RC1237V

Yes, good to get back together with you guys! Once it turned dry Mason and I tore it up in an effort to scrub off the rain soaked misery! My gear did it's job, and the Tenere took it like a champ, the left crash bar is scuffed, as well as the left hand guard - no damage to the plastics! Will be riding quite a bit of offroad on this bike, so it will probably see a few more incidents, hence the crash protection parts. Many on the Tenere forum warned the stock tires have very little lateral grip in loose, and slippery conditions. My wife asked if I was riding offroad because of the amount of mud on my gear😂 and I said, "No that was from me sliding down the road on my arse!" I blame it on the combination of clay spots in the wet road, and knobby tires...😬 Right thumb got sprained, and ribs are sore but I need to go practice on the RC51 for my track day this weekend. I bought a thumb brace, so I hope I can fit it under my glove... gotta get back on that horse!

Ahhh, the Buckhorn, I think that's where Anderson Valley Brewing Co. got started selling their beer. I was there some 23 years ago on our 2nd anniversary. The wife and I had fun passing people in the Porsche, on 128 and then as we were eating, some of them came in. 😂 I started talking to the guy next to me and he was a logging helicopter pilot/mechanic. We started out talking about logging, the spotted owl, and pot farmers in the Emerald Triangle. After many beers we were discussing the rotor mechanism on helicopters. He was probably the guy from Dos Equis, "The most interesting man in the world". Anyway, after too many beers, and taking a leak, I came back out to my seat at the bar and he was gone. My wife and I had a nice dinner, and when we went to pay, they said the helicopter guy paid for everything! Anyway, back on topic - Lauren's looks good, so does the Redwood Drive In, but there is no gas, so we will top up in Gualala. Looks like a fun ride, and yes Noel, bring the multi-strada as you will be much more comfortable. Someday we will get a ride together on the RC51's! Just put new slicks on mine for the track, so no chance I can take it this time. Speaking of time, I hope there is enough to do the Calistoga grade once or twice! Yes, we will keep it easy as cops love to hang out by the reservoir! Looking forward to Saturday!

It seems we may alter the route slightly, let me know if anyone has an issue with this plan.... https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Starbucks,+260+Northgate+One,+San+Rafael,+CA+94903/38.0730286,-122.8013257/38.9511244,-123.6904495/39.1056211,-123.1947838/Middletown/38.431144,-122.7109689/@38.5964413,-123.1647133,9.5z/data=!4m23!4m22!1m5!1m1!1s0x808597855c5e66a1:0x9549eb33c08a807d!2m2!1d-122.5474664!2d38.0079433!1m0!1m0!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-122.71858!2d38.8689929!3s0x80840ab5abad059b:0x6da26b4ced0a8b09!1m5!1m1!1s0x80846e6d7ee4150d:0x95901ec08cdfba97!2m2!1d-122.6149853!2d38.7524045!1m0!3e0?hl=en

I will bring the Tenere, and the 1200 as a friend will most likely be joining us 😁

Saturdays are good for me, and Sundays too, if it's not too late in the day..... I better start practicing on the 1200 as I have not ridden it more than 5 minutes at a time since getting the Tenere 😕 The VFR 1200 has the Spiegler supermoto bars on it, and jumping from the Tenere to the 1200, feels as weird as jumping from the 1200 to the RC51...

I rode Calistoga Grade (twice) and Skaggs Springs Road last weekend, and thought of you guys! Took highway 1 home, and was riding the Tenere like a supermoto. Lent my buddy the 1200, which was great in the beginning of Skaggs, but once you pass the bridge, it's 40 miles of nothing but turns! Owning the T700 makes me realize that 75 hp really is enough for almost every type of riding I do. Everything above that is just excess, but this is 'Merica, and who doesn't love excess! 😆

