As is often the case when working with our old machines, what appears to be a simple replacement or repair turns into a lengthy project. Case in point; the chain slider replacement on Project 37, a 1993 VFR750.

The original slider (lower) was found to be missing three of its four attach points along with half of the lower guard itself. The part is NLA from Honda but I was lucky to find a very nice used replacement on eBay, complete with new mounting hardware, which would come in handy. When I saw the applied thread locker on the replacement screws, I got a bad feeling about removing the four existing screws, in place since 1993. My fears were justified, as none of the screws would budge with a screwdriver, despite my best efforts.

I realized that if I simply forced the screws I would risk them shearing off, which would require removal of the swing arm in order to drill out the broken screw and tap fresh threads. Finesse over force would be called for.

(Below) My approach was to soak the screws overnight with penetrating fluid and next day heat the screws with a mild flame, then gently work each screw loose in a back-and-forth motion with a vice grip. It worked, but the threads were tenacious, requiring the vice grip for every turn till the screw was out. The upper forward screw holds a metal bracket which wouldn't allow the vice grip to seat on the screw head, so I had to tear the bracket free, bit by bit, then work the stubborn screw. This project wasn't done with me yet, as the new screws wanted the swing arm threads to be tapped before they would allow themselves to be seated without undue force. In the end I would win this little battle, and our "new" chain guard will do its job — hopefully for a long, long time.

Sometimes pictures don't do justice to the foreboding task ahead; the rear drive area of Project 37 is a perfect example (right).

Let's list what's involved in refurbishing this area. There's the wheel, the brake caliper, brake disc, chain, sprockets, sprocket carrier, swingarm, chain guard, and, in this case, the chain slider (all four mounting points on the slider were broken or missing). This 1993 VFR750 was in typically neglected condition — years of caked on oil/dirt/brake dust, worn chain, nasty brake disc, discolored chain guard and a sticky caliper in need of complete rebuild. The process begins with raising the rear of the bike off the ground and a complete disassembly of all the components. Then everything is cleaned; in this case the initial dirt removal went quickest with localized cleaning using brake cleaner and a toothbrush, followed by a general cleaning with water-based degreaser and a rinse. The bearings on this bike (16,000 miles) don't need replacement so they're left in place.

I then began the refurbishing of each component and associated fasteners. In this case I would be fitting new chain & sprockets, repainting the brake disc and the little plastic axle hole cover, while everything else cleaned up beautifully. I was lucky to source a NLA chain slider from eBay (see separate post) and the caliper rebuild went smoothly. Even the blackened wheel came back to its gleaming original condition. I wanted to preserve the chain guard's original stickers (in excellent condition) so a cleaning, light sanding and three applications of 303 Vinyl Protectant brought back the black. Ready for reassembly.

(Below) The first step is refitting the brake disc, as it's held captive behind the stub axle. Next I'll apply a coating of molybdenum grease to the needle bearings and a light application of spline lube to the drive splines.
​(click on an image to enlarge)

(Below) The stub axle is then carefully inserted from the right side and the chain adjust mechanism is rotated fully forward in preparation of a new chain being fitted. This will allow a full range of adjustment in the future. Next, the caliper is mounted on the torque arm, rotated onto the disc and torqued onto its carrier.

(Below) The sprocket carrier is then fitted to its splined counterpart. Then the large nut is installed and will later be torqued to 141 lb/ft. I put down some tape to help protect the carrier from the 46mm socket.

Installing the chain will need to await the arrival and installation of the chain slider, but this rear drive assembly is looking pretty.

What: 1990 VFR750R (RC30)
Where: Seattle, Washington
Why: RC30
Price: $45,000

Seattle Used Bikes is offering this lovely RC30 with some known history and showing 15,228 miles. The current owner has had the bike for over 20 years and put on about 2000 miles. He states that it was tuned by Mike Velasco at some point, but there's no documentation to that effect. Some cosmetic repairs have been done and an aftermarket exhaust is fitted, possibly a Tyga, which sounds great in the walk-around video below. This example has had its maintenance brought up-to-date, presents well in the photos and video, and is priced accordingly. 

What: 1996 VFR750
Where: Salt Lake City, Utah
Why: Great condition, nice farkles
Price: Bidding with reserve

I like this bike for a few reasons. The 4th-gen are excellent sport touring platforms and this one has been made a bit more so with the addition of bar risers, rear rack and Sargent seat. More niceties include updated mirrors, upgraded charging system, braided brake lines and a very desirable Staintune muffler. The bike shows very few scars for its 23,863 miles and gives a clean, original vibe. The reserve is still in place at $2100, auction ends Saturday.

