Leaderboard

...I bought this lightly used 2 year old VFR750, and haven't been without a Honda since then; several VFRs and a handful of VTR1000F. I'd bought the bike late that afternoon, and being early March it was a dark, damp first ride to visit my folks. I'd love to have it back, and in that condition.

Hello again fellow Vifferini! Some of you may have read my long winded story here of getting back on a VFR after a 15 year absence from riding. I then posted the clean up thread here about that bike. Since purchase I have put about 10,000 miles on it having an absolute blast riding around the fine state of Utah, USA. The warm weather season is short but we do have a handful of excellent roads with endless scenery. The bike is set up just like my first VFR and it runs perfect. I couldn't be happier with it. Well, the plot thickens...which is to say I tracked down and bought back my original VFR. The one that I bought new in Northern California back in 2001. Yes, my actual exact bike, VIN #00089. Turns out the internet can be an interesting and effective tool. I actually got in touch with the owner a couple years ago but he wasn't ready to sell at that time. Finally, in recent weeks he let me know that he had upgraded and would sell it back to me, and at a very reasonable price. I was more than pleased, and my teenage son and I made plans to pick it up two states away in California. Not wanting to drag my small open trailer 1800 miles there and back, I wondered if a motorcycle would fit inside the wife's minivan. The Google machine quickly confirmed that I was not the first to consider this, as I found multiple pictures of various bikes shoehorned into spaces more commonly filled with soccer moms and soccer kids. That said, we had to test before the drive just to be sure. After some general measuring I figured that if we removed the windscreen and mirrors from my current VFR, we might be able to load it through the side door, which is exactly what we did. "Easy does it. Left a bit! Watch the ramp!" Success! Even got the doors to close with room to spare. Took it right back out and put it in the garage, neighbors shaking their heads, unsurprised at my usual shenanigans. So with that confirmed we made our way out to CA to pick up the original machine. Let me say this, one-on-one time with your kids is absolute gold. While going to get my old bike was cool, 20 plus hours in the car with my son was the real highlight of the trip. He's a fantastic kid and we had great time making new memories doing something that wouldn't make sense to most people. We arrived just after dark at the seller's home after a full day's drive. It was great to meet the gentleman and trade a few stories. I pointed out the small scratches on the clutch cover. "Yeah, that was me, trying to put it up on the center stand one day wearing flip flops and it slowly went over on it's side on the driveway. Not my first bonehead move." It was so cool to see that it still had every mod that I had installed more than 20 years prior, save the Sargent seat, but I'll just use the one from my other bike now. Looking over the bike further I noticed that he had the db killer installed on the Staintune, something I never used in my ownership. "Have you heard it without the db killer?" I asked, reaching for my set of Allen keys. "I didn't know you could remove it." he said. A few seconds later I had it out and fired up the bike inside his carport. Let it warm up for a bit and then gave it a few mild revs. "Whoa you can't have it now!!" he said jokingly, "I should have removed that a long time ago!" We both got a laugh. Every VFR guy has their favorite pipe, an uncorked Staintune is mine, though a period Micron is a close second. The Staintune look and sound just can't be matched. I removed the windscreen and mirrors, having done this exercise once before, and we loaded up the bike in the minivan. I strapped it down securely using the factory seat anchors and several ratchet straps. It was almost as if the van was made for this type of thing. We journeyed back home and put the bike in the garage, with some new memories and a new chapter to start. Seeing double, this looks familiar. The more recent left, modded to resemble the original, right. It even has my original plate on the back as plates stay with the vehicle in California. So what now? Get organized, make the punch list. Gotta go over everything to see that it is clean and up to spec. Fluids, charging system, brakes, etc, a nice winter project. The seller provided me with some receipts of maintenance he'd had done recently at a shop near his home. New plugs, valves checked (all in spec), new coolant and brake fluids. Mentioned an issue of stumbling in lower revs that the shop couldn't rectify. Also mentioned a slight coolant leak on the left side and a dent in the left radiator. Interesting but no worries, I have time to look over everything and make it right. When I sold the bike in 2006 it had 26,000 miles on it. Now it shows just 39,000 miles. I can live with that. In general it looks to be in decent shape still, just needing to be gone through a bit. I first removed the side fairings to have a look at things underneath. Hmmm...of the 18 or so fasteners I removed, only 3 were correct and all were finger tight or less. Luckily you can still order the correct ones from Honda. It's clearly been down on the left side at some point. The coolant leak is from an epoxy repair attempt at the bottom of the reservoir. Actually glad to see it's not from the engine casing as the reservoir is easy to replace. Odd repair though. The left rad is indeed dented on the bottom and the bracket bent slightly, though it is not leaking. It will work until I can get another one. When I removed the tail fairing some of the tool kit fell out of the left side, clanging onto the garage floor, and there is a small crack on the left of the tail fairing at the franken bolt insert. Yeah, it's definitely been down. But....(and it's a big but), whomever dropped it did put on an OEM side fairing so that's a win, and everything else I can deal with quite easily. I also took a chance to check voltage and saw 13.70ish at idle and a solid 14.44v at 4,000 rpm, right where it should be as far as I understand. I'll keep an eye on things once I start riding it later. I made a list and ordered a bunch of fasteners and a new coolant reservoir, OEM oil filters and fluids. Just going to take my time and enjoy it. More to come. Cheers, Justin

