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What A Great Bike!


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This low mileage 98 I picked up is just now legal and after my first ride to work I have to say this is one hell of a bike! Very well rounded. Does everything good! Handle great as is and very confidence inspiring. Pretty darn fast. Doesnt stop GREAT but does stop good. A little extra effort and she slows down fine. Good to look at as well. I like curves better then the newer angular look.

Coming off an airhead BMW R100RS it's like night and day.

The view out my window at work through glass and cropped. BAD quality but again you all know what they look like! This one is about bone stock.

IMAG0618_zpsbogpyvfq.jpg

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Preaching to the choir! Congrats on your new ride and Welcome Abaord!

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Always a pleasure to view rounded red beauty's from behind!

Especially bald shaven ones! :beer:

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Hey those are BRAND NEW dulop Q3's on there. The pic makes them look bald and flat spotted but they are neither. She leans and flicks and sticks just like a good girl should.

The PO just put them on to replace the half worn OEM tires that had no grip at all after 16 years. I didn't pick them but they seem fine to me.

I park under that tree because it shades the bikes for most of the day. I'll take a little pollen over UV anyday.

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Congrats and welcome aboard!

"Doesn't stop great" ...I'll say, you barely got it stopped up the pavement without hitting that fence or tree! :goofy:

If the PO have 16 year old rubber on it, the clutch and brake fluid could probably use refresh as well and you will find that the 5th Gen can stop as well as any in the world (I believe it was Motorcyclist mag that had the bike listed top 5 of all time in braking distance - date accumulated over the years).

when you stop riding it for the winter it could surely use a fork fluid change and perhaps a respring depending on your weight.

Enjoy!

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Congrats and welcome aboard!

"Doesn't stop great" ...I'll say, you barely got it stopped up the pavement without hitting that fence or tree! :goofy:

If the PO have 16 year old rubber on it, the clutch and brake fluid could probably use refresh as well and you will find that the 5th Gen can stop as well as any in the world (I believe it was Motorcyclist mag that had the bike listed top 5 of all time in braking distance - date accumulated over the years).

when you stop riding it for the winter it could surely use a fork fluid change and perhaps a respring depending on your weight.

Enjoy!

As I said I tuck it in there to keep them out of the sun.

The PO said all the fluids were changed. No paperwork accompanied any of this but he was a good guy. Oil looks good. Brake fluid looks clean. Dunno about anything else yet. Been riding her for only..lets see..one day. But I am not opposed to KNOWING whats in where as soon as possible. Dot 4?

The forks feel great but I am sure that is 13 YO oil in there. Why the hell there are no drain screws I don't know.

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Welcome to the asylum JG. You've got great taste in motorcycles - best generation in the fastest color. Nice score! I'm taking your touch-up paint to the postoffice in an hour.

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Welcome to the asylum JG. You've got great taste in motorcycles - best generation in the fastest color. Nice score! I'm taking your touch-up paint to the postoffice in an hour.

Thanks Max! Who's better then you!

Congrats and welcome aboard!

"Doesn't stop great" ...I'll say, you barely got it stopped up the pavement without hitting that fence or tree! :goofy:

If the PO have 16 year old rubber on it, the clutch and brake fluid could probably use refresh as well and you will find that the 5th Gen can stop as well as any in the world (I believe it was Motorcyclist mag that had the bike listed top 5 of all time in braking distance - date accumulated over the years).

when you stop riding it for the winter it could surely use a fork fluid change and perhaps a respring depending on your weight.

Enjoy!

Just spoke to PO. Brake fluid, Motor oil, Coolant all done about 1500 miles ago. Forks not so much. But really they only have 3700 miles on them now. I reckon there have been a few that went longer.

And yes EBC may be the asnwer.

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JG, if you're a "do it yourselfer" be sure to download the Honda Service manual from the downloads section, it'll come in handy, especially if you take on bleeding the linked brakes! Should also come in handy if/when you tackle the forks.

Cheers

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Congrats and welcome aboard!

"Doesn't stop great" ...I'll say, you barely got it stopped up the pavement without hitting that fence or tree! :goofy:

If the PO have 16 year old rubber on it, the clutch and brake fluid could probably use refresh as well and you will find that the 5th Gen can stop as well as any in the world (I believe it was Motorcyclist mag that had the bike listed top 5 of all time in braking distance - date accumulated over the years).

when you stop riding it for the winter it could surely use a fork fluid change and perhaps a respring depending on your weight.

Enjoy!

As I said I tuck it in there to keep them out of the sun.

The PO said all the fluids were changed. No paperwork accompanied any of this but he was a good guy. Oil looks good. Brake fluid looks clean. Dunno about anything else yet. Been riding her for only..lets see..one day. But I am not opposed to KNOWING whats in where as soon as possible. Dot 4?

The forks feel great but I am sure that is 13 YO oil in there. Why the hell there are no drain screws I don't know.

Word is, you can do a fork oil change without pulling the forks out....does not require flipping the bike over, either!

If you support the front wheel off the ground you can pull out the axle and then get access to the damper rod bolts at the bottom of the legs. If you undo these the oil will drain out. There's no need to pull the wheel or brakes out. I haven't done this myself but have checked that the damper bolts are accessible (6mm hex required).

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Congrats and welcome aboard!

