CornerCarver

I'll let you know.

I take the test/class to become a Lee Parks Total Control instructor in March and will be required to take classes from other groups annually to keep my certification with Total Control.

I like the sound of "another special V4"....

Shaun,

Hate to hear that you have decided it is time for another party to be the steward of this bit of history. Since that history is not just of the HRC marque but also of the country in which you spent much of your youth, I am certain that the decision was not made lightly.

I wish you all the best with the sale and hope to see you on track at some point in 2016 if you are still with Ride Smart.

Thank you for sharing this rebuild thread however briefly with our community. Don't be a stranger here (RSV4 kinda counts for VFR membership).

Keith

Thought I would do a little V4 cam research so I lazily typed in webcam dot com as referenced on page 12 or so of this thread.....NOT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.

www.Webcamshafts.com is the correct web site.

Hope to get started on my track bike engine soon.

Looks great, would love to see a video.

I know...there appear to be a few people that are looking for A&A kits now that can afford them that couldn't when Dan was producing them.

Holy Crap Phil!

I love that cush drive solution. I have been trying to find a simple single-nut solution that does not add weight (like the Triumph is reported to) for my VFR.

Great post and once again your attention to detail is in documenting this upgrade is as good as your problem solving and engineering work on the upgrade.

1098S rear wheel is forged al, and weighs nothing. But you have to change the front as well otherwise your wheels won't match.

5 gen arm, ducati hub, ducati wheel, a spacer and a shim. Is the 5th arm very different to the 6th arm?

I have a Marchesini forged wheel from an 848 (5.5 width) as well as a matching front. However, the two separate Ducati hubs I have purchased to attempt the simple "shim around the circumference" method of installing into my Honda swingarm have both presented challenges. I am now unsure what model Duc these actually came from (1 was supposed to be from an 848 and the other from a 749 IIRC).

To answer your question on the differences between 5G and 6G swingarms the 5G arm is approximately 25mm shorter in length but aside from that is effectively the same.

Here are a couple of shots of the complete bike. Left and right.

20150801_114530.jpg

20150801_114545.jpg

IF Honda built this and sold it as an 8G VFR I would stop bitching about the price of the actual 8G VFR's and buy one even though it has a 15 year old chassis design and an even older engine design!

the 1098 works, but it has the big axle, the 848 has a smaller axle. I've only got a standard 848 front, couldn't find a forged front when i was looking

So you are saying that I screwed up in selecting the 5.5" wide wheel from the 848 because it utilizes a smaller axle and therefore cannot be simply fitted into the VFR swingarm with the 1.5mm shim surrounding the hub?

Had I gone with the large axle 1098 wheel and the matching large axle hub from a 1098 it would have been more easily fitted to the VFR swingarm?

Holy Crap Phil!

I love that cush drive solution. I have been trying to find a simple single-nut solution that does not add weight (like the Triumph is reported to) for my VFR.

Great post and once again your attention to detail is in documenting this upgrade is as good as your problem solving and engineering work on the upgrade.

1098S rear wheel is forged al, and weighs nothing. But you have to change the front as well otherwise your wheels won't match.

5 gen arm, ducati hub, ducati wheel, a spacer and a shim. Is the 5th arm very different to the 6th arm?

I have a Marchesini forged wheel from an 848 (5.5 width) as well as a matching front. However, the two separate Ducati hubs I have purchased to attempt the simple "shim around the circumference" method of installing into my Honda swingarm have both presented challenges. I am now unsure what model Duc these actually came from (1 was supposed to be from an 848 and the other from a 749 IIRC).

To answer your question on the differences between 5G and 6G swingarms the 5G arm is approximately 25mm shorter in length but aside from that is effectively the same.

Here are a couple of shots of the complete bike. Left and right.

20150801_114530.jpg

20150801_114545.jpg

IF Honda built this and sold it as an 8G VFR I would stop bitching about the price of the actual 8G VFR's and buy one even though it has a 15 year old chassis design and an even older engine design!

Holy Crap Phil!

I love that cush drive solution. I have been trying to find a simple single-nut solution that does not add weight (like the Triumph is reported to) for my VFR.

Great post and once again your attention to detail is in documenting this upgrade is as good as your problem solving and engineering work on the upgrade.

Looks great Luigi!

