VF500 F2 Rear Wheel Impossible!

Matt, Jamie....and anyone else with this kit.

If you could give me pictures of your caliper bracket on the swingarm tab and general pictures of the rear brake area I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

Have you checked the end of the swingarm tab? That is where the exposed casting surface is located. Once again, the one other time this happened it was due to the tab being basically too long because this cast surface was sticking out too far inward. The bracket getting kicked crooked was the same issue in that case, that's the only reason I'm suggesting it as a potential here.

I'll try to get a picture tonight of the surface I think is causing the problem.

 

I understand what you are referring to Jamie and I have already mentioned that I have taken a Very good look at the tab AND I have filed down the side of the tab that mates with the caliper bracket.

Since I am unsure which part of the tab you reffer to as the "end" I have used my Wizard like MS paint skills to come up with an illustration:



Side D is the side i have filled down to complete smoothness. No castings left on that side.

Is this the part of the tab you are referring to?

 

Update

Jamie and I have been communicating back and forth through E-Mail and he has found out the main problem with installing this kit on my bike.



As you can see from the pic above...the rear brake Caliper Bracket is not sitting straight. It is also not sitting fully flush and secure in the swingarm tab.

Jamie has mentioned Casting imperfection on the Swingarm tab that can interfere with the bracket fitment.

I have removed every imperfection from this tab and it still doesn't fit properly. I am now required to grind down or remove enough material from the Swingarm tab (The amount between the 2 red lines in the pic) to allow the bracket to fit.

I do not want to attempt this kind of "modification" of my bike.

This kit has gone beyond what is considered "bolt-on" and is not what I want for my bike.

I am returning my bike to stock....and I will sell the kit off.

This was a good lesson learned and I thank everyone who helped, though it was also fruitless and a waste of what time was left of the end of my riding season.

I wish I never purchased it to begin with.


Again.....I thank everyone who helped and everyone who offered any suggestions or support.

 

^^ Very true.

...and thanks for the compliment on my MS Paint skills....I'm a huge South Park fan also. :thumbsup:

 

You are so close and with just a very small amount of work you can make it happen. It's too bad that you will be missing out on a big improvement with that bike. The 500's are great bikes and there are only a select few things available that you can do to make them better.

I'm really sorry to hear that you are giving up, but I've gotten the impression that you gave up quite some time ago.

 

dude why would you give up? man there no such thing as bolt on parts for these bikes no after market nothing! its your bike do with it as you please i am not one to tell you what to do, just suggest but i would reconsider this

 

The wheel swap kits that I make are indeed a direct bolt-on modification. What slowbird has experienced is absolutely not normal. I can't completely
explain why dozens upon dozens of people have installed the kit without a single issue yet he had a lot of difficult. My purpose when designing the parts was to make it a direct replacement for the stock parts and fit just the same. I feel like I've accomplished that without question.

After this experience I'm going to go back and review the design to see what can be done to help folks like slowbird. I certainly do not want to screw up something for the 99% just to fix it for the 1%, so I'm not sure at this time what can be done.

 

I'd rather refer to my decision of "giving up" as a "strategic withdrawal from this project."

Jamie....the impression you got from me of giving up was mistaken. By the end of this project I have become resentful and suspicious of this kit...not wanting to believe that it can't be done, but wary of wasting more of my time trying to make it fit.

Even now listing to Jamie and Matt I get the feeling that it can be done....and that I can succeed and accomplish the conversion to the F2 rear wheel. I want to....the bike certainly looks better with it on.

But I must accept my loses and move forward. I have thought long and hard about this and I have come to this decision because of the following:

-I must remove an amount of material from the Swing Arm tab. Any errors or mistakes on my part and I would need to replace the swingarm.
(If I knew that i would have to grind or modify anything in this fashion I would have never bought the Kit)

-The amount of problems I am having with this kit makes me suspicious that it will even work. At this point in time, no more assurances or guarantees will help me continue this kit....they have so far been incorrect.

-The Money + Time I have spent on this conversion outweighs any possible benefit. The bike has a lot of miles on it and is far from being in good shape.

-The bike is resisting any attempts by me to do anything to it. The Slip-ons barely fit....and only after alot of effort. The Full Fairings I purchased did NOT fit...and this F2 Kit obviously doesn't fit also.

