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Today, in preparation for my trip to the MotoAmerica race at Laguna Seca I did an oil & filter change (Motul 4T 10/40 + oe Honda filter), and cleaned & lubed the chain. Of late I've been using DuPont Chain Saver, a wax based product w/teflon - or so they say. I also replaced the left hand switchgear because cancel function of the turn signal with is hit & miss. Anyhow, it is a good excuse to show another VFR pic. This one on California's PCH at the Willow Creek vista viewpoint, south of Big Sur.

A small "meat & greet" gathering of V4 lovers.. Fresh breadrolls expedited in 🙂 5 meters below sea level https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flevopolder

I just got done doing a 62,000 mile rehab on my front wheel that included the following......... Removed and replaced the bearings and dust seals Installed new OEM rotors Installed new Metzler M7 tire Installed new EBC brake pads Painted wheel with 3:1 single stage urethane paint It now looks like a new wheel The bearings were still good with no hints of failure but I wanted to put new bearings in to make it into the 120K+ miles. New bearings and seals were only $50. To remove the bearings you need to use a long drift punch to knock them out. Once you do that, the bearings are not useable. So I go to put the new bearings in and remembered a veteran Honda mechanic once telling me that you can remove the seals on ball bearings to grease. Afterwards just pop the side seal back on. I had the old bearings right there so I thought I would give it a try. I took a micro screw driver and got under the seal on the outside edge and it popped right out. The seal pops right back on like it never left. I take the new bearings before installation and pop the side seal off. Honda doesn't overload the bearings with grease. I packed both of my new bearing with additional grease, reinstalled the side seals and put them in the wheel. To make a long story come to an end, the moral here is that yes, you can do front wheel bearing maintenance without taking the bearings out of the wheel. Use a wide screwdriver and pop out the dust seal for reuse later. Now you can see the bearing. Take a mini pick or micro screwdriver and pry the side seal off. Pack it with grease, reinstall side/dust seals and you are good to go. I plan on regreasing mine every 20K miles or so. If a person does that, they will probably last the 130K mile life of the bike if it garaged.

It's been a long time since I've been on the site, let alone posted up. Many things have changed over the last 3+ years and I won't bore you with my challenges (which I've managed to overcome). However, I'm preparing for a major life transition. Selling EVERYTHING and moving from Canada to the Dominican Republic. I'll be starting out, working as a PADI instructor & Dive master - then working with a business partner (my instructor) and opening a new dive shop. Building a new home which will feature an AirBnB - so if you know me, then keep my contact and let me know when you want to book the room! I have experienced so many incredible rides and trips with the people I've met from the VFRDiscussion group. Oregon | California | Colorado | Villa Rica | Deals Gap | South Dakota | Idaho | Washington Sum Sum meets were a personal passion that brought many of us together. Anyone know where the Flaf is? From my first PNW VFRD meet in Newport OR, hosted by Keithbob to the last Kootenay Hootenany and SumSum 4 in Custer. I'm posting up my 2004 VFR for sale later today on local classifieds. This is tough, as I've had this bike for 17 years and over 116,000 km. She's gotten me there and back, even with a stator-ectomy in California (with the help of some talented co-riders) Miguel, thank you for the laughs, the site (of course) and some new music (still on my play list). CVVFR, 12 years+ of riding together are the best memories I keep. I'll be winding things down in the coming 4 months, departing in mid October. Putting the house up for sale. Running the estate sale. Purging to minimum items. I will keep my personal email (those that have it) and check in here once I'm settled. Not sure I'd find a VFR in DR? Thank you to so many I've ridden with, learned from, laughed, drank, recovered, explored, travelled and especially to the many who've hosted us when the long, cross country adventures brought us to your back yard. I'd be thrilled to catch up with you, but understand we're all busy. Until next time. . . . Keep the rubber side down, ride your own ride, smooth before fast and keep the dream alive! Cheers

When I bought the VFR I was hedging my bets slightly, deciding to run it alongside my Street Triple 765RS for a while. Anyway that worked out really well - I love the VFR. But I still felt like I wanted to change the Triumph. I had owned it nearly 4 years, and generally prefer faired sportbikes. Originally the plan was go full Honda and find either a Fireblade 954 or a 2007/8 600RR - something less practical to go alongside a great all-round VFR. Even started to shop for a 600RR, but then I saw a really nice R1. 2004, very low miles, Akrapovic exhaust and decat, Power Commander, Gilles rearsets. And all the original parts retained, in boxes. The seller even included a paddock stand and a dust cover, couldn't believe it. Here's the collection:

Taxes are getting ridiculous. Medi-care doesn't really work here anymore. Climbing interest rates & pending recession. Pending Gov't home equity tax. Nothing really keeping me here. No kids. Recently divorced after 24 years. I'm in good to great health for a mid 50 yr old. I love my work & do ok and have great equity in my house which I'll probably never pay off here. When I took a good look at where I was, where I am and where I want to be, given I have all the means to do it . . . . . the Universe told me, "If you don't follow the signals I've been giving you, you'll never get what you've been asking for." It came to me, it would be a HUGE DISERVICE to the opportunity not to do it. Oh and ya . . no more snow tires / shoes/ shovels/ jackets/ furnaces/ outrageous taxes/ and I'll be mortgage free with $$$ in the bank. A great job waiting for me with opportunity to start fresh. It's a great, invigorating feeling that really charges the neuro-pathways. New friends. New relationship options. New challenges (I'm fully aware there will always be challenges).

