Oh dear not again. Honda V4 content & more rambling

 So cruising through Craiglist, I spotted the following ad:

 

1994 honda yzf 750 - $1250 (braintree)

Perfect bike for a beginner two brothers exhaust red in color . plastics are flawless . has sat for a couple of years needs a tune up . Give me a call with any questions . thanks Brendan (NUMBER REDACTED)

 

 

Honda YZF eh? Figured it was worth a text message. He sent me pics, it's a VFR. Been sitting since 2010. So I asked if the plastics really were in that good of shape and he said they were. Sure pal, everyone says that. 

 

The bike was only 20 minutes away so I figured it was worth checking out. 

 

To say the bike is in good shape is an understatement. All the stickers are still present on the tank, the hand controls aren't faded, the reservoir sight glasses are clear as day.

It came with a Corbin seat, the OEM Solo Cowl, Lockhart Phillips smoked Speedscreen & the OEM windscreen and recent Pilot Powers (my all time favorite tire)

Pretty neat bike though- single sided swing arm, twin-spar frame and a V4 with gear driven cams. 

I think I might just register it and ride it. Unsure though. 

Next week I get to pull the carbs!

In other news I sent the jug from one of the LT250s to get redone. Should have it back in a week and I can reassemble it. 

Still gotta swap the swing arm into the first LT250 but I did manage to clean the carburetor and it runs very well. Needs some tuning though. 

Once I swap the swing arm and exhaust, I just have to wire up the tether and I'll be ready for event at MX101. Can't wait. 

In closing, the 1988 Yamaha FZR750 I sold on eBay got picked up yesterday! Yay for funding!

.

See you on the road!

"The 7th digit is a K"

Wow it's been a while!
Some updates:

So I saw an ad posted on Maine Craigslist:

92 zx750r parts bike - $XXX(waterboro)

I have a 1992 zx750r it needs plastic and a top end will send pics my number is (Removed)

 

 

I texted the number asking for pics and the VIN. 98% of the time, people selling a ZX7J as a ZX7R. He told me he couldn't get pics for a couple of days so I asked for the 7th digit of the VIN.

His response? "The 7th  Digit is a K" 

Jack pot! He then sent me a picture.

Okay so it's not the prettiest thing and the top end of the motor has seen better days.

BUT. All the R specific stuff is present. Adjustable swing arm pivot, adjustable rear shock w/ remote reservoir, OEM solo tail unit, aluminum tank (!), Keihin flatside carburetors and the close ratio gear box. 

 

So I paid the man and loaded it up. 

 

 

Over the winter I'm going to tear it down to the frame and clean it and put it back together, In the mean time, I'm going to start collecting parts. The plan for the engine is to go 1 or 2mm over on the bore and get '93 cams with a Wiseco piston kit. I will have the flatsides professionally rebuilt and set up. 

In other news, I managed to acquire another Suzuki LT250R. It's a complete rolling chassis with plastics and engine. The engine is out and it's missing the top end. Good news though! I have a jug from the disassembled parts bike I picked up. 

I just shipped it out today to a company recommended to me on SuzukiQuadRacerHQ.com for boring & honing.  Hoping for 2mm over and a matching Wiseco piston.

That covers what I've bought recently. Now onto what I've gotten rid of.

First up is the 1996 Kawasaki ZX-7R. Remember the one I swapped the motor in? 

I delivered to a buyer in Lowell. Made ~$700 on it! Not bad for a couple hours of work! 

Second is the 1990 Kawasaki ZX600d. The one with the PM Chicanes. It's gone and I'm happy. 

Third and most recent, I put the 1988 Yamaha FZR750R on eBay with no reserve. The final bid was $1,775! I'm pretty stoked on that. The proceeds from that sale will help fund the restoration of the seriously neglected 7R! 

Thanks for reading.

See you on the road!

Buy our CBR600 Hurricane!

