VF500F CBR600F Wheel Conversion

I've been working on a 17" wheel conversion for my '84 VF500F and thought I would post the progress that I've made on this project.

As a first step I worked with my friend Rick Denoon in Winnipeg Canada (I'm located in New York) on the design drawings.

Rick has some serious skills in motorcycle design and has been featured in Classic Motorcycle Magazine for his beautiful custom CB400F. Here is a link to his website:

denoonsp - Home of the modified 400F

In talking it over with Rick I decided to go with a set of CBR600F Hurricane wheels as I felt this was the best option for what I wanted out of the project.

The design process started in the Fall of last year with a series of SolidWorks models.

front and rear wheel exploded parts drawings





an early design drawing for the rear brake carrier with a Brembo caliper



Brembo caliper and carrier from a Ducati 999 - purchased as a used part on eBay. The caliper will be mounted on a new carrier - machined by Denoonsp.



design drawing of the custom rear brake carrier with the Brembo caliper - additional holes to be drilled in stock CBR600F rotor



CBR600F brake rotor - drilling pattern



rake and trail – 27 degrees 104mm trail



From here I put together a shopping list and headed on over to eBay, McMaster Carr and David Silver Spares.

a roundup of purchased parts:

CBR600F front & rear rims - repainted
CBR600F cush drive - machined
CBR600F rear brake rotor - w/ additional cross drilled holes
CBR600F rear brake rotor bolts - renewed finish
Brembo caliper from a Ducati 999
VF500F front brake rotors - w/ cross drilled holes
CBR600F rotor bolts - front wheel
6302 wheel bearings (2 total) - front wheel
6303 wheel bearings (2 total) - rear wheel
CBR600F dust seal - 91258-ML7-003 - front wheel
VF500F dust seal - 91252-MC7-003 - front wheel
CBR600F oil seal - P91252-MC4-013 - rear wheel
CBR600F dust seal - 91253-443-762 - rear wheel
Avon AM26 Roadrider 110/70-17 - front
Avon AM26 Roadrider 140/80-17 - rear

stock parts to be re-used:

VF500F front and rear sprockets & mounting hardware
VF500F 530 chain
VF500F front brake carriers & calipers
VF500F front and rear axles
VF500F speedo drive

In addition to the parts list Rick Denoon helped with the machining of the custom parts.

custom parts list:

Front Wheel:
wheel bearing spacer inserts
UHMD sleeve for speedo drive

Rear Wheel:
machined spacer btwn cush drive and swingarm
machined spacer btwn rotor and caliper carrier
custom caliper carrier
machined spacer btwn caliper carrier and swingarm

Once all the parts were assembled it was time to get the new wheels mounted!

a few of the parts - OEM dust seals, used cush rubber, machined spacers, custom rear brake carrier & Brembo caliper and machined cush drive



front wheel comparison - new CBR600F wheel on the right (stock rotors have been cross drilled)



rear wheel comparison - CBR600F wheel on the right (note the different designs for the cush drive)



machined CBR600F cush drive



CBR600F rear wheel with custom cross drilled CBR600F rotor



CBR600F rear wheel with re-used stock VF500F rear sprocket



wheels off!



Mityvac - a must have tool



removing the front brake lines



test fit for the rear wheel - plenty of clearance between the rear tire and the swingarm



left side clearance between the centerstand and the tire



a bit tighter on the right side but it does clear



adjusting the stock 530 chain - stock front and rear sprockets



CBR600F front wheel on



CBR600F rear wheel on



overall photo of the right side



detail photo of the left side front wheel



Next up - the installation of the front and rear braided stainless brake lines...

 

Wow! Way to go IC! That looks really sharp.

I love the rear brake. Can't wait to hear how it performs.

I miss my center stand :-(

 

Wow what a bike!

 

Any chance of getting more shots of this area and more around the rear caliper?

 

Superclean!

 

Thanks for the compliments!

Here is another detail photo of the right side rear wheel at the caliper mount / spacer:

 

Ah! I see now.

Clearance between the rotor and the bracket looks tight. (but that's how most designs are)

Did you have to remove the Chain Guard?

