Don Zielke has compiled a mini-FAQ on the suspension modifcation options for '86-'87 VFRs.
Fanstat replacements - '86-'87 VFRsFor the 86-87 VFRs, you may substitute NAPA Auto part number FS161 for the stock fanstat. That one is made for Subaru cages, but it will screw directly into the fanstat hole, and it costs only about $25.
The Napa fanstat is set to come on a few degrees cooler than the stocker, which I consider a bonus feature for California summers.
It's not a completely simple plug-in, however. I had to do two things to make it work:
(1) Use a slightly different-sized O-ring, as the stock one didn't fit quite right and got squeezed out the sides when I tightened the fanstat. I took a look at how the Napa fanstat screwed in, went to the O-ring bin at the neighborhood hardware store, selected a couple different sizes that looked close (at $0.40 apiece or so), took them home, and used the best-fitting one.
(2) The stock connector is a blade-type, but the Napa fanstat uses a bayonet-type connector. Instead of cutting the stock wire, which doesn't have any extra length to work with, I took a 2-inch length of wire, a male blade-type connector, a female bayonet-type connector, and some heat-shrink tubing, and soldered together an "adapter".