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It is? I've had my bike 11 years now (and it's 14 years old), and had not a scrap of trouble with it. Mind you... I *did* fit a pentium fan and heatsink to it when I bought the bike, as the previous two bikes (1990 VFR750 and 2001 VTR1000) both had R/Rs blow. The voltage is always in spec, and the current battery (MotoBatt) is still strong, after many years (dunno how many exactly..) There. I've done it. The R/R is now going to fail, the battery will explode, and I'll crash, die, catch on fire AND burst into flames, and die all over again. It's all someone else's fault too.

Yeah, I like Botany Honda too. Although having said that, I've only used them for buying some fork seals and whatnot from when I overhauled my suspension. FAR better'n the greedy and arrogant guys at Cyclespot, where I bought my VFR in 2004. Haven't been back to them since, and have done all my shopping (in the several thousands of dollars worth, in the last 11 years) elsewhere, including online.

I see the flat black has already started on the front fender. Somebody saw you coming. On a serious note, it is kinda cool in an ugly sort of way. Nice find. Sure to be the only one at bike night. Yes, night-time is probably the best time to ride that...

Oh - my post was perhaps misleading. The keeper is like a washer with some thick wire tack-welded to it, and as the wire was broken away from the washerdoofer that was part of it, I threw that bit out. I put both the bit that was under the pinchbolt and the thin washer/shim that was under *that* back on, so it's basically as it was. I guess in principle it was effective, if rather agricultural in appearance, and unnecessary.

I wuz doing some work on my bike yesterday (first time in like forever, even though I ride it at least 10 times per week). Checked one sparkplug (couldn't be bothered checking them all), as they (set of NGK Iridiums) have been in there for as long as I can remember (so... at least 5 years). Looked like a sparkplug, so I put it back in. Then I checked the chain tension, as I thought it was a bit slack, and when adjusting it, I noticed the 'keeper' on the back hub that is bolted under the pinch bolt was borked. I didn't do it, and I don't see how it could have suffered a mishap while riding, so the rude mechanic two doors up from my workplace must have been responsible. I started to re-engineer it, then realised that it is - to all intents and purposes - a rather pointless item, so I binned it. Its purpose seems to be to keep the rear brakelines from coming into contact with the disk, wheel, or whatever, but I just couldn't see that happening. So my bike is now a few grams lighter and therefore a poofteenth of a km/h faster. Yay! Now - iridium ploogz: how long are they meant to last? How do you know if they're U/S? What's their gap supposed to be?

Aahhh... thanks for that! Good to know.

LOL! I rode one once (GS1200, I think it was), and I was the same! Not what I expected at all - no big wodge of torque, just noises and sensations that didn't seem directly related to whatever I did with the controls. And it had a terrible windshield: too large and upright (though it was adjustable) so it had terrible buffeting turbulence behind it that made it very noisy to ride. Hated it.

Yup. A couple of years back, I had the opportunity to buy anything I wanted, but at the time I thought, "What could/would I buy that would be better than the VFR?" More recently, I've realised that although I do enjoy my daily commute to work, that's ALL the riding I ever do or feel like doing About 11km each way). Plus, I never feel like doing anything to the VFR: no cleaning, as little maintenance as possible, no eyeing up new accessories.... Yet I used to be obsessive about bikes. :( There was a time about 13 years back when my VFR750 got taken out by a dozy u-turning driver, and considered giving up bikes, but realised I wasn't done. Bought a VTR1000, then a couple of years later traded it on the VFR800. So... I've been riding for nearly 43 years, and nearly 12 of those on the same bike. Maybe I'm just bored?

I missed out on a great buy a few years back; my 91 VFR750 was totaled by the insurance company after a dozy car driver u-turned into me. I knew that even though it had been "written off" by the insurers, it was mostly cosmetic damage (e.g., dented muffler, new one priced at NZ$130, whereas aftermarket was only $600). My wife vetoed it though, saying "I'm not having MY garage cluttered up with bike bits for months!". So, I took the payout (around NZ$5k or so, IIRC). As chance would have it, I caught up with the guy who bought the 'wreck' at auction and fixed it up. His total outlay, including the wreck, was NZ$2450. So, if I'd been able to do the same as him, I would've had a better version of my original bike, plus a profit. And some marital discord, of course.

The dirt roads aren't that bad - actually just unsealed gravel, not dirt, and many of them give you access to places you can't get to otherwise, like the West Coast glaciers. And the 5th Gen is great for these, courtesy of the linked braking system - just use the rear brake. On the West Coast (especially around Haast), watch out for sandflies (you'd probably call them midges) - they're voracious and even insect repellent doesn't seem to bother them much. Another good guide is "New Zealand Motorcycle Atlas", designed specifically for riding bikes around Aotearoa (and compact to fit in a tankbag). I used to live in Christchurch, and have toured around the Sarf Oilund (Te Wai Pounamu) a bit, albeit mostly on four wheels. You'll mostly be OK not booking accommodation ahead. Yes, there's lots to see in the North Island (Te Ika a Maui), but if the rental company doesn't let you cross the Cook Strait it might get complicated having to arrange another rental from Wellington or wherever. Any other questions, just ask.

Iffen I was you (which I'm not - I'm a separate species), I'd remove that piece of duct tape so you don't get a ticket [insert eye-rolling emoticon here]

I sorted out my own; modified the one that attached to the chain guard, and made an aluminium bracket for the front of the hugger. Nowhere to attach that, so I drilled and tapped a hole in the swingarm :o and put a bolt in. Of course, because this mod was unsanctioned/unapproved by Honda or VFRD, the first time I rode it, I crasheded, dieded, and immolation of the self-incendiary variety occurred. Luckily, I'm getting used to that, so my asbestos g-string stopped my nuts from being overcooked.

I don't really know. Maybe I know (or think I know) everything already? I've got a friend who runs one of these courses, so I probably should.

Hey - it's weird that this is not uncommon. My '01 did it too a few years ago. It wasn't a faulty horn, but the wiring somewhere. After some research and investigation, I redid all the grounds/earths on the left-hand side of the bike. It's been great since, but ... I actually regret the way I did it. I could have taken a bit more thinking about it and done it differently.

The exchange rate's not particularly favourable for us, so it cost me UnZud$150. In the previous couple of seasons there was a TV company here called Sommet Sports that had picked up MotoGP and broadcast it free, but they are more or less bust now. And SkySports was $48/month, so all in all, $150 was OKish. Runs OK here at 720, which I think is the maximum anyway?

+1 In previous years, I've relied on friends with coverage, to provide copies of races, so I often unintenionally found out the results before I'd watched the races. Last year, we had a free-to-air sports channel that had MotoGP coverage, but they went bust. So, yesterday, to make sure I didn't miss out, I signed up for a Videopass at MotoGP.com. It was my wife's idea She likes to watch her "baby" (aka Mark Marc Marquez) win. Traitor!

Oh... kay. Actually, you *can* make the OEM one a little louder; just tweak the phillips screw on it. It won't make it hugely louder, just optimise what sound it does make. Then fit a relay and two Fiamms under each side of the front fairing, to punish errant/dozy car drivers.

Many moons ago, my SpousalUnit made me a new toolroll to replace the standard fragile plastic one, and this has extra spaces for a few extra tools. It's also a bit more flxible than the OEM one, so it fits nicely under the seat, along with a disclock, accessory fusebox, extension accessory plug (for use with electric tyre pump, or whatever).

It might be an erroneous error. I had a baro sensor error and #2 injector error recentlyish, and I was sure it was bollocks. After much testing following all the procedures in the manual, and the baro sensor passing them all, it turned out some numpty serviceman had bolted the clutch cylinder on top of of one of the O2 sensor cables, shorting it out on the engine. The baro sensor is only used to compensate for high altitude, and even without it behaving itself the bike should run OK. Anyway - the manual is available on here, and the testing procedure isn't too difficult; I used a fairly cheap digital meter to check it out; it's either OK or not, but it's more likely to be a wiring problem than the sensor itself.

Well then - if it's being defiant, give it a sound thrashing and whip it back into submission.

Interesting(ish)thread, but... I have to comment. Photos: check them, and if they're blurry, badly lit, or out of focus, then either retake them or don't bother posting. I mean, what's the point of a picture that doesn't actually show what it's meant to? No, don't thank me. Oh - and the advice is free this time.

I've never had a new vehicle in my life. :( My first car was made in 1957. My '01 VFR was bought in 2004 with 34,000 miles on the odometer. It now has ... [runs out to the garage to have a look]... 67,130 miles on it, most of which is city mileage. It's the first bike I've owned for more than 2 or three years. When I had an opportunity to buy a new bike a few years ago, I thought, "What? Why? What's it going to do that this one doesn't do? How's it going to be better?" So... I've still got it, with no plans to move on.

Y'know, even though I have a Satantune, and I'm quite happy with it, I've heard other pipes (2-Bros, Remus, Yoshi), and I don't think it's the best-sounding pipe.

Huh... just read a glowing review of the BMW S1000R, and it's only slightly more expensive than the 2015 Honda VFR800.

Really? I've had PP2 or PR3 front and PR2 or PR3 rear for the last few changes, and although I don't get great milage, I love the handling. Mind you, the suspension on my VFR is very well set-up, and tends to weight the front quite a lot, so the PP front tyre is ideal. IMVHO...