I recently finished maintenance and refurbishment of the drive end on Project 37, a 1993 VFR750. This is the first generation of the V4 line to utilize the beautiful and efficient Honda/ELF designed single-sided swingarm. There are desirable maintenance advantages to this arrangement, in particular drive chain alignment and wheel removal/installation. But, removing the rear brake disc isn't on that list. The disc is held captive behind the stub axle, so removal requires disassembly of the axle assembly, which I'll cover in the next post.

One look at the cosmetic condition of that brake disc and I knew it would not fit with the rest of this VFR, which is receiving a full repaint and detailing. No, it would need to be addressed, so off it came. These discs are stainless steel, but the center and outer edge portions are painted; the photo above showing its sad state. I've done many of these discs and the first thing on the list is checking for true, then a thorough degreasing followed by sanding with 400-grit wet paper and taping. The photos below show the progress after those steps. In the left photo, sanding marks are visible on the braking surface itself, which I scuff with 100-grit dry paper to remove any glaze and years of ground-in brake dust and dirt.

After painting, the part is looking new and ready for reassembly onto the stub axle. Visible behind the beautiful 8-spoke wheel, this component will now be a bit of eye candy instead of an eyesore.

I recently found myself in need of removing both wheels simultaneously from Project 37, a 1993 VFR750, as I wanted to avoid a second trip to my tire mounting guy. Lacking a center stand, I couldn't figure out how to raise the entire bike while on the lift, but, using two floor jacks, I was able to make it work on the floor. It may look a bit wonky, but is actually very stable. While I was at it, I also removed the forks and triple trees for service.

Here's another approach using a single-sided paddock stand together with a floor jack. I think I could remove the rear wheel in this position but I've never been brave enough to try.

And reader Michael S. sent along this pic of his handy rolling chassis lift. Beginning with a furniture dolly, Michael built up rear supports under the center stand bosses and front risers under a bar passed through the small frame eyelets found on the 2d-gen frames. Both wheels are off the ground giving full access to the front and rear suspension and the entire bike can be rolled around the workspace — nice!

SOLD: $3650

I had been watching this auction with interest as I've noticed an increase in attention to the VF1000F variant of the 1st-gen Interceptor lineup. Always considered the red-headed step-child of the VF series, the "F" model ended up being a one-year effort, quickly superseded by the hi-tech "R", already available in the European market.

But I've always thought that the "F" never got fair recognition for its mission; that of a big-bore version of the VF700/750. With the same great looks, comfortable ergos, straightforward engineering, the panache of a V4 powerplant in a world of air-cooled inline fours...plus the added punch that only more cc's can provide.

This example shows only 10,347 miles but is in need of mechanical sorting resulting from a few years of disuse and deferred maintenance. But the bones are good — original, unrestored, minimal corrosion evident, nice paintwork and good mufflers. I would consider this to be a great candidate for a light sympathetic restoration. Someone got a fun and rewarding project.

Next on the Project 37 list is the front suspension and steering bearing replacement. I begin with fork disassembly and inspection. These forks were found to be in excellent internal condition, which would be expected at only 16K miles, needing only oil seal replacement. Here we see the assemblies freshly disassembled and before cleaning.

(Right) Beginning with the third-generation VF/VFRs our forks advanced to "cartridge-type" fluid damping. What changed is the addition of the flow restricting cartridge (circled). The advantage of a cartridge is that it can be tuned to restrict fluid (fork oil) flow to a lesser or greater degree, allowing fine tuning of damping rates. This is accomplished mainly by the number of wafers stacked internally in the cartridge (a simplified explanation). Instead of being limited to altering the size and number of restrictive holes (arrow) in the damping tube as done with the earlier forks, the addition of the cartridge gave the VFR a step up in suspension sophistication.

Specialists like Race Tech also offer upgraded cartridge kits for the early VFRs, usually referred to as "emulator" valves, along with springs, fork parts…even in-house rebuilding services. So, if you feel that your suspension could use some modernizing, there are options. In our case a careful reassembly with 10-weight fork oil is as far as we'll go with this project.

Here in the northlands, we're enjoying a "cold snap," as it's euphemistically phrased in these parts, so I spent a day at the indoor workspace, tackling the various hydraulic actuators on Project 37. These include the two brake master cylinders, clutch master and clutch slave along with their associated assemblies. The neglected clutch fluid on this bike meant extra cleaning of those components plus a new sight glass, but everything went together well. I always break these assemblies down to their individual pieces, clean, inspect, polish, etc., and reassemble with fresh rebuild kits from K&L. The right-side foot brake assembly in particular is a lot of detail, but you're rewarded with a smooth operating, good-looking part.
​Next, fork assembly and mounting.

With Project 37's body panels away for painting, I'm tackling the brake systems. This bike will require a full rebuild, including all three calipers, brake master cylinders plus the clutch hydraulic components.

Jeff, the owner, has chosen to go with complete caliper rebuild kits from Brakecrafters. These were sourced directly from the company via their eBay store and cost about $60 per caliper.