VFRDiscussion

I had a pretty good thread going on the old VFRD; I have previously had access issues on this site but that seems to have been dealt to, thanks Worfje.

I bought a 2015 1200 from a local auction site last year, knowing full well that it had been written off and sold deregistered. On the photos I could see that it had clearly been dropped on both sides, the right fairing was scuffed, the left fairing was missing, radiator damaged and there was evidence of weather exposure, but (from what I could see) there was no frame or fork damage, and the engine was a known runner with just 23,000km. The price I paid was little more than a bare engine would sell for, so it seemed to be a reasonable gamble, and (after another sip of bourbon, and egged on by my wife) I pressed the "buy Now" button and organised payment and shipping (from 7 hours away).

Upon receipt there were some immediate issues; the brakes were practically locked on and the bike was an effort to push. Under a lot of accumulated filth there was corrosion on the brake discs, brake bolts, fork stanchions and the tank overflow was blocked. The bike had been standing outdoors somewhere coastal for about 3 years, and it showed. The vendor had been planning on stripping out the engine and using it to power a dune-buggy, which would have been epic until it killed the driver.

However, with a new battery the bike started right up, but I couldnt run it long as the radiator was knackered and one of the hoses torn off. I set about ordering the necessary bits to get roadworthy, aiming for second hand parts where I could.

I found a clutch cover locally, and also a radiator, both needed cosmetic work but were better than what I had. The brakes got fully disassembled to get the seals out and clean the pistons; the front pistons had superficial corrosion on the exposed ends but the rear pistons were mint, and I rebuilt them with the original seals. I pulled off the brake discs and replaced the bolts with new and repainted the ABS tone wheels. I also touched up the fork legs and tried to remove the corrosion from the stanchions, but that was ultimately unsuccessful. I replaced the fork seals and bushings, stripped and lubed the shock linkage and drained and disassembled the master cylinders.

With the cooling system functional it was time to get the bike running but I soon found another fault with a check engine light which was caused by one of the O2 sensors; the impact to the radiator had caused a wire pinch. I ordered some used parts from Baboon in the Netherlands but when they arrived I learned that the 2015 model has some differences, one of these is the rear cylinder O2 sensor location which has been moved to under the rear of the engine so the earlier lead is too short. More money was spent at Webike Japan, who also supplied a chin fairing, and assorted fixings to replace those that were missing. I bought a complete left fairing (in black) from South Australia, and a right inner fairing from the US. I also bought some Helibars as I have raised bars on both my 99 and 09 800s and the riding position suits my ageing wrists.

I then started the re-registration process; I have been here a few times before with a restoration of a 1990 ST1100 which had been dead for 10 years, and then a 2001 Silverwing scooter, so I thought I knew the process but was mistaken; those other bikes were just dead regoes, whereas the 1200 was an insurance write-off. So not only did I need to shell out for a new registration, I also needed to get a repair certificate, which was an unexpected expense and inconvenient as there was no certifier in the city I live in. I had to ride my bike about 120km each way, the legality of which was pretty grey; it is legal to ride an unregistered or warranted vehicle as long as the purpose is to get it certified, but I still made a point of sticking to quiet back roads away from prying eyes (and cameras). The certifier was happy with the mechanical condition but also wanted "as auctioned off by the insurer" photos; luckily the vendor I purchased from was an honorable bloke and helped out here but I had to pay another small fee to the auction house for the pics...

After the first decent ride I was finding the bike truly fast but in a gentle sort of way, but the handling left much to be desired being like on rails, i.e. handling like a locomotive, very stable but quite an effort to turn into bends. I figured out that the preload adjuster was not moving the spring at all and diagnosed a lack of oil; this also affects the ST1300 so is as easy as some disassembly, pushing the adjuster piston fully out, and then refilling the body with oil (fork oil in this case). This allowed the spring to be moved by about 10mm more than before and lifted the back up. This was better but still a bit ponderous until I fitted a new front tyre (Road6) and suddenly it steered like a VFR should.

Along the way I invested in a centrestand, some tyre pressure monitors, heated grips and a USB/Voltmeter.

After a few good test rides a couple of leaks raised their heads; the forks and the final drive. The forks were semi-expected, the chrome legs were good where rain had been able to wash them, but the hidden parts alongside the wheel were a bit pitted, and no amount of careful filing or sanding would fix that. In the end I bought a set of used forks and fitted these up; they have proven to be non-leaky which is a blessing.

The shaft drive proved to be a pain; I ended up replacing both seals in the final drive, a job which required the shaft to be pulled out of the back of the swingarm and then detached from the "differential" but the front circlip (which looks SO EASY to remove in the manual) just wouldn't budge. I found that gentle wedge pressure moved the differential off the shaft tail, and was able to anchor the shaft using a hose clip during the pressing reassembly. Yay, oil free at last!

I have covered about 10,000km on Earl (as the bike was christened) since his resurrection. At about 28000km I did a full service (I did the oil and filters when I first received the bike) and got into the cylinder heads, As with all my other V4s (except the ST1100 and 1300) the front head is a pain while the back head is super easy. I fitted some PAIR blanks while I was at it, and checked over the valves, the front head was all in spec and the rear had needed a little adjustment on the screw/locknut tappets. I did not replace the plugs as they should be good to about 50,000km but I have bought a set for that eventuality.