It's been around 18 months or so since being able to do and fairly easy 385k round trip ride to my favorite winery, mostly on nice quiet back roads. I've had a few hospital visits and major cancer surgery to get through, anyhow, the short story is I'm feeling great now and have another 12 months or so of Immunotherapy to get through then hopefully I'll be in the clear. Today was a bit of a test to see how I'd handle the longer times in the saddle along with a picture perfect Spring day for riding, everything went well, happy me. There's a great winery I enjoy riding to in a tiny country town called Moonambel (Victoria Australia, Google Maps will get you there!!), an old Gold mining town, but the only Gold you'll find there now are the Red's produced by - Summerfield Winery. Here's a few happy snaps of the day Safe Riding All. Cheers On the way up "Fields of Gold"everywhere, Canola in bloom. Not quite Las Vegas. Apart from the Winery, there's the Motel and a General Store, a small town well known for its local wineries. The brilliant wine maker himself Mark Summerfield - Liquid Gold! Time to fill up the Panniers and head for home. The bike just loves Reds! Mark and the winery staff know me as "The Red Baron". The VFR and my wine pickups have featured in one of the Wine Club newsletters. I've made eight wine travel canisters out of 90mm PVC storm water pipe with a solid cap on one end. I roll up each bottle with bubble wrap then slide it into one of the canisters, I can fit up to 4 bottles in each of the pannier internal bags and haven't had a breakage yet. Not the most efficient way of purchasing wine, but it's an enjoyable day on the bike and any excuse to pick up some fine Reds is a good one! Have to admit my 8gen with 93,000k's on the clock, never ceases to put a smile on my dial.

I created a PDF of the microfiche for the 1999 model for my own reference. Thought others might find it useful. 1999 VFR800 - Microfiche.pdf

Ride safe everyone.

Hi Everyone. My first Post So I'm building a VFR using a lot of different bits and pieces to get in the end my version of a 6X replica. Highlights are Triumph Daytona 675 Wheels. Triumph T595 Forks (45mm) Powder coated Frame, Engine Ported, Vapor blasted and painted. I will start posting photos of the build as it progresses

Spring of 1993 and I'd only had my '91 VFR for a couple months when I snapped this photo by Salish Bear totem atop Malahat Drive. Compared to many of the mountain passes I've crossed by VFR this is one of the lowest, but it is close by and offers a good view of Finlayson Arm - and, on a much clearer day, even the Olympic Range in Washington state to the south. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the Bubba Shobert-replica Bell helmet. It looked cool, but my next helmet, a Shoei X7, was a huge improvement.

While looking through my old pics - not for anything VFR related, I came across this shot from late-2019. Probably washed it in preparation for a long winter's nap and decided to record the moment. I think the 6th gen looks pretty good from this angle.

Been a few years of trouble free goodness. The bike continues to be very capable and fun. The need for new tires inspired me to put together a "RC26-II" Upgrade Kit. Restored F3 forks with RT Springs. F3 front wheel. Brand new front Nissin calipers and pads. F3 5.0" rear wheel with a matching rear caliper. New rear brake arm solution. Real clean and simple.

We renamed the UK...

Look what the cat dragged in... Was in the middle of rebuilding this Canadian '98 when things took a left turn....

I have been a confirmed fifth gen owner for many years, but recently a 2009 which had sat on the local auction site reached my "buy now" level. The bike has 85000km, and the PO had parked it in 2022 after an inspection failure due to thin front discs. I just so happen to have a complete set of near-new lovely gold wheels with discs that I bought speculatively 5 years ago. The bike also has the dreaded cam chain rattle at low revs, a cracked windscreen, leaking fork seals and very minor stationery drop damage, but the seller put zero effort into resolving any of those or even cleaning the bike for photos (or possibly at all, during his ownership...). His loss, my gain! I collected the bike last night and survived a chilly ride home which did not reveal any unexpected faults aside from weird handling due to low tyre pressures. I'm looking forward to peeling off the covers and giving this dirty bike a good scrubbing, and then setting to rectifying the faults. I am planning on trying the "two turns of extra spring preload" fix for the CCT but replacements don't look too expensive. I will also check out the valve clearances; as I don't want to buy the small dowels to lock the VTEC valves, can someone tell me what diameter rod I need to get to make my own? And no new post is complete without a photo...

I've finally completed my personal 1993 project. Rescued from a certain death sentence, I've brought it back to be my personal everyday bike. If interested, here's a short post on her story: http://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/my-v4-dream

Hi, I put together a poster that I want to mount in my home office. Thanks to Terry for posting the PDFs so I was able to assemble it using the PDFs he uploaded. I will attach it for anyone who wants to do the same. Print it out and have it mounted etc. Thxs VFR Poster.pdf

Gentlemen, I give you VIN# 00089. Looking nearly as good as the day I brought her home from the dealer back in May 2001. She's not perfect, but I'd say the time spent in the garage has paid off nicely. Cheers, Justin

I came across this today in a local online marketplace, thought you guys might get a laugh out of it as I did From what I got out of the ad the guy said it has a 1987 VFR700 engine that works great but would need a little work on the drive axle as it was twisting the axles he had kicking around The second picture shows the torque strip he left on the pavement. God the mind can sure go to some dark places when you get bored

No need for a quickshifter...

@LukeV4 Not going to lie, meeting you and your dad was the most excited I’ve been in a long time. Your VFR’s blew me away!!! Few pics of your bikes showing your craftsmanship and good taste. This one’s wearing a Tyga fairing for an NC30. Love the asymmetrical twin exhausts! And 954 swingarm welded to a 5th gen swIngram…seriously!!! Custom rearset adapters and engine covers welded flat for better ground clearance. Second bike wearing SP1 bodywork, Fireblade seat and S1000 subframe (modified). And a beautiful pair of exhausts in Ducati style! Rearsets from Harris and GSXR front end. If ever there was a pair of race-ready 5th gens, this is it! Meeting you guys was a real highlight. Thanks for coming and thanks for joining the forum!

It's been 4 years since the 5th gen took me on a tour. 2 years on a Tracer GT, and 2 years on the Multistrada. Loaned the Multi to a friend who flew in from Oklahoma, so it was 5th gen time again. We bonded immediately, but I missed having cruise control. 600 miles in and the battery was shot, but not the R/R or stator. And it was awesome to hit the thousand of curves on the old girl. Still love this bike.

I've been spending the winter scanning some of my old slides & negatives and this week I came across these two photos. First pic shows my 2nd VFR800 barely an hour after taking delivery back in Feb. 1999. It replaced my stolen red '98 and this time I opted for superfast yellow instead of yet another red bike. I'd had it fitted with a 3rd gen 8-spoke and both wheels painted a glossy pearl white. Beacon Hill park, in Victoria, is my goto spot for new bike pics. The 2nd pic shows my '91 VFR750 on it's final long ride, near Courthouse Towers in Arches NP, Utah.

Here is my recently purchased vfr. Love this thing. Just found the forum, will be perusing for this upcoming seasons riding. Cheers.

To all, and especially Duc2V4. I hope you don't mind me respectfully posting this excellent photo of Lance I happened to find on the web. I think it's a wonderful photo of the man and a special way for people like me who have not met Lance aka sfdownhill to remember him. I was so impressed by his and Duc2V4's tireless efforts in organizing the multiple runs of exhaust manufacturing to help out so many VFRD members, a truly great effort. A highly valued and respected VFRD member. R.I.P Lance.

