Winter Conversion

After considerable thought about which bike to buy in 2017 I simply could not make a decision. Superbikes are way too hard edge for long rides. All newer VFR's were definitely possibly but did not happen. I missed pulling the trigger on several pristine 1990+ VFR's, and other bikes so I stopped looking.

So I thought hard about doing a modern conversion of my '86 VFR700 for about 6 months and read every type of wheel and suspension conversion I could find. I first set certain goals on this project. First was no budget and only near perfect parts were going on this bike. No damaged parts that needed to be repainted. White wheels to match the original wheels. No stock VFR parts will be damaged. Not a long term project.

The first search was for CBR600F2 wheels and found a very nice rear white '91 wheel in perfect shape. No cartridge CBR600 forks could be found so I decided on an excellent complete 98 Superhawk VTR1000 forks with axle and spacers. This was even better because I could go with 4 piston calipers. And, on the Superhawk site there was an upgrade to CBR F4 calipers which I did. I bought them as a set also. The next find was a near perfect front CBRF2 white front wheel. Both wheels were perfect on my truing stand. I did considerable measuring of forks and wheels to be sure the front end was compatible. The front end went together with stock VTR front spacer and CBRF2 speedo drive. The rotors were dead center in the almost perfect F4 calipers.

My machinist did a great job of installing a VFR steering stem and MCI bearings into the VTR lower triple. I removed the bearing races and installed roller bearing races. Perfect fit. I made custom aluminum stops. The forks were completely rebuilt with new seals, bushings, RT 0.9Kg springs, comp and rebound gold valves installed by me. And a rear shock from Jamie.

I decided after lots of research on Metzler Sportec M7's and had them installed. I balanced them. After the tires were installed, it really got me motivated to finish this project as I was headed to Pruhdoe Bay Alaska in April. The most fun was picking the Galfer Wave rotors, HH brake pads, chain and sprockets, '97 VFR clipons, GP Ergo alum throttle, Galfer brake lines, Koso Mini 3, various billet goodies and a great many Ti fasteners from the UK.

I used a F2 rear caliper mount but built it a better way and used an F4 caliper so I could keep my Galfer brake hose. My machinist got flooded out and was weeks behind so I could not have it welded. I will show that project later. The rear end went together perfectly without making spacers but my machinist is making Ti spacers when he gets caught up.

The pipe and the shock linkage was tight. The pipe took a little shaping to get it to fit. Most fasteners were replaced with Ti fasteners as I went except special Honda bolts or high strength fasteners like rotor or caliper mount bolts. They may be strong enough though.

Two days before I was set to fly to Alaska to work, I finally got two short rides in to check alignment and just to feel how different the new build was. It is a very different machine now!

When I returned home the real testing began. First was brake bedding in and chain/wheel alignment again. The new suspension was firm but compliant and a very modern feel. Race Tech's DVS valving was right on. The front end was about 40mm lower and felt really planted during an easy canyon ride. Again, I did not get much riding in due to unpredictable weather.

The Metzlers were chosen from lots of experience with them and they felt very predictable. They were developed for street racing like the IOM which just ended and the roads in the Rockies are similar with rocks, sand, mud and moisture at any time. Turning was much less twitchy and took more effort but not much more. This really feels like a modern sport bike.

Now I am home again and it is summer and I can finally post this. I have time for serious testing finally. From what I have already noticed, this bike will never go back to stock. I do have a few parts that have not arrived yet like CF front fender instead of the '05 VTR fender, which actually looks nice and a smoke windshield.

Of course I have hundreds of pics during the conversion which could end up in nauseating detail. It is much easier to show the finished bike right now so I can ride after many long months of winter and a wet spring. Thank you everyone who has done this conversion and spent much time sharing it here and other blogs. 2Wheel Drift.

 

Very nice job, one of the nicest 86 I've seen.
It's all in the details



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You should be proud of that job, you deserve it.
While your at it, you might want to add a VTR front fork brace.
Top job.
I've always had a soft spot for the 86 white. It was my first experience with a VFR (750, no 700's here)

 

Nice job!

Would you please elaborate on the rear shock from Jamie? Stock shock re-worked?

Also you say, "The rear end went together perfectly without making spacers". Not sure what you mean by this, besides the obvious. You mean you used a combination of stock spacers? I am skeptical the rear wheel is centered properly.

