Marvelicious

I'm of the carefully considered opinion that you could dip yourself in glow in the dark paint, wear LEDs and retroreflective spangles like rhinestones on a Vegas chorus girl and amplify your exhaust to the point of it being physically dangerous and there would still be people who wouldn't look away from Facebook long enough to notice that they had just run you over. I don't dress myself or change my bike to be conspicuous, I just assume they DON'T see me.

Ha, wonderfully illustrative pic: try riding the bike instead of sitting on top of it! It's definitely pretty silly that people have gotten their egos wrapped up in it, but in a world where people do stunt riding on the freeway in shorts, it's hardly a surprise!

Yep, different results, but I also have a very different set of variables. I'm down to only half again your weight (dangerously close to being in shape), different tires, plus I've made some minor changes to the geometry on my machine now that I consider it. Still, it's interesting academically... understanding why the bike handles the way it does.

I'm with you: riding the Duke is making me faster on both bikes. I think it helps to occasionally force yourself slightly out of your comfort zone. Also interesting: I do occasionally drag pegs on the VFR, but the tires are untouched on the edges. They definitely don't look like mountainslide's. I think I probably use more of the tire on the Duke because it's so light that body English goes a long way. It just lends itself to a different riding style. I'm not one to go riding wheelies through traffic or other similar douchery, but I can see why that bike appeals to those who do.

I think we need pics of the system as it was installed... for the laughs if nothing else.

Add some trees and/or clear-cut and that pretty much looks like the kind of roads in my neighborhood. Not surprising really... it's still the coast range, it's just a little warmer down there. The clear cuts are more line-of-sight friendly, but the trees are prettier.

The companies that sell them with springs set for your weight all reference a lead time... I assume that means they get them from the manufacturer, which means Italy. I can wait: my wish list is hardly the biggest thing going at the moment. On the other hand, I've been doing plenty of riding. I live in the country and it's not like anyone is getting too close to me on the bike. Judging by the number of bikes I see on the road, it's not just me. Seems like a pretty safe activity under the circumstances. I get limiting travel, but if I start and end my day at my own home and the closest I get to anyone is the gas pump, I think I'm following the spirit of the thing.

I've been eyeballing a set of those Andreanis for my Duke... though I think it's probably not an ideal time to order anything internationally! I'm happy with the F4 internals I put in my VFR forks and Jamie did an excellent job on the shock he built for me. I'm a pretty big guy and the suspension upgrade was absolutely transformative.

I've got a pretty involved process... Step 1: wash bike (this happens AT LEAST once a year...) Step 2: take a quick ride to spin the water off. Since I installed my chain oiler (Cameleon) I have basically stopped thinking about my chain. It just never needs attention. I take a look at it when I change the oil, but it just doesn't ever need any attention. If you're OCD about cleanliness then it probably isn't for you, but that's the only down side I see.

I'm not afraid of a generic part, but $28 is a bit optimistic! Out of curiosity I did a quick image search and the ebay listing says that it was made in Japan. Presumably, there's a town in China named Japan...? Still, I think the build is interesting enough.

Weird thing: if you have a road that goes through hills, it's probably got some curves to it... and if one in an area does, it stands to reason that others might. Speaking of chicken strips... I have a nice safe but respectable looking rear tire on my VFR, but on the other hand, the 690 Duke I recently bought was scrubbed to the edge in under 200 miles - note that I've never felt like I was pushing it. Horses for courses. Gentleman's Express vs Hooligan Special.

Mmmmmm... Trellis frame... Just something sexy about triangulated steel tube!

The kid in front may have overhead me when I dealt with my cooling system.

Man... That's a hell of a URL...

No real answer, just speculation... So, I'm not 100% sure what kind of sensor the ABS sensor is (I've never had a problem with it, so I've never needed to know) but I suspect it's a "hall effect" sensor. A hall effect sensor operates on magnetics, meaning that the distance between the sensor and the ring can make a big difference. Personally, I would take it apart, clean everything and make sure the calipers are moving smoothly on their pins. If the rings get stuck off kilter it could give a false reading making the system think you're perpetually spinning a wheel, causing the pulsing on braking and eventually the error. It could also be something that only happens while warm. Hope it helps... It can't hurt to try it.

What I think would be incredibly sweet is to run an H4 led bulb like was linked above in one position and then bi-led projectors in the other position, maybe with an independent switch. Projectors are great for reaching out there, but they aren't that great in the twisties because when you lean over, that nice sharp cutoff is pointing all your light to the outside of the corner, meanwhile, non-projector led bulbs like the one linked, generally speaking tend to lack the distance. I've been thinking about it for a while now, but haven't had the ambition to rip apart a functional system yet. I think if I could find a spare set of lights for my 6th gen, I'd give it a try.

I don't know about Convertibars, but I do have a couple of points that might help... I converted to conventional bars and clamps on my 6th gen and bought hoses that were +4". Turns out that 2" would have been PLENTY, though the extra isn't hurting anything. Just food for thought. I certainly wouldn't go any more than 3" if I were you. I bought my hoses through Galfer and it was no issue at all to get the additional length added to the two hoses packaged with their standard VFR set. I emailed them about it and they put together a customized kit.

I've been doing the same thing. We've got a LOT of good gravel. I keep thinking about something fairly light and agile...

I've followed the Megasquirt project since its early days and it has come a LONG way. It's really an amazing piece of gear. I've occasionally considered using it in place of my 6th gen ecu/power commander to get full tune-ability, but then I come to my senses and realize I have a perfectly running bike and enough other projects to last 3 lifetimes. First: do no harm.

This is like going to a crack house and asking the addicts to talk you out of buying crack!

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!