dutchinterceptor

Do they appear to be painted or anodized?

Yep, I'm thinking silver might be good too. Looks good! :fing02:

:laugh: Yeah, he's entertaining for sure. Keep riding with him and you're cornering will definitely improve.....mine did. :fing02:

New springs and fluid in the forks do make a big difference. Everybody should have a 50cal and RL mounted to their garage. :laugh:

I just ordered one of those today to replace the stem mount I have now.

Noticed on a Texas Bandit forum Mr. Dude was commenting that he had blown away some VFR's after his mods and I wondered if you were one of them. :ohmy: :laugh:

Thanks for pulling all the shots together, Yoshi! I'll see if I have more lurking about.

"You can have it any color you like, as long as it's black." -- Henry Ford Surprised my buddy wasn't there with his wife's restored Stella.

I drilled out the holes on the cover along with the tabs on the frame and added the clips that come on the battery side. It makes for quicker access to the goods stored in there and I don't have to fiddle with the other clips.

A week ago 1LuckyDude and I tried to get a group of VFR'ers to meet up in Texas and couldn't wake anyone up so he and I met up in the bustling town of Jefferson, TX. "Jefferson has played an important role in the early development of the state. Center of culture and refinement, of stern-wheelers, wagon trains, and ox-team freighters, Jefferson was once the pride of a great empire around which revolved graceful living, southern charm, prestige, and productivity. The town's bygone glories cannot be forgotten, and today Jefferson is a most eloquent reminder of an era long since vanished." Now it's best known for it's antique stores, B & B's, and varied dining choices. I had plans that afternoon so I couldn't stay out all day. Consequently, I tried to fit in as many decent roads on the way over knowing I'd do a straight shot back. The weather was thoroughly enjoyable even with a higher than normal humidity causing the roads to sweat a bit. After a while the wind dried the moisture and allowed me to warm the tires some on the few curves in this area. It had been a while since I had ridden so I was enjoying myself at a good pace taking in the scenic rolling hills. Here in Texas there are some "corn-fed" good ol' boys that work cattle and obviously get quite strong but I never thought I'd see one strong enough to lift a 1000 pound roll of hay. I definitely had to get a shot of this guy! Noticed these guys just out horsin' around..... An entrance to nowhere. They apparently built this entry complete with a flagpole but never put in a driveway or house. An old wind mill also caught my attention along one of the smaller back roads. Not sure about this old building but it was the first thing I passed when I rode through the small town of Tatum. On my way out of town I passed one of HS's gas stations....didn't know he had any. :laugh: TXU Energy does a lot of mining in this area known as Martin Lake. They unearth the coal, refill the area as if they had never been there, and then plant trees so the land looks somewhat natural again. I've been within feet of one of these drag lines and they are as big as a four story building. A white king-cab pickup is sitting just below the monstrosity and should give some scale to its size. We needed a place to meet between Tyler and Shreveport and I only knew of one restaurant so I suggested Auntie Skinner's. The place has decent food but is more of a bar. In fact as we were heading for the door some people walked up ahead of us and a lady in the group told the others that they couldn't go in there because it's a biker bar. We laughed and made our way into the place for a burger and fries. We had a good conversation about VFR's and riding of course before we decided to go. 1LuckyDude's bike is undoubtedly a fine specimen with its low miles and sparkly clean wheels. Reminds me that I need to wash my bike more often. :unsure: A 225 mile run, beautiful weather, fabulous bikes, good company and conversation made for a great day. My VFR was smokin' hot that day!! The Route

Man, you've got the worst luck with cops!

Moo!! Looks like you were riding in the Texas Hillcountry for a moment.

For some reason your report made me hungry.

You know I made the duct tape suggestion to my buddy Jay and he thought I was nuts....well actually he already knew I was nuts but he wasn't too sure about the tape idea. :laugh: That could have bought me that extra six miles I needed.

You should know! :goofy: Thanks for all the comments! :fing02: Ron, I put my name on the Elka group buy so hopefully I'll have some new suspension on the bike pretty soon. When I do I'll come up and let you show me how to corner.

