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V4 Galore!!! (Now where is Pussy?)

I fitted one of those shift stars to my last 5th gen (which I bought in '14) as it had a pretty baggy gearshift. It was a worthwhile mod on that bike, IIRC the shift star was a bit more "spiky" (as opposed to rounded) and the detente arm had a ball bearing in the wheel, so a nice snicky-snick feel and more positive action.

Another one for the those in the Chilly North. Took this one today by Lake Waikare, lovely summers day at about 25C. Sorry. The bike is no beauty but the view is all right.

Hi Peeps. I'd noticed a few lazy gear lever returns of late, seems like the detent arm wheel might be past its return spring might be a tad weak, after all it's 26yrs old, stilll fairly cheap from Honda, then I had a "While I'm in there moment" why not fit a Factory Pro kit (bearing detent arm/spring & star), checked current prices, Jeez, $259.95 = £194.40 GBP, I think not, feckin way too spensive, plus there's shipping & the dreaded import tax for all goods above £130 GBP, no UK suppliers that I can find. I thought screw this, I'll make one, well modify one to be exact. A quick scan of eBay, several cheap shift drums on sale, all with stars still attached, no brainer, defo worth a punt on re-profiling one, it's only removing metal & re-hardening steel, there's a decent pic of a Factory Pro shift star to work from on their website, I can always put it back to stock with my original shift star if I don't like the end results. Anyone had a play at this mod before or am I the first lunatic to give it a go?

Could be something simple & of no real concern, but I'd eliminate it being a loose or broken bolt first, come across a few snapped engine mount bolts over the yrs in both cars n bikes. I'd drop the fairing sides off, go round the whole bike & torque all bolts to spec, road test again for said noise with fairing off. Check both fork tops are set same height above yoke ... 41mm ish if memory serves, check manual, could be a loose fork cartridge lock nut allowing inner shaft to chatter in fork top? As Terry states, rear brake caliper hangers can rattle on some bikes, seems Honda cocked up & never designed in a shim to keep it under lateral pressure, which is what it needs. Ducati copied the swingarm & shimmed it, even these are known to clatter as they did away with the torque arm & had a metal to metal interface like most bikes have, cheaper engineering is rarely the best option. I've used the dental floss method numerous times to confirm a part is actually noisy or not, you could try wrapping floss in the groove between the massive circlip & hanger, it'll put side load on hanger & take out all the slop, it'll be a fiddle but doable, then road test again. Seen a few high milers with a few dabs of silicone sealer in the circlip groove, seems some bikes rattle, some don't, there's clearly an excessive tolerance from new, grease from new may have helped stop the hanger fretting & wearing, grease attracts grit, so they got built dry. Mine has a bit of lateral free play when u grab the caliper & swing on it, which it should have, no rattles tho. Might even be brake pad chatter, check pads & pins are all good, check for excess wear in the caliper carriers where pad ends reside, it's not unknown for pads ends to be adrift at the shim end when shim is left out & the pad back plate mullers the carrier to a point that it's scrap metal, seen a few left front carriers knackered, spensive repair as it's the 2nd master casting. Good Luck 👍

Hi Grant. Have you thought of contacting the NABD or other organisations that specialise in adapting for riders particular needs. They will have lots of contacts/ advice and may be able to put you in contact with a specialist who can modify the OEM arrangement for you. Alternatively, it could be that a 'tuneable' aftermarket quick shifter system (up and down) might be a solution. However, I could understand you wanting to keep as standard look as possible. Couple of links below might help https://disabledmotorcycleriders.com/ https://nabd.org.uk/v2/adaptation-kits/ https://www.kliktronic.co.uk/

Have a look at the rear calliper; I had something similar on my 09 800 and could feel a slight "clatter" on slightly rough roads, especially through the footpegs. When I grabbed the calliper there was a bit of vertical freeplay, in my case this was the calliper bracket (the dashed parts below) where that sits on the wheel bearing carrier, rather than just the calliper sliding mounts. I also have a 5th gen and there was no discernible freeplay on that one. I went as far as full rear hub disassembly and replaced the calliper slide pins and boots, and there was nothing obviously amiss aside from freeplay in that specific area. I have slipped a spare feeler gauge into the joint and that has diminished the freeplay to a point that is no longer noticeable. Most importantly if this is the same as your issue, there is absolutely no risk; the bracket is trapped by the wheel hub against the swingarm, and the torque arm stops rotation, so the rattle is actually of no consequence.

Hi Grant. The VFR1200 is a great bike. I've owned the standard shift, and ridden the DCT. How about some more information: -Since you can't use the two shifter paddles on the left bar, I assume that you also can't operate a clutch lever. Is that correct? -Shifting, braking, and operating the throttle with your right hand, all at the same time, doesn't seem feasible. Or, at least, safe. There are bikes and systems that allow shifting with the foot w/o using the clutch. Maybe others with more knowledge will chime in. Best wishes.

