Cleaning up the (new to me) old beast!

For those of you who saw my ride report from going to pick up the '99 in West Orange, NJ (http://vfrworld.com/forums/trips-events/23201-cross-country-7-days-nj-la.html) you might recognize the old girl.

...she looks pretty good doesn't she?


Well, pictures lie my friends! ...they lie, and they'll break your heart if you let them! Not one to let a perfectly good bike die a horrible death, I felt it was my duty to rescue her from the clutches of the east coast, salt-air weather, and bring her back to life as she started, in sunny SoCal.

So, once I had her back here, it was time to start tearing her apart and finding out what all she really needed in terms of parts & service.

...and so it begins:

I knew before leaving New Jersey that there was already a crack in the sub-frame's crossbar, where the right side of the rear cowl attaches (frankenbolt position), but half way across the country it let go (luckily the broken off piece stayed wedged in the rear fairing). Now that the bike was safely home, I could really look at that, and any other damage:





No big deal, I'll be able to turn a steel rod down to the right ID and slip it in there before getting it welded back together; it should end up stronger than original. :biggrin:

One other concern was just how rusty the OEM exhaust headers had gotten during her years on the right coast.



A brass wheel on my cordless DeWalt drill (one of my favorite shop tools) told me that they were very much salvageable, so once I can remove them, they will be sent out for a good sandblasting and coating.



...but first I had to get them off the bike.

This would be easier said than done, and required quite a bit of dis assembly. Not the end of the world, since there isn't a square inch of this bike that isn't covered with 10 years of road debris, dirt, tar, and/or corrosion that I would want to clean up as best I could.

Before I could pull the rear end apart though, I wanted to take care of the forks since I can't have both wheels off the bike at the same time. :tongue:

Hmm, not pretty!




Pulling the front fender, I noticed that it is cracked at the upper mounting point on both sides. ...yay!




With the forks off, I can see more clearly just how filthy and corroded the rest of the bike is.


And the brakes, though they have new pads, haven't been cleaned in years!

So I clean up the brakes, and start cleaning up the forks as best I can. I'd really like to replace the sliders and have the lower legs powder-coated, but that will have to wait for another time, when I have more $$$. The sliders clean up ok, but the pitting is pretty bad.

Left:


Right:


...luckily, it's all above the seal line with the forks compressed.

I guess it's time to flush the old syrup out and replace it with some good old Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. :biggrin: I'm also going to be installing RaceTech's .95kg springs for my weight, instead of the OEM progressive boingers.

I need to cut some spacers for the new springs, so I start with an overall "same as stock" length, and I'll adjust as needed once the bike is back together.


Flushing the forks is pretty straight forward. I bought some cheap Penzoil ATF for the job. The key is to stroke the tube (slider) and the damping rod many, many times both when emptying the oil, and when flushing with new. To make this easier, and it does get tiring, I secure a 10mm wrench under the locking nut to use as a handle when drawing the damper rod back up (it falls easily). ...this also prevents the rod from dropping into the fork tube, requiring you to fish it out with needle-nose pliers. :thumbsup:


After flushing, and draining, the forks 3 full cycles, it's time for the real stuff, the Mobil 1, which has the equivalent weight of 6-7 in fork oil ...which is hard to find!

After filling the forks, it's back to the wrench for a good 30 strokes of both the tube and the damper rod, once again, to ensure that the cartridge is fully immersed in oil with no air pockets. Then using my handy Motion Pro fork oil tool (basically a graduated depth rod and a syringe), I can remove the excess oil until I have the right level.

Since the RaceTech springs are a bit heavier than stock, I go with 145mm instead of the OEM level of 130mm from the top of the compressed fork tube (with springs removed).

With the forks done, and the brakes cleaned, it's time to put the front back together (mostly) so I can finally dig into the rear.


Removing the heat shield on the right side of the bike (by removing the swingarm pivot nut and right foot peg bracket) gave me access to the exhaust. IF you don't own a pivoting socket head, go get one; they come in really handy when you have to remove the rear headers!

What was I saying about the rusty exhaust? ...oh yeah, it was rusty!

And the rust would mean not only more work than necessary, but more parts ordered, and more $$$ spent.

They say nothing holds like a cross thread, but I think rust comes in a close second! The clamps were both shot, and this one refused to let go of the bolt, regardless of what I allowed it to soak in, so eventually I just broke the bastard in half!


So with the exhaust out I now had much better access to the rear of the engine case and swingarm pivot area ...which needed some attention:


Come to think of it, the swingarm itself is a mess, so I should probably just pull it as well.




Now with the entire rear of the bike removed, I can really access back of the engine as well as the front sprocket area.


...FYI, this is after I've already removed about 4lbs. of crap from the general area:


Soaking in degreaser before another round of scrubbing ensues:


Here you can easily see the difference between scrubbed down, and only wiped off with a wet rag!




With the swingarm relatively clean, it was time to pull all the bushings, and re grease all the bearings.

...much better!


Ready for reassembly:


Now, back the rear of the engine. First I need to stuff up the open exhaust ports. I'm not likely to get anything in there, but why risk it.

Looking at this picutre, I'm not too keen on how black the #1 exhaust looks, so it'll be interesting getting into the valves this weekend to see what's going on there:


...but that's for later. Now, back to cleaning up the engine and driveline:




Ahh, much better!

Since my first shipment of parts came from Service Honda, I can now try to drill out the one, rusted in place, screw on the clutch reservoir. It wasn't too hard, but it's actually the first time I've ever had to drill out a screw, so I'm glad it went well. A little WD40 and vice-grips got the stud out, and I can now flush the clutch and get back in business:




I don't have a picture, but I also found a bolt missing through the clutch slave housing into the engine block (one of the two long bolts) so fluid has been seeping out and has bubbled the finish of the paint below the clutch slave on the housing and sprocket cover to which it bolts.

