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Returning Rider: VFR 800 or 1200?


MsRN98

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17 minutes ago, MsRN98 said:

 Seller is asking $2000 firm. Thoughts?

 

So many bikes have been through so much.  You've had this one verified.  Buy it before the seller changes his mind . . . !  :)

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10 hours ago, MsRN98 said:

Okay...so I got the inspection results on the 2000 VFR. Reg/rec, battery and all other electronics check out fine. Plastics are OE and the bike shows no signs of crashing. Sprocket/chain are in good shape. Oil level is good and oil is clean. Brake pads F/R appear to be new; tires are like new though dated 2009 and 2011, so should be replaced. Fork seals are good, but uppers and lowers show pitting/rust; the mechanics impression is that the bike is in great shape overall, but may have sat for a while. Probably the fork will eventually need replacing, though the bike is safe to ride. Also had great things to say about Jamie Daugherty, with whom he works regularly. At my request, he said he'd ask Mr. Daugherty to take a look at the forks and give me a call with recommendations.

The upshot: I still like this bike. I think it deserves to be ridden and appreciated, both of which I can do. 20,400 miles on the clock. Seller is asking $2000 firm. Thoughts?

 

I'd buy it. Kinda surprised it's lasted this long!

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Well, looks like we have consensus: I should grab it. Which is good, 'cause I plan to!

Next steps: fork will eventually need replacing--suggestions? And while the reg/rec is still good, I should replace it too, yes?

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Based on what I hear I wouldn't immediately jump and spend any money on forks. Hold up. Wait til you see the bike, can see what kind of pitting is actually there. You'll be amazed at what some water and aluminum foil can do to rust spots that haven't pitted badly.

 

If you start getting leaks due to the pitting, then by all means, immediately replace them. Most likely, though, you can take your time to source a replacement set of forks and have them serviced by JD/setup 'for you' when the time is right.

 

A MOSFET kit is always a good upgrade, though. The FH020AA from roadstercycle.com is a winner in my books. You can find the r/r used on ebay (look for fz-09 regulator - used only not new ones) for cheap and just buy the connector kit from his site. Paid $35 for a FH020AA last week!

 

There are various posts that cover the installation, etc here I'm sure.

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Based on what I hear I wouldn't immediately jump and spend any money on forks. Hold up. Wait til you see the bike, can see what kind of pitting is actually there. You'll be amazed at what some water and aluminum foil can do to rust spots that haven't pitted badly.
 
If you start getting leaks due to the pitting, then by all means, immediately replace them. Most likely, though, you can take your time to source a replacement set of forks and have them serviced by JD/setup 'for you' when the time is right.
 
A MOSFET kit is always a good upgrade, though. The FH020AA from roadstercycle.com is a winner in my books. You can find the r/r used on ebay (look for fz-09 regulator - used only not new ones) for cheap and just buy the connector kit from his site. Paid $35 for a FH020AA last week!
 
There are various posts that cover the installation, etc here I'm sure.

Water and aluminum foil? This sounds intriguing--does it involve a blowtorch, too? If it does, it's essentially a thermite reaction in miniature.

I agree that new forks aren't an immediate need, though new tires are advisable. It seems VTEC forks are a popular substitute IIRC, yes?

And an FZ-09 regulator--wait, what--from Yamaha? Interesting....

Thanks for all the great advice, sir!
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1 minute ago, MsRN98 said:


Water and aluminum foil? This sounds intriguing--does it involve a blowtorch, too? If it does, it's essentially a thermite reaction in miniature.

I agree that new forks aren't an immediate need, though new tires are advisable. It seems VTEC forks are a popular substitute IIRC, yes?

And an FZ-09 regulator--wait, what--from Yamaha? Interesting....

Thanks for all the great advice, sir!

 

Well, Yamaha doesn't make the regulator. It's the same model regulator used in the common upgrade (sold for $99 on roadstercycle.com). The FZ-09 just employs the same exact part number, and lots of people wreck their 09, so it's a cheap source of good regulators! 

 

No torch, just wet the affected area and rub with a scrunched up ball of aluminum foil (keeping it wet). Works great on fork uppers/other chrome things.

 

I'd just reach out to JD and see what he'd do in regards to the eventual fork upgrade. Explain riding style, goals, weight, whatnot and I'm sure he'll know exactly what you'll need.

