VF 500 front end swap

[vegita65]

Im new to the vfr world.

I just picked up the deal of the year.

1986 vf500 with 6,000 original miles.

Got it from the original owner, never been wrecked,
bike was striped of bodywork, and stored correctly in 99.

body work was stripped and primed, and the guy broke his back.
I hooked up some jumper cables, sprayed in some starting fluid and it started up.


Bike has a clean title, very very little rust, new tires, all for the price of $100 bucks.




Only question is, I know the 650 hawk front end is a direct bolt on. and the cbr600f2 front end will bolt on the the hawk, But will a 95 f3 front end bolt on to the 500? Ive got one sitting in my garage.

Also has anyone done the honda hawk single sided swingarm swap?

[JamieDaugherty]

The CBR front end might not be as easy as you think. The steering stem fits perfectly but you need to check all clearances carefully. When I considered this I found some clearance issues with the front tire to the engine. This was a long time ago so it's probably worth revisiting. Let us know what you find out.

[vegita65]

ok cool
I just needed to make sure The steering stem is the same length.
I know it uses the same bearings

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

ok cool
I just needed to make sure The steering stem is the same length.
I know it uses the same bearings

Yes, it is the same length. See my previous post where I state that it's a direct fit.

[vegita65]

I know I did read your post lol. I just said that I needed to . meaning in the past, i know it now.


Ive got the front end on now. Only issue is with the steering stops. But thats not to bad of an issue.



Does anone know If a 650 hawk, or vfr single sided swingarm will bolt on without fram mods?

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

Does anone know If a 650 hawk, or vfr single sided swingarm will bolt on without fram mods?

On the 500 you probably won't have to modify the frame, but the NT650 swingarm would need quite a bit of machining. You would also need to design and fabricate new pivot bearings and mounting bolts. Those would be pretty difficult for the average person. It's most important to maintain the wheel center line with the center line of the chassis. Most guys who attempt these kinds of projects totally miss this point and just fit the 'new' part however it's easiest to do. If the wheel is off center, even just 1mm, you would have the equivalent of a bent frame. We all know how bad that is!

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

Ive got the front end on now. Only issue is with the steering stops. But thats not to bad of an issue.

Sorry for the double reply...

Did you check the clearances between the wheel/fender and the radiator and front cylinder head? These need to be checked with the forks at full compression (I usually remove the fork caps and springs to check this) and you need to have clearance over the entire range of steering movement. This is where I noticed potential problems.

[vegita65]

I dont have the fender on, But I dont see anywere it will hit .

I had me and my freind (410lbs together) sitting on the front end and my dad checking and as long as the front end id mostly straight, it will not hit anything.


THe tire is bald, and I dont have the fender on, so im going to put a new set of tires on it, and the fender and see what I get,



Im going to check one thing though. I have to put new steering bearings, wheel bearings, and send the forks off to racetech for my 06 cbr600rr. Ive already checked, and they use the same bearings as the vf500, If I can get the steering stem to work, Ill buy a 05 and up cbr front end for the 500.

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

I dont have the fender on, But I dont see anywere it will hit .

I had me and my freind (410lbs together) sitting on the front end and my dad checking and as long as the front end id mostly straight, it will not hit anything.

Man, it's a heck of a lot easier to just unscrew the fork caps and let the forks totally compress. Just hanging on the front end won't really tell you the whole story.

What do you mean by "as long as the front end is mostly straight"? You need to always have clearance, from lock to lock. This includes the fender, if it hits then it could bind against the tire. Not good.

Originally Posted by vegita65

Im going to check one thing though. I have to put new steering bearings, wheel bearings, and send the forks off to racetech for my 06 cbr600rr. Ive already checked, and they use the same bearings as the vf500, If I can get the steering stem to work, Ill buy a 05 and up cbr front end for the 500.

Did you run a quick measurement of the 600RR forks? I think they are even shorter than the F4's. Another bad part is the clip-on location, it would hit the fairing in a big way. Bar risers are an option for that, but I think you'll find even more clearance issues with the front wheel on the 600RR forks.

[vegita65]

Thats y im going to make some measurments when I get a chance.

Im not using the f4 front end, Ive got the f3 front end. Right now im just mocking stuff up. ANd Im not using the fugly upper fairing. Im either going to be using a nice bucket assembly, or mounting some sort of custom fairing and making some headlight work.

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

Im not using the f4 front end, Ive got the f3 front end.

In that case I think the 600RR forks are even shorter yet. You had better be really careful with your checking or else your swap could come to a disastrous end.

Originally Posted by vegita65

ANd Im not using the fugly upper fairing.

WHOA! There are many of us, myself included, that think the looks of the early VF's are excellent. In fact, some newer bikes are still using that style, for whatever that's worth.

[vegita65]

Yeah all the bikes that havnt changed since the 80s, line the ex500. lol

I think The tank, tail and lower chin on the vf500 looks bad ass. But the upper is just busted. I might go with a sv650 race upper and make some headlights work.


And dont worry about my swap ending in disater lol. This isnt my first rodeo, All I needed to know is alittle info. I can make anything work, I just dont want to start cutting on this bike. Its pretty darn nice. I just want to update the suspension alittle, and update the fairing.

[loopsandlogic]

And for the sake of many interested party's, please post pics!!!

-LL

[vegita65]

Didnt think it would matter, Seems like no one knows anything, or are interested in these bikes at all. Ive had one person reply to my add.

[JamieDaugherty]

Originally Posted by vegita65

Seems like no one knows anything, or are interested in these bikes at all.

Can you please elaborate on this comment? There are plenty of people out there who love these bikes. Just look at the community on this forum alone! A couple of us have tried to help you out with your project, there is tons of experience here. All you need to do is ask!

[vegita65]

I did ask, ANd it took 4 days for one person to respond.

Guess I was hoping to get more of a responce. See howmany people on here have this bike. And Looks like no one really mods them much.

[ddeford]

Originally Posted by vegita65

I did ask, ANd it took 4 days for one person to respond.

Guess I was hoping to get more of a responce. See howmany people on here have this bike. And Looks like no one really mods them much.

Interesting ... I was specifically searching for the GT650 swingarm swap and found this thread.

I've had quite a few responses on this forum. Many of the newer VFR riders started out on Interceptors and are still enjoying the V4s. Jamie's one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to the old Interceptors and has answered a few of my questions directly as well as indirectly (by looking at posts to others' questions). I wouldn't knock that it took him 4 days to respond.

I'm interested in seeing your final outcome. I've been thinking about what to do with mine as far as mods go. I might be one of the few though. The 500s are such a cult classic that most people just want to restore them as opposed to modify them.

It's unfortunate there are so few of them on the road anymore, because finding parts can be pretty hard. They're fun bikes though.

[vegita65]

I havnt touched mine In a while. I need to get a battery, then Try and start it again. Then I have to take off the front end again, and rebuild it.


I put on a RC51 mastercylinder on it, and ill be putting on a superhawk clutch master on it.

[reg71]

Originally Posted by vegita65

Didnt think it would matter, Seems like no one knows anything, or are interested in these bikes at all. Ive had one person reply to my add.

While it might seem that way, there have been 245 views to the dialog between you and Jamie so far. Many people are following what you are up to and even more will be checking it out if there are pics. And even though sometimes it takes days for someone who actually knows something about what you are trying to do, just imagine trying to actually FIND a person the old fashioned way. It could takes months. We are over 11000 registered members so chances are a few people around here have some experience in what you are doing and if not, you can be the one to post a how-to with pics for everyone so that the next guy that says 'hey can this fit here?' can look at your messages and say 'hell yeah!'