Been buildong this since start of covid, just fitted the fairings the other day. Genuine RC30 wheels, axle, sprocket carrier and modifed rear hub to accept RC30 axle fairing, fuel tank, seat unit, rear subframe, front fairing bracket, top yoke and instruments. Ktech DDS fork internals in cb1000 big one fork lowers with RC30 stantions, Nitron rear shock, Tyga stainless exhaust with carbon can.

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to drive to Jerez de la Frontera circuit (Spain) from my home Sintra (Portugal). A beautiful ride with a mix of highway and interior twisties roads. Highway until Beja exit on A2, than interior roads going from Beja through Rosal de la Frontera until Sevilla, can't miss it, it's nearly just keeping following straight. Just a bit before reaching Sevilla, a bit of highway and a Stop for a long waited dinner, I do recommend Mesones del Serranito, for bocadillo (swandich) and huevos rotos (eggs). After another bit of highway until reaching the Circuit. This time I just went to see my friend on a track day with his S1000RR tranning for Portuguese S1000 RR cup. One day I will ride there with our wonderfull VFR Happy Monday 😃

Here's the Inner Wing with some of them... 😉

It was a mad rush to get the bike ready for the Donington Park track day with Mohawk but we got there in the end!!! Didn't have time to fit side fairings or centre stand but did get the quickshifter installed. I was lucky enough to get to see Mohawk’s famous blue 5th gen in all its glory from every angle…especially the rear as he blew past me twice on track!!! We shared a garage on the pits. And found the VFR can lean and burn. Check how tortured Mohawk’s tear looks! Mine looking respectable. Not bad for touring rubber! Mohawk has a gadget that replays his fastest speed on the clocks…that in MPH. Followed, of course, by some heavy braking before that tricky double-apex right hander after the home straight. It was a noisy track day at Donington, which tends to bring out all the likely lads and MotoGP hopefuls. There were a lot of exotica and prototype bikes there. Thousands of £’s worth of the latest tackle. So we were surprised (and VERY excited to see these familiar looking things. Can you make them out? Not going to lie, I was giddy as a school girl when I met these guys. The level of engineering and all the little modifications required blew my mind!!! They were very interested in some of Mohawk’s mods, like stick coils, single nut rear wheel and ram air, among other things. Hoping they join the forum.

Lorne, this is your fault… I convinced my spouse to move to Princeton NJ area for my job. Had a new kid. Took on debilitating adjustable mortgage. Saw that gp was coming to U.S. for the first time in forever at Laguna Seca. “Oh, most important woman in my life,” I said, “doesn’t your sister live in Marin?” (aka bay area) Yes, she said (knowing full well where this was going), "you know my sister and hub live there…" So we flew across the country. I found the cheapest rental car in the world, and drove the econobox south through SF, and arrived on a Saturday in April with another 100,000 fans who all just heard that we would hit 100F that weekend. Yeah, I was with my tribe! Never been to Laguna Seca before. End up in an endless car snake going over the bridge above T5-ish. Coming from the east coast I was blown away at how friendly the CA crowd was. Everyone was waving! The Mercedes ahead of me was crawling too, but the crowds were just so positive, waving and yelling. Finally the Mercedes driver pulled off to the VIP parking, and as he turned I saw through the driver’s side window I was behind Eddie Lawson! So yeah, I can always say I was on Lawson’s tail at Laguna Seca.

Twelve and a half years ago I began to modify a CA-spec Y2k VFR800Fi: Today, under vastly different circumstances and with somewhat different goals I have begun to modify its UK cousin, a Pearl Tahitian blue '01 VFR800Fi. I actually haven't worked on or ridden bikes for several years, for various reasons which all sound like excuses now, but that ends today. It's a good place to start. I acquired this bike ca. 2016, with low miles and apparently no damage (we'll see about that...) Over the years, I also acquired a load of parts for it, such as: SP2 forks, SP1 front wheel, SP1 bottom yoke, 929 top triple clamp, Tommaselli adjustable clip-ons, 8-spoke rear wheel, SH847 reg/rec, GiVi and SW-Motech luggage, Nitron shock, VFRD headers, Harris hugger, 6th gen rear cushion bracket, Sato adjustable rearsets, 6th gen ABS rear caliper, windowed clutch cover, xenon projector headlights, etc. Sadly, no supercharger or custom underseat exhausts this time...for now. Where to begin... Mmmmm. I do love cleaning years-old chain spooge... Wish me luck! Ciao, JZH

