Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation since 03/19/2023 in all areas

  1. I took advantage of some sunshine the other day to do some pre-season checks. I addressed a fuel stumbling/ground issue and looked everything over since I had literally this entire bike apart last year. I added a heavier ground cable back to the frame from the front subharness, updated the Rapid Bike tuner firmware, reset the fuel and ignition maps 1 & 2 and turned off the autotune. Tightened up 4 of the 8 header studs. Tightened and added loctite to the horn mount. Cleaned and adjusted the chain. Checked fluid levels. Wiped down the forks. Going to save a bath for nicer weather. Put about 30 miles on and temps hovered around 170°f on this 41° day. Pretty fricken stoked at how this bike turned out after the massive work I put into it.
    15 points
  2. 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.
    14 points
  3. If you want I'll continue hosting and maintaining the invision license. I'm in IT and am intimately familiar with what's required. Forums shutting down like this is a huge knowledge drain and will hurt future VFR owners as the bikes age into classics and collectables. It would be a shame for decades of info to be thrust into the darkness instead or kept afloat on a life raft. We can migrate you to a free LetsEncrypt certificate there's no need for a paid one for a non-commercial site. Shoot me a message here or Facebook if you'd be interested. I would make no changes, and just continue to maintain it on a technical and fiscal level. Please, no. Let's stop putting knowledge under their ownership, I've already lost another forum of over a decade to them that they ended up shutting down.
    14 points
  4. 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
    13 points
  5. 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
    13 points
  6. Would be shame to have site go away. I've PMed Miguel and volunteered to keep this site going. Would need some training and help to get up to speed.
    13 points
  7. 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
    12 points
  8. I replaced the expired ssl certificate, and renewed the software licence. Looks as if the current system will not need to be completely upgraded as I thought. Which triggered me in the first place. That is a couple day affair and a hugh pain in the ass, Linux always has something extra you have to do to get what used to work to work again when you upgrade. The problem is I just don't have the time I used to for this. I got about 100 or so messages I have yet to wade thru. But my weekend is almost over. It's been raining relentlessly so I can't even go for a ride on my new bike. I am a bit confused as to my resolve, my feeling is I don't want to give up my baby, but I just don't have the time I to put into it this place deserves. I had a few offers to take over..but I..I don't know these folks. Bottom line.
    12 points
  9. Bravo, and I know Danno has also stepped up. Once the path forward is known and funding assessed, as others have said, lets pass the hat around to ensure that a smooth transition and an equitable departure for Miguel are adequately funded.
    12 points
  10. Here is my recently purchased vfr. Love this thing. Just found the forum, will be perusing for this upcoming seasons riding. Cheers.
    11 points
  11. ...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.
    11 points
  12. 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
    11 points
  13. 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.
    11 points
  14. 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.
    11 points
  15. There is no need for mandatory fees. Mandatory fees would accelerate the end of the website, imo. The website's value comes from the information being available to everyone. Every day there is a new VFR owner, it just is a second hand VFR. Those people end up finding their way into VFRD through Googling their issues. They join the community and it expands! If we were to paywall everything it would basically island the site and that would be the end of it. The cost isn't a concern of mine at this time. Miguel is going to reach out when his time allows. I will see if I will be allowed to take over duties and keep things going. If so, I will do just that and things will continue like they always have. I do not want to implement any crazy changes like fees, etc. I'm not against making new ways for people to donate, such as a Patreon, which would allow you to schedule a monthly donation. I am happy to see people willing to contribute.
