Bought Wrecked '86 VFR, Where Do I Go From Here??

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by mcpmartin, Nov 9, 2021.

  1. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    The one pictured above is a 44 tooth sprocket. Mine (I think is original to the bike) is a 45 tooth. Just wondering if there was some significant reason why other people are going to the smaller sprocket. Just curious to know.
     
  2. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Personal preference. The VFR has a pretty tall 6th gear, no reason for a 44T imo. If I lived in Texas maybe, but I don't own VFRs to ride Interstate Highways all day.
     
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  3. Thumbs

    Thumbs Member

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    If you have a problem with the French sale I’ll find you one in the UK and ship that

    BTW sprockets should have an odd and even number of teeth to keep the chain moving along the teeth to help spread the rate of wear
     
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  4. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    I appreciate that. I'll keep that in mind and see how things go.
     
  5. Thumbs

    Thumbs Member

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  6. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    From what I've read in the past, that really has to do with gear sets regarding hunting / non-hunting. I'm not gonna lose ANY sleep over my 15/43 VF1000F, and neither did Honda. That bike doesn't go thru chains and sprockets any faster than any of my other bikes. I'm gonna throw on the sprockets I have / want.

    I get what you're saying about the potential repeated contact between the same two part areas, I just haven't seen it make any difference in wear / longevity / performance in this application with modern o-ring chains.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2021
  7. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    I cannot think of any logical rationale for this but would welcome any supporting argument. Chain and sprockets wear by their loads and impact and rotational forces; the number of teeth involved can't change that beyond the smaller sprocket = fewer teeth carrying a load = higher point loads. I would assume that bigger sprockets would be better for lower load up to the size restrictions that are imposed.

    I can sort of see that you would not necessarily want a chain link count that was a multiple of a sprocket (e.g. 39 teeth and 117 links), as that would fix the chain location to a specific tooth; if there was a tight link it would have more wearing effect on that tooth. But that sort combination would be pretty uncommon.
     
  8. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    ****************UPDATE******************
    It's been a while since I've been on this site, but a lot's been going on with other things. Anyhow, here's my update & most recent question for help.
    New fuel pump install & working - Check
    New fuel line and inline filter installed - Check
    New carb fuel bowl needle, seat, and bowl gasket - Check
    Fuel leak fixed at overflow hose - Check
    New regulator/rectifier installed - Check
    Bike starting and running smoothly - Check

    However, now I'm chasing another tiny fuel drip that showed up almost immediately after fixing all the above sh*t.
    Anyone know why I'd see a tiny drip every 2-3 seconds in only one of the 4 carbs (center venturi tube (not sure what to call it)). Picture below. When bike key is turned on (without engine running) and pump is priming carbs, I see this drip and it makes its way into the engine (does not leak outside of carb). Took carbs off and I can see it leaking where red arrow below is pointing (only one carb out of the 4 does this). Any ideas what's causing this?

    I guess there's not a problem as long as the engine is running. But, when the ignition is "key on" and engine NOT running, I don't want fuel making its way into the cylinder, past the piston, and getting into the crank case/oil.

     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2022
  9. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    Paging Squirrelman.

    The only reason that I know of is an over-filling carb; that means the float valve is not sealing properly, or the float level is too high.
     
  10. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    Yeah, I remedied that by 4 new Honda OEM float needles, needle springs, seats, and micro filters. I also measured each of the 4 floats at 15 degrees tilt to make sure each float was set at 8mm. It's middle ground since the '86 should be 7mm and the '87 & later should be 9mm. As I mentioned, there is no (zero) fuel coming our the overflow, so I'm almost certain this is NOT a float valve/seat issue.
     
  11. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    The fuel pump is pushing fuel past something it shouldn't and is absolutely a problem. Time to go back in and check all of your work.

    This time test the carbs before installing them.
     
  12. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    That's pretty much exactly what I said. I'm just looking for suggestions on what to check. The problem is obviously happening in only 1 of the 4 carbs (visually verified). I had the carbs off the engine, applied pressurized fuel from pump, and I see the drip from only 1 carb. I'm just unsure what to check at this point. Squirrelman has already had these carbs in his shop and "went through them". I'm at a loss here.
     
  13. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    I'm gonna let SM take the reigns on this. You'll get it sorted.
     
  14. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    maybe there is a small crack in the float valve seat area that lets uncontrolled fuel into the bowls ? is fuel emerging from the hole under the slide needle ?

    with key off there should be no power to fuel pump therefore no fuel sent to carbs. with key on but engine not running there should also be no power to fuel pump.......unless the wiring has been modified or pump relay bypassed.

    (the photo shows a gen 4 carb)
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2022
  15. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    Slowly making progress on the '86 VFR 700. Finding replacment fairings, wheels, relays, mounting hardware, etc has been expensive & difficult. Plus my time in the garage is limited. Anyhow, it's coming along slowly, but it's getting put back together.

    I've switced over from the 16" front & 18" back wheels over to 17" front and back. I'm installing all new wheel bearings & will go through the brakes soon too. The tires are new Continental Conti-Road 110/70 R17 up front and 150/60 R17 out back. I'm liking this look better than the original 16/18" combo, plus there are a ton more tire options in the 17" size.

    I dropped the nose of the bike by sliding the forks up 12 mm. I also scored a gently used rear suspension spring off a '88 VFR & installed it too. I meant to take a before and after measurement on the rear spring install, but I got side-tracked and forgot. Anyhow, it's noticably taller in back now and a bit stiffer (nice).

    I'm still patching some road-rash on the nose cowl and right side fairing. Then I'll take the panels off, sand, primer, and paint them to match in a color as close to the Honda Cresent Pearl white as I can get. The wheels are done & will stay as-is. Bike starts right up, runs great, but I have not taken it out on the street yet as I don't have blinkers & headlight installed yet (don't want a ticket).

    The rear body panel is a 1-piece (new) fiberglass part made from Air Tech Streamlining out in Vista, California. It's made from fiberglass, and it's nicely put together. I'll need to carefully cut out the taillight section of fiberglass and mount the light. I'm not really looking forward to cutting the new fiberglass, but it's got to be done. I'll also need to drill the mounting holes.

    So far, here's where I've had to track down & buy parts from:
    Fuel pump - Japan (Honda OEM new from warehouse)
    Left-side fairing - Lithuania (used - original Honda white)
    17" Rear wheel - France (used - original Honda white)
    Right-side fairing - England (used - beat to shit & back black)
    Fairing mounts & hardware - Lithuania (all straight & well taken care of)
    Rear 1-piece body pane - California (https://www.airtech-streamlining.com/)
    Repro decal kit - Menorca, Spain

     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2022
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  16. Captain 80s

    Captain 80s Member

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    Very good progress! I'm really glad you decided to retain the VFRs original character.

    Nice job so far. Thanks for the update.
     
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  17. ceptorman

    ceptorman New Member

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    Looks great.
     
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  18. Brian Rodgers

    Brian Rodgers New Member

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    Massive progress !!
    Great, keep up the work. Whatever happened with that one leaky carb?
     
  19. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    float needle adjustment took care of that.
     
  20. mcpmartin

    mcpmartin New Member

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    Damn... something else just added to the "need to fix" list. Now my brake lights stopped working. Pardon my ignorance, but is there central control to the brake light switch? All fuses are good, and I'm testing power at the brake light sockets with a Fluke meter (rule out bad bulb). Brake lights no-worky...
     
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