1998 Honda VTR1000 Updated 05-27-2023
Updated: May 27
Updated 05-27-2023
More updates but also some bad news too.
Yeah I got started on my OEM calipers with rebuilding them and man they are sooo stubborn on getting the piston cup removed from the caliper.
So that's as far as I got with the piston cups as I needed to buy another piston removal tool and then the epiphany.
I now have 2 perfectly good running bikes, both with less than 600 miles on them, and the fact this project will be another year or two before it's done. 😔
So I made a decision of giving the bike away as it sits. For free.
Say what? No I'm not crazy and here is why.
I am quite happy with what I have. My whole goal was to be able to ride and the VTR is not on that list with all the work I have to do to make it rideable.
It would be hard to sell the bike as it is so I decided to head up to my Kawasaki dealership and found an individual working there to happily take the bike home with him as is and have a father son adventure to get this bike going again.
He is an avid fan of the SuperHawk VTR1000 and perfect candidate to take over rebuilding it.
You might be thinking Inshould sell it for all the new parts, OEM, and aftermarket going in the bike plus all the work done on it so far! 🤨
Yeah I could but I need the space in storage so I can get rid of my smaller storage now housing the Ninja400 and some items for the house etc.
It'll all fit in my big storage once the VTR is out of the way.
Paying $300 a month for the 10 by 30 foot storage and $120 a month for my 5 by 10 foot storage is too much.
The $120 saved helps and then lets me look for a cheaper alternative somewhere else to get a 10X30 at a more reasonable price.
So I'll be letting the VTR go when I get back home mid June but I know it's going to a good home bonding a father and 21 year old son on a project sure to fire up some memories down the road.
I did have one stipulation in giving him the bike at no cost and that was when he's done and it's running again to call me so I can do a photo shoot and maybe take it for a spin.
It's a win win for him and me and ultimately that's what I wanted never mind losing some money on all the goodies going on the bike.
Here's a taste of a few pics of what will be going with the bike to the new owner. 🙏🏽
It's a bitter sweet moment for me but my ZX4RR and Ninja400 are as sweet a bikes as you can get.
Thanks for looking and I'll post up how things go mid June. 👍
Updated 02-14-2023
Yay another solid update to report. 🙌
No pictures with this update but I've certainly put the work in for progress.
First I finally got the Honda CBR600F4i calipers broke down to all the pieces, cleaned them all up, and rebuilt with new seals and gaskets.
I also completely rebuilt the CBR600 brake reservoir for the bike, tore it down, and all innards are new and ready for fluid.
Everything is all bagged up waiting for me to do the modification needed to the caliper casing so it will fit around one of the main mounting bolts on the forks. This will be done next time I'm home.
Next up for the bike will be to rebuild the clutch lever reservoir and clean up the clip ons while pulling out the clutch cable from the frame.
All new stainless lines will be used and routed when the time comes as I strive to make as much progress on the bike every time I'm home.
slow progress but past the 50% mark on completion. 🙌🤞
Thanks for looking. 🙏🏽
Updated 07-20-2022
2 full days to work on the bike and a lot of progress was had. 🙌
I'm concentrating on getting the back half of the bike finished so I started with the rear brake assembly.
The rear master cylinder, caliper, and all the lines associated with the brake assembly were removed, cleaned, rebuilt, lubed, and reassembled looking like new once more
All that was bagged until they are ready to be installed in the bike while I worked on both front and rear wheel assemblies.
All sprockets and brake rotors were blue loctite and torqued to spec.
The axle collars were reinstalled into freshly greased axle seals and then taped with blue painters tape to keep them clean until they're ready to be reinstalled back on the bike.
I then commenced to pull the drive sprocket from the bike, remove the clutch slave cylinder, and then spen a few hours using kerosene in a spray bottle to clean off years of greasy neglect by the previous owners. 😤🤦🏻
It came out amazing when it was all done and the back of the bike looks new once more. 😍
Pics below.
I should've taken some before and after pics on everything but my concentration was on getting it done. 👍
I can't put the swingarm and everything back on the bike until the cam chain tensioners are replaced with manual units. That's coming but next time I'm home I'll be doing the front brake calipers, modifying them to fit, and rebuilding them with new rebuild kits so these too will be like new.
I'm excited to be back on this project and although slow going I do have the Ninja to ride until the VTR is up and running again.
