Megadan

I have the OEM panniers. You might be able to have the Werkes altered to function with the panniers. From what I know, the biggest issue is that it aims directly at the right pannier and can potentially melt the plastic. I also ran into the same issue with trying to e-mail Guhl. The first time around I received no response from them, but the second time I e-mailed them I did get a reply. You might also try calling them, although being an international call could be quite pricey. I would say to send them another e-mail. My biggest issue with the suspension is the same with most bikes as they come from the factory. I am a bigger rider than most motorcycles are generally sold for (1.9 meters tall and 117kg) so I have to often have new springs and valving done on every bike I buy. I do agree that Honda seemingly made a strange decision in fitting such generic suspension to the VFR given it's price point and it's very sport focused nature. It would not have been too hard for them to fit a variation of the same forks used in the CBR1000R, but instead decided to go a different route. I can only assume their thinking was that the VFR was a street bike and it did not need as much of a track oriented setup.

Thank you. I do absolutely love the look of my bike with the Coffmans shorty. So far it has held up fine, but only time will tell if the black finish lasts or not. The polished tip is a royal pain to keep looking nice due to where it is located. The second you drive through any sort of water it gets splashed and the grime cooks right on to it. It only takes a minute to polish back up, but it is annoying if you are obsessed with having a clean bike like me. I actually would have purchased the Werkes GP exhaust, but the fact that it does not work with the panniers, which I have, was the only reason I did not pull the trigger. I would wager a guess that the Coffman's shorty and the Werkes GP exhaust are close to the same in regards to how loud they are. The Coffman's does come with a silencer that can be "tweaked" a bit. The "db killer" it comes with is 2 parts, an outlet reducer with a perforated baffle riveted to it. In that form it is the quietest, but sounds kind of strange at low engine speed (makes a puffing kind of noise", but at mid level and higher it makes a very tolerable tone that is not overly loud. What I did was drilled out the two rivets and removed that perforated baffle and just run the reducer on the end. This made it louder obviously, but still quieter than with the silencer fully removed. It is just enough to remove the drone in my helmet when I cruise along around 4000rpm. With the silencer removed it is fairly loud. I wouldn't call it obnoxious, and it sounds amazing, but people will know you are coming. As mentioned before, with the silencer removed the exhaust note right around 4000rpm can drone a little. With ear plugs in this isn't too much of a problem, but you will still hear it. It is just something about that rpm point that hits the right frequency. One other side effect of the Coffman's shorty is that since it is so short, it loves to pop and crackle on decel, below 6000rpm (you can tell the ecu is adding a little fuel when you dip blow that RPM point) and gives a little pop on upshifts if you are getting on the throttle more spiritedly. I personally like it, so it really boils down to the rider. As far as suggestions. The two biggest mods that I think anybody should do to their 1200 is getting the suspension sorted out and having the ECU flash tuned. The transformation on my bike is hard to put into words. The suspension rates the highest by far. I went from having a bike that felt almost unsteady in the corners and bounced around like an old Cadillac to something that feels planted to the road all the time, at any speed, in any conditions. I went from having a bike that I felt I could out-ride easily to one where I have to actually work harder because I don't have the skills to use it to it's full potential. The ECU Flash tune, while not necessary, makes a good difference in all the right ways. It's not going to overly impress you with extra power, although with bolt on upgrades like an exhaust you will get some power to be sure. It's the subtle differences in how the bike responds at lower revs that really makes the difference. Throttle on is smoother and the engine pulls seamlessly through all RPM's in any gear. If I find myself in 6th gear at 3500rpm, a small twist of the wrist and it just pulls without hesitation, where before I found myself often clicking down a gear. For the ultimate experience, have the gear restrictions removed means you have full power in every gear. Not necessary, but why not? Depending on where you live there are two options for having this done; Guhl is the most well known and located here in the U.S. and he even caters to owners from Europe and elsewhere. His turn around times are impressive, and I don't think I have yet seen one negative review from a 1200 owner. In the U.K. there is Hilltop. I don't know as much about them, but a few owners have their bikes tuned by them and have only had positive things to say. Do those two things and you will have a ballistic missile of a bike when you want to use the "Sport" side of it's Sport Touring design, and yet still have a bike you can load up and take on a trip, or use around town as a commuter. I had everything re-worked because, as my name implies, I am not a small man. At 6'4'' tall and 260lbs, there are not many bikes with suspensions designed to properly handle my mass lol. For me it wasn't a matter of desire so much as one of necessity. The factory spring rates and valving were just not enough to handle my mass unless all I wanted to do was ride gently and slowly...which is not what I wanted from this bike. If I wanted that, I would have bought another Goldwing. On the other end of the spectrum though, I am not the most experienced sport bike rider, so spending thousands on Ohlins stuff would honestly be a waste for me. I do like to ride it like a sport bike, but I am also not looking to be a track day hero and living in Nebraska means that there aren't too many canyons to carve. For my skill level and purposes, having the factory stuff setup to be the best that it can be with my big butt in the saddle seemed the most economical and logical course to follow, and I am not disappointed in the result. Somebody with more skill and experience could probably find a way to critique it, but from where I stand this bike is a monster.

Just my 2 cents, so take it as you will. Obviously the Ohlins stuff is going to be well worth the money if you can afford to do so, so this is in no way talking any of that stuff down. That said, if you can find somebody that can upgrade the factory components, you would be amazed at how well your bike will handle. I sent my forks and rear shock off to Daugherty Motorsports here in the U.S. New valves, shim stacks, and springs in the forks as well as the rear shock rebuilt, re-valved, and a new spring, all of it setup for my weight, the bike, and how I want to ride it. Cost me less than $800 U.S. and for the dollar was the best money I have spent on my 1200. If you can locate a shop capable of doing this type of work, you won't be disappointed. No, I don't have the level of adjustability of an Ohlins setup, but Aside from tweaking the rebound dampening and dialing in my preload a little bit, I have not found myself needing it for the type of riding I do.