VF500 F2 Rear Wheel Impossible!

I guess I have some things to do over winter. :frown:




The one thing that is bothering me about all this shit I'm doing to the bike....something that just popped up while planning some bike trips for next year.

With the custom F2 wheel on my bike....I'm worrying about going on long road trips.

Road trips (Like my last road trip) that may result in me having to change a tire mid-trip....at a local Bike Shop. (Local to wherever I am at the time)

They may:

a. Screw up the bike or the F2 Kit during the tire install
b. Not want to touch the bike since it's old and modified.
c. Have as much trouble as I am with the kit and I'll be stuck.

 

So Matt, w/ everything you have done to your bike, do you feel its worth it. Did you like the feel of you bike when you put the wheel on?

 

I can't say yet.

I still can't get the rear brakes to work....the bike feels odd and I'm unsure why.

Could be the steering bearing could be the wheel not lined up...could be this....could be that.

I still think there is something wrong with my kit or the bike cause shit doesn't line up.

That plus TRX....we may be looking for different things from our bikes.

Matt seems to like his.

 

I just want a good feel, I just ride my bike around town, never on the highway, (i have a truck for that) I'm just wondering cause i'm looking at a newer CBR, or maybe a Ninja 636. Instead of wasting to much money on my bike, if its not going to be what I want. I love ot so far, but want more.

 

You don't want to make front end changes to adjust for the rear - you want to address the rear with the rear. By that I mean you would want to raise the rear ride height to adjust for the difference in wheel/tire size.

I state "want" because this is not necessary. The F2 wheel by itself is a big improvement even though it lowers the rear. Putting the rear back up where it belongs (which is higher than stock, actually) just makes a good thing even better.

The front end has it's own problems!!!

 

No point of going to a CBR or a 636 for riding around town.

I commute and take road trips with my bike. As Matt has pointed out, the VF500 is no Sport-Tourer but I like the nimbleness of it and the sentimentality of taking my First bike to places it probably should get to.

I think the great V-Four powerband is perfect for you riding around town need.

 

Well i'm kinda vertically challenged, will this help me?

 

i assume raising the rear of the bike wouldn't help you if you're a little......little.

 

I ment keeping it lower

 

I haven't noticed the bike being any easier to flatfoot or anything at stop lights.

Haven't noticed a ride height difference.

 

YES! the way the bike is setup now its 100 times better then it was, but! i have quickly so to say out grown the front suspension but with just a f2 wheel and f4 shock and a good stick tire the bike is awesome to ride! i recommend this swap for EVERYONE, my bike also does not shake when slow its extremely stable.

no he's say because you had a 18inch wheel on it and you dropped to a 17inch you need to make up the difference ( did i get that right jamie?) also if you raise the rear doesnt it make the bike handle better?

 

OKAY......the next bloody problem:

NO REAR BRAKES.

Looks like the Caliper Bracket is not staying straight.

The first 2 pictures show the rotors position inside the caliper bracket




So the rotor is not sitting properly in the caliper bracket. I then bolt the Caliper to the bracket.
But since the Bracket is out of line with the rotor, when I push the brake pedal....the Caliper moves to straighten itself with the rotor.

This last picture shows how the Caliper bracket is siting on the slot on the swingarm.



The bracket slots fine onto the swingarm....and the bracket actually sits straight until you tighten the axle nut!
Then all the spacers down there seem to tighten with the caliper bracket...pushing that side of the bracket and throwing off its position on the swingarm



If I align the rear wheel so the rotor sits straight....the chain rubs the tire.

When the hell is this thing going to work for me

 

The size of the wheel is one part, but also the CBR tire is a lower profile. Those two combine to give about a 10-12mm lower axle to ground height.

It looks like you have the wrong spacer between the caliper bracket and the wheel. Of the two thin ones you need to have the smallest one in there. It's easy to check and see if you have the correct one - lay the bracket against the spacer and see how it lines up with the rotor. The rotor should be centered in the gap at the caliper mount.

Do you have your axle tight? The whole thing should have bound up tight with the spacers in the wrong place. That's why it's usually obvious.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by this

 

I just checked my e-mails and you specifically told me that the smallest spacer goes between the Swingarm and the Sprocket carrier.

So this entire time I haven't been able to get the wheel in...could it have been from the spacers being mixed up?

 

When you torque the axle nut to the proper value it will try to clamp the bracket straight. If it can't get straight it will cause a bind against the rotor.

I don't remember the thickness values off the top of my head. I'll double check those later today to verify.

 

I am not getting any rotor bind.

 

Right! That's why I said I was surprised and it lead me to wonder if you were tightening your axle nut enough.

 

Ah! I see.

So....is the solution involving removing everything and swapping the 2 spacers?

 

Correct. In order starting from the sprocket side:

- 10mm spacer
- Modified VF500 sprocket carrier
- CBRF2 wheel with VF500 bearings
- 8mm spacer
- New caliper bracket
- 18mm spacer