Marvelicious

I don't think you and I have the same memory of the 80s... 🤣 1) The aging boomer generation are getting off their bikes and onto mobility scooters. Not all, certainly, but it's inevitable. This wouldn't be an issue if it weren't for point number 2: 2) The younger people who would be filtering in to fill the gaps would rather play a motorcycle video game than ride one. I'm not saying that to be disparaging, I think it's an accurate gauge of their interests. I cruised by the One Show in Portland a couple of weeks ago - now granted, this is a specific type of event that lends itself to this sort of thing, but a large segment of the people there didn't really seem to be interested in motorcycles so much as they were cosplaying as bikers. 3) Partially due to #1, partially due to quality of bikes made 20 years ago, there are a crap-load of excellent, used motorcycles available cheap! There was a time when a 100,000 mile motorcycle would be a smoldering wreck. Not so anymore. That rumor that was floating around about a street friendly one liter v4 in 2020 was pretty tantalizing, but I think it was just wishful thinking. Hell, I'd be willing to go I4 if Honda would just do a crossplane engine!

No worries. It's an internet forum conversation... hardly the most important thing in the world. My bar conversion definitely helped, but I'm not running weights. The Oury grips I run soak quite a bit of vibration though. Pretty sure those are the throttle cables I ran as well. I also got extended hoses, but it was more of an excuse to upgrade to stainless than actual necessity. Galfer made me their standard kit with extra length on the master cylinder hoses.

Just speculation, but I'm with Terry... If that diaphragm is stiffer than designed, it will be less reactive to vacuum, meaning less lift, meaning a leaner mixture if anything.

There are a few things on the VFR where it feels like the engineering department just couldn't stop designing. That said, when working correctly, the linked brakes are really quite good, and the ABS makes it even better. It all weighs a ton, but I appreciate the work they put into the system on long rides when the fatigue starts to kick in or tje weather unexpectedly turns a little more "maritime" than expected. You obviously have a good handle on working in a logical and orderly fashion. 👍 I sometimes wish I could operate that way, but my own vaguely orchestrated chaos works for me so...

I'm having a difficult time picturing what you're talking about as well... Are you talking about the actual threaded nipple that the filter screws onto having a hex? Personally, I'm not particularly a fan of paying a premium to Honda for products that are identical to things I can get more conveniently for less money. Oil filters, fluids and the like... Do what you like... You certainly won't go wrong with OEM, but a little homework can save you money and time. As for K&N, let's just say their marketing department is a lot better than their R&D department!

I've got RaceTech springs in my forks. I used their recommended spring (for my weight on a VFR) with custom damping, and they feel excellent. Getting the spring right is the first piece in the puzzle, but you have to get the damping right as well. Of course, getting the front end right just highlighted the problems with the rear... I'm using one of Jamie's shocks on that end. It all works together and getting it right isn't cheap, but the end result was huge for me... I'm pretty big though, so the stock suspension was seriously out of its comfort zone.

I truly appreciate this kind of info. I'm pretty brand agnostic when it comes to parts. If it fits and works, it's the right part!

If you aren't familiar with Plasti Dip, YouTube is loaded with how-to videos especially for wheels. To put it simply, it's sort of a flexible semi-permanent paint like coating. It isn't super durable, but when it gets messed up, you just peel off the remainder and the original finish is undisturbed underneath. I guess it generally lasts most people a year or two in automotive applications. As for the Reflex version, I can't find any good pics or videos. It looks like it makes things look a little hazy in full daylight, but no good pics of whether it works well as a reflector. I might buy a can just to do a test myself. Don't count on it though... I have a million other projects.

On a similar note, I've been thinking about trying Plasti-dip Reflex. Supposedly, it's a clear retro-reflective coating that will go over other colors. I haven't been able to find any decent pics of results though, which usually doesn't bode well... I'd love wheels that shine when headlights hit them but are white in daylight.

The trouble as far as I'm concerned isn't one of brightness. The candle power arms race happening on the road these days is ridiculous. It doesn't matter if you can see if the person headed toward you is so blind they're going to crash headlong into you. I also really don't feel there's much to the "being seen" theory. You can wear a high visibility jacket spangled with Christmas lights, run locomotive headlights and a straight pipe and you still aren't going to be more noticeable than the other motorist's Facebook feed. The problem is that as soon as you start to lean over, your headlights are pointing at the ditch on the outside of the corner. That's what the BMW adaptive headlights were designed to address and that's what those lights I linked up the page are designed to respond to. A beam pattern that stays level when the bike leans would be more helpful than triple the candle power.

Yeah, the hours spec doesn't tell you much that really applies to vehicle use. I'm sure a 30,000 hour led could be engineered for 10,000 heat cycles, or one! I heard a story from a guy about a piece of equipment he designed. Their prototype had a small electric motor and they looked at different options with the right torque, voltage, etc... His partner insisted that they buy the extremely expensive option that was designed for NASA because it had to be better. It failed within a few days. Of course they angrily contacted the manufacturer and were told that the motor performed well within spec: for NASA, it absolutely HAD to perform flawlessly... once... for about 30 seconds.

I'm a bit of a night owl when left to my own devices, so I do like to ride at night, unfortunately, motorcycle headlights are generally lacking in this department. I've always had a streak of headlight envy for the BMW adaptive lights, but I don't want to have to become a BMW rider to get them. These look like a great idea, but I'm beginning to suspect they're vapor-ware. On my 6th gen, I've considered going 4x dual beam and running an "regular" LED in one set and a LED projector for the others - all LED to avoid stressing the wiring, the projector for range and the regular LED to fill in up close.

Obviously, this is being prepared for a race series against "The Yellow Peril" .

There's a way to test them with a butane torch and a multi meter. I think Eric the Car Guy has a video...

I'm out of town at the moment, but I'll try to remember it when I get home. I'll just scan it and post it here. Someone may get some use out of it at some point.

The All Balls kit I used was 22-1020.

Holy hell... I'd buy a lottery ticket: something good has to come up to balance all that bad luck!

No more work to go to rollers. If you're going to do them, I think it's a no-brainer.

Are they still using balls instead of rollers on the 8th gen? I replaced mine with rollers at 20k and noticed an improvement. It wasn't terrible before, but it feels a bit lighter now. I don't understand the reason for ball bearings in a sport-tourer. A full race bike, maybe, but I'm betting that tiny marginal improvement in feel from balls is gone by about 5 thousand miles. Meanwhile, rollers will just keep on rolling.

I'm with you there... Good grounds are a cheap enough way to lower the resistance of every circuit on the bike.

But... it's non-adjustable! That's as bad as tearing the tag off a mattress!

That's a shame, but it sounds like you'd be tearing that thing down to the frame to make it functional. I probably would have bought it and regretted it!

Pyrite... heh... you think the customers would appreciate it if they called it "Fools Gold Metallic"?

Trust me... if Honda had thought to sell the VFR800X in the US, I would have considered it! I don't know what it costs to bring a specific model of bike to the US, but it can't be that much in comparison to what it costs to develop the bike in the first place!

I was always under the impression that a significant amount of rework went into his revalved shocks. When he started, 929 shocks were his best option. Now that he's built a reputation and a following, being able to work with brand new parts probably allows him to spend his time where it's useful and having his own brand allows him to keep prices competitive.