Valve Specs at 24,300 - and a QUICK question ...

[Guest StillwaterVFR]

Hello All,

My 91 RC36 had its valves checked for the first time (!) since 1991. Everything is STILL in spec and no adjustment is needed.

Question: one exhaust valve was at .0105 and one was at .011

My shop guide says .011 is the outside range for exhaust (.009 - .011) ...

How long would you go before another check?

Thanks!

Mark

[smoothsailin]

I'd say you could wait another 25k miles or 21 years (whichever comes first)!

However, if any of the valve clearances were on the tight side of the recommended range I'd suggest checking them again in 16k miles-which is Honda's recommended interval between valve clearance checks.

Clearances that may be slightly on the loose side won't cause any harm, but if the clearances are too tight you run the risk of burned valves.

Based on what I've read it's very rare for VFRs (and late-model Hondas in general) to require valve clearance adjustments. My '94 Honda ST1100 has gone 17+ years & 91k miles and w/o requiring a single valve shim swap.

[Guest]

Thanks smoothsailin - my goal is to rack some better miles on this old girl that the fellas who rode it before me. Seems a shame for a VFR to have such little use in so long ... but nice to have a great bike for about $2200 with this much life left.

I see you have a mini-Magna too (I have a 87 Super) ... I wonder how many high-mileage Magnas are out there (as long as they had well-oiled top ends). My 87 sat in a guys garage for over a decade before I got it rolling again.

[Dutchy]

Thanks for posting this, I had no intention of having my 4th gen checked, this confirms me not spending $.......

It still produces close to 100 horses....

[Guest]

Thanks for posting this, I had no intention of having my 4th gen checked, this confirms me not spending $.......

It still produces close to 100 horses....

I'd say just keep on riding!

[Guest]

I was actually dreading the day I had to fork over the cash for the pricey valve clearance check on my 6th gen I've heard so much about. But thanks to VFRD I've found it's not something that HAS to be done every 16k miles like Honda says. THANK GOD! I think I'll have mine checked at about 35k-40k. Per the PO who had an "extra" (wouldn't that be nice) 6th gen at 50k. I've heard that most hardly ever need adjustment at all.

[Guest]

I was actually dreading the day I had to fork over the cash for the pricey valve clearance check on my 6th gen I've heard so much about. But thanks to VFRD I've found it's not something that HAS to be done every 16k miles like Honda says. THANK GOD! I think I'll have mine checked at about 35k-40k. Per the PO who had an "extra" (wouldn't that be nice) 6th gen at 50k. I've heard that most hardly ever need adjustment at all.

enjoy. There are substantial differences between V-Tec and non V-Tech (mine), but they both must keep tapping away...

[smoothsailin]

Thanks smoothsailin - my goal is to rack some better miles on this old girl that the fellas who rode it before me. Seems a shame for a VFR to have such little use in so long ... but nice to have a great bike for about $2200 with this much life left.

I see you have a mini-Magna too (I have a 87 Super) ... I wonder how many high-mileage Magnas are out there (as long as they had well-oiled top ends). My 87 sat in a guys garage for over a decade before I got it rolling again.

My V-30 Magna was owned/ridden by my Dad until the late 90's. He was the 2nd owner and purchased her ~ 1990 with less than 2k miles as I recall.. After Dad had major spinal surgery in the late nineties I convinced him to hang up his helmet due to his relative lack of on-road riding experience and advancing age (he was pushing 70 at the time).

Since then the V30 has sat lonely and unused in my parents' garage. A few years ago Dad gifted her to me in exchange for some services I did for them. With less than 7k miles she's still a relatively clean, and rust-free example and.I hope to get the old girl running and ready for the road again this year. Afterward I may put her up for sale or may hang on to her in case my one of my teenagers shows interest in getting their mc endorsement later on..

The little V-4 didn't produce much torque as I recall, but it was very smooth running, carbureted well and pulled with some enthusiasm from 8k rpm up to redline as I recall. I remember borrowing her from my dad when I took the MSF ERC (experienced rider course) for the first time about 20 years ago. Wow-where have the years gone!.

[Baileyrock]

I was actually dreading the day I had to fork over the cash for the pricey valve clearance check on my 6th gen I've heard so much about. But thanks to VFRD I've found it's not something that HAS to be done every 16k miles like Honda says. THANK GOD! I think I'll have mine checked at about 35k-40k. Per the PO who had an "extra" (wouldn't that be nice) 6th gen at 50k. I've heard that most hardly ever need adjustment at all.

I'm NOT suggesting you use me as an example, but as a "just for your info" type thing.

I've run the living crap out of my 02(vtec) for that last 91,000 miles plus and have never checked the valves once!

Still runs sweet, but I do think there is a little more engine vibration now which may or may not be related to valves.