Not trying to pick it apart. It looks amazing. Just curious, as I have done this and like hearing how other people solved certain problems.

Mike.

 

Thank you for the kind words about this bike. I appreciate it!! I really thought everyone had seen enough of these conversions and it was really not worth posting. Mike, your conversion was really enjoyable reading and pix of your track build also. The only thing that is missing on most of these conversions is the follow up riding and critique about the handling, ride comfort and such. Maybe everyone is is out riding and could care less!!

As far the as rear shock it is a shock Jamie built for the bike. He thinks this bike has an '87 frame as it is a F2. He had to modify the hose where it exits the shock into a 90 degree exit. They are modified CBR F2 or F3 shocks and dialed in from him. I mounted the remote res behind the LS tail section and out of sight. There is a section of highway I have picked out for more suspension testing with whoops and other fun surprises for just this. As usual I am waiting for the weather to cooperate.

Two of the rear spacers are from a CBR F3 RR wheel. I ordered a F3 axle with spacers out of curiosity and liked the flange spacer for the LS of the wheel. It was 14mm wide. The middle spacer was used between the wheel and CBRF2 brake mount. The F3 wheel seal was needed also.

I bought CBR600F2 and F3 brake mounts and calipers to experiment with. I chopped the end off the F2 bracket and built a mount that is above the disc and similar to the stock VFR height for the brake stay mount. The RS spacer is from the VFR rear but I do not remember which side. A 1mm spacer could not slide between the brake arm and spacer. When the rear axle was just finger tight, it pulled up the space. I am having Ti spacers made and the LS is slightly wider though.

After testing, the bike was put back on the swing arm stand. The chain seemed aligned well with no wear on the inner side of the chain. The bike tracked very well and quiet but I have one last test to check alignment with a laser while it is on the stand.

I hope this answers your questions.

Instead of calling this another Frankenviffer, I gave IT a new name --- The RC262-V. Ed

 

Thanks for the info!

Is your U-shaped linkage piece cast or two plates welded to a collar? Cast = 86. Welded = 87. The gold colored crankcase covers heavily suggest an 86. The FII was a limited edition for 1986, I have one as well. Then it was the only option in 87, with black crankcase covers. If you have an 87 and ever want a little more rear ride height, you can install the triangular linkage piece from an 86. 87 shocks were 10mm longer than 86 shocks.

The 86/87 shocks are some of the shortest mono shocks Honda made, which makes conversions a little more involved. If you have any picks of the shock before the install please post, would love to see how they are modified for the 86/87. I have had Jamie do 2 shocks for me, an F2 shock for my VF1000F, and an F3 shock for one of my 1000Rs, but of course he has to add a bunch of length for those.

14mm is pretty much the magic number for the chain side, but I've read somebody finalizing on 14.5mm. Up to 15mm is still very reasonable. The rest is just centering the rotor and making up the remainder. So an F3 chain side spacer huh? I had 2 complete sets machined out of stainless at my last job, with one set designed for a stock caliper bracket that you can use with a certain Triumph rotor.

Again, nice job.
Mike.

 

Mike,
The first shock pic is before Jamie added a 90 degree hose fitting, and braided hose. It would not fit without it. That it why he thinks it is a newer frame but it is clearly an '86 F2 with a very low frame number. The second shock is with the new hose fitting and next installed. You can see why the first shock hose did not fit. The U arm is pictured also.

The modified caliper mount is next. I did not know if the caliper mount was T6 or T7. T7 is considered not weldable so I epoxied and screwed it together. It is very strong. My machinist's shop was flooded anyway so no welding and this is considered a working mock-up. I wanted to use my new tap and die kit and mostly unused drill press also. I built it this way to use the OEM mount bolt on the brake stay arm and to get it above the disc for safety like stock.

The flanged spacer from the F3 looked like a VFR spacer and stronger that the F2 spacer. The sprocket mount studs are close to the swingarm but about 3mm away. Right now I am hoping for good weather so I can ride. Ed

 

Thank you for posting those. The shock looks great.

I like your "working mock-up". I was not 100% happy with my rear caliper bracket/brake stay solution, but I didn't like any other solutions that I had seen without having something custom machined. Mine came out good, looks decent and works well allowing clearance for the wider rim, but I'm not thrilled about it being slightly rotated back (really just the aesthetic, it doesn't affect anything). I also utilized the stock shouldered bolt so it can be properly torqued. But some time in the future I will revisit it with another bracket I have.

