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Hi Terry. Project 1200's comin along nicely. I use K-tech part finder for shock dimensions, handy for potential shock transplants: This is how I confirmed a ZX10rr Showa twin tube shock would be worth a punt in my 5th Gen, took a bit of fettling to fit, now sorted, sat on a 190N/mm spring. (K-tech part finder) shows: (Length mm) (Stroke mm) (Spring N/mm) 800 (1998-01) 325 58 130 800 (2002-10) 325 58 150 800 (2010-14) ? ? ? 800 (2014-19) 317.5 54 160 800 (2014-19) 321.5 50.50 160 (Crossrunner) 1200 (2010-25) 321 50.50 170 1200 (2009-25) ? ? ? (Crosstourer) I believe some years use remote preload twiddler.

I had a truck clip the right side case on my 2015 VFR 800. Luckily no other damage or injuries, bike didn't go down. It looks like they're pretty difficult to find online and a repair is going to be very difficult because both mounts are ripped off and the front cover is cracked. Hoping anyone might have a right side case they're looking to sell?

I would not be too hung up getting that specific hose right; it is just an overflow, so not in regular contact with fuel, and likely to get rinsed through with water in rain or if you wash your bike. Pretty sure I just went with fuel-compatible hose of the right ID at an auto-parts store.

And the "Parts Not Available" fun begins. That fuel tank hose is 17544-MBG-000 and is not available from the big parts sites I have checked so far. The funny thing is that I don't think my hose is OEM. It is supposed to have a 90' bend near the end, whereas mine is straight, making me think mine was a non-OEM replacement to begin with. Seems like the easy fix is to find the correct diameter rubber tubing and make my own replacement hose.

Thanks, Terry! That sounds feasible. I will follow that idea and look in my SM. It's been so long that my memory is no help any longer, and I forgot to label the parts! 🫤 I know better than that now.

Is that the tank overflow with the angled joiner? If so, that runs inside the R frame spar by the rear head, then along the top of the clutch cover, then around the front of the motor and terminates in the bracket near the sidestand, so that all the fuel that you overflow doesn't run onto the header pipe! if you grab the service manual, all the hose runs are shown in the first section.

Thanks Lorne; who doesn't love a good oil discussion? In this case the 1200 specifies 10W-30, whereas all my other bikes (both VFR800s, my ST1300 and the MT-10) all specify 10W-40. The 40 will be marginally more viscous when hot than the 30, which maybe means a little more internal drag and heat generated. The diagram below is from the 5th gen owner's manual (although the service manual just says 10W-40). The 40 certainly covers a wider range of riding temperatures (over 40! No thanks, I will stay home by the pool). I just wondered whether other 1200 owners were fussy about this or had been using 10W-40?

I took my '01 apart 3 years ago to do some deep cleaning and minor sprucing up. I'm one of those doesn't know when to stop and keeps going whenever they see something, and before you know it you have basically a frame with an engine left! In my case I removed everything from the frame apart for the engine and the front forks. Plastics, tank, seat rear wheel, rear swing arm, rear shock all were removed. Life events got in the way, plus having another bike to ride, meant that the project really stalled out. I have finally taken on enough enthusiasm, mixed with equal parts of shame, to really tackle the rebuild and get the bike back on the road again. Aside from thoroughly cleaning every part removed, the following work has been done so far: Seat recovered and new foam New chain New front sprocket New rear sprocket Spark plugs replaced Air filter replaced Engine oil and filter change Clutch completely flushed with new fluid Rear axle cleaned and greased New thermostat New O rings on the T-stat housing New O rings on the coolant hoses connected to the cylinders New O rings on the water pump (cover and drive shaft). I have refitted the rear shock, swing arm and wheel. Rear subframe back on the bike and rear panels fitted. Coolant pipes and radiators refitted. Getting ready to deal with the nightmare of installing the throttle body unit. Before I do that I have a hose that needs to be replaced. The rubber is in bad shape and there is a gash in it. I need to identify the hose so I know what to order, but I am also not sure where either end of this hose attaches to. This hose is pictured and is somewhat unique because at one end is an angled T-piece. Any help is much appreciated!

Ooh, can't resist jumping into an oil discussion. Fwiw, I've used Motul 10W-40 since the last century without any issues. Of course, my 3rd & 5th gen owners manuals suggested a number of viscosities: 10W-30, 10W-40, 20W-40, 20W-50. My 6th gen says 10W-30 or 10W-40. That said, I think the more important consideration is the additive package because of the integral gearbox and wet clutch.

And why was the original fuse hot? My only experience in this area is the alternator wires and their connector, and I know they got hot when the connector got wet, started to corrode and that caused high restance. High resistance causes heating. So maybe your issue was as simple as a dirty fuse connection, and the action of switching that out has cleaned the contacts enough for the problem to go away?

Interestingly enough, I did follow this advice. I swapped out the fuse for a brand new one before I left, checked it part way, and kept going. It didn’t get hot. I’ll still do all the electrical checks and replace the scorched fuse holder regardless.