"Doesn't stop great" ...I'll say, you barely got it stopped up the pavement without hitting that fence or tree! :goofy:

If the PO have 16 year old rubber on it, the clutch and brake fluid could probably use refresh as well and you will find that the 5th Gen can stop as well as any in the world (I believe it was Motorcyclist mag that had the bike listed top 5 of all time in braking distance - date accumulated over the years).

when you stop riding it for the winter it could surely use a fork fluid change and perhaps a respring depending on your weight.

Enjoy!

As I said I tuck it in there to keep them out of the sun.

The PO said all the fluids were changed. No paperwork accompanied any of this but he was a good guy. Oil looks good. Brake fluid looks clean. Dunno about anything else yet. Been riding her for only..lets see..one day. But I am not opposed to KNOWING whats in where as soon as possible. Dot 4?

The forks feel great but I am sure that is 13 YO oil in there. Why the hell there are no drain screws I don't know.

Word is, you can do a fork oil change without pulling the forks out....does not require flipping the bike over, either!

If you support the front wheel off the ground you can pull out the axle and then get access to the damper rod bolts at the bottom of the legs. If you undo these the oil will drain out. There's no need to pull the wheel or brakes out. I haven't done this myself but have checked that the damper bolts are accessible (6mm hex required).

Ya I was thinking in that direction. Seems easy enough.. But she's so well behaved I believe that will wait till the cold months. I am finding little things..fasteners missing, little plastic bits broken..like the tool kit tie down. The battery cover has issues. Nothing real problematic so far but this is really only day one with it.

Yes Mr Duc I have already ebayed a service manual but thanks for the heads up on the download. Reading on the laptop is almost entertaining.

I did notice on the parkway this evening when the revs get up there is quite a buzz going on. Like 110mph in high gear she was vibrating pretty good.

also same rpm in lower gears produces vibration. Is this normal?

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110 in top gear with stock sprockets should be around 7500-8000 rpm IIRC...it can start to get a bit buzzy there but nothing untoward.

As you spend more time getting used to it and perform more in-depth maintenance this winter you may find some vacuum hoses deteriorated and leaking.

It may just need to be broken in and have some deposits blown out with good quality fuel (100% if you can find it readily).

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Chain may be getting a little past it's prime in age and miles adding some "buzz" at higher speeds...

Welcome!!!

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Three sets of EBC HH will make her stop...

+1. Add some good suspension, and you will be amazed how much better she can be.

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Thanks for all the advise and welcomes. I must get to know this bike for a while. I suspect there is something going on with the brakes but I will need to find some time to get into it. I think it's important to know what you have before throwing money at it.

I do KNOW I have to do something about my junk getting mashed into that tank. Maybe time will cure that. I never had one of the humpy tanked sporty bikes before!

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You could try putting grip pads on the tank and gripping with your knees. Mine will stop from 25 MPH in less than 20 feet, without crushing my delicate parts. Pretty sure the brake pads are OEM. Lots of practice of hard stops is a good thing. Anyway, welcome and enjoy!!

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Well after a brisk ride to work on the parkway at speed I didn't notice vibration much at all. Just well behaved handling. When I DID notice it, was while carrying my girl on the back last night going to dinner. No girl equals much less vibration. Hmm..wonder why.

However I got off the highway and did my bob and weave routine to get positioning at the next traffic light. A cop in his off duty car pulled up and reamed me. I lifted my face shield and he said "how old are you!" I said 59. He said I thought you were 18! Anyway it was a pretty good wake up call I guess. This bike is deceptively fast.

My problem is that I have found the best way to deal with traffic is to get the hell away from it. The last crash I had was sitting at a light with my turn signal on and an old lady just plowed into me knocking me on my rump and parking a bike on top of me. I don't like cars! I like to go around and get away. I guess I have to rethink this. I did feel like I was 18 while I was getting reamed this morning. Day 2 with the bike only half way done. Jeez...

Oh and a large truck pulled into my lane on a secondary road. Acceleration was my friend just then.

I must slow down

I must slow down

PS I have a half bra coming sometime soon. Maybe it will help my knees grip the tank. Also a Sargent seat. Hope I like it.

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My problem is that I have found the best way to deal with traffic is to get the hell away from it.

I feel the same way, but sometimes it's better to watch the pack of inattentive idiots from behind until there's a good opening. The more space I have between me, and the cagers the better. I know I can out accelerate/maneuver them, but I can't out brake them especially if they start smashing into one another. I don't want to be collateral damage.

Avoid the pack mentality.

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I never had one of the humpy tanked sporty bikes before!

Wait, you're telling me that my VFD is sporty bike with humpy tank?!

Coming from a "Balls Crasher" CBR600RR, the VFR tank's hump couldn't feel any comfier :D

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My problem is that I have found the best way to deal with traffic is to get the hell away from it.

I feel the same way, but sometimes it's better to watch the pack of inattentive idiots from behind until there's a good opening. The more space I have between me, and the cagers the better. I know I can out accelerate/maneuver them, but I can't out brake them especially if they start smashing into one another. I don't want to be collateral damage.

Avoid the pack mentality.

There is always more idiots behind you. It's a never ending stream. You cant provide for every eventuality but you can try.

I never had one of the humpy tanked sporty bikes before!

Wait, you're telling me that my VFD is aporty bike with humpy tank?!

Coming from a "Balls Crasher" CBR600RR, the VFR tank's hump couldn't feel any comfier :D

No no I said MY bike is humpy..never met yours. And I would never call it portly. That's just rude!

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