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Can't say enough about Jamie's work.  It's transformative to the bike's handling.   Even if you spend money on the suspension upgrade, you'll be in to that bike for very little money and have a wonderful sport touring mount.  You are very lucky indeed! 

 

While you're at it with the R/R, an on-board voltmeter is an inexpensive upgrade that provides a lot of peace of mind.  There's a thread here someplace with a ton of ideas on mounting locations.   They're all over ebay or you can look at the Datel meter sold on WireMyBike.com. 

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Although I haven't done the Aluminum foil and water trick on fork tubes, I have used ultra-fine grade wet/dry sand paper and '0000' grade steel wool before, the former did the trick for my friends forks. We used some WD-40 to "wet" the fork tubes. Any if the fore mentioned methods should be enough to get the fork tubes back in order. That is unless the rust/pitting is beyond that point. My guess is that they're salvageable.

 

+1 for DMr. Jamie has done the suspension upgrade on all three of my bikes. Very happy with the work he has done. The ROI is probably the best you will get out of any mod you do to the VFR.

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I just bought a 2000 yellow recently, and have the super MOSFET kit and a bottle of dielectric grease in the mail today.  Soldering kit and a voltmeter already ordered (thanks for the reminder on that Duc2V4).

 

Bike has around 16k miles and nothing is wrong with my RR.  But figured I'd change it out just for peace of mind.

 

Still contemplating DMr suspension, but it'll probably be upgraded next winter, after I get some seat time next riding season.

 

Seems like you should just get the suspension worked out off the bat, though, considering DMr is right there.

 

Looking forward to your updates on the purchase.

 

 

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Thanks for the suggestion, Rick. I may go fetch the bike as soon as Monday, and Jamie D. has already seen the forks and will give me his recommendations. Since time is of the essence, though, and $ currently a potential issue, I'll probably defer suspension upgrades 'til I've ridden the bike a bit. I think that way I'll appreciate them even more.

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1 hour ago, MsRN98 said:

Thanks for the suggestion, Rick. I may go fetch the bike as soon as Monday, and Jamie D. has already seen the forks and will give me his recommendations. Since time is of the essence, though, and $ currently a potential issue, I'll probably defer suspension upgrades 'til I've ridden the bike a bit. I think that way I'll appreciate them even more.

Upgrades like suspension are basically eye openers. You only know what you have and until you have something better, you won't know how much better until you experience it, then you wonder how you did without it. 

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On 11/5/2016 at 6:14 PM, Duc2V4 said:

Upgrades like suspension are basically eye openers. You only know what you have and until you have something better, you won't know how much better until you experience it, then you wonder how you did without it. 

Life is too short to ride bikes with inadequate suspension.

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4 minutes ago, 007 said:

Life is too short to ride bikes with inadequate suspension.

 

Sometimes you gotta eat! Won't hurt to ride the bike with stock suspension for a season or so..

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4 hours ago, thtanner said:

 

Sometimes you gotta eat! Won't hurt to ride the bike with stock suspension for a season or so..

I think this meme puts it into perspective for some...

 

10616661_10152320121177887_4054400244260

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I think this meme puts it into perspective for some...
 
10616661_10152320121177887_4054400244260397021_n_zpsjawb2fli.jpg

And with how much food our daughter has started putting away, we need to save our pennies...

So I'll talk with Jamie D. tomorrow, then figure out which throttle lock I want for the six-hour ride home. Which should also give me a good impression of the stock saddle (or at least an impression in my posterior).
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3 minutes ago, MsRN98 said:


And with how much food our daughter has started putting away, we need to save our pennies...

So I'll talk with Jamie D. tomorrow, then figure out which throttle lock I want for the six-hour ride home. Which should also give me a good impression of the stock saddle (or at least an impression in my posterior).

There is no hurry, like I said you only know what you have. Once you get the funds and get the upgrade done, you'll know right away what the difference is. The best thing for you now is, grab the bike before it's gone! Setup the stock suspension the best way you can and ride!

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20 hours ago, MsRN98 said:


And with how much food our daughter has started putting away, we need to save our pennies...

So I'll talk with Jamie D. tomorrow, then figure out which throttle lock I want for the six-hour ride home. Which should also give me a good impression of the stock saddle (or at least an impression in my posterior).

 

Track days are definitely more important.  If you want to go faster, the best nut to change is the one behind the wheel.... err handlebars.