A friend and I picked this little motor up in Rhode Island. It had been laid up since last year and generally neglected over it's life.
We got it running and got all the necessary paperwork to take legal ownership of it. Now it's time to sell it on.

 

It is 100% stock. Right down to the rear fender, tire hugger, exhaust, air box, paintwork and blinkers. No one has messed with it! The original advisory stickers are still on the tire hugger and fuel tank. A difficult feat indeed for a bike of this vintage. Usually by now Johnny Streetrider Squid has gotten to it and ruined it with Monster Energy stickers, Jardine "stunt" muffler, K&N knock off pod filters and (my favorite) flushmounts. 

Like every 90s Honda motorcycle, the voltage regulator went bad. This was rectified (no pun intended) by using one from a Suzuki GS500e due to having a larger surface are and heat sink.

The fairings aren't perfect and were repaired.  The downside is this is a rare color scheme, in all my years of looking at bikes I've never seen another gray/white F1, which makes finding replacement panels a challenge.

This Hurricane has just 26,000 miles on it and sports a brand new air filter. 

We are asking $1,500 for it. 

With a comfortable riding position, useable power, sporty handling and cheap parts, this would make a great first bike or back up cruiser for someone.

Bucket List Bikes Pt 1.

I have a dream of one day owning all the original Liter Bikes.

The first one that comes to mind is the Yamaha FZR1000.
When this bike first came onto the scene in 1987, it boasted 135bhp, revolutionary Genesis head which had an unheard of 5 valves per cylinder and a wet weight of just over 500lbs and a very modern chassis.
The chassis was dubbed "Delta Box" and it is still being used by Yamaha today. The theory behind this was that a triangle (delta) was more rigid than a square. Armed with this theory, engineers were able to make the engine hang in the frame as opposed to being "cradled" like GSX-Rs at the time. The mounting of the motor from above allowed the motor to be placed as low as possible in the frame allowing for a low center of gravity. They achieved this by using a diagonal from the steering tube down to the swing arm pivot making the frame triangular.

The original color schemes were a red/white and a blue/white. I would prefer the blue/white but I would take either one.

The first major revision came in 1989 and was priced at $7,599 which was $1,200 more than the GSX-R1100. Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $13,856 in today's prices; considering a 2013 Yamaha YZF-R1's MSRP was $14,490, the old FZR was a bargain. Yamaha increased the displacement to just over 1,000CC and equipped it with an electronically controlled exhaust valve giving the engine great power at midrange RPMs and other internal improvements giving a bump in power to 145bhp. 
Yamaha also improved on their revolutionary chassis design by making the engine a full stressed member and removing the downtubes. 
This complete package made for an out of the box bike that would do 167 miles per hour and it gained the title of "Bike of The Decade" by Cycle World in 1989. Quite the feat.
Aside from minor changes like headlamps, paint schemes and the fitting of upside down forks in 1991, the FZR1000 went on to terrorize the streets until 1995.

Manufactured Madness- Suzuki's LT500R Quadzilla

Back in 1987, after great success with the LT250R, Suzuki decided to take it to the next level by doubling the displacement- 499cc with a power valve! In the world of 2 strokes, the power valve is considered a poor man's turbo.  I tried looking up how this valve functioned but much like Jeremy Clarkson when James May tries to explain something technical, I dosed off and shouted "POWAAA"
This combination pumped out 51hp and gobs of torque.
Back in the day it was the fastest and most expensive ATV. Weighing in at 392lbs, of the showroom floor, it topped out at just shy of 80mph. 

Much like the LT250R, the Quadzillas have fascinated me for some time. 

Well as luck would have it, there was a feller selling one in Vermont for a very very cheap price. 

The ad read:

87 suzuki quad racer 500 - (ludlow)

quadzilla. needs a few parts. rear caliper bolt kit for plastic n a air filter. has new chain reeds piston n rings. plastic is in great condition no tears in seat. it is a 87 is in fair condition fast machine. fun. would trade for a car or truck or dirtbike. let me know (phone number)

I texted him and he sent me some dreadful pics. 

