I read that F3 front rotors and F2 rotors are different. I have a 96 F3 and a 94 F2 parts bike the rotors look the same. I have replaced mine with the ones off the F2 and they were exactly the same. I have seen F3 rotors on ebay that look way different from mine but were they changed in later, 97 98 F3's?

 

Yes, the 97's and 98 F3's rotors are different. According to Honda they only fit 97 and 98 F3 and the 98-05 VTR1000F

 

so the 97-98 ones like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/V-199...QQcmdZViewItem
won't fit in place of the 96 and below ones like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/91-96...QQcmdZViewItem
There is a noticeable difference. But I assume that the 96 and below F3 is the same as the F2 being that I swapped them out on mine, am I correct?

 

No no no no no no no no no

Listen people...........


All F3 wheels/rotors/front ends/fenders (95-98) are interchangeable.None of them are "different".

F2 and F3 rotors/wheels/rotors are NOT interchangeable.It's possible someone put a different front end on your bike.I've seen complete 900rr front ends on F3s.

The second ebay listing above is an F2 wheel.He put the other years on his listing to get more people to look.I hate that because it can be misleading for the uninformed.

F2 has the speedo drive on the riders left (clutch lever side) of the wheel.The F3 does not.The F3 speeo drive comes from the tranny.The F3 wheel has spacers on both sides.

Measure your rotors.
F3 -298mm
F2 -280mm

 

kjohnson's right. All F3's have the same front brakes. They are not interchangable with F2's. Looking at your pic, someone put a F2 front wheel on your bike. Also, as he said, the F3 has bigger front brakes. You should make sure they put F2 brake calipers on it as well, if not, since F3 rotors are bigger, your pads might not line up right with your rotor. Is your bike salvaged? If it is, the previous owner might have found a deal on an F2 front end and just thrown it on. Not a abd thing, just know that you have an F2 wheel brake set up.

 

No the bike is not salvaged. I figured the front wheel was F2 because the spacer on the left side is the one for the speedo cable, it was like that when I got it. Are the forks different also or are they the same between the F2 and F3? what differences are there with the calipers? If mine is F2 front wheel it must be F2 calipers also.

 

I believe there are some differences between F2 and F3 forks. Small internal changes and such. They are the same length and diameter though and therefore interchangeable. I think the F2 and F3 calipers are quite a bit differrent too. The F3 calipers are floating, and I believe the F2's are not. I can conferm that for you if you want. My housemate has an F2 and I have an F3. The F2 brake system is fine and works great, just remember that if you need pads, buy F2 pads. If you want to take a pic of your calipers, I can Tell you if they're F2 or F3. I only brought up that you should check the calipers, because the F3 has larger rotors, so if you use F2 rotors with the F3 caliper with the stock mounts, things won't line up right and you're brakes wont be as effective.

 

I'll have to get some pics of the front end and the calipersand post them up. How much different are the F2 pads from the F3 pads? How can I tell if they are F2 forks or F3? Thanks to all on the other info.

 

F2 and F3 forks are different.The 91-93 F2s had dampening rod forks,94 F2 had cartridge forks,and the 95-98 F3 had cartidge forks of a different design than the F2 cartridge.They allhave the same outerdiameter (41mm) .The internal diametersare different.The dampening rod uppers must have dampening rod internals,the cartridge upper must have cartridge internals.The cartridges require a larger internal diameter.

The F3 calipers have moresurface contactas do the rotors.The F3 rotors are not full floaters,the rotor hubsand "clips" that hold them onto the wheel flex a little more on the brakes than the F2s.The F2s rotor bolts right onto the wheel,and flexes the fork tube a little more on the brakes,especially under race conditions.I think the master cylinder received an updated design as well,but don't quote me on that

 

Well this is what I determined about my front end and it's been this way ever since I got it a year ago:
#1. I have F3 front calipers- based on pics of actual F3 calipers and the fact the pads are different( I compared them with another caliper which turned out to be F2, pics of mine
below)
#2. I have F2 rotors and front rim- again based on mine against pics of F3 rotors and wheel
#3. I'm unsure about the forks. both F3 and F2 calipers will bolt up to the fork.


THIS IS MY FRONT END
[IMG]local://upfiles/20693/06929694753D4D5C873C9C6D8109A03E.jpg[/IMG]

tHIS IS MY BRAKE PADS (WHAT'S LEFT)
[IMG]local://upfiles/20693/2111ECCDE2A54313A40D3447186D6C66.jpg[/IMG]

THIS IS AN F2 CALIPER
[IMG]local://upfiles/20693/422F0174CCE44EA392DBA0D56A00808A.jpg[/IMG]