@@curtis8880 That’s a lot of work. Hopefully the videos were a bit of help.

Hey Terry...have a look at the switch video I made when I restored the actual handlebar control switches...tell me if you see anything familiar or at odds. Email me at [email protected] if you have any pics you want me to look at. Cheers.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hsuYirumrs2ne30.html

Thanks!! I have another video called making gold chrome. I basically figured out what Yamaha did and tried to replicate that. So the gold is actually brass plated with a tinted translucent yellow clear coat. Makes the brass bits look gold and gives it a UV hard clear at the same time.

183cm. 6 feet tall

@@KensWorldRestorations Thanks for the answer! Good luck on the roads!

Hey Brian!!! That’s soooo cool! Small world and I’m glad you found my videos. I’ve got the Haynes manual (bought a used paper one) but I also use the IMPEX Japan website for more accurate drawings and assembly views. I’ve noted a number of errors in the shop manual when it comes to drawings and references. I’ve got a couple carb videos but also search for JH-Tech - he’s got some really good videos rebuilding an FZ750 and the carbs are nearly identical and his videos are really good. I’ll be doing the engine work here pretty soon. It mostly needs some top-end work but I’ll also be rebuilding the clutch, water pump and alternator (if required). Glad to see you getting back into the bike!!! I’ll check my email in the next few days - I’m at work and work 3 week shifts.

So true - so many copied the FZR's finest qualities. This chassis design can still be seen in the fundamental layout of today's bikes. Truly legendary and I hope someday more people recognize that.

Thanks so much Chris!!! Really appreciate that!

So there’s a few places to look. The side stand switch itself, the side stand relay (under the seat) or the neutral switch connector (under the engine). With the bike on and in neutral (but the engine not running) and the clutch out, put your side stand up and down. You should be able to hear the relay clicking on and off. If nothing happens, your side stand switch isn’t activating the relay. If the side stand switch isn’t plugged in properly, the relay (and everything downstream) will think the side stand is down. Focus on the switch, where it plugs in to the harness, the wires up to the relay, the relay itself (make sure it’s seated) and anything else that looks out of place. Check to make sure the neutral wire is connected too. Good luck…

On flexible plastic use 2K urethane primer. For finishing colours, just use a good quality 2K single stage gloss paint. Its adhesion is incredible and it's very flexible - especially today's modern paint chemistries. Single stage is still 2K (you mix the paint with a hardener/activator and reduce it as required) and that way you don't have to do it as a base/clear. The single stage has the clear built in - that's what I'd do for dirt bike plastics. It'll look great and last for years and easy to repair if it does chip.

@@KensWorldRestorations Cool, good tip. I had to go look up what "2K urethane primer" is. Looks like it's some type of super tough, 2-part mixable epoxy type primer. What crazy stuff. Must be insanely durable, like painting a layer of flexible epoxy over your project. There are a ton of brands on Amazon for 2K primer. Do you have a brand of it that you prefer? Maybe Eastwood? Also, just FYI in case you're curious, the type of plastic on my dirt bike looks and feels to me like regular nylon, just like a Home Depot plastic 5 gallon bucket (but dyed in Kawasaki green). The cherry on top of this project of mine is if I could use that 2K primer and then paint it with this killer metallic lime green that Kawasaki uses on some of their sportbikes. It's an unbelievably beautiful type of paint, but I don't know if it's flexible or durable enough to use on a plastic dirt bike fender.

@@r0ckworthy So there are base chemistries for automotive paint and primers - there are lacquers, enamels, urethanes and epoxies. Today, the most popular are epoxy & urethane paint. They both require an activator or hardener in order to cure - they really don’t dry by air but airflow and heat speeds up the curing process. Urethane and epoxy are two different chemistries but both are very durable and in some cases, flexible. Your plastic fenders are injection molded that gives a gloss finish. You’ll have to sand/scuff the shine off as well as remove any signs of oxidation from the sun. Once you get the parts completely clean and dull (use 220 to 400 and then some scotchbright) then clean with a solvent based cleaner before using 2K urethane primer. Once the primer flashes off (in about 15 minutes) then you’ll paint the 2K urethane, single stage gloss colour of your liking. If you end up going with a solid color, then you can definitely go single stage. If you want to use a Kawasaki metallic, it might end up being available only in base/clear. You have to make sure you sand the parts well to get rid of all the gloss or the primer and paint will flake off. I don’t have any preferences for brands but I’ve heard great things about Eastwood.

@@KensWorldRestorations EXCELLENT information, thank you!

