Beck

I'd have bought one, if I'd seen this in 2001. Back then Yoyodyne didn't have any Oh well...I got some tasty Brembo radial master cylinders and a super-trick brake light switch gizmo from them (back in 2001, and only just put them on a month ago!). Yes, you have to age fine equipment like wine before you install them. Note: some exotic metals actually degrade with age. Magnesium is one that does. You are not advised to use older magnesium wheels because of this. I don't think that this is the same for Titanium though. Beck 95VFR

Sooo, we've been trying to raise the tails and mufflers and cleaning up that gap between the tail and tires on our bikes for years, and now we are starting to see so many new bikes with the low stumpy pipes ala-MotoGP bikes. Do we need to do a polar shift on our ideas on how to improve our bike's looks?? IMHO High and clean still looks better as you see in the pics of these de-fenderized 6th gens! :thumbsup: They can have their low MotoGP style clunky pipes! Beck 95 VFR

The inertial drag of 1lb additional weight, calculated in a 17 inch wheel translates roughly to a 6-8 hp loss against the 8 spoker wheel, compared to the 4th gen "Superleggera" five spoker! (Calcs performed on 2007 IBS computer) Beck 95 VFR...Superleggera

Could work, but removing material could mean removing strength/stiffness on that part of the forks. I'd check it out for feasibility/safety first before diving into it. Beck 95 VFR

If you have a good compressed air source, the ideal tool is a pneumatic rotary cut-off tool that you see used a lot by the Tuetles in their "American Chopper" shows. Good fast clean cuts. But if you're more like the most of us that have only a Dremel with cut-off discs, that will work too, but it will take you about ten times longer to do the cuts. You can also use a hacksaw to complement the dremel to speed up the bigger cuts a bit. I know, I cut down rear peg brackets i bought from eBay for my 4th gen about two years ago. Very nice results, but I wouldn't want to do it again on another bike anytime soon MVC-014F.JPG Beck 95 VFR VFR with ZG DB Right side Right Side view VFR with ZG DB left side

the SS packing visible in my Staintune can seems to be of the coarse variety. So coarse grade must be OK. I heard that the heavy duty stuff gives and additional 10HP on any bike because of the harmonic resonance that develops between the heavy coils of stainless steel. It helps drive the exhaust pulses out of the can much faster, thus creating a negative pressure that helps the engine breath better. :unsure: .........really! :goofy: ...............and it should also last much longer than glass batting. Beck 95 VFR +10HP really!

Looking at the pics of your nicely painted fairing pieces gave me an idea for a suggestion. What if you paint the triangle under the windshield, all the way down to the pointed tip at the middle top of the headlight lens, a nice flat or satin black to give the front some accent. Otherwise the pearl white paint looks really classy. :thumbsup: Beck 95 VFR

Love that keychain Dutchy! Is that some sort of mouthguard, or does it pacify your hunger for riding your VFR when you're sitting at your desk at work? I should try that! BTW, the reservoir mount is looking better and better. I think you're almost there with it. Beck 95 VFR

That looks better, but it's still kinda messy in there with all the hoses, clamps and suff around the reservoir, going in all directions. That will also not work with high mount pipes that a lot of us have. Makes you think whether it might have been better if they figured out some sort of piggyback arrangement to the main shock unit instead. I wonder if that all fits in the well where the tool bag sits in under the seat. The tools can always go sowhere else like the tank bag or any cavity left in behind the tail side farings........maybe?? Beck 95 VFR.

I was thinking the same thing... this was just the easiest location to mount it sine I just used the stock horn bracket. I bought a bracket and salvaged a bit of screen door mesh to use on the trumpet. I was thinking about moving it to the little open space on the right side of the bike, behind the battery. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll also see if i can get a weight on both horns. Maybe consider just flipping the horn to face backwards. That horn should be way loud enough so that facing it back will not make too much of a difference. Mine faces down behind the side of my upper fairing. You can just see the horn on the left side in this pic, next to the left fork tube: MVC-010F.JPG It's a single Fiamm low (low tone/frequency, so that you do not have to direct or focus the sound for it to be heard well) tone snail horn and it certainly gets other driver's attention. Beck 95 VFR

That picture is deceiving... is that as close to the front fender as it looks? Doesn't really look like there's much clearance when your suspension compresses. At least Ken's looks to be much higher... just curious? Also, with the trumpet pointed forward like that are you concerned with bugs and debris getting caught up in there? I like the screen idea KK has on his... Nooooo! :o don't face the trumpet opneing forward and exposed like that. You WILL end up with water in the horn which will kill it in no time, never mind the pathetic gurgling sounds you will get when you use it. Only do this if you have the opening on the trumpet well covered from direct air flow and rain with fairings. I have already killed a couple of Fiamm snail horns making this mistake. Safest way to install horns is to point their openings down or back as most horm makers say on their instructions. Watch out for the heat coming from the front head/headers too. It won't be friendly to the horn assembly plastics and electrics. Beck 95 VFR

I think I'm a bit too late for the Wilbers group discount, but how much did that full boat looking shock for your 4th gen cost you, delivered. I came acrss some money lately and I'm trying to decide whether to join in on the Wilbers or go for a Penske or Ohlins for my 4th gen, instead. Beck 95 VFR

Now how are the bugs gonna fry themselves on the manifold?! Now they have to slow cook against that grill. No more charbroiled insect/small animal smell after riding? Nice job BTW, Very clean. Looks very OEM! Are you selling a CF version soon? Beck 95 VFR

Fantastic! Finally, a good thread on a 4th gen front end upgrade in the works, for maybe us NACA lovers to follow very soon(?)! And it's an excellent R1 radial braked front end to boot! A million thanks Phantom! for going to bat for the 4th gen fork conversion for us! Good luck and keep the excellet engineering going! Beck 95 VFR - seriously longing for a modern front end.....

"JC Whitney" carries two models at less than 30 bucks per set (2 trumpet and 3 trumpet models). Check out their site and look in their airhorn portion of their catalog. You have to remember though that you will still have to find enough space for the pump unit. It should be easier to find a space for it, because it is smaller than the Stebel integrated pump/horn/ unit that is shown installed by the OP. Good luck on your winter horn project! Beck 95 VFR

The ridiculously wimpy horns that most Japanese motorcycle and car manufacturer's put on their vehicles maybe stems from their culture's fondess of cute things like Hello Kitty toys and characters and Pokeman themes that seem to permeate even through the country's adult population (note the continuing popularity of "manga" cartoon movies, though voilent and gorey most times, will always have snippets of cute character introductions. I wonder when the Japanese companies will finally realize that the whole world really prefers loud, ungirly-man-like tooters on their bikes and cars? It never fails, everytime I buy yet another new Japanese vehicle, I always have to change out the horn to get it ready for the BIG American Highways! JMOs Beck 95 VFR, audio-fortified with low-tone 130+ db Italian Fiamm Snail Horn!

Maybe the older air horn design with the separate air pump and trumpets might work better for a space defecient 5th gen. The horns are ususally small, thin and light plastic affairs that could be squeezed into tight spaces within the 5th gen's tight fairings. Supporting the light trumpet units should be very easy because it does not need heavy support brackets. In fact you might even just zip-tie the buggers on to anything solid enough. All you need to adjust is the legnth of the air tubes. The air pump unit should be small enough to find room for, somewhere in the near vicinity of the trumpets. Regarding the Vtec and Stebel horns, I think you can even mount two of those Stebel units on a 6th gen, one under each of the fairing "boobs" , immediately above the radiators. That could make for a trian like sound to blast away those pesky Volvo Estate drivers. Just a thought I'd like to share..... Beck 95 VFR