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It just wasn't black enough.

I don't think anyone meant to come across as too harsh, mostly just having a poke. I think most people consider this small batch replica header to be a different animal than a production piece, hence the different expectations. The 'other guy' actually took way more guff in another thread, but you both seem to have weathered it just fine. If we all agreed all the time this place would be pretty boring.

View from the Kancamagus Highway looking south. Probably my favorite area to ride in my neck of the woods, the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains between Conway and Lincoln, NH. It's only about two hours from my house (near Boston) if you take the interstate and a local highway (I95 and HWY 16) heading up the east side towards Conway, which is what I did. There's three tolls along the way totaling $3.50. Alternatively you can take I93 north all the way to Lincoln only paying one toll that costs $1. 93 is faster but 95/HWY16 is more interesting. This is the longest trip I have ever taken on my Interceptor in a single day, 400 miles and man was I sore the next day. Didn't help that it was really hot later in the day and I didn't hydrate enough suffering some leg cramping. I should add, there are a lot of pics of the Interceptor below... I've been here quite a few times with my other bikes and really was just thinking about taking photos of my bike at some of my favorite stops. Chocorua Lake is a great place to stop and just chill. Very relaxing and usually not too busy. The Swift River that runs along the eastern side of the Kancamagus Highway. Lots of people just wade and play in the water here. More spectacular views from the top of the highway overlooking the mountains. A lunch stop at One Love Brewery in Lincoln, NH. The bartender recommended these French Dip Sliders and now I would recommend them as well. Really good. There were a pair of antique cars stopped along the Basin which is just north of Lincoln along the Styles Bridges Highway in Franconia Notch State Park. A view along Franconia Notch. A really mellow divided highway with sweepers that cut between the mountains. A retired Cog train. These trains still run up Mt. Washington. Notice the angled engine that is designed for going up the grade of the mountain tracks. This old model is sitting along HWY 302 near a restaurant. Stopped along Saco Lake. You get here from Franconia Notch by taking HWY 3 or 302 from Styles Bridges Highway (I93) N. Sitting right at the edge of Crawford Notch along HWY 302. Right after this is a big drop down with some fairly tight turns. It's a fun run as long as there isn't traffic holding you up. Normally I would continue along HWY 302 to Bear Notch Road which connects with the Kancamagus Highway and bypasses North Conway and Conway. Bear Notch Road is very technical if you take it at speed but today there was too much traffic so I turned around and went back around 302 to Franconia Notch before heading home. Took a stop at the Flume for a break from the heat and get some water in the beautiful visitor's center. This is a great place to visit if you have more time. For a small fee you can take a two mile hike through some amazing landscapes. Bonus VFR pic! After the Flume I headed home along 93 south. 70mph posted all the way to Concord, NH. I had a few runs of 80mph keeping pace with the traffic. Surprisingly I was effortlessly getting 200 miles per tank with a bar or two on the gauge still showing when I stopped to fill. I didn't hit vtec all that often but I wasn't babying the bike. I'd be lying if I said the VFR was comfortable for a 400 mile day for me. I can do it but I was quite sore the next day. Still, love the bike and glad to know that I can take it on a longer ride, especially since most of my favorite roads are at least an hour away from home.

Out playing today. Was pissing down earlier in run hence waterproofs.

You could always do this 👍😎 Works a treat. Same both sides oem fan is long gone these are IP67 rated fans & the combined FPM is 50% more than the OEM fan & both suck air outwards through the rads. I have 90C thermal switch which resets at 80C. Works great. Plus if one fan dies there are 3 others still working. Just needs a little sculpting of the outlet vents where they cross the fan frames. This is not visible from outside. Have fun.