Honda has a great history on most valves never needing adjusted ever(none-vtec) for decades.

Most valves get Tight (smaller clearance numbers) as the valve seat gets beat into the head allowing the stems to get closer to the cam lobes(tighter). If you have material (metal) wear (cam lobe/bucket wear) the clearance gets bigger(more gap and the associated Tic, Tic sound). If you have both, (normal) then the clearance never changes!

[Guest]

Thanks smoothsailin - my goal is to rack some better miles on this old girl that the fellas who rode it before me. Seems a shame for a VFR to have such little use in so long ... but nice to have a great bike for about $2200 with this much life left.

I see you have a mini-Magna too (I have a 87 Super) ... I wonder how many high-mileage Magnas are out there (as long as they had well-oiled top ends). My 87 sat in a guys garage for over a decade before I got it rolling again.

My V-30 Magna was owned/ridden by my Dad until the late 90's. He was the 2nd owner and purchased her ~ 1990 with less than 2k miles as I recall.. After Dad had major spinal surgery in the late nineties I convinced him to hang up his helmet due to his relative lack of on-road riding experience and advancing age (he was pushing 70 at the time).

Since then the V30 has sat lonely and unused in my parents' garage. A few years ago Dad gifted her to me in exchange for some services I did for them. With less than 7k miles she's still a relatively clean, and rust-free example and.I hope to get the old girl running and ready for the road again this year. Afterward I may put her up for sale or may hang on to her in case my one of my teenagers shows interest in getting their mc endorsement later on..

The little V-4 didn't produce much torque as I recall, but it was very smooth running, carbureted well and pulled with some enthusiasm from 8k rpm up to redline as I recall. I remember borrowing her from my dad when I took the MSF ERC (experienced rider course) for the first time about 20 years ago. Wow-where have the years gone!.

Magnas are neat bikes - kinda ugly, but they were so common in my youth, that they are a familiar sight. Check out www.supermagna.com to see the odd-duck 87-88 model I have. V30 is the "mini mag" but neat for sure.

[Guest]

I was actually dreading the day I had to fork over the cash for the pricey valve clearance check on my 6th gen I've heard so much about. But thanks to VFRD I've found it's not something that HAS to be done every 16k miles like Honda says. THANK GOD! I think I'll have mine checked at about 35k-40k. Per the PO who had an "extra" (wouldn't that be nice) 6th gen at 50k. I've heard that most hardly ever need adjustment at all.

I'm NOT suggesting you use me as an example, but as a "just for your info" type thing.

I've run the living crap out of my 02(vtec) for that last 91,000 miles plus and have never checked the valves once!

Still runs sweet, but I do think there is a little more engine vibration now which may or may not be related to valves.

Honda has a great history on most valves never needing adjusted ever(none-vtec) for decades.

Most valves get Tight (smaller clearance numbers) as the valve seat gets beat into the head allowing the stems to get closer to the cam lobes(tighter). If you have material (metal) wear (cam lobe/bucket wear) the clearance gets bigger(more gap and the associated Tic, Tic sound). If you have both, (normal) then the clearance never changes!

Very neat - keep riding and be the torture-tester for VFRD

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

[Guest]

Tail of the Dragon on the tail of a Viper!?!

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

Burns' article is interesting, but honestly as much as I loved my original 90 and now love my 93 (with an 87, 97 and 98 VFR's in between) it's been my CBR's (42k on a 929, then my 954 and now my 06 1000RR) that quicken the

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

Burns' article is interesting, andhonestly as much as I loved my original 90 and now love my 93 (with an 87, 97 and 98 VFR's in between over the years) it's been my CBR's (42k on a 929, then the 954 and now my 06 1000RR) that quicken the pulse everytime I step foot in the garage. The VFR is a great all around bike and if I had to travel for over a couple hours I'd take that one, but the CBR handles SO much better and feels half the weight pushing it around the garage and on the road. Performance has come a long way but so has handling.

You described the majority of the roads I ride, spend a lot of time south and east of Maiden Rock playing on the alphabet roads; not Tennessee, not Madison but as close as I'll get around here. And track days help cure my fix as well.

The 93 is up and running for a few months now but will be restored this winter as its pretty banged up. Just put tapered steering stem bearings in it yesterday and lowered the forks a bit. I'll shoot ya a note sometime for a ride.

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

Burns' article is interesting, andhonestly as much as I loved my original 90 and now love my 93 (with an 87, 97 and 98 VFR's in between over the years) it's been my CBR's (42k on a 929, then the 954 and now my 06 1000RR) that quicken the pulse everytime I step foot in the garage. The VFR is a great all around bike and if I had to travel for over a couple hours I'd take that one, but the CBR handles SO much better and feels half the weight pushing it around the garage and on the road. Performance has come a long way but so has handling.

