RobF

Interesting. I am having the exact same issue at the moment. I replaced a bunch of brake lines with Galfer stainless-steel lines. I have successfully used @jay-d's awesome guide (which you linked to) in the past, but this time I can't seem to resolve the rear brake. When I began, I had to pump the rear brake four times before pressure developed. Then I realized I was working from memory and not actually following the guide process correctly. Now the rear brake will pressurize after one pump, which is progress but of course not satisfactory. I'm not sure where the remaining air is. Maybe between the pedal and the secondary master cylinder on the left front brake? My next step is probably to pressurize from the pedal, then zip-tie a weight to it so that it remains steadfastly engaged in the hopes that pressuring it overnight will float the elusive bubbles that remain. I've had luck with this technique in the past, but have already tried it in this case once or twice with mixed results.

These two bikes are also at the top of my "possible next bike" list. I have looked at the 1000 SX extensively. I guess my short answer is, if price wasn't a factor, I'd maybe(?) go with the BMW. It's a great bike with lots of "mature rider" refinements. In a moment when the sport-touring concept is somewhat out of fashion (and therefore under-represented in the new model lineups) the 1250 RS is a completely credible "upgrade" from the VFR. That being said, I've never owned a BMW, but spending my own money on one would definitely feel like a gamble. Everything I've read about the "total cost of ownership" for BMWs is either: a) Actually, they are rock-solid and reliable, or b) Actually, they are prone to expensive maintenance issues Which of these contradictory reputations to believe? Since I am both a pessimist and someone who believes that Japanese bikes offer better value to the budget-conscious consumer, I'm inclined to give a Japanese bike the nod in the event of a tie. But since, in the real world, price very much matters, I scratched the BMW from my short list. I haven't priced the BMW recently, but my recollection is that it was consistently at least $4K more than the N1K. Maybe $16K vs $12K or something like that? $4K buys a lot of noteworthy upgrades. That's an ECU re-flash (for smooth throttle response), plus an Ohlins suspension, plus an after-market seat. The knocks I've heard against the 1250 RS: pricey in the usual BMW way some people don't like the "tractor-like" boxer twin some people don't like the rider triangle ergos The knocks I've heard against the Ninja: IL4 can be buzzy at some RPMs insurance can be surprisingly pricey (on account of the Ninja name?) no center-stand fit and finish is a step or two off Honda I think the 8th gens (especially in red!) are just ridiculously beautiful bikes. I would buy a used 8th gen today if they had modern electronic rider aids. They do have TC and ABS, but both of those are (IMO) 2010 vintage technology. Both the Ninja 1K and the 1250 RS offer Bosch's latest commercial 6-axis IMU technology (aka "cornering ABS"). Everything I have read from the people who have tested these bikes is that the technology is a game-changer in terms of rider confidence and safety. In the end, I tend to be pretty frugal (cheap?) when it comes to motorcycles. That's one of the reasons I ride a 16-year-old 6th gen. In that spirit, if you're looking at new bikes, I don't believe anyone is currently offering more sport-touring motorcycle for the dollar than is Kawasaki with the N1K.

It's the Brits wot done this: http://www.oecbi.com/blog/vehicle-speedometer-accuracy-how-fast-are-we-really-going U.S. law specifies a +/- accuracy. UK regulations prohibit a speedometer that under-indicates speed.

Would be very curious to see the before/after report from RC if this proves successful.

Rust on the ABS pulser ring is super common. I haven't heard of any performance issues on account of the rust. You can remove it with naval jelly or the like. I have heard of people painting/coating it to prevent further rust. I can't find the link to document that.

My observation from watching craigslist is that prices for used bikes have indeed gone up around 5% or so relative to last year. That is, a 2017 model year motorcycle that was $10K in 2020 might very well be $10,500 today. I'm guessing that COVID has boosted demand somewhat (people aren't spending money on dining or vacations, plus stimulus checks) while simultaneously decreasing supply somewhat by slowing the arrival of new stock into the market.

Pages seem to load much faster now. Thank you, Miguel.

