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NO FRICKIN' WAY! When a project hits a couple of the 'just one more week' cycles, it raises one's eyebrow a bit. But here is physical molecular evidence of the cause of giant ____-eating grins on the faces of 22 VFR owners: Rows of cylinders 1-2 merges alongside rows of cylinders 3-4 merges: And here is a set of production headers just the way we like our women...almost fully dressed:

My amazing wife surprised me this weekend. Unbeknownst to me, she purchased a Nicky Hayden Edition RC51 for me. We went to Grapevine to pick it up yesterday. This bike has been on my bucket list of bikes to own. I am just beyond words. She picked a great one. It has everything I’d add. GPR Steering stabilizer, full exhaust, power commander, smoked windscreen, hot bodies under tail, and more. Just an amazing bike. It is everything I’d dreamed of. So dope. Seems like many many fellow VFR owners also own RC51's as well. It just fits doesn't it? The other bikes in my garage are my 2014 CB1100, the VFR800, an a project 1981 CX500.

Practical Sportsbikes/Performance Bikes September 2019 issue

I'm going to school for mechanical drafting. One of my classes this spring was an intro to CNC. This was my final project. Let me know what you think! I really like the design of the 3rd gen VFR logo so I went with that one, though I run a 6th gen. WIP IMAGES: Video showing the backplot https://i.imgur.com/OcCbLUR.mp4 If you CNC and would like to make these I think I can upload the mastercam file. You would need to redo feeds & speeds for your own machine. You also would not be allowed to sell these due to the school license that I used to create the file.

Hi all, just wanted to give everyone an update. I finally got a lull in my work schedule and was able to get pricing and work with SFDownhill on all the costing numbers and options you have selected. On that vein, I will be sending out later today, PMs to all of you who have gave your deposit and shipping info with the information we have received. Ideally we have it all correct but that is where you will come in. Once you get the PM. please look over the info and make sure we got it right. As far as the headers go, we spoke with Wade yesterday and this morning, he anticipated being able to deliver the first batch by early next week, we have no reason to doubt that will happen, so we anticipate being able to pick them up and get those that will have passivization done dropped off shortly after we take possession. I'm sure everyone is chomping at the bit as much as we are, all I can say is the last mile is the longest mile! Hard to believe this has come to fruition, let alone almost here! Cheers, D

Happy New Year. Last ride yesterday of 2019 and the decade on the 20 year old, 120K mile bike, which just seems to be aging so well. Never get tired of it. Thanks VFRD, Happy 2020 all.

2018 8th gen black beauty 😎

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.

This needed to be reposted as I've just learned that only a few people stepped up and took care of their extra burden. Lance and Darryl have put a huge effort into getting this done and I find it quite insulting that there are people in this community willing to take advantage of these 2 hardworking generous guys. How many other people here would literally spend thousands of dollars of their own money to get some cool stuff for the small group of buyers here? The answer is very few! Does it suck that the price went up? Of course! Is it fair to make these 2 nice guys bite the big one for the sake of a dozen ppl saving $32? Uh no!! Let's get this done folks. It's the right thing to do, and it may just bring that wind back to the sails of additional header production.

It just wasn't black enough.

A few random thoughts from some one who worked as a technician in a Honda dealership from 1979 to 1988. 1st. I know this was 30 years ago but I believe the dealership business model remains the same. Technicians are on the bottom of the pecking order in the dealership. A quick Google search showed that the average motorcycle tech pay is $14.50 a flat rate hour compared to an average $100.00 an hour labor rate. This is about the same pay I was making in 1988 when the labor rate was $35.00 per hour. This being said, a skilled technician will not remain in a motorcycle dealership for very long. I personally went from a Honda motorcycle shop to an Acura dealer when they 1st opened for twice the pay and half the hours worked in a week. 2nd. The person working on your beloved VFR has probably never sat on one much less tried to perform any maintenance on one. Exceptions being shops that are centered on racing or performance tuning will have people on staff that are experienced and have a passion for what they do and are payed accordingly. 3rd. The question of the OP. From my personal experience from adjusting valves on thousands of bikes from 600 mile 1st. services to routine maintenance, very rarely would an adjustment be needed and when needed was not more than a .05 mm. adjustment on a shim over or under bucket adjustment which would not cause any adverse effects reliability or performance. 4th. I bought my '97 VFR with 20k on the clocks in 2012 I went through the bike changed the fluids, plugs and found a valve cover oil leak. When replacing the valve cover gaskets I checked the valve clearances while I was in there. No valves were out of specification. At 45k I had an acceleration issued and rechecked the valve clearance and they were still within specification turned out to be a carburetor issue. 5th. Knowing what I know I would not take my motorcycle to a dealership for any reason other than recall issues and even then when receiving the bike back would go over it with a fine tooth comb before riding it. 6th. Bottom line! Unless you can do the work yourself or have somebody you know and trust to work on it for you, Just ride it till the wheels fall off which will be a lot longer than the average person will keep and ride any motorcycle and save the money from that valve adjustment for new tires and chain and sprockets.