Well, after 1,200 miles of on and off road riding I still like this bike. For it's intended purpose, it's probably 8.5 - 9 out of 10. It is not a dirt bike, and it is not a touring bike, but it is a great mid-sized adventure bike. You can really hustle this thing around once you get the suspension dialed in, but like most bikes, it's a bit on the soft side, but not too bad. The engine makes way more low end torque than you would believe a 700 could, and the midrange punch is decent. It falls flat on it's face above 7K so no need to rev it unless you are trying to get past a car, or through a corner before shifting. Yamaha could have given it just a bit more top end, but it will keep me from revving it excessively, as it does not produce any more power, just spins the engine faster. Gas mileage is ok for the way I ride it, but could probably get 50+ mpg if I rode it a little easier. Range is decent at about 170 the way I ride. Seat is grippy and comfy, but a weird shape that splays your inner thighs so it makes it tough for shorty's like me to touch the ground. Bars and controls are all good, maybe a smidgen below Honda quality, but only just. Offroad the bike works well, and may even be a bit over-powered as 70hp in the dirt is easy to get into trouble. The low-end is so strong, you have to be careful over bumps so you don't whiskey throttle. Hooks up nicely when pointed straight, and can throttle steer it almost as good as the DRZ. - has more power, but it's heavier. Feels balanced and easy to maneuver, except when going really slow, it gets a bit heavy/awkward. You can cook along fire roads with ease even on the stock tires. It does not have as much compression braking, and weighs more than the DRZ, so going downhill requires more skill. Need to learn how to feather the rear brake with the front, with the ABS off, as it's useless on all but flat hard packed dirt roads. Plenty of room for luggage and a passenger, wife and I rode it to Carmel for lunch last weekend. Saturday was interesting, did an endo, had a HUGE front end slide, a good sized rear end slide, and lived through all of them. The front slide left a 30 foot skid crossing into the other lane. 90 degree right hander uphill up to an intersection, must have hit some oil, or debris while fully leaned over and the front end tucked. The front wheel stopped moving as the bike was leaned and bars were opposite lock. Once the front tire grabbed and I was upright, I had to brake with full ABS as I was headed for a T intersection in full pucker mode. I knew I was coming to a stop sign within 100 feet, so I wasn't hauling ass, still have no idea what caused it, but there were some dark black spots, so maybe it was fresh oil that started the slide, and the front tucked until it wiped the oil off, then gripped. Reminded me of off-roading on the DRZ in the Sierras during winter when I hit ice, and the front end went one way, and the rear went another. All in all, a great bike with a great 70hp engine, and decent suspension for on and off road riding, as well as light-medium touring. IMHO the few misses from Yamaha are: Blinkers are the cheapest flimsiest I have ever seen on a bike Seat shape is weird if you have large thighs, or thigh muscles Gas cap comes off with key in it - prone to dropping while fueling up - SHOULD BE HINGED! Slightly wider ratio transmission would be better - a bit lower 1st, and higher 5th and 6th Slightly larger gas tank would be nice Tubeless wheels would have been great! Upgrades so far: Seat Concepts Seat Tusk Rear Side and Top Racks and Textile Panniers Nelson Rigg Tail Bag Nelson Rigg Tank Bag Windshield adjuster brackets - to move it up and down 4" Ultra Wide Pivot Pegs Tusk Supermoto High Fender Kit Acerbis Hand Guards Oxford Heated Grips Flip-up Gas Cap Adventure Spec Aluminum Crash Bars Tech Spec Tank Grippers Headlight Protector - Headlight is only sold as a unit, and is over $500 Battery Tender Pigtail Still to do: Tail Tidy LED Blinkers Someday: ECU Flash Exhaust Front and Rear Suspension

They could also be the collars that hold the headlight on. In both cases the collars go through a rubber bushing, and a bolt/screw goes through the collar, thus making the item "rubber mounted".

They look like the radiator mounting collars...

What part(s) of the bike were you working on?

Looks like the same process for the rods...

Use the LETTER codes from the block you are using, and the NUMBER codes from the crank you are using. The reference for the block code is the top horizontal row of the chart. The reading from each journal, etched into the crank will tell you which row to select on the left side vertical axis. Then the bearing you would use is where those two axis' meet. You may have a different color for each journal, as a big bore and small crank will need a thicker bearing, and vice-versa. The foot note says the crankcase codes are left to right. I would measure both bores, and crank just to verify.