It's looking like I will have a week or two for a big trip in September. Hopefully, the COVID situation will be well under control by then. As a first draft, I'm looking at a rough triangle that connects Eugene, Oregon; Calgary, Alberta; and Cody, Wyoming. Any recommendations for routes, roads, destinations, or accommodations from veterans of the northwest?

Welcome! Love the first post. Excellent project and media. Keep us posted. Although, I gotta say, the story of how this bike came to you -- "squished while stopped at a light" -- will give any motorcyclist the heebie jeebies. Well, this motorcyclist anyway. Regarding: The clutch cover mod is very trick-looking. The resident expert is SEBSPEED, who fabs them in his NY shop, given a cover you provide: https://www.vfrdiscussion.com/index.php?/forums/topic/82289-my-sebspeed-custom-clear-clutch-cover-experience I would message him and see if he is still doing these.

Hmmm... not sure why that came through as from "Guest", but I wouldn't want you to think I wasn't good on my word. Anyway, happy new year to all. May your 2021 be filled with joy and prosperity and open roads. Be a hero be the guy who puts VFRD into the black for the year.

Alright, boys. It's the end of the year and I'm filled with wine and good cheer. Let's put VFRD over the top. I'm good for another $25. Anyone care to join me?

I think there are five big issues that are responsible for the past decade being perennially disappointing VFR-wise, a couple of which have already been mentioned: 1. The road bike industry in the U.S. is now fully mature and saturated and has been since somewhere around 2000 or thereabouts. By this I mean: a. the pace of innovation has slowed dramatically since the 70s and 80s b. the ratio of road-ready-motorcycles to people-who-want-motorcycles is also historically high (Compare the innovation distance between a 1986 VFR 750 and a ten-year-old 1976 Honda CB750 relative to the much smaller distance between a 2015 VFR 800 and a ten-year-old 2005 VFR 800) 2. Large displacement road motorcycling skews old demographically. It is much more popular among 50 year-olds than it is among 20 year-olds. This means the big manufacturers are sorting out how they will compete for a profitable slice of a soon-to-be-shinking pie. That limits R&D budgets. 3. The Great Recession of 2008 was brutal and the accumulated red ink is probably still a drag on the industry 4. The sport-touring segment in particular has been shrinking while, for instance, the adventure segment has been much more popular 5. Honda made a good-sized gamble on the VFR 1200 and that gamble was almost certainly a very expensive market-forecasting error. I think Honda drew some bad cards here, with the the recession and the industry shift toward adventure bikes both stomping on the debut of the 1200. I'm not commenting on the desirability of the machine, which some folks here really love, no doubt with good reason. I'm just saying that all indications are that Honda likely took a substantial write-down on the project ledger and that has consequences for their ability and willingness to take another gamble on another re-boot of the VFR line. These trends reinforce each other. Since aggregate demand is no longer growing, but the supply of used motorcycles is growing, and the bikes are not substantially different from year-to-year, the backlog of high-quality used bikes is a real sap on demand for new machines. The primary competitor of a $15K new VFR 1000 might not be a $14K new Ninja 1000 but rather an $8K 2014 VFR 800. Sure, a lot of guys would drop an additional $7K to get the latest greatest, but a lot of other guys would not. Especially frugal guys in their 50s who already own a great bike. That constrains how many units Honda might move and how much they can charge for them, both of which shrink potential R&D budgets relative to those go-go days when we were all younger and the economic and demographic winds were at Honda's back rather than in their face. I think the used-bike dynamic is an under-rated part of why the adventure segment has seemed so popular relative to sport-touring this past decade. If you like sport-touring bikes, the classifieds are filled with fantastic, low-mileage bikes that are ten, fifteen, or even twenty years old. How different is the 2020 FJR from the 2005? But that isn't the case for the Multistradas, S1000XRs, and Africa Twins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0O8Q0x38mI This is a great time to be a motorcyclist! The selection of new and used bikes is simply extraordinary in terms of both quality and value. And it's an okay (probably not 'great') time to be a mature motorcycle manufacturer. But 2020 is maybe not a good time to be pining for an all-new VFR-based sport-tourer from Honda. Maybe 2023!