Updates: 1 - We are waiting to hear back from Wade about how the production run is progressing - it's scheduled to be done this week. 2 - This past weekend we fitted prototype headers to a 6 gen. We needed to trim 5/8" off the collector exit, then OEM 6 gen mufflers fit great. By early next week I will mount the now-trimmed prototype to my 5 gen to recheck fitment. I'll use an OEM muffler, TBR slipon, and Staintune slipon [Using both support brackets on the Staintune to lock down positioning] to confirm that proper fitment is maintained on 5 gens after the 5/8" trim. 3 - We have an 8 gen loaner in our sinister clutches. Monday Duc2V4 mounted new tires while I installed speed bleeders and new brake/clutch actuation fluid to get acquainted with the 8 gen - neither of us have one [Yet]. We will be installing a PCV on the 8 gen. One of the production run 5/6 gen headers will be converted to the 8 gen by modeling the curves of the 8 gen front primaries. Wade will build a prototype, then we'll do a baseline and dyno tune April 6.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the VFRD community! Very thankful for Miguel for bringing us all together in the one thing we all have in common, motorcycles and the many generations of the VFR. Peace and Love to all! Ride when you can, never know what is around the corner! panamawing

Here is a sound bite of my '99 VFR800 at Phillip Island. Staintune slip on Powercommander Air box mods BMC air filter Wilbers front and rear suspension Brembo pads & disks Galfer braided lines Metzler M7s Sergeants seat MRA screen GiPro gear indicator smoked indicators LED taillight PAZZO levers Red Fox rear hugger and fender flick MCCruise cruise control Nickel plated rims and, black metallic paintwork on the levers, triple clamp, foot pegs, etc.

