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Throwing some more data points in. I rode mine all the way around San Diego yesterday, including Sunrise Highway, over several hours, and included a stop at @sfdownhill's to show off how his creation is getting used on my bike 😄 So riding between sea level and 5,000 feet, mostly highway speed and 30-60 in twisty highway stuff. It was 78-80 most of the time. I haven't touched the Rapidbike since installing it before the headers and Delkevics, and my bike really needs some injector work plus starter valve sync, etc. just to give you an idea of how it is right now. I'm also only using the stock narrowband sensors. But I still managed 42mpg with saddlebags, which equals what the bike got when new (42 with, 46 without). It hasn't seen quite that good mileage in a while! It also managed to keep temps lower as it wasn't working as hard. At steady speed it was pretty rock solid between 174-180. Performance wise...wow. There is little to no resistance climbing past 6,000 RPM. It's pretty crazy how it wants to run, regardless of gear. There is quite a bit more torque across the rev range, and I'm wondering just how much, along with how it'll go once I've got everything fixed and tuned. This is more due to RapidBike, but there's still no return of the dreaded closed-loop taper/surge behavior. Even though I haven't gone in to reset it or anything, it's adapted to the Delkevics pretty quickly. The "quieter baffle" in the Delkevics also brings down the sound level to just within tolerance for riding. At speed (above 55 or so) the sound disappears behind you so long as you are at cruising RPM. Sitting at idle or low speed it's still pretty loud but doesn't wear me out. What's really interesting is how cars react. They all know I'm there for sure now, and on Sunrise Highway they all either stayed pretty far back or used the next available turnout to let me pass :lol: I still coast in a bit to my driveway and try to get away from home as quickly as possible, but my neighbors tell me they have yet to hear the bike inside their houses. Bike still has some behavior that's attributable to old and dirty fueling, including difficulty starting/restarting sometimes. On my RapidBike auto map there are also a lot more maxed out values than in the other kids. So there are clearly more gains to go here, but the headers are crazy good so far.

The power of dreams.....

99.99% Sure it's the front tire. Same happened to me at same speed slowing down especially. New front Dunlop was the culprit. Replaced with a Metzler and it stopped!

It's hard to believe, but this year is the 25th year of the annual We Don't Give A Hoot weekend! As many of you know, WDGAH is the annual Northeast gathering of VFR riders (and former riders, and a few friends). This has been going on for 25 years now, since the days of the original VF/VFR listserv. Some of you may have attended "back in the day" - why not come out this year for the 25th!! Details are below, but you can also go to the website: http://www.wdgah.net Dates: September 10 - 12 Home base: Fireside Inn, West Lebanon, NH (still only $99/night!) Make hotel reservations by AUGUST 10 in order to secure the group rate! You must CALL THE HOTEL and ask for the VFR group rate. A Fireside Inn & Suites 25 Airport Road (I-89 exit20) West Lebanon, New Hampshire 03784 877.258.5900 http://firesideinnwestlebanon.com/ Rate: $99.99 tax per night, double occupancy, includes breakfast. Ask for the VFR group rate. Cancellation: Any time up to 4pm the day of arrival with no penalty. Hope to see you in September!

I have rebuilt a lot of 2 brush starters for the DOHC Hondas and found that the Arrowhead brand was the best quality. Some of the "el cheapos" on eBay have brush holders that don't even fit the motor housing. If you are planning to rebuild, spend the extra money and get a quality kit.

There is no way you should be experiencing this. I know the bike is new to you and you possibly didn't have enough time in the saddle to know whether this problem was there Before or only After the tire was changed. I'd be putting my money on the tire being faulty or incorrectly balanced. Good Luck.

New tires, are they fitted in the correct direction?

First check that your front tire pressure is 36 psi. If not, correct and test ride. If still present, check the steering head bearings for play. If you need help with how to do that, post up. Also check torque on the axle nut (43 foot-pounds with the pinch bolts loose) and the axle pinch bolts (14 ft-lbs). If in doubt also check the pinch bolts on the upper and lower triple clamps. The service manual has specs (free download from the Downloads section). Review how the front end is constructed and follow the assembly and torque instructions. If that all checks good and you still have issues, the front wheel bearings are worth checking. With the wheel off, use an index finger to press on the bearing and slowly turn it. If any roughness or sound is present, or they show any play, they should be replaced. Despite what people say, yes, tires can do that. As my Pilot Road 3 and 4 tires wore, the front became cupped and scalloped. It was worse with weight in the back - top, side cases - as with yours, at about 30 to 40 mph on deceleration a nasty head shake would occur. I was told the same "your steering head bearings are loose" (no, they were not). Once I replaced those tires with Pilot Road 2s, the head shake went away and never returned - without doing anything to the steering head, axle or anything else. However, you *do* want to rule out the above factors before looking to the tires because they can cause those symptoms and can be a safety concern. I don't believe I've ever seen a 6th gen with a steering damper. Possibly someone who has / is running those tires can report their experiences with them. If after that you still have problems, report back.

That would make a nice postcard