Shinigami

Oh, you're absolutely right, my mistake.  By the way, the "fish wrapper" I was referring to is "Young Bike", the Japanese magazine.

Nothing wrong with a breakfast Guinness.  A pork chop in every glass, after all.

On 2/23/2020 at 12:19 PM, BusyLittleShop said:

Honda's CEO didn't follow through with a new race bred V4... instead he dropped the strategy that Mr.Honda
put into practice in the 80s and 90s and little Ducati was free to champion a new race bred V4...

 

Quote Japan magazine Young Machine

Honda RVF1000R – Honda is preparing a new superbike with four-cylinder
V engine with which they aim to regain the prominence lost in the
World Superbike. From Japan, Young Machine magazine has produced a
render that promises to be very close to the sporty one that Honda
will put in dealerships from 2019 or 2020, a motorcycle that, unlike
the exclusive RC213V-S of 180,000 euros, the Honda RVF1000R will have
a more affordable price in line with other models of the Superbike
class such as the new Ducati Panigale V4, the Kawasaki ZX-10RR or the
Aprilia RSV4 RF, that is, in the range of 20 to 25 thousand euros.

The idea pursued by Honda is to repeat the strategy that the Japanese
brand already put into practice in the 90s, when the RC45 -successor
of the successful RC30 with V4 engine- coexisted in the market with
the Fireblade 900 RR, a model that at that time could not compete in
the World Superbike to have a cubicle superior to 750 cc. That’s where
the RC45 maintained its small niche market, offering a registered
racing bike that still, to this day, remains an object of desire for
fans of sports bikes of that time.

At the end of the 90s, with the changes in the regulation of the WSBK,
Honda opted for a configuration of two cylinders, then launching the
VTR 1000 SP1, baptized as RC51. Many years later another RC would
arrive, in this case the RC213V-S, derived directly from the MotoGP, a
motorcycle of which only about 200 units are produced each year
strictly numbered, many of them destined to live locked in a museum or
a garage private because of the incalculable value they will have in
the future.

According to the patents that Honda presented in the United States
last March -where you can see an engine in V4 configuration with the
stock anchored to the chassis as in the Ducati Panigale- it is evident
that the future of the brand of the golden wing in Superbikes it is to
leave aside the inefficient CBR 1000 RR Fireblade SP2 and bet on a
model that will be called the Honda RVF1000R.

 

The Honda RVF1000R

In its heart, we will find an engine derived from the one already seen
in the RC213V of MotoGP, a V4 at 90º that, unlike the street RC213V-S,
the Honda RVF1000R will have less exotic materials to reduce costs.

The cycle part will be in line with the rest of the superbikes in the
market, while the chassis could be an evolution of the double beam in
aluminum of the RC213V that would take advantage of the engine as one
more element to reduce its weight and dimensions.

And what will happen with the CBR 1000 RR Fireblade? It seems
difficult for Honda to quit a model with such tradition and with such
an illustrious name. The logical thing would be to think that the

 

Fireblade will continue to be commercialized along with the Honda
RVF1000R from 2019 or 2020, offering a more human model, with a
significantly lower price and benefits below those offered by the V4,
whose estimated power will move between the 210 and the 220 cv.

That fish wrapper magazine has cranked out fake renders of “the next Honda V4” (and at least once, V5!) every couple years since at least 2006.  Zero credibility.

Here’s a notoriously bad example from 2008, in which MCN glommed onto a story that originated in Young Bike (without attribution and claiming an “inside source at Honda “)

You can read this wretched pile of journalistic excrement here.

https://issuu.com/motorcyclenews/docs/mcnsampler060808

I’m wistful over the departure of the VFR from the USA market, but as long as they keep building them in Kumamoto, there’s still hope.  Unfortunately the Japanese domestic bike market has virtually collapsed.  It’s perhaps 10 percent of what it was 20 years ago.

On 2/16/2020 at 4:08 PM, Grum said:

A couple of fabulous photos and a couple of great bikes Shinigami. I've done 72,000ks on my 8gen and currently on my second chain with the original sprockets, due for a chain replacement in a few thousand k's however I will probably only replace the front sprocket, a close inspection of the sprockets recently revealed no visible wear! I've successfully ran at least two chains to a set of OEM sprockets for many years, I'm a bit of a fusspot for checking tension and regular lubing. YMMV.

That RF650 brake fluid is expensive, I know it's a very high performance product, but does it still require replacement every two years as per normal Dot 4?

Cheers.

Thanks!  Yes, the RF650 is a little bit overkill.  But, I like overkill on items like that.

I live in a very arid climate, and it’s possible to go up to 4 years between flushes, but I still stay with a two year interval.

 I have never had such low chain wear on my old 6th gen or on my current CBR600RR, 20k miles and the chains would be done, though I do pay attention to adjustments and lube.

Despite everything being well within spec on the 8th gen OEM chain and sprockets,  I just felt it would be prudent to change them out before the season really kicks off here.  I’ve seen the results of failed chains, and want no part of that.

Same with the spark plugs, the old ones looked great, but I hate to push intervals on items that can drop ceramic bits into a cylinder.

Got a bunch of things done all at once:

New DID chain and Sunstar sprockets despite everything still being in spec, with the OEM chain and sprockets still looking good at 40,150 miles (!) (I only use Honda spray lube on the chain)

New adjustable billet levers from Japan

New NGK iridium plugs

Coolant flush

Brake and clutch fluid flush and replacement with Endless RF650

Endless PRO2 front pads

New Honda OEM quickshifter (busted the peg on the first one)

Honda synthetic oil and OEM filter

Honda OEM air filter

Then I went for a ride!

Mr. Peart and Mr. Stoner have a hobby in common, which I have helped each with, though I can't claim to know either very well personally.

However, any Rush fan knows Mr. Peart in particular seems to prefer the tractor-like qualities of a certain three letter Teutonic machine.

Tipping it in at 10,000'

The Honda ST1300 tank pad is perfect on just about any generation of VFR.

At Big Cottonwood Canyon right now.

I'm about 3/4ths of the way through a set of PR4's on my 8th gen and seeing pronounced feathering of the sipe blocks both front and rear. I suppose I have done too much aggressive canyon riding for the intent of these, but after 3000 miles with about 1000 left on the rear, the handling is still excellent. Getting at least 25% more treadwear out of these compared to PR2 on the 6th gen.

Next will be a set of Dunlops, Q3 front and R2 rear.

Very possibly the clearest most comprehensive writeup of the whole process I have seen. Very impressive and gives me an appreciation of why professional paint jobs cost what they do.