Cogswell

Yep - mine was like that. If it were a tooth off it would be out of sight below, and if the other way I suspect almost or out of sight on the top. Presuming the intake index mark is correctly aligned, being low like that would be consistent with elongation of the chain with wear. I found the whole thing to be very frustrating. If you want to satisfy yourself that the timing is correct, try what I did and install the ex cam 1 tooth off in both directions (no need to bolt down the retainers for this purpose) - my guess is you'll conclude that is correct as is, but is not as precise as hoped or expected.

The marks should be exactly parallel to the top of the head where the cam cover mates. That's why the inspection hole, it's impossible to ascertain at an angle. IIRC with it one tooth off, I could not even see the mark on the exhaust cam - so you should be able to determine if it's one tooth off. Maybe that's why the hole is so small - AFAIK thete is no Honda documentation on that.

I forgot to mention, if you are new to the procedure, you can make your own VTEC slide stop pins. You'll need one or two long M6 bolts that have a smooth portion of the bolt above the threads. You can cut them from the bolt like slicing a bread loaf. Worked great. I don't recall how thick, if you want when I get home today I'll measure them for you. You can also make the tensioner key from heavy gauge sheet metal. That's a bit more diffcult but doable if patient.

I have a similar cam alignment issue on my VTEC. Prior to removing them, I rolled the motor over through several cycles to get a bead on what the timing marks would look like on reassembly. If the exhaust side was where it should be, the other was slightly off and vice versa. I don't recall if to the extent of yours, but it was not precise like on a 5th gen. On assembly, prior to reinstalling the caps, I initially laid one cam in properly and the other puposely one tooth off to see what that looked like. It didn't seem as though it would be noticeable, but it was very obvious. It was more than just slop in the cam drive assembly. On your rear exhaust photo I can't make out the timing - the rear exhaust mark is set by observing through the hole in the frame. I have a photo somewhere. It's a PITA, seems like Honda could have come up with something better. Regardless, although I put it back exactly as it had been, the timing was never to my satisfaction. I speculated that it could be one or a combination of factors - chain wear (30,000 miles), tensioner weakening or the slides the chains glide over wearing. I suppose the engineers considered that when designed, over time the timing drifts some, however a few owners have reported 100,000 miles without even looking at the valves and no observable performance issues. I would recommend once you're ready to remove the cams, put a small dab of paint on the cam sprockets and corresponding chain link - it will make reassembly so much easier. When finished, take some of the paint's solvent and wipe them off. When you roll the motor you'll need to do it again. And don't forget to release the tensioners before turning the crank. When I finished, I swore to myself that I would never do that procedure for anyone else or for money. It's the least favorite maintenance chore I've ever done on any of my bikes.

A new Harley model . . . the "Big Rod" .

This is going to be nicer than when it rolled if the line. Eagerly waiting to see it done.

Yes, but you'll need to trim your fairings a bit, as it's wider at the front. I know someone who did it. Good looking swap.

The built in Nav and cruise would sure be nice to have.

When I saw the thread title I thought it was going to say you were going to buy an FJR and put a car tire on the back wheel. Now that's the dark, dark side . . . Actually, i think you'll get a lot of respect, from me included in knowing and respecting the capabilities you now find yourself with. Wings are no slouch - heavier, for sure, but - they can be really hustled through corners by a capable pilot. They sometimes have the image of being grandpa's Barcalouger on wheels I think by guys that haven't ridden in years, having been taught to ride by cousin Billy Bob on a Yamaha 90 at age 15, now transporting the missus on their adventures whilst towing a trailer. As an experienced rider you should get a lot of enjoyment out of such a machine and may well be surprised at how quick you are on it. I have seen some Honda Forum threads about other models with DTC that act up and have had a time setting them straight. CTX700s and some Af Twins seem to have succumbed, and even a 7th gen here a while ago. It's probably a very small number of them, so may be blown out of proportion. Mite be worth doing some research on that before going that route.

Yes

I can't get the article to download on my device, just looking at the portion, above. Does it go in to why the warm volume is lower?

With the flapper, I'm not sure it's something a dyno would reveal, tho I have personal doubts that disabling it does anything to change the engine's output. However, I do think it possubly has the ability to change the character, or smoothness of the output. G6s are known for their stumbling, surging or hesitation at lower rpms. That is, as you point out just where intake velocity is needed. I have no proof of that, but it appeals to my intuition. And maybe only mine - I could be FOS. There are of course fueling issues with that as well. But, Honda doesn't just throw an airbox together, the design is carefully considered and I suspect that they tuned it for the max performance they could get from it within the limitations imposed on them. They certainly did not install the flapper valve to lower performance . . . Like the air filter - changing to a reusable one nets no meaningful performance benefit as the OEM filter can provide all the air the engine can use at any rpm. Owners have ridden them hard, not knowing there was a mouse house on the filter - and didn't even know the difference until they looked inside. There are legitimate reasons for doing so, but we've never seen anyone put up dyno numbers showing any material performance changes from using a reusable filter.. Same with flapper and intake mods. These are street bikes and make more than enough power for all but the most expert rider. Fiddling with the airbox just is not, IMHO anything worth spending time doing.

