Jays bike project

[Jay-ZS+]

Its not a zed I know, hell its not even a car but though it might be of intrest to some.

Pick up this reck about a month ago. That has been sat in the garden whilst I got my exams out the way. Its a 1989 VFR400. Bit of a classic, V4 engine with about 59bhp not loads but when you consider this one is around 175kg. Power per tonne is pretty decent :D Was looking at ZXRs (baby ninjas) but the single sided swing arm made me get this one. The Tyga bodykit that transforms it to a modern looking bike was a big brucey bonus :thumbsup:
Seems its been off the road or in a half build form for quite a while. I bought it off a lad who had planned to rebuild it but had failed. So fingers crossed I have better luck with it.

Had a budget which Ive already blow on parts :yawn: Oh well budgets are only there to be broken!

Bodywork obviously needs alot of work, that doesnt phase me in the slightest. The engines are said to be bullet proof but have ordered full gasket set.

Anyway got my last exam tomorrow and so will then be stripping it right back to the frame and start from the base up. Not sure the gf quite knows what she has let herself in for as there are going to be parts everywhere!! :laugh:
Got the ibis white ready to go.

...Updated 19/05................................................ .................................................. ...................................

Made a start on the bike today, got the fiddly bits off. Cant do much more untill I get some more sockets as need a 36mm to for the wheel nut, 41mm for top yoke and a 46mm axle and a locking nut tool for the swingarm. I dont understand why manufactures use such random sizes. :hmm:

[Jay-ZS+]

Will be updated

[Jay-ZS+]

Will be updated

+1

[Jay-ZS+]

Will be updated

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^

[ramdonice]

wish i had a bike liecence and a bike but no spare funds and dont look like i ever will

be good to see this finish mate will be a good one

[Dan1971]

Good luck with it pal .... If you get that end result - you will be the envy of the Sunday ride !

[Jay-ZS+]

Cheers guys gonna be a learning curve thats for sure. Ive told the missus that Im booking the kitchen table for the next month :thumbsup:

[marts66]

These little 400s are great. I had a GSXR400R many years ago and it scared a few bigger capacity bikes in its time. Handled like a dream, turned heads everywhere and was generally a hoot. Hope you get it sorted mate, it'll give you so much fun when it's done.

[Drew]

like it. id go single can, maybe a stubby.

Drew

[Jay-ZS+]

Yer I agree Drew would prefer to go single can, although it would require replacing the whole system as its currently 2 seperate exhaust each one goes straight through to 2 cylinders each. So gonna spruce up the current one to get it on the road. Then once funds allow go for a single system with a carbon end can something like an Akrapovic system would be nice.

Was browsing youtube the other day and found a video of the exact bike. The exhaust does sound nice, I looked at replacing the cans as one is blowing slightly. Trouble is they were only in production for a very short time and seems they are quite sort after so gonna have to patch this one up for the time being. Had a look at past MOT seems the last 3 have flagged up the exhaust as loud! Have to find a sound tester i think. ;)

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMPi4J7-JqA

[stamford]

Nice project, funny really as I used to build superbikes but never rode them! They scared the **** out of me!

[peterzs]

Best of luck with the exams Jay.

Looks a good project, have to use it as your thesis for your PHD. Then it will be Doctor Jay.

:beer2::beer2:

[Jay-ZS+]

Best of luck with the exams Jay.

Looks a good project, have to use it as your thesis for your PHD. Then it will be Doctor Jay.

:beer2::beer2:

Cheers Pete, Put it this way together with this and the single seater track car im building with a couple of mates ive learnt more outside of uni than in the classroom. So much for Motorsport engineering!! :shutup2:

[peterzs]

Always the way Jay, degree will open doors though.

[Jay-ZS+]

Always the way Jay, degree will open doors though.

Thats the plan anyway :)

[Dave MGT]

Jay, long time no see :)
Love the Honda!!! If it looks anything like the one in the last photo it will be fooking smart!

[Jay-ZS+]

Jay, long time no see :)
Love the Honda!!! If it looks anything like the one in the last photo it will be fooking smart!

