Hi Recently bought the above from a dealer with 33k on the clock. As it did not have much history but appears to be in reasonable condition for it's age, I proceeeded. I could do with some advice on the following points please: 1. I have the cylinder head covers off to check the valve clearances (Service book says they were done by a dealer, but you can never be sure these days). What is the easiest way to access the shims to measure the gaps on the front cylinder? Should I buy a set of stepped feeler gauges from Snap-on? 2. The collector box is looking like it is past it's best, so have been considering exchanging it for a stainless system. As the pipes will neve have been removed from the bike before, what is the best way of removing the nuts which are bound to be stuck tighter than a duck's arse. 3.Would it be better to take the engine out at this point, and give everything a good clean down? I am in no rush to get the bike on the road as I have a Blade I'm running at the moment. If so, how much work am I looking at? 4. the fron brake pistons are partially stuck on. I took them off today and pushed the pads apart, and when I squeezed the lever, the outer pistons did not move as much as they should have done. Everything is dirty and tired looking so would it be worth pursuing this further? The bike hs recently had new pads fitted but the bike had been sitting in the dealer's for a while before I bought it. 5.Should I change the coolant? Don't want much do I, so hopefully someone is feeling generous. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply. K
Hey Duck, I bought a 98 about two years ago that showed signs of being stored outside, had some of the same issues your seeing. 1. A good high quality set of feeler gauges with a 45 deg bend on the end work well. You might want to drop the oil cooler down to get at the front gaps better. 2. I bought a Delkevic stainless exhaust system to replace the stock one that had seen it's day. The Delkevic fit really good, no problems. I had it ceramic coated right after I bought to help contain some of the heat in the pipe and away from the engine. A couple of days before you get ready to start taking the pipes off, start soaking those nuts with some PB Blaster. If a stud starts coming out of the head with the nut, just keep going ..slowly, patience is key here. When your putiting the new pipes back on make sure you use a torque wrench also. 3. Really no need to take the engine out, spend your time and effort on other parts of the bike, like electrical, that will yield better results. 5. I changed my coolant to Engine Ice. I also removed the stock cooling fan from the radiator, switched to the fan from the VTR and installed a coolant temp sensor switch that turns on at 185-190, about 10 degrees sooner than the stock. All these changes have helped make the bike run a few degrees cooler and stops it from getting into the 210+ range. Read forum about having a hot VFR. 6. Take the pads out, put some wood blocks in thick enough that will allow the pistons to extend out enough without letting them come out to run some fine emery cloth over the pistons to get rid of the brake dust/dirt buildup on them that prevents them from going back into the caliper. Cover your mouuth and face and Blow the caliper clean with some compressed air. 7. Check the charging system! You should have 14.8v going back to the battery at 4000rpms. If you start seeing 14.4 or less, go through all the ground and connection points for the charging system from the stator, the regulator/rectifier, grounds to the frame and battery. Personally, I switched over to the Reg/Rec unit from Ricks Electric. Rick's uses MOSFET transistors which run cooler and give you all the charging volts you need back to your battery starting at a lower rpm. You might want to test your stator output too. Mine was burnt on one phase, but only failed test when engine was at full temp. Throw some new spark plugs in it while you have everything open. I like the NGK Iridium plugs. Get rid of the PAIR system. This won't get you anymore power, it will probably get rid of any exhaust popping during downshifts your probably hearing. Also if you ever take your bike to be tuned on a dyno the PAIR system needs to be blocked off to get a accurate AFR reading. When your all done with everything else, you should install the A&A Perf supercharger on the bike so you can tell the liter bike guys their bikes need help. Cheers
