Project 39, a 1993 VFR750, was recently treated to fitting of the tail cowl, seat and fuel tank, so it could be said I'm progressing from rear to front on this project.
The tank and cowl were recently repainted, matched to the original Pearl Crystal White — the tank was sourced from a '92 so it had to be changed from its original black, but the tail cowl had extensive damage to the right side panel, which required lots of plastic repair and final paint prep. Sharp-eyed 3d-gen owners will also note that the rear brake reservoir peephole has disappeared. I did this just for aesthetics, accomplished by welding in a small patch cut from scrap ABS plastic and finished with the rest of the panel.
The tank and cowl were recently repainted, matched to the original Pearl Crystal White — the tank was sourced from a '92 so it had to be changed from its original black, but the tail cowl had extensive damage to the right side panel, which required lots of plastic repair and final paint prep. Sharp-eyed 3d-gen owners will also note that the rear brake reservoir peephole has disappeared. I did this just for aesthetics, accomplished by welding in a small patch cut from scrap ABS plastic and finished with the rest of the panel.
With that beautiful new paint, the tail light and turn signals would also need freshening from decades of damage in the Florida sun. Note the wooden brace attached at the mid-point of the fairing. The brace allows me to handle the 3-piece fairing without fear of damaging the fragile assembly.
The process of bringing these pieces back to their showroom sparkle begins with degreasing, followed by wet-sanding with 400-grit, progressing to 5000. I finish with machine buffing, using a medium, then fine compound. The difference is amazing. The turn signals each took about 20 minutes but the tail light put up a fight — at some point in the past someone had put deep scratches in the plastic, which I laboriously sanded smooth.
The bottom photo shows the finished fairing. I think this effort really paid off. I also trimmed the OEM fender, eliminating the bulky license light and lower reflector (I don't ride my VFRs at night). Finally, the fender was painted gloss black.
Yesterday I removed the forks, triple clamps and handlebars for a complete front end mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment. More on that later. The seat is also off to Marty, my master upholsterer.
The bottom photo shows the finished fairing. I think this effort really paid off. I also trimmed the OEM fender, eliminating the bulky license light and lower reflector (I don't ride my VFRs at night). Finally, the fender was painted gloss black.
Yesterday I removed the forks, triple clamps and handlebars for a complete front end mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment. More on that later. The seat is also off to Marty, my master upholsterer.
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