Enjoy your Summer everyone. 🙏🏽🤙
Updated 07-07-2022
I wish I could say there's been a ton of updates here but alas time is at a premium.
I am going to concentrate one day during my 5-7 days I get off in working in the VTR.
More to come soon. 🤞🙏
Updated 04-11-2022
So it looks like June or July I will be back to making progress on getting this steed put back together again.
After much time off prepping the Ninja it's almost finished and should be track ready in May.
Now I'll be able to out full effort back into this Honda so I can ride it again sometime next year when it's finished.
I'm really looking forward to riding this bike again with all new parts, modifications, and properly trained pilot.
Having the choice if bikes to ride or even the car will be a toss of the coin and can't wait.
This Honda will be amazing to look at and ride and built my way in it's concept.
Stay tuned for June/ July for some new updates coming. 👍😉
Below are the original posts starting from oldest to 10-25-2021 post.
I will be posting all new updates in a newest to oldest format.
I needed a second set of wheels and didn't have room for another car so I bought this. 😍
1998 Honda SuperHawk as it's called here in America but the rest of the world it's called a FireStorm. I love both names.
Ive already begun to buy parts for the beast for not only maintenance but for better performance and to also make it an able bike for the street and track.
Here's a picture of how she'll look with the new under belly pan I bought. The big luggage bag on the rear won't be on the bike. Pic is for reference. 🤷🏼♂️😁
The cam chain tensioners will be changed out with manual units as these tensioners are a known failure for these 'Hawks. I had to buy a front and rear bike stand by PitBull so I can store the bike off the wheels and work on it.
Im also upgrading the front brakes with a set of Honda CBR600F4i front calipers, F4i master cylinder, A Coerce front fork brace to keep the front end more stable, and a shifter stabilizer plate to remove the slack out of the shift lever.
I also got a yellow rear fender for the bike to keep dirt and grit from the shock and chain. The yellow is in commemoration of the Paseo. 😍
Ive got a lot of plans for this bike but like the car they'll be sourced and bought in time. Im in no hurry and more worried about reliability and safety at the moment.
I'll be updating this blog as I get things going so stay tuned. 👍😎
Since I'm waiting for parts to arrive I thought I'd show my first motorcycle the Kawasaki KZ400. I purchased this about 26 years ago, did a nice restoration on it and rode it for a solid year. Heat bike but I quickly outgrew what the bike was capable of so sold it in hopes of getting a sport bike. 26 years later here we are. 👍😂
The above isn't my actual bike but it's exactly as mine was when it was restored. Pictures are from the internet for reference. Actual pictures of the bike were lost long ago. 😔
More to come as I get more picture and continue to figure out how to work this site. 😂😜
It's time for an update on the bike and the progression of parts coming in daily for the rebuild and upgrades. Here's some pictures of some of the newer stuff coming in and I have a ton of work to do I. The next 3 months.
You can see the new stands for the bike. These are pretty much mandatory for working on the bike and for storage while I'm out driving. Front and rear wheel bearing set, new MOSFET rectifier and regulator from a Kawasaki that I'll be splicing in to replace the factory unit which fails a lot, and new 3 bar radiator caps for the cooling system.
Front caliper from a CBR600F4i along with the master cylinder and levers from the F4i. This is a major upgrade in braking and minor modification to the calipers will make them fit perfect.
Rebuild kit for the brake calipers, master cylinder, rear brake rebuild kit, and the clutch rebuild kit.
New rear sprocket and drive sprocket kit with chain for better gearin and a lighter 520 chain setup to reduce mass in the drive system. 😉😜
Last my new bottom cowl to add once everything is done and also got a couple of used rear peg and exhaust pipe hangers that I'll be modifying to remove the pegs, grind down and cut off the peg mounts, and then finish by grinding the thinner support part of the bracket to clean up the exhaust hangers. Should look sweet when done and some nice custom work that I love doing.
Thats it for now and I'll post up more in a few weeks when I'm home working on the bike. 👍😎
Oh here's a quick video of the bike on the stands. 😍🔥
Some updates as I have time to add a few things. Got some new fri t rotors from EBC and a new clutch slave cylinder from Oberon to smooth out the shifting a bit over the stock unit
Some new rear hub bushings for that new bike feel, new mirror extensions so I can actually see what's behind me, and some Samco silicone hoses with clamps for some bling and durable coolant piping
ProBolt 7075-T6 aluminum wind screen hardware along with hardware for the rest of the fairings and fenders.