There has been a lot of activity since I was last staying up with events on this thread - all good stuff, even the teething problems. I sincerely apologize to everyone here for being off the reservation. I am currently in the high Colorado mountains and clinging to a one-bar signal that literally blows away when the wind moves. I will be back on reliable internet Monday and will thoroughly flesh out the points below. I have not been idle...Wade and I have been talking regularly about: (1) plans to finish the production run of 8 gen headers and sell from stock without waiting for 15 deposited orders. Wade is considering this. (2) modifying his jigs to move cylinder #1 primary 1/4” to the right, as there is slight interference with the center stand at the bottom of its arc. This occurs on my bike and the 8 gen w prototype headers, perhaps others? (3) gearing up further to do another run of 5/6 gen headers. On 5 and 6 gens cylinder 4 (front right) clearance with the inner half ‘chin’ cowl is a problem. The TBR headers get very very close at this point, and our production headers touch the chin cowl. Here are the TBR installed on a 5 gen: On my 5 gen heating the chin cowl with a heat gun and flexing it forward where the headers touch provided enough clearance to avoid melting plastic. The blue tape is how I marked the area to heat and flex: I just found out this internet connection can’t handle full res photos, so I’ll reduce the image sizes and insert then into this post as an edit later today. More to follow.

And here is a clip of him filmed from behind, but he doesn't say whether it is on the same day as the other ride. What a rush just to watch him. The Renault Megane Rs had a hard time keeping up with him, and that car holds a Nurburgring track record.

Last week. Got together with a few mates for a week of enjoying the fantastic roads we have in Scotland. 4 of us for 6 days followed by another 10 arriving on Thursday for a further 4 days. 5 vfr in group 4 of them 8th gen.

My dad (Honda F6B), uncle (HD Electra Glide), and cousin (BMW R9T) returned last week from a 4 day trip from Ohio to Maggie Valley, NC. About 1500 miles round trip on my 31k mile 2001 5th gen (AMAZING bike). We rode the Tail of the Dragon (of course), visited Wheels Through Time museum, and rode the wheels off our bikes. Great trip, great roads, and a safe time had by all. Lots of highway time on the way back made me want to upgrade the ol' 5th gen with some helibars, taller screen, and a throttle lock though... Happy motoring! PS - you must eat at Butts on the Creek if you stay in Maggie Valley...we found it on the first night and ate there 3 times.

Honda is not the only source for sound-dampened front sprockets these days. Ognibene definitely make them, and I think maybe someone like JT does as well... Yup! Ciao, JZH

Since you have no idea how the chain was maintained, and unless the sprockets are severely worn, you won't be able to tell if the sprockets are going to ruin your new chain. Considering all that and a chain is lots more money that a couple sprockets, I'd bite the bullet and change out all three. Then you'll know where you're at drive train wise.

As others have already said, I like the "new header" enough that I'm willing to live with a little inconvenience. Here are pictures of my work to provide clearance for the header from the #4 cylinder. I imitated sfdownhill's solution to the problem, I used a heat gun to soften up the plastic so it could be re-formed with an outward bend that gives the #4 cylinder's header about the same amount of clearance as the #2 cylinder's header pipe. Installed on the bike you can see that I've managed to achieve the same amount of fairing-to-header pipe clearance on both the #4 and #2 headers. I happened to have some high temperature heat reflecting tape on hand so I added it to the work I did. I figured why not, regardless of whether the situation really needed this amount of protection Maybe I got a little carried away with the heat reflective taping...

A splash of color amongst the mundane! Nice.

Thanks for the community, folks. I’m Grateful that things like this exist. Anyways... Found myself bike-less, because reasons, but suddenly I had the opportunity to buy this canary yellow 2000 VFR. I got it for 2K, smooth. 25k miles on the clock and it looks minty fresh. I just put a plate on it today, rode it around, and I’m going to have to look into the battery/charging situation, (I have already read about “the drill”), and I’m still getting a feel for how to ride it. This is my first sporty-bike. I have always ridden big tourers and cruisers, and my most recent bike was a 2016 Road Glide that I hated more than I loved. The good news is, it runs really great, goes like a scalded dog, and is easily the fastest bike I have ever owned.

My 2 cents... Do yourself a favor and send that r/r back and order a mosfet system from Roadstercycle. Normally you can't go wrong with OEM parts, but motorcycle charging systems have been a bit behind technology over all and it represents the VFR's Achilles heel. Install a mosfet r/r with dedicated leads to the battery. While you're at it, treat all the contacts with this stuff.

