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OEM Integrated luggage option, OEM quick shifter option, OEM bar riser option, better voltage regulator/charging system, Aluminum subframe, led headlights, gear indicator, seat height can be adjusted.

Sold my 6th gen and bought the 8th the very next day. Never looked back. 8th is simply a better motorcycle. I think it was tuned for slightly less top speed but added low end, either way with the quickshifter the 8th is quicker 😉 I'm a huge fan of my 5th gen, and I feel more 5th gen lineage in the 8th than I do the 6th. It has that Honda feel!

Hello, new member test posting, Just bought vf500, needs recommisioning , looking forward to learning lots on here

I believe he modified RC45 headers to fit. The 8th gen headers are modeled after the RC30 and 45, which both employed front mounted upper and lower radiators.

My 2 cents. I don't think the compression test is indicative of anything... except that the engine has sat around for a bit and not been run. There's alot of shiny surfaces inside that machine that only keep fresh by being used but will also refresh when used a little. Provided it hasn't sat too long or got wet or got dirt in it. I would refurb it, stick it in your bike and then do a full rebuild on the high mile original engine, increasing its capacity etc once your exchanged engine has proved itself.

What Grum said, improvements everywhere. 34000 miles came up on my way in to work this morning and I don't regret changing up at all. Narrower, lighter, better handling, fixed electrics, more gadgets, lower fuel consumption, etc, etc.

Had 3 6gens and loved them, but my 8gen is the best Why? All the electrical issues, stators, r/r etc have been sorted, so reliability has been improved. Headlights, fuel economy, weight, brakes have all been improved. The 8gen also feels more manoeuvrable, and slimmer with the front mounted radiators. Also love the oem pannier mount arrangement. Just my personal thoughts. Cheers.

I had a 6th gen and really enjoyed it, no complaints at all, great bike! I picked up an 8th gen summer before last and am really enjoying it, the 8th gen to me seems to have more tech and refinements, a more current day look and feel IMO. I really like that the 8th gen oem luggage doesn't require those ugly racks, even the oem trunk mount is more compact, integrated and clean, adjustable seat, heated grips, traction control, LED lights, and I like that the brakes aren't linked now. I added a heated seat and cruise control and am all set, am loving this bike! You should keep your 07 RWB though and still buy an 8th gen, otherwise you'll always look back on why you sold the RWB. Neither of these bikes are expensive compared to other options out there, having one of each for not too much over $10k sounds like a great investment and future smiles of rides! What about the 8th Gen do you like that makes you consider doing it?

Yes, that’s what a dusty sitting engine is for! And keep the high mileage (km, sorry) one going. It’ll keep running as long as you maintain and use it. Just my opinion, but based on my own ‘99. Another thought. It’s real rare, but I’ve heard of a gear box failing in a 5th gen maybe a couple times. Clutch basket a couple times. Broken chain taking out a sprocket cover and breaking the side of the case. Oil drain bolt stripping. In other words, just keep it around for spare hard parts.

I would imagine the various rings would need to heat up and get oiled to get unstuck and a true compression reading. For my money I would update or upgrade the rubber hoses and o-rings on a constant used high mileage engine rather than roll the dice on an engine sitting collecting dust and corrosion. And I did. 103,000+ miles on my ‘99. All new silicone coolant hoses and new OEM o-rings sealing the water pipes to the engine. New t’stat o-ring. Sent my injectors off to be cleaned and flow matched. New fuel filter. Etc.

To be honest, it's impossible to say. Lubing up the cylinder walls before running and turning it over a bit will certainly help. I wouldn't be surprised to see compression readings come up to close to normal. But, and a big but it is, it's all about what it's like inside. Endoscopes are pretty cheap now, so you could pull the plugs, and use the endoscope to check the condition of the cylinder walls. I can't see getting reliable compression readings without the engine running in the first place. Things are just going to be stuck, and not sealing. Did he do a leak-down test? Or how did he do a compression test without the engine running?

The folks that buy his stuff really like it. The folks that buy other stuff are looking for a fancy brand name. (You know who you are...😉)

Update - there’s not a lot to update. Wednesday I dropped off Prototype #1 at the metal finsher’s to be passivated (acid dipped). They’ll do this first set of headers for $110, and batches of 5 headers for $95 each. I’ll post photos of the treated headers later this week. Production headers are underway, but Wade was sick last week and bowed out of our Tuesday meeting. He’s feeling better (racing motocross sidecars in CA this weekend!) and I’m heading to his shop tomorrow. Objectives for this meeting are: (1) refine our approach to collector exit matching OEM angle/position - relates to having had only TBR and OEM 6th gen headers on hand when making the jig for the prototype. The cat on the 6th gen headers didn’t allow an accurate measurement of the OEM exit angle/position, so I’m taking 98/99 headers to Wade to confirm production units match OEM angle/position (98/99 tubing and merges allow measurement & duplication). (2) examine clearance required between the collector exit pipe and the bottom curve of cylinder #1 primary as relates to the header fitting over the diameter of the right side center stand leg during installation. Clearance at this point on Prototype #2 is enough to just squeeze over the right center stand leg, so the center stand doesn’t have to be removed to install or remove the headers. Clearance at this point on Prototype #1 isn’t enough to allow the header to pass around the center stand during installation - we had to remove the center stand, thread it through the headers, then mount the center stand with the headers dangling down at the base of the stand like pants around one’s ankles, then mount the headers. file

Its not that the bike needs more power, it is that I need to tinker.