Beck

We'd rather you use the more modern, hipper term "a55hats" on us so our great forum does not sound it's mostly just populated by cranky old fogies to world wide web.......

Things could be weirder.....like how late 90's VW Jetta as ended up with brake fluid in their rear tailight housings..... True story, ask Some Jetta owners about it. Apparently the brake fluid level sensors in the brake fluid reservoir for the cars was actually siphoning the brake fluid through the wire it was connected to, which then worked it's way through the main wiring harness, then eventually to the tail light housings.... VW even issued a TSB on it and had to replace the related parts for free for the owners.....

CA has double fine penalty zones. Mostly where Caltrans is doing road construction. I wouldn't want to even think how much they will hit you for going 120MPH in a 65MPH zone....

That car better have NACA ducts... or else................ Nope, no NACA ducts, but it sure Zoom- zooms on the road! :biggrin: But now I cannot figure out how to hang my bicycle carrier on the back of the car as there's that rear roof spoiler (most likely made out of fiberglass or ABS plastic), that keeps me from hooking straps from the carrier to the upper lip of the rear hatch door..... I really don't want to carry my bikes on my roof on a rack if I can help it....

Cross thread or thread galling, maybe?? Either way I think you should replace the pic bolt and nut (If there's one, I don't remember).....If it bolt threads into a threaded hole on th swing arm, those threads will need to be cleaned out with the proper sized thread tapping tool.....

No,...no....no...noooo....please!! Do not ruin you nice VFR with such "Hog worthy" protubrances!! This thread reminds me when I encountered an rider with a brand new Yamaha GTS1000 (as in then, very high tech bike with a single sided front suspension) that he put holes on the forward portion of the side fairings to mount on highway pegs/bars. To top it off, the guy even had an old plastic milk crate bungeed on to the rear portion of the saddle. Pretty much every rider who walked by the bike had to shake their head in disbelief, seeing the mods on the bike.....JMOs....

Yeah, you have a "rat bike".........."rat motel bike" bike that is......

Just to add,..... I also just bought a new very fun to drive car (Mazda 3S Touring hatchback) just last week, so the VFR will be further neglected, I suspect...... As I am rediscovering the joys of owning a new car again and "tinkering" with it, after 10 long years with the last one....

I know what you are feeling Seb,...... In my case, I kinda lost the intense urge to ride after the near miss I experienced with a Lexus almost spreading my guts along an SF Freeway as he passed just a couple of inches from my left elbow with him driving easily over 100MPH on the shoulder to pass me about three/four years ago.... I was going close to 80MPH in rush hour traffic and I'm sure I would have been killed if he did clip me. I still ride, but that really made me feel more vulnerable on the road (Despite ATGATT) and I find myself lately really hesitating to ride the bike regularly like I used to...... The Lexus driver actually posted an apology to me on this forum which I am very thankful for (Takes a really big man to do such publicly, IMO),.......but unfortunately, the damage was already done to me psychologically......

What's the point?? There are still many helmets being sold out there without a flip down tinted inner shield,.....

Easy..... just get one meant for a bigger bike like one for an ST1100 with more CCA's, if still available, like how we upsize for gel and acid batteries......

Just in case nobody had noticed, there's a new player in the Lithium battery industry for vehicles.... http://www.batterytender.com/Batteries/360-CCA-Lithium-Engine-Start-Battery.html I wonder if they can be maintenance charged with their Battery tenders that most of us have already.... Do these have built in cell balancing circuitry? I kinda trust these guy more than the Shorias, Ballistic and other new Lithium battery makers for bikes as they are a familiar, long lived brand already.....

I guess I have to ask....... Might you have an 8 spoke rear wheel that needs a new home too,...... I'll even offer to take a few of you half empty spray cans of old flat black paint for proper disposal by me, if you let me get first dibs on the wheel if you do have one to sell.......

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check all the connectors related to that circuit and see if there's a problem. I also suspect that the cheapy voltmeter design on my on-board vold meter by "Fizz" is just also inaccurate, as it is really just swag meant to farkle up a boy racer car's interiors..... I'll check the voltage with my tested where I connected the on-board voltmeter.....

My latest completed Classic French Racing bike build........ A personal "Grail" bike, a mid 80's Peugeot PY10FC Pro Team replica race bike. FC for "Fibre de Carbone". One of the very first carbon fiber framed bikes used extensively by a Professional race team (Peugeot factory team) in mid 80's races like the storied Tour de France. Took a year and a month to finish the build/restoration as the parts and components were hard to find and very expensive, plus I had to do custom mods to some components as the Pro factory shop did, to make things fit on the oversized CF tubed frameset. Build is very close to 100% French and period correct, using mostly NOS components and parts sourced carefully ad slowly (because of budget limitations) from many countries, mostly Europe. I'll take these classic 80's bikes over modern ones any time as I think they look so much better. Race bike aesthetics mostly went to pot after the 80's IMO.......