The VFR was a street legal 2001 without Dual CBS and with a GPR exhaust and metal braided tubes - nothing more according to the poster. Bridgestone BT 016 PRO tires. Almost 54,000km on the clock. Proves the point that the rider's skills are more important than all the power mods in the world. I am not sure what that momentary screech is at about 4'.20''

Having rode my 5 Gen all last year at the track, I would never say that the VFR s too slow or heavy for track time. That being said, I have trimmed some weight off and have improved several aspects of the bike but ultimately, IMO, track days aren’t about being the fastest or having the lightest best setup bike, it’s for improving your riding skills and to get better acquainted with your bike.

Whats the trick? The phase that technology marches on is still true... There is still a high fall out of the OEM R/R but that doesnt mean 100% will eat it... but I'm not one to wait untill I need a tow truck... It is well known that the connector R/R to stator is the numero uno fail point and best fix is to solder the wires and heat shrink it all together. Really --- @vfrvCO..... you already know the R/R is junk, suggest that you dont buy another Ricks..... Also you may as well do a full charging system test.... "The Drill" -- verify that the battery and stator is good... Current art on the R/R is to replace with a MOSFET or the newer series design by Shindengen.... source is.... www.roadstercycle.com (Part numbers = FH020AA or SH847AA) It is wired direct to the battery and deletes any use of the weak OEM harness for charging.... For grins one more time... a photo of the upgrade to FH020AA

Every one of five fifth gens I've had has needed steering head bearings. My first one developed a vibration at speed that was first diagnosed by my reliable Honda dealer as a cupped front tire; so I replaced it. The vibration remained. They nexted suggested checking the steering head bearings. Put the bike on the centerstand. Raise the front end by pressing down on the rear. (I put a couple of concreat foundation blocks on the pillion seat. Someone pressing down can also accomplish this if you have a helper.) Move to the clipons and slowly move the wheel/forks lock-to-lock. If you can detect a detent in the center of the back and fourth that indicates worn steering head bearings. That was about 70,000 miles. Subsequent bikes (4) experienced the symptoms, one as low as less than 30,000 miles to as high as 50,000 miles. The reason is Honda used cheap ball bearings in the OEM version. The recommendation iis to use tapered roller bearings. Once installed, never any further issues of this problem. BTW the first bike was KIA by a dear at 105,000 miles.

Due to the cold and crappy weather, had the urge to tinker with the bike. Added a beefy Ground bonding wire, see white wire with yellow lug. Decided to grab a short length of aircraft spec 10gauge wire I had floating around, and install a good bonding cable from the EFI, ECM and stuff Ground point (on the Frame Ground Point just under the rear of the tank - see attached drawing) to the Negative battery terminal. Bad Grounds on bike frames have in the past caused strange things to happen(not with my own bike fortunately) just wanted to avoid that situation ever happening for good. Well, at least it kept me occupied and off the streets for an hour or so Cheers.

My friend Makota San previous job was Chief Engineer Honda R&D who invented Honda's VTEC... he calls VTEC "his baby" and recalls his boss being super skeptical of the idea working at all... Owners have their doubts too even naming VTEC Vacillating Torque Engine Compartment... granted it worked on heavy cars but it's more of a unwanted bump in the powerband on a light bike... Makota San down on cannery row...

Here are the PDF files. There are some duplicates because Honda has different instructions for the same parts in different countries. I think I grabbed most of them, but there might be some missing. REAR TRUNK 33L WAVE KEY 08L71-MJM-A00.pdfREAR CARRIER 08L73-MJM-D10.pdfSADDLEBAG SET 08L70-MJM-A10ZA 08L70-MJM-A10ZB.pdfREAR TIRE HUGGER 08F70-MJM-D10.pdfHANDLE ADJUST PLATE 08R70-MJM-D10.pdfTOP BOX 33L (WAVE KEY TYPE) 08L71-MJM-D00.pdfCARRIER BRACKET 45L 08L73-MJM-D10.pdfSECURITY ATTACHMENT 08E70-MJM-D00.pdfQUICK SHIFTER 08U70-MJM-D11.pdfTOP BOX 45L (WAVE KEY TYPE) 08L74-MJN-D10.pdf12V ACCESSORY SOCKET 08U70-MJM-D00.pdfHEATED GRIPS 08T70-MJM-A00.pdfHANDLEBAR RISER KIT 08R70-MJM-D10.pdfCENTERSTAND 08M70-MJM-D00.pdfREAR TRUNK BASE 33L 08L74-MJM-D10.pdf

Great shot. When I lived on the east coast time off from work meant Skyline-->BRP-->Dragon-->Cherohala. The southern half of the BRP is particularly fun.