Just a few photos from this mornings ride. Rode to the lookout atop Mt Stuart, always a nice view. We then rode around the Mt Elliot National Park (hills in the scenery shot). Unfortunately there was a bit of fog around (was once again reminded not to open your visor if you wear glasses 🥴) Such fantastic riding weather otherwise.

Redheads Galore

Minor bit of progress, but an important step made this weekend: got rear brake bracket welded for 848 wheel/caliper conversion. The 848 brake torque arm is a cast & forged aluminium piece fixed with a 12mm lug in the swingarm. The 5th gen equivalent uses a bracket and a dogbone fixed with a 10mm bolt that’s about 47mm too far for the 848 bracket to reach (depending on how the eccentric is situated). I tried making various brackets and bolts but there isn’t enough clearance. So I extended the 848 bracket with a piece from another 848 bracket. Traced it on paper and drew out the design crudely in pencil. Then cut out the piece to add as a stencil and traced it on the donor part. After that, a tiresome couple hours of cutting, grinding, filing and shaping to make it match the profile of the other part for welding. It’s a thin piece of aluminium with lots of complex angles so had to make sure the welding gap was minimal. Then bevel the edges and get welding. Came out quite nice in the end with minimal distortion. Hope you like my plait welds! Not the prettiest job but it’ll hold. Maybe some paint to smarten it up... Few notes: the internet is so full of sh1t and misinformation it gets me every time. Every source I’ve read (including dedicated welding sites) say cast aluminium wants 4043 filler rod because of its ductility to avoid stress cracking as it cools. They also say 5356 is unsuitable for cast because it’s prone to cracking and difficult to work with. They also say to never mix the two rod types: if you apply one and then decide to apply another the first should be completely ground off first. Well, that’s all horse sh1t. I started with 4043 and it cracked before my eyes. So I tried the 5356 over the cracks and that went on a dream. So I went over the whole thing again with 5356 (no grinding) and used the side-to-side method to cover more area and deposit more rod volume. That’s why it looks like a plait. In short, it was EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what the welding forums were saying. So don’t believe what you read on the internet. Don’t even believe me! Get proper professional opinions and make up your own mind.

Less practical? You can travel the world on an R1 😁 Nice addition to the stable.

That’s awesome Leon, I’m so happy for you. I loved the Redslut and I was sad to see it torn to pieces. I’ve a soft spot for 4th gen VFRs and this one looks great. I guess I’ll have to go back a few more pages than I did in this topic to see the story. Here’s my new V4 which I bought as a retirement present to myself; a 2021 Ducati Panigale V4S:

Clutch system flush and adjust to spec is in order if you haven't. You definietly want proper movement down below. Have you tried the normal up-shifting without the clutch to separate the systems? My bikes have been finicky about oil; the KLX seems to be less pleased with the Mobil 1 4T that all of the other bikes love. Easy enough to swap oils and save the Shell for later if there is no change in symptoms. Other things might be bent shift forks or beat up gears. Both seem unlikely for a VFR owner to create. 🙂

😇 duhhhh.... My VF recenty developped a very small but steady oil drip. So 1st a thorough cleanse was (over)due to see if I could spot the culprit. The usual suspects (oil plug, clutch rod seal) proved innocent. Thinking back, I remembered the last thing done was changing the collector box, so inspected "down below"... Ah! The clamps for the front headers had manky bolts, so I'd grabbed some from the "oldbitsandbobs" box... it transpired these were longer AND I'd rotated the clamps too much "in"... So (both left and right) I had been merily clamping, but pushing into the oil pan as well 🙈... The gasket then no longer was well pressured, causing the "sweat", culminating in drops. I rotated the clamps, cleaned the area put a sheet of cardboard underneath last night. Rode to the office and back today with no more oil leak.... phew! Live & Learn....

Americans have gotten...impressive in size. Part of why I don't fly anywhere is that I got tired of having to give up one or both halves of my seat.

