_Oil_Line_Instructions.pdf

Wow, you're fabricating a tank too!?!? You sure are a glutton!