The new Radio Shack True RMS tester I just bought for really cheap (70 bucks originally, but I got it for only 22 bucks!) from a closing Radio Shack store last week, is revealing ame surprising things with my charging system. The 13.6 -13.8 volts (at Idle) that i was was getting on my on-board voltmeter (connected to license plate light (removed from the bike) circuit) was giving me the wrong "signals" about my charging system, was way off! The RMS tester is telling me now that at the battery posts, the voltage is at 14.3 - 14.5 volts at idle, with not too much change at all to 4K RPMs Which I think is pretty good. instead of marginal. which I always thought with the on board voltmeter readings. I don't think the on board meter is defective of way off calibration. I think the readings are lower as it is coming from the license plate light circuit and not directly from the battery. I guess there is voltage loss with that circuit before it gets to the voltmeter..... So at least one big lesson learned here for me, relating to on-board voltmeters, rig up the on-board meter so that it takes readings straight from the battery and not an existing switched circuit. I really don't want to add yet another relay to do so to fix the situation so maybe I'll piggyback the voltmeter on to the already exiting relay I installed for the grip heaters which is taking power directly from the battery when the grips are switched on. Tested the Stator for any signs of continuity between legs, and it is OK. Running voltages seems to be OK too. Only niggling problem that still seems to come up occasionally that is most likely electrical in nature, but not detectable so far with my meter, is a slight miss at idle. I suspect that it could be my ignition leads deteriorating/arcing over or something similar, as it goes away every time I move the ignition leads around under the fairings....... The big red horse is getting old after all at 20 years now......and these small niggling hiccups are just natural to come up at this point, I guess....

Didn't Audiovox die a long time ago already??...... So maybe not available anymore new..... I remember the CC from them. It was basically a rehash of the same system for cars (just made water resistant) they used to sell at discount department stores like Kmart. The system from them was designed eons ago, and I remember seeing them even way back in the 80's totally identical to the last one I've seen years later. The system didn't look that bad, but not what you would call technically impressive of cool looking either, with second tier materials and finishes. I guess it worked well enough for most people. IMO, you'd be better off just using a "manual" CC like the Throttle Meister or similar, as the complications of an electric system will just add burden to maintaining an already challenged electrical system on our VFRs......

Mehhh... cool down,..... it's good to have some "funnin" time here!

No big loss with the skimpy Honda "tool kit", as they had been giving buyers the crappiest tools for as long as I can remember.... I bet that the adjustable "Pliers" that came with the XL100 my dad bought us in the 70's was identical to the one in my 4th gen..... smae goes with the "screwdriver". Honda just really provided those in case you get stranded in the middle of neowhere and you need a last resort weapon to try and fight of wild baby monkeys and porcupines!

I'd fill their airbags with nails and ball bearings!.......Heck, maybe just fill them with gunpowder and a shock triggered detonator!!.... Also include an ejection seat with a GPS navigation system that shoots the driver into the nearest Sanitary Sewage plant collection pond..... Ooop's! I guess I went too far there!....

It's kinda funny how the technical discussion can sometimes fall into the deep end when talking about "Chicken Strips"......of all things.... Just lean it as far as you are comfortable and what you think your bike can handle and don't try to rub off the strips with the road just for added pose value....

I've been meaning to retire the old analogue tester I inherited from my dad a long time ago, with a modern, digital tester to use for electrical maintenance work on my 4th gen. I passed by a closing Radio Shack store yesterday and the big signs on the windows said "30 - 70% off, Everything must go! Store Closing!" I went in there expecting to just find some left over cell phone doo-dads and lots of RS branded batteries and was surprise to see two of their "True RMS" testers still hanging from their back wall. They were originally priced at 70 bucks, but they sold them to me for just 22 bucks! I has lots of features and even a USB port for recording testing procedures in your computer. Even has a temperature probe for Centigrade and Fahrenheit readings on components. Audible testing (beeps) settings, and a port to plug in chips/transistors. Capacitance, Open/close circuit, Amperage, Voltage, and a few other thibngs I'm not familiar with... A bit overkill, I guess for bike maintenance, but for so cheap, I could not resist! So, if you are looking for a tester to take on the electrical challenges coming from your VFR, go run to your local Radio Shack store and see if they have any left.......

Forget the bike for now..... poor GF..... I hope she's OK.....

Rolling Stones 'Can't always get what you want' comes to mine. It works for me. Bit heavy in the tight corners compared to the 800, but it also a hell of a lot faster. I'll take a little more weight for a lot more horsepower.People wanted a CBR with a VFR badge on it. Honda already has a CBR line, and the VFRs were never big sellers from most generations. Making a V4 1000cc motorcycle for the 7th generation just didn't fit their line up. Noticed how Honda went back to the 800 instead of making the 1000 people have been wishing/complaining about for years. There are about as many models of motorcycles as cars these days, so some people switch in search of the perfect bike for them. Sadly, I don't have the funds to do that, but the 1200 is the first one that doesn't make me wish for another sportbike. Wish I had a cruiser also for those lazy days, but no room at the inn or time in the day to ride both. Honda went back to the 800cc format, I suspect, mostly because they did not want to spend more on tooling and engineering, as the 800 motor was mostly all there already. It was a quick way to "fix" the VFR sales problem they had with the 1200. If they came out with a 1K motored 8th gen, that is more sport oriented than the 1200, but still not as hard edged as a CBR, I bet that the sales figure for the 800 will be so much higher, and the enthusiasm for the bike, especially in the VFR owner community would be boosted up sky high.....

Let's just face it, Honda came up with a VFlopR with the 1200..... And I bet there were heads rolling in Hamamatsu, because of it..... The 8th gen being what it is proves the point... So when will Honda ever really listen to bike owners and just finally get off their high horse and just build us what we've been asking for many years???? I'm sure some marketing executive at Honda USA must ride a VFR, why don't we invite one of those guys to join our forum so once and for all, we have a direct conduit to Honda ' s brain??