Presson

Thanks Bmart. It's an 8Gen but there is no problem with bike. It's more about personal preference.

I'm grateful to everyone piling in with advice about geometry and suspension. I think this thread has run its course for my needs.

Thanks Sebspeed, all understood and no offence taken. 

The head bearings were checked when the forks were serviced and found to be in good shape. I also had the suspension professionally set up last Summer ( well checked actually as I'd already got it almost bang on). 

I'm going to experiment with a little more pressure in the front tyre as raYzerman suggested to see what difference that makes. Depending on that, I'll then consider dropping the triples slightly and see what difference that makes. As I said earlier I'm only looking for a marginal change. Cheers!

Thanks Sebspeed; a comprehensive list of questions but I'm not chasing a problem, just wondering about slightly increasing sensitivity to input.

Since you ask tyres a Michelin Road 6 with only 2k miles on and pressure as standard (36/42), forks serviced 500 miles back, head bearings are stock as the bike has only 12k miles on it and same for the shock. Been riding for 40 years. If there's a problem it's the state of roads in UK with potholes and loose gravel appearing right on line when pressing on through corners.

You must be almost on your nose! 😁

Thanks for the reassurance though. I'll work the triples down slowly.

Yep, got and understood your real purpose; the cam you were using  gives really good resolution at relatively low light levels. Nevertheless, I bet seeing her there was a bit of an 'oh shit' moment though...

Just contemplating lowering the triple clamps by 3mm to make the effect of the steering input quicker. Any views?

I like the stability of the bike but would like a bit extra responsiveness to adjust the line mid corner to avoid potholes and gravel. 

I jacked up the back of the GSXR by 5mm and got a massive improvement for 'flickability' without comprising straight line stability, but doing the same on the VFR is a bit more involved due to shock mount location.

Alternatively I suppose I could go and do strength training...

It's a woman holding a child.??? Strange place to try and cross.

Others will have to advise on that. However if it was working before it was parked for winter wouldn't a stuck bit that just needs easing be the most likely fault? I suppose the other scenario could be failure of an o-ring and leakage of the wax and there might be telltales if that were the case. Bloody irritating and quite expensive for a new unit I see. Fingers crossed it's an easy fix; even if it does mean taking off stuff on top of the engine.

I confess I've no actual experience of the wax unit, but could a stuck wax unit piston cause the problem you describe by keeping the SVs wide open? From reading around it sounds as though the wax units normally last over 100k miles. 

If I read the first post correctly, the claim was that the bike was a prize given to an unspecified winner of the TT, not that it had been raced. The other claim was the tune to around 130bhp. All sufficiently vague to be BS as Mohawk says. Probably just a bog standard bike in a fancy dress.

Looks like a completely standard 01 to my eyes. Perhaps a case of wishful thinking. But hey, no point scoring points........

Great choice of machine. Congratulations and welcome to the forum. Ask away for any questions you have; there's deep knowledge and experience here without the bullshit you might get elsewhere.

I hear you. Maybe I'm getting old but it does seem to me that the standard of driving in England has fallen through the floor. Or is it just that traffic density has increased. Sorry, not much help with your dashcam question.

Why? Just interested. Are you being followed or want a way to corroborate if you are unfortunate enough to get clobbered?

I agree with the Captain and Terry; the VF fairing looks perfectly matched for the handle bar arrangement and seems to fit the lines of the chassis well. Looking forward to seeing how it all works out in the end. 👍

IMO the Yamee XSR tribute is fuggly. Much prefer the look of the R7 Anniversary.

Now that looks like a race rep/ tribute ( IMO)

Are you certain you meant Motul 5100 in the forks; I thought that was engine oil?

Motul 10w fork oil is pretty similar in properties to the Honda OEM stuff. You'll know if the oil in your fork is too viscous when you run out of rebound lessening adjustment and it's still harsh at the front - don't ask me how I know this ...