    11 points
  16. The whole point of "saving" the site is for long term information preservation; I want someone who posted 10 years ago to be able to still find and reference their old post, not have to find out what the site is called now. Miguel would retain full admin privileges, still be the founder, just I'd assume they don't have much interest in continued participation, we'd make sure they were still able to and still have full privileges. In fact, the goal would be to make the site not feel like much all has changed. Maybe up some anti-spam measures, stuff like that, but as far as general functionality, mods, day to day, I don't see much need to start to change things up other than maybe try to jumpstart some more forum activity/events. I am willing to shoulder the financial burden as well as the technical. Fiscal assistance appreciated, but I am willing to out-right pay for it if needed to keep things running. On a technical side my plans would be to pay for whatever's needed to keep the site up for a year on the current provider, and use that year to work a transition to our own home on AWS. Try to cut those costs down as much as possible to make it financially viable long term. It'll be quite a project to transition, so having the year to do it would be the play. I've sent Miguel a DM here, posted both on this thread and the thread on Facebook. If there's interest I'm sure I'll know before too long. I really do want to save this site indefinitely, and don't mind putting in the leg work and funds to do so. The certificate expires today, May 31, so action will be needed to keep things going. If hosting continues beyond the certificate expiration, you can manually 'proceed' through the expired certificate notice. You'll have to do so until (if) it gets renewed.
    11 points
  17. 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.
    10 points
  18. 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
    10 points
  19. 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!
    10 points
  20. I'll start it off with my storm trooper beauty resting by the side of the road last weekend.
    10 points
  21. 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.
    10 points
  22. Opps the end looks near! Certificate has expired. Thanks to everyone for this wonderful forum. Its been my almost daily hang out for a few years and I will miss it greatly. Its been a joy to learn from so many experienced members, and a lot of satisfaction to help (where possible) those with a sick VFR. All the Best of Health and safe riding to all. Fare Thee Well VFRD and it's members. Cheers.
    10 points
  23. So then I noticed a bad thing more The rear rim had cancer as well... and also noticed the front sprocked started to snap on the splince of outcoming front sprocket axle..... bummer did I mention I also did put a new chain on, the old was cracked, even sprockets like new, been standing outside? Anyway at this point I parked the bike, last week I started it up, did start after all the standing! Amazing engine! So I have scored a better rear wheel, got a sollution for the front sprocket problem aside splitting engine, a spechal front sprocket! But now I´m moving to a other city as house, so will be a time untill have time to work on this Transalp. It has moved to my bigger garage already whit my other bikes, the last 2 in the row is a friends bikes thro that I slowly try to make runners thro...... A pic from last summer whit my plated bikes So I have spent way more money on the Transalp I would have liked, but frankly I like the bike, even a ugly tatty old bike, very much! So I migth just keep it and ride on, I have things to sort still like I mentioned, and have a nice header as small stuff to change, clutch still a bit odd feeling so might need some attention still..... as I move where I live will ride less offroad more on road, some gravel so likely like to get more road focused tires? we have to see what time as money allow To be continued.....
    10 points
  24. 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.
    9 points
  25. 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:
    9 points
  26. 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
    9 points
  27. 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.
    9 points
  28. Beauty Oct 1 here in the Pacific NorthWest
    9 points
  29. 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.
    9 points
  30. 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!
    9 points
  31. I LOVE THIS SITE and I am so very pleased to read that it's going to be around for a while longer. I'm not currently active on VFRD and I'm bikeless for the first time in 20+ years (wife, toddler, baby, dog, house, business) but knowing that VFRD is alive and well makes my heart happy. I've met several wonderful people via this forum, benefitted greatly from the technical information/advice etc, and I hope to utilize the site more again soon (I see an awesome 5th gen for sale south of chicago....). THANK YOU SO MUCH, HISPANICSLAMMER for your continued dedication and hard work.