You said bearings.. that include steering head bearings? That's usually the first stop for wayward "clunks" on any bike. bearing preload could be a little loose. Get the front wheel off the ground. (EDIT: forget headlift stand, just realized that won't work for this test. Forgive me, most recent I did bearing preload was on a cruiser with a frame scissorlift.) deploy the center stand and have helper sit on pillion. This will rock the bike bike onto the rear wheel and lift the front off the ground. Go to the front of the bike and firmly grab the fork legs. jostle them forward and back and see if you notice any play about the headstock area. you can also do a fall-away test (google that) to see if there's any notchiness. technical check for preload is in section 13 of service manual (use of a spring scale) but... if you center the forks and with very light pressure like you almost just breathe on them the turn starts and then the fork bounces off the stops like a ball bearing on concrete preload is probably a bit light.

Awesome information. Thank You.

Hi all. Merry Christmas. I have a weird issue for you all. I have a really strange noise/feel issue and was hoping someone may be able to help. I've checked everything within my (limited) scope. Wheels/shocks/linkages/bearings all seem fine. Everything works as it should. But. On tiny road imperfections, I get a sort of 'click' through the frame/pegs/bars. Like metal on metal. Not anything that moves the bike, but a definite feel. It doesn't appear on proper potholes or any serious suspension use. Just the smallest road imperfections. It's unsettling me a bit because my grandkids are forever on the back. Any ideas?

Hi Somatyk, Thank you for your donation of 20.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

From the wiring diagram, there is nothing magical about the shift switches on the left bar, so that should be easy enough to replicate on the right in some form.

Although I can use a clutch it is not very easy so the safer option for me is the DCT as it removes the need for the clutch.

Hi Grant. Have you discounted purchasing a non-DCT model?

Members 1 Location:Exeter, Devon In My Garage::VFR1200F DCT Hi Everyone As a new joiner to this forum, and potential owner of VFR1200 DCT, I am hoping someone can give some advise on how to make the bike work for my situation. Unfortunately I cannot operate the shift switches on the left handlebar, and prefer manual shifting over full automatic mode, so it seems I have a couple of options:- 1. Find and fit a foot shifter kit, which I am told Honda no longer supply, so if anyone knows of a kit I would love to hear about it. 2. Find a way of adding shift switches on the right handlebar. Race toggle switches are easy to find but I am not sure about extending/moving the shift wires from left to right handlebar. So any advise or pointers anyone can share will be very much appreciated. Thanks Grant

Hi Everyone As a new joiner to this forum, and potential owner of VFR1200 DCT, I am hoping someone can give some advise on hot to make the bike work for my situation. Unfortunately I cannot operate the shift switches on the left handlebar, and prefer manual shifting over full automatic mode, so it seems I have a couple of options:- 1. Find and fit a foot shifter kit, which I am told Honda no longer supply, so if anyone knows of a kit I would love to hear about it. 2. Find a way of adding shift switches on the right handlebar. Race toggle switches are easy to find but I am not sure about extending/moving the shift wires from left to right handlebar. So any advise or pointers anyone can share will be very much appreciated. Thanks Grant

That's excellent intel... it had to get in there somehow! May as well come out the entrance!

Usually I just brush off these riding photos from you southern hemisphere guys this time of year, since I ride year round. But our weather here the last few weeks has struggled to get out of the 40's F, and cloud cover is constant, the tarmac is greasy, so I will officially state that I'm jealous. Great pic.

I wonder if 1200X throttle cables would work for a "police" install on a 1200F. Drawings for switchgear for both looks very similar but different part numbers.

Might have allowed them to use available control housings instead of developing a svelte, good looking handle bar potentiometer at the time. It was 15+ years ago.

Thanks. That's very interesting. I might look into it.

That is odd.. maybe they already had a pattern part made for throttle cables before going by-wire and decided to run with it. Well, that means this type of job sounds like it would be more like 5th Gen install after all. Longer throttle cables, hoses and switch gear wiring extended out. I did have to run a horn extension cable of my own but that was super easy and hardly an inconvenience. I'm assuming the 1200 doesn't have switchgear slack like 5th and 6th gens do. (There are police kits for some 6th gens) Switch gear extension could be done with eBay parts? That's probably how I'd do it. Buy a toast set just for the wiring. Clip off wiring near controls end of eBay part (leaving plug), and clip off plug end on the bike then splice same colored wires of eBay loom to bike wiring.

I'm just showing off a lovely beach that is a pleasant ride away, Langs Beach just south of Whangarei. And my '09 of course.