You described the majority of the roads I ride, spend a lot of time south and east of Maiden Rock playing on the alphabet roads; not Tennessee, not Madison but as close as I'll get around here. And track days help cure my fix as well.

The 93 is up and running for a few months now but will be restored this winter as its pretty banged up. Just put tapered steering stem bearings in it yesterday and lowered the forks a bit. I'll shoot ya a note sometime for a ride.

Sounds good. I have also been drooling over an '11 CBR1000RR that is jet-black and about $10k. I also enjoyed reading about the new CBR getting the best track time in Cycle World with no extra electronics ... and it also got the best street bike nod as well.

Sometimes we wonder what Honda is trying to accomplish in their engineering from time to time and they put out very impressive vehicles; some to show off, some to have broader capability and some because they will be able to sell a bunch from a business standpoint. At the end of the day, most of the good things the motorcycling world enjoys as high-technology (single-sided swing arms, "exotic" V4s, Inline fours, etc) were put into production and into the mainstream by Honda. Except for electronic doo-dads beyond ABS.

I like their oddball stuff from the mid 80s - 1994 when I was first into bikes. So I have the VFR and an 87 Super Magna... and when I am done I want a VF1000R, Hawk GT, GB500 and CB-1 all parked next to a new CBR1000RR ;)

Mark

[RickF]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

Burns' article is interesting, andhonestly as much as I loved my original 90 and now love my 93 (with an 87, 97 and 98 VFR's in between over the years) it's been my CBR's (42k on a 929, then the 954 and now my 06 1000RR) that quicken the pulse everytime I step foot in the garage. The VFR is a great all around bike and if I had to travel for over a couple hours I'd take that one, but the CBR handles SO much better and feels half the weight pushing it around the garage and on the road. Performance has come a long way but so has handling.

You described the majority of the roads I ride, spend a lot of time south and east of Maiden Rock playing on the alphabet roads; not Tennessee, not Madison but as close as I'll get around here. And track days help cure my fix as well.

The 93 is up and running for a few months now but will be restored this winter as its pretty banged up. Just put tapered steering stem bearings in it yesterday and lowered the forks a bit. I'll shoot ya a note sometime for a ride.

Sounds good. I have also been drooling over an '11 CBR1000RR that is jet-black and about $10k. I also enjoyed reading about the new CBR getting the best track time in Cycle World with no extra electronics ... and it also got the best street bike nod as well.

Sometimes we wonder what Honda is trying to accomplish in their engineering from time to time and they put out very impressive vehicles; some to show off, some to have broader capability and some because they will be able to sell a bunch from a business standpoint. At the end of the day, most of the good things the motorcycling world enjoys as high-technology (single-sided swing arms, "exotic" V4s, Inline fours, etc) were put into production and into the mainstream by Honda. Except for electronic doo-dads beyond ABS.

I like their oddball stuff from the mid 80s - 1994 when I was first into bikes. So I have the VFR and an 87 Super Magna... and when I am done I want a VF1000R, Hawk GT, GB500 and CB-1 all parked next to a new CBR1000RR ;)

Mark

I hope you do not mind that I am ‘intercepting’ your thread.

As a Northern Wisconsin rider, I agree that we must factor in flat-land riding when we plan a ride to areas that have our favorite roads. Each year I travel over to enjoy the great roads around the Great River near Maiden Rock, too.

As an older rider, I have really liked my VFRs. The build quality, the wide torque curve, the sound, the sporting comfort…all worked well for my needs. Losing the RR way east of Thunder Bay was inconvenient, however.

After tangling with a deer a couple of years ago, I sought to satisfy my need for more acceleration by purchasing a CBR1000RR. I was certain that I would soon be trading it for a VFR1200. To my surprise, I am still hooked on the CBR. The weight, handling and brakes allow me a wider range of options for safety should I need to make urgent adjustments, I think. The VFRs had more compliant suspension…The CBR ride is more harsh. In a perfect world, I might have a VFR for longer touring and a CBR for day-trips. In the meantime, I travel light on a CBR, and I continue to ponder another VFR.

Perhaps someday this summer I will see one of you riding near the River or in SW Wisconsin.

Rick

[Guest]

Final follow - up:

Well, I decided to torture test the RC36 by repeating last year's "Two Iron Butts with a Dragon's Tail." I gassed up the bike, rode to Knoxville from Minneapolis, did 1.5 days of work there, did the Dragon 2-3 times along with 90 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway... slept 4 hours and did the 1150 miles home in one shot with only short gas stops. All interstate was 75 - 85 MPH and hot as heck. 42-53 miles per gallon, 2500 miles+.