Thanks again and good job !
Mike.

 

Thanks Mike! I hope you are riding soon. These are way better bikes now.

A few repairs were needed also like the clutch slave rebuilt and an oil change, with a PC Racing(K&P) SS filter. I also built a much better custom ground wire using Marine grade tinned 6 AWG wire, sealed FTZ terminals and adhesive shrink wrap. They should come from the factory this way. Then I wired up a Koso Mini 3 to watch the voltage. Speedbleeders were installed. What a timesaver!! This bike should be good for at least another decade. Ed

 

Fantastic job there 2Wheel.
Just wondering how much fork travel you have.,from full extension (top of rubber seal) to underside of bottom yoke. And are your fork tops level with top of handle bars.

 

Tedric,

Thank you for the compliment! The fork full travel is close to the bottom yoke but not touching. I think the VTR1000 travel is 4.6" and there is about 5" . These '98 forks came with the horn also which needed to have the bracket bent up or it may get hit by the fender if the forks bottom out. The forks are level with the top of the clipons. Now that I am satisfied with the position of the clipons, they need to be pinned like the VTR and VFR are pinned in case of a tip over. I may lower forks into the upper triple tree about 5mm at the same time I pin the clipons.

These forks are 778mm, CBR's 780mm and the stock VFR at 836mm. The front end feels very planted and great feel with no twichiness at all like you would expect with lowering the front end 40mm. But, I am not even near dragging a knee yet with sand and gravel still on the roads.

I actually got a break today from stormy, windy mountain weather to ride my favorite canyon road. There was a big surprise waiting for me.... lots of cows with jumpy calves. So only a small amount of a 17 mile curvy canyon was open to fast riding and most of it was dodging bovine deposits.

It is like getting used to a new bike on every ride though. The front brakes can sure make the front tire howl and the forks never get near bottoming with 1 finger. If I used the F4 MC it would add even more braking power. It is 15.87mm and the '07 VFR MC is 14mm. Both are axial and not radial. Not needed though. Ed

 

Hows things with the bike, hope u getting some miles and smiles under your belt.
How did u get the speedo drive to stop turning as the vtr forks have no lug.

 

Monday was a great day for a ride down to Flaming Gorge Dam in Utah. This is about 70 miles of very fast to tight curves all the way to the dam. It was also a good ride for suspension testing. In my cars there are whoops along the way nearing the dam but not on the bike. Very predictable. The suspension just soaked it all up. Well, most of it. The first part of the ride is rough pavement in any vehicle but not bone jarring, just bumpy.

This suspension and wheel/tire setup felt very planted, smooth and predictable. Way fun in the fast corners. Just a slight body move in the corner direction and ye old VFR turned with very little effort. Dam, smooth.

Tomorrow I will try to post a few pix of the ride but the speedo stop is hard to explain. I may have a photo of it. I am currently in Alaska working since Tuesday and may not have all photos with me. Thanks for asking. Ed

 

The speedo stop pic took considerable searching through my available pix I have with me. I have a much better one at home which is a close-up. The lower fork pinch bolts only go through the fork leg so far. I found a short button cap M8 allen bolt, a large diameter washer and then screwed them in from the back side of the pinch bolt. I also used a slightly shorter pinch bolt. The washer contacted the speedo cable and will keep the speedo from turning counterclockwise. Some guys use no stop.
I have plans to fab a "Y" shape bracket and replace the washer. The "Y" part will go around the cable and stop it both ways just for security. The other pix are from a 120 mile RT ride to Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir in Utah and Wyoming. The only non windy or rainy day on my 11 days off. Very good ride.

 

Righto got that, thank you very much. Fantastic views by the way.

 

Tedric,
You are welcome. My front fender arrived the afternoon I was flying to work and I finally had time to resize the pix so they would download. All are huge files and needed work for easy download. I have numerous conversion photos but they all need to be sorted and resized at a later date if I am going to start a new thread later.

The mounting holes on the fender from Power****onze did not fit perfectly and there was no time to work on it. I doubt that it will take much work to make it fit but I had a plane to catch. The fender looks very well made though. I now have time to decide if it should be partially painted, or left raw CF.

When I get home later in July and the weather cooperates, a longer trip to see much more of Flaming Gorge is planned. Ed