Kept cracking away on Sunday as the weather dictated staying home, not roaming the highways and byways of this fair land. I did a trial fit of the bodywork again with the bellypan reinstated. This highlighted that I am missing a good number of the "5x11 special screws" which hold the bodywork on. I think I will get those ordered but may also look at bodging something up using cut-off bits of aluminium tube as spacers. The body panels obviously need painting and I will get a Real Painter to to that; I did spend time with my brush putting rust neutraliser on the tank rear bracket which did not enjoy its previous "Outdoor Lifestyle" very much. Fortunately all the rust is superficial, unlike the wave washer on the gearshift which had been eaten half through. In spite of my best efforts, the frame still looks a bit scruffy,being faded and with a bit of alloy crusts in places. Any suggestions on how to improve this? I am leaning towards a lot of masking and a light spray of satin black at this point, at least on the exposed bits. And lastly-an Oil Question! There's not alot of 10W-30 MC oils available here (I found one). What are other 1200 owners using? All my other bikes (including the MT-10) have 10W-40 specified. Would the bike explode if I use that instead? I also got as far in as the air filter; predictably ugly but at least serviceable.

My vote goes to MRA Touring Vario.

The merges for the VFR model seems to have gotten better. They were pretty shitty on their early versions iirc. The neck-downs at the head stand out. Don't know if the larger diameter after is actually doing anything except looking bigger.

Black Widow are decent for the price, had SS headers paired with an Akra end can on my Gen 1 S1000XR and had no issues with them at all and fitting was easy. Needed a remap afterwards but that’s standard fair with that bike.

Time to dig into the Kawasaki Zephyr 550 Cafe Before taking tank off to look into the electric again, this time putting in a healthy loom, I decided to pull fork off to modify the steering stops back to orginal so you can actually turn the handlebar a bit more than just a little. So the welded on bits are off, I will be using a normal handlebar so no risk the clipons will hit the tank. And as this is done I can take off the seat as tank to look into the electric issues. I have orginal handlebar switches also aside a healthy loom, so ditching the Harley copy handlebar switches, as the one wire (only pull) throttle. I have a manual on the way so I can check what is what and get the electric sorted.

Hay guys. Just looking for some info from the collective. Read some old threads on here about aftermarket stainless headers, boy that TBR farce got dragged out a tad then thread died off in 2020? A stainless big bore job would be awesome but way way outta my price range. Seems only 3 brands bother to fabricate stainless headers for our bikes, non give any ID/OD info, are they all playing hide n seek with the dimensions? seems so! Spent some time cruising the Tinterweb & Fleabay for 5th Gen offerings: (Lextek) look ok-ish, push fit joints n springs, albeit with crossed front headers which I don't want, & O2 bungs in wrong place, don't want these either, (Jeez, Chinese welders, aint gorra Scooby Doo ffs) ... messaged Lextek supplier, they're clearly know this product is a mash up, don't seem to give a rats arse, only do crossed front pipes. (B/Widow) look like near identical same system albeit with different spring hook points, no crossed front headers, a flattened section on 1 rear pipe? O2 bungs in exact same place as Lextek (me smells a rat here). (Delkevic) look bit similar pipe layout as OEM from a side view, with the worst looking merge box I've ever seen, a 4 into 1 mashup, what a dogs dinner. Black Widow seems the pick of the bunch, fleabay listing states system is now "Upgraded" larger pipe diameters, no mention of any pipework dimensions, listed as 1998-2003? then states won't fit 6th Gen. Seems to be lots errors in these listings of all 3 brands, no specific useful info. My OEM steel system is still pretty solid, dry use only & a rub down as needed & fresh BBQ satin black keeps it looks factory, just planning ahead as it won't last forever. Thoughts or experience of the above?

It's super hard to time it for the same spot on the fly.

Jeez, how dya manage to bend a rim in 3 places?

Well, that looks so much better. From this: To this: Amazing how little sealant was on the case joint; I did not clean any off before the photo. Obviously some great machinging work.

These are 2 of the three dents I have on my rim, not sure where my third Pic ended up, but approx the same. Note they are both near a spoke, therefore the strongest part of the wheel, and they still deformed the rim. The rider in me says a 3 spoke may not survive that kind of abuse on a 1,700 trip in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. So thanks Gaz and Capt. for your thoughtful comments indicating I might be on the right path. For the record, I'm not worried about the weight, I'm worried about getting home.😁

yeah... run switch is intermittent, starter button needs much extra encouragement, horn button makes a bad connection so the horn sounds goofy, and the highbeam switch just won't budge for whatever reason. also they just look like crap from sitting in the sun for however many years. i found a company that makes a body control module kit with new switches that'll take care of all of that and add some modern conveniences.

Thanks very much JZH. As mentioned, shipping would not be painless. Appreciate the thought though.

Want to recall even the stubby Delkevic cans had removable dB killers. Check to verify they are out and if so, shout at Delkevic about a set in inserts. I've got LeoVince slipons on my 07 and to me, they offer the best rumble and I can slip out of the neighborhood each morning without complaints.