The Project Bike

1991 VFR400 NC30 (Japanese model Imported in 2002) with 41267 Km on the clocks. It is a standard bike as far as im aware (havent looked at engine or fork internals, etc), but with renthal grips and smaller number plate. Bike was running fine before last winter then wouldnt fire up recently, so i replaced the starter solnoid and hey presto! it works. Im gonna give it a basic service as i know th spark plugs are knackered and no doubt the air filter needs replacing etc.

MOT Problems - Trashed front wheel bearings!!

Ive had the bike MOT'd recently and it failed for poor front wheel bearings so i bought some new ones and replaced them myself. I couldn't believe the state of the old bearings - totally worn, bone dry, rusted and full of debris. One bearing snapped in two parts on removal!!

I got an advisory caution for warped discs on the MOT, so im on the hunt for some nice used ones.

Bodywork Re-Design

The Bodywork on this bike looks in good condition in the photos (top of page) but looks can be decieving!! Due mainly to its age, nearly every panel has cracks from stressed joins/weak points (a few pics above) and the paint work could do with a bit of TLC! So i thought rather than spend loads of money restoring the fairings, which are also a pain to fit/remove.

I've decided to RE-DESIGN the bodywork with the aim to:

• 
  
  LOOK MODERN / STAND OUT!!
• 
  
  IMPROVE FUNCTIONALITY - Add Strength - fibreglass, reinforcements, remove weak areas, easy assembly/removal and access to parts/areas.
• 
  
  REDUCE FAIRING WEIGHT - replace twin headlights, brake lights, indicators, etc for lighter ones.