Hi all, Thanks to all who responded to my thread on the planning page, bike is geared up and ready to go and I leave at 6AM from Ottawa, Canada on Sep 1. I’ll do my best to post photos and updates! Approximate route, counterclockwise starting in Ottawa (the blue dot) Sep1: Day 1 has started well with a lovely misty sunrise over the Ottawa Valley. Temps are cold around 5C so with 180km under my belt I’m stopping for a warm up in the town of Deep River, ON. Had lunch at the Big Nickel in Sudbury, ON. Sep 2: made it to Thunder Bay, ON - gorgeous drive westbound over the top of Lake Superior. No pics right now because Tapatalk is down but I’ll post some later. Best restaurant name I saw - “Sue Chef” in Nipigon. Worst moment? Stalled the bike on an incline entering the roadway from the Wawa Goose and almost dropped it! Hemlo, ON - Barrick Gold Mine and the worlds biggest pile of gravel! Nipigon, ON Nipigon, ON Sep 3: And on the third day, it rained. Left Thunder Bay before sunrise and made it an hour before hitting light showers, good thing I put the rain gear on because the last 20 min before I could stop for gas it was really coming down. Linda at the Quetico North gas station/restaurant took pity on the soaking wet motorcyclist and was kind enough to make me an omelette and toast even though the kitchen wasn’t open yet. Heading to Minnesota today, rain should clear in a couple hours. Edit: I also got a free biker story from a couple that wandered in, which started with “I was pretty drunk when I left the bar, and I had a two hour ride ahead of me....” Arrived Bagley, MN: Off to South Dakota tomorrow! Sep 4, 2019: Beautiful ride across the 200 West (and south in Minnesota) today, warm temps and no traffic. Stopped in Fargo to see their Viking ship and the Fargo Air Museum, which had lots of planes, including one unique “Stealth Fighter” Today was a laundry day so after Fargo I slabbed it to Bismarck, ND and enjoyed the relative luxury of a hotel with laundry, a hot tub, and free breakfast! Sep 5, 2019: As I was leaving the hotel I met Jeff and Tim on Suzuki’s heading to Tim’s house in Oregon from Jeff’s house in Toronto. They had pretty much run an identical route to mine on Sep 2., and despite a more northerly route through Canada to get to Bismarck they also got soaked, and we all agreed that “Waterproof gear” does not always mean what you think it should! Jeff and Tim decided to ride with me south out of Bismarck on Hwy 1806, also known as the Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway which follows the Missouri River to the burial pace of Sitting Bull in Fort Yates. This was an excellent ride, full of big sweepers and lots of elevation changes and fantastic scenery. We then continued onto 1806 and then generally southbound on 63 from McLaughlin down to Eagle Butte where we stopped for lunch. By this time the temperatures had hit the 90s and it was HOT even at 65 mph. But totally worth it, especially for the view as you descend to where the Moreau River crosses 63 near Green Grass, SD. After lunch we continued south and picked up I-90 W for a few miles, destination was the Badlands National Park. This is really an incredible park and the vistas defy words, so enjoy the photos (I have a video I’ll try and post later) After we exited the Badlands I was headed to Rapid City, SD while they were continuing on to Deadwood, so we said our goodbyes. I checked into my AirBnb but the sun was setting so I decided to make a quick run to Mount Rushmore and back - I’ll be riding a pretty long set of twisties in there tomorrow, but figured I could get the sightseeing out of the way tonight. Although I’m only 1/3 of the way through the trip, the initial kernel of an idea was “I’ve never seen Mount Rushmore” so it’s great to be here. Nifty tunnel on the Mount Rushmore road: Was a long day with almost 750 km but some absolutely great riding. Sep 6-8 update: Sorry I missed a couple of days there, it got busy and I was trying to get back to an “early to bed early to ride” schedule. To [mention=5257]Sweeper[/mention] and [mention=35220]Tiutis[/mention] who recommended Iron Mountain Rd and Needles Hwy in the Custer State Park / Black Hills Forest I thank you ! those were the twistiest twisties I’ve ridden in North America (Arkansas and TOTD are coming up shortly so I may have to restate this!). After Needles I continued up to Deadwood and had a route of Montana’s finest secondary roads planned but things went a bit sideways in Belle Fourche, SD. I pulled into a gas station, noted the wet mud accumulation on the ground in front of the gas pump, considered finding a cleaner spot, then didn’t. 30 seconds later my bike was lying against the pumps, when my muddy riding boot slipped off the centrestand as I lifted the bike. After righting the bike, I noticed I was missing a right side mirror - the stem snapped. Long story short, I decided to straightline Hwy 212 through Montana (which was pretty fun): but by the time i got to the hotel my duct tape job wasn’t doing so well. A quick trip to Home Depot and I fashioned this up which is lasting well after 2 days and about 900 km of riding: Anyway yesterday and today were spent in Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks. Rode up the Beartooth Highway; Jackson Lake: Saw a red 8th gen VFR with red hard bags near Shoshone Point today if that’s anybody in here, and then I rode down the awesome Hwy 191 in Wyoming to Rock Springs, WY. Sep 9: Left Rock Springs under sunny skies today, with warm temperatures, perfect riding weather. First stop was to see the wild horses of Rock Springs, WY - I took a ride down a gravel road through their territory and was not disappointed! After spending a little while observing these guys I continued south towards the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area, named after the red coloured mountains. I stopped for lunch at the Red Canyon after crossing into Utah. In this part of Utah they have many signs warning of open range cattle grazing, and there they were! After lunch I stopped at the Dinosaur National Monument, incredible display of fossils still in the quarry where they were discovered - just a crazy number of dinosaur bones in one place! Finished up the day with a pretty scenic but straight drive southeast into Colorado and stopped for the night in the town of Craig, CO. This marks the halfway point of my trip - 9 days down, 9 to go. I’ve travelled just over half distance as well, 5,468 kilometres. I’ve refuelled the motorcycle 21 times since I left, and only eaten 2 restaurant and one UberEats dinner the entire time. Looking forward to the second half of the trip, seeing some good friends in Denver, riding some more twisty mountain roads and then on Sep 12, turning the bike east for good! Flaming Gorge Wild Horse Canyon Road, Pilot Butte way of in the distance. More Wild Horse Canyon Road Sep 10, 2019: Great ride southeast through Colorado today, through the Medicine Bow Forest, Yampa Valley, (thanks again [mention=35220]Tiutis[/mention]) and then Rocky Mountain National Forest up to 3.4 km high before coming back down to Louisville (Denver) where I’ve checked into my FriendBnB. Part of the reason this update is short is I spent an hour today organizing a new chain and sprockets for the VFR. I was worried about my chain before I left and sure enough 4 days ago I get a “clacking” sound on engine braking - adjusted the chain that day, and again 2 days later for a slightly less scary sounding “clacking”, and I’m at max adjustment (replace chain). I spoke with my home dealer and he agreed another 3000 miles on that chain is probably not a great idea. So DennisKirk to the rescue with an overnighted chain and sprocket kit, and I made an appointment with Aurora Honda which was recommended by [mention=37591]GreginDenver[/mention] - thx Greg! So as a result I didn’t stop for too many pics but here they are: Finger Rock, Yampa, CO Next to the Colorado River, Hot Sulphur Springs, CO Estes Park, CO Estes Park, CO Sep 11, 2019: Spent the morning visiting with friends and the afternoon sorting the bike out - replacement mirror arrived and is installed, and got a new chain and sprockets as well. Some issues with the speedo sensor but they replaced it and we are good to go! Shout out to Aurora Honda and forum member GregInDenver who recommended them. Staying in a weird Days Inn tonight in Colorado Springs which has an identical mirror image building across the parking lot which is a Super 8. Went into the Super 8 by accident, and while waiting to check in I met a member from ADVRider “tourbus” - I told him I didn’t post there since I stay (mostly) on the road but his opinion was “it caters to everyone”. So happy accident, really nice guy who was “disappointed” that the Trans Labrador Highway is all paved now (I mentioned to him that it was much safer for motorcycles as a result and he just scoffed at my self-preservation instinct!) Only decent pics I have from today are the bike in the shop and my buddie’s puppy, Boomer, who would not sit still for a photo. Apologies one more pic, the awesome RC51 they have in their shop (it belongs to them, not for sale apparently!) Sep 12, 2019: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly! The Good! Last day in the mountains started off great, clear skies with a trip up to the top of Pikes Peak - somewhere about 4km high. with a lot of hairpins with