Here's a link to a page with a viscosity table for a large number of fork oils.

https://www.peterverdone.com/wiki/index.php?title=Suspension_Fluid

There's a suspension specialist in Wickford ( Black Art) and a place in BikeTe h in Rayleigh say they offer setup; I can't vouch for either of them though.

As for covers, mine sits in the garage but I generally find Oxford products very good and they do covers.

IMO, if it's just for 2-3 Mths in a garage I wouldn't bother. You might want to think about the fuel though if you are using stuff with 10% ethanol. In that case I'd be inclined to make sure it's completely full. You could always turn the engine over to normal operating temp every couple of weeks or so ( if that's convenient) and then change the oil in Spring. A battery maintainer/ optimiser would definitely be worth hooking up. Finally get the wheels off the ground if you have the stands.

I'm sure others more experienced will chip in.

Hey matey, welcome to VFRD from a little bit West of you in Herts. The electrics on your bike have been extremely well sorted from earlier generations and no one to my knowledge has reported any serious problems other than needing to replace a knackered battery. 

If you find the suspension hard, don't be afraid to wind out the rebound. For solo riding I'm finding at least 2 full turns out from hard on the rear shock and at least 1.5 turns out from hard on the forks. It's worth getting the static sag sorted for your weight; there's lots of articles on the net and some good videos on MCN on you tube if you don't want to pay a professional.

I don't know what mileage you've got but if it's over 15k miles a fork oil refresh would be highly recommended ( many will say do it at least at 8k but I'm just trying to be realistic for you). Just be careful with oil weight; if the person doing the work doesn't use the Honda fluid and says 'it's 10w fork oil mate'.  For example, Silkolene 10w Pro RSF oil is much heavier than the Honda SS8 or ultra cushion 10w oil. If you do use Silkolene Pro RSF the 7.5w is much closer to the Honda OEM stuff. 

Other than that, keep her clean and enjoy riding!

18 hours ago, slo1 said:

Contemplated...... Do I really need 3 VFRs ? Picked up an 8th gen DLX thinking it could be the "One" vfr. 

Rode the 4th and 5th yesterday for the 1st time in months. Tomorrow the 8th and 5th go head to head.

After 10+ years, and about a dozen other bikes, the 4th and 5th have remained. Ergos, looks, sound, feel, they just do it for me.

The last time I had three VFRs, the 6th gen was voted off the island. The new to me 8th gen may be the weakest link.... Tomorrow...

Lovely choice of bikes. Dam that SC Project conic on the 8 Gen looks good!

Here you go. This is the 8th Gen F-H model: it's a standard 12v socket. Actually not great for wet weather unless you can find some way to weatherproof the adaptor

Hi Rick and welcome back to biking. The VFR800 8 Gen is a fantastic machine. The cowl replaces the pillion seat and uses the same fixings so no more hardware required.

The key releases the cowl just the same as it does so for the pillion seat

Unlike Sweeper, I am a big wine drinker and Grum 350+ km for 8 bottles - you need to get your priorities right. Maybe a trailer next time!

More seriously, great to have you back on medium to full throttle. There are so many of us here who have benefited from your tremendous advice and, often, patience with our electrical incompetence. You really are one of VFRDs masters. Best wishes.

I sometimes think dealing with dealer servicing is a bit like 'dealing' with your General Practitioner; you have to guide them so they can help you. The alternative is to be a sponge and potluck with outcomes 

Hi Bluehawk, Grum is right. On plugs, the Honda workshop manual (available in downloads on this site) indicates replacement at 32k miles for all years of 8 Gen F variant. Strangely, the X variant specifies 16k and 32k for plug changes. Valve clearance checks on 2014-2015 version F and X variants are specified at 16k, 32k etc. For the F from 2016 on at 24k.  Many don't bother though. That said, if valve checks are done that's the logical time to replace plugs to save a little on labour time. Something to think about for your next service perhaps.