We have all wondered how a vfr engine with forced induction takes this abuse right? Well at least I have! So to all those who have told me over the years that this is not going to last, the vfr can not handle this - you are wrong! No measurements have been done, I have just glanced over everything - season has started. This engine will be shelved waiting parts and getting ready for the next stage. A 17000km engine will be put in it's place. I don't have more time this week to tell the story but it will come 🙂 Have a good one guys - ride hard but mind your 3rd gear 😅

Count me among those . . . swapped mine during the Covid lockdown in '20, was great to have something to do whilst stuck at home. Main things I can think of * 5th gen engine bolts right in to the 5th gen frame - no mods needed. * The "cushion" (Honda's term - I would call it "swing arm mount") that connects the swingarm to the engine is different - requires a 6th gen version to mount to the engine * Yes, the swingarms are slightly different * 5th gen uses remote coils with HT leads, 6 gen is 3 wire COP setup. This is the BIG thing to contend with in doing a swap. I retained COPs. Alternative is to source 5th gen harness and ECU and swap all that over. * 6th gen rads are larger, IIRC 2 additional rows * 5th gen cylinder heads are about 1 1/2" shorter - creates no issues * Shorter heads mean that the cam timing marks no longer appear through the inspection hole in the 6th gen frame (most people don't know why that hole is there). Makes valve adjustments more difficult. Suggest checking valves prior to doing swap * Despite cylinder head differences, throttle bodies are a direct swap * Hoses, thermostat, everything cooling system is interchangeable * If keeping 6th gen electronics, you WILL need a VTEC solenoid connected to the harness or you will get a no-start * 5th gen has a smaller alternator than 03 and up 6th gens. Currently swapping a 6th gen alternator over. * Despite all the similarities in the engine block, water pump, etc, 5 & 6 G alternator covers are different and do not interchange. * As mentioned above 4th through 6th gen gear ratios are different. The 5th gen is under-driven by 1 additional tooth, makes for about 200 rpm or so increase at 70 mph cruise. Barely noticeable. * Power output is indistinguishable. Honda did not add VTEC for power, torque or any other discernable butt-dyno reason. Maybe emissions, marketing, or who knows why. I don't miss it, and I do NOT miss the insanely difficult valve adjustments on the VTEC - the main reason I swapped it out. * Despite keeping 6th gen electronics, there is no VTEC "hit or kick" . There is a subtle change going through 6,800, but if no one knew about it, they would have no idea - nothing like it is stock. * Wheels and front rotors are interchangeable. * 6th gen brake system has 2 proportioning control valves vs 5th gen 1 - bleeding procedure is similar, but different. The linked brakes are plumbed differently between the 2. * 6th gen has available factory luggage * I have seen 6th gen tanks swapped to a 5th gen - doable but requires trimming the 5th gen bodywork in the front where it curves around the tank * 6th gen has available ABS. I've read that about 10% came with ABS, but I know of no documentation of that. On 1 occasion I was glad to have ABS, for me a good addition. * 5th gen has more room under the seat. That's probably more than anyone wants to hear. Owning both, I don't note much difference between them. And now, having one swapped, there's even less. If it weren't for ABS and the factory luggage for long-haul riding, I would probably stick with the 5th gen. However parts are getting harder to find for them, so I don't know how much longer they will be practical for daily or long trip riding. There are still times when I start the 6th gen that I just look at it and still can't get used to hearing that whine from the cams. For my $, that was the best engine Honda ever did or will make. I'm super happy with it.

