2002 Viffer on the track

Some pics from my first track day. Overall she did pretty good, the brakes felt a little mushy and really progressive I guess you'd say, I'd pull and....nothing.....nothing.....a little something.....HARD BRAKING. Is that normal?

It was a blast though, I got a vid I'll post later. Passed a lot of folks, it was a ton of fun.

 

Nice photos. Just got mine last week but I'll be taking it out for a few sessions at the next track day I do.

 

Nice BDG :thumb:

 

Had to take the peg feelers off after my 2nd session, then I started scraping the bottom of the pegs!

Need to work on getting my upper body lower, but it's awkward with the VFR's position and with bar risers. At least for me....but for a sport touring bike, she did pretty well.

Passed SV650's and 600RR's all day

 

A couple for Texas World Speedway last weekend.

 

Awesome! You're brakes probably feel bad because of suspension dive. Have you bled them recently? The braking system is definitely not the best, just a bit better than budget bikes, but there are little tricks to improve their overall function. Bleeding, cleaning/rebuilding the calipers, and sanding the rotors with some fine grit sandpaper will help. Pads and pad thickness also make a huge difference with initial bite and fade.

 

Awesome! Just bought my second 2002 Viffer and have friends that do track days on thier Moto Guzzis giving me the bug. The brakes also worry me.

Brake Questions: When replacing the pads, pushing back the pistons back into the calipers - do you remove the master cylinder cap? If I leave it on, any risk of damaging anything? Need to bleed the old fluid too but this linked braking system is a bit scary. Any tips?

Thanks in advanced.

 

The viffer is OK for your first couple of track days for sure, the linked braking is a bit weird but it won't be that much of an issue for your first time. I'd say definitely go for it. It is plenty capable for novice level.

I've pushed the pistons in plenty of times without removing the master cylinder cap, it shouldn't damage anything. I did it that way on my VFR, 919, and my RC51


As far as bleeding the brakes......sheesh. Unless you are pretty mechanically inclined (and even still if you are) think about taking it to the dealer or shop. The bleeding process is a HUGE pain in the ass. If you do decide to do it yourself do a lot of research before you start, and definitely use a speed bleeder.

 

As BDG said, no need to remove the lid, but flushing/filling is always a good thing as well as a good cleaning of the calipers, and a proper bleeding. Although the VFR has linked brakes, the fronts are really a standalone setup as the rear pedal only does one piston on the left caliper where the front lever does the three right pistions and the "outer" two pistons on the left caliper. It's centrifugal force that triggers the back center piston via the secondary master cylinder on the front left caliper.

Bleeding the brakes, although not overly complicated can be a bit time consuming and without a helper, vacuum bleeder, or speed bleeders, can be even more trying time. I have bled both 5 Gen and 6 Gen systems and too be honest I thought it was going to be more difficult that it turned out. I will say the a vacuum bleeder and/or speed bleeders, if you dont have a helper, makes a world of difference. Coincidently I just bled my 5 Gen this past Saturday by myself and no problems. Although it took a little while getting a few big air pockets out of the front and main rear rear lines, surprisingly, the PCV valve and lines bled pretty easily.

As far as how to improve breaking performance, IMO, steel braided lines & EBC HH brake pads would make a huge difference, at least they did on my 6 Gen. I can actually stop pretty good with just the rear brake pedal and I can do two finger stops using just the front lever.

 

The braking system is definitely not the best, just a bit better than budget bikes, but there are little tricks to improve their overall function.