Also, after pulling the shock (a nice new Penske is going in) and greasing all the associated bearings down there, I noticed that the dogbone has been sitting askew (I have the same issue with my XR650R ...maybe it's a Honda thing, like bad RRs?).






...I'm still not sure what to do about this. Any thoughts???

The exhaust (minus new clamps which are back ordered through Honda) went out to Jet-Hot for a thorough cleaning, and a ceramic coating in flat black. I also sent the discolored heat shield along with instructions to coat it with their semi-gloss black; I can't wait to see them when they get back in a couple-few weeks. :thumbsup:

This weekend A buddy is coming over (VFR guru) and we'll take a look at the valves, and try to figure out why there's so much carbon in the #1 exhaust port.

After that it will be electrical cleaning and rewiring of many little things (accessory fuse box, Datel volt meter, etc.) and I'll finally swap the somewhat unclean air filter with the new K&N.

...here's a reason to leave the snorkel in I suppose:


Yes those are leaves and twigs on the filter, and yes, they were there when I removed the lid, they didn't just fall in there!

So that's part one. It's also about 2 weeks of working in the garage whenever I get a chance.

Stay tuned for part 2 ...whenever that happens! lol

D

PS, this shot I took while the forks were off has me seriously considering a Sumo setup for the XR! :biggrin:
:thumbsup:

 

Yeesh

Well at least you are having fun....or about to.:thumbsup: Ditch those luggage racks and PM Bweiss about custom luggage racks and plate mod.

 

Thanks Toe. I've already ditched the racks. I don't like hard luggage and only left it on for the ride across country. From now on it will be tank bag, backpack, and if necessary, a bag strapped on the back seat.

...know anyone who wants a Givi top case and rack? lol

D

 

Good to know you have rescued this Vffer! Can I offer one thing though when putting the dash back together double and triple check all the wires to make sure there all plugged in and tight! They tend to vibrate loose if not properly re-installed, after my experience I double checked and I had one that wasn't secure enough! Ah a VFR sometimes can be a strange animal to work on and put things back together! If you do have a loose wire, the problem will be revealed by your digital clock zapping to 1:00 am and your trip odometer going back to 0. That's usually what happens!

Good Luck

 

Don't forget Dale that I have an entire motor sitting around if you need the odd bolt or such.

 

Dayum, very thorough cleaning job! I have to admit I wouldn't be that dedicated to taking the swingarm off. With the valves I got a thread here that might help you some: http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/16474-tips-5th-gen-valve-clearance-inspection.html

Good luck and feel free to drop me a line if you ever have a question with the valves. Oh and in case you're wondering if it's worth it. Oh yeah it sounds a lot better. I got a thread with a recording of the exhaust sound after the valve adjustment: http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/23591-unexpected-benefit-adjusting-valves.html

 

Thanks Joey, valves won't be a problem, I've done them a few times on my other VFR, my V4 Magna before that, and on my KTM a couple times now too. My friend that is coming to help can do them in his sleep, so that will make things go a bit quicker than my normal, tectonic pace.

John, I'll let you know if I find something I need that I haven't already ordered.

The one thing I can't find anywhere is one of the metal sleeves that are found in the passenger grab handles. One of them is missing and Honda doesn't list it as a separate part from the handle. ...and I'm not paying Mother Honda $75 for a new handle! lol

 

Good job on the freshening up of your new, to you, VFR.....I only have one question, is that rim tape on a dirtbike????? :biggrin:

 

Hey Joey, your bike sounds sweet. ...what pipe do you have? I have yet to hear a bike that sounds better than my 4th gen did with the Two Bros. "shotgun" carbon fiber setup.



That thing sounded like a V8 dragster! :thumbsup:

D

 

Thats alot of good hard work your doing. I take it you got the bike for a steal? You said your using Mobil 1 but did not mention weight? Atf fluid ranges for 4-10 weight and motor oil goes higher depending on viscosity and temperature if its a multi grade. I have seen a few cars from the East coast and you could not give me one of those weather riddled piles. Its good you got it before it was too far gone.

 

Haha ...yeah, it came with the graphics kit, which I put on for the LA to Barstow to Vegas ride this past year. I figured since I was riding sweep, I should really get in the spirit of the event with the "bling" Vegas graphics. :biggrin:

 

The pipe is a Vance & Hines Stainless steel slipon. It came with the bike. That shotgun exhaust looks badass!!!! Was that a custom pipe? I can't imagine a company selling aftermarket pipes like that.

 

Great story, gave me some thoughts on my own VF 1000 that I am striping tommorow.thanks.:thumbsup:

 

Wow, you're making me feel real bad about now....I now think I have neglected my baby! I am changing my chain now and once I got started I realized I needed to do a lot of cleaning myself. I'm not sure I am ready to tackle it quite as extensively as you have right off the bat but I will probably try to do it section by section....thanks for the inspiration!

 

:thumbsup: I was just ribbing you a little, I did notice the Vegas graphics and thought they were pretty cool and a little bling in Vegas is never a bad thing. Good luck with the rest of your project!

 

im too busy riding to clean

 

zen, that's one hell of a job you got there! thanks for sharing!

 

the exhaust to end all high mount vs. low mount debates, once and for all!!!:tongue:

 

Yeah, it wasn't as convenient as a real high-mount because you had to loosen it and pivot it out of the way to get the rear wheel off, but man did it sound bad ass!!!

Two Brothers only made them for a short time, and if I could find another one for the 5th gen, I'd snap it up in a heart beat!

 

Great picture series #2!

Keep 'em coming! :thumbsup: