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Thank You for accepting me. I recently bought a two-decade-old Honda VFR800P (yes, RC49!) as my first bike. Since it's a bit mature, I plan to have it refreshed to ensure its road worthiness before it hits the long road. I'm super excited about this as this is also my first big bike. Based on my initial research, there are peculiar specs found only in RC49, and I hope it will not be a challenge for me to complete the process. I plan to create a new topic to cover its refresh/ restoration process. Any thoughts/ insights from all the members will be much appreciated. Stay safe and ride safe! (attaching some pictures for the appreciation of everyone)

Yup, all good 👍

Updates on this beauty! Off to the repair shop. notice the stock crash guards he is holding? Apparently, air filter is missing! V4! Radio box. need to replace the battery below parts are for powder coating (pearl white) done with the rims. new tires as well. I opted for Pilot Street Radial as I have inadequate budget for the Road 6. Next update will be on the refreshed engine and some cosmetics. Thanks!

This did not happen to my Viffer, but since it is apparently a common problem I am posting it here as it's a potential problem for others. I have a 2002 CBRF4i that I have had in storage for about two years with all proper procedures followed. Full tank of gas with stabilizer. I went to open the fuel cap and although the key worked fine and the cap popped up by a millimetre or two the cap would not open all the way up. Master Mechanic Google had a solution as apparently this is a very common problem on Hondas (and other makes) and there were a gzillion posts on it. Fortunately it did not happen to me when I was on the road and needed to refuel. Below is a video that explains the problem and solution. Poor engineering with the metal part of the fuel cap jamming in the tank outlet. It has nothing to do with the cap lock mechanism. The author of the video used a file. In my opinion an appropriate grit of sandpaper would do the job better. I actually used a fine precision screwdriver to gently pry the cap up per the advice of someone on advrider.com who said that he always carried one in his kit because of this problem. I shall be sanding the cap down in due course. Personally, I will remove the cap to sand it as it's not a big deal and I will not risk an explosion or filings going into the tank.

The Beginning May 15,2017 It was a relatively uneventful drive, aside from rain and wind gusts. The rental van worked fine, a bit“loosey goosey” from a steering standpoint and an irritating speed governor that limited maximum velocity to a barely acceptable ( indicated ) 75 mph. That’s where the speedo hovered the majority of the time on scenic Interstate 77. I was not feeling particularly “fresh” either, a result of only getting 5 hours in the rack prior. As I drove, there was time to contemplate... mixed feelings and conflicting thoughts. Had I done the right thing ? Would he like it ? Behind me in the truck’s cargo hold were two new motorcycles. Both red, both Hondas. For me, the VFR would be my third Honda V4 and the second one purchased in Ohio. For my son this would be his first motorcycle. Let’s go backwards a bit. I really like motorcycles. It’s one of the greatest passions of my life. I was fortunate enough to start down the path at 14 and now 46 years later ( damn near 60 ), I still breathe,eat,sleep and think motorcycles all the time. The last new motorcycle I purchased was in June of 1985 . That Honda 500 Interceptor was a birthday present to myself. It came out of a dealership in Hilliard,OH a suburb of Columbus.The same motorcycle still resides in my garage, it hasn’t run in years but, that’s not the point, momentos don’t have to function in the conventional sense to be valuable. So, back to the present. The irony of being in Ohio and having a motorcycle- shopping- list so close to my birthday was not lost on me as I walked into the Honda dealership in Heath,OH Wednesday morning. The exact motorcycle I wanted, a Red Honda VFR800D was sitting on the showroom floor waiting for me. The decision to double up the purchase and buy my son a bike was not so easy. Motorcycles are not by themselves dangerous but,the public roads where they are ridden can be as hostile as a war zone. There are dozens of ways drivers can hurt you or you can easily do yourself in. I entered this paved world at 14 and have survived thus far thanks to a combination of learned experience, luck, and the grace of the Almighty. Why ? It’s fun. It satisfies a desire to do something that requires skill . There are few feelings better than carving through a series of challenging turns confidently or topping a crest on a country road to survey some majestic vista worthy of a Monet or Cezanne. OK, sometimes Monet is on break and what you see is a chicken farm but, natural beauty mostly abounds. The level of awareness/concentration required to ride well is both exhilarating and exhausting. However, I find it’s best when exhaustion arrives after the ride is over. It is lifestyle, discipline, and recreation rolled into one whole. I desire to share those postive things about motorcycling with my son. ..and when the time comes, fulfill my wish to see the USA astride a Red Honda VFR. I’ve been waiting for this next chapter most of my adult life ! Keeping the rubber side down and the shiny side up y’all..... Major Maintenance Valve Adjust at 60063 Mi Valve Adjust at 95890 Mi Repairs Water Pump replaced at 95890 Mi

Pretty sure the rims on all these are powder coated from the factory, so I have been known to remove tar with WD40/kerosene then apply some polish like Turtle Wax or similar.

I admit it, I have an addiction to cleaning and polishing. Those silver rims were stock, and I owned the bike from 74000 to 105000km. My current yellow 99 has the black rims and the fron has a little corrosion damage from being parked outside by a PO. The paint is just in great condition and has been looked after by others before me. I made it shinier however...

I went the Auctmarts path on my last 5th gen after a drop on the right side in 2015 which rashed the top fairing, side fairing and the tail piece. I was mostly happy with the result, the fit was mostly very good barring the join between the side and top fairing but that wasn't awful. Certainly needed to massage some of the holes, and I got my own stickers. I sent them a piece of the old fairing and got a brilliant colour match. The only fail was one of the attachments for the black cowl in the fairing chin which broke off but I glued that back. The paint was shiny but a bit prone to chipping compared to stock. The picture is of the replaced side. They weren't easy to communicate with (emails felt very dodgy) but were honorable.