JamesHambleton 87' VFR750 Liz

Last update for the next 2 months or so. This little beauty came =D








Still working away from home but still busy ordering stuff for the bike.
These have come, thankfully my mums signing for my stuff.

brand new zx10rr 2017 rear shock (finally at a price I wanted to pay)


VFR rc24 interceptor panels but have been custom painted but are oem plastics. (still need to get my fiberglass stuff painted).


and finally (for now) the honda wings for the tank.


Still need clipons, koso clocks, fiberglass panels and tank paining and dent removing, offset front sprocket, new chain, rear sprocket, front and rear pads, every single bearing, custom link pipe, battery, then all the machine work for spacers and front steering stem, oh and a headlight.

Back home for 2 days.
Yesterday I went to my dads and changed the battery for a motorbatt one. Bike now won't start due to the plugs fouling up due to the bike not been run properly.

So today I managed to get 3 hours while I've been at home to work on a few odd bits. Spent all my time on the swingarm hub.
A massive circlip was holding everything tight, managed to remove that with the new pliers, I managed to prize everything else part using the hammer as it was pretty seized up. Reassembled it with lm2 grease for now, just need to get the bearings ordered for the rear hub once I next get paid. Then the trumpet rear axle will fit.



I've sadly also come to the conclusion that I won't be getting this bike finished in time for the build off. As it'll be hard to explain to someone else (my mum) to talk to a machine shop about what work I need doing. I hope to get home soon between jobs to get it all sorted out as then things will quickly come together I hope.

Small ish update, rebuilt the rear hub and got the axle now compatible with the hub, thanks to Cookie and his thread for the info on what bearing I needed. I've since acquired a rear caliper that needs to be ultrasonically cleaned, stirpped, painted and rebuilt (got the seals at least). Replaced the battery with a motobatt as it's the only battery I can find that isn't a maintenance one. Got the correct spacers for the front calipers. Need to replace the spark plugs as they fowled up.



Dropped off the stem and yokes at my local machine shop this morning and was quoted £50, I was expecting to pay about £45 so I'm fairly pleased. So they should be done in a few days.... in which I'll be working away again. dam.



Payday next week so I'll be ordering the fully adjustable clip ons, some bolts to hold on the front mudguard and a few other bits to atleast get the front end sorted out. I know I won't get this finished by the end of the build off but damm once I've got the machine work done things will progress quickly.

Well with the build off over can I request this to be moved to the member project's section of the site.

Other updates, after I dropped off the yokes with an estimated turn around time of 3 days... 5 weeks later they're still sat in the office so I found another local machine shop and took them there, I've taken the swingarm there.

The guy at the machine shop I'm now using has 3 custom built bikes which are beautiful. They have quoted me much better for the work than the other place too

The clipons I ordered have gotten lost so they're reshipping those.

Oh and I finally got the bike home.

Moved the bike into the garden not sure how that happened as I'm under mothers ruling not to ride/push/move any of my bikes..
But what she doesn't know can't harm her


Messed about and fitted the interceptor rep parts


Damm I'm in love already :rock:

Test fitted the fiberglass panels that are getting painted for fitment - need to cut out the hold for the rear light.

Managed to trace, mask and transfer the cutout I need for the rear light on the fiberglass rear cowling... it's surprisingly hard doing it one handed but I managed to get it within 1mm of difference. The fiberglass is no where near to the oem panel either so I'm pleased.

Good work james...those swiss army knives  come in handy

wornsprokets wrote:Good work james...those swiss army knives  come in handy

A wee irish fella gave it to me... he has many lucky charms... to be sure..

I actually use it a lot and usually have it in my pocket most days

Well got my pot removed today, so dropped off the tank, sidepanels, rear cowl, rear subframe and rear caliper dropped off at the paint shop.

I've been rethinking about the rear shock setup, since the dogbone triangles stuff not making sense in my head I came across 370steve's hornet thread where he got a bracket welded to the swingarm and running a conventional suspension setup without honda's "pro arm" BS... definitely food for thought

Got sent these photos this morning.. dammm it I want to be at home and tinkering

Well I'm back!!!... at home for a few days at least.
Did 3 countries yesterday, it rained when I entered Scotland and also when I left Scotland, I'm sure Yan is trying to keep me out of his country

Fully adjustable clipon bars came

A second update of the day, what is this madness!!!

My mum only started work at 11am and the machine shop opens at 8:30, don't need to explain that any further.

Got the front end out of my bedroom along with rear wheel.


Dug out the rear axle hub out the shed and the axle bolt.


Got the fully adjustable clip ons but the thing wouldn't nip the stem no matter how much I tightened so measuring time!


Well that clearance on a bit of billet that thick would explain a lot.


So bodge time... where's that plumbers tape


Mounted up the brake and clutch mastercylinders, excuse the hoses they're from the pond.




Figured the writing on this sign is pretty applicable for when I'm home, a spanner on the floor, a bike in the garden

Very cool.

That bike (with the bit of wood in the middle and no engine) looks like a really cool version of one of those kids balance bikes...

Glad to see it's starting to come together.

That's gonna be a sick bike!

Guess who's home =D
so less words more photos













Gotta go, I've got some paint work to collect =D

Well I went to pick up the body work today, since it's been there for - well since the middle of June.
Only thing which has been completed is the rear subframe. The other panels and the tank have only had 1 colour (white) applied out of the 3. He's had 4 weeks of advance notice that I was coming to collect them today.
Not happy as I've had to call in two favours in order to travel up there today. On a plus note he's done a good job of masking the threads on the subframe, overall pretty gutted and disappointed.

