I keep on being told that I should get a F3 front wheel for my 98 900rr. I guess the 16 to a 17 inch wheel is supposed to make a big difference. Anybody know what years work with the swap and anywhere I can pick one up.  

a big difference in what way?

i rode CBR900s for years with and without F3 fronts. the only difference I noticed was that the F3 front wasn't as stable and wanted to fall over at slower speeds.

I'd scratch that idea for now and invest in some decent tires instead.

ride somebody else's RR with an F3 front before you bother with changing them out. scoring an F3 wheel, then getting a decent tire on it is gonna cost a few bucks ya know!  

I think the swap requires the F3 forks as well. Worse case, just make some new spacers to fit the wheel. The benefits with having the 17in is the huge selection of tires for your bike as apposed to having afew with the 16in. I don't know where you are at, but in California try JC motors in Irvine. They also do shipping. (Google motorcycle shipping.)Hope this helps, it has been awhile since I seen this swap.
Jeff.