And so for my next trick...

[Terry]

12 minutes ago, MBrane said:

I always thought of the 7th gen as the gentleman's sport bike. Good job on the restore. She's lookin' good. Good luck with the gubment crap.

Thanks MBrane. The only two things you can't avoid are death and taxes.

 

The weight distribution is really different to my ST1300. That bike has a short wheelbase and surprisingly quick steering; the downside, with the big fairing, is the bike gets pretty nervous whenever you follow other wake-inducing traffic. The VFR by comparison is long, low and heavier steering but that gives it a rock-steady feel, and I can imagine on an autobahn this would be very confidence inspiring. The gearing on the 1200 is also pretty tall, with the engine turning at a lazy 3500rpm at the legal limit, which is a fair bit lower than the ST. 

[St. Stephen]

"Sneaky fast," and "super steady." Yes, exactly. What is your impression of the brakes--on your limited riding experience so far? 

 

My 2010 had the best brakes I've owned, the Nissins better than my two current bikes with Brembos.  Keep the updates coming please, fun stuff.

[Terry]

12 minutes ago, St. Stephen said:

"Sneaky fast," and "super steady." Yes, exactly. What is your impression of the brakes--on your limited riding experience so far? 

 

My 2010 had the best brakes I've owned, the Nissins better than my two current bikes with Brembos.  Keep the updates coming please, fun stuff.

Wel I have had the brakes completely apart for cleaning, and they are certainly not lacking in feel or power, but I need to get them out into the twisties to be sure; 50km through traffic is not really a good way to judge them, and I haven't spent any time looking at the suspension settings yet either. The brake lever action is not quite right yet as it feels a little "sticky" and may need a bit more attention to get rid of that. 

 

What was your experience with the cooling fans? Mine seemed to be coming on at every traffic light, but I was mired in slow traffic for most of the trip so not a lot of airflow. The fans are particularly loud/whiny so maybe I just noticed them more. 

 

I'm waiting on (hopefully) a last shipment of OEM bits and bobs, not having a complete set of the correct fasteners annoys me more than it should, and I also needed a new wave washer for the gearshift. I have greatly enjoyed getting rid of the surface rust on this bike; when I got it, the rust was omnipresent, but now I think I have hidden it all away. I will keep pottering along.

[Lorne]

4 hours ago, Terry said:

Anyway POIDH

The rear ¾ view is one of the most flattering angles to shoot a 7th gen. And I gotta agree with mello dude, I too prefer the dark grey. (tho I don't think I'll ever warm up to headlight)

[Lorne]

2 hours ago, Terry said:

brake lever action is not quite right yet as it feels a little "sticky"

All my recent Honda's suffered from that, but it has always turned out to be the brake lever & pivot needing a thorough cleaning. But methinks my long idle 6th gen's caliper pistons might need attention.

[St. Stephen]

On 10/9/2025 at 5:56 PM, Terry said:

 

What was your experience with the cooling fans? Mine seemed to be coming on at every traffic light, but I was mired in slow traffic for most of the trip so not a lot of airflow. The fans are particularly loud/whiny so maybe I just noticed them more. 

Honestly, I don't recall the fans being annoying or coming on constantly. I did commute to work on the 1200 when I lived in the midwest U.S., but no issues. Mine was a 2010.

[jeremyr62]

Brakes on the VFR1200 are epic when working at their best. Best braked bike I have ever owned. I think it's a flawed bike in many ways, but it definitely has something that grabs you. I have had two and the one I have now I really need to sell to make space, but I just can't bring myself to do it. As they sold so few, I keep thinking it will be become more sought after, and prices will rocket. So much for that pipe-dream..

[Terry]

While I wait to bring legality to my ride (and top up the tax take) I took my 800 for a spin, this felt light and eager, being on near-new T33 tyres, and maintained within a mm of its life. Such a sweet bike to ride.

