VF500 F2 Rear Wheel Impossible!

None taken.

I would agree that Slow, if he does decide to sell his bike - and after wrestling with his conscience over how to list the bike - probably shouldn't lead off with explaining about the seemingly discontented gremlin that has taken up residence in his '86.

 

LOL.....thanks guys.

I'm working on replacing the fork seals. Once that's done I'll put up some feelers and see if anyone bites. I would LOVE a VFR750

 

LOL....it's funny you say "pricey" cause up here that's cheap.

They usually go for alot more :-(

 

Alright....so some things to report.

I checked many different ways and it seems to me that my rear sprocket is properly aligned with the front sprocket.

I measured the underside of the rear fender (above the rear tire) from side grab rail to side grab rail and I got approx 10inches.
The centerline of the rear tire is at about 5 1/2" - 6" so it is not center with the rear of the bike as far as I can tell. It seems to be closer to the right which explains the clearance issue with the right side of the swingarm and the tire and no complaints about the left. (and since it's not just me with clearance issues, it is a design issue)

If the rear tire is slightly Right of centerline then won't that make lining it up with the front tire an issue?

Also, the rubbing while I have a passenger is on both sides of the rear fender....not just the right as I originally thought. The rear fender is not Symmetrical. The right side has a ridge that sticks out further.

So the problem with not being able to ride with a passenger is NOT tire position related.....rather the tire width size and the inability of the rear shock/spring to compensate.

 

You are missing one very important point - the swingarm legs are not the same distance from the centerline of the bike i.e. it's not symmetrical. When developing the kits I took great pains to ensure the wheel is on center, which it is.

I'm beginning to think that you are going to keep searching to find something wrong with this setup. Since I've installed your parts on my bike and I know they work just fine, I will be happy to purchase everything back from you for what you paid. I don't want anyone to be unhappy. This is really unprecedented because I've never, repeat never, had to buy back a single wheel swap kit part before. The results and feedback have been so positive and encouraging that the owners will not give up their new wheels for anything in the world.

 

I am not "searching to find something wrong" with the setup.

You cannot honestly say that there is nothing wrong with my wheel kit, or atleast something different with my bike that is making the wheel kit NOT FIT CORRECTLY. The pains I went through just to get it installed, and now the subsequent issues I am seeing are above and beyond the tolerances of what a normal human being can or should endure for such a simple mod.

If you say that the kit is designed so the centerline of the tire is inline with the centerline of the bike, than I believe you. But it's not on my bike! ....and I wouldn't have even checked that if it wasn't recommended to me by posters in this thread. So no....I wasn't looking for issues. I am looking for solutions.

I understand your frustration especially when there is a thread with over 500 posts regarding the fitment of one of your kits but if you notice there is no Jamie Daugherty bashing and we are all trying to figure out what could be the culprit. In fact the only negative talk is directed at my bike specifically.

In fact....I think you should be thanking me. The amount of people who have contacted me regarding the kit and I could have told them that all the problems I went through in the past 8 months to get this bloody thing installed but I made sure they knew that I am the only one with this problem. Not to mention the fact that when this is all over with (if it ever is) there may be some important information discovered.

Now that I have your attention.....can you think of a reason why the tire rubs when I have a passenger?

 

Hi "Slow"

Did you want to try something ?

I have an essentially OE 86' VF500 ... and I am local to you (South Mississauga) I can come by and we can compare side by what is different about your sub-frame and swing arm etc (if any)
And If you are up to it, we can test fit your wheel kit onto my bike to see if a similar fitment issue occurs

This might help isolate what issues you are having on your bike.

Anyways ....just a thought


Moose

 

I can guarantee that your parts fit correctly because I installed them on my bike. Nobody has ever contacted me stating any problems with their kits. What I have noticed is that I need to answer a lot of questions about why you have chosen to post your issues on a public forum instead of dealing with me directly.

Did you understand what I am referring to about the swingarm not being symmetric? Do not use a visual to determine if the wheel is off center. If your tire is rubbing only with a passenger the only theory I would have is that you are running a very low tire pressure causing the tire to flex during cornering.

Your kit is just fine. I guess that I can't state enough times, and I can do so because I've installed your parts on my bike with no issues what so ever. If you wheel/tire is rubbing then you have either installed something incorrectly or are using a tire that is too wide. It's really just as simple as that.

My question is this - you have stated nothing but negatives about this rear wheel and are quick to provide your opinion about how you think something is wrong....... yet you appear to be riding the bike. You are even carrying a passenger. Is something wrong or not? If you feel like there is a problem I would suggest that you not ride the bike at all until you are 100% sure that it's ok.

 

Thanks Moose! I may just take you up on that.

Maybe a nice Saturday or Sunday when the weather is good?

 

I post these issues on a public forum because the kits was bought off another member and not off of you.

Another reason is that members on this forum are interested and willing to figure out a solution to the problems I am seeing. You are a busy guy and the answer to my issues is usually along the lines of: "The Kit is fine. It worked ok on my bike."

Ah! There it is.

As I have posted here already the tire is a 150 which measure to be 155 wide. You say 160 is the max.
....and I can't figure out how I could have installed it incorrectly.

Yes I do. Thank you.

Yes this is true. I ride the bike and then I notice an issue. When I think I have everything sorted, something pops up. When I put a passenger on my bike I just finished checking everything and all seemed ok. We took it slow and didn't do anything crazy.

The good things to say about this kit I can't really comment on. I installed it over the winter and forgot what it felt like with the old wheel. Performance wise I don't wanna lean this thing too much because that rear tire is skimming the swingarm and it concerns me.

I don't KNOW!!!! THAT is what I am trying to figure out by posting what I find in this thread!

If that was the case than I would never ride this bike. I haven't felt 100% about it since I put the kit on.....and with good reason. My bike is a bit of an odd ball when it comes to your kit Jamie. IT DIDN'T FIT.

Frankly I don't care if it fit your bike...I had to grind a shit load off the swingarm tab and I'm thinking I need to grind more so I can properly torque the axle nut down.

There is something clearly different about either the KIT or my BIKE.

Or the problems are seen by others and no one has noticed or cared to make a thread about it.

 

Works for me - Lets put this to rest for good, I am betting that there is something Funky about your bike

I will PM you my contact info a bit later so you can drop me a line when you feel up to it

Moose

 

quite the epic. i'll be grateful to learn what's wrong after you guys figure it out.

 

+1

I am looking forward to reading about what you find out. A side by side comparison could be just the ticket here - my compliments to Moose for offering to help with this.

 

Right. One very curious fact is that the wheel kit apparently worked just fine on a different VF500F . . . .

 

Wanted to mention that my measurements show the wheel offset by 2.85mm. This sounds like a bit more than Slow has but confirms what Jamie wrote - the wheel is slightly off center as it sits inside the swingarm.

 

In stock form?

So it still points straight but is off to one side slightly?

 

Yes, the centerline of the wheel is not in the center of the swingarm, it is offset very slightly.

 

I offered to buy his setup from him

I just purchased a set of F2 wheels last night (Ebay)

Now I am offering to buy everying BUT the wheel & tire

Let me Know