hundred foot drops on the side and no guardrail! The Bad: Unfortunately there was an “erratic” individual who was being escorted off the mountain, which caused a traffic jam on the way down - so I just went back up again, stopped and took photos - a great morning, 2 deg Celsius at the top however brr. More good stuff - After that I headed east across Colorado and Kansas, although straight and flat, the views are impressive. Kit Carson, CO Brandon, CO The thin tree of the town of Towner, CO Colorado - Kansas State Line Windmill on Hwy 96 - Nekoma, KS Changed time zones again, this time into Central Time Zone - it will take 4 more days before I get back to Eastern time! Spending the night in Great Bend, Kansas. The ugly: sorry to say, but the hotel I stayed in the night before was terrible - to sum it up, drugs. I went out around 9pm to move the VFR closer to my room and there was a couple using a crack pipe in the car next to me. Then three guys on Harley’s showed up at 1:30am and proceeded to drive around the hotel parking lot with much revving. Initially I took pity on them - perhaps they had been delayed and were late arriving and could not help the loud exhausts. But when they parked outside the hotel lobby blaring rap music until 2:30 am, and I saw a constant stream of people coming out of the hotel, I figured they are selling drugs - pathetic hotel didn’t even call the cops. Sorry Days Inn Colorado Springs, I won’t be back. Sep 13, 2019: Today was a long day (700 km) playing catch-up after the motorcycle maintenance, so I didn’t stop much for photos today. Beautiful clear sky and 20 degrees C - As I drove further east into Kansas the plains full of wheat gave way to more green and trees and it started to feel a lot more populated (bigger highways and a lot more cars). Off Hwy 15, Mulvane, KS I also saw an increasing number of Mexican restaurants, grocery stores and businesses, and was surprised I could listen to a “Regional Mexican” radio station out of Wichita, KS, “KYQQ Radio Lobo” for nearly 2 hours, as I crossed into Oklahoma. Stopped for lunch on an abandoned piece of highway near Ponca City, OK Different kind of windmill (Hwy 18, near Burbank, OK) When I checked into the hotel tonight the clerk asked if I was here for the motorcycle rally, to which I replied “motorcycle rally”? I ordered a pizza and while they were making it I took a quick ride into downtown to see what was up - 3 bikers flagged me down for some help, and I met Mary, Freddie, and Sue from Oklahoma who were here for the rally. Mary, Freddie and Sue with Sue’s Harley Trike Mary and her Harley Must have been Friday the 13th, as I pulled into the pizza place it was getting dark and I noticed one of my headlamps was out - thanks to my riding buddy we’ve had a spare in our emergency kit for years so I replaced it and then went over to Walmart to grab another- thanks to the forum guides on replacement, haven’t done this since 2009!Last time I replaced one the second failed within 1,000 km - at my current rate that’s Sunday! It’s not delivery, it’s deVFR! Sep 14, 2019: I set off early this morning from Poteau, OK for a couple of reasons: 1-the afternoon temperatures were supposed to be HOT; 2-I wanted to beat the motorcycle rally to the scenic route so I didn’t get stuck behind them; and 3-I had a tour booked of the Graceland Mansion in Memphis at 4pm. Coincidentally there was a motorcycle exhibit at the “Graceland Exhibition Center” so I was able to get a discount ticket for that as well! *edit*: this day contained the southernmost point of the trip, Hot Springs, AK at 34.5 deg latitude. Rode south out of Poteau on Hwy 59 to the start of the Talimena Scenic Byway in the Ouachita National Forest - already 24 deg C at 10AM. At the start the asphalt is in great condition, mostly high speed (70-90 km/h) sweepers with lots of hills. The last 10 miles of the road on the Oklahoma side are pretty rough asphalt, not confidence inspiring. As I crossed the border into Tennessee the asphalt immediately improved, the sweepers remained the same. Haven’t figured out videos In Tapatalk so forgive the YouTube: http:// [/url] There were a couple combinations of turns that had me feeling like Valentino Rossi near the end however! Queen Wilhelmina State Park, TN After that I took mostly backroads (Hwy 270 and then Hwy 70) all the way up to Little Rock, AR, and then continued on to Memphis, TN. Hwy 70 east of Little Rock has a really nice section along Hills Lake, then it straightens out. Really nice day of riding and little traffic, but it hit 34 deg C and It was toasty on the bike! I didn’t get the ticket for Elvis’ motorcycles, but the “One Hundred Years of the American Motorcycle” exhibit had more than enough, I’ll limit myself to 3 of the too many photos I took! Real live Motus V-4! The frame is kind of busy but it looks good - if I didn’t have the perfect V-4 already I’d consider it! Caterpillar Bike by Orange County Choppers 1949 Harley Davidson Model S (I think) Ok one more because I’m a sucker for side exhausts - 1994 “Kawasabi” And...I like this paint job (HD race bike): Sep 15, 2019: Last nights hotel had a somewhat unique outdoor feature - a sport motorcycle gang (see video). http:// Today was another hot day, 28 deg C by 9AM, high of 34 deg! I left Memphis headed northeast towards Bowling Green, Kentucky. The grain and oil fields of Kansas and Oklahoma have given way to cotton. Bells, TN I stuck to back roads (and for much of the day followed the Memphis-Bristol highway which is the 1st Tennessee Highway) - Hwy 70 - interspersed with some backroads I picked and some that came recommended by [mention=382]tbzep[/mention] - Hwy 69 up to Big Sandy, TN, then took the ferry across Kentucky Lake and had a really fun time on Hwy 232 on the east side of the Danville ferry, which was freshly paved. He neglected to mention how fun the road which connects Big Sandy to the west side of the ferry is! Waiting for the ferry (Danville Rd., TN) I’m on a boat! (Danville Ferry) My destination was the National Corvette Museum, which is across the street from the Corvette factory. I had a great visit (just sharing the best shots here). Corvettes destroyed in the sinkhole incident Corvette parking only outside the Bowling Green Assembly Plant! While scoping out the factory exterior, I met a New Yorker named Brian (and his wife whose name escapes me) he had ordered a new red Corvette and wanted to get a factory tour (they aren’t doing them right now). He told me about two motorcycle museums - Wheels Through Time, in Maggie Wheeler, NC and Motorcyclepedia, in Newburgh, NY. Tonight is my last laundry night, so as I’m waiting for the dryer to free up I’m dangling my legs in the hotel pool! Sep 16, 2019: The day was promising to be another hot one so I got on the road early, riding generally southeast from Bowling Green, KY, back through Tennessee. I took a lot of beautiful curvy backroads but no time for videos or photos because I was heading to my friends house trying to get there for dinner. I did see this interesting place, credit google maps for the photo: Dalton Bus Service Graveyard, Baxter, TN The other “sight” on my list was US 129, also known as the “Tail of the Dragon”. It was not too crowded on a Monday but I still saw plenty of sports cars and lots of bikes - can’t imagine on the weekend! It lived up to its reputation, as did the rest of the Nantahala Forest! Tree of Shame Me on the Dragon After that fun I continued through North Carolina on Hwy 28 that got me very close to my friend’s home southeast of Asheville. It was a great visit, and I made *another* new best friend, Rocky! Sep 17, 2019: This day really turned out to be a marathon, it was worth it. Left Asheville and jumped on the Blue Ridge towards Roanoke, VA for 4.5 hours! Basically this the whole time: http:// After that I took a couple of side roads and ended up on I-81 North, and did that for four hours to my hotel. 9h30min riding today, 863 km. As of tonight I have travelled just over 10,000 km in 17 days. Speedball, out. Sep 18, 2019: 10,818 km later and I’m Home! Bridge to Canada from New York State Got up nice and early today in Chambersburg, PA, waffle and sausages, and coffee for breakfast, and I was off at 7:45AM. A little bit of rush hour traffic going through Harrisburg and then it was smooth all the way home. 789 km in 7h42m (+ stops), averaged 102.5 km/h. Total time end to end was 9h09min, not bad! Some other trip stats: 1st song I listened to on the trip: “Swing” by Savage Last song (Music on shuffle for the last two days): “Seven Days” by Sting Number of states passed through: 18 (Minnesota,North Dakota,South Dakota,Wyoming,Montana,Utah,Colorado,Kansas,Oklahoma,Arkansas,Tennessee,Kentucky,North Carolina,Virginia,West Virginia,Maryland,Pennsylvania,New York) Where I slept: AirBnB: 4 nights Days Inn: 4 nights FriendBnB: 2 nights Super 8: 2 nights Travelodge, Ramada, SureStay, Under Canvas, Motel 6: 1 night each Best night (other than my friends houses, which were by FAR the best!): Day 3: Cabin in the woods (AirBnb), Bagley, MN Worst night: Day 11: Days Inn, Colorado Springs, CO (drug dealers at 2AM in parking lot!) Lost items: one motorcycle jacket liner, and possibly one golf shirt (hoping I’ll find it when I unpack, but I haven’t seen it for days.....) I’ll post a few more stats and random photos in the next few days, hot shower and relaxing is on the menu!

