New to streetfighters, thinking of a vfr750

[ndthl]

Hi,

First of all, so glad this forum exists! I'm keen to make a streetfighter out of a vfr 750. I like the reliability of these bikes but also the single sided swing arm. I'm thinking of an early 90s model, for example i'm inspecting this one tomorrow:

http://brisbane.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-Vehicles-Motorbikes-Parts-motorbikes-motorcycles-scooters-motorbikes-motorcycles-honda-vfr-750-W0QQAdIdZ258345760

Any advice on questions to ask the owner would be much appreciated. This brings up my background in motorcycles: not much. I've ridden a venerable, leaky z250 followed by a suicidal few months on a rg250 (the powerband was unforgetable!) Anyway, I've got my full license now and I could've done the sensible thing and bought something like a zx6r but I have decided to be unsensible.

A couple of questions:

1. who here has fightered a vfr750?
2. recommendations for specific model to go for?
3. pics of it please?
4. parts suppliers, anyone know any good ones?

I'm keen to make something pretty aggressive, and not very pretty...

Inspirations:

charlie sheen


and also:

http://www.street-machines.net/bikes/10_5/k1000_8.jpg
http://badbikes.de/galerie/albums/userpics/10001/tl10.jpg

I'm also looking forward to how much my almost complete lack of mechanical prowess will get me in this project.

Wil

[Gitzy]

I been a bit slack lately with welcomes.. So welcome mate :D..

There is 2 current member projects with VFR's

Scotty's - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18734

Anton's - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18226

Here is our VFR Gallery - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19173

lol Charlie Sheen, great stuff..

Enjoy your stay mate, you'll love it..

[RevHead]

hey fella welcome,,check out vfighter hes building a beaut vfr ,

[ndthl]

Thanks guys! just what I was looking for!

I also found this long list of vfr fighter photos:

http://www.customfighters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10386

That red one looks wild

[Bob]

Welcome mate.

[ndthl]

hmm i think i need to make friends with these guys

http://www.gaskrank.tv/tv/streetfighter/streetfighters-switzerland-bli-13569.htm

[JDinOZ]

Mate welcome! Honda! :) Seen Charlie sheens latest interviews? check it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lW22bWP42s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoEMqlliueY&feature=related aaand part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPFYA-n_Dk8

If you have or haven't seen it.. either way, Enjoy.
And yeh welcome to the madness! Enjoy

[BANDITROD]

Lol welcome mate

[fimpBIKES]

welcome


this months issue of classic motorcycle mechanics has a how-to on overhauling the swinger whick might come in handy

[ndthl]

quote:Originally posted by fimpBIKES

welcome

this months issue of classic motorcycle mechanics has a how-to on overhauling the swinger whick might come in handy


this raises the issue of my not having a spanner to my name presently. I'm afraid i'm the epitomy of 'gotta start somewhere'. I know i'm very keen to do this and like a challenge but at the same time i should be realistic. Do you know if many have built a streetfighter starting with pretty minimal skills? I'm wondering if they're usually the ones who don't end up finishing. I think it would be good to visit a club but you seem to be a bit of an independent lot;) i guess another issue is cost but i guess this is asking how long is a piece of string. For an old vfr i'm thinking i wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of grand. If i could whack on an alien looking headlight and kick up the tail i reckon that'd keep me happy for a while...

[K6Thou]

Welcome along mate.

[skoerbin]

welcome, and thanks jdin for that 40 minutes of my life that i cannot get back! mind you he is a pretty funny character

[Rip]

Hi and welcome

I'm not a regular (see post count : )but I did pick up a cheap VFR and put it on the road...they're great bikes. How did you go with the one today?

The only thing specific I can think to ask about is valve clearences - they're a pain to do and some workshops won't touch them, so they don't get done. Oh, and the regulator/rectifiers are about as reliable as your grandma's bladder.If it hasn't been replaced expect to have to at some point. Otherwise just the usual checks for an older bike.

1. See links above
2. The 94-97s are meant to be the sweetest ( , but they all good.
3. See above
4. Ebay is you're friend. Not many seem to make the wreckers, especially the earlier years.

Can you build a streetfighter with minimal skills? Don't see why not, so long as you've got some enthusiasm stored up

Good luck

[Redmohawk]

welcome enjoy .

[Jinx]

Hi ndthl (neanderthal) Welcome to the psycho ward. Looking at your profile and links I see you're going to fit right in. There's a huge amount of info and very helpful members on this site. Buy a few spanners, a socket set, some screwdrivers from Bunnings or Supa Cheap and your half way there. Check out the quality bikes that the Aussies and Poms put together with a limited amount of space and few tools but plenty of enthusiasm. My advice is start with something rideable and registered thats easy to work on. Be carefull with the alien headlights (E marked) and kickin up the tail (45 degrees from the axle) in Qld.

