It's Alive!

After having been in pieces all over the garage all winter, got the final part (R/R) yesterday & rode to see a friend this morning. Good to be back in the saddle!





Over the winter, upgraded to AllBalls tapered roller bearings in the headset, dropped the triple tree down on the forks, replaced the OEM R/R with a MOSFET unit, changed oil/filter, coolant, bled the clutch & brake lines, replaced a broken brake handle, installed new Michelin PR4 tires, new H4 headlight bulbs, LED instrument panel lights & a general shakedown/bolt tightenig.

I can say dropping the tree @ 5 mm made a significant difference in turn-in &general "tossability".

LOVING the PR4 tires!

 

Tires probably contributed to that feeling too. Nice to be back on the road huh:eagerness:
John

 

I'm sure, but I can DEFINITELY feel the geometry difference. Wondering if it will affect stability much....

I had some leftover parts...anyone recognize where these screws go?? I took them out in September 2013 & don't remember. ...

 

I don't think your stability will be affected in a negative manner, 5mm doesn't seem like very much. I commented about the tires because I believe that the PR4's are pretty stiff and that tends to make the steering feel a bit more nimble. Like you, I made more than one change at a time so can't say with certainty what exactly did what. Last year I put on PR3's, had JD work both front and rear suspenders, flipped the shock linkage triangles, and dropped the front 9mm. I'm a little vertically challenged so the slight lowering of the bike (as well as the improved suspension) has made the bike more stable in my opinion.
As far as those screws go, I don't recognize them on my 6th gen. That shoulder they have makes me think they are fasteners for the Tupperware.
Much luck and be safe
John

 

Coarse threads, possibly threads into something plastic?

 

I may be wrong but I have done some PDR work on quite a few Mini Coopers and those screws look an awful lot like the ones that secure the HID ballast to the bottom of the headlight housing in the Mini. Correct me if I am wrong but is that a Mini Cooper beside your bike?? Perhaps they're not from the bike.

Also so noticed the inner windscreen covers are missing but I thought those were installed with small machine screws. Only other thing I can think of is the air box cover screws??

 

Yes, it's a Mini Cooper....my landlord's girlfriend's car. Unless they put those screws in with the ones from my bike (set aside specifically on a towel for my bike parts), not likely. They are tiny screws....wondering if they held something in the instrument panel, but I don't recall taking them out of anything.

I have never had the inner windscreen pieces (missing when I bought the bike) & they are held with a bolt. Air box screws are much larger.

I'm certain they go into plastic....just can't figure out which part~

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. No love yet~

 

How tall are the screws? Perhaps from the back of the instrument cluster if you took it apart??

 

don't worry about spare parts -save the weight-put on bench and figure it out latter!:twitch:

 

Those screws are only about 1/2 inch long.

Tool her out for a spirited ride thru some twisties this evening before dark. Handled beautifully. Hard to believe this is the same bike I rode last summer. Driving the tree down 5 millimeters made a huge difference in the turn-in. It makes this bike feel 100 lbs lighter!

A strange thing happened right before I get home. On my street I tested a REALLY hard braking from about 50 miles an hour and the front chattered really hard fore & aft like I've not experienced before. Not sure if it was the tire chattering on the pavement or something with the fork. I was slowed down to @ 10 my when it happened. Startled the sh*t out of me! I'll have to double check the front end....

 

Also have these bolts left over....WTF?!?!?




On a positive note, loving the hell out of the viffer since replacing the steering bearings & adjusting the angle. She's a LITTLE squirrelly....trying to decide if too much or just right. I've had her up to 150 (indicated) with no issues, so must be ok~

Not nearly as exhausting spending a day in the twisties. Before, I had to really PUSH the low handlebar to get a deep turn; now I just lean & THINK about it & she's there. Like I said, feels 100 lbs lighter now. Of course, part of that was the badly notched & loose ball bearings from before.....

 

Bump.

....anyone recognize those bolts?

 

I hope you see that I am not being snarky in the least when I say this... Always bag and tag your bolts. I have had my motorcycles very much apart and have never had a leftover bolt.

At this point you might try looking through the parts fiche at servicehonda or partzilla. Honda has a part number for every bolt on the bike. Good luck man!

 

Yeah, I usually don't have an issue but since I disassembled it in October, I 'my having trouble remembering these~

Have you ever looked at the parts fiche? Difficult at best even when you know what the part is~
Thanks!

 

I think you now have a good excuse for just putting them bolts in your pocket and taking the VFR for a spin down to your Honda dealership on a day when they are not rushed off their feet.

Hopefully the parts department guy will then be willing to help you track them down for you or there is a good chance someone from the workshop may know instantly where they go.

Strangely the three longer bolts look like they have seen a lot of corrosion so I think they were probably located somewhere underneath the bike and exposed to road debris by the wheels. Do they fit under the rear seat - holding the rear number-plate carrier?




SkiMad

 

Figure out where these go; they were left over from when I replaced the tank lock (fake bolts...only 3 actually hold the tank lock on).