Yes, unlike the Virago where the bolts were seized completely, these ones came out just fine on their own with an impact driver and spring tension. It was getting them torqued back in - the shop manual called for 60nm which I think is excessive. Ive seen a number of mistakes in the Haynes manual and ended up calling my friend who is a Yamaha trained and certified mechanic. He said it should be less - around 35 to 40 NM. So my problem was the broomstick/bolt method that I had was working fine under less torque, but split when I tried going higher. Ended up with blue locktite and 35NM for final torque after I wrapped duct tape around the split.

I love that look too. Everything has been coming up nicely and yeah, it’s front and centre so I can’t screw it up!!!

Where the hell are you finding these absolute GEMS?!?!?!? First year 900RR? Wow! I was still hoping for a complete vapour blasting job but maybe next one. I’m eyeballing a 1998 Honda CR205R just for something different but the frames are similar. Can’t wait to see yours!

@@KensWorldRestorationson

Still on the fence on this one but we will see. It’s all there just needs some love.

Yeah, forks can be a pain when that bolt gets seized. My contraption ended up working out after I reinforced it but I was just really tapped out. 10 hours of work over two days what should have been about 3 hours. So turns out there are short springs and long springs. The long progressive springs do not use that 4cm long spacer. It’s in one of the drawings in the shop manual and you warned me already about mistakes. I went straight to Japan for the proper drawing and it shows no spacer with the proper length springs (I measured them just to be sure). And there is no way in hell I’d get a spacer in there and still get the springs compressed in order to get the caps on. The spring protector, looks like a washer, was in there and it may not have showed up in the video but it’s all there. But it took me a couple days of research to get the proper answer. Ceracoting for environment is a great idea!! Luckily here, it’s dryer than a popcorn fart, so corrosion is usually not an issue. But it’ll be a fair-weather drive as well. Thanks for the great comment - always love it when people share their stories and experience. There’s a lot of variations of this bike, even for the same year. Nice to see people from all over the world sharing the intel.

@@KensWorldRestorations Forgot to mention, I made an unplanned, impulsive purchase, my next project, A 1984 GSX750SE Katana, also known as the "Pop-Up Katana" due to its.....er Pop up head light. (Did Canada get those? not many markets did) Its a NZ new bike so its not restricted like the JDM ones, pearl white & black with black engine with gold highlights (looks far better that it sounds) in remarkable condition, still has its original rot free black chrome exhausts. This one will be easy compared to my FZR, its just been sitting for 20 odd years so will need a thorough going over before even starting. Ive stashed it at the in laws, to stop me being distracted from the FZR. 🤣

@@uhtred7860 Oh wow!!! I think we did but they're rare as hell. You got yourself another gem by the sounds of it. The US got them too but again, not in big numbers and only for a couple of years. That's definitely going to be worth hanging on to!!

You're absolutely right. Turns out I had a lot on my mind while I was making the video and just rambled past the obvious. The fork seals are band new but not OEM (just Chinese imports). Kinda sucks that I have to take the front end apart to get better seals in there.

It’s actually LVLP. The low velocity is key to using a smaller volume compressor with much less overspray. It’s an Aeropro A610. Amazing gun built specifically for the DIY home markets.

My wife immigrated from the US and now finds anything other than metric ridiculous...but having said that, I just mounted my metric tires on 18" rims...Cheers and thanks for the nice comment! Engine stuff is next.

I'd like to think that one of the few things keeping the manufacturers of these oddball sized tires going is the number of restorations happening now that they're 30+ years old. So far I've found Bridgestone, Pirelli & Metzler who still make a matching set (18/17").

It's something I've been painfully aware of since getting burned with a decade-old set of tires a while back. The tire that came off the front when I started the restoration only had 3 digits indicating it was pre-2000 when the 4 digit codes came about. I'm pretty sure it was original...

I was kind of in disbelief when I first found out that most stock HD make about 50hp and that's about it. Virago is 68hp but just a smoother ride and better handling without a doubt.

Hahaha!!! Just for you I will....

Funny how things work out when you think it's one problem but it turns out to be something completely different...funny story.

Definitely a marketing thing...only saw red rims here in Canada & the US. These rims were all red too - there was no white under the red when I had them stripped - which I was kind of expecting to see. Always been a fan of the white rims on this bike...can't wait to see it all together and finished now!!

The bearings were the biggest surprise to me - I totally forgot them in the freezer for 4 days. When I was ready to do the video, I went all around the garage looking for them. My wife laughed at me when she reminded me they were in the freezer. I brought them out one at a time and was really surprised to see how easy they went into the races. Although the inner race is set back from the outer races on all those bearings, I just wanted to use the large washer since I didn't have a socket to cover the entire surface of the outer race. It definitely helped with the setting of all the bearings. I opted for powder coating this time around - for durability mostly. It was done by Powderworks Calgary and the product they use is Prismatic Powders. The colour is Clean White (PSS-4950). It looks amazing. The rims were completely chemically stripped, blasted and then powder coated. It wasn't cheap - $300 CAD for the set but I'm so happy with the results and when it comes to high-end stuff, I don't mind spending extra $$$. So happy to find the Pirelli's too - with the fresh rims and tires, I'm really pleased.