So I ended up ordering the Andreani fork cartages ….. just installed them yesterday I sure hope I did everything correctly . the forks haven’t been serviced in years so this was well overdue . the install manual didn’t go into great detail on installing them , but I think I figured it out . new bushings and seals were done also along with a thorough cleaning of the lower forks and stanchions . only thing is I’m kinda lost track of which one was rebound and which one was compression if I got them backwards that’s a simple cap swap and there was one part I needed to swap from the stock forks to the new cartages that wasn’t outlined in the instructions, the round piece that slides in under the nut on the tube that holds the spring down . So far from what I can tell just off of setting the adjustments based off of how fast it rebounds and compresses the bike feels more planted on the road .

The riding PRECEDES the drinking..... Fair enough, some of us appear drunk while stone cold sober......

I started riding at the age of 30, a 1977 cb550 basket case that I put together and modified as a cafe racer., sorry no pics. After 5 years of riding and some relationship problems I sold it and have been off motorcycle for 20 years. Last fall a neighbour of mine came across a 1991 vfr 750 for $500 that was in need of some tlc, I brought it home and have spent the last year lurking on this forum and fixing it up. Last week I finally got it on the road only to find the clutch is slipping. I am waiting for a new clutch, hopefully to be here by the weekend. I have always wanted a VFR, and one just fell into my lap, I feel is was destined to happen and can't wait to put some more miles on her. Attached is 1 before pic and 2 of the current condition.

Lady wants (and thus gets) new shoes. Might as well do some cleaning.... Bit dry, so lube!

Another angle on it

Imagine an 8th Gen VFR with the same, confidence-inspiring (and much more comfortable) seating position! Yes, it would still be quite heavy, but a V4 with the ergos for us more senior gentlemen is a brilliant combination. It's criminal they didn't import the Crossrunner to North America.

I just came back from my first ten days in the mountains with my Tiger660. It's roughly a hundred pounds lighter than the VFR and the ergonomics are much easier on my 63 year old body. I swapped with a few people over the course of the trip (Tracer900, FZ900, KLRsm)and can say that I'm still happy with my choice. All day comfort. Plenty of power. Doesn't care what gear you are in. The sound is....adequate. Still prefer the V4 for sure. I rode a 5th gen up 215 and was thinking what a great bike for this type of riding. Then we hit the peak and started down and I thought holy cow what load to haul down the mountain. Getting old sucks but I'm adapting. I tried really hard to find a Honda to love in the VFR's place but failed.

Dang it, man! Harsh. 😁 Doing quality videos, while trying to remember all the relevant info, is harder than it would seem, which is why so many vlogs suck. But, Zack is a legit motorcyclist who’s been around bikes his entire life. I think, he’s amongst the most trustworthy people you’ll find in the industry.

My best pal and me got interviewed for an article in a classic mc magazine at some time in the future. Here some of the money shots 🙂 But first a V4 on commuting duty piccie to fool the mods! Are they gone? OK! I hope @muff is still keeping ok..... Pals since 1972....

Personalised plates were released in NZ in around 1987 or so, that's when I bought the plate for my VFR700. I thought I'd buy V4FUN but the nice person at the call centre said "V4" is available. All for $300 plus 12.5% tax. The Personalised Plates business was originally government-owned and operated a tiered pricing based on the latest auction price of "1". At one point the listed value of V4 was $38,500! Plates now change hands on the open market and the prices are much lower but still a lot more than I paid...The plate has graced quite a few bikes over the years.

Yes, another VFR750F came my way.... Stood idle for some 5 years., so it needed some love and money.... I posted the progress on prevoius pages

Front end refresh at 73,500km. New tapered roller headset and fork seals etc. Nothing wrong just felt it was time. 9,000km ride coming up in October.

Maybe you practice on bikes at your local dealer. 😛

"Nether give up, nether surrender!"

Shoes matter here, FYI, I've seen folks try our method with s%$t shoes or flip flops and you can imagine what happens next...

Not a dumb question at all. We all struggle with this until someone shows us how to do it. All good advice given so far. To reiterate what's already been said - the most important thing is that you shouldn't aim to be "lifting" the bike, I've hurt myself trying to do that on various bikes before I worked that out - the key is to roll the bike and use its momentum to get it onto the stand whilst anchoring the stand with your foot - it's a bit of a dance but you get the hang of it. I've got better at it, but I still don't enjoy putting the bike on the centre stand. I understand your fear of dropping it. With the sidestand down it's not doing to fall that side - if you do it with a wall on the other side and something to protect the bar end on that side whilst you're practicing, it's not going to fall far that side and damage anything if you do drop it. Lots of how to videos on YouTube of not particularly big or strong people putting bigger bikes that these on centre stands.

4th Gens like popping cherries.......

Makes me happy if helps you. We are all kindred spirits.

Legos?

I bet there was an air bubble trapped in that run. Air bubbles can cause poor cooling. Otherwise distilled water is a better coolant than “coolant”. The only reason we mix water with other stuff is to stop internal corrosion.