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If/when you go to Daugherty Motorsports for your suspension upgrade, don't go halfway on the job. Upgrade everything:  springs, & valves and the complete fork internals.  You don't have to replace the rear shock with a CBR shock.  Upgrading the OEM shock is more than enough to make a HUGE difference. 

 

Especially since your bike has been going on for years now, it NEEDS to have its suspension refreshed.  And if you're going to have them taken apart, then you may as well replace everything.  Budget $1k for the whole job including shipping.  But you will have to remove/replace your own fork/shocks on your bike. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Picking up the bike tomorrow in Fort Wayne. Weather report says high of 39°F with a 50% chance of rain or snow showers. I'm packing my Gore-Tex, a Zippo handwarmer, a Thermos full of hot coffee and my long underwear--plus armor. This should be entertaining...

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Just talked with Jamie Daugherty, who's seen the bike. Sounds like I'll need new stanchion tubes within a few thousand miles, at which point there's no reason not to spring and re-valve the shock, then add shim stacks to the stock pistons; better yet, I may just get the cartridge kit and be done with it. At which point, too, I think I'll be investing in the 929RR shock conversion. Should be fun!

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Pics of the bike will be forthcoming, probably once I'm done cooking, hosting and cleaning up after our little family Thanksgiving dinner. As adventures go, picking up the bike proved.. entertaining. I got up at 1:15 am after about two hours' sleep, dressed, caught my Über ride to the bus stop, then spent 3 hours 15 minutes traveling to Chicago's Union Station. From there I hoofed it over to the Greyhound terminal and boarded a bus to Fort Wayne, IN. 4 hours 20 minutes later I disembarked and met the seller, a very nice young fighter pilot who drove me to the shop where I'd had the bike inspected. It was now about noon local time. All looked good, and the bike started right up, so we did the paperwork and I sent him on his way. That's when the real fun started--you see, we'd passed through a sleet storm on the way to Fort Wayne, and it started dumping before I left the shop. I got on the road, upshifted into 2nd, and watched the bikes tail end walk right around. Okay...reduce throttle, go get lunch and coffee, and wait for conditions to improve. 1 hour 15 minutes later, I was finally fed, caffeinated and on the road in a light rain. 30 miles and one wrong turn later, I discovered that four top layers and a wind proof balaclava plus GoreTex gloves with liners wasn't nearly enough protection for the high 30°s; I stopped at a C-store, got a BIG hot chocolate, put on my merino undershirt, put my GoreTex rainwear on over the top of my polypro, armor and lined leather, drank my cocoa and warmed up for 30-40 minutes, then off I went. After that, things went better...I had to stop a few times to re-zip the collar of the Gore-Tex jacket, as wind kept pulling the collar open and infiltrating into my chest and helmet, causing pain to some sensitive areas--but I got 90 miles to Valparaiso, re-fueled, warmed myself, secured the recalcitrant collar, called home for a status update (SENA BT really worked nicely, BTW), and set out to cross Illinois. My timing could probably have been worse, but the Dan Ryan Expressway at 7:00 pm on Saturday night was jam-packed; traffic was either 3 mph or 85 mph, depending on where we were. The VFR handled it all beautifully; feathering the clutch was effortless; the Crampbuster gave my throttle hand sufficient rest and kept it from freezing up too quickly. 160 miles from Valparaiso, I stopped to re-fuel and warm up in Janesville, WI, as I was almost a popsicle. Then the final 45-mile push to Madison in 30°F weather, which felt brutal. I arrived home at 9pm local time, almost 20 hours after I departed. Round trip was approximately 640 miles, and I was exhausted. But the bike was--is--stellar. To me, it feels far more nimble than the VFR1200, and the acceleration is more than satisfactory; the gradient between 'gentle' and 'insane' pickup is quite linear and easily-modulated. Shifting is precise, with a clear neutral detent. The motor sounds beautiful, like an I-4 and a big-bore V-twin got together and had a love child who inherited all of their best traits but none of their faults; it's nice and torquey, but with character--if that makes any sense at all. I told my spouse that I think I made the exact right choice. This bike seems just what I hoped it would be--a stellar all-rounder that looks terrific, behaves well and has a personality unlike anything else I've ridden. I can't remember the last time I wanted it to be spring before winter even arrived; this bike does that for me!

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