tbzep

Boxers have factory installed frame sliders. Most of us call them valve covers, but they get the job done. 😉

It's geared too tall to be in 6th at 45 mph. Shift down a gear or two according to how hard you accelerate and it will be smooth. Another option is to change the sprocket sizes, dropping teeth in the rear and possibly adding a tooth in the front. One of my bikes has a smaller rear sprocket and I often find myself a gear higher than when doing the same things on the other bike. You will lose top end but will have more grunt in every gear.

2004: I did the flapper mod and blocked off the pair valve but didn't see any real benefit so I put it back to stock. I had Remus cans on it. 2007: No engine or electronics mods, different sprocket ratio, Delkevic cans, which make it a tad more snatchy than stock cans. 2008: Resistors (O2 Elim), currently have the Remus cans on it that were on the 2004. The extra noise comes from the intake when all 16 valves are operating. Whack the throttle in a tuck where your head is close to the tank and you should hear a pretty big difference when vtec kicks in. If you have loud pipes, you may not notice with your head up in the wind.

I think there are about 3 guys in the USA that replace the bolts every time, maybe 12 or 13 worldwide. lol

What's funny is that these issues vary from bike to bike. I had a 2004 and currently have a 2007 and a 2008 bike. I had the inevitable flatspot but no surging to speak of with the 2004. It was a very well behaved bike overall. It did have a very slight hesitation when adding throttle while in that steady state cruising rpm, but not enough to fool with anything. The 2008 bike had terrible surging and hesitation issues to the point of making it miserable to ride. I'm pretty sure that's why I got a good deal on it from the previous owner. I have 330 ohm resistors (cheap O2 eliminators) which have completely transformed it. It still gets the same 45ish mpg when cruising that it did without the resistors. It was well worth the $1.50 I spent on the pack of resistors! I haven't done anything to the 2007 bike and don't have major surging issues like the 2007 bike did. I do have a tad more hesitation when adding throttle from steady state cruise than I did with the 2004. It's just not enough that I've fooled with adding the resistors or trying anything else. All three have been fairly sensitive to closing the throttle, but adjusting the slop completely out of the throttle cable and years of riding practice pretty much eliminated that issue for me. There is still the flat spot in the vtech transition, which was pretty massive in the 2004. There's a little jiggle in the 2007 and 2008 and of course, a lot more noise, but not a big deal with them. If I had tons of cash to burn, I'd try a PC or RB on my current bikes, but I'll save that for food and gas because the transition just isn't enough to upset me. It sure would have been nice on the 2004 bike, though.

I have them on one of my VFR's and find that they feel fine on short rides, but on longer ones, the bar angle causes me more wrist pain than the OEM's ever did, so I like the OEM's better. The only reason I have the Heli's is because they were on the bike when I got it and the previous owner didn't have the OEM's. The extensions in the OP's little kit look pretty cool.

The first few bikes I ever rode were thumpers. CT-70 aka Trail 70 (neighbor's) CL-125 (cousin's) XL-75 (later neighbor's) Possibly an XR-75 but I think I remember lights and turn signals, so probably an XL. I also rode the obligatory mini-bike with no suspension and a Briggs or equivalent pull start...once. It wasn't much fun because we were on rough trails and my buddy was on a Benelli mini-bike of some sort with real suspension. I bought a TTR-90 for my son back around Y2K, but I rode it around the yard/pasture as much as he did. lol Other than the 420 Rancher, I don't think I've ever ridden thumpers, other than just sitting on a friend's KLR to see how it felt. We were going to swap rides for a little while, but he was uncomfortable with the ~500 lb weight and the pretty fairing on the VFR. I was uncomfortable with him on it too. lol

I was thinking the CB-1 was available in red at one time. Maybe it was just the NT-650 Hawk, which has a similar silhouette.

Balance in the universe will be restored. 😎

What are your plans on color, polish or repaint? Since I'm not supplying labor, I'd recommend something other than black and purple. 😁

I sold a worn out, no compression, hydraulics busted tractor for the price of the spin-out wheels that were on it a few years ago. I'm sure he parted it out and got his money back on it. I got it off the farm and we were both happy. Your project is a lot more interesting, though it parallels in many respects. I'm glad you're going to put the 8 spoker to good use along with some of the other goodies!

Enjoying the process. Looks funny without the 8 spoker. I hope you're saving it for another project, or to pay for one!

There's no substitute for cubic inches/cc's. 😎

With so many wanting more power from our VFR's, this guy goes and adds a crapload of extra weight. I'd want nothing less than a Busa or ZX-14 motor shoving something like this around!

In a nice lean, get on the throttle and drift the rear, get off throttle and you push the front. You also lose ground clearance when the forks compress.