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As of 17/10/2025 they are using a picture of a late variant of the VFR800 in place of the 1200, which might confuse some. Looks like for the F model it's as basic as it comes with a simple micro toggle switch to engage and cancel. No incremental increase or decrease or anything like that. For the X you get the option of the triple switch so a bit more to mess with. They should be applauded for doing this for such an old bike which had very limited sales. Good luck to them.

Thanks Terry I have bought a second hand SMC to recondition and clean up, once that is done I'll change them over. I was wonder if the 0.45mm of side play in the SMC bracket would give shudder/vibration in the front when just the rear brake is applied. Does yours have any side play?

Ola, it is a very good kit.

PAIR systems are (mostly) all the same: Air comes from the airbox through a large air hose to the solenoid valve (switched open/closed by the ECM), then large hose to the PAIR reed valve on the cam cover. If you want to disable the PAIR then any way that you cap off the air entering the reed valve will work (e.g. blanking plate or marble in the hose). If you pull off the hoses, then you need to cap off the port on the airbox as well. I don't know whether electrically disconnecting the solenoid will throw a fault code on the 1200 but it certainly does not on the 800s.

I think Gaz has hit the main points. Losing your rear brake pressure would suggest to me the SMC seals are probably toast so a full strip of that would be my starting point including the mysterious check valve. I doubt that excessive play in the pivots would be an issue but I've been known to be wrong about many things, just ask my wife... If you grab the SMC you should be able to push it forward just a mm or two (and that should stop the rear wheel from turning freely), any more suggests air in the system.

I have a cheap and cheerful Chinese Maxto M3 camera/BT/intercom that I have been using for many years. This has fixed speakers in the helmet and the unit clips to a mount that is attached with tape to the shell. I ride with custom-fit silicone earplugs, and as long as I have the volume at max, the sound level is "acceptable". I can conduct a reasonable conversation on the phone, or hear most of my favourite banging tunes. Without the earplugs it is very good but the wind noise is not pleasant.

For years I've ridden with a set of Westone UM10 in-ear speakers connected to various Sena intercom units and the quality of the music/calls etc is outstanding, crystal clear with almost all the ambient noise filtered out by the in-ear buds. However, one of the cables on my helmet clamp has snapped and it appears Sena are no longer producing helmet clamps that are compatible with in-ear speakers which leaves me with little choice but to get in-helmet speakers. Sena now push their Harmon & Kardon speakers but can you really hear music and calls that well through your ear buds? Surely the good in-ear buds will filter out a lot of the music/calls (as they are designed to filter out noise) so what is the point in designing a system that seems to be self-defeating? Or have I got this wrong and the speakers can be heard perfectly?

I sold the 98 and bought a 1200. do marbles work on the 1200? I didn’t think anyone made headers for the 1200.

Run a ground wire from fan motor to a ground point. Put a flick switch in line. Now to can toggle fan on/off. If off, the thermoswitch willstill kick in

Gaz66 is there any tolerance on the bottom SMC allen bolt between the SMC frame and the fork leg? My bike has 0.45mm of play.

Thanks. This is a good place to start. I'll start working through your list. I found a beat up SMC on ebay that i've ordered and will recondition that one to swap with mine. R

Hi Everyone Just to share this kit I found online so to help saving weight on our bikes https://www.extremecreations.com.au/1098-ducati-hub-conversion-kit-for-vfr800

Other things I have seen in this forum to reduce running temp of 5th gens.... Adapting 6th gen radiators.... they are supposidly have more capacity vs 5th gens... Changing 6th gen oil coolers - rows vs 2 Also RC51 oil coolers... 5 row.... And of course a manual switch for the existing fan, switch on earlier that OEM temp 217 F... I'm glad I live in a climate that I dont need to mess with it.

At some point in a prior life the lower front part of both side fairings went for a slide down the road. Bad enough to completely wear through the plastic at the front, and leave heavy rash on the bottom. I used a homemade version of plastifix to fill the missing plastic. Next is sand down and start building up the area with body filler. Then I can shoot some paint to finish the job.

Pulled the fuel pump tonight. I'm very happy the fuel pump looks good, and the inside of the tank has zero rust. The areas on the exterior that look like rust are in fact just dirt. The fuel even still smells like fuel, but I am still going to drain as much as possible and use it in the lawnmower.

I was considering some form of a pull type fan for the right side rad & run it off a bar mounted switch, for traffic use, we rarely get temps above 30C in the UK, but regularly in the mid to high 20'sC & the temp does get up there quickly in summer traffic, I avoid traffic congestion as much as poss, but it's inevitable when travelling thru some towns.