The Centerstand has a lot of play in it....you sure it's gonna clear the tire?

 

I'll have to check the chain guard - I had removed this earlier and placed in the spare parts bin.

The centerstand clears with plenty of room on the left side - I'll have to log some miles before knowing if the clearance is sufficient on the right side - though right now it clears when wheeling around the garage.

On a side note, I have a 140/80-17 rear tire mounted to help dial in the rake and trail. With this aspect ratio the tire just kisses the floor when on the centerstand. I used a 1/4" sheet of plywood to increase the clearance a bit to allow the wheel to turn freely.

 

A brake line update.

The good news is that I received a nice looking set of new Goodridge braided stainless brake lines in the post - the bad - I ran into a snag with one of the front lines.

The two lower banjo fittings on the front lines are identical (same bend) while they should mirror opposites.

I wrote to the Goodridge vendor (I had purchased the set - front and rear lines - from a vendor on eBay) and explained the situation upon which he wrote to his contact at the factory. The factory rep was super responsive and Goodridge quickly made a replacement. The vendor dropped this in the mail last week (from the UK) so I should be receiving the replacement line soon.

With this in mind, and as mistakes happen, I have to say I'm very happy with the quality and customer service offered by Goodridge. Hopefully the new line will do the trick and I'll be able to complete the install.

Here are a few photos - I went with a three-line kit versus a dual line kit:

 

Good luck with the line installation. I hear it makes a world of a difference.


Regarding the Wheel swap:

So did the tire size you chose for the rear, remove the need to replace the sprockets?

Even with all the play that the centerstand has, does it still clear the tire?

 

Yes, I kept the stock front and rear sprockets to help a bit with the budget and also because they are still in great shape (the bike only has 5,800 miles) and have plenty of life left in them - no reason to toss good parts. When I do replace the sprockets and chain I am planning on installing a 520 conversion.

In terms of rev's the stock sprockets, with the 140/80-17 rear tire, should make a difference of only 100rpm at any given speed in top gear. Not a significant enough change to warrant new gearing, IMO.

In terms of the centerstand - it does clear on the flight deck but I haven't tested this on the road yet - have to get the brake lines on first

 

I see.

To install the front hurricane wheel does it require anything custom to be made?

Are the Hurricane wheels narrower than the F2? How else do they differ?

 

The front Hurricane CBR600F wheel does not require machining of the rim for the brake rotor spacing as does the F2 - though not a deal breaker it is important to factor this in the budget if going with an F2.

In terms of custom work - for the 'F' rim conversion - a small sleeve was machined out of UHMD for the speedo drive and wheel bearing spacer inserts were added (I reused my stock axles) but this is all very straightforward.

The F wheels are indeed narrower, than the F2's, with a 110 wide tire recommended up front (the F2 has a recommended 120 wide tire).

Really both the 'F' or 'F2' 17" wheel conversions are great upgrades. I think it's important to know the pros and cons of both and make a decision from there.

On the lighter side of things - the F wheels are a whole bunch easier to clean than the F2's

 

Thank you sir! I appreciate the compliment. I've been following your VFR750 project bike. Looks like some top shelf work going on in Colorado!

 

LOL....a good feature. Cleaning my rear F2 wheel is a huge pain.

 

I am unsure I understand. The F front wheel does not require any machining of the actual wheel. The F2 does?

Do you know what the recommended tire sizes are for the F and F2 rear wheels?

 

Correct - the F wheel does not require machining of rim (this is where the rotors mount) as the stock rotor spacing matches the VF500F front calipers. If you go for the F2 rim you'll need to find a machine shop that can handle machining down the rotor mounting points on the rim - the F2 brake rotor spacing is too wide unless you do this.

The F sizes are 110 and 140 the F2 sizes are 120 and 160 (front and rear respectively).

 

I see. Thanks for the explanation.

A good reason to go with the F wheel then.....since the 160 is too wide and the 140 allows for use of the Centerstand, and easily clears the swingarm.

 

Also to consider - a 120 front tire is too wide for the stock fender and requires a bit of zip-tie stretching to fit.