@@KensWorldRestorations I also always put the bearings in the freezer. Most of the time I still know where I left them. You got lucky your wife didn't serve them as diner :). Maybe I will also go for powder coat in the wheels in the future. More durable surely. I just got to find a good company that does it with care like your did. Lots of these company say they can do it but results are not always satisfying.

@@jh-tech5546 Looks like we're having bearing pasta for dinner tonight...:o)

Gonna be the front forks, my friend...just finishing the work up now and might have a video ready in a week or so.

It was my first test ride after a frame off, year-long restoration. I had to take it easy and stay close to home. I'll get a longer trip in this summer and post that video.

Ha! Great minds think alike! I was looking at standard automotive painting stands but they were $60+ each. The bike parts are considerably lighter and this rack was $15. Folds up and hides away nicely too.

Thanks!! Still trying to figure out the new gun. For LVLP it still sprays a lot of volume of paint so I have to keep experimenting. I stole your paint booth idea if you haven’t figured that out yet!!!

@@KensWorldRestorations Painting (and bodywork in general) is a real skill. I would also like to be better at it. For example on the RD and FZ I repainted I am not 100% happy with the result of the final clear coat. Orange peel on some spots and sort of dry rough surface on other sports. The art is indeed to have a nice flowed coat without the runs. I guess practicing a lot will improve it. I hope the boot will work well for you.

The coils are pretty bullet proof but the regulators are just “adequate” until you start adding things like extra lights, etc. There are aftermarket replacements if yours is acting up and if you have a lot of extra lights (more than 5 amps) you might want to consider an external regulator. If you get a new battery, try the AGM types. I swear by them and they don’t need servicing.

Sorry for the late reply - I got the brake parts at partsnmore.com. They sell to the US and Canada. Front brake master cylinder rebuild kit is #08-0202 (Yamaha 4KO-W0041-00/4KO-W0041-50). The rest of the Virago parts they have are at www.partsnmore.com/parts/yamaha/xv1100/

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, it’s nice to see before you do - just gives you a little bit of extra confidence when doing it yourself.

Awesome! Good to see another one is being raised from the dead. Good luck with everything…I’m going slow at it right now since I’m doing bike stuff between work which is 3 week intervals. I should be doing all my engine work, mostly top end stuff, by July/August timeframe. Videos shortly after.

@@KensWorldRestorations I had a first gen 1000 Genesis back in the day. Saved so hard to get it and utterly loved it, but was stolen some months after. Still love it's looks. The EXUP came up locally and was nearest I could get relatively cheaply and easily. It is very tired though. So has to show itself worthy of saving first. Good luck.

Hey Doug!! Busy busy with work - job change - I’m no longer going out to NL anymore. Travelling was killing me. Working in AB now and will have some free time this summer finally and looking forward to getting some miles on the Virago! Thanks for reaching out and I’ll shoot you an email when I get home in a couple weeks. Cheers!

I would. They’ve got a low seat height, low center of gravity and low end torque. Depending on how big you are, you can consider the 500cc, 750 or the 1100.

Wow!! thanks! I love these kind comments. It is a great bike and it deserved to get another 4 decades of life. I've got some life & work stuff I need to sort out but I'll be takin the Virago out for some more riding this season. Cheers!

I've personally never done that before but I have seen others use spacers if you have no other option. Before you do anything, make sure the fork oil level is correct quantity for your year. They're different from the 1000 to the 1100 and I think even the 750 might have different fork oil level. You'll want to verify with a service manual. If you check your original spacer, you might be able to find something that compresses the spring like you mentioned. Also, if you have an air valve like mine (up to 1990 I think) then you can add air up to 15psi.

@KensWorldRestorations thanks for your reply, Ken! My xv1100 year 1999 has no air valve. Manual says 396ml of oil is needed. What if I use 20W?

@@MrClics If you can't find proper fork oil, then yes, using motor oil is ok for short term. Motor oil has additives that cause the oil to froth when used in forks (under normal or light use, it's still ok). I would hesitate using anything other than the recommended viscosity only because I've never experienced it and I don't know how the forks will respond. Be careful making changes outside of the shop manual recommendations - if you do, make small changes at a time and experiment to make sure things don't go bad.

@KensWorldRestorations dear Ken, thank you for your kind and detailed explanation, as usual! I wish you all the best and waiting for your new videos!!

I've got my eye on something Honda - either Magna or Interceptor...loved that V4.