The 1200 came in for some more attention, I like knowing tyre pressures are correct and like to have TPMS on each. I have had a bit of a scare fitting the TPMS "valve caps" on standard rubber valve stems, so I know to fit 90 degree alloy stems for security. So both wheels came out, one bead was broken and then the new stems fitted up. I went with red, mainly because there is so much black, silver or grey present! I then gave all the black plastics a ceramic coating recommended by my fave YT-er, Project Farm. This is a wipe-on coating that dries to a hard-wearing shine that makes weathered plastic look new; it was great on my ST1300 belly fairing and panniers so I know it works. I wiped some on the frame spars as well, if they keep the "wet look" it will be some improvement.

[mello dude]

I'm also a big fan of Project Farm and also Torque Test Channel.... 

Together, they have cost me a lot of money! 😁

[Terry]

A question for the Hive Mind.

 

The ignition switch is not quite right. Once the key is in and pressed, I can rotate the key easily, but then it is not easy to retract, feels kind of sticky, and I have to work it back/forth until it releases and can be pulled out. I have dusted some graphite powder into the lock but I don't think that really changed much. I feel that I should be spraying some sort of solvent in there to wash out whatever is making the lock sticky. Any suggestions? I am thinking of WD40 or penetrating oil.

[Skids]

I've used WD40 previously on another bike, which worked, but I dont know if it is the best thing to use.

[Mohawk]

Check the slot cover, ham fisted use when inserting the key can bend the soft metal surrounds & jam the slot cover. You can usually straighten it all out with a thin flat blade screwdriver to lever the bent metal up which frees the stuck slot cover.  
 

Then squirt some silicone spray or WD40/GT85 etc into the lock mechanism through the key slot. Then work the key a few times to distribute the lube. 

[Lorne]

18 hours ago, Terry said:

The ignition switch is not quite right.

Is it possible the key is bent or twisted? Do you have a second key you could try? Graphite is the better choice for lubrication, too bad it wasn't your solution.

 

[Terry]

Sounds like I should try the WD40; the key is really beefy, definitely not something you can bend easily unlike some earlier keys (my 99 Fi for example) which are pretty skinny. The key slot is perfect, but the bike did have an unfortunate 3-year outdoor experience which has not been kind to many parts. Feels like any lube in the lock has turned into a sticky substance. Thanks all for the comments. I only have the one key although I do have a blank to get cut and coded at some point. 

[Skids]

7 hours ago, Terry said:

 I only have the one key although I do have a blank to get cut and coded at some point. 

I would do that before sticking it in a nasty hole.

[jeremyr62]

On 10/12/2025 at 8:01 PM, mello dude said:

I'm also a big fan of Project Farm and also Torque Test Channel.... 

Together, they have cost me a lot of money! 😁

They are supposed to save you money😁

[Terry]

Today I decided to install some Oxford Hotgrips, the Helibars and a USB/voltmeter to charge my phone. This sounded reasonably easy but turned into a bit of a mission.

 

The bike does have OEM heated grips but I think crash #3 also destroyed the heater control unit, although the sub harness for this survived. So the grips were inoperable and I decided it was time for them to go, giving an opportunity to tidy the wiring up at the same time. Well, the left grip came off as expected but the right grip...turns out the OEM heated grip is built into the throttle tube. So as I was happily slicing and dicing, I was also damaging the tube. I need the bike functional next week as I am taking it to the repair certifier, so I scratched my head for a bit then decided the throttle tube was "probably" the same across many bikes, so I used my parked up 5th gen as a donor. I was correct, so that tube (with a Hotgrip already fitted) is now on the 1200, and the 800 is sitting unusable until I can find a replacement.

 

I cut the plug off the OEM grip harness and soldered that to the Hotgrip wires (keeping the Hotgrip fuse) then pulled the wires carefully up through the frame, joining all the components in the void behind the headstock where they are nicely concealed. Some creative cable ties and the job was done. The USB port is just double-sided taped to the triple clamp. The Helibars were a nice fit although there seems to be just one position for the right bar where it clears both the tank and and the fairing, so I hope I like that.

 

I am now officially ready for inspection on Tuesday!