Hi All, I've just about managed to get my little replica project together and finished (well sort of finished, is a project ever finished), i thought I would post some completed photos and give a little run down of whats what. Just a little info about the bike, Honda VF750F RC15 modified frame and swinging arm using a YSS shock, CBR600 wheels front and rear, Honda VFR750 RC24 engine with hand made exhausts, front cylinders under the bike and the rears out of the seat, VF1000R fork lowers and yokes with VTR1000F (Firestorm) uppers and internals with race springs and internal modification. Altered VF750 fuel tank, altered VFR750 wiring loom.

Well I had 5th Gen VFR. I sold it to grab an SP2 RC51. Rode that for a while and was tired of the racers tuck (and that damn seat!). I went with an MV Agusta Brutale 910s. A naked bike but I could not get used to the i4. Power just felt wrong. That is for sale now but until it does sell I grabbed an 07 RBW. Great bike. I will need some tires soon, new Puig screen, outside temp sensor, grips and will need to swap out the shorty ASV levers for standard length ones. Love riding it and can't wait to throw a rear top case on it for the grocery store runs 🙂 Thanks!

I just noticed the Operational Budget is at about three quarters for the year. I also noticed that it fell short last year. I know that traffic is down and that its not the entertainment mecca it was in years past but this place needs to continue. There is so much technical help here that won't be available on social media. Any of you read the post in 8th Gen Forum this week 'Weirdness'? It's a perfect example of why this forum is so great. I just wanted to encourage all of you that have not done so to make a donation. VFRD would be a terrible thing to lose.