Paint job done.. 18 and a half weeks later after I dropped them off... but really disappointed with the decal placement on the tank. I'll admit the size of the decal is wrong by my own doing but it's nothing like the images I sent.
Thankfully I have another 2 spare tanks at home so I'll get them resprayed at either one of the paint shops that [MENTION=20223]370steve[/MENTION] has kindly recommended to me.

This is one of the images I sent to him to copy from.

Credit to [URL="https://www.facebook.com/dBCustomRestoMods/posts/1751483924959843"]DB Customs for the above image[/URL]

Right so... updates.
Paint done and collected. Still not 100% happy but I didn't want to wait any longer so happy to have it back.


The headlight and the 50mm headlight bracket adapters came.
I'm liking the little led ring on here.


Doesn't stick out too far either which is nice. Should look much more at home once there is a set of clocks ontop there.


As I said before I needed to pass my full licence (I'm currently on a restricted 46.6bhp licence) Well I bought another bike to do my tests on Saturday.
I've been lucky with the availability as they're usually booked up for months. Today is Tuesday and I've passed the first part of my unrestricted licence. Hopefully I pass the second part tomorrow morning.

I've finally got the copper shim shorted out for the adjustable clipons, Nothing a little bit of Cookie's "persuasion engineering" with a bit of wood couldn't sort out


I'm undecided what I should go for on the rear cowl.
Cusomfighters, skullyknucks, both or nothing

Wow so it's been a year to the day since I started this thread.. definitely not done for the build off.

Other news, I've now got a proper licence passed my mod2 yesterday- none of this restricted horsepower shit anymore.

For those who don't understand the **modern** E.U system
category A1 licence is for people aged 17-19. This restricts you to a 125cc bike
category A2 licence is for people aged 19-23. This restricts you to 47bhp
category A licence is for people aged 24+ or to A2 licence holders who have held their licence for more than 2 years (me).

Each one of these tests has 2 parts, mod1 and mod2. Mod1 is slow maneuvers, mod 2 is on the road. I've had to do both these modules for my A2 and then repeat the exact same tests again but on a bigger bike.

Very little I can do now myself really. So decided to test fit the rear cowling cutout worked for the rear light - works well. Which meant moving the bike off the lift, though about 9 months of shite from outside the shed door (took a couple of hours alone) just to get the bike out!!



Wait a minute...hang on..


Ahh there we go =D



I'm happy with the front end - so much so that the fork clamps are almost identical and the bars are about 25mm/1 inch lower than the stock. Over research on picking the length of forks paid off nicely.

So my current list is from the front;

Correct size wheel spacers
swap the front wheel round so it's facing the correct direction
custom fork stops maybe cnc bolt over the standard ones? £££
2nd set of 50mm fork clamps for the headlight
Clocks and custom bracket
Drill holes for switch gear(s)
De-rust tank and re-seal
Offset front sprocket + chain and sprocket kit
internal spacer for the swingarm
Rear shock linkage
Custom seat cover??
swap over the rear mastercylinder
measure a brake hose long enough for running through the swingarm
re-rust the rear axle + nut and buy socket to fit the damd thing

Test ride

Strip back to frame and rebuild
custom exhaust system

So urm... MOT passed yesterday.



Onto today...
Didn't get a before pic so look at yesterdays

Today after I started it started pissing down.


Progress must continue though!
oh bugga blind bearings with no race to get them out.


That was quickly resolved with my MIG welder.. probably shouldn't have been wearing my brand new Dainese jacket though and the front end as almost in... and bloody clutch switch. Slice.. bugga


Getting there!


Well that's not going to fit in the headlight! :CK187: but not for today!


After some more fuckary of the top bearing coming out and trying to hold the front end steady enough to get it in. it's in and now for the lock stops.. oh bugga that's a rather large gap!


Was just giving up because of the rain then decided sod it. Basic electricals back on. Front tyre inflated, side light plugged in.




Short test ride and there is something affecting the steering, probably too much tension on the bearings, though i'm loving the stance!

Got some metal plate from Steve and started work on my lockstops.


Found that I can use the old fairing mounting points for the stops. :winning:



Then suddenly I sneezed.


Ordered the spacer I need for the swingarm then the swingarm will be going in, then it's the headache of the shock linkage.

Attempted the molasses derusting method and one tank leaked all the fluid all over. One tank holding strong.
Onwards to Glasgow and back home..

One of the lock stops have being made as close as can be for now.

The bearing spacer I ordered came and pressed that into the SSS bearing, so now I can be on with fitting that.

Managed to get the standard swingarm out. 14mm and 12mm internal hex plugs WTF.

Some serious spanner handling going on here 
Congrats on your MOT. "Exhaust noisy" Ahah

Bollocks! Bollocks!! Bollocks!!!

The swingarm I had machined to fit in my spare frame doesn't fit in my actual bike. Managed to trim down the spacers enough with the angle grinder to get it to fit but it's very tight.

As I were tightening one of the swingarm pins in place it suddenly felt a bit tight but thought it was just some dirt in the thread, one entire rotation later I decided to back it out and sure enough it's cross threaded.. piss and boloooockkkksss.

Lets start a new page.. this has too many images on this page