 

 

[mello dude]

Bike's looking pretty sweet! Is that a Ventura pack on the rear? Was wondering if they are still in business?

 

Cheers

[Terry]

1 hour ago, mello dude said:

Bike's looking pretty sweet! Is that a Ventura pack on the rear? Was wondering if they are still in business?

 

Cheers

Ventura is a product of a local manufacturer in Hamilton, Dold Industries, still very much in business. There was a time where it almost appeared that fitting a Ventura rack was a legal requirement here...

[Terry]

So I put my big boy pants on today, jumped aboard "Earl" (my wife named him, as he is just trying to be a better bike) and headed through a 100% backroads route to the Repair Certifier roughly 2 hours away. This was a bit of a leap, so many unknowns...does the fuel gauge work? Will we get there in one piece? Will my unregistered bike be spotted by The Man..?

 

My fears were groundless, had an easy ride but the bike did feel a little foreign. The certifier was a fellow loony collector of motorcycles and worked from his luxury Man Cave; in there were gems such as a CBX, VF1000R, RZ500, MV 1000, 916, GT750 two stroke and many others, all road ready. Earl was pronounced fit and straight, but we are waiting on photos from the auction house to show the condition when written off. Yes, it is a painful process trying to do the right thing.

 

The ride home (into a horrid headwind) was more confident and I started to feel more comfortable, and confirmed that the 1200 is a luxury missile with fine handling when ridden assertively.

 

In spite of horror stories about range, I managed 260km on 16L with 3L left over (16.3km/L or 38 mp Trumpgal.)

 

The only fly in the ointment may be the left fork leg; there was evidence of a bit more oil residue than I expected, which suggests a little is making its way past the seals, on the pitted chrome. If it becomes an issue I will try some metal expoxy to fill the voids first.

[mello dude]

Once you get more comfortable on the 1200, you'll have to give (or I'm asking for) a comparision to the ST... Debating whether either should be on my radar.... or just buy the new GSXR1000S GT and be done with it...  

[Terry]

41 minutes ago, mello dude said:

Once you get more comfortable on the 1200, you'll have to give (or I'm asking for) a comparision to the ST... Debating whether either should be on my radar.... or just buy the new GSXR1000S GT and be done with it...  

As you say, early days. The ST is comfier over a long haul but the power pales in comparison, the 1200 is a very muscly, smooth and quiet performer, although it has a bit of a roar when the flap in the muffler opens at 4k! Fuel use is the same but the ST has another 10L. Seat comfort might go to the 1200, but it is a bit more wrist heavy, but OK for 2 hours today. The 1200 has freight train stability, takes a little more to turn in, but holds a line fabulously and has none of the dancing in dirty air that affects the ST. I still think Honda worked some magic on the ST as the way it steers so easily belies its weight. 

 

The 1200 gives much more confidence for a short-arse like me, as it is so narrow I can easily flat-foot it, where the ST had me on tippy toes and fearful of a lie-down if there was anything loose underfoot.

[Terry]

Maybe you need to hang in for the CB1000GT?

 

https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new-model-preview/2026-honda-cb1000gt-confirmed-44652298

[Terry]

Woohoo! I have successfully (and expensively) navigated the NZ Transport Authority's set of regulatory hurdles and achieved road-legal status.

 

For any Kiwi's following in my footsteps I have had to pay NZ$520 for the entry compliance inspection (including creating a new vehicle file online) and then $710 to get the repair certification (because it was previously written-off), the repair certifier wanted photos from the auction house that sold it in 22 (another $46) and then I had to pay $357 to register and get the new plate, although that included 6 months registration. Best we don't add all that up.

 

I shall celebrate with a decent ride on Saturday (it will probably rain).

 

Yesterday I received a used cowl from (through?) Webike Japan, for the price and miscalculated cheap freight, I'm pretty happy. Earl is all one colour now! The cowl is not perfect but the level of scratches blends right in!

 

 

[St. Stephen]

Great news. Time to ride Terry.