^^^^^. What he said. You can’t just go from two valve cross swirl to 4 valve without disrupting the induction pulses. Most Dyno charts show that dip in power at Vtec transition point.

Every town’s got one.

I didn't want to cut away material. I gave some consideration to going the Dremel route but decided to keep all of the original strength that the fairing chin insert had. I just wasn't in the right mood to start cutting on things (in the past I've done a lot of Dremel modifications to motorcycles, but so far I haven't done any to either of my 5th Gens, maybe that was a factor in today's choice). My opinion on the Dremel vs. heat-bending situation is that neither solution will leave the chin insert "speed holes" looking as good as they did in their OEM profile. So definitely go with your personal preference. Either way the fairing chin insert isn't something I notice when I look at a VFR, it's pretty much out of view from almost any angle. And if someone does notice the bent area it'll give me the perfect opportunity to bore the pants off them by telling all about my totally bitchin' stainless steel performance exhaust system.

This is cool, man!😎 TriumphTraitor recommended a set of charger and voltmeter on eBay, but I found the same one on Amazon for a couple bucks more. The catch is that it already rode the slow boat from China so it got to me in a weekend instead of like 3 weeks. Wired up and ready to rock-n-roll:

Delboy does a good job of explaining the process as well as providing a video you can watch. The start of the process starts at 4:15.

And performance . . .

I like the quarterly format of Cycle World. The have some good pictures and interesting articles. Kevin Cameron is worth the price all by himself. I also get Motorcycle Consumer News. The US ad free magazine, not the UK thing. MCN is the best. 😀

Before: After: I still need to give everything a fine cut / polish and do a bunch of touch up. The white fender is very hard to get used to, but after spinning around for just one evening it already seems OK. The wide wheels and radials, new suspension and brakes feel amazing.

Mine looks very similar to Kevin's, here's a shot that shows where I cut mine pretty well. One coment - if I did mine over I would cut it a little deeper on the left of this area where it meets the grab handle, but what I did works fine and hides well. EDIT - Kevin has this covered 😉

That's the spirit, i'd take my little bit melted v-dam with these performance headers over a stock header with clean v-dam any day.

So, SFDownhill hooked me up with a Wolf exhaust and my thinking was it wouldn't mate to my TBros header so I'd need a stock or equivalent header replacement. No oem fitting pipe I ever tried would work with the TBros header outlet that is angled to work only with their mid-pipe. But, with just a little fiddling, the two-piece Wolf pipe allowed me to get everything turned and lined up with the TBros. Long story short, I probably won't be in for one of the new headers but I'll keep an eye on developments in case a new 5G batch gets going. Many thanks to SFDownhill for the Wolf, it is literally like new and sounds great.

You sure I can't tempt you? I mean, it melted your little plastic doofer and everything. Five bucks and a packet of Cheetos, that's my final offer.

Yeah, you're probably right; those headers are rubbish. I'll give you five bucks for them.

Fan on the 8gen has no Thermo Switch and is controlled by the ECM, so with ignition OFF Fan cannot run! Further to what Cogswell mentioned, it probably saved Honda money in wiring and the cost of a Thermo Switch. Keeps the system simpler as the ECM already knows the Engine Coolant Temp.

Two thoughts on that. One would be that the fan is a large current draw and the battery is relatively small, the other is that when the engine is off the coolant is not circulating, so the fan will only cool what's in the rad, but isn't going to draw heat out of the engine. If you want that functionality, a fan override switch can be installed. Use it to force the fan on and allow the engine to idle to move the hot coolant out to the rad.

