CRM's RVF400 project - Project " skinned knuckles*"

[Speedy]

-2 karmas for you Paul, just for bad-mouthing the RVF!
Anyway, do you want it for riding or just to oggle at it and take it apart & polish?

[hannakournikova]

Paul, that is a cracking rebuild. Would dearly love an NC35 just to put white Dymags on

[silentRVF]

[quote="CRM"]Cheers Jonno, i was looking for some SP1 / 600RR calipers, however thats for another day i think. I have to say i feel the brakes on the RVF are more than enough so long as they use genuine pads or HH EBC pads although i like the feel of genuine pads. unless your racing i really think the brakes are more than enough for the road.

As for the rear wheel nut, yeah i know what your saying, mine now has the original white plastic cap fitted which hides it a bit. [/quote]
Yeah I've heard the 600RR/SP1/SP2 calipers are only marginally better in terms of performance. But I think the gold makes the bike look alot nicer!

Hmm I'll take a look at your pictures with the white cap on the wheel nut. Perhaps I can save myself spending $100 on titanium wheel nut and spacer, and just spend $2 on a cap!

I'll give you +1 rep for your knowledge, great rebuild and for giving me a great idea of what white wheels will look like on my bike. However I'm not happy with you bad-mouthing the RVF either! I mean, come on, how could the refined version of the VFR not be as good as the original?! haha good work mate. Enjoy your weekend.

[CRM]

Jonno the original brakes are great for the road and the gold calipers again are a matter of taste. i actually quite like the black calipers esp with the white wheels, you dont want a massive mix of colours and varying shades of gold. The later blade calipers are the same but in the same black as the original RVF calipers, these are the ones i would poss change too being alot cheaper.
I am too old to worry about wheel nuts and details like that. i would rather replace tatty fastners and items that are worn out to keep the bike riding spot on than worrying about how shiny or how trick a nut is. so long as its secure and got a split pin that works for me.
As for bad mouthing the quality, well far from it. as you get older you will appreciate newer doesn't always mean better. A good example of this is the RC30/RC45 ! Yes the 45 was faster and newer looking, but was it better ? it certainly didnt have the history of the RC30 nor do the collectors prize the 45 in the same way. However not to diss the Yamaha owners, but even compared to some yams of the same era this is a different ballgame again in terms of quality and fit.

[micpec]

Well said, Paul! If I had any future choice in between the RC30 or the newer RC45, I would go down the route for an RC30!

As with most rebuild and restauration projects all the small bits and pieces ads extra on the budget. Already ordered few hunderds of euro for them, and now in the middle of the progress I still am missing some...

@Jonno, just to be sure about prices and for your idea...that white plastic cap on the rear wheel nut will cost you around a tenner.. Yeah, I know, it is just a plastic cap. (I wish all these genuine Honda parts and pieces were a lot cheaper but nothing of this is true. I have ordered one from Mr. Honda recently and on my bill it says 10,20 Euro! )

[mruehl34]

I would take a RC45.

Michael

[silentRVF]

[quote="micpec"]
@Jonno, just to be sure about prices and for your idea...that white plastic cap on the rear wheel nut will cost you around a tenner.. Yeah, I know, it is just a plastic cap. (I wish all these genuine Honda parts and pieces were a lot cheaper but nothing of this is true. I have ordered one from Mr. Honda recently and on my bill it says 10,20 Euro! )[/quote]
Hmm I thought I saw it on David Silver Spares for a few dollars or less. Although I'd have to pay postage to Australia on top of that. And I can't get genuine parts for the NC35 in Australia since it's a grey import.
Anyways I've spent thousands on the bike. I might as well spend an extra $50 and get my nut and spacer polished or get it replaced with titanium or something!

[CRM]

Well its been on its first run out. fired it up to go and get fuel, and it was a V3 for the first 1/2 mile then the other cyl kicked in fine.
came home, checked a few things, brakes were binding a bit, anyway off to go towards wales. get on the motorway and its fueling nicely, no flat spots or gaps in the fueling, handlings nice, and all is good.
get into wales, roads get a bit damp, get followed by the police for a couple of miles before thinking "i am legal - what the hell" so passed a couple of cars easily and went on my way leaving the traffic car behind. after a mile or so i get a bit of a missfire at a roundabout, hmmm whats going on here. so i carry on, after a couple of miles its lost power and as i pull in it cuts out.
sure enough nothing on the button - so its time for a break for a min. pull over and take my helmet off, remove the headlamp plugs and try again sure enough it fires on all 4 no worries. ok so its the rectifier then.
So after 5 mins allowing the battery to recover i disconnect the front brake light switch, leave the headlamps off, and head back.
Bike runs fine all the way home.

So i need to do some checks on the charging system now, got a R6 rectifier i can fit if i can work out which way the poles go, brakes no longer seem to be binding, and the bike rides very nicely and easily.
but christ that pipes loud. i either need to get it packed or find a suitable baffle. its got that same sound as the yamamoto but a bit louder and resonates at typical 5k town speeds.

its also quite clear i look way out of proportion on the RVF, its tiny even compared to the NC30.

So will i keep it or wont it ? who's betting what ?

[Drunkn Munky]

Keep it man, nothing is gunna look better than a clean 35 sitting next to a very clean 30 in anyones garage, apart from a RC30 and lush 916 maybe

Oh and about which poles to connect the wires to on the R6 reg, let me know when you find out as i still havent connected mine up due to not knowing

[ibby4585]

I think you should keep it, i dont think you would source another as good for the same money!! having said that i reckon you will sell, your heart is with the NC30's and i can see why, its the better bike isnt it Tony!!

Kris