FJ12Ryder

I love the HH pads and stainless lines, but I don't have ABS. I replaced my front pads at 17,000 miles, around 27,000 km. They had a little life left, but not much. The next set at 35,000 miles.

Yeah, I kind of wondered the same thing. I've googled it, but I'm still not sure I understand it completely. From what I understand, it's the "float" charge of a battery maintainer that is part of the problem. The "float" charge is not high enough voltage for the Lithium battery and that is part of the issue. Also, I guess the Lithium batter will not tolerate overcharging, so putting it on a regular battery charger and not monitoring the process can also lead to damage to the battery. This is what I've taken away from what I've read.

Nice to know. I can see the usefulness of Lithium batteries in dirt/offroad bikes, but still not sure about the benefits on a street bike. Seems that the amount of weight saved versus the actual weight of the bike makes it kind of a moot point on a street bike. Looking at bragging rights for the lightest street bike maybe?

The rubber stuff will last much longer if it's stored indoors, and out of the elements. OTOH the rubber stuff still ages. You can generally feel the rubber brake lines expand if you simply hold on to the line in your fist and squeeze the brake hard. I have never seen a brake line fail due to age, but that doesn't mean I don't think they should be changed. New lines, and especially new stainless lines, will give you much sharper braking with less effort and better feel. And yes, radiator hoses should probably be changed too, but they just aren't as sexy as stainless brake lines. 🙂 I've not done mine, but they really should be done...it has been 19 years. I'm thinking for its 20th birthday. 🙂

Honda dealers are selling Lithium batteries, or Honda is selling bikes with OEM Lithium batteries? Honda branded Lithium batteries? Or is this just a Honda dealer selling Lithium batteries?

Wow, I just looked and I didn't realize Yuasa batteries were so outrageous. I think I paid about $40 for my last battery from Wally World. No way would I pay more for my motorcycle battery than I paid for one of the batteries for my Cummins diesel. 🙂 I bought my last battery from Wally World in April of 2013, but to be fair it is off the bike and on a Battery Tender all winter.

Yeah, I quit buying Yuasa quite some years ago, just too high for me. I usually pick up the equivalent from Wally World. They seem to do okay as long as I don't let them get completely drained.

Not to me, but some guys have done it. The price is at least twice as much and they require a special charger to keep them charged properly. They are light and small, but that is not important enough to me to pay the premium. It's really a personal choice.

And sometimes it wasn't. 🙂

Yeah, I would agree that the battery is suspect. You really should be seeing closer to 13 volts with the ignition off, unless you've got an alarm or some such thing that is drawing a small amount of power all the time. A really good battery should be over 13 volts. It would appear that your charging system is doing its job, so my bet would be on the battery. If you fully charged the battery and it was still only at 12.5 volts, then the battery is definitely due for replacement.

The amount of lateral movement is just fine, it allows for slight amount of out of alignment between rear and front sprockets. It will keep the chain from wearing on the sides of the sprockets. The amount of play should be minimal, shimming is completely unnecessary. Almost any bike you check will be the same, the countershaft bolt will bottom out on the countershaft, not the sprocket. That way there is no chance of the sprocket wearing a bit and the bolt loosening. And you're right: any axial play will only get worse. Ideally there should be none that you can feel. Obviously there is some clearance or you wouldn't be able to remove the countershaft sprocket without great difficulty. IMO if you can slide the sprocket on/off without feeling any "catch" as the sprocket goes past the worn spot, you're probably alright. If you can feel a "catch" then you can slather it up with anti-seize, keep a close eye on it for more wear, and ride it. Changing out the countershaft can be pretty outrageous unless you can do the work yourself. And it is pretty labor intensive. If it were mine, I'd ride it, watch it, and sell it if it started wearing more noticeably. The chain should be looser rather than tighter. A loose chain will wear less and last longer than a chain that is too tight.

Just as a data point, I was very interested in the header development for the VFR's, and actually ponied up a few bucks. But honestly I just can't see my way clear to being able to seriously consider a new header at the price point that it appears to be headed towards. It would be nice, no doubt about it, but $1500-$2000 or more, plus shipping from the UK, is too rich for my blood. I simply don't ride enough to make it realistic. You guys will just have to move on without me. 😞

They didn't screw up and put the wrong tire on? Too large will rub on the swingarm.

Yawn.

That would help drop weight too. 🙂