sorenlaf

Hey Dutchy!

Thanks!  Near the headers is one of the places I've considered.  I was concerned that I'd be in danger of melting the plastic.  About how far from the pipes were you able to mount the horn?  I don't have a lot of room between the lower center bodywork bit and the pipes.  I'd be in the 30mm +/- range.  At most.

4 hours ago, BusyLittleShop said:

 Motorcycle horns in good working order have a distinctive sound
all there own... when people here that little beep beep... they have
been trained over the years to think motorcycle... but if you replace
the beep beep with a car... truck or train horn... guess what???
confused people will charge right into your path thinking a car... truck
or train has blown it's horn for them to get out their way... It's only
natural for cagers to equate sounds to the first thing that pops into
their heads in a panic situation...
Like when you hear beep beep you think Road Runner... not Wiley E
Coyote...

There are two sides to that one.  And two components to the other side.

Component 1) About 40 years ago, I was riding out CA 205 from the bay area to Manteca.  Two lanes.  I'm in the right lane.  A car is pacing me a few car length back in the left lane.  After about 5 miles of this, the driver pulls ahead of me, then drops back next to me, then starts to change lanes.  I was riding my '74 R75/6.  The one with the air horn.  Compressor the size of a beer can.  Two trumpets larger than the compressor 

I hit the horn, and the driver was back in her lane faster than anything I'd ever seen before.  You see, she thought she'd cut of a big rig, and that was a lot more motivation to shape up and fly right than "just" cutting off a motorcycle.

Component 2) A lot of drivers either can't hear a motorcycle horn, or simply don't care.

Summary:

Based on my experience, I WANT them to think I'm a rig.  I honk because they are ALREADY heading toward me, so their most likely instinctive reaction will be to go the other way - would you really start to change lanes, think you're fouling a rig or train by the lane change, and KEEP changing lanes?  Sorry, but I absolutely do not agree with you assessment of the situation.  Both intellectually, and by decades of experience riding in traffic.

Motorcycle horns are far to quiet.  The horn on your bike needs to be loud, and it needs in cause either a major pucker or a hershey squirt.  I'm not a fan of loud pipes, but I am absolutely a fan of loud horns.

Hi Everyone,

Been trying to fit a Stebel Nautilus to my G6 800A and not getting any traction.

Long story short, meaning I'll omit all the failures, the most promising solution I can find is to remove the hose connecting the two radiators, replace it with one slightly longer, so that it will bow out a little more, and that should give me just enough room to tuck the horn up high enough that it won't get crunched if the forks bottom out.

So, has anyone here successfully mounted a Stebel Nautilus to a G6 800A, and if so, where did you put it?

I'm fine fabbing a bracket, but if that's necessary, just let me know about where it attaches.

Thanks!

--Soren

p.s. I know I need a relay to avoid burning the horn switch.

Hi Everyone,

New member from the east bay.  I do not (yet) have a VFR, but am currently shopping for one.  Consequently, I am seeking the Wisdom of the Forum to assist the search.

Why a VFR?

I'm currently riding an ST1100.  Great bike, but heavy.  I also ride an F3, another great bike, but a bit cramped for an all day ride.  VFR looks to be ideal, but I have not yet ridden one.

From my preliminary research, it appears the VFR suspension is a bit primitive.  There are some posts on this forum about adapting an F2/F3 shock to a VFR, so I'll probably go that route, as I have both Ohlins and Twin Clicker F3 shocks available - bought a TC for the F3, then came across a great deal on an Ohlins...  Front will get gold valves and springs, or a transplant.

I'm inclined to go with an FI bike, so that puts me into the gen 5-6 bikes.  According to Wiki, '98 on are FI bikes, with 2000 on having a cat, O2 sensor, and closed loop FI.

First question: any significant differences between the '98-'99 model and the 2000+ model?  I refer to the results of the changes in the induction and exhaust, not the changes themselves.  I'm specifically asking about: fuel economy, throttle response, reliability, maintenance, and last of all, power.

Gen 6 appears to introduce chain driven cams.  Got a number of bikes with these, so it's not a red flag, but is there a consensus of opinion of the reliability of gear vs chain cams?

Gen 6 also gets VTEC, which should be a good thing for a touring bike, but one never knows how new tech is going to work out.  At a minimum, it's more moving parts to wear out.  Any opinions or comments?

Are factory hard bags available for the gen 5 bikes?  They'd be nice to have, so that would push me toward a gen 6 bike if they are not available for gen 5.  Of course, there's always Givi.

Almost forgot.  Bars.  Are the handle bars adjustable?  I refer to the angle between the bars.  Bars that are too "flat" give me wrist pain after a few hours.  F3 is fine, stock ST bars were terrible.

I'll mostly be using the bike for rides of more than an hour.  All day will not be uncommon.  Sometimes slab, sometimes 10 hours of back roads.

Any other information for a new VFR rider would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

--Soren