I hope you were able to complete the lower radiator leak repairs and have success with your cooling modifications.

I look forward to more information on your track bike build.

I think I paid about $170 for mine...and I would recommend it for anyone that does miss a shift from time to time.

If you have a VFR and have never missed a shift and you strip out a bolt during the install process I can see where you might not be as impressed with the product.

joeysun I would recommend a change to a different brand of oil if you feel your transmission is a bit clunky in the mid range as you described. When my transmission starts to feel I think it is time for an oil change and whether it helps or it a placebo effect I always find that cures it.

Don't put me on blast for this as I do not intend to turn this into an oil thread, just offering a different perspective on the perceived value of this farkle.

Very nice Seb! I can hardly wait to see it in the metal and paint instead of SVGA comp screen...

Without the diode (an electrical check valve for us plumbers) the electrical current back feeds from the running light wire to the turn indicator (when connecting any two wire light to the VFR's three wire circuit) and this circuit makes both turn indicator lights on the dash stay continuously lit.

During daytime riding it is annoying, at night is a potentially dangerous distraction.

You could also correct this as I have seen many older VCR owners do back in the day...a piece of electrical tape across the flashing "12:00" on the dash.

I'm unsure where we disagree.

That's the safety function I allude to.

The diodes do nothing for the subject being discussed; trying to make a single filament bulb function as a dual filament bulb.

Ohhhh, gotcha.

It's hard to be sure, since I've got my face right next to the mirrors as I reach for the turn signal switch. Nevertheless, it appears that my running lights are brighter than the turn signals -- they actually seem to dim when they start flashing. I am not using any resistors, nor a relay -- just the diodes mentioned above.

All that said, the increase in conspicuity is so substantial that I don't worry to much about it. It's a huge improvement over the stock indicators alone.

The diodes serve well as a safety function, but do little else.

If there is voltage present on either the running light feed or the turn signal feed, the bulb will be lit.

Having voltage from both connections simultaneously will not brighten the bulb enough to be of any use.

So, it's not a matter of providing two different signals.

Rather, you wire the mirror as a running light, then use the turn signal feed to activate a relay which lifts ground for that bulb.

You'd want it set up something like this, using a 12 v single pole dual throw relay:

The numbers are the connections on a standard relay.

85/86 are the coil connections,

Agreed except for the line "diodes serves well as a safety function, but do little else."

Without the diode (an electrical check valve for us plumbers) the electrical current back feeds from the running light wire to the turn indicator (when connecting any two wire light to the VFR's three wire circuit) and this circuit makes both turn indicator lights on the dash stay continuously lit.

During daytime riding it is annoying, at night is a potentially dangerous distraction.

You could also correct this as I have seen many older VCR owners do back in the day...a piece of electrical tape across the flashing "12:00" on the dash.

Is this mod only for the vtec vfr,are the 98-99 bikes better because they don't have cats/02 sensors in the exhausts? you can tell I know very little on this subject,just read most of this thread and my head hurts

The 98-99 VFRs without cats are among the best fueled stock bikes ever made.

In no particular order I would cancel the appointment for the tune up, if needed (you don't mention the mileage so I don't know "if needed") replace the air filter and plugs yourself, budget the funds allotted for a dealer to perform said "tune up" on a proper dyno tune utilizing the programmable features of the PCIII USB.

You may find that the PO just slapped in any old map...I have seen bikes improve their MPG's with a proper dyno tune for that specific bike as many times the bike makes more power when an overly rich state of tune is corrected but a good rule of thumb is if you are moving more air (better flowing exhaust or intake - including air filter) then you need more fuel. Conversely you may be making more power so need less throttle at a particular MPH so minor tuning could improve the MPG

Not trying to disparage the original owner who may or may not have had it tuned properly or your opinion that the bike is "pretty fast" since you admit that your previous bike was 350 lbs wet with maybe 35 hp I am sure that a 575 lb bike with 90 hp would feel pretty fast.

It also may have something to do with the generally poor fueling characteristics of the early 6G VFR's and could be cured with a simple O2 eliminator modification.

BTW, welcome aboard! Some active members in VA, post up a pic of your bike and go for a ride with someone close by.

