Belfry

Hi Belfry, Thank you for your donation of --. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

I suppose these are decisions made to increase profits. I wonder if it works. I'll be downloading my pics from Photobucket and deleting my account. My concern is the affect on the forums. Losing the valuable collected experience of the tutorials (and all the work that went into making them for the community) is what bothers me most. I used to visit Thumpertalk frequently a few years ago (despite all the annoying ads) for the DR650 thread and I took some time using the 'My garage' function to document all the things I added to that bike over the years. It was a good way of sharing what worked and what didn't and a centralized place to add up the mods (though the $$$ can get a bit scary). Of course, for every mod I added a photo, pricing, description, sourcing and evaluation. Since these were added over time, it wasn't too onerous. Then one day Thumpertalk decided to upgrade its forum software--and not include the garage. No idea why, it was very popular. Users kept asking for it to be reinstated so they eventually brought it back--but all the previous data had been wiped. Now I don't use Thumpertalk. I'm also going to miss all the great travel and meet photos here since I'm sure most people won't have the time to relink all of those. You get what you pay for, I guess. Which reminds me, I haven't made my annual contribution to this place yet!

Top of the page?

VFR ... when you're too old for a sport bike and too young for a Goldwing.

Must've run out of BUCK BUSTER and DOE DESTROYER wrist bands ...

Bad memory on my part--in my mind's eye your bike was a pristine 5th gen. Glad to hear you fixed her up. I've always believed bikes were made to be ridden, fixed when necessary, and ridden some more.

I checked out Sturgis way back when (2003 ...) on a dual sport before the rally to see what all the fuss was about. I was a couple of weeks ahead of the rally so tents were going up and there were already quite a few pirates roaming the countryside. Nice roads through Rapid City, Spearfish, Deadwood, Custer, etc. in the Black Hills National Forest. Lots of great scenery and wild west history, some twisties, but not high speed ones (speed limits, tourist traffic, road work). If we avoid the pirate convention by a few weeks it could be interesting to revisit the area. (Canadian peso is taking quite a kicking at the moment however ...) Lee, did you fix up the fifth gen, buy another VFR, or change religions? (I see it now says there's a 2002 in your garage ...)

Dutchy after the doctors finish adding titanium parts :

Jeez Dutchy, it was bad enough that Redslut had to be parted out--now you too? I hope it goes well.

My 2006 runs well on 87 octane regular. I put in a tank of 91 octane Shell V-Power premium every so often since, in western Canada, it's one of the few ethanol-free fuels. I 'think' it might clean out the fuel system, but I have no objective evidence. I also fill the tank with V-Power (and the specified amount of Sta-bil) when I put the bike to sleep for the winter to reduce or eliminate ethanol-related storage issues. When I'm travelling in the states in the summer I usually go for mid-grade: a.) because I've been a few places (Colorado, for example) where regular has an advertised octane of 85; and b.) because gas is so much cheaper south of the border (even with the crappy exchange rate). Note: I was trying to remember which state it was that had the 85 octane regular and Googled 'octane ratings Oregon,' which turned up this Oregon state government document that says, among other things, using fuel with a higher octane rating than specified by the manufacturer is a waste of money.

MMMmmm, toasted stator ... Rogue, is your bike a 2007 RWB as per your avatar? Mine's an '06, but I've only got 22,000 miles on it (short riding season, unlike CA). With luck, my stator will last another couple of seasons.

Cool--until the spark plug popped out. Seb is the master of all things transparent and VFR. A winter project?