Welcome! I think the SH775 R/R works in the 6th gen, so it might be nice to have as a spare. I believe the most common failure modes of the 6th gen R/R tend to be: Under-engineered wiring to the battery OEM serial unit wears out ...so preventative measures often involve upgrading the wiring and/or replacing the stock R/R with a MOSFET like the FH020AA. Speaking of stators, the 6th gen stator does not receive sufficient oil cooling and has a habit of dying, with the mean miles to failure maybe somewhere in the 30K-50K range.

I can't speak directly to your question of whether or not the 6th gen rear sprocket fits the 5th gen, but I would assume it probably does. In either case, folks who want to change sprockets often buy after-market products that will fit a wide variety of bikes: http://sprocketcenter.com I believe the stock sprocket gearing on the 5th gen is 17/43. On the 6th gen, stock is 16/43, so the 6th gen is geared a little lower in this regard, as you noted. I went a step further and dropped mine (-1/+1) to 15/44. This is about an 8% reduction in gearing. One advantage of doing a symmetric adjustment like (-1/+1) is that it leaves the stock chain length unaltered. You can check the chain-length and gearing calculations here: http://sprocketcalculator.com I'm happy with the switch. Some people will caution against dropping teeth in the front if you can avoid it (maybe by adding even more teeth to the rear) because the tighter drive circumference creates additional wear on the chain. Something to consider if you are a frugal, high-mileage rider. You would need to add around 3T in the back to have the same impact as dropping 1T in the front. Also, there are fuel-efficiency and tank-range considerations, but (unless you are always in 6th gear on a freeway) these are a little trickier because many of us habitually keep the bike in the "power band" and a lower sprocket gearing might in some case permit a higher (more fuel-efficient) selection in the gearbox for a given sense of "in the band". Another thing to consider is that any change in gearing will impair the accuracy of your speedometer and odometer by the same amount. The 6th gen speedo is already around 10% high (at least mine was) so after the mod I was showing nearly 20% high on indicated speed. I ended up buying a SpeedoHealer: https://www.healtech-electronics.com/products/sh

Nope. Well, we still have agricultural soil and what have you, but Governor Vic Atiyeh outlawed road grime and chain splatter back in the 80s. It's funny nobody thought of that sooner. Really did the trick. These days everybody's rear wheels and hubs are as spotless as Cogswell's. No reason you couldn't try the same thing in New England. Write your governor.

I am impressed you can man-handle your VFR up onto the carrier by yourself! I find the VFR to be a bit of a pig even in the context of just rocking it back onto its center-stand. Thank you for educating me.

I don't want to hijack your welcome thread, but I am totally curious about this. I looked for videos of people loading full-sized street bikes on one of these hitch carriers, but couldn't find one. Dirt bikes, yes. Street bikes, not really. So, loading and off-loading is a two-person job?

Great bike! Interesting towing setup. I never tow my bike, so I'm not super familiar with the various approaches. How do you load it on/off a rack like that?

Alsea Bridge. Waldport. Lovely bike. Possibly the best looking VFR -- although I'm also partial to the original 86 RWB (maybe that one is more of a WBR?). And a very atypical sunny Thanksgiving weekend at the coast. No doubt the chilly coast range made for a bracing ride. Do you have heated gear or did you just tough it out?

Hi RobF, Thank you for your donation of 25.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

Partzilla (among other part vendors) is a good resource for questions like this: https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/motorcycle/2000/vfr800fi-a-interceptor/front-brake-caliper

You will be missed. May you put a hundred-thousand happy miles on the new ride.

I sense that this is a joke, but I don't know enough metallurgy to get it. Is stainless steel rust-resistant somehow? Also, do clever people really do this to avoid rust issues? Find a proper 3rd-party substitute fastener (length, diameter, pitch, etc.) in stainless and swap it for the OEM?

This past weekend I spent a couple hours riding through a cold and drizzly mountain pass. When the rain is heavy, I find that I can usually clear the big drops by turning my head and letting the oncoming air blow the accumulated water off the shield. But when it's a light drizzle or just heavy fog, the water drops are smaller and much more difficult to clear this way. I've tried Rain-X in the past, but my recollection is that it worked okay until I needed to clear bugs off the shield. Then the Rain-X film would be smudged and the result was worse than just the baseline water-splattered shield. Does anybody have a technique the like for keeping a clear shield in the rain?