Hi guys, I've finally gotten around to doing the F4i split-seat conversion on my 2000 F4. I've owned the bike for several yrs. Been collecting the F4i parts for the conversion for about a yr. I've read about everything out there on doing this conversion. There's one great write-up by a guy that did a conversion on his F4i from banana to split seat. However, there's very little for the F4 to F4i conversion.

Seems pretty straight forward except...the F4 requires relocation of the rectifier, since the F4 & F4i have dif rectifiers & dif mounting points on the subframe. Also, have to figure out where to mount the fuel pump.

 

Well, I spent almost my entire weekend in the garage working on the project. The tail is on! There were a few hangups here & there but nothing that couldn't be overcome w/ time & patience. The models are close enough that there weren't any major changes that had to be done. I took some pics as well. I'm entirely too tired to post 'em up tonight. I'll try to do that tomorrow.

 

Here's a very quick pic of the semi-complete finished version. At some point, I'll remove what's left of the shovel/bulky plate light/rear signals. I'll also repaint the tail cowl of course. It will either be Sunrise Yellow or Black.

 

That looks nice, good work. I thinking of doing that as well, did you have to make any big modification? Like drilling new holes for screws? That's the only concern I had. Thanks.

 

I'd really love to do this on my F4, but i don't have a ton of money to spend. How much did it cost you when it was all said and done, including painting (if you needed to)?

I checked ebay real quick, and the subframe alone is ~$150, with the battery tray not far behind.... Not to mention I am not totally sure how to go about mounting the rectifier and fuel pump. Also I don't know exactly what other mods i would have to make.

I've read the different threads and searched it on google and such, but i'm still a little sketchy on the details. All the big stuff seems simple enough, albeit hard work i.e, swapping the subframe, tray, and fender. I was just never great at running wires, and electrical stuff. I don't know why i'm stupid when it comes to that, probably just a lack of interest... but i digress... Price info, and any custom mod info would be great.

I already read https://cbrforum.com/forum/showthrea...ght=split+seat but like i said, some of the details seems sketchy/unclear to me

 

d_tran: Thanks. I appreciate it. Define "big modification". No, I wouldn't say that any of my mods were big. However, there are mods that have to be done. No, didn't drill any holes whatsoever. Isn't necessary, at least not the way I did the conversion. I took a practical approach...thought it through & proceeded carefully.

Jinx: Humm, well not sure of total cost...I collected the parts over a yr or so. Don't know an exact total. I bought two semi-complete subframe/tails just in case there was a problem w/ one of them, or if I were to mess up one of them. Fortunately, btwn the two, I had all the parts I would need...including small misc hardware.

Seats were hard to find...& were expensive...ebay is your best source unless you have access to a motorcycle salvage yd...they run $50-75/ea regardless of the source.

I'd think w/ all included, you should be able to do the conversion for less than $400. That's not including paint, of course. Really, it all depends on how frugal & resourceful you are.

Yep, there's one good conversion tutorial for F4i banana to F4i split-seat *but* it doesn't address F4 to F4i conversion challenges. Maybe I can help w/ that.

I read every possible thing I could find during my research on how to do this. You've gotta do your homework. Too, I thought about the project for months. So, I formulated some ideas & "fixes" b/f I got started on the project. Like anything of this nature though, you can't be sure of what you'll actually need to do, til you get into it.

Yes, you'll need to mount the Fuel Pump in some fashion. F4's obviously have the welded bracket attached to the subframe...& F4i's don't. I have seen conversions, even on this forum, that have welded up a bracket to their F4i subframe. Really though, its not necessary. I simply ziptied my FP to the same location on the F4i subframe. Its secure & works just fine. Unless you *know*, you won't know. Subframes on bikes have zipties everywhere anyway...so, its not obtrusive or out of place.

Yes, the Recitifier was another main concern. I rerouted the rectifier to the L side. I had to separate out the rectifier's wiring group from the main wiring harness. Why? If you don't, you won't have enough length to reroute it to the L side. This isn't a difficult job...simply take a razorblade & carefully cut open the factory electrical tape around the harness, separate out the rectifier's wiring group (obvious which wires) several inches down the main wiring harness, retape both groups...no problem. Then, route the rectifier to the L side. I mounted the rectifier at the same location as the F4i's rectifier. The holes don't line up...so I just mounted on one hole. Its solid, secure, & still grounded. It works just fine.

There's no cutting & splicing to any electrical wires or any of that jazz to the electrical system whatsoever. The rest of the electrical modules mounted & basically the same exact spot on the R side of the subframe. As the F4i battery tray only has two plastic tabs for modules, I mounted two of them there & the other two, I ziptied right next to them.

Forget about the battery-cover, the F4 battery is taller & the F4i battery-cover won't go down all the way. Its simply not necessary. I run three bikes w/o that cover. Its not a problem. Besides, its just easier to get to the battery when you need to! Too, you'll need a new home for your ECU. The new home for my ECU is on top of the battery. Its sits there nicely & has clearance for the rider's seat.

Also, I didn't find it necessary to drill a hole in the R side of the battery tray to have clearance for the neg battery terminal. By eliminating the battery cover, you can run the neg terminal right over the top of the battery & it hooks right up.

This really isn't a difficult project. Just requires some patience & thought about how you want to route the wiring harness, etc. Too, I took my time & made it a weekend project.

 

I'd like to add...I've ridden the bike for approx 100 mi since the conversion. I've not experienced any problems to this point...& hope I don't! I've ridden in city traffic at length & on hwy for longer distances.

Don't forget, when you reconnect your battery, your trip-meter will have been zeroed-out. I had to get gas asap b/c I didn't know how many miles I'd been on that tank!

 

Hi guys,

I put together a tutorial of sorts today via my cbrforum photo gallery. I captioned each picture as clearly as I could make it. They say that photos say a thousand words, so maybe mine will too!

I put this together to help you other F4 people...I hope it does. Good luck w/ your conversions.

 

Awesome, thanks for all the info. My head is spinning right now trying to picture it all in my head without it in front of me though. but I think trying to process it all at once makes it seem alot more daunting than it actually is.

I think thats the first complete F4 to F4i guide out there, and its completely awesome. Thanks a ton! I just ordered my new tire today, cause mines getting worn. Im desperately torn between saving the money, and having a much better seat....

 

Hi guys,

I've received several questions about the subframe conversion & hope I've helped those of you doing this.

I rec'd another question today about the rear cable-lock mechanism... It *is* the same mechanism as your '99-00 F4...only the silver-colored top plate is additional on the split seat F4i. So YES, you can reuse your cable-lock mechanism from your '99-00 F4 to your F4i subframe conversion.

Also, battery trays seem to be hard to find for the split seat subframes lately. You don't really need this factory part. You can fab up a battery holder from aluminum sheet w/ some cutters or jigsaw & a drill. Just mount it in the same spot as where the factory tray would go. This isn't all that difficult to do. This type of unit will work great if you're planning on doing an aftermkt FE anyway. I see it done this way all the time at the track.

Since the conversion, I've put 500+ mi on the bike & it feels great!