BlueTraveler

Sdouble, I think you're wrong about that. It's the first bike I've owned in years where people roll down their windows at stop lights and tell me how great it looks. People even pull up along side of me on the freeway and give me the thumbs up!

Power coating happened to them. Surprisingly cheap and very durable so far. I didn't care for the brown (Ok, bronze) wheels.

I was finally able to capture the Pearl White beauty of my 2014...in one of the most beautiful areas in the Country, Sedona Arizona.

I paid $785 including shipping. I asked for the VFRDiscussion discount. The sales guy (Dan) didn't know anything about that, but he gave me a 10% off-season discount instead (this all started in early Feb).

I got my new suspension dialed in perfectly (or perfect for me, anyway). Hey there guys and gals! I simply could not stand the stock suspension on the “new” 2014 Standard that I bought last October. The front was so stiff, with so much stiction, that I asked the dealer to double check it before I took delivery. And, the rear shock would launch me off the seat over every sharp-edge (high speed) bump I hit, and it barely moved over anything but the largest low-speed bumps. I put a couple thousand miles on the bike, hoping that both ends would loosen up. They didn’t. The consensus on the VFR forums was that the Deluxe forks worked well, so I upgraded my non-adjustable Standard forks to the somewhat-adjustable Deluxe forks. I also switched to 7.5 wt. oil, and installed low-stiction, SKF green fork seals. As it turned out, I didn’t need to replace the seals. When I had the forks off the bike, with the springs out, there was no stiction. The problem was probably due to improper setup out of the crate. You know how you’re supposed to leave the left axle pinch bolt loose and pump the front end to let the sliders find their ideal spread? That clearly wasn’t done. Anyway, the lighter oil along with the proper fork alignment has the front end working beautifully. The consensus on the stock shock was that it was too harsh. There is very little info on the forums about upgrading it though. Here’s how I decided to tackle it: I ordered a Penske 8975 “double-clicker” from Traxxion Dynamics. It arrived with a 1,000 lb. Hyperpro spring that turned out to be too stiff for my sport touring riding style. I had to back off the preload to just about zero to get 30 mm of rider sag, and no matter how far I backed off the compression damping, the suspension only moved a couple of inches…no matter what I rode over (curbs, speed bumps, 90 mph dips). Both Traxxion and Penske were great to work with and they sent out a 900 lb. spring without making me return the 1,000 lb. spring first. That did the trick. I’ve got both ends working together, and working well. It’s the perfect compromise between touring compliance and sporty control. https://www.penskeshocks.com/product/8975-in-line-double-adjustable/ The Penske shock is almost exactly the same length as the stock shock. Unfortunately, the compression adjustment is at the top, and is only accessible by drilling a small hole in the battery box. This means removing the battery every time you want to adjust the compression damping...but you should only have to do it a few times. The spring pre-load and rebound damping adjustments are easily accessible. If you must have easy access to the compression damping adjustment screw, you'll have to go with a remote reservoir shock. I couldn't find a good place to mount a reservoir, so I went with an in-line shock (plus, I’m definitely not a road racer). Don't forget to support the swingarm before removing the linkage bolts. Also, the shock opening is tight, so I used an old tube sock to keep from scratching the spring.

Had the wheels powder coated to match 8th gen red. They came out great...smooth and shiny. Surprisingly inexpensive. The brown wheels just weren't cutting it!

Thanks Slammer! I just created a gallery and uploaded a few pics.

SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection QUICK-LOCK EVO City Non-Electric Tank Bag SW-MOTECH Bags-Connection Slipstream Tail Bag Both bags fit like they were made for the bike! I used bulk elastic shockcord to fasten the tail bag to the seat (available from REI in the US). Here's a recent picture of them in the wild...

I lifted both wheels off the ground using my new Abba Superbike Stand (and the optional front wheel lift). $275 including shipping from England. Arrived in 6 business days. I bought it because I had a very close call with my Pit bull rear-wheel paddock stand. My bike was on the rear pit bull stand only. While I was reinstalling the radiator guard (lying on my garage floor), I turned the front wheel to get a better look at one of the screws…AND THE BIKE STARTED TO TIP OVER! I’ve never been able to bench press more than 180lbs, so I would have been in serious trouble if I hadn’t started pushing back before it went past the point of no return. I’ll still use my rear pit bull stand, but I’ll use the front stand at the same time. The big advantage of the Abba stand is that it unloads the rear shock and allows the fork to move freely as well…great for working on the shock or forks.

Happy Holidays from Mike in Arizona!!