How you doing Dave? Hows that porsche you picked up? Gonna need the 180 MOT'ing when it comes to advertising it. Will have to give you a shout :)

[Dave MGT]

How you doing Dave? Hows that porsche you picked up? Gonna need the 180 MOT'ing when it comes to advertising it. Will have to give you a shout :)

Im good thanks. Porsche is looking alright now. Pulls like a train!! Just waiting till the end of the month to tax it. Got a few mods planned already :)
You getting rid of the 180...?

[Supercharged_Z]

Fair play Jay. I have been toying with a bike for about 4 years and each spring that comes the more I want. Sadly u think with so many cars about and the speed of a bike it is not worth the risk.

That said I'm to tempted to buy a bike 600cc and then sort the test I look at least monthly Doh

Good luck looks like a classic

Ross

[Jay-ZS+]

Im good thanks. Porsche is looking alright now. Pulls like a train!! Just waiting till the end of the month to tax it. Got a few mods planned already :)
You getting rid of the 180...?

Nice will have to have a nosey round it when your all sorted! As for the 180 I hardly do any miles in it, we take the gfs car on long tips, plus the miles I do cover I'm sat in traffic. I can leave uni same time as a mate on a bike and he's home 20-30mins before me. Plus it makes sense finanacially.

I'd say do it Ross I've been toying with the idea for a year or so. Figured I'd do it now before there's the need to cart kids about. Winter will be tough but that's what waterproofs are for. :)

Only thing with a 600cc is that I'd be put off by the power of it being a new rider, I'm doing my A2 test so the bike will be restricted to being with. Once I get to grips with hanging off it. You can do a top up course to allow it to be derestricted. Wouldn't trust myself with full power straight away. Also the DAS direct access learning test is expensive!!

[Drew]

Sadly u think with so many cars about and the speed of a bike it is not worth the risk.

naaah, bikes are so much faster, its worth the risk.

i did afull test when i was 21, bought a new R6 for my first bike. was good but i wasnt used to revving that high! got knocked off in traffic as someone didnt see me :slap:

got an R1 after that, amaaaaaazing.

Drew

[p_b82]

Good luck with the project, i am thinking of getting my bike license now i am moving to a place where i could store it safely....

however for me i want a bike i can sit on not perch on.... i am a bit too tall for most sportbikes...

will looke gorgeous when you are done, if it looks like the pic you posted!

[Jay-ZS+]

Tiny update today. :)

[Jay-ZS+]

Well did my CBT a few days ago, was great fun even if it poured when out on the road. Guess it's all part of it. Did it on a little CG was a right laugh, great little bike.

It's slightly scary they let youngsters out on the road after a days training, with very basic road knowledge!!

As far as the build goes I've rebuild the carbs yesterday, some of the jets were in the wrong carbs which wouldn't have helped it's running!!

Currently stripping down and refurbing the calipers.

Got a wait for the locking socket to remove the engine mount bolts apparently honda are behind on supplies due to the tsunami (spelling fail?). So got a few weeks before I can drop the engine to check shims

Got our house contract through for renewal and one point is that there's to be no repairs of motorcycles, cars or commercial vehicles unless occasional maintenance and registered to the tenant. Guess a full strip down and rebuild in pushing the boundaries slightly! :laugh:

[jamesc777]

possibly just a touch! then again it is occasional :laugh:

[p_b82]

i think it is fine - it is bascailly to stop you doing it and breaking cars etc.. or running business out of it etc etc..

[Jay-ZS+]

i think it is fine - it is bascailly to stop you doing it and breaking cars etc.. or running business out of it etc etc..

Yer thats what I took it to mean, better clean the oil off the paving before anyone moans though! Its out the way so cant see any issues. As long as we dont have a flat inspection whilst the engine is in the flat!! :laugh:

[peterzs]

Grand son just passed his motor bike test, got a Pug V-Clic, time flies, remember saying I'd do the MGB up for him.

As you say Jay, let him out on the road after a test, took him straight out on to the dual carriageway at Tower Park. He was the lead rider, must be a bit scary.

Last time I saw the MGB it was hoisted up on top of a container at the local scrappy.

Owner thought it was too good to break up.

:clap::clap::clap:

[Jay-ZS+]

Grand son just passed his motor bike test, got a Pug V-Clic, time flies, remember saying I'd do the MGB up for him.