When I was doing my pre-season maintenance three months ago, I checked the air filter and decided that with some cleaning it would be okay. However, I made a mental note to get a replacement before next summer. While shopping for something unrelated on AliExpress, a site I've only recently started using, I typed in 'VFR 800 air filter' on a whim and came up with this. The last time I bought an air filter it was OEM from my local Honda dealer and it was $66.74 CAD. I figured that for $17.02 CAD (with free shipping), it was worth a gamble. Most (if not all) the vendors on AliExpress are in China, so the shipping time was up to six weeks, but I wasn't in a hurry. The filter arrived today, 22 days later. It looks a lot like the OEM, but (I haven't taken the old one out to compare them yet), it feels lighter and thinner--which probably means less filter material. I'm the suspicious type, having heard stories about factories in China that make the OEM part, then turn around a few days later and make the non-branded part (which sells for a fraction of the price) on the same equipment, using the same materials. I don't believe that's the case with this filter, but it's a close knock-off in some respects including the metal screen on the bottom. I'll make a closer comparison when I change the filter, but since I can get four Chinese filters for the price of one OEM, it begs the question as to whether it's better for the engine to put in a new Chinese filter every season, or run the OEM for two or three. (Note: The price of the Chinese filter seems to have dropped to $16.74 CAD/$12.59 USD since I ordered three weeks ago.) In any case, a few photos for your consideration: It came well packaged in a shipping bag with foam on all sides. Inside the packing, it was sealed in plastic. Top view--looks a lot like the OEM. Here's the last OEM filter I installed when it was new. Bottom of Chinese filter. Looks similar to the OEM from what I can recall.

I see the pretty girl and think: Rock the Gear.

Ah, makes sense now. That would be interesting--if you could keep your eyes open!

So if this isn't some form of ... uhh ... male bonding I'm assuming it's race instruction. I've never seen this before. Does he just review your laps with you afterward, or is he shouting advice in your ear as you ride? (I can't see any comms on the helmets, but maybe I'm missing it ...) Also, doesn't having a pillion change the way the bike handles significantly on the track? I don't ride two-up very often.

No one's criticizing Dutchy. You're right, there is nothing you can do in a situation like this. In fact, it turned out as well as it could with no one seriously hurt--though I will miss the adventures of Redslut. Once Dutchy's wrist heals up, he does have a VF so with any luck we will still get our quota of windmill, dike and food pics.

I'm glad Dutchy is home safely. It was a sad end to Redslut and a tour that was supposed to help Leon 'shift gears' in his work life. But, given his capacity to look on the bright side, I'm sure things will work out (and he does have a VF waiting at home). With regard to the accident, and after reading the comments, two things come to mind. First, I recall being taught at a road safety course years ago that drivers have a hard time judging the speed of smaller vehicles. Sometimes it's not that they don't see the bike, but simply that they underestimate how quickly it's moving (not helped by the fact that bikes are often moving more quickly than other vehicles). The second thing, also from that course (and to Mohawk's point), has to do with road position. The instructor taught that 80 percent of the time one should (in North America and other places where we drive on the right), ride in the left tire track (between the lane divider line and the oil strip). There are several reasons for this, but one is that it's where car drivers expect to see the driver of other cars. So, subconsciously, when they look down the road, or in their rearview mirrors, that's where they look. Of course, there are reasons to switch to the right tire track (blind hills, oncoming tractor-trailer rigs, corners, to name a few), but it's another thing to keep in mind while reciting the mantra: "Everyone and everything out here is trying to kill me!"

You even brought a dog ... didn't see him in Nelson.

There are old riders and there are bold riders, but there are no old, bold riders. (Probably not true based on some of the list members I've met at VFRD meets! )

Lady in a gas station in the sprawling metropolis of Kooskia, ID a couple of weeks ago: "Don't ride faster than your angels can fly." (It's not the first time I've heard it, but it was nice of her to say.)

I was temporarily blinded, but my sight is returning now ... I just started reading this thread last night. Sorry to hear about the work situation Dutchy, but I'm sure with your attitude you'll find something new soon. And your response to the situation: Do a long tour, is perfect. Hit the road, bond with the bike, clear the mind, visit friends, and see how others live to get some perspective. I always enjoy your ride posts--keep the photos coming.