Gen4 restorer

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Simon Edwards, Mar 25, 2021.

  1. Simon Edwards

    Simon Edwards New Member

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    Hello Everyone, time to say hello from sunny Newbury.

    I've owned my 1995 Gen4 since late 1996. But I gradually rode it less and less. Until I finally laid it up in 2011 due to having young kids and still playing club cricket. Both were getting in the way of riding. I couldn't quite bring myself to sell it.

    Time rolled on until about year ago. In the first lockdown, having first fixed all the household DIY jobs, I started to uncover my bike and bring it back to life.

    Since then I've been trying to restore it, without changing it too much from the original spec. It was always a better bike than I was a rider. Stock was good enough for me.

    I've spent most of this time de-rusting the fueling system, the damaged petcock - ancient rubber seals didn't like grinding on rust particles - and various collapsed or rigid hoses. I am now quite used to stripping, then cleaning the carbs - I didn't get it right first time around - and balancing them later.

    Having stood so long there have been a few issues that only revealed themselves after test rides. For instance the countershaft oil seal giving up on the way back home from its MOT test (It passed the test first time).

    Then there was corrosion causing a leak of the waterpump cover casing O-ring seal, which only showed when it got really hot.

    Then, a perforated small rubber hose from the pipe from the block down to the water pump. Which again only showed when hot.

    Each test ride brings another hour long fairing off inspection.

    I'm looking forward to replacing that latest porous piece of old rubber this weekend. I have a set of AS3Performance Silicone hoses all ready to go on.

    I think, or at least I hope that I am running very short of remaining 26 year old rubber bits that can still leak. But I have yet to replace the OEM Regulator/Rectifier. Or fit a new set of tyres - any recomendations?

    Like the rest of us I am looking forward to getting out on the road again. Which should co-incide with the end of lockdown here at the rate I'm solving issues.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2021
  2. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    Welcome Simon!

    Good to have you join this bunch of misfits. Your DIY attitude will fit right in, Any job worth doing is worth doing right and it sounds like your are restoring your VFR proper.

    If you take some photos and would like to share them with the rest of us just click on "Upload a File" and choose one from your phone/ desktop/ tablet/ ect.
     
  3. Simon Edwards

    Simon Edwards New Member

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    Thanks Joe,

    I uploaded a few from my latest water pump investigation and fix. Although I can't see how to embed a link to the gallery that I created.

    So here are a couple from my latest DIY task... There were two leaks, one much slower than the other. The pump housing was by far the worse.

    A regular sight in my road this winter... Stripped down for investigation...

    The cause of the pump leak. A high casting ridge, right next to a corrosion dip. Add in a hardened 26 year old O-ring that sat right on top of that dip and immediately rose over the bump.

    I didn't think to take photos from the start. This one is after a couple of minutes spent flattening the high section. The original face appeared to be just as it came from the casting process, with no surface finishing.

    Here's a better view of the corosion as a black blob.
    My "milling machine". Wet P800, then P1500 then P3000.


    It took about 1/2hr to give this finish, keeping it absolutely flat and only pushing gently at all times...

    Definitely DIY make do and mend here. I now cannot see any warping beneath an engineering ruler, so the tolerance should be easily good enough for the new O-ring seal to work properly.

    All done, so I thought. But then I found this porous hose. It was found when I was testing the results of the water pump fix. It has now scuppered riding until it gets replaced this week.

    I had inspected that hose very carefully prior to re-fitting it during the pump checks. It is apparantly only porous when hot ...

    I'm responding to your request for photos here. But what's the usual etiquette when sharing this sort of sequence? Keep it to yourself? Posting in the Mechanics Garage? Posting in the Gen4 forum, or someplace else?
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2021
    RllwJoe and Sp00ks like this.
  4. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    This is perfectly fine!

    You are telling us about your relationship with your new-to-you VFR.

    Great photos BTY. I like the way you "milled" the pump face.
     

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