VF4iR - the project begins

Hey man, nope the short line is in the clear, and fortunately long enough not to kink.

After getting the bike on the ground the other night I push-tested the suspension - whoa.
There's some serious damping in there, which should make for a taut and flickable chassis.
There'll be much suspension tuning to do...
Now I'm horny to ride!

 

Nice! I haven't had that problem, but I should mention that when I attach the mounting face of the hugger to the swingarm, I use double-sided sticky mounting tape so that the fender doesn't shift against the swingarm, then crank down on the monster zip-tie.

Which reminds me - I have to swap my Fender Extender over to the F4 front fender.

 

Almost Done ...

Well, life just gets busier and busier. Remember the 80/20 Rule ? The first 80% of a project takes 20% of the time and the last 20% of the project takes 80% of the time...

In my last write up I posted about a hopefully cool addition I've been waiting to install since I bought it last year - this is it:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00016.JPG

It's a brass quick disconnect double-shutoff fitting for the fuel line. I've been totally bugged by Honda's failure to put in a simple shutoff and disconnect. It's from a company in FL called Small Parts Inc. Now I can remove the tank in 5 minutes with no leaks. I had to buy two to get one, so I have a spare. I bought a donor hose (ebay) just in case in didn't work, but it works perfectly. You might notice that it would rub up against the plug wire and the over pressure return line, so I hunted for a solution - Ah! split wire harness molding! Autozone only carried 3/4" so I tried that but it was just too small. Napa had 1" so I bought a 1' length, used 6".
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00024.JPG
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00077.JPG
It fits perfectly under the tank and almost invisible unless you look for it.

So I finally got down to the suspension settings. I backed all the damping adjustments off to zero, and set the rear preload at about 12 mm. (Note: Hyperpro advises using a static preload (no rider) setting because of the progressive spring. My experience with them is that it works very well. I've done several for several friends, they all loved them. I'd be happy to discuss fork springs and suspension anytime.)
Then I started on the front. Recall that I had my forks rebuilt by Peter Kates of GMD-Boston. He does great work and knows his stuff, but he's a racer guy so he knows and sells RaceTech springs which are straight rate. Anyway, I'm trying to get a 25 mm static sag and the adjusters are just about all the way in ! and the forks are still at 35 mm of sag *sigh* I jacked up the front end, backed off the adjusters, and opened one fork cap.
There was still 10 mm of space above the spacer (40 mm length).
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00035.JPG

I pulled that one apart and rummaged through my spare spacers bucket AHA! two spacers 50 mm long! Perfect!!
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00047.JPG

I swapped them in and started the process over again. This time, with nine turns in I had 25 mm of preload.
I finished up by dialing in some base settings for the damping and I've been waiting for weather to warm up and roads to clear to go for a test ride and bed the brakes. Later on, I'll put up a sound file of my Remus Ti can. It sounds great and it's 6 lbs lighter than stock.

Last month I was reading an article in a wood finishing magazine how an artisan crafted a folk guitar (his first) for a friend of his. His friend, playing it, made the comment about how long it took him to build it, but then realized, that, like playing music, the point is not to get to the end of the song. It immediately struck me how much I enjoy working on these kinds of projects, not just to finish them but to do the work and enjoy the work along the way ('it's the journey, not the destination'). Being a musician, I really liked that sentiment.
Enough of the pop philosophy. The weather looks good to ride saturday. I'll let you know the results (or at least my opinions!)
ciao,

 

And The Verdict Is ...

A qualified success !! Everything works as I had hoped and planned!! How often does *that* happen ?

