My VF1000R Saga

It would be rather odd to have the frame twisted there. With the motor bolted in, that's probably the sturdiest part of the entire frame but anything's possible. I suspect the right side "cage" that holds the threads for the swingarm bolt is bent. You may have to give it some love to get back into position. I can't believe Honda thought that thin metal box was strong enough to hold a swingarm steady, especially on a 600lb motorcycle. Does the bolt for that side go in easy? The bolt may be bent as well, it may look straight but check it anyway. The swingarm is snug but you shouldn't have to put a bar to it to get it in.

 

very odd indeed.. is it possible to unbolt the engine to destress the frame?

 

I agree, Hopit, I think it's the little sheet metal cage that's off. Now that the paint is off the frame I am continually amazed by the poor build quality I'm seeing on this bike that was so prestigious and expensive in it's day.

betarace: The frame is currently stripped. Maybe with the engine in it would re-stress the frame?

 

I put the axle bolt on a surface plate yesturday, it is definitely straight.

 

I'm following this for sure! Just bought a VFKR on eBay, won't have it in my hands for a week. Based only on the current owner's claims, the bike is close to 100% mechanically (engine 'restored' w/new bearings, seals, valve job, gaskets, new tires, new battery, new chain & sprockets, yadayadayada...); but clearly from the pics it needs TLC on cosmetics. Has all the panels; but lots of small chips and worn spots.

Looking forward to read about your final cosmetic work!

 

I didn't know you could still get all the bearings and seals needed to do a total overhaul on a VFkR, not sure where I read that though.

Progress of sorts in the suspension department.
Picture 166 by aplaceinspace42, on Flickr

Picture 164 by aplaceinspace42, on Flickr

Picture 165 by aplaceinspace42, on Flickr

The adapter needs a few more tweaks before I'll consider it safe to use, and then it'll be getting monitored to make sure it's holding up allright after everything is back together. But all the parts are carved out of cold rolled steel and held together with suspension component bolts, so I'm not too worried.

 

Looks nice. That should work. Great clear pics, I hope they all look as good. Any ideas on the notchy swingarm pivot?

 

Thanks for the pics. Nice work. Did you decide to keep the stock overall length on the monoshock?

 

As near as I can tell the little sheet metal "cage" on the right side must have been twisted somehow. I'm not really sure how that could have happened though.

I may make up a rod that threads into the axle hole to tweek it back to straight, but honestly nothing LOOKS like it's been bent up. The possability exists that it's been like this from new.

Yes, I'm keeping the stock length, or as near as I can. I think it's accurate to within 1/4 inch or so. In the future I may put longer arms on the lower clevis to change the steering characteristics, but as it stands I don't see any need to do so.

 

Can you feel with your finger if there is any slop or notches in the bearings. I've seen people do horrible things to the roller bearing trying to get it out and then deciding to just leave it.

 

There is some slight notchyness to the ball bearings on the right side. I'm not sure if that's the cause of the issue or the result of years of use in a frame with a stress bias in it.

On the upside, you can still buy replacement ball bearings for the swing arm.

 

I kinda skipped over some, think about the paint yet?

 

I'm thinking Rothmans colors, but only as a guidline. I'm more interested in the overall look than in an exact replica. I've already done the fork sliders. I had to take them completely apart, sand, degrease, prime, paint, and reassemble. I think they turned out well though. Time will tell how durable Valspar Anti Rust Armor really is.

 

So I figured after a month I should probably post an update, just so everyone knows I haven't died or anything.

Since I'd already decided on Rothman's colors I needed black fork sliders. Valspar's Anti Rust Armor looked like the ticket, so I stripped the forks apart and did the usual degreese/prep/mask/prime/paint. That took the better part of a couple of weeks to get done due to recomended drying times and going to work. In the end I think it turned out ok. I'm hoping the paint lives up to it's "Armor" name and doesn't immediately start to deteriorate and show flecks of red bleeding through.



Also, I dig safety wire. I just think it looks cool, so since the holes were already drilled into the brake caliper plate's bolts...



A couple of days ago I had one of my welding relatives come over and MIG the broken fairing subframe mounting point back onto the frame, too. So now that the weather is cooperating I can finally get some paint on the frame.

 

I had no doubt you were still at it. Forks look good. The beauty of spray paint is you can always touch it up. Can't wait to see the frame painted.

 

Looking great!

 

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.

 

aplaceinspace - I have been following and admiring your work, nice job! I am sure you have addressed this, but I can't see where you are constraining the extension block to keep it from becoming another pivot point. Did you machine a grove on the inner side of the R shock?
Kodos!

 

At the point when those pictures were taken nothing had been done to prevent the clevis bolt becoming a second pivot point. I'm adding a lip to the front and back to keep everything in place. In retrospect I wish I'd made the thing out of one block instead of several.

 

So, on June 6th myself and my girlfriend hopped on my Nighthawk 750 and rode from the middle of Michigan out to Santa Cruz, then got married in Vegas on the way back. When we got back I moved all my stuff into our new rental house and then the job hunt and all that stuff began. Long story short, the VF got moved into my shed yesterday.



Everything that's there is pretty much ready to be bolted on and the engine can be fired up (for the first time since last summer...holy crap). I'm hoping that I can get most of it back in one piece in the next couple of weeks by putting a few hours in every night after work. The only labor intensive part of the project should be repairing and painting the fairings.