You aren't kidding about the hard work and dedication. Just the logistical mess, which they took on so that Wade could largely focus on manufacture, was substantial. I went over to SF's place and he and Duc were sorting through who got what -- every one of us got something different, some of use got more than one and even those weren't the same -- and I wanted to help, but it wasn't the labor that was missing. It was the organization that was taking their time. I pretty much got in the way so I grabbed a set and got out of the way, I am sure they learned more about small manufacturing , supplier networks, shipping, and the rougher details of metal fabrication than most of us need to know. And, in case anyone doesn't understand, these shops aren't local to either of them, and they don't live next door. For example, every trip to get a bike dyno'd and tuned is an hour and a half from SF and probably 45 minutes from Duc, without traffic. Each way. Getting performance headers for the older models has been a dream of a lot of folks, but they got it done. This is huge, and greatly appreciated.

So I got a couple of pics from SF who was down at Wade's picking up another few sets of headers to take to the passivators and he sent some before (of the ones he just picked up) and after pics (of the small batch that were done). They should all be ready by Friday! The before.... ...and the after.

Header production update - I spoke with Wade today, and learned that the current run of 15 sets of 5/6 gen headers will be completed in two weeks. He had a small delay related to the company that supplies tubing merge assemblies for our headers. Add one week for passivation, and we are 3 weeks from shipping. Thanks to everyone who been staying in touch about this production run.

Here are the pics I took yesterday afternoon and I just checked this morning after fully drying, and then some. They look the same now. The sealer/clear coat fills in all the sanding cloudiness and dries clear. The same thing happens with water or alcohol, but of course dries cloudy again, so I was skeptical. Of course you can tell it’s not brand new, but really you’d have to look closely. Considering where it started, I’m beyond thrilled!

Just added another Honda to the stable, a new leftover 2018 CBR1000RR SP. 😎

I echo your Holiday thoughts... Miguel is the man that brings us all together... without him there would be no VFRD... no place to multiply our VFR pleasure and divide our grief... so get your NOG on and party!!! Greetings from the Laguna Seca Cork Screw

This is pretty cool...

Introducing the little ones to a lifetime of wish lists and unobtanium

Not sure if I am allowed to hijack this thread but here goes anyway. Apologies for TYGA taking so long to getting around to making the VFR system. Those pesky KTM RC390 owners butted in front of the queue. Something to do with them needing to go racing in 2019...Anyway, we are now on the VFR system full time so the prototype is only a few days away from completion. The starting point was the TBR system as requested but we've made some changes, some for better flow, some to suit our tooling, and some changes for better installation and clearance so the final result will be somewhat different but hopefully what owners want. We took a bit of a guess on the configuration and based on what owners had told us, we decided to make two versions. One will be a left exit, high level so will require removal of passenger pegs. The other version, will also be a high level but on the right and be tucked behind the passenger peg hanger for those wishing to keep the passenger carrying capabilities. If there is another configuration, (toying with the idea of dual exit right and left) then let us know. We would also like a bit of input on the silencer (muffler) design. We have a few ideas but welcome input on materials, dimensions, shapes budgets etc. Anyway, I guess photos will be nice and they will be coming soon 🙂 Appreciate your patience!

Well after nearly 2 1/2 years I finally put the final touches on my VFR750. I have waiting since 1990 to own one of these pups and today is the day she is ready for the road Being in Canada there were not that many sold and fewer survived in good shape. I purchased mine 2.5 years ago and being from a province that does not have a safety inspection program I went through the whole bike to check and upgrade any issues Forks rebuilt Front brakes redone with new pads, fluid etc New tapered steering head bearings Rear brakes redone with new pads, fluid etc Clutch flushed with new fluid New plugs Engine coolant replaced New thermostat with new rubber hoses Upgraded the regulator with a Roadstercycle FH020AA Regulator, bypassed the old regulator plugs and wired into stator as close as possible, ( now 14.4 volts at battery ) and the new regulator has no heat where as the old regulator you could hardly touch Rebuilt the fried starter relay wiring The carbs were completely stripped with new gaskets, o rings, fuel lines etc etc, Shimmed the carbs for a little richer mix The bike had an aftermarket seat cowl and I was lucky enough to find a as new one sitting on a shelf As you may have noticed the side stand cover is missing but I am in the process of repairing the screw mounts and she will be 100% 1990_VFR750.MOV

Thanks again SF and Duc for all your dedication and hard work on this project and navigating around and ironing out all the roadblocks and speedbumps that have popped up along the way that we don't even know about!!!

I had my clutch cover, stator cover, cylinder head covers, and upper triples powdered to match the 2014 wheel and prismatic Powders triple bronze was the closest I had found.

I use Craigslist for my motorcycle shopping. I love buying “old” bikes for pennies on the dollar! Meet “Lea”. A 49-state 1998 with a hard-wired R/R. Just under 33k when I bought her about a month ago.