So a few buddies of mine decided to make a three day run to the Ozarks and threw me an invitation. What to do, what to do? I had entirely too much on my plate, my wife had a huge list, my truck needed to be fixed, my lawn needed to be mowed, and most of all my bike was dirty. Consequently, I did the only thing I could do....start packing. The one real concern was that I didn't have a new tire to throw on in place of the Pilot Power with a thousand miles. I usually get 2500 miles out of a tire so I thought I'd be good to go....right? Tyler, TX to Yellville, AR The four of us took off about 8am in search of twistier roads. My buddy and I go up to Arkansas so often we've pretty much settled on that route and wind up stopping at the same places each trip. Our halfway stop is in Mt. Ida where we grab some gas and then head down the street to the local Subway. Three of us pulled into the Subway parking lot while the fourth guy opted to park behind the building where it was shaded. We were pulling gear off when a police car pulls up in front of the three bikes and blocks us in. I immediately start playing back all of the car passes and speed zones wondering what laws we broke. The cop gets out, slips his mountie hat on and sternly asks me, "Is he with you guys?" I said, "who?" and he points to Tom behind the building in his red 'stich. It seems that there was an issue with the credit card reader on the gas pump we recently used and the transaction didn't go through. The lady at the station of course called the police and parking behind the building made him look super guilty. After a quick conversation with the cop, Tom rode back there to see what was going on. We were so concerned that we started eating without him. The lady told him that the reader on the pumps screwed up all the time but she didn't know why. He wasn't too thrilled but it made for a great joke the rest of the trip. Have you ever checked the weather on the internet only to find out they were full of snit. The forecast showed NO rain for the next two and half years but you guessed it....rain. The last sixty five miles of the best roads in Arkansas were done in a nice soothing shower but hey, at least we were riding. My other three partners in crime got a little nervous on the wet roads so I took the lead and had a great time for a change trying desperately to stay relaxed. All went well till I hit a patch of sand on a corner resulting in my rear wheel trying to pass the front. I'd rate it about a nine on the pucker factor scale. Luckily it quit raining just as we arrived at the motel in Yellville. The drinking began soon after. Yellville, AR to Yellville, AR I haven't had much fun on MO roads due to too much road construction the last few times so I wasn't too excited when my buddy Glenn came up with this route. It was his gig and I was just along for the ride so to speak. I was pleasantly surprised with the clean roads and some pretty decent curves along with them. The highlight of the day was 125 in MO where Jay, Tom, and I took off while Glenn stopped to get some pictures. Jay and I eventually let Tom and his 1098 go on the tighter section of curves. I passed Jay with the hopes of catching Tom but the guy just disappeared into the curves of the Mark Twain Ntnl. Forest. Needless to say it was like riding with Baileyrock. Jay and I finally caught up to him at the Reuter, MO post office north of Bull Shoal's Lake where he had pulled off. We waited there for Glenn and ran into a nice couple from Springfield. From there we rode down to the Peel Ferry and while we waited Tom asked if I wanted to ride his Ducati. I stammered a bit attempting to say hell yeah. My motorcycle resume is extremely limited so this was a momentous occasion for me. He explained to me that it was GP shift and I told myself that it wouldn't be a big deal. Just as I was throwing a leg over that beautiful Italian machine he says, "Oh yeah, I don't have any insurance on it so please don't crash it." He laughs as he walks away to take charge of my VFR. OMFG what a bike. I nearly blacked out from lack of oxygen because I was trying to suck in my gut to keep it from rubbing the gas tank. It felt like the handlebars were mounted to the front hub so by the time I shifted to second my wrists were numb and by the time I shifted into third my neck was numb so I couldn't hold my head up enough to see past the gas cap. All seemed to be going well. I was cruising along with all sorts of thoughts running through my head, specifically whether to shift up or down when two deer come shooting out of the trees across my path. OH HELL NO!! So after a terrifyingly wonderful ride I turned it over wondering how the hell this fifty-three year old guy with a knee replacement rides it on 400+ mile days one after the other. The VFR instantly seemed buttery smooth after several miles on the v-twin and instantly made me appreciate it that much more. Since we stopped to change bikes Glenn and Jay got way up the road so Tom and I had to play catchup where again Tom disappeared into the distance as I was trying to keep his pace through the corners. The guys headed back to the motel while I rode to Cotter for some sunset shots and a bottle of Russian refreshment. What a day! Tom and Glenn were on a schedule so they headed out early Sunday while Jay and I took a leisurely ride home. As I mentioned earlier I knew that my tire was questionable but didn't think cords would show as quick as they did. I made it about 220 miles before my tire started to come apart. All I could do was get as far south as possible knowing that my wife would have to bring my spare wheel to me. I opted for the town of Glenwood, AR which was twenty miles down the road and I made it about six miles from it when the bike got squirrely. After, I pulled off in a turnout that overlooked a nice river I double checked that I could get a signal on my phone and then sent Jay on his way home. I would have stayed there but the gnats buzzing around were driving me insane so I hopped on the bike and poked my way into town on a flat tire. Two and a half hours later my wifey shows up with my extra wheel. After a quick wheel change and a pottie break we proceeded to drive 200 miles home at night dodging all manner of creature alive and dead. It's a little unnerving when you look up the road and see numerous glowing eyes looking back at you. The carnage on the roads was unbelievable but we made it home without any incidents. The only thing left to do was pay off my wife for having to make an emergency road trip. It all worked out!

I figured you would have talked Mr. Dude into a VFR by now. I've had issues with cagers braking like that too and it always puzzled me. That and the ones that brake and veer off the road when you start to pass them like you're gonna plow into the back of their car. I just thought it was a Texas thing.

Stunning scenery! :fing02:

You can change the title yourself by clicking EDIT at the bottom of your first post.

Great shots man! :fing02: Wish I had been up there with ya.

What are you saying?? Yeah, yeah....I don't want to hear it from Miguel or Baileyrock either. One thing is for sure.... I didn't get my wonderful physique by dieting all the time. :laugh: