I’m an RVF Owner. This is my Story (Warning – LONG)

[Zippy]

Those brackets also need the rubber grommets for the Brake hoses. The brackets hold the grommets and the hose passes through it.

[Pete Diggs]

How I've missed you all. I wish I could visit this forum every day. I feel like I've been missing out.

Let me give you all an update on where I'm at and what has happened over the past year.

I last left off putting back all the screws and brackets after having the frame blueprinted. It took a while to figure out where everything went and I'm sure I mismatched some screws. I was left with some extra pieces and parts here and there (I'm sure they were screws that I had previously bought but ended up being mixed together). I've finally managed to do a better job of marking everything as I take the bike apart.

The next step was putting back the exhaust. Here's some photos of the wear and tear.

[Pete Diggs]

For the time being I'm being the stock exhaust and only the end can has been replaced for weight savings. I hope someday to come across a JHA System.

I polished up the pipes as best as I could and wrapped them in kevlar.

[Pete Diggs]

Next was to get the front forks rebuilt.

Evenatually, I'd like a new front end with CBR RR Forks integrated with Mike Norman's Triple Tree Clamp, but that's for a later date when I have more $$$.

I was referred to Mike Canfield (https://www.facebook.com/mctechusa) and low and behold, it's Mike's old shop.

[Pete Diggs]

Getting the bike to run wasn't without its issues though, but we did it. Therefore the final step was putting on the fairings.



Can't forget about my Gators either!

[Pete Diggs]

[Pete Diggs]

After that...it was time to put the decals on. I also have bits here and there for Super Sic and Rossi

[Tossi]

Very nice bike and nice build! Makes me want to continue with mine which was been ongoing for 2 years now lol!

[Pete Diggs]

Tossi, thank you for the kind compliment. As you can see, there were quite a few problems which existed underneath the bike that needed to be taken care of, electrical especially.

For instance, I purchased my Shorai battery back in 2012. Since I was in the middle of a rebuild, I didn't insert the battery until a year after. Then a year after that, in January of 2014, I started up the bike without the fairings, instrument panel, and light fixtures attached. The battery seemed to have kept a good charge and was without issues.

A couple of days after, I start up the bike again to diagnose any mechanical gremlins. My friend, who is housing my bike, owns a Shorai and a Shorai tender. It started up, and also the horn was working as well.

After cleaning out the carbs, two day later we refit the fairings, lights, and instrument panel. At the time we measured 12.8V on the battery read out. The bike, however, was having a tough time starting, so we put it on the charger for ten minutes, and voila it started up. Lights and indicators are working yet, the horn only can make a blip sound and doesn't ring.

I ride the bike for an hour with no issues for the first time in over a decade.

I leave bike overnight on the Shorai bike charger, and the next morning the charger was flashing both lights saying it was overly discharged.

We measured the battery and it's showing 4V! Odd because the day before it was at 12.8 and increased after riding. It seemed when putting it on the Shorai charger it had sapped the voltage.

We put it on a generic charger and got it up to an 80% charge. The bike started up again, and it was able to run. After turning off the bike for a half an hour, it would start up but quickly die out after idling (with no blipping of the throttle). Then the bike was completely dead again where the instrument panel didn't even light up when turning the key.

Unfortunately, I'm live on the East Coast, and I've had to leave the next day. The gentlemen with whom I left my bike, plugged the bike to the charger that night and it started with 9.2 volts. The next afternoon it was up to 13.8 and the green light was solid indicating a good charge.

At the time I was driving myself nuts because I didn't know if the issues were due to a defective battery, charger, or regulator before moving onto the bike's internal charging system and alternator (which seem to be fine at this point). In order, to eliminate variables, I've replaced the regulator with a brand new one.

However, a friend that has an RC45 and is knowledgeable about Honda's in general, says that the NC doesn't put out enough voltage to charge the battery at an idle; it runs the battery down.

Now, the charging system with the Shorai Battery has been holding a low 13 V between rides which was good.

Since I'm on the other side of the States from where my bike is stored, my friend has agreed to start up the bike every couple of weeks.

After not firing up the bike for a bout a month, he text to me that the battery was dead. His Shorai tender wasn't enough to charge it again, so he used his car charger to top it off. The bike started right up after that.

So at the point, I've purchased a Shorai tender and will keep it charged to the battery while I'm not using it to ensure it doesn't die out again.

I do intend to do the R6 conversion and to replace the generator with one of Mike Norman's from G-Force. (hopefully).

[bikemonkey]

That doesn't sound like a charging system problem, more like an electrical drain.

I had one on my bike, turned out the CDI was leaking something like 5amps and constantly draining the battery.