VF1000R rebuild

Discussion in '1st & 2nd Generation 1983-1989' started by hopit88, May 17, 2009.

  1. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Thanks bud.

    Rear wheel was my first try at powder coating. I put too much on and I didn't have my foot on the electric charge button for the first few seconds...go figure. It looked nice then but after a few scrubbings , it lost it's shine. I stripped it down and re-shot it this past weekend and just got the tire mounted today. Looks way better.

    Rear wheel 2.0
    [​IMG]


    Looks grey but it's bright white. Should have it on tomorrow then I'll mount the new sprockets and chain and have a roller.
     
  2. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    I bought a very low mile radiator since mine was very long in the tooth. The fins on the new one were perfect. I took it to a radiator shop for a flush just to be safe. The guy did a great job and even freshened it up with a misting of black radiator paint...it looked brand new. In putting together the RC51 front end, the stock rad screen was removed just to get that extra bit of clearance. Now with the custom triples, there's no worries of contact with the fender. As I was looking at the stock screen, it was looking kind of faded with some flaws here and there, so I decided to hunt down some screen material.

    While pouring through some options online(none of which I liked), I noticed a filing tray on my desk. It had black screen material and looked like it wouldn't block much air. So...out came the snips.

    [​IMG]


    The cool part is, it has rows of rounded ridges across the face for strength which gives it a nice detail rather than just a piece of flat mesh. I gently slid in a wide putty knife along the edges to make room for the mesh then gently squeezed the edges back down to hold it. It's rock solid and has no flex at all. We'll see how long it lasts outdoors but in the meantime, I think it looks pretty good

    [​IMG]
     
  3. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Without exception, the original fans are the most antiquated part of my bike now. They look old and have cycled on and off for 100k+ miles over 28 years. They MUST be dog tired. I've seen some guys replacing their stock fans or complimenting the stock fan with a Spal made slim fan. I decided to try a pair to see if I notice any difference in cooling.

    [​IMG]

    The plug is even the same for a 28 year old bike...who would have guessed?
    [​IMG]

    They are the 5.2" and measure out at 5.5" with the housing. They definitely pull a lot more air than the stockers but now I'm thinking that 2 are over kill. The stockers are housed in a metal shroud that is full of gaps and holes and it doesn't seat tight against the fins while the Spal's sit down tight with all available suction going to pulling air through the radiator. The difference is night and day in pulling power,

    If you look at a modern CBR radiator, the fan is tiny compared to the surface area of the radiator...like 1/5th to 1/6th of the surface?
    [​IMG]

    Seems like a really strong fan covering 1/3rd to 1/4(counting the upper rad as well) would be fine...no? I test fit a location on a spare radiator and like what I see for coverage.
    [​IMG]

    I have 2 and can certainly mount both I'm just thinking why rob extra juice while in slow traffic when 1 will suffice. I'm going with one for now and see how it goes. If sound is any indicator, this one is pulling more air than the stock antiques.
     
  4. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    For the first time since I bought my R back in 1985, it has sprung a leak in the petcock. Like many models here, the R's parts availability is rather dismal so I was rather pleased when I saw the seal was still kickin' around. The original has performed wonderfully for 28 years and through many New England winter/summer cycles. The old one will take it's place on the shelf-of-fame in my garage as a fitting thank you.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Quick update. After 1k miles, the stick coils(see here...http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-generation-1983-1989/42677-modern-stick-coils-coil-plug-my-r.html) and Spal fan are working perfectly. I wanted to wait and see before giving my blessing. We've had some hot weather in the past 2 months so it was a good test. I can feel the heat coming out of the engine area much more than the stock fans. I have a manual switch so if the temp starts to climb or I anticipate stopped traffic, I'll flip the switch and never see 3/4 on the gauge.

    Also the new 45 tooth rear sprocket really helps the old girl pull. What a difference from the 43 that was on there.
     
  6. GreyVF750F

    GreyVF750F Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2008
    Messages:
    3,268
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    51
    Location:
    West of Cleveland Ohio
    Map

    What's good for the goose is good for the gander. After putting the R fairing on my bike, it has a tendency to run hotter 35mph and under. I added the third fan to the bottom rad connected to the manual switch also and I can cool it down in 100* weather even. Same scenario as you. I use my fans more with the fairing than I ever have. Though no problem in cooling it down. I also upped my rear sprocket from 44 to 46. Feels like going from 3:23 gears to 3:55's. Just a little more kick at all rpms. Easier to ride around town.

    Did your R always run hotter at lower speeds/traffic. I can see why they put the other rad at the top behind the light to always get air. I don't think my bottom rad gets enough air behind the tire at low speeds to do any good. With the fan on it now it really cools quickly and still keeps the gauge about 1/4- 3/8 when fans are on. Have any idea what temps those might be?
     
  7. hopit88

    hopit88 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 17, 2009
    Messages:
    707
    Likes Received:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    33
    My R and others I know have run hot. Not sold on the upper radiator. There's more air flow with the '85 headlight over the '86 setup but both are weak if you ask me. The problem is, once the air enters the fairing and eventually gets to the radiator, the plastic surround that is RIGHT behind the rad keeps the air from moving cleanly through and out. It hits a "brick wall" and must find a way out/down. I'm sure Mama Honda was trying to keep hot air from entering the air box snorkels, which are right there, but IMO, at the expense of clean flow through the upper rad. My next resto-mod will have the rad moved from up top to down low like the 750's with a small fan of it's own like your set up, something I started to do with my current R but didn't. Can't think of any V4 race bikes with an upper rad...for a good reason is my guess.

    No idea on the temp numbers for the gauge.
     
Related Topics

Share This Page