Don't listen to all the gear winers out there about the VTEC. Go test ride the '03 and decide for yourself. Not all VTECs are created equal. A few have more of a hit than others. I had 88k miles on my first '02. New it had a very slight hit that could be felt, not a problem at all but smoothed out completely when I did the first valve check and replaced the stuck open thermostat. After that VTEC could only be heard and not felt. The stuck thermostat did make the hit too noticeable before I fixed that. I now am on my second '02 and at 15k miles it is as smooth as could be through VTEC transition. Both bike completely stock.

I would test ride until you find a deal on one that works well and leave it stock.

I wouldn't really call it a Vtec hit as much as a love tap.

When you look at the dyno charts it could be more closely associated with the Heimlich maneuver as the engine is choking and power is dropping rapidly just before omniscient Honda allows the other valves to open and bless this power plant with additional oxygen.

The sound and fake fury of the Vtec transition has never bothered me as much as the craptacular fueling in a steady state between 3k and 5k RPMs. It almost makes some early 6G's un-ridable as the surging and stalling feel when trying to maintain a steady throttle can be sketchy in tight maneuvers.

When it works properly though it not annoying, except for the two CCTs that now have to be maintained.

I do wish Honda would steal the "single-chain-spinning-the-intake-cam-with-the-exhaust-cam-drive-by-a-gear" from the intake that Aprilia now uses.

That would something that "winers" could all get behind.

David, ride the bike, see if you like it and pay attention to the steady state fueling between 3-5K.

nice.

nice.

I bet the 8G's bolt up...

I think the 8G mirrors are parts bin from the CBRs...no worky.

The GSXR mirrors are standard with traditional incandescent bulbs. The GSXR mirrors have a two wire system. The VFR has a 3 wire system and controls the running lights separately from the turn indicators.

If you don't want to screw around with a diode (basically and electrical check valve) then you will have to decide whether you want the mirror lights to be signal indicators or running lights. If you wire it as both then the circuit is completed to feed back to the turn indicators on the dash and these will remain brightly and annoyingly lit ALWAYS.

I picked up a few items from radio shack tonight and will give it a go to see what is what...

Where can I get more "blinker genie" info?

Do I not need this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12611269&filterName=Type&filterValue=Diodes diode?

Anyone have recommendations on diodes? 1 Amp, 3 amp? Fast acting? 5Watt?

I am mechanically sound but electrically weak.

Cool idea Ken...since I have the undertail exhaust I have very little room for additional black boxes. I may have to try some diodes tomorrow.

Standard lights, not led's and I have not wired them yet as I was contemplating just using them for signal lights, not running.

MiniCarver had some ebay Klingon looking mirrors on his 5/7G last year that we never did get wired correctly. The lights were 2 wire and (as you all know) the VFR uses 3 wires for running/signal lights. When you connect both the signal lead and the running light lead to the same side (opposite ground) they lights function as running lights as well as turn signals but the cross feed makes the dash lights constantly lit and it is annoying and bright.

We decided just before his bike was terminally bent (where are you VFRone?) that we were going to wire in a diode between the running light lead and the signal light lead to eliminate the cross feed. We never got around to it.

Would this work? I can stop by Radio Shack tomorrow and pick up a few diodes to check it out but anyone have any suggestions before we do?

Do you want me to update this post with my mirror conversion pics or start another? Don't want to hijack any ones thread...

Bingo...with a piece of 8" (or so I thought prolly only about 6") long by 1" diameter heat shrink tubing over the wire and (heated and shrunk of course) then route the wire through the base of the mirror mount.

I can send you my stock clip ons from my 6th gen to try for free. If he likes them, we can figure out a cheap price. If not, keep them for the school and send them back when you find an alternative. They are just gathering dust now.

I made a few offers on CBR-XX clip ons last night, thanks to you guys who forwarded that info. Immediately afterwards an ebay seller accepted my offer for a set of F4 clip ons. I will still take a flier on the XX if any of my offers are accepted.

If neither of these turns out to be a workable solution for the fairing interference next week then I will send you a pm.

Thanks for the offer!

Why for you make us wait for the build pics?

We should have been getting updates as progress was made!

We have taken 2 steps forward and 1 step back so many times on this project that you would be tempted to think that I was once Paula Abduls choreographer...We will of course post all the lessons learned in the build thread (don't do this because while it might seem the best path forward this is what results when you get from step d to preparation H)...