Some may ask how the 1200 compares to my other current and former bikes? Compared to my MT10, the 1200 feels heavy and lazy, and there is clearly a fair bit of throttle-taming at lower revs. Both bikes probably make similar peak power (which I never use 'cause I am not that kind of guy) but the MT has an immediacy which demands a lot of attention. The 1200 by comparison is like a bullet train, quiet, smooth and eerily fast, and is often going much faster than I realise.

Compared to the 800s, the 1200 feels much more substantial, slower to turn but more stable, much better brakes (they are a stand-out feature) and the FI system is so much smoother as you roll on out of a bend. The 1200 is heavier but the seat and frame are narrower so the standover is much better for a short-arse like me, and I am completely comfortable holding the 1200 at a standstill. The 1200 is not as smooth as the 800's but the vibes are not at all intrusive, they just serve to remind you there is a lot of whirling mass below.

Fuel consumption is pretty much the same; it all depends on the right wrist. There is a strong temptation to open the 1200 up, as it just gets more and more urgent as the revs rise.

There's some great design in the 1200; aside from the easy standover, the fairing is fantastic at redirecting hot air, SO much better than my ST1300 which was unpleasant at more than 25C. Comfortwise the 1300 would probably win but not by a lot; I do miss the 29L fuel capacity, but the 1200 is easily capable of 320km on a tank without drama which seems plenty. On an open-road run it gets about 17-odd km/L and will do better at a constant freeway speed.

So after a few months of diligent wrenching, polishing and other fettling I have ended up with a lovely bike; it feels like new to ride and always brings me joy. However...I can't leave well-enough alone so have moved onto the suspension. This hasn't gone quiite as planned and has forced me to rethink my understanding, especially of the forks. As stock these are quite soft but also a bit jolting on sharp bumps; that is sort of standard on Hondas and in the past I have found huge improvement with stiffer springs, free-flowing pistons like Gold Valves, but the 1200 has been a bit different.

I started with some springs (1.00kg/mm) and Gold Valves removed from my ST1300; I figured the more front-heavy bias of the 1200 would suit the 1.00 springs and based on static sag rates, they are correct. The compression Gold Valves came with standard 1.3mm fixed bleeds, basically a bypass around the compression shims. While that worked well on the ST, on the VFR it gave poor braking support, so a decent squeeze compressed the forks far enough that they start to skip and activate the ABS. Quite why a "standard" bypass size doesn't work is a bit of a mystery; the fluid displaced by the damper rod has to go somewhere, so unless it is heading out through the rebound needle I am a bit mystified. The stock compression valves have a very tiny port, maybe 0.6mm, which takes the sharp edge off bumps without allowing too much brake dive.

At the same time I fitted some DMR rebound valves; I bought a set of 6th gen adjustable caps/rods/piston off eBay, and borrowed the valve body, which bolted right into the 1200 cartridge once I had solved the disassembly method.

I then hit up Jamie at DMR for some new compression valves which duly arrived and were installed, but I wasn't that keen on these either; no bypass port, and kind of solid at lower speed over the smaller imperfections that make up most roads, and pretty tiring to ride on, but actually pretty good at open road speeds. I convinced myself that the lack of bypass was the problem and drilled 0.8mm holes, but (hangs head) these were also too limp under brakes. Jamie gave different advice about reducing the shim stack further and I chose not to follow that, and the drilled holes are kind of irreversible so...

Now I'm back on the stock compression valves with one less face shim, which is an OK compromise but still kicks the front of the bike too much on sharp bumps. I'm in two minds about whether that is due to flow restrictions through the piston, or excessive shim stack stiffness, but I'm leaning toward the former. As I have two sets of forks, I have drilled the ports in the spare valves which should increase flow by 44%, but have yet to try these out. Switching cartridge set-up isn't fast as it involves a complete fork disassembly with much oil to handle.

I did buy some K-tech cartridge parts but can't recommend these at all as a road rider. They were even more jolting as the shims stacks were very stiff, and the piston ports even smaller than the stock KYB; I tried them and just didn't like them at all. I bought from Brook Suspension in the UK and had hoped they might provide some suggested changes but they ghosted me.

I did however buy a new shock from them, a nice turquoise-sprung Nitron R1 shock, and that has been nothing but fabulous since installation; it was even easy to fit (unlike any shock in an 800).

So the suspension remains a work in progress.

Finally I have turned to cosmetics. Earl has been wearing his original scuffed right fairing (which actually was mainly road marker paint, much of which polished off), a less-scuffed left fairing (bought from Japan) and the fuel tank which had not weathered its 3 year outdoor-exposure well; I assume stone chips through the clear coat had allowed corrosion to enter, and even during my short acquaintance it was obvious these were spreading like a virus under the paint. I lucked upon a local body shop that took the job on (for cash) and did an outstanding job, seemed economical, was incredibly fast (under 7 days) and the results are to my eye perfect. Earl is now mostly unscuffed and uncorroded; the only remaining major blemish is the upper right silver panel to the side of the headlight but unless you look, its not easy to spot and may get a repaint one day.

Hi Terry,
Thanks for sharing the story. I have not seen the valve mechanisms before. Are intake valves directly operated and outlet valves operated by rocker arms with rollers ?

Yes it is exactly as you say; the intakes are standard bucket and shim under the camshaft as on other VFRs, but the exhausts use the roller-rocker arm and screw/locknut adjusters. This is Honda's "UNICAM" arrangement as pioneered on the CRF450 motocross bike, also used on the Gold Wing engine as well. You get the compactness and lightness of a single cam but the versatility of DOHC; in the case of the 1200, having the cam sprockets towards the centre of the engine makes packaging easier. I am expecting the screw and locknuts to need more adjustment that the buckets however.