    9 points
  32. Glad the site is back in action! My offer still stands as I don't mind the long term work and fiscal investment. I have ridden with many members here and am no stranger. Don't hesitate to reach out to discuss if you begin to consider to shut it down again as I'd love to indefinitely ensure that doesn't happen. Luckily I think we are sorted for now. *cheer*
    9 points
  33. ***Dyno numbers are in*** Michael Dixon me this morning to run both of our bikes back to back. He has a slip on, but otherwise stock. He went first and his 07 Anniversary pulled 96.06hp. Mine went up next and pulled 152.86hp! Unfortunately, this was with the tire rubbing on the table(see video), but that just means there's still meat on the bone. I guess I'll have to find some race fuel and go back for another run! Roughly 60% or almost 60hp gain is not bad for a little old VFR800 🙂 We did very basic runs, hp only, we didn't connect to the ignition to pick up torque and rpm numbers. I had 91 ethanol-free with a splash of octane booster in the tank. Not sure what fuel Mike had. This all goes to show just how important doing a baseline run is. This same exact unit pulled 202hp on another dyno on the previous owner's bike, but no baseline had been done. I am using the dyno map from that run in my bike. This is 3 of my pulls on top of one of Mike's: Mike's best vs my best: My best (Map 1) vs my other best (Map 2)
    9 points
  34. Yes! As you might have guessed, im re-starting this adventure again. Updates will now follow semi-regurlaly again. Im sorry for the silence, but i seem to loose more and more of my free time as age progresses. Cheers to those who have helped keeping this forum alive and to the man himself! I was sure i had to start a new thread on vfrworld...
    8 points
  35. Well, it is mid winter here. Plenty water on its way to the North Sea... 1 Celcius....
    8 points
  36. Well, got my paperwork for the DMV ready to go, next the Dr. will need to do his part and then DMV should be getting a hold of me to have a discussion. So what happened in the mean time? This little bird followed me home on Saturday. Yeah, I need another bike, like I need a hole in the head, oh wait, I already got one of those back in January! The hole, not the bike 😉 Actually been a bike I've been wanting to get for some time now so I decided to grab one when the opportunity struck. So Saturday the owner rode up from San Diego, met me at a mall parking lot right off the freeway, I gave it the once over, took a little spin in the parking lot and then bought it. Talked him down a few hundred, because there were some bits that needed attention and he was aware of them so we split the difference between my offer and his listed price. Until I can legally ride again, I did need a new project, so this one became that project! Any Hawk Owners here on the forum?
    8 points
  37. Wow... I don't come on much anymore, really haven't been riding much through COVID or since. Thanks Miguel for hosting such a great site over the years. If someone else is able to take over and save it, that would be swell. If not, I certainly can't complain, this site has been a wealth of knowledge... its the reason I bought my 02 VFR when I was ready to move on from my first bike, 05 Ninja 500. I definitely got more involved and interested in motorcycling as a whole due to this site, and in the early years of owning my VFR I used to ride a lot. Great to chat with and learn from so many of you. Thanks to the great folks who sell their used parts on here from time to time; I've purchased from many members and never had an issue, all smooth transactions. Hope it continues, if not, see you folks on the other side. Keep it between the ditches. 2012, shortly after purchase: As it sits today. Thanks to YOUR info & help. Damn I love this bike, even if I don't ride it much anymore. And the 99 I bought to refurbish, also because of you guys 😄 Problem is, this is still sitting in my garage untouched 2 years later... how will I ever get the inspiration & knowledge to complete the task if VFRD goes away? Hmmm...
    8 points
  38. Management of this site can't be that difficult? It is and isn't. It's sporadic. Easy until there's major upgrades or alterations then it takes time and effort. A lot of the day to day work is that of the moderators. Having such a large database also makes certain things a little more time consuming or difficult to plan for. It's not the smallest website in the world, but far from the largest. It seems to me we could find an IT Guy/ VFR lover who would/could take over the site? I have made a proposal to do such a thing (scroll up to read the full text). Miguel is going to reach out when they are able to discuss. So fingers crossed we may be able to keep things going.