As you say Jay, let him out on the road after a test, took him straight out on to the dual carriageway at Tower Park. He was the lead rider, must be a bit scary.

Yer I was alright as only had to concentrate on the controls of the bike as used to being on the road. Must have been on the bike 3hrs before on the road. For someone that has got no road experience it must be a hell of alot to take in. Prob why kids on scooters are so clueless.

[peterzs]

Big jump from a bike to a scooter, as long as they don't fall off, can stop and start, they are let loose on the road.

Glad we don't have to stay up waiting for the putt, putt coming home.

:clap::clap::clap:

[Jay-ZS+]

Attacked the exhaust today, I was going to fill the dents and spray it gloss black although decided to rebaffle it and thought if I was opening it up may as well replace the tubes with new carbon ones.

I could hear something rattling around when the cans were shaken?! So drilled out the rivets and opened them up. Only for the baffles to fall out. Both were broken and were in two. Would be fine if they were removable although they seem to be welded in on the inlet side. In a moment of fury I took a hammer and screwdriver to one but just bend what was left of the baffle.

Any tips on what I could do?! Thought about getting a bit of pipe welded on the end of the inlet so I can screw a removable baffle on.

The baffle is 41mm diameter by about 270mm long. Thats a rough length as not sure how far down the tube it goes.

[Drew]

http://www.mijexhaustparts.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=26&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2

something like that. ive not looked on the net too much.

Drew

[Jay-ZS+]

Cheers Drew just found them through ebay as well :) Although its a quid cheaper direct, it all helps! lol

The Carbon tubes are coming from PJ Engineering for an ?80 total cost they will look like two new cans!

[Jay-ZS+]

Bit of an update, been really busy with work and still waiting for sockets to drop the engine!!

Although recieved a few bits to tidy up the exhausts. One slight issue is gonna need the end caps replacing as they dont fit too well now.
Baffle and packing:
Carbon tubes, these are gorgeous photos dont do them justice!
Front calipers painted.
Bought a blow torch yesterday as couldnt find my old one for the life of me. So have now seperated the rear caliper as it was seized tight.

Hope to remove the engine this week and do all the gaskets, lap the valves and check the shims. New clutch and then refit next week.

Passed my Mod 1 last week have Mod 2 booked for end of July so would like to have the bike ready to go soon after that.

[lawrence-zs180]

glad to see you got the rear caliper apart... looks rooted can you save it?
Have you done a bike mechanics course or are you self teaching?

[Jay-ZS+]

The caliper will clean up alright bit of elbow grease and paint and it will be fine.

As for a course its much like the car, got a haynes and a member of 400greybikes which is a helpful forum. Other than that just a bit of common sense, its pretty straight forward. If you can work on a car then a bike shouldnt be any harder.

Plus Ive got a mate who knows the VFRs CRB 400s almost inside out back to front so he can always lend a hand if im completely lost. .....Ive gone and jinxed myself now!! :slap:

[mattie007]

Only just seen this thread! Good luck with your Mod 2 Jay!
That fairing makes it look like a new bike!
I know what you mean about going out on the road after just a few hours. The scariest part for me was passing my Mod 2 after just 2 lessons, so basically, 10 hours on the road. Then jumping on my 650, which revs to 12k! Mental.
You will enjoy it though, just clocked up 5000 miles in under a year :-D

[lawrence-zs180]

Nice one and congrats on the mod 1 and good luck with the mod 2... got to sort mine out over the coming weeks, not sure if I should das it or do them as and when I can because das is about ?750, might be less with my own bike but not sure if they would let me do that on the rf600.

[Jay-ZS+]

Will all depend on how many days you need, believe the Mod 1 is ?18 and Mod 2 about ?80 do it with a training school and will be alot more. If I pass first time will have cost me just over ?500. Although I am doing the A2.
CBT ?130
Mornings training and afternoon Mod 1 ?130
Days training and following morning Mod 2 ?255

[lawrence-zs180]

thats not bad... I have ford air field to practice on so hopefully it shouldn't be to bad.
how daft is this.. a years insurance for the rf with no ncd and its my first bike is ?230..