Well, after a few months on the smart charger, in the garage (I have friends who think garages are for cars, go figure), and not moving an inch, the RC of course started immediately, manual fast idle aka choke pulled out. It's a Honda. Barely over 40 miles but far enough to get rid of the moisture in the crankcase, and get my arms and knees used to the sportbike position again. Around here this time of year the back roads that aren't well travelled get a bit of moss or other plant life growing in the middle of the lane where car tires don't go, so I took it easy. Mostly. I moved the odometer! 😀 PCH today just south of Tomales:

Well it is mid-summer here, and the roads are dry and clean. I took Bumblebee for a 300km jaunt along my favourite north Waikato twisty roads. I enjoyed the sublimely well-engineered masterpiece that is the 1999 VFR800; the coolant stayed nice and steady at around 78, the linked brakes were doing their thing and providing plenty of power, the suspension managed the worst of the bumps with the requisite combination of control and comfort (that's what you get with a Nitron shock and Racetech fork bits) and the Sargent seat cosseted my delicate bits gently!

I'll start it off with my storm trooper beauty resting by the side of the road last weekend.

Well folks, the rain of pain is OVER! Just received my notice from the DMV that my license has been reinstated! Still in shock at the moment but I'll be OK.

New tires presented an opportunity to finish a "RC26-II" Upgrade Kit. Restored F3 front end with RT springs, new Nissin calipers and pads. F3 5.0" rear wheel with a new rear brake set-up.

And I FINALLY found a Side Stand Cowl. Even had both mounts intact. Couple small cracks, that did not go all the way thru, repaired (v-grooved, epoxy filled, re-enforced on the back, ABS body filler, sanded). Couple coats of primer, sanded, couple coats satin black (which is what the whole lower third of the bike is). Gonna be good for 10 mph on top and 10 extra mpg. Because science.

Ho Ho Ho!!!! Best Season Wishes To You All!!!! And "may the road rise up to meet you" in 2025 as well....

I wiped them out, looking at 2 point authorization for logging in.

Hi everybody I'd like to say hello to this group: I just came back in the saddle of a VFR after having ridden a 95 model a quarter of century ago. I've been riding since late 80's, and I spent approx. 25 years running (or trying to, that's more corrrect 😁) in racetrack: I'm lucky enough to live 30km far from Mugello circuit. As written above, I've been riding a '95 carb VFR many years ago (DELICIOUS bike), but after this experience I've been bewitched for many years by the brutal force of the CBR1100 XX. I owned two of them, the first of which I've been tuned it a lot, transforming it into a sporty bike to have fun with in circuit: Now, after having passed 50's, I decided to embrace the old gear-driven cam V4 again. I found a '98 (Gen5) in good aesthetic conditions but needing a mechanical restoration. I paid it a few, spent some days in my workshop to restore it and now it's on the road again Engine and gearshaft are excellent, now, as well as (crossing fingers) the recharge system. Suspensions and brakes are awful. Just risen the tail by shimming the shock connection bracket, and lowered the front by shifting up the forks by 5mm. It's not enough, so something more drastic will come up this winter; I'll keep you updated Bye! Dr. Ergal

Hey there everyone, just wanted to pop in and say hi. Just picked up a 98 VFR that looks to be in amazing shape! I stepped away from riding for the last 6-7 years and recently started getting the itch again. Out of all of my previous bikes my favorite was my old VFR so I was pretty set on getting another one. I took my time and almost pulled the trigger on a 2007 with about 45k miles. But then I found this 98 VFR with only 16k miles. The previous owner was a 74 yr old gentleman that purchased it new and kept in a climate controlled garage its entire life. It is pretty much bone stock except the two brothers exhaust. Drove it to work for the first time today over the mountain full of twisites and it rode like a champ!