I headed out about noontime to a local straightaway road to put down several
pad and rotor break-in stops. EBC calls for 100 stops from 70 to 20 mph at medium braking pressure to properly bed in the pads to the rotors. I think I got about 40 or so for the whole ride.
I then headed out some regular routes (Rt 111 in Boxborough for you locals) looking for crappy pavement to test the suspension. I didn't have to look hard or long, and I proceeded to try and find as many reasonable bumps and broken pavement to really work both ends.
The front is a dream; whatever settings I started out with I haven't touched. They soaked up everything I rode over. I could dial the preload back maybe half a turn for a little more suppleness, but it's near perfect. Love. The rear was close but sometime would hammer a bit. I increased the High Speed damping two clicks, which settled it down some, but I think I need to back off the preload half a turn to let the spring move a bit more. Basically, the bike would've been a hoot at a Track Day, but maybe a bit strung for the street. Eh, first day, first ride, it'll come in.
The brakes: At first I was a little concerned. They felt a little mushy and I was putting some pull on the lever. It took many many dedicated break-in stops to bring them up
to serious brake level. Somewhere around the 30th time I started feeling the real braking power kick in, and by the end of the ride (75 mi) they were two-finger stoppie-capable brakes! Nicely progressive, not grabby (those who own or have ridden an F4i know what they feel like). The rear brake (again, a bow to mello dude) WORKS! It actually will stop, and lock the wheel - not that I want to do that, but for comparison's sake it reminds me of the rear brake on my 3Gen 750 (and probably 4Gen as well).
Finally the handling: It is definitely noticeable with that 4.5 lbs missing off of the front wheel. The effort is lighter at the bars and it just snaps into a turn easier. I did notice that it wants to stand up under soft braking more-so than before. Hard to say where that came from but maybe I'll have to adapt to more trail braking to control that.

One last thing: I was also concerned that the quick disconnect might impede fuel flow at high rpms (11K+). I can safely say there was no fuel starvation at ... elevated engine speeds (and no leaks either!!!).
I'll put up some finish pics in a few days. It's just another Red VFR ... ;-)

Thanks to all who've stayed with this over the months and for the great words of encouragement. I'd be happy to discuss particulars with anyone contemplating this change.

NOT going back to LBS, period.
O&O

 

One word "EXCELLENT!"

 

Completion.

After a week or 3 of other stuff (life) and crappy weather getting in the way, I finished the final tuning (Starter Valve Synch) and got the new tires on (Road Attacks) - Ahhhh! THAT'S what it's supposed to handle like! (god I love new tires). So Friday I actually get to ride to work (30 miles) and exercise my Rider Radar (sorry, I'm an MSF Coach). So here are some finished pics:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00037.JPG

Show us some leg!
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00048.JPG

The Remus Ti can and connector pipe is 6 lbs lighter than stock.
I'll make a sound video of it and post it up later.
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00054.JPG

From the left:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00087.JPG

With the rack and tailbox:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00124.JPG

LED tail and brake lights off and on:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00154.JPG
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00144.JPG

One piece of bling:
http://vfrworld.com/photos/data/502/DSCF00167.JPG

Some final thoughts:
Since day one when I bought this bike, I've always felt that the LBS was a nice feature, and it did brake pretty well, but I also felt ambivalent about its usefulness. Getting over the hump of removing it nagged at me longer than it should have. I really studied all angles of how it would feel, what I was giving up vis a vis what I was getting. In the end, I pretty much concluded that the LBS is a great system for newer riders, or older riders not used to modern powerful brakes. It accomplishes the "use both brakes" mentality pretty transparently, and for those riders not skilled enough (or trusting enough) to use both brakes, it gives them an added advantage w/o getting in their way. Many more riders I suspect *are* used to separate braking systems, and are pretty skilled at modulating them. If you think you want the advantage of more brakes and the choice of independent braking, consider the modification.
The suspension change to full damping control is near-nirvana. Not only is the Hyperpro spring (6G non-ABS) rate better than the 5G, but being able to adjust damping to suit your riding is huge (at least for me it is). The slight added stiffness in the forks and lighter weight really plants the front end better than before.
The whole crux of this project pretty much hung on getting the spacers cut to the exact size - and sometime this spring or summer, I'll have Peter measure the bike and see how close I came.
The removal of the PAIR valve and plumbing offers a more responsive throttle off the bottom - no more air being drawn from the airbox to feed the valve. And Starter Valve Synch'ing is a snap!