There has been progress. First please allow me to thank Duc2V4 for his patience and persistence in supporting and encouraging continued effort on this project - he is a rock star in many ways, more even than are evident in his high quality participation on VFRD. Second, please allow me to sincerely apologize to everyone - especially those who have placed deposits for headers - for not staying current with communication regarding this project. No excuse can suffice for me dropping the ball the way I have. I will be paying close attention, responding promptly, and doing my part from here on out, beginning with reading through/responding to all PMs and catching up on the many posts on this thread that I missed. We have been able to arrange with Wade, the fabricator of VFR headers, to complete construction of fifteen sets of 8 gen headers, in spite of not having met his minimum quantity of fifteen orders. These 8 gen systems have been built on a jig that was modified slightly to provide better fitment when the center stand is down. Seven of these fifteen 8 gen headers are already sold to VFRD members and to a couple others who placed deposits. Again, thank you all for your patience. Eight sets of these 8 gen headers are now available for purchase. Going forward, Wade has also finally agreed to build runs of as few as 6 sets of headers, down from a minimum order of 15 units. Because of this, those who have placed deposits for 5/6 gen headers in the second production run will be seeing their headers built soon. This also means a much shorter time between production runs for all headers, 5/6 gen and 8 gen. For upcoming 5/6 gen headers, Wade has modified the jig to provide better center stand clearance, as well as establishing clearance between the front right primary tube and the inner chin half cowl. Ten of the 8 gen headers that have been completed are currently at the passivators being acid dipped for strength and longevity. Passivation costs $90 per exhaust and has been discussed in detail early in this thread, starting with Sebspeed's querie on page 2: https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/88463-new-5th6th8th-gen-performance-header-now-in-production-in-usa/page/2/] The five remaining 8 gen headers can be passivated if the buyers chooses to do so. To begin getting headers shipped out to their new owners, PMs with more detail will go out in the next 24 hours to all those who have placed deposits for 8 gen and 5/6 gen headers. We have also checked in with Tyga about their upcoming headers, and received an interesting reply. Here is the email exchange [with names and personal emails removed]: "> -----Original Message----- > From: ______ _______ [mailto:____________] > Sent: Friday, September 20, 2019 10:48 PM > To: Tyga-Performance <Tyga@Tyga-Performance.com> > Subject: Enquiry from TYGA-Performance: New Tyga headers for Honda VFR800 > > Hello, > > I just saw the Tyga update on the vfrdiscussion.com website - it is exciting to learn that Tyga will be producing headers and exhaust systems for the Honda VFR800. > > Are you far enough along in the process to have pricing for a set of headers for the VFR800? > > Which version or versions of the VFR800 are your headers going to be built for? 5th gen with two side-mounted radiators is 1998-2001, 6th gen with two side-mounted radiators is 2002-2013, and 8th gen with one front-mounted radiator is 2014-2016. > > Thank you very much for following through on this project. > > Best regards, > > ____________ > On Sep 22, 2019, at 9:29 PM, tyga <tyga@tyga-performance.com> wrote: > > Hi _________ > > Many thanks for the message. We are actually making the exhaust for the 1993-97 model. I am not sure if it will fit previous or subsequent models. I understand that the TBR one fits earlier models but not sure if they would be compatible with the 800. Our plan would be to get the 4th gen to market and see how they sell and hopefully, if it is successful, we can then adapt as necessary to fit earlier and or later models. Sorry, it looks like your wait will need to be a bit longer. > > Best regards > > Paul >" Postscript - we were able to work with VFRD member SamuelX and his beautiful 8 gen [Deluxe model] to develop this high mount exhaust to go with the headers. SamuelX wanted to keep his Yoshimura muffler, so we trimmed it to fit the bike's dimensions. I have had the privilege to ride this motorcycle on several of my favorite sets of twisted pavement. With the added performance, this bike was an awful lot of fun - thanks Samuel! For the first time, I starting thinking that perhaps the 5 gen is not the be-all, end-all of VFRs...

I recently returned from my annual trip to Laguna Seca and the World Superbike races, and am planning a more detailed write-up. But I need to finish editing my photos & videos first. In the meantime, some notes from the road of this 13 day ride. Total cost for 13 days, with motels split 2-ways: US$1550 Fuel: US$307, averaged 42 mpgUS, 51 mpg-Imp, 18 km/litre Meals: US$450 Motels: US$710 (my half of 12 nights) Nasty wx (rainstorm e. of Missoula & forecast of thunderstorms for 3 days in the Yellowstone area) nixed our plan to ride Beartooth Pass & Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. And earthquakes made us bravely rethink getting south enough to ride Angeles Crest. Hottest temp. according to my VFR was 31℃ / 88℉ Yamaha FZ1 measures oil level, not pressure as God intended Hwy 89’s Monitor Pass is a fantastic road, Hwy 41 out of Atascadero is a peach, and Hwy 25 s. of Hollister is a gem. And the Pacific Coast highway - well, it is near perfection. (see below) Lorne Taking 5 along California's Pacific Coast Highway, on a switchback just north of Jenner.

I'll add a funny storey about chain lube. A few years ago on one of our runs to Phillip Island for WSBK with the boys, my mate forgot chain lube. I offered him mine but I only take a tiny can of Maxima that gives you four lubes which is good enough for a 2000km trip, he wouldn't accept it as he didn't want to use it all up. At a servo that we stopped at I noticed a can of Castrol antifling chain oil. He asked me about it and I told him I used to use it back in the 80's and it was good stuff, so he bought it. We had just covered 65km of dirt road so he gave his chain a liberal dose, and decided to be a nice bloke and did all our bikes. Faaark, the crap went everywhere, I've never seen chain lube spread so far and wide. Seriously, we were cleaning it out of every possible surface for weeks after we got back including leathers and luggage. Even the bloke on the R1200R with no chain had it all over him. Antifling my arse. The can has now been glued to a piece of timber and has a bronze plaque on it, it has become our "best passing maneuver on the Bonang" trophy which is handed out every year after our Phillip Island trip.

