it's been 1015 days since I last rode my VFR

[Lorne]

Today I rode my VFR for the first time in almost 3 years. Back then I couldn't conceive a layoff like that ever happening to me, especially after Covid killed any chance for bike trips in 2020 or 2021. I'd been fortunate to take at least one long trip every year from 1994 thru 2019, usually to California. Since then only once, in 2022. 

 

Today was pretty warm, for Victoria at least, nearly 90° all afternoon. Just puttering around the local environs, and listening for any hint that I'd bolloxed my cam chain tensioner replacement - so far so good.

 

Here's a pic of the VFR at Clover Point, with the Trial Island lighthouse in the distance. 

[HispanicSlammer]

Sounds like a VFR confession, shoot most of old timers don't even own vfrs anymore. 

[St. Stephen]

I hope you get many more rides in before the rains come. Enjoy that beautiful bike.

[Lorne]

1 hour ago, HispanicSlammer said:

Sounds like a VFR confession, shoot most of old timers don't even own vfrs anymore. 

So true, but we can hope they'll always feel guilty about selling 😉

Otoh, I've owned a series of VFRs, this '09 is my 5th, interspersed with 3 VTR1000F. So I shouldn't be quick to point fingers.

Edited August 12 by Lorne
correct typo

[Lorne]

57 minutes ago, St. Stephen said:

I hope you get many more rides in before the rains come. Enjoy that beautiful bike.

Me too. There's more deferred maintenance to come, but that can wait till winter.

[Lorne]

I took the VFR around the Lake Cowichan/Port Renfrew/Jordan River loop, counterclockwise today. Some of it will be familiar to those who've ridden Stewarts point-Skaggs Spring Road: rough pavement, dips and whoops, and with kinky rather than flowing curves. 

This pic is at Jordan River. Some say there is good surfing there, but definitely not today. The distant mountains are just a ferry ride away in Olympic National Park in Washington state, USA. And Seattle is about 160km away as the crow flies, straight over my right handlebar. 

 

Interestingly, I never heard the rattly engine noise all day. Was it earplugs, noisy traffic, or...  did the new cam chain tensioners solve the problem after all? I'll investigate further and let you know.

[auggius]

On 8/12/2025 at 7:40 AM, HispanicSlammer said:

Sounds like a VFR confession, shoot most of old timers don't even own vfrs anymore. 

I guess I qualify as an oldtimer, turning 65 in a few weeks. Still have my 95 but it's sitting idle waiting for a new r/r. In the meantime, I bought a 2014 Multistrada because I've always wanted one and to be honest, the adv ergonomics suit me much better now than the VFR. 

[fabio222]

The paint job on that is absolutely gorgeous. 

[LEGEND]

Lovely machine.   Once I retire I will be riding my 07 more.   

[Lorne]

I'm pretty sure that my VFR's spark plugs never had never been replaced, so that was my goal for today. The fronts were relatively easy to access after removing the side fairings, but are deeper in the head than I imagined. My spark plug socket lacks a rubber insert so I used the one one from the bike's toolkit. Not a lot of room to swing a ratchet, tho.

 

Apparently the rears can be access just by propping up the fuel tank. That didn't look promising to me, and with a full tank I didn't fancy trying to rotate it onto the subframe. I'll wait till it's near empty and take an another stab at it.

 

Here's what a new NGK IMR9B-9H looks like compared to a 16 year old one after 93,000 km. Then angle of each photo isn't quite the same, and the old one looks a bit scruffy, but both have about the same gap between electrode and ground strap. I'm almost disappointed there isn't much appreciable wear.

 

 

[fabio222]

On 8/15/2025 at 6:34 PM, LEGEND said:

Lovely machine.   Once I retire I will be riding my 07 more.   

Nice NT700!

 

I have a similar(ish) collection - sixth gen VFR 800, fourth gen VFR 750, and an NT700V (Deauville over here). 

[LEGEND]

On 8/26/2025 at 5:37 AM, fabio222 said:

Nice NT700!

 

I have a similar(ish) collection - sixth gen VFR 800, fourth gen VFR 750, and an NT700V (Deauville over here). 

Nice bikes you have there 😂.    The Deauville is a bike I’ve always have been curious about.   I was impressed looking at them when I visited the UK and was pleased to eventually be able buy one here in the states.    I’d love to ride a Deauville through the incredible countryside of Scotland and Ireland.  

 

[fabio222]

On 8/31/2025 at 3:00 AM, LEGEND said:

Nice bikes you have there 😂.    The Deauville is a bike I’ve always have been curious about.   I was impressed looking at them when I visited the UK and was pleased to eventually be able buy one here in the states.    I’d love to ride a Deauville through the incredible countryside of Scotland and Ireland.  

 

Yeah they're a really useful bike, I've even ridden home from the office in snow on mine (unexpectedly...and slowly, very slowly). It brought myself and my wife as far as the border between Italy and Slovenia, through the Alps, southern Germany, central France and still brought me to work the morning after we had arrived home! 

 

It's a bit slow, but that's OK because it makes the VFRs feel really fast then! 

[Lorne]

This afternoon was unexpectedly sunny & dry, so I hopped on my VFR for a ride up to Mill Bay and around Shawnigan Lake. Mt Tuam on Saltspring Island is in the background. It was too late for a longer ride, but still totalled about 100 miles. I'm still quite rusty from the long layoff of riding, gonna have to practice to regain my skills.