So that's where Guinness comes from......... it is actually the blood of motorcycles...

With no numbers, I cant really reply to your post, but I will say I agree with Mavelicious dont replace with OEM and go the aftermarket R/Rs from Roadstercycle and wire direct to battery. - Do the full drill, gimme numbers, then the peanut gallery can advise what to do.

The body does need a lunch/re-hydration stop now then

Well Doug, I did an "Arizona test" for you today..... 34C+ This "evo" works just as well as their 1st version. I ride in full leathers, pants have a little perforated area so I wear longjohns underneath. My jacket has vents on the lower arms and the front area along the zip can be removed, leaving a sturdy mesh fabric. I never felt the heat getting to me. When stopping and placing my inside the vest it feels "cool". It needs airflow to function. Macna since released a V3 "hybrid" .... A step back imho, you either soak it (versus V1 and V2 having the water inside) and put it on wet. Like a Hyperkewl Or add "cool packs" you activate by placing them in a fridge.

@cruzinaz owns NU Wheel at 3880 S Palo Verde Rd Go see Kent, tell him you wanna go ride, and tell him I sent you 😄

At least 3 of those 8g headers are for 5th/6th gen bikes because we want the splayed front tubes to accommodate a low mounted front radiator. To me it makes more sense to batch these with the 5/6 header run. I owe an update on centerstand stops. I've been busy bouncing around other jobs in my shop but I will get to them!

I would say "Trigger's broom", but I reckon only a few Brits would understand.

Nice score, a lot like the deal I made on my '98. I think these bikes are still very under-valued (in the North Eastern US at least) and there are some great deals to be had if you are lucky, patient or both. Your bike looks pretty stock aside from the windscreen and end can (arguably a good thing). Did this bike come with a documented maintenance history? If not, and given that your new ride is 19yrs old, I think you are on the right track with 'the drill' and I'd also suggest a thorough assessment and refresh of the fuel system, brakes & fluid, clutch & fluid, cooling system & hoses and also replace the plugs for good measure. I have found that more owners are reactive rather than proactive, and that ends up leading to a lot of "deferred" maintenance to put it nicely. There are a lot of threads documenting all the work you might do and this board (and VFRWorld for that matter) is both friendly and supportive. Good luck and happy riding! The Drill: https://vfrworld.com/threads/how-to-fix-common-regulator-stator-failures.39277/ GiD's refurb thread: https://vfrworld.com/threads/refurbishing-my-99-5th-gen.52488/

The stock stopper looks like it's made for it if you want to reuse the whole bracket

I didn't test any wheels, BST the company that make them put them through the TUV acceptance tests as required to sell them in Europe, as do all other manufacturers. But the point was BST have enough faith in their product to use a single wheel for all seven tests. Where as every other manufacturer uses a single wheel per test, as they don't believe their wheels could survive all the tests ! Light does NOT mean weak, check the next plane you fly on, not alot of steel there. Any older 737/757/767 or 747 you fly on, I & some colleagues made the carbon material for our sister factory to make the floor panels that your seat is attached to & that you walk on to it. They have had millions of feet, thousands of flights/landings & are still going strong. Just because certain cycling parts are made a bit flimsy, does not mean all carbon parts are. BST wheels have a 400Kg weight rating ! https://intheknowcycling.com/2018/10/14/carbon-road-bike-wheels/ The other major difference, is that alloy or metal wheels have ZERO bend tolerance, so hitting a big pot hole or large rock, will dent them if the tyre deflects enough. A carbon rim has some structural flex in these extreme circumstances, so is less likely to permanently deform, plus being lighter, they experience less impact force to begin with & the suspension can deflect faster due to their reduce inertia. Bicycle rims, have basically NO tyre suspension, racing tyres are pumped to silly pressures, to reduce rolling resistance, which means most shock gets transmitted straight to the wheel rim, especially hard edges of pot holes for example. Motorcycle tyres have a good depth of tyre to absorb a lot of impact & are attached to suspension where as most road bicycles don't have suspension. I've dented a few steel & alloy bicycle rims in my life, plus a couple of motorcycle alloy ones too. But yes, feel free to use what suits you.