[Jay-ZS+]

Had a delivery of parts yesterday so decided to make a start on the front end. Stripped down the forks and replaced the fork oil, springs and spacers using a kit from a forum member. The fork oil looked almost as if it had never been changed!! Had to wrestle slightly it one of them but other than that went fairly smoothly.
Took the opportunity it give bits a clean and coat of paint.

Whilst I had the front wheel off I decided to clean up the discs.

The front wheel will be coming off again as it needs new tyres and will be replacing the bearings.

Decided to do the engine next week as got my sister and her little'en coming over the weekend and though prob not the best time to have the engine in the lounge!!

As for the rear brake thats had new seals and is now painted, just waiting on a boot seal as the one I got sent had a hole in!!

[stamford]

How I miss working on engines in the kitchen! I once carried a slant four Vauxhall engine through my house in bits to clean and rebuild. I had no garage, no conservatory or side access, so that was done in the dining room :whistle:

[Jay-ZS+]

How I miss working on engines in the kitchen! I once carried a slant four Vauxhall engine through my house in bits to clean and rebuild. I had no garage, no conservatory or side access, so that was done in the dining room :whistle:

lol I live in an upstairs flat so will be lugging it up the stairs. Must make sure its fully drained before hand! Cant wait to get a house with a garage.

[stamford]

Then the garage will fill up with useless crap! You'll see ;)

[Jay-ZS+]

Then the garage will fill up with useless crap! You'll see ;)

I dont doubt that for a second!

[Jay-ZS+]

Well decided to make a start on removing the engine, Had bought the socket to remove the locking bolts, although it didnt take long to find out that a 14mm allen key was needed to remove an adjuster that held it in on one side. Managed to find a 14mm bolt and a couple of matching nuts so locked the nuts together and stuck the head of the bolt in where the allen key should have gone. Lucky it did the trick so work could continue.

Withing 20mins the engine was out, got a mate to lend a hand but to be honest reckoned it wouldnt be too tricky single handed. The engine must weigh 40-50kg so was easy enough to lower once all the bolts had been removed.

Once it was out started stripping it down to try and reduce the amount of oil in the flat :ninja:

Rocker covers off
Heads off.......Umm look at those water ways! lovely!
Removed the cams
Ive got a feeling it may be a replacement engine as there are some marks similar to scrappie marks. Also it seem remarkably tidy for a 22yr old year old bike, that has been stood around for the last few years.

Carried it upstairs to the flat without dripping oil on the carpet which was a bonus.
Will clean the water ways and lap the valves, measure shims and replace all the gaskets.

[lawrence-zs180]

looks like its coming on dude

[Jay-ZS+]

So having got the engine upstairs into the flat the girlfriend then said she wanted it out as soon as possible, understandibly so!

With that in mind I pressed on and opened it up then decided to ordered a valve spring compressor and a couple of gaskets for the oil pump, starter, thermostat and waterpump that werent included in a 'full' engine gasket set. In the mean time, I reassembled the engine to spray it whilst the old gaskets were in place just in case the paint effected them at all. Got a few coats of gloss black on it which instantly smartened it up.

Once the spring compressor turned up it allowed me to strip the heads and start to clean up the valves.
Got a wire wheel in a cordless to clean up the valves. Did the faces by sticking a socket in the head the placing the valve stem in place, bit risky as could damage the head but seemed to work well. As Ritchy suggested got some tar remover on the head itself and a stiff nylon brush to clean as much of the carbon deposits off.


Went to lap the valves in but the lapping tool Id bought was too big for the tiny exhaust valves so decided to take a lazy option and fit the valve and use the cordless on the stem of the valve and lap them in using the drill!

Once Id refitted the valves with springs and new stem seals, I could refit the heads with new gaskets and then assemble the cams and measure the shim clearances all of which need replacing.


Gave it a coat of gloss black. The themostat full of crud, although put it in a boiling pan and it still works

So now im just waiting on new shims and a few gaskets then it can go back in the frame and it should run better than it was before it was taken out. Its the first engine that Ive stripped and rebuild without someone who knows whats going on and so far its gone well. Although will have my fingers cross when I fired it up!! :thumbsup:

[peterzs]

Looking good Jay, bet you cant wait to get it running.

:wizard::wizard::wizard:

[Jay-ZS+]

Little bit more progress, Got the shims all fitted so that now all the valve springs are withing the required torrelences.