    8 points
  39. Below is the message I just sent Miguel (for full transparency).
    8 points
  40. I don't think the MO review was very negative, but let's call this out: Moto journalists who spend days on the track and on amazing Spanish and Italian mountain roads during all-expenses paid manufacturer launches of Fireblades, R1's, and Gixxers aren't going to get too excited about a VFR. Of course they're going to underwhelmed and unimpressed. Despite the writer saying everything has been improved and it's a darn good bike, that review leaves you feeling half-hearted. The bane of the VFR's existence has always been writers trying to compare it to other bikes. It's slower than a GSX-R. It's less comfortable than an ADV bike. It doesn't handle as well as a supersport. It's more expensive than most middleweight bikes. And on and on. Instead, they should compare other bikes to the VFR. If they did that, they'd say the Gixxer is faster than you need for a streetbike, so the 100 hp VFR makes total sense. It's more nimble than an ADV, and less twitchy than a pure sportbike. You can ride it all day, too, as opposed to bikes with clip-on bars. Its weight is a plus on iffy pavement and in high winds. It's more refined than most other middleweights. When you turn it around like this, some of the 'negatives' are actually positives. I've always thought the VFR was one of the smartest, most well-rounded streetbikes you could buy. But so many people want a bike that does just one thing great, instead of a bike that does several things well. I loved my 6th gen. I used it for commuting, long single day rides, weeklong trips, and corner carving (to the best of my abilities). It was also pretty reliable. Not perfect, but I'd say better than average.
    8 points
  41. I've ridden over 300000 miles on various VFRs, completed my own valve shim checks on my early 98 model VFR which did 130000 miles so I have a lot of history of valve shim services. With the VTEC engine, I decided to get my engine serviced by Honda and it has been very noticeable that over the years and with new models (98 > 2008 > 2015 >2018) the valve shims needed changing less often so I decided that unless my current 2018 model showed any signs of engine issues, I would not do the valve shim service (add to that Honda moved the check from 16k miles to 24k miles with the 17/18 model). However, I confess I gave in and just had the first shim check completed by my local Honda main dealer and to my surprise (not), there were no shim changes required, all within spec. The bike has done 35,981 miles from new. Now I'm not suggesting anyone else does this, you get your services done when you believe they need doing, but for me that's an interesting, if expensive way of proving what I thought.
    7 points
  42. Hi, am so sorry for your loss, Friends Of Lance, I found out the day after Thanksgiving about Lance’s tragic passing from my mutual friends Facebook post. I’ve known Lance for many years and we lost touch for a while there, but we were back in touch since early 2016. Hearing about Lance was such a shock and I share in your deep sadness and also your respect and love of this wonderful person who left us way too soon for sure. Not having much information, and not being certain I had contact information for his family, I did a Google search and very thankfully found your post here. I am a few weeks now past the realization that Lance is no longer with us and thank you for the photos and the stories you posted. I found some old emails from Lance fhat included his family emails (jokes he sent as mass mailings, so I’ve since reconnected with his dad and I will be at his service tomorrow. You are right he was wise beyond his years and funny and an incredible writer, and pretty much good at anything he tried his hand at. I’m hopeful that he’s doing good work from the other side as lots of help is needed on this planet. May his memory be a huge blessing for all who knew him. Take the best care, his friend, Karen
    7 points
  43. I've finally graduated from fighting with tire irons. 🥳 I'm sure some of you have seen this thing, but for those that haven't it's a portable tire changer. It comes with a duffel bag so those of you doing track days can toss it in the vehicle or trailer with the bike. It's not cheap, but it's priced competitively with another manual changer that's been on the market much longer. Unlike the No-Mar, this doesn't need to be bolted to your garage floor. I'm about 75% of the way being proficient with this. I can have a tire ripped off the rim quickly, and the first bead install goes fast with assistance from the duck head. The last bead and managing the drop center is what I need practice with. I popped my spare VFR rim on it and played around with install and removal of that last bead. The last attempt took under a minute with no struggling. The key is managing the drop center and making sure the tire stays oriented on the duck head correctly. The Rabaconda comes with a stepped hub adapter that fits nicely in the 5th gen rear rim, but I had their universal big hub adapter on order with the changer. It sandwhiches the rim from both sides and stays in place when manipulating the wheel. I'll keep using it for rear wheel tire changes.