Hello from Northern Ireland! 👋 I'm back to riding after a number of years away (15+). Decided to cautiously dip my toe in the water about 6 months ago and bought a brand new Yamaha NMax 125 scooter. Well, put it like this, within 1 mile I knew I wasn't going to enjoy the slush box belt twist and go experience. I needed back on a geared bike! Before I'd stopped riding, I'd worked up from a CB250 superdream, through to a 600 Hornet and 929RR Fireblade. I finished up with a Z750 and 700 Ducati Monster before hanging up my gloves,. so I really don't know what I was thinking buying the scooter! I guess it was just nerves about finding my skills again safely, now that I'm a bit older and wiser. One of the best test rides I'd had years ago was on a 6th gen VFR800 VTEC. I owned the 929RR at the time and couldn't believe just how fun the 800 was. That engine note.... and the snap on/off VTEC was hilarious. So, my focus was on getting a clean VFR 6th gen. 3 failed attempts to buy later - 2 from a local dealer who promised to call me as soon as he had one coming in (but didn't) and a private seller of a 12k mile VTEC which I offered the asking price on. The problem though, I'm in Ireland and he was in England. Despite offering to send over proof of ID and a bank transfer deposit, he sold it out from under me. It was then that I spotted a lovely 5th gen 50th anniversary for sale locally and to my surprise... I knew the owner! I've known him back 20 years and he was ALWAYS a fussy owner. 24hrs later, the deal was done. Just 19k miles on it and in lovely condition. The proper 50th anniversary panels without a mark on them and the matching seat cowl I bought it on the spot! I'll freely admit.... the first run out didn't happen for a couple of weeks until the conditions were right. Bear in mind this is my 1st geared bike ride in probably 18 years! First issue was getting used to pulling the bike from the garage safely! No grab handles didn't help, but I remembered my bike lessons, leaning the bike into me a bit, one hand covering the brake just in case. Got geared up... got the bike warmed up.... then set off. Perhaps some might say I was mad after this time to go straight to an 800, but I knew full well that if I started on a smaller cc bike I'd hate it within hours. I never liked my 600 Hornet and always preferred something with more low down torque and longer gearing. I needn't have worried! I'd say it took about 10 minutes before I was right at home again! The VFR is a delight to ride and just right for where I'm at. I can short shift and just enjoy that rumble and whine of the cams... but give it the beans here and there. Just perfect! Previous owner fitted a voltmeter so I quickly realised that the charge system was NOT up to scratch! Discovered a TourMax R/R in there which seemed to be the well known weakness here. Stator tested well with zero ohms resistance on all 3 coils, so I'm currently mid way though installing a MOSFET R/R supplied by Kevs Shed which I'm sure many of you have watched on YouTube. Kev does a full R/R kit right down to the aluminium mount plate, silicone wiring loom and self resetting breaker. I've a new set of Bridgestones to go on as soon as that's done and a set of AS3 Performance stainless coolant hose clamps. I wasn't happy with how some of the mild steel fittings look under the fairings on inspection. After that, it's going to my local mechanic for a top to bottom health check. I plan to powder coat the forks and perhaps the side and centre stands. I've been ordering a lot of OE fittings to refresh anything that's either missing or showing signs of age. Whilst I aim to keep the bike close to original, those condom mirrors DID have to go! I've also talked to Scorpion exhausts and they are making up an OE look can with no branding so I can let a bit of that sweet V4 sound out without changing the look too much. As for that wee NMax, well, only 130 miles on it and I'd lose a fair chunk in depreciation to get rid so soon, so I've come to actually quite like it for what it is. Great for a quick run to the shops when the sun's out and room for a large bag of groceries under that seat! It's staying... for now. Thanks for reading the ramble... and I'll have plenty to ask over time no doubt 👍

I live in an apartment with a small one car garage so space to store the VFR is limited. I tried a Harbor Freight motorcycle dolly but it was too long for what I needed so I decided to make one. I started by mounting the wheel chock on the end of the 2X12. For this I just drilled thru holes and used the mounting hardware that came with the wheel chock. I put the bike in the wheel chock and measured where I wanted to cut my 2X12. I put my cut line about 2" past the end of the rear wheel. This way the ramp can rest against the wheel during storage. I cut the 2X12 and then mounted the casters to the bottom using lag bolts and washers. The casters were the most expensive part of this build, about $10 a piece. But they have ball bearings in the wheels and roll really nice. Each caster is rated for 110 lbs. so I went with 6 of them just to be safe. I used the left over piece of 2X12 for the ramp (Originally I tried to get away with a 1/2" piece of plywood for this but it cracked right when I tried to roll the bike up it). I mounted the ramp with door hinges and the hardware that came with them. Next I added the side guides using the 2X4s. I cut a 45 degree angle into the ends where the guide on the ramp meet the guides on the main platform. These guides are really helpful. I tried to put the bike on the dolly without them it was very difficult to get the bike lined up properly. Getting the bike on and off is pretty easy but takes some effort. Because the dolly is so short the rear tire is still going up the ramp at the same time as you are trying to push the front tire into the wheel chock so you need some momentum. The dolly stays in place when loading/unloading the bike with all the caster brakes on. All in the supplies were about $200. I plan to store the bike on this dolly over the winter. I'm not sure if I will cause any damage to the front tire by storing it in the wheel chock. It's no deforming the tire much it's just kind of resting in there. Thanks for reading ,let me know what you think! Supplies: Qty Description Source 1 2" X 12" - 8' Lowes 2 2" X 4" - 8' Lowes 12 2" Polyurethane Casters w/Brake Lowes 24 1/4" x 1" Lag Bolts Lowes 24 1/4" Washers Lowes 12 3" Wood Screws Lowes 2 Door Hinges Lowes 1 Motorcycle Wheel Chock Harbor Freight

