SAFE-T

I had just gotten used to my VFR's gearbox when I took a friend's Suzuki for a ride and it reminded me the Honda isn't as clean shifting as some other bikes Maybe I'll have to spring for this over the winter.

What suggestions were unsafe or unreliable ? No one here is moving their forks up in the triple clamps...the RC51 fork is longer than CBR929/954 and when combined with the CBR top triple that drops 32mm you have enough tube to clamp onto on top of the triple clamp and still maintain stock ride height at the front.

I could send you Murphy's X-One integrated chain guard/hugger next winter but I can't believe there's no one near you with a 5th gen. VFR

Stock rear :goofy: You mean on your bike, Joe ? The 2000-01 RC51 front wheel is a reasonable replacement for the VFR's front, and I have suggested the 2002+ RC51 front wheel for the 98-01 model because of it's flat-sided 5-spoke design that is very similar to the 5th gen rear wheel. Keep in mind the RC wheel uses a smaller ID bearing, so you would have to change them out to fit the wheel on the GSXR fork. But I dare ya to sell that Chicane wheel of yours, do the rear single nut mod and put on a set of Marvic Penta I's :wheel:

Your bike rocks :wheel: Must be some slight difference between the 94-97 rotor and the 98-01 rotor, because I test fit a CBR1100XX rotor on a Marchesini and it fit, and that rotor had the same bolt pattern/diameter as the 98-01 VFR. The GSXR forks must have their calipers mounted slightly more inboard than the RC51 - you shouldn't even have to make any adjustments at all. Keep the pics coming !

Yack's thread says you can't mix'n'match the CBR929/954 and CBR1000RR triple clamps since they have different offset. So that also means you can't mix RC51 and CBR1000RR triples. The 1000RR forks are also 15 mm shorter than the 929/954 forks, so I don't know if you could use them on the VFR...how do they compare lengthwise to your GSXR1000 forks, Swiffer ? Also, if the CBR929/954 wheel will accept the CBR1000RR rotors, and the RC51/CBR929/954 rotors are interchangeable, henceforth the RC51 wheel will also accept the CBR1000RR rotors. Doesn't mean they will necessarily have the correct offset, but they will bolt on.

'R' model Ducati's came with Ohlins forks and different rotors. The standard Ducati fork is a Showa unit that used a rotor with a 5mm carrier offset, while the 'R' model rotors had a 10 mm offset. The 'R' model brake discs are sometimes referred to as 'narrow band' rotors. The standard model brake discs have two different styles of carrier with the same offset - I had a set of 'snowflake' rotors originally.

Larry, did you have your R1 axle turned down ? I had to shim my brake calipers IN 2mm per side, and shim the rotors OUT 2mm per side (Marchesini wheel with Ducati 'R' model rotors in RC51 fork) Used regular flat washers. My axle spacers are steel, so I painted them. Use a set of calipers to get an accurate measurement on each side.

I know it works on my '99 and whylee's '04 and we both have CBR929/954 top triples like Blue Viffer.

Really good writeup, Vince :thumbsup: If I was still running the stock 98-01 wheel on the bike I would definitely have chosen the 5-spoke version of the RC51 wheel like you did. It is the lighter version, and within a few ounces of some aftermarket wheels. 3rd or 4th generation owners will find the earlier 6-spoke RC51 wheel is a better match, albeit with a slight weight penalty. It also looks like the later version RC51 front wheel has machined spokes, whereas the early version spokes are left rough-cast... As for the rear brake, you might want to try a CBR600F4/F4i rear brake master cylinder which has a slightly larger bore. If I had not decided to change several components on my bike, I would have stuck with the stock forks and put in CBR internals (F3 for 98-01 VFR and F4 for VTEC) along with heavier springs and either Racetech or Traxxion valves. Changing over to an USD fork means you have to change the entire front end - I think the only thing you CAN use from the VFR is the steering head bearings and the ignition. It also means delinking the brakes on 98 and newer VFR's. All of this stuff is neither easy nor hard but somewhere in the middle. Mostly it takes time and patience and I can certainly attest to that. I've enjoyed helping out a few others with their questions about the RC51 front end mod - I know I will be taking my bike to Rod at RMR Suspensions when he's here for a trackday or race weekend so he can check what I've done since you can only do so much via a forum or email. Having a suspension tuner get their hands on the bike helps to confirm whether you are headed in the right direction or not. I do find it interesting that since I started the Murphy project on this forum, at least four other board members have asked how to do it. Two have completed it (whylee and BlueViffer) while two others are part-way through (Swiffer and VFRLarry). Others like Beck and Joe Foe look like they are still considering it. Busy Little Shop has supplied some invaluable technical input regarding rake/trail, Blue Viffer brings a different and useful viewpoint to the discussion, and Swiffer is helping to confirm some brake caliper measurements on a single-nut rear wheel conversion for 94-97 VFR's. IF YOU OWN A VFR, VFRd IS THE PLACE TO BE.