Last are the frame sliders for that just in case lay over or fall which I hope will never happen but these will help protect the bike a bit from that.
Some pictures of the bike being worked on and tear down so I can rebuild this bike to new condition and make sure it's as it's supposed to be.
Front forks removed to be shipped off to DMr Suspension Performance for some upgrading and rework.
Air box removed for carb access and modification and I'm removing the PAIRS system and crankcase system in the air box to open up the volume of the box for more air to the carbs.
Electrical work will also be upgraded as will the lighting for better visibility and better electrical efficiency.
Here are some of the modifications and upgrades already done while I was home.
I added the new oil cap with safety line to the bike so on track days I don't have to worry about it coming loose and leaving oil all over the track. 😳😉😂
I swapped out the rear peg and can brace bolt and went with something a bit nicer looking. Looks much better.
I also replaced the regulator/ rectifier with a MOSFET unit from a Kawasaki for better, more consistent charging, and it won't burn out like the factory unit is prone to do.
I further modified the tail plate license section by ridding it of the bulky OEM license plate light and adding some marker lights for better visibility. I'm not done here yet as there's more to come on this section when I get home in January.
Last I did a baffelectomy where the internal main baffle is removed for better sound and a bit better exhaust flow. I used a 2-1/8" hole saw that was 2-1/2" deep to make the cut and used my Dremmel tool to finish it out. It came out looking great and can't wait to hear it roar when it's done. 😂😜
That's it for now as I'm out driving the freight shaker to thicken the wallet for some riding classes for when I get home.
Much more work done on the bike.
Some before and after progress on the exhaust can hangers. They're still not finished but you see how they'll look when done. 😍🤟
Good progress on the custom marker lights installed and finally figured out how I'll do my rear turn signals too. I'm wanting to be as streamlined as possible with the bike and it's looking good so far. Most of the new yellow body parts are now hand rubbed to new condition and the carbs are finally removed to have access to all the coolant hoses and engine so I can check the valve clearances and replace the cam chain tensioners.
I also went to Nola Motorsports in New Orleans to take a refresher course in riding as it's been 25 years since I rode a motorcycle. 2 days of relearning to ride and the mojo has returned. 😂😁
I plan on going to an advanced course on track to better my skills before I mount the steed when it's done. 👍
Updated 07-17-21
Update coming soon.
Been so busy with the car that I've had no time to work on the bike but that's going to change next time in from driving the truck around the country.
Rear of the bike will be worked on including the swing arm, adding the new rear shock, and trying to put it back together for the rear wheel to be put back on the bike again.
I've pretty much reached the half way point on the bike where now everything is off, getting fixed or replaced, rebuilt, and put back on the bike piece by piece.
This is what I've been waiting for and hopefully I'll have it all put back together again by mid Spring and have it fired up by late Spring for the Summer season.
Wish me luck and see you next time.
Updated 10-25-21
Yay finally an update on the Honda. Iv'e been so busy with life and so many other things this bike has taken a back seat unfortunately. Since the progress is taking such a long time I did buy a 2021 Ninja 400 to keep me riding and have a second means of transportation if the Accent breaks down again. On to the progress so far. I completely removed the swing arm assembly, shock, and all the related components of the suspension this round. I cleaned up the swing arm and cleaned it up from all the grease using kerosene in a spray bottle and 20+ years of greasy gunk came off with ease.
Shock was removed for the new DMrPerformance shock and installed the top mount to the new shock for remounting.
Not pictured are all the sleeves, bearings, and seals that were checked, cleaned, and re-greased using a top grade marine rated grease to get things back to new. Surprisingly the bearings and sleeves were all in good shape to reuse as I've seen many setups on the forums needing to be replaced because everything seized up. I was lucky.
So that part of the bike is now ready for reassembly but before that's done I've still got a ton of cleaning to do on that part of the bike. Clutch slave cylinder has to be removed and replaced and the front sprocket too as I'll be replacing that with a 520 front sprocket awaiting the new chain and rear sprocket.
Doesn't seem like a lot of work but it's done and more work to do next time I'm home. 👍