Now that some miles are racking up on the headers they are mellowing in color. I thought that would be pricipally near the heads, but it seems to be the entire length, just not as pronounced as at the heads. Not a big deal - just a bit more than I expected.

I agree with Grum. I put on 300 hard miles today on curvy back roads - up, down, the lot on my 6th gen and experienced zero of that. Once you find the issue or combination of them, it should stop. As I mentioned in my 1st reply, when that happened to me, as soon as the offending tires were gone so was the shake.

Could the hole be tapped and closed with a plug to get through inspection? If asked, tell them it was a repair. Or is the point the hole is objectionable?

This is off topic, but I tend to forget how lucky I am . . . my bike would flunk any inspection if they gave it one. Europe seems to have the toughest restrictions on what you can and can't do I can recall seeing. I hope you find something to your liking.

It looked like the last batch pretty much satisfied the demand out there. But, you never know. I'm finally racking up some miles on mine. I was hoping that the cat gone missing might allow more heat to exit vs build up in the headers, but the jury is out on that. They seem to improve the midrange response around 7,000 rpm and they definitely sound better! This afternoon I pulled in to a station to fill up. There were two quad cab 4x4s with flatbed trailers that had quads, gas cans, all sorts of powersports gear and two couples each from the two pickups. I finished my business, mounted up and thumbed the starter. As I idled away from the pump all 8 heads turned in unison and one of the women said "what is THAT"?? I was laughing inside my helmet. Well 'ol girl, you may be 13 years old now, but you've still got "it" and your V-4 is still something special. Those VFRD headers put a double underscore on that.

First check that your front tire pressure is 36 psi. If not, correct and test ride. If still present, check the steering head bearings for play. If you need help with how to do that, post up. Also check torque on the axle nut (43 foot-pounds with the pinch bolts loose) and the axle pinch bolts (14 ft-lbs). If in doubt also check the pinch bolts on the upper and lower triple clamps. The service manual has specs (free download from the Downloads section). Review how the front end is constructed and follow the assembly and torque instructions. If that all checks good and you still have issues, the front wheel bearings are worth checking. With the wheel off, use an index finger to press on the bearing and slowly turn it. If any roughness or sound is present, or they show any play, they should be replaced. Despite what people say, yes, tires can do that. As my Pilot Road 3 and 4 tires wore, the front became cupped and scalloped. It was worse with weight in the back - top, side cases - as with yours, at about 30 to 40 mph on deceleration a nasty head shake would occur. I was told the same "your steering head bearings are loose" (no, they were not). Once I replaced those tires with Pilot Road 2s, the head shake went away and never returned - without doing anything to the steering head, axle or anything else. However, you *do* want to rule out the above factors before looking to the tires because they can cause those symptoms and can be a safety concern. I don't believe I've ever seen a 6th gen with a steering damper. Possibly someone who has / is running those tires can report their experiences with them. If after that you still have problems, report back.

I like the Givi bags on the 7th gen - they look good on it. The last M/C show I went to and the last that was held withing a day's drive from me was in 2014 in Seattle. Honda was there. I asked about the then-new 8th gen as they did not have one on hand - the Honda reps looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my forehead. Didn't know (or wouldn't tell) a thing about it - almost like they hadn't even heard of it. And that show was less than half of what they had been a decade earlier. I'm not sure what it is - maybe the internet as a way to showcase products instead - but it seems that these shows have more or less dried up except in a few of the biggest metro areas. I used to look forward to the upcoming show, but since that one in 2014 I've almost completely forgotten about them. As Grum observed a few days ago - "times, they are a changin' . . . ". Thanks for the photos.

You'll need a large end wrench to remove the FPR, I believe it's 24mm - 15/16 sould also work, or a suitable adjustable wrench. After unfastening each of the airhorns' screws, you can probably set the airbox base off to the side for access. If insufficient and you want to remove the base, the inlet temp sensor is underneath and will need to have its electrical connector removed. Be sure to keep the air horns in their original locations and pay attention to the marks that show orientation.

Is there an aftermarket module under the seat of some sort? Also, if it were mine I'd plug the flapper hose back in place - make the airbox work as it should.

My apologies. The forum acronyms have become 2nd nature over the years.

Sorry to hear about your friend. I had a riding friend that passed under similar circumstances - no diagnosis of cancer, but one morning he just did not wake up - first responders found him in bed unresponsive. IIRC the neutral switch threads in to the engine case aft of the clutch cover. Mite start by checking that the wire connection there is good. You could also check the switch with a DVOM to see if it cycles as you go in and out of neutral. The fix could be as easy as threading in a new one.

I hate to say this, but for clarification FWIW that may be true but AFAIK is not verified . . . the photo is a comparison of the VFRD tube to the 6th gen OEM header. If a B.W. is the same diameter then it would be true however that is not what's in the photo. To be fair the description was somewhat ambiguous in the original post. The pic was originally was posted April 20 last year on page 29 of the thread, below. https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/88463-new-5th6th8th-gen-performance-header-now-in-production-in-usa/page/29/&tab=comments#comment-1107058

And not for the better . . .