1994 RVF400R Build Project

you are keeping us on tenterhooks...

 

Getting excited ..... almost there

 

Yeah, was just talking to my project manager about working with Mike to get him access to the engine on Saturday. Alas, I won't be around for the festivities. At this point, it would just be nice to cross it off the "needs to get done" list. It's gonna be awhile before I can actually get it assembled, but as it sits, I can't even start. So I do have that going for me

 

Mike is on his way. Bringing the new bits, as well as, a new set of HRC height velocity stacks and some new mains for the carbs.....more news, as I get it.

 

Bring on the fun! I need some entertainment after this crappy week in Texas.

 

Hey JM, was actually wondering the other day how you were getting along. I hope you and your family are well and ya didn't suffer any serious property damage. Stay warm, my friend!

 

Thanks for the karma....we are fine no damage to the water pipes thank goodness. No power for 2 days, had 48F in the house for 2 solid days. We have NO winter clothes to speak of, as we don't need them. Our animals were shivering, I felt really bad for them.

I am in and around the Texas power industry and saw this coming a LONG time ago. It is not profitable to have back up grid power so guess who gets screwed?

Anyway, questions are being asked and hopefully we will come to realize that maybe our electrical grid model in Texas is BAD?

Oh, and it was not the "green energy" that took us out, it was mostly natural gas freezing in the pipelines that took out most of the facilities. SO many lies and fingers being pointed. /Rant over!

 

Ron, can you ask mike to take some pics please...

 

At this point, I'm not going to ask him for anything....Apparently, TSA made him check his carry on, and in the process of going back through security, he somehow lost his drivers license. Got to Tucson, couldn't rent a car and he was barely able to check into his hotel. He might not even be able to catch his flight on Monday to leave.....Think I'll just leave him alone for now. He's kinda starting to freak me out with the seemingly endless chain of bad juju and shit that seems to be following him.....I just hope it all works out good, for him, and me. I need this to go away.

 

well wishing good things from this side of the pond anyway...

 

As far as I can tell, Mike doesn't deserve any of this shit that has happened. The guy is just a great dude, hands down. There has never been a time when he hasn't answered any of my stupid questions, offered to help with information, or to share his vast amount of knowledge with me. It pains me to see the man get repeatedly smashed with no apparent explanation for why. I will stick with Mike, no matter what. He has earned it.

 

Mike has made it, my PM has him set up in my garage and he's getting ready to perform surgery.



He was giving me some shit about how anal I am, due to how organized my workspace is....I had to give him a polite yeah, fuck you Norman

 

Told him you guys wanted pics.....







Porting - Intake Side

 

Bad intake valves have been replaced with new on both heads. Mike's getting ready to bolt it all up and check valve lash. Contacted my boys at Musselman's Honda and they have all of the "KRT" small diameter shims in stock, just in case. Waiting on the word....

 

And it's done. Only took Mike 4 hours.









It has been a long and bumpy road to today, but I always knew Mike Norman would deliver. Can't say enough good things about his commitment and customer service. Now the onus is on me to start putting it back together. Interested to see how she finally dyno's out.

 

Great story, sorry he is having so much trouble. Seems like a really great dude.

-Jim

 

He got it all straightened out with TSA this morning, he will be able to fly as planned. We are now having a discussion about oversized custom rads that he designed, manufactured, and tested. He's gonna send me a prototype set when I can mount them up and I'm going to see about designing a fan mount to possibly mount two SPAL fans for NC30 and NC35's, so he can begin producing the rads for street bikes and start selling them. I have a set of Radtec rads that I had fabricated in the UK, but he is telling me the 428 engine will require more cooling than that. So now I have another project. Also ordered some pretty trick stuff from Tyga and Braketech today, figure I had already gone all out, may as well finish it proper.

 

Fantastic ! The reason it only took 4hrs is due to you being so organised... awesome job all round. Did he like your bikes?

 

We are also interested to see how she dyno’s out. Glad to hear Mike got things worked out with TSA. I also found my license missing at the airport once. Luckily I went back to the counter and my coworker saw it down between the scale and the counter.
We all know the V4’s run hot. Do you think they are all somewhat under cooled?