Change is good! Park Gilera, take MV! 'king hot today, but still got a good 3 hours blast.. 🙂 Typical..... Italian design is beautiful, but the kickstarter "cloinks" to the side.. Honda to the rescue! I rummaged through the box labelled "bitskeptfrompriorbikes" and founds this VF valve cover bolt rubber!! TADAAAAAA!!!

^^^^^^^ I don't do half assed....

Finally got round to replacing the manky generator wires. 2nd kick after 4 months standing idle... VID-20220613-WA0002.mp4 VID-20220613-WA0003.mp4

Small update: after a meticulous wash and a week in a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution with times under the sun (because of the UV effect), the expansion tank looks like this. Not a new look, but compared with the before state, a lot better.

Galfer hoses fitted but no time to fill and bleed, that will have to wait a few weeks I think as we're busy next weekend with 2 days of rugby then off on holidays for the following 2 weekends. Much easier to fit than the HEL lines, especially those fixed lines by the headstock plus Galfer cleverly replace the hard lines that cross the fender with braided hoses so there should be no issues there either. The end may finally be in sight!

The front brake lever and associated hydraulics and pistons is completely independent of the rear brake circuit, so softness in the front brake lever is purely a matter of air in that circuit. If conventional bleeding doesn't entirely help, try tying the lever back to the bars overnight keeping the system under pressure. I'm not clear on the physics of this but it sure does firm up the brake feel. The only way that front lever action transmits to the rear wheel is by the movement of the front left calliper which squeezes the secondary master cylinder. But the SMC is force fed fluid from the rear master only and has no hydraulic connection to the front brake master.

Well... Here we go again! Started the tear down today to send forks off to be re-valved. Spoke with Jamie, and think we have a plan to make the front end better. Also pulled out the Penske, as it's due for a refresh as well. Jamie is going to do both for quite a nice price! Hope I like the work. People have complained that he valves and springs on the firmer side, and that's what I want! Also, should get the valves done this time. Will post as that progresses as I don't think there's a good walk through of that on the site. Stay tuned.

Well I took it all apart …. Again looked around , started the bike with the air box off , couldn’t find anything I did notice the boots for the TB to the heads were slightly misaligned and I had a couple V stacks turned the wrong way but in the right location , freed up the idle speed adjuster because it was sticking and hard to turn , added some carbon fiber bling , and swapped for the new road 6 , slapped everything back together and did an oil change . So far it hasn’t recreated the sound

You were gone before I even got a chance to talk to you guys. A lot of us only see each other at these events so there is a lot of chatter. I didn't do as good of a job including the newcomers as I should have. If the crowd is this big next year, we may have to make more groups. We kind of quit organizing anything a few years back because everybody sort of had a group. Join us in Little Switzerland for the FallRide. I'll make it a point to get to know you.

The Snake... If you hang to just past the nine minute mark, you will see me stuff TheNana in hairpin before she unleashes all the power of her 900 and retakes the spot. Fun times! https://youtu.be/0XFPs-0mnKk NC281... https://youtu.be/BmT4EOcdsgo One last run before loading up and heading home NC28.. https://youtu.be/d6hXZzpqyNQ

Too lazy to start another thread so I hope this is ok here. Every spring and fall we do the VFRpwr Tour. Five or six days of riding "all the best roads" prior to the weekend event. This spring, we did it the week after due to scheduling conflicts. I'm not a video guy so its just a bunch of short segments of the good stuff. We started the week facing a full day of rain so we elected to take the BRP and just cruise to our destination. That was the plan. We ended up in thick fog and pouring rain. If you notice the white spots on the road, that is the rain drops. The fog inside the helmet doesn't show in the video. We had one rider go down when he dropped off the shoulder into wet grass after coming out of a turn. Minor damage to the bike and the rider got back on and rode 90 minutes to the hotel. He's son and daughter picked him up that night and we found out the next morning that he had six broken ribs and a punctured lung. He had surgery to plate the ribs and is recovering at home. The rest of the trip went better. We did see a lot of wet roads and debris but only one afternoon of rain the rest of the week. I'm still working on editing video from The Snake and NC281. Too much good stuff to cut out there. https://youtu.be/phCAUS85-z0

I don't know what you weigh, but for mine, I changed only the front springs and could absoltely rail on my 1990 VTR250. One of the most fun bikes I've owned. And...I used it to teach a few friends about corner speed and momentum.

Smaller/lighter bikes are a hoot and so much easier. I laugh at the old guy who go bigger and heavier...

Couldn't agree more ducnut. Zack (and Ari Henning) are the real deal. They have rich motorcycling backgrounds, both professionally and family, and present useful information in a straightforward and entertaining way. Spencer, their videographer, is also very good. And if you're just looking for motorcycle entertainment the Alaska and Dumb & Dumber segments are highly recommended.