Don't love oil threads! It's all been thrashed to death, and ends up going nowhere!Dino semi synth, versus full synth, car oil versus motorcycle specific Blah blaaah Just use whatever you like, PROVIDED it meets or exceeds the spec laid out in manufacturers Owners Manual and follow the recommended Oil and Filter change interval. As always, and especially with OIL.......YMMV. Dare I say it...as a comment I do only use Motorcycle specific oil due to Clutch, Gearbox, Engine all in one!

this film is made by myself hope enjoy

First let me state I my only experience with VFRs is fifth gens. My first VFR purchased had 4000 miles on it. I put approximately 70,000 more miles on it before it seemed to be running a little rough. I brought it to my Very Reliable Honda dealer (Honda Town in Minneapolis) and they suggested a valve adjustment. So I had them do it and the machine returned to the Swiss Watch smoothness I'd first experienced with the young machine. So a valve adjustment was called for. Subsequent fifth gens I've owned never became rough-running like my first. My current ride was purchased with 10,715 miles on it. Just for drill, and because I had extra cash at the time, I had my valves checked at ~ 46,000. All valves were within specifications. Thus my philosophy is that unless it is running roughly no valve check is necessary. After all, these machines are so finely engineered, they can almost run forever. That first 2001 had 105,000+ miles on it when it was KIA'd by my first deer hit. I'd changed my oil just before that trip and sent a sample to be analyzed. The report is in my picture gallery. I'd done my oil changes loosely following the recommended oil changes at 8,000 mile intervals. Once I'd gone 10,000 miles between oil changes. The oil sent for analysis showed below normal engine wear. Their statement at the end of the evaluation said "Nice Bike!" This reinforced my opinion that Honda has produced an exceptionally engineered machine made to go the distance in all senses of the word. Hopefully Your Mileage May Not Vary.

Hwy 140 in Nevada near the Oregon border. Whole lot of nobody out there. My dad and I met in Fields, Oregon for a cheeseburger at Fields Station. Part of a thousand mile weekend mini tour for me.

I was late to slo1’s original post offering a new rear caliper mount for 4th and 5th Gens, but by the time I found it, eyrwbvfr had come up with a very nicely designed easier mounted adapter. So I jumped on it, having years ago swapped front ends and done the crossover line to link up the three pistons on the rear caliper, but not really liking that whole thing. Unmounted stock caliper with the crossover line: What a beautiful looking piece: Mounted right up perfectly, mounting holes were exactly right and a couple spare bolts I had laying around: This was the orientation of the bleeder and banjo coming from a Duc 1098, but upon disassembly I noticed that everything was perfectly symmetrical including the holes for the bleeder and banjo. Both are the same size and conical at the bottom, so they are interchangeable. Good clearances all around: Split the caliper for thorough cleaning, totally symmetrical front to back (as mounted): When I did the front end conversion and the crossover line to the rear I had the original mounting bolts drilled for safety wire since the fronts were and the rear basically never has to come off. By the same token, it basically is never looked at to ensure everything is tight. I could use the original already drilled bolts, but I still needed 2 new bolts to mount the caliper to the adapter. I could get drilled stainless from ProBoltUSA, but the ti are right there for a few many dollars more. Since I am getting 2 new drilled ti bolts, I should get all 4 so they match. Better go ahead and get some new ti caliper assembly bolts and bleed screw while they are apart. Why not get a drilled titanium banjo bolt? Safety first! That's where it all kinda went pear shaped on me. I ordered the ti bolts on June 30. After a week I emailed to see where they might be in the process and was told that the bleeder was backordered until 7-19. On 7-26 I called to ask again and was told the final parts were due in and would be shipped on 7-29. Finally got shipping notice on 7-31, fully a month after I ordered! So they came in today (8-2) and I got everything assembled: Ok, I'm no pro at safety wiring but I don't think anything is going anywhere... I haven't had a chance to ride it yet. Definitely have to "bed in" the pads, but it bled out pretty easy. I'll likely fit some sort of abrasion shield on the line there in the last pic where it touches the hanger. Notice that I swapped the banjo and bleeder from the earlier pics. Also, I took both calipers to the post office to weigh them on the scale there. 3 lb, 2.4 oz for the stocker with all bolts and the crossover line still attached. Brembo caliper with all titanium bolts and the adapter bracket mounted was 1 lb, 7.8 oz! (Pads included in both weights)

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.

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.

Some 33C+ today for a little SP get together...

Well I managed to find a few hours, got the aluminum piece machined up and installed. To me this is the perfect solution for mounting a power socket and USB. Only downside is that it raises the bezel around the key hole and now I cannot use the steering lock. Though not a major issue right now for me. In the future I'll probably eliminate the bezel or modify it to allow the key to push down enough to engage the steering lock

Easter ride in Sardegna

Finally got a nice picture of my current stable.