I bet if you asked them they probably wouldn't know the difference between an R and an SP head, and if you asked "is the insert for an R, SE, or SP?" they would think there should maybe be 3 types.
This isn't a slating of VHM, far from it, but I really don't expect them to know the ins and outs of a 15 year old niche market stroker, or expect them to. If you told them they were for a 1989 NSR250R for example, I bet they wouldn't question you about whether it's an MC18 with different shaped barrels and advise you that they won't fit!
I think if you buy VHM heads you should either consider having the inserts machined yourself, or be prepared to do some careful measuring and set the deck heights up according to what they supply "as standard".
I'm not having a pop at you either Rich, it's just that the standard Honda stuff is bloody good, and people look for gains in expensive or later model parts where there really aren't any to be made over optimising the stock stuff*. The only bike that can really benefit from different parts is the MC16. Even the fitting of an MC21 flywheel to an MC28 is really an execise in spending time and money sourcing it rather than its rewards in performance, and fitting anything from an MC28 on another model is a real backwards move, despite it being the last "evolution" of the model!
*Of course, the MC28 is a proper anomally! That will benefit from parts from just about any earlier model! I'd love to see one with MC16 ignition and derestricted pipes! I bet it would put out 60hp then!
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Andy.
NSR-WORLD.COM
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