The VFR performed perfectly - I only gassed her up on the side stand and there were no issues. Rode the twisties hard enough to get me motion-sick... especially when tailing the Dodge Viper club through the Dragon!

These machines are really unbelievable, even when they are 22 model years old...

Sweet ride story! My buddies in laws lived in Maryville, TN right off 129 for a few years. We used to trailer the bikes after work Friday, drive all night from Milwaukee to their place (12 hours exactly), nap 2 hours, ride all weekend and do the reverse on Sunday night. Always a good time, but they sold the place a few years ago.

Pm me sometime, I live In Woodbury and have a 93 I'll be "restoring" this winter. Be good to get a couple of these great gen 3's running about town!!!

Sounds like a great routine - these are the things we have to do in the upper Midwest to get to the good roads... we earn them. Afton has some options and in between Hudson and Redwing.. and out by Eau Claire... but not like the eastern or western mountains. Everyone is biased on VFRD about their generation of VFR, but from the very first year my best friend bought a 91 to my 91 today, Gen 3s are tough to beat! Take a look at this months column by Burns in Cycle World for an interesting perspective. Send me a message when your 93 is ready to roll! Here's a pic of chasing a Viper...

Burns' article is interesting, andhonestly as much as I loved my original 90 and now love my 93 (with an 87, 97 and 98 VFR's in between over the years) it's been my CBR's (42k on a 929, then the 954 and now my 06 1000RR) that quicken the pulse everytime I step foot in the garage. The VFR is a great all around bike and if I had to travel for over a couple hours I'd take that one, but the CBR handles SO much better and feels half the weight pushing it around the garage and on the road. Performance has come a long way but so has handling.

You described the majority of the roads I ride, spend a lot of time south and east of Maiden Rock playing on the alphabet roads; not Tennessee, not Madison but as close as I'll get around here. And track days help cure my fix as well.

The 93 is up and running for a few months now but will be restored this winter as its pretty banged up. Just put tapered steering stem bearings in it yesterday and lowered the forks a bit. I'll shoot ya a note sometime for a ride.

Sounds good. I have also been drooling over an '11 CBR1000RR that is jet-black and about $10k. I also enjoyed reading about the new CBR getting the best track time in Cycle World with no extra electronics ... and it also got the best street bike nod as well.

Sometimes we wonder what Honda is trying to accomplish in their engineering from time to time and they put out very impressive vehicles; some to show off, some to have broader capability and some because they will be able to sell a bunch from a business standpoint. At the end of the day, most of the good things the motorcycling world enjoys as high-technology (single-sided swing arms, "exotic" V4s, Inline fours, etc) were put into production and into the mainstream by Honda. Except for electronic doo-dads beyond ABS.

I like their oddball stuff from the mid 80s - 1994 when I was first into bikes. So I have the VFR and an 87 Super Magna... and when I am done I want a VF1000R, Hawk GT, GB500 and CB-1 all parked next to a new CBR1000RR ;)

Mark

I hope you do not mind that I am ‘intercepting’ your thread.

As a Northern Wisconsin rider, I agree that we must factor in flat-land riding when we plan a ride to areas that have our favorite roads. Each year I travel over to enjoy the great roads around the Great River near Maiden Rock, too.

As an older rider, I have really liked my VFRs. The build quality, the wide torque curve, the sound, the sporting comfort…all worked well for my needs. Losing the RR way east of Thunder Bay was inconvenient, however.

After tangling with a deer a couple of years ago, I sought to satisfy my need for more acceleration by purchasing a CBR1000RR. I was certain that I would soon be trading it for a VFR1200. To my surprise, I am still hooked on the CBR. The weight, handling and brakes allow me a wider range of options for safety should I need to make urgent adjustments, I think. The VFRs had more compliant suspension…The CBR ride is more harsh. In a perfect world, I might have a VFR for longer touring and a CBR for day-trips. In the meantime, I travel light on a CBR, and I continue to ponder another VFR.

Perhaps someday this summer I will see one of you riding near the River or in SW Wisconsin.

Rick

No problem at all, Rick.

Where in northern Wisconsin? My parents (dads name is Rick as well) live south of Ashland and I do (and he does) a lot of riding in that area. My dad is 62 and loves to ride my VFR as well as his ST1100 but really doesn't care for my CBR for the same reason you mentioned: it's stiffly sprung (mine has an Ohlins shock and fork internals) and harsh on the bumps where the VFR floats. I got away from many bikes several years ago (my dad restored bikes when I was a kid and we had 19 between us at one point) but after finding this "copy" of my old '90 I am happy to report that I am riding more than I have in years and love having the fast one and the comfortable one. I'm turning 40 this year and I'm finding comfort to be a bigger thing though 3-4 hours on the CBR is still tolerable with enough stops to rest my wrist.

Shoot me a PM if you head down this way.