I can almost see the sea from my front door so yes, its definitely a factor! New throttle bodies arrived today and they look in far better condition. I'll hopefully get to look at those over the weekend....maybe!

The wisdom history on this forum has been.... if you are in stop and go traffic, and have to pause/stop for a minute, the OEM fan is best. But if you get in slower traffic and generally stay moving...say 10-15 mph, the VTR fan is best... I never ride in stop n go traffic, so I am running the VTR fan.

Its been done on this forum.... although I cant remember who did it and what it looked like.

I have received the PVC flooring sample(s), and while it's a nice material which should look good and meet most of my needs, there is one glaring problem with going down this route... ...and that is that even solid plastic is really not great for a working garage in which I will be welding, cutting and grinding. Bah! But, I now realize that I may have underestimated tile for a working garage floor, based on my mixed experiences with household ceramic tile. I have recently learned that porcelain tile, properly installed, can indeed be used in a very rough environment--without cracking or breaking, as I had assumed. The porcelain tile, provided it is of a suitable type (e.g., PEI 5 with rectified edges), would in fact be stronger than the concrete underneath it. And so long as it is installed correctly, should withstand even the dropping of heavy objects directly onto it (not that I would try to make that a habit...). It would still be subject to discolouration from welding splatter, but as it is a garage, I can certainly live with that. Now, I have to figure out how best to install it over the existing tile, or if I have to remove that layer first. But, I will leave that to a professional to figure out next year. For the moment, I will keep the tongue & groove soft wood floor in place and hope for the best! Ciao, JZH

i don't think there is, there's really not a lot of room behind it. i can't even fit my hand between the rad and the cylinder head.

Hi. Any known fan assembly that'll fit the right side rad without major mods?

They are supposed to save you money😁

Hi. Sounds like you've got a few things going on there bro? A few things to check: SMC & caliper mount's where I'd be checking, SMC should be fairly solidly mounted, if slopping around, summat's worn, whole assembly should pivot smoothly on the lower allen bolt, upper clevis should be free moving, stick bike on centre stand, get someone to spin rear wheel while you swing the SMC/caliper assembly upwards, this operates rear brake, let SMC go to release rear brake, if brake sticks on or has excess drag, green return valve will be blocked with crap & SMC likely needs a rebuild kit, same deal as doing a front master or clutch master cyl rebuild, (Tourmax) are only brake parts I use, OEM quality, way cheaper than Honda prices, there's a green plastic return valve hidden under the bolt off banjo mount on the rear of the SMC, if blocked with crap, it totally screws the braking up, rear brake grabs, can lock up enough to leave you stranded or spit you off, a good blow down SMC bore will pop the green valve out, carefully prise it apart & surgically clean the tiny ports & both mesh screens don't lose the tiny spring & ball inside or ya Fooked, can't buy em, no mention of valve in manual. SMC bore's are prone to collect crap in the bottom, needs to be spotless or green valve gets blocked & problem starts all over again. Proportional valve under rubber heat shield near tank hinge can get crap stuck in it too, can be stripped for cleaning, no service parts are available, seen a few partially blocked, never known one fail or wear out yet. Left front caliper pad mounts are known to wear out where pads reside, pad come adrift under braking, check stainless thrust shim is present, seen loads of slide pins corroded, rubber bush/boots that pins slide in can be torn/worn out, only ever use silicon grease, copper & petroleum grease swells em & ruins rubbers. Regular Fluid changes are vital to keep a linked system in good order, obviously check discs are running true, corrosion under disc mounts can lift em enough to cause judder. 👍

Hello all, I'm looking for a linked brakes expert or advice. I live outside Sydney and ride a 5th Generation (1998) VFR800. I've got two problems that i think are related: 1) When i use the rear brake without any front, i get a "violent" shudder through the front. This was minor at first, but is now bad enough to push the bike wide if trying a slow speed round about or hairpin. Braking with the just the front or front and rear together is no problem. Lever is firm and good braking pressure. 2) Today on a ride it felt like the rear was grabbing (that might have been my imagination after all the reading i've done), i was coming off the freeway and had no where to stop. A couple of km up the road when i stopped at the lights i had no rear brake at all. No pressure in the foot lever and the rear wouldn't even hold the bike on the slight slope of the traffic lights. I pulled over and decided to make it to a mates house 20km up the road with just the front brakes. By the time i got to his house the rear was back. The problem didn't occur again for the next 150km to make it home. Problem 1) is still there and probably worse. Is this an issue with the Secondary Master Cylinder (SMC)? The bike is new to me (2500km) but had a brake bleed (or so they say) before i bought it. To make it worse when i arrived home on the driveway the vibrating front wheel is gone now and the brakes feel like they should. Confused and concerned. Thanks for any tips or advice.