VFR78

Front end refresh at 73,500km. New tapered roller headset and fork seals etc. Nothing wrong just felt it was time. 9,000km ride coming up in October.

I saw one on fleabay!

Quite strange that the bike didn’t like distilled water as a coolant. It should.

Have a look at Renntec from the UK

Pacificman, I don’t have a part number. It looks like SW Motech may have discontinued the AluRac for our bike and I’ve given you a bum steer. I can’t find reference to it on the Aussie site anymore. Maybe it’s worth emailing the manufacturer direct, to see if they have any stock left. Sorry for the misdirection.

With a Givi adapter.

Look at SW-Motech. I have one on my 2014. Much neater looking than other offerings.

All good. Mine is the same.

Sitting in traffic on Chandos St, in Sydney, in the 70s. It also cracked a rear suspension arm, maybe because of our crappy roads. A motorcycle racing buddy, from a wealthy family. He moved on to a V12 E type 2+2 after that. Now that was a proper car!! Lost his life racing a Jota.

Didn’t the TR6’s catch fire occasionally too. I’ve seen a bubbling bonnet before.

To add to the confusion, I compared the length of a new bolt, to a used bolt, using a digital vernier. The bloody new bolt was longer, go figure! Time to move on now, me thinks.

The Gen 8 bolts are tubular, so standard torque settings and stretch characteristics go out the window. Why are they hollow? Who knows, but there has to be a reason. Maybe it’s so they can flex under braking, just like aeroplane wings flex in flight and consequently they may fail over time. Everyone seems to be focusing on the threadlock treatment as the reason for replacing them, I can’t see that as particularly relevant, when it’s easily removed from the fittings, with a tap and die, and then replaced. I’m not suggesting they should or should not be replaced, just would like to know the rationale. Lawyers probably have an input, but there must be a concern, somewhere in Mr Honda, that they might fail after repeated stressing. There has to be more to it and it would be nice to know.

They are rare. I’ve waited at least a month for mine. Very strange all around!

I’ve only done it a couple of times, purely because its cost prohibitive. What I’d really like to know, or understand, is why Mr Honda says they need to be replaced.

Not too sure that is the solution. I think they are supposed to stretch - once! Ti might be too strong for the alloy in the fork mounts. I really have no idea what is best. Never did mechanical engineering or metallurgy.