[ndthl]

quote:Originally posted by Jinx

Hi ndthl (neanderthal) Welcome to the psycho ward. Looking at your profile and links I see you're going to fit right in. There's a huge amount of info and very helpful members on this site. Buy a few spanners, a socket set, some screwdrivers from Bunnings or Supa Cheap and your half way there. Check out the quality bikes that the Aussies and Poms put together with a limited amount of space and few tools but plenty of enthusiasm. My advice is start with something rideable and registered thats easy to work on. Be carefull with the alien headlights (E marked) and kickin up the tail (45 degrees from the axle) in Qld.


yes i thought it apt to spell it as a neanderthal might! I'll be right on it with the tools. With the headlight are you saying it has to have e marking? 45 degrees for the tail... Ok. That's still decent/noticeable. I like the rc8 tail but i guess there's not many of those hanging round for me to stick on. I look forward to presenting my skinned knuckles for all of your jeers when i finally take the plunge. Oh one idea i had was to make it a bit mad max. Talking of inspirations i think this is an important australian theme to honour. All that's sprung to mind so far is to use an xb headlight lol but that's unlikely to work. Unless i'm going for the ratbike look which i actually kinda like

[Skinner]

Hey mate welcome

There's plenty of info on this sort of standards stuff around the ASF forum, and for your two questions I would look here for the E-marking (headlight must have a little 'E' on the lens):

http://www.streetfighters.com.au/PDFs/engineer/NCOP10C_LO7_ICV_Motorcycle_Checklist_27Jan2006.pdf

and here for the mudguard (diagram in the pdf explains it best)

http://www.streetfighters.com.au/PDFs/engineer/NCOP8_Section_LL_Motorcycles_3Feb2006.pdf

Go nuts ;D

[ndthl]

great links! thanks, although the second was for fuelling systems not seats. do you have the seats one? i was looking for some sort of thing from the government i could read so that's very useful. would the angle be measured from the horizontal? presumably...

[ndthl]

oh i had a search of the first link and the 45 degree angle is mentioned there. no diagram related to it in either link. i think i definitely need one though, or draw it myself as reading it is impossible to understand!

"15.3
15.3.3.1

Wheel guards (mudguards)

rear wheel guards covers wheel from a point directly above the foremost part of the wheel to an arc rearwards, up to a line through the centre at or less than a 45 degree to horizontal?"

gawd this requires me to remember Year 11 geometry. something I can remember very little of.

a loophole possibly: having a rear hugger would get around having to have the tail stay at 45 degrees?

[ndthl]

http://img528.imageshack.us/i/notthathard.jpg

i found this image at netrider*. starting to get it now. so basically that makes a kicked up tail illegal. unless there's potential in my rear hugger idea.

*http://www.motorcycleridingschool.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=117111&page=2

[ndthl]

got it: diagram of last page shows the 45 degree angle. also it's from queensland which is where' i'll be building it.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/c792a0c9-92b1-43ee-933b-7bdd8b20842f/pdf_modification_motor_vehicles2.pdf

how the heck can you make a decent kicked up tail with this regulation? does it exist in europe, or are all those bikes you see illegal there too? hmmmmmmm. also grr

[Jinx]

quote:Originally posted by ndthl

got it: diagram of last page shows the 45 degree angle. also it's from queensland which is where' i'll be building it.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/~/media/c792a0c9-92b1-43ee-933b-7bdd8b20842f/pdf_modification_motor_vehicles2.pdf

how the heck can you make a decent kicked up tail with this regulation? does it exist in europe, or are all those bikes you see illegal there too? hmmmmmmm. also grr


Its amazing what you can get away with overseas ndthl. Qld has the most fucked up vehicle modification laws in the world by far. I have lived overseas for about 20 years and would still prefer to live here.

[Skinner]

Lol sorry bout that - wrong link. I've edited it above - diagram in there serves the same purpose as the one you found though there is some other interesting stuff in there.

For more check out the 'Need advice or got some?' section in the main ASF forum.

laters.

[ndthl]

quote:Originally posted by JDinOZ

Mate welcome! Honda! :) Seen Charlie sheens latest interviews? check it...If you have or haven't seen it.. either way, Enjoy.
And yeh welcome to the madness! Enjoy


these are awesome mate, i've been looking for these!

[ndthl]

quote:Originally posted by JDinOZ

Mate welcome! Honda! :) Seen Charlie sheens latest interviews?
If you have or haven't seen it.. either way, Enjoy.
And yeh welcome to the madness! Enjoy


"i expose people to magic i expose people to something they're never gonna see in their boring little lives"

have you heard of the movie 'the network'? charlie sheen is this movie in real life


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=170eniNClIQ

[nvanvlymen]

wow, those are some serious vfr's!


quote:Originally posted by Gitzy

I been a bit slack lately with welcomes.. So welcome mate :D..

There is 2 current member projects with VFR's

Scotty's - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18734

Anton's - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18226

Here is our VFR Gallery - http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19173

lol Charlie Sheen, great stuff..

Enjoy your stay mate, you'll love it..