Left work a tad early to beat some of the traffic into the valley. This is near Carnation Farm with Mt Rainier in the background.

To our New Zealand and Aussie members. The celebration of ANZAC day is special in our hearts as we celebrate, honour, and remember those who gave their lives for the freedoms we have. Lest We Forget.

I just said goodbye to my Ol'Heavy. It was not easy but I'm happy because the young man who took her will be good to her and will most likely be joining VFRD soon. I will be much happier seeing her ridden. Looking back for a pic, I found this one. Appropriate because it was the beginning of the end. I loaned Andy my CB500x to join us on the PreRide. I ended up riding it one day and loved it in the mountains. The next year, Covid struck and I rode it while Rob rode Ol'Heavy. I became a much better rider on a bike that was 100lbs lighter and about half the horse power. It was really hard trying to get my old body back on the VFR. The other reason that the pic is appropriate is that it reminds me of the good times and great friends that have come from VFR ownership and membership here going back to '05. I will still be here for years to come, I hope, to continue enjoying the friendships.

I'm not trying to rain on VFR80025th's parade, but since we're talking printing off VFR history stuff this seemed a good place. I'm not sure how many visit the other site, but a while ago I posted a vectorized version of the 5th gen engine cutaway illustration from the Honda service manual. Vector files are great because they can be scaled to any size without loss in quality, something normal raster images can't do. I later followed this by colorizing the cam gear train. The attached .zip files will be the vector file and high resolution images for the cam gear train so don't bother with the low quality images inserted into this post. vfr - black - red.zip vfr - white -red.zip VectorFR.zip

I have no idea which way they lean, didn't even bother to look. Can we please not start this? Every disintegration / near-disintegration of a motorcycle forum starts right here. I thought this topic was weather, motorcycles and riding motorcycles in weather. Have we learned nothing? I'll be working on motorcycles so I can talk about working on motorcycles, until I can ride motorcycles again, and then talk about that.

Beauty Oct 1 here in the Pacific NorthWest

I've owned it since 2004, done about 45k on it but mostly due to having children haven't ridden it in the last 11 years. Not through any kind of "giving up riding", just didn't have the time, then the MOT lapsed and then it needed things doing and whole inertia thing meant it sat. Anyway, for reasons I decided that I would sort it for an up and coming trackday, even if I only do one session on it (I'm taking my normal track bike as well) it was motivation with a firm goal to get it sorted. Even if I don't now take it, it's now running, MOTd, insured and fully road legal so (as it stopped raining here for longer than 10 minutes) I took it out for its first shakedown ride yesterday. Wasn't *entirely* successful as I got home just as steam started rising and a massive gush of water from the lower hose...It's properly burst. Thankfully I have a spare so swapped that over (plus ordered a new silicone set) and fixed a couple of other niggles too, I plan another short ride out tomorrow then assuming that is fine I'll venture further afield.

Last Saturday we stopped by Wade's and gave him the deposits for 15 headers. 11 have been ordered by members here, and Duc2V4 will have 4 more sets for sale, so if anyone hears of someone who might be interested in getting their 5, 6, or 8 gen VFR800 breathing better, please let them know how to reach us here. At this time, for the four extra sets, we plan on ordering 3 sets for 5 gen [These can have the collector exit cut 5/8" shorter to become 6 gen headers] and 1 set for 8 gen with front radiator [vs the side radiators of 5/6 gens]. Wade has two orders in production ahead of ours, so we're approximately 6 weeks away from having the pipes ready to pick up and take to the passivators. Onward and upward!