Although before fitting the engine I decided to remove the swing arm and clean up the frame as would be easier without the weight of the engine involved. Would also make rebuilding the rear end easier.

I was amazed at how much crud there was around the rear sprocket and along the swingarm!! Once seperated and after alot of cleaning I dried it of and filled the swingarm with expanding foam as its a hollow structure and has a reputation for filling up with road dirt. Gave the rear shock a clean up, they arent servicable as the damper is filled with nitrogen and this prevents the spring being removed. So just got any rust off it and gave it some colour. Fitted the new rear disc and sprocket.

Then set too putting the engine in, who said that a haynes manual is useless!!
Front brakes on

Loom in place, still needs some tweaking. Found some gremlins when I stripped it down to check it over. One of which was this, now Im no electro mechanic but that isnt how its meant to be!

That has all now be repaired and fitted the koso digital speedo, although not fully wired up yet. Should be pretty trick when done!

As it stands today:

New tyres turned up today, got some super soft bridgestone BT090's which wont last more than 3500 miles but should give plenty of grip for when Im confident hanging off it! :)

Took the exhaust to get the pipes all polished up so they will be all shiny and like new!

Lastly anyone got any tips of cleaning carpets? One reason why its not a good idea to spray inside!! Think I better do ours before your next flat inspection!! :yikes:

[Dan1971]

Spray the rest of the carpet so it matches ....

[Jay-ZS+]

Passed my Mod 2 today :D Two minors both for getting too close to parked cars on odd occasions. Cant complain with that!

Also rented a rug doctor from work and saved myself from the misses.

[peterzs]

Dont know if its me, or my computer, looks a bit red now!!!!

:whistle::whistle::whistle:

Well done on the pass.

[Jay-ZS+]

Went back to the parents house to dig out my old spray equipment last week.

The Tyga kit was in a sorry state as it had not been fitted properly had a few holes some cracks and alot of drips marks from a shody paint job! So I had my work cut out for sure!
Set about patching up the holes with some fibreglass and after lots of filling and sanding was able to get a couple of high build primer coats on.

Cut it back with 800-1000 grit then shot the white, I decided to use an Ibis white (Audi colour) as it has a slight pearl to it, along with a vauxhall blue and a bit of black. Went for a Konica Minolta inspired scheme.
It still needs a final cut back and buffing up.

Had a bit of a mare with the blue as it seemed to react with the thinners in the clearcoat and caused it to crack so had to strip it back and respray it with a different clearcoat.

Hope to get the bike back on the road end of this week or beginning of next!

[Smokey]

That looks awesome Jay, love the black to blue fade!

[stamford]

You're doing well there James. It'll look pretty good when completed.

[Dan1971]

That fade looks awesome pal ....

Out of interest - don't recall - have you passed your test - or is this for when you do pass ?

[peterzs]

Looking good.

:wave:

[Jay-ZS+]

Cheers guys, Yer passed my test a week or so ago. So it's all go now to get it going!

[mattie007]

Looking good mate, well done on the test aswell. Great feeling once you've passed! :)

[Jay-ZS+]

Well it RUNS.....well kinda
Finally made it to the point where fuel could be added to the bike after rebuilding everything!!

I rivetted the new carbon tubes on to make up the end cans and got them fitted leaving nothing but hitting the start button! :D

Went to start it with the kill switch on, turned it over till the oil light went out. Then tried it on run, turned over but didnt want to fire, then could smell petrol, turns out it was pissing out the holes on the bottom of the carbs as had failed to do the screws up.:slap:
So carbs off, and tightened them up and tried again. Still nothing so left it for a while as figured it was prob flooded. After 5 mins or so had another go this time it fired up with choke on full and idled nicely.

Got a fair bit of smoke out of the headers and the cans but that died down after a while and it ran pretty well considering ive not balanced the carbs fully .

Although heres where the problem is I take the choke off it dies, touch the throttle and it dies. Didnt do it initally as I blipped the throttle a few times just out of excitment and it was fine but now touch it and it the revs drop and it cuts out. Reckon it must be running rich and its just flooding.