If the problem came about with the new tires, I would assume that is the cause. Years ago I put a 120/60/17 on the front of my VFR as they were out of 120/70/17's. I thought lower profile would be better like a car... The shimmy on deceleration was so bad, I changed out the tire at 500 miles, and chucked it, could hardly ride the bike through the "deceleration zone" from 40mph down to 25ish. Of course, check out the above mechanicals, as the Conti tire profile might accentuate any problems with the steering bearings, wheel bearings, and axle. Tires have different profiles, maybe the Conti's just don't work well with your bike.

Wonder if they change this engine oil hot or cold...

Thanks for saving me a trip up there! I too miss the old shows in San Mateo and San Jose fairgrounds. Looks like they are trying to market bikes to people who don't ride bikes....

I just checked, the 2017 VFR1200X, and 2010 VFR1200F have the exact same part number for the crankshaft ( 13300-MGE-020 ). Might be your best option, along with a new rod and bearings. Can they weld, and re-grind your crankshaft back to the original size? I know it needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing, but plenty of people have done it on car engines. Although bike engines spin much faster, but your only looking for a few thousandths thicker....

Looks like there are 5 bearing sizes to choose from, and a new rod is about $180 from partzilla...

Perhaps the bearing was defective from manufacture, and the little cleat that is supposed to keep it from spinning was not formed 100% correctly. Over time it "walked" and caused excessive heat, eventually rotating and climbing on the other half. Or could have been the swarf/chip issue noted in some UK bikes. Was the bike filled with 10-30, or 10-40? My wife has the ecodiesel version of the 1500 Ram that had a massive recall in 2014-17. Hers is an '18 and the manual specifies 5-40 oil, whereas the earlier versions all specified 5-30. The failures rates have since dropped significantly, and Dodge issued a TSB for the oil weight. My VFR has a decal on the side specifying 10-30 oil, but the manual shows a range of oils for different temps. After the first oil change I switched to 10-40 and noticed a much quieter engine, less notchy shifting, and less clutch basket feel through the clutch lever. Not trying to start an oil thread, but as big as the engine is, with a large transmission, I feel much more protected with the 40 weight. Good luck with getting it fixed, and if you need pics of the shop manual just PM me - the online version has black blobby images with no clarity.

Hahaha, I sold two of them. My son has outgrown his Yamaha XT250, which I sold for more than I paid for it brand new in 2015, the used market is crazy now. I also sold the DRZ to my riding buddy, so I have access to it any time. I really liked the DRZ, but the Tenere is just so much better for most of the riding that I do.

Look what showed up last weekend after 4 months of waiting, and putting down a deposit! I just installed the racks and panniers, heading out for a few hundred miles in the morning. Street and dirt on this trip! Still waiting for tons of other parts to arrive, as the world seems to be "ON BACKORDER" right now....

The "dicey" issue might have come from a batch of early bikes that had "swarf" which is chips, and/or slurry left over from machining the block. I don't think any were US bikes, and most people had good results with Honda repairing them. I have not heard of any bikes failing since the initial bikes - most likely all affected engines failed by now that had that condition from the factory. I ride mine like I stole it every day, and have not had a single problem. I doubt I will ever sell this bike, it's so fast, comfy, reliable, I can find nothing under $20K that could replace it!

Apart from putting tar down just wondered if you guy's have any suggestions. Can you put down a 4 foot wide row of pavers?

Go with the above mentioned risers, or the supermoto bars from Speigler, and you will be comfortable on any trip! As far as the acceleration goes, it's there if you need it, but if you can't resist you will be smiling while paying fines, or losing your license... 😉

Have not tried the Conti's, but if they are priced well, I would give them a try. I had the Roadsmarts as well, and didn't like them. Vague turn in, and feed back, as well as a few slips while riding fast/aggressive. May have overheated them, but never had that happen on any other sport touring tires. Which Pirelli's did you have? I think the Angel GT's are the best tire I have found other than the Pilot Road 4's (and maybe 5's - need to try another set) but they are cheaper than the Michelin's so I keep buying them. I want to try the new Roadsport 2 from Dunlop - under $200 a set, and seem to be the best bang for the buck from guys I've asked. That would be great if they can handle the punishment the 600lb VFR 1200 can dole out!