-I do not wish to do anything to my bike that may make it difficult to return to stock.

-I enjoy taking my bike on long road trips that usually involve a Tire change mid way through the trip far away from my home...usually in different countries and provinces. The kit is so difficult to install that it may become a problem when it comes time for a new tire.

-I have neither the time nor the area to work on my bike for this long.

-I shouldn't be spending money on this bike....I should be saving for a VFR. All the parts i have purchased off of Pat has shown me the reality of this.


I resent anyone saying I am giving up or that the solution is so close. The solution has been "so close" for far too long and something new always come up. There's always another problem to deal with.

I don't think it's unfair to admit that I have gone through more then what is necessary to install this kit.

 

well that is that then dont resent us for just trying to push you, its a great mod to do the bike i wish you the best of luck and sorry for all the problems you have had

 

I resent nobody....I resent my crappy luck at being the 1st person that the F2 Rear Wheel conversion doesn't fit for without serious modifications.

I know it would have been a good mod but alas...it's not gonna happen. :redface:

 

this may be a stupid question but is there not anyone here that has another swingarm for this bike that he can buy cheap so it will work? I know you are calling it quits slow but it seems you really are close and it seems a real shame. Just thinking of a way to bring you out of that 1% catagory. I think that I speak for everyone when I say we were all rooting for you on this project.

 

Possibly. There are also a few Swingarms on Ebay I have been thinking about buying.

But since I am in Canada. Add the price of the swingarm and the shipping cost to me + Customs + taxes. (and sometimes brokerage)

Then I have to remove my current swingarm and install the replacement one....and it might work.

Emphasis on the "might".

I really appreciate your suggestions and your help. Yes it DOES seem like I've am really close, and I would love to have this installed.

But I have been told that I was "close" before and there is no guarantee that this kit is going to fit.

If this was a project bike then I'd keep trying...but this is my only bike.

 

You could cut that tab in half and it would still be just fine!

It works.

That's only because you haven't gotten to ride it much! The performance gain is well worth the time and money.

I'll agree with that. Certianly the parts are designed and intended to be installed without any of this hassle. You should not have had these issues, and I feel bad that you have. I want nothing more than to see you riding with this wheel installed.

You mentioned long trips. Consider this - the stock VF500F tire is an odd-ball but almost any dealership with have a CBRF2 size tire. Food for thought.

 

Okay.....but is it required to install the F2 kit?

My specific Kit doesn't work on my specific bike.

To some people, perhaps. But not to me.

I would like that too. If you can make a kit that is a direct bolt on to my bike (and I still have a VF500) you will be hearing from me

That was one of the reasons I got the kit Jamie. Though on my last trip I had no trouble finding a tire...it was a concern. But I feel it easier to call ahead and order a tire then explain to the Bike Tech why the rear wheel is so difficult to install.

Why do you feel the need to remind me of the benefits of the F2 kit??

You act like I'm giving up on an easy install...there is an obvious problem here and as much as it may help you for me to continue forward and figure out the issue...I am no ones Guinea pig and I don't like the frustration and anxiety this bitch of a project is causing.

EDIT: Looking at part numbers on BikeBandit....the 86 has a different Rear Brake Caliper bracket then the 84-85's.
I will compare the stock bracket with the one that comes with the F2 kit and look for anything obvious.

 

You have that kit!!!

 

How about you buy it back from him and compare it to your stock? That would be a nice gesture.

 

Though you sell Bolt on Kits for the VF500...this kit does NOT fit my bike.

The Kit I currently have requires me to grind down part of the swingarm.

You have said it yourself here that the Swingarm tab is the issue....and in E-Mails to me:

That means the Swingarm tab needs enough material removed from it to allow the bracket to sit further in. I have already filed down the imperfections from the tab and it's not enough.

To make the kit fit my bike I need to remove more material from the Swingarm tab, and I need to make sure I remove everything evenly and accurately so as not to make things worse.

 

In the interest of mutal benefit and future modifications of these wonderful little bikes....

Would anyone (who can) want to check the dimensions of the Swingarm tab on their VF500?

I assume that there has to be a reason why this common bolt on modification doesn't fit my bike.

Maybe a difference in Canadian Models?

My bike was originally from British Columbia....maybe it is a Japan model?