I hope everyone has a great, safe, riding season. Drop me a line if any of you swing up to N.E. for riding. I know lots of secret backroads ... hehheh

Later,

 

Ace write up,have just fitted f4i forks to my vtec.Iwas recomended hyperpro progressive springs and 15wt oil to suit f4i but i am thinking the spring rate is to soft as the vtec is considerably heavier.I notice you used vtec springs in your f4i forks.Is this ok as they are longer than the f4i ones?I have vtec springs that i could use to keep my budget down.Please help as spring is in the air and i need to get riding.Thanks Mark.l

 

Hi Mark, thanks for reading. Yes, I used the Hyperpro vtec springs in my F4i forks because the F4i springs would be too soft IMO. The vtec springs work great. I used 50mm spacers on top of the spring, so that should tell you there's plenty of room for the spring in the forks. The key to making this all work is getting your suspension settings dialed in - front and rear. Good luck, let us know how it goes!

 

Many thanks Scott will fit them this week.Mark

 

Hi Scott,Fitted the vtec springs and 50mm spacers.What a difference.This is such a good mod to do.I cant believe the amount of exess baggage Ive been able to remove with the linked brakes gone.F4i forks feel plush and confidence inspiring when I went for a test run.A bit more adjustment front and back and it will be perfect.
Thanks again for write up,wouldnt have tackled it otherwise.
Mark

 

f4i front end

Hi Scott,got some great advice from you last year regarding my front end swap on my vtec(fitted f4i front forks)I have now got hyperpro springs for vtec to replace the standard vtec springs in the f4i forks,they came with 7.5wt oil,would you recomend this or should I use a heavier oil.Also what air gap did you go with and finally I presume the springs go in with the progressive end of the spring upwards.I weigh 10 stone and do mainly mid to fast road riding.Still in awe of your build.Look forward to your advice,thanks,Mark

 

Excellent!! Glad to hear you're enjoying the swap. First, you want to put the close-wound coils (also referred to as the softer rate coils) downward, at the wheel end. That lets the wheel dictate the fork movement because the softer rate will move by wheel movement. If they were up at the top, the chassis weight and weight shift would move the spring. Fork oil: If you're using stock F4i dampers you may get better results with a 10W oil. There's not much difference between 7.5 and 10, and it may come down to personal preference. The real change will be in the damper settings (compression and rebound). Air gap: Again, this may be personal preference. I have custom valves in my forks, running 7.5W with 130mm air gap - but the valves are tighter (more restrictive) so there's no real comparison. I think if I were using stock dampers, I'd use 10W oil with a 140mm air gap, tweak my settings to a good starting point and then go ride and feel what I like and don't like. The air gap really comes in to play in full-on braking to limit fork collapse, again different riders will want different feel. Hope that helps, let me (us) know how it works out. Cheers!

 

f4i front snd

Many thanks Scott,will follow your advice and let you know how I get on.
Glad I asked about which way round the springs go as the instructions that came with them were a bit vague.It looks like they say to put them in with the progressive end up.
Hopefully do the mods this weekend.
Thanks again for your help,Mark

 

f4i front end

Hi Scott,put the hyperpro springs with new bushes and seals in today,went with 10w oil in the end. what a difference.the f4i forks were way better than the vtec ones but now the f4i's are even better.Thanks for your advice throughout my swap.
Even got the sag set perfectly at 25mm.Job is done.Best bike in the world. Also fitted dunlop sportsmart tyres last week,they are like glue and would recomend them highly(dont think they will last as long as my roadsmarts)Thanks again for your help,Mark

 

Excellent Again! Glad you're enjoying the improved suspension Mark! Ride safe, but ride alot !!
Cheers!