So decided to leave it tonight and get some of the body work on, Still needs some touching up and buffing in places but its definatly coming together now! Tailunit is not fulled fitted just slid into place. For an aftermarket kit it fits pretty well :thumbsup:

[Dan1971]

If I could get you on a bikesafe course .... Freebie .... Would you be interested ?

[Jay-ZS+]

Yer definately I hear that they are some of the best spend days, would have to get the thing running right first though! :)

[MG ZS STE]

Well it RUNS

Well done, been watching this thread with a keen interest. this was the bike i used to covet when i was 17 [92] and riding around on NSR 125's.

ive not balanced the carbs fully.

Could this be the problem? are there diaphrams in the carbs? the tiniest hole, even like a pin hole will cause that kind of stall.

[Jay-ZS+]

Could this be the problem? are there diaphrams in the carbs? the tiniest hole, even like a pin hole will cause that kind of stall.

Ive balanced them by using a 'drill bit method' So all the carbs are roughly balanced although not done it using a vacuum gauge.

Did look over the diaphrams and didnt notice anything. Got to be carb related. Pity they are burried in the middle of the dam thing!! Will have to wip the off and investigate.

[Dan1971]

Yer definately I hear that they are some of the best spend days, would have to get the thing running right first though! :)

Let me know when you're ready and Ill see what I can do. ;)

[Jay-ZS+]

Let me know when you're ready and Ill see what I can do. ;)

Cheers Dan that would be great :D

[Jay-ZS+]

Well its on the road :D

Flew through the MOT only things the guy could pick me up on was the lack of rear brake fluid resevoir using a simple tube with a bung like they used to in the GP as with the bodykit have nowhere to mount a bottle. Also the fact that I dont have front sidelights which is something I will sort out.

The only down side is that its running MEGA rich smoking like a train. Just taken it to a dyno to get it tested and its off the scale!! Little unsure as to why as ive fitted the jets recommended for the spec of bike but thats something thats easy enough to sort. Its making pretty decent power to considering the amount of fuel its being flooded with.

[Enright]

I've only just seen this thread, and must say: that's the best VFR400 I've ever seen!
Actually it's virtually unrecognisable as a VFR400 because of the bodykit (which normally would be a bad thing), but it makes it look like the bike that Honda WOULD have turned it into if they'd kept producing and developing it.
The colour scheme looks even better than your original artist's impression - the black bits make the fairing almost disappear, so it looks really minimalist.
The twin exhausts set it off too, and well done with the work done on the brakes and the choice of tyres. It's always good to have as much as possible to help to get you out of the trouble that 400s can get you into!
Some handlebar-end weights will add a little stability and finish off the looks. Oh and don't underestimate the value of mirrors, even if you do end up flapping your elbows like a chicken trying to use them! The first time you spot a cop car in them, they'll pay for themselves, and meanwhile it'll reduce the number of cricked necks from all the "lifesavers".

I still have my old GSXR400 in my garage, although it's many years since I got it back after it was stolen and recovered, and it needs the same sort of TLC that you've given your new baby. It may not be the best bike I ever owned, but it's the one I loved the most, and I thought it was perfect for British roads.
I did about 50,000 miles on that bike in the time that I had it, including trips to the South of France, trackdays, Sunday blasts and the drudgery of commuting. It was the first bike that I got my knee down on (as well as my shoulder a few times! :blush:), and the bike I passed my IAM test on.
In fact I'd highly advise getting in touch with your local IAM group, as what they can teach you about hazard awareness and bike control will save you loads of money and possibly even your life. Couple that with a few trackdays to find out what a bike is really capable of in the right environment and you can discover a totally new way of life. God I miss it! :slap:

[Jay-ZS+]

Thanks for the compliment :) Ive since fitted decals and mirrors to the bike and they finish it off nicely. Got a mate whos had a run of 400s and just bought a GSXR600 and he says he'd prefer a 400 anyday. They are bikes that you learn how to ride through the corners it seems! ;)

[ZS-GIXER]

What an absolutley cracking job you have done there mate, it looks really good. Is it still running rich or is it sorted now?

[Jay-ZS+]

Cheers bud, yer still running rich as have had my wrist in plaster for the last month so not had a chance to sort it. Gonna get so more jets and adjust the floats it will get there.