Lorne

I bought a pair of Sidi Cobra Air boots at the 2012 WSB races at Laguna Seca. I liked 'em so much that I ordered another pair when I got back home. So, what did I like about these boots? First of all, they fit well. The uppers are perforated which aids comfort on those long hot days. Surprisingly, they aren't too cool when the mercury drops. As a rule I don't ride in rain, but have been caught in some torrential downpours a number of times over the years. I won't say my socks always stay dry, but I suppose my 6th gen's fairing blocks most of the rain. My pair are easy to put on and have a simple, non-fussy closure. The sole is pretty rigid, but comfy enough for short walks. Would take them hiking, tho. The give a good feel of the shifter, like a nice pair of summer gloves do for the hand controls. My previous boots were padded numbed any feeling. But after 75K km and 10 years the uppers are starting to break down and it is about time to retire them. Sure glad I bought that 2nd pair 'cause the Cobra isn't available anymore. Whatever the replacement I'd have to hope that I chose wisely.

Good man, Michelin's R5 really suit the VFR.

Even if it spins 360° you may need to remove the sprocket. Rotate it each way to see to see if how far it will go. Remember, with the chain adjusted properly, depending on how the eccentric is positioned you may not gain much extra ride height. If it is currently at 6 o'clock you'd gain a lot more than if it is at 4 o'clock. Fwiw, the eccentric on my '91 VFR750 wouldn't quite spin all the way round, probably about 340°. Good luck

You gonna need a bigger screen 😉 Alternatively, in Safari on a Mac you can press ⌘- to downsize the page contents. The text will stay readable for a few clicks.

I don't have the 1998 brochure but here's what the 1999 thru 2005 Honda Canada brochures say. Also included the Canadian list price for some years. 1998 1999 yellow $12,899 2000 green, red, blue $12,899 2001 red, silver, blue (the brochures pics show these, but the specs list green instead of silver) 2002 red, silver ABS: red, black $13,399/14,199 seems to be the only year with different colours for ABS models 2003 red, metallic silver $13,399/14,199 2004 matte black, red $13,399/14,199 2005 red, light silver metallic 2006 pearl cosmic black, pearl sunbeam white

That is a restraining cable, I believe, to prevent one from tilting the fuel tank to far backward. You can just see it in p.3-5 of the service manual, where they also show how to use some of the tool kit to prop up the tank. Frankly, a better prop can be fashioned from a length of wooden dowel.

Hwy 36 lost some of the roller-coastery curves (about a mile's worth) from the east most end - about 10 miles west of Red Bluff - a few years ago, but otherwise it is a fun ride. Here's a short video eastbound on Hwy 36. As St. Stephen said, Hwy 299 is nothing to write home about. Otoh, Hwy 3 between 36 & 299 is a real treat. A good 400 mile ride might start at Yreka and take 263 to 96 west along the Klamath river to 299 at Willow Creek. Along the way is a really fun section between Weitchpec and Hoopa. About 12 miles west of Willow Creek is Titlow Hill road, take it and South Fork Mountain road south to 36 near Mad River. East on Mad River about 20 miles to the junction with 3, then north on it past Weaverville tand on to Yreka. Or at Callahan take Gazelle-Callahan road to Grenada and a short stint on I5 to Yreka. Adventurous souls might try Callahan west to Somes Bar, on 96 just north of Orleans. I did it in 2003 on my VTR1000F and enjoyed it, but the pavement was sketchy in places. Here's a video from back then Gazelle-Orleans by VTR

Thanks for a great write-up & pics of your compact tour in the Sierra Nevadas. Haven't yet ridden Priest Grade, will have to remedy that oversight on my next trip. But I really like roads like J16 from Bear Valley to Snelling - they are so different to any around home. When I get down to this neck of the woods there are a couple favourite roads that you skirted past that other folk don't know about - but you would, of course. Here are Google links to them: Monitor Pass at the east most end of Hwy 89 Gold Lake Hwy - Graeagle to Sierra City

You may recall that I bought my 2009 VFR as n.o.s. in summer 2011. The stator partially failed during my 2015 Colorado trip, which drained the battery under 11 vdc - never a good thing for a m/c battery. A small bike shop in Delta, Colo., supplied an off-brand battery that I used for the rest of the trip, but took my recharged oe Yuasa home with me. Then on the last day of our 2017 California trip I somehow left the key in & ignition on overnight at the motel. Managed to jump start it with a grudgingly cooperative fellow leaving the motel. Back home I put the oe Yuasa on my proper charger before returning it to the bike. Over the years I'd use the oe Yuasa for trips and the no-name for around town. Before this years trip I reinstalled the Yuasa, having sat on the tender for several weeks and it barely started the VFR. So I swapped in the other one for my trip. Anyhow, yesterday whilst running errands the VFR stalled but wouldn't restart. All signs of a flat battery, and a friend's meter confirmed so: 12.5 vdc but dropped under 6 volts when I hit the starter. With a new no-name battery installed there's ~14.2 vdc so at least the stator is working - for now...

Looking through the corner - ✔️ Good body position - ✔️ Having a whale of a time - ✔️✔️

You are a very sensible man 😉 Fwiw, my trip totalled 4740 km, used 259 litres/68.5 galUS/57 gal-Imp, cost ~US$446 or the same in Euro, and I averaged 18km/litre, 43mpg US, 51mpg Imp

This spring someone asked if higher gasoline prices would change your trip plans. That seemed odd to me because there are three main costs to a trip: fuel, meals/food, and accommodation. In the past the breakdown on my trips was 25% for fuel, 25% for meals, and 50% for motels. That is almost exactly what my costs this year came to. But who wants to read about finances? Here's a pretty photo from Pacific Grove, California. You are looking east towards Cannery Row and in the distance is Seaside, Ca., with Laguna Seca nestled in the hills beyond.

It's been a loong three years since my last bike trip way back in 2019. After a false start last year my pal Tony and I began planning our return to Laguna Seca for the MotoAmerica super bike races. America's July 4th holiday complicated route planning with motel rooms sometimes hard to come by, and pricier to boot. With reservations made and a route selected we headed off. One goal this year was to ride thru Lassen Volcanic NP. We've been skunked with bad weather every other time, and again this year. Otoh, it gave us the excuse/necessity of visiting Susanville for breakfast. And the opportunity to revisit an old friend, this mural on 611 Main St. This photo shows it on both my 1995 and 2022 visits. That's my pal, Tony, in this year's pic. More posts of my trip - and what happened to Tony in upcoming posts.