    7 points
  44. Well, as you can see from omgvfr's post, the headers are here, he's just lucky that he lives in So Cal, so was able to stop by and pick his up first hand, rather than wait for shipping. On that topic, I'm flying solo right now as sfdownhill is away this week, so I'm trying to tag team this with my day job and doing the boxing up at night. There's a few on here who have not responded to my last post yet, but rest assured, they'll be boxed up and ready to go along with the others. I was able to get them all boxed up last night but need to get the shipping labels done and then get the boxes dropped off, so they can get to their destination. Here's what the front of my garage looks like at the moment. And a peek at what to expect once your box arrives (if you're one who has a set coming). Hoping to get all the labels printed and onto the boxes tonight. I know, I know, "Hurry up Duc, we've been waiting so long!"
    7 points
  45. It was neat watching all the odometer number segments stay active and unchanged after the display's startup sequence finished.
    7 points
  46. Figured time for another update about me and my condition. On the good side of things, all of my last Dr. visits and test since my last "episode" say I'm pretty much mended and I am now getting to the last days of the 90 wait period that got reset back in April. What does that mean? I finally become eligible to submit my paperwork to the DMV to see if I can get my license reinstated! I have to say, I know there are other members here who have had to put off riding for one reason or another, although mostly seem to be based on physical issues and recovery. However, feeling like I'm back to normal and feeling like literally nothing happened to me has been the hardest thing I've had to deal with. Riding has been such a HUGE part of my life, starting in my teens and ultimately being suddenly being interrupted in my mid 50's was a shock to my system. It was all just too foreign to me, something I hope I'll never have to deal with again, and I know those other members feel the same. Even though I'm only days away from submitting my paperwork, it still feels like an eternity away. OK, enough feeling sorry for myself, I'm almost there and feel so grateful that, not only can I share my story, but can tell it to you all personally. As some of you may know, I'm also part of the crew that is involved in getting the "WyLD" headers to our valued members and as such, know the pain of "hurry up and wait". Being that this was a big part of my personal "pain", I had to do something. If you follow that thread, you'll know that I opted to purchase the last few headers, that for one reason or another, just didn't get purchased. "F" that, this is going to happen sooner rather than later! In other words, you can thank my personal situation for getting this moved forward sooner rather than later. I'm not looking for praise here, I'm just saying, I didn't want fellow members to have to go through what I've been going though for these last few months! Trust me, it's not a good feeling. Although I have been keeping myself busy, not only with personal projects but some projects for my friends and friends of friends. Another passion to riding, is working on bikes, I'm no Sebspeed, but I have my moments and have been able to help many members and friends get their issues resolved. I'm not one for making money from this but more the satisfaction that I could contribute and help others and this alone has helped me keep myself occupied enough to not think about my situation, so there is some benefit to me there. Being that I have limited travel options, I tried to spend a lot of my time stuck at home in my garage (D's Garage as I like to call it) and work on little things I never got around to doing when I didn't have this travel issue. Some of which are for fixes/updates to my Ducati, 01 and 09 VFRs (Re: my name Duc2V4). All in all, I am feeling really positive and hope to be able to ride "legally" again with those I have shared rides with in the past and possibly other members I have not met personally yet. Oh yeah, in order to get things moving along faster, I've might have made a deal with the Duvel... Cheers, D
    7 points
  47. With vfrd closing, where are we supposed to turn to when we need cheap airfare to Malaysia or quatar?
    7 points
  48. Fully understand where you're coming from Miguel, can't thank you enough for all your efforts in running VFRD. It's a sad sad day for VFRD and its core members, a huge melting pot of knowledge, experience, and information I've been so grateful for. To all the wonderful members out there, cheers, good health, and safe riding
    7 points
  49. Different strokes... For just one bloke... 🤣
    7 points
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.