FJ12Ryder

I mostly don't like bikes that are converted to "streetfighters", especially VFR's. But that looks very good, almost looks factory built. And the engine is hidden enough that you don't get the agricultural look that generally comes with converted VFR's. Just an excellent job, I may even prefer it to the OEM look.

Thanks for all the replies, my new windscreen should be here soon and the modifications will begin. I figured on putting something over the edge to cover up any cut marks. Thanks for the info on that.

Yeah, riding behind a group of them on a semi-twisty road just seems like Christmas time, what with all the flashing red lights. It will drive you bonkers. Honest to gawd I did not make that up about the dump truck, only it was a garbage truck and he was the first in a long line of traffic being held up by group of three or four Harleys that were slowing down for every slight bend in the road. Crazy.

FWIW I feel I should chime in here just because. 🙂 South Dakota in mid-July can be extremely hot, the last time, okay first and last time, I was there in mid-July I stopped for gas at a station in Spearfish. Shade can be scarce up in that area at times so I was grateful for the station overhang. I checked out the thermometer and it read 106°. So be aware that extreme temperatures can happen and stay hydrated. I was riding a 1971 Triumph Bonneville and I was waiting for the darned thing to seize from over heating. But it didn't. 🙂 We usually travel up there in early June or late August, early September. And be patient with the Harley riders that are there early before Sturgis, they aren't used to curves and I've followed some that were slower than the dump trucks following them. 🙂 Have fun.

Just wondering if anyone has modified their windscreen to be shorter. I'm about 5'7" and I find that I get a lot of wind noise in a normal riding position. If I raise up enough to get my head into clean air, the noise all but goes away. I just ordered a cheap-o windscreen to cut down, so the wind hits my chest rather than my head. That would help in two ways: it would put my helmet in cleaner air, and the wind on my chest would help support my weight too. Seems like a win-win. I know most people replace their windscreen with a taller one if they do anything, but I don't really want to go that route. I like the wind pressure on me, and I don't particularly care for the looks of the taller screens anyway. I do have a set of helibars installed so that puts my head a bit higher than OEM screen dictates too. Anyway, just curious for any input. TIA

Mine were that way too, and I filed the top of the screws down a bit below flush so they wouldn't interfere with the fit of the plates. But I also stoned the top of the engine to make sure the mating surface was completely flat for the plates to fit.

They look pretty sharp. Nice job.

I've always used standard H4 bulbs. I've only changed a couple, but I trimmed the tabs and had no issues with fit. I also went to the higher wattage bulb, and have had no problems with melted connectors or anything of that ilk.

Not at all. In fact you can still see the slots in the screwheads.

Not really since you only remove some of the screw head. It doesn't take very much to keep them from interfering. And since you take off only enough to clear the plates, there isn't enough room for the screws to back out and come loose. When I installed my plates I could fit a .002 shim stock between the plates and the mounting surface. Even after ensuring the plates were flat I still had clearance, indicating the mounting surface wasn't 100% flat. That was when I put the reed valves back in so the rubber would seal any imperfections. And I didn't want to booger them up just in case I wanted to put everything back to stock if I didn't like the results. I do like the results and am glad I did it.

I left mine together and filed the heads of the screws down until they didn't interfere with the plates. i also filed the plates completely flat as they had a couple high spots. Probably not an issue, but what the heck.

They may be counting the same revolutions, but the output is different due to the software involved.

Shoot, those are getting close to the price I paid for my bicycle computer: $20.

I would say not necessary, but could be handy. I like the idea of knowing what the pressure is before taking off on a ride without manually checking the tahrs. I couldn't tell if I were a couple psi low, but I could tell if the tire was pretty low. I've only been riding for 50 years though. LOL

I have the TST system and yes, they are external mount. I've only checked their accuracy relative to the gauges I use at home, and they are within a couple psi at 105 psi. I had a couple of OEM trailer tires rapidly depressurize and totally spoiled my day. I don't really think the alarm for low pressure on the motorcycle unit is all that relevant since by the time the tire is going down you've probably already realized it. But it would be nice to now what the pressure is at the beginning of a ride, and then at stops. I think it has it's place and the price is right.

I don't know that I would put them on the angled valve stems, just to be on the safe side. I don't think it would be much of an issue, but why take a chance. I also wouldn't put them on rubber valve stems, too much chance for flex failure. I have a TPMS on my triple axle toyhauler and they are mounted on steel stems. They weigh more than these do, but I'd err on the side of safety. There have been reports on the RV forums I frequent of valve stem failure after mounting a TPMS sensor on a rubber valve stem. Could be old worn out valve stems, but i don't know. On one hand I think it's kind of silly, but OTOH it does have a certain practicality in that there would no reason to ever not know the tire pressure before starting out on a ride. I don't check pressures before every ride and this would remove the need to do so manually. I don't own a smart phone, but I might actually think about it if I did. The price is really reasonable too.

I have my lever set to initiate braking very early in the lever movement. Do you feel resistance in the lever travel or is it free travel before it gets to the master cylinder actuating piston?

Sounds like you've got a rare bird there. The VFR generally has some of the best brakes available. Mine was a two finger with the stock setup, with Galfer stainless lines and HH pads it's now a one finger stop. Is the brake lever really firm? Mine feels solid with no "squishy" feeling. Have you checked that all the pistons are moving? Maybe you've got a couple of stuck ones. Did you clean up the rotor really well with a Scotch Brite pad? I've never used Galfer pads so I can't comment on their effectiveness. Weak/ineffective brakes on a VFR just seems so weird.

Very true, and sometimes you pay more for what you get.

I didn't do the SMC pump either and had no issues, but my '99 doesn't have ABS either.

This is plenty. Good luck.

Follow the book and you should have no issues. Watch the master cylinder closely and don't let it run dry, that's a bad thing. ABS?

Yeah, it's still there, but you have to dig for it. It's not easily found. That's cool, nice to see someone still hosting it.

Well I can see it in a way, but if the company is still around and still producing tuning products, and it's tuning products still use user accessible software, then it still should offer its older tuning product software. It's not like the software takes up a huge amount of shelf space. :) You can still get the software for a Power Commander II from DynoJet, but it hasn't been updated in 12 years.