VFR750 - Rolling Resto

[Zen Dog]

[Zen Dog]

So, a minor update.

Rear Brake - Refitted the rear lever and MC, and working. Actual bite from the brake is still rubbish, but the caliper is a horrorshow, so that's to be expected. Function of the new MC and lever setup is much better, which is what I wanted for now. Bleeding was a pain though, I had to take the caliper off and suspend it to get all the bubbles at the bleed nipple.

New Exhaust - Fitted. It's blowing a little at the join with the rest of the system, because although the pipe sections meet each other closely, their outer profile doesn't match that of the interior of the clamp (which is designed for the thicker flanges of the original mild steel system I think). I've always just folded up a load of tinfoil into an inch wide strip, wrapped it around the join and put the clamp around the whole thing. It works quite well for a few years, but eventually goes flaky and falls to pieces as you move the exhaust around. I reused an old bit of tinfoil, but it's clearly too far gone and I need to make a new one basically. Is there something better than tinfoil I could be using though?

Firestorm Front End - Finally got out for a test ride after getting the top fairing repaired and back on. Only did about 10 miles or so. New front brakes are good, nothing exceptional but already good enough that I'm not really thinking about them too much. But I do need to move the lines at the master cylinder banjo because they're fouling the clocks at full lock. The forks operate fine, but they definitely need some setup. The bike feels like it's sitting slightly high at the front, a slight feeling of skipping over small bumps, and not great feel in the corners. Spoke to the suspension guy, and he's suggested reducing the preload as a first step, which makes sense. Unfortunately, the preload was already out by 6 notches, so I've gone another notch out to 7 (2 turns), but if that isn't enough I'm not sure how much adjustment is left. Haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I might need different springs again, we'll see.

Oil Cooler Pipes - I wasn't going to touch these on the basis of "If it ain't broke", but then I started looking at the corrosion on them and thinking about how fun it will be having hot oil spray onto my front wheel. Thinking about it now, I should probably have been more cautious, but the guy on the VFR facebook group gets mentioned so much I just contacted him and sent him the money. So far I have received a thumbs up from him. I hope the pipes will follow.

I'm leaving the lower fairings off till I've done the oil pipes and the bike is out of the shakedown phase, but in the meantime this is where I'm at.

https://i.imgur.com/lBUoYPN.mp4

https://imgur.com/a/3d59W1x
____________________
Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[stinkwheel]

The rear brake is a bit meh even when in perfect working order with new seals all round and brembo pads. Adequate for the job though.

Plumbers silicone does a great job of sealing exhaust joints.

The FB guy does a cracking job of oil pipes.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AMWts8Af1RLV5vfB2izVCsSjkrO2_209IB40RelIvmSx5ZoW023uVVxy2hBYWg0gG8j_njn8ja0RDjrUKeikhB8p4QT7UqqAKNwmL2ePxwsgVJOtPlQ0MrdokEDeeg4tvF8S14f0rLDHEHD7y_GvYqVc8naG=w1547-h870-no
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Zen Dog]

[stinkwheel]

[Zen Dog]

I'll keep the fenagling equipment handy, and the jimmying and bodging facilities on standby. It's mainly just hammers and zip ties.
____________________
Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[myvision]

[Zen Dog]