Not really. You still need the same length of fork below the steering stem to maintain proper steering geometry, and the shape of the lower clamp has nothing to do with this. It is the gullwing shape of the UPPER clamp that gives you the room to mount the clip-ons. I have a diagram of this if anyone can convert it to jpeg format and post it for me. jwahrmund - not actually a sociologist, but I did study it in school. Along with Economics, Advertising, and Public Relations. None of which I use in the formal sense in my self-employment doing plumbing repair and drain cleaning, but I finally figured out around 2 yrs. ago my sense of satisfaction in life was not going to come from the working world. You can bet if you put a Canadian in the middle of frickin' nowhere they'll find a way to make good beer sooner or later... :lol:

Ah crap - a math question :rolleyes: I haven't written half of this down, but here is my explanation, supported by the facts as I remember them. With a flat-top triple clamp off an SP-1, the forks are almost dead even with the top, but the CBR929/954 gullwing triple drops down enough that you have room for the clip-ons on top of them. Notice that the clip-ons are now mounted approx. 30mm lower than they were with the stock forks. The VFR uses a flat-top triple, and therefore the stock forks HAVE to be 32mm longer so the clip-ons have some fork tube to clamp onto.

From the Cycle Cat website: 2. Adjustment of Bar Height Of course, angle setting affects bar height, and it is one way to modify height. In addition, bar height is determined by the rise built into the the riser and the position of the riser on the fork tube. That is, by locating the bar riser up or down on the fork tube, bar height is changed. As different bikes will allow for different results, Cycle Cat extensively fits and tests its products to determine maximum ranges of adjustment. What you can expect is spelled out in the specs for each product. I used a set of Tomasselli clip-ons. They are about half the price of any other aftermarket clip-on, look great and although they have a fixed height you could make them higher by making a spacer and using a longer hex bolt. Here is where I got them.

The RC51 SP-2 from 2002 on used a larger diameter steering stem. Did you find the lower triple fit in the headstock but not the upper triple ?

What matters more is whether the bolt pattern on the 03-04 GSXR1000 rotors is compatible with the Marchesini wheel. Although you can't use 03-04 GSXR rotors on the 01-02 forks, it may be due to a different carrier offset. The six bolt carrier pattern is remarkably consistent across several wheels, and you can actually put VFR, VTR and CBR rotors on an OEM Ducati Marchesini front wheel. CBR1100XX rotors are 300mm, and I did test fit a set on my 5-spoke Marchesini wheel so I know they will fit. You will still probably have to shim the rotors out to meet the calipers, but this is a relatively simple issue. They will also fit a VFR wheel. A used set should not be more than $150 US. If I was looking for a set of 03-04 GSXR1000 forks, I would look for a single right side or single left side fork seperately since most people need to replace both forks at once. I have seen 03-04 GSXR radial fork sets sell for under $200, although $350 is more usual. The 04 GSXR600 and 750 also have radial calipers, along with the Kawasaki 03-05 ZX636R - you might want to add them to your spreadsheet. Honda's '05 CBR600RR, '04-'05 CBR1000RR, Yamaha's 03-05 R1 and '05 R6 also had radial calipers, but the carrier bolt circle looks to be a different size so it will be more work to fit them to a different wheel.

If you put the clipons underneath the triple clamp on a VFR750/800, the control cables and levers would contact the innner fairing shroud and gauges Not enough room

It's fine on a race replica like your RC45, but there is not as much clearance between the bars and fairing on the VFR. Besides, most VFR owners prefer a less racy reach to the bars to begin with.