But I was still interested. I confirmed that it was actually the LT500R model and not just a 250 like the one I have and he said "499cc" and I knew it was correct. 

Straight after work I jumped in the truck and went and grabbed it. The seller was odd. He said since I texted him he had received 8 or so phone calls on it and end less texts. Told you it was a good price! 

To put things in perspective, market value on these in good nick is north of $2,000. 

So what did I get? A bargain. The seller had just put all new gaskets and a piston and ring set it in. Seems like it wasn't raced as it has the original fenders, IE not "race cuts."

Someone had installed a nice FMF exhaust system and Nerf Bars too. 

 

I'm on the fence about keeping it or selling. The LT250R I have is scary enough. This would be just manic.

 

Thoughts?

Interesting Tech- Yoshimura Duplex Exhaust

Some time back before I was around, a company called Yoshimura R&D was "in bed" with Suzuki (and still is!).
They teamed up for various racing circuits around the world. From the AMA Superbike class to the 8 Hours of Suzuka.
Pictured below is the Suzuka bike:

Lots of innovations in these race winning models made it onto the street. Back in the day, you could buy a multitude of parts from Yoshimura which were close, if not direct, replicas of items used on the race bikes. Swing arms, exhausts, cam chain tensioners, specialty air boxes, foot pegs, number plates, the list goes on. If you had enough deep pockets, you too could have a nearly exact replica of the legendary bikes ridden by Kevin Schwantz and other greats.

One interesting bit of kit was Yoshimura's "Duplex" exhaust system. The header unit had these bizarre looking canisters on it, see below:

I offer you a quote direct from a Yoshimura catalog: .
                   "The purpose of the duplex canisters is to collect some of the exhaust gas not used under hard braking into a corner, which is then released from the duplex canisters when you get back on the throttle as you exit the corner. A special hand built collector speeds up exhaust to provide a smooth transition from low to mid to full throttle"

Did it work? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
For what it's worth, new Yoshimura exhausts for Suzuki GSX-R models do not have them. 

Coincidence or forgotten tech?

You decide.

Intro Pt. 5

Final one, I promise. 

I was cruising through Craigslist one day and found a 1996 Ninja ZX7R with no price for sale. Ad said "Went to work, came out and it wouldn't start" Hm. Perhaps hydrolocked? Worth a shot. Bike was in exceptional condition. Sadly someone lowered it but also put nice Nology Wires, deleted emissions and put a very nice Muzzy exhaust on it. So I figured for the price I paid with a title, I couldn't lose.
Some diagnostic work later and the prognoses was a valve broke and locked the motor up. Seller's story was obvious a total fabrication but that's neither here nor there.
Oh dear!

A few hours and bruises later, she roared to life.

I do have the left and right side fairings but the left one needs repair/replacement. And again, this paint job was only available in 1996.
The bike is for sale; $2,200 if you're interested. The replacement motor has just 9,000 miles on it!

Finally is what I picked up last night.
1986 Suzuki LT250R
This was a revolutionary ATV back in the day. It combined light weight aluminum materials with a simple design and a liquid cooled 2 stroke engine.
 They were very light, weighing in at just 293 pounds making it lighter than most ATC 3 wheelers of its day.

Though common place now, the LT250R came loaded with new features:
         2-wheel rear drive with a solid axle
        "A-Arm" front suspension
        Powerful lightweight engine
        Manual transmission and clutch
        Hydraulic disc brakes, two in front, one for the rear
        Chain drive
        (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_LT250R)




The early years like mine were equipped with 5 speed transmissions and a notoriously weak swing arm. The swing arm issue is remedied by upgrading to a newer swing arm. Which I will be doing as mine is cracked in a couple places.

Mine is slightly modified: FMF exhaust system and Nerf Bars.
My plan is to restore it and clean it up. I got it for WELL under market value. I was thinking of entering it in the local racing series. I'm sure it won't hold a candle to newer 4 stroke race ATVs but it sure would be fun!