thereisnospoon

Thank you all for the suggestions! here's my slow progress...

1. new, soft, Superbike grips - and i hadn't realized how worn and thin my old ones were :/

2. covered them with grip puppies - the increase in grip size is great and they're really soft - i found the easiest way to install these is to: cut to length, roll them up like a... well it ends up looking like a doughnut, work the doughnut over the end of the grip, unroll towards the center just like a.. doughnut. Of course I did 1 and 2 at the same time, so I just have the sum, but it's far better.

3. steering head bearings - i replaced the original ball bearings with roller bearings about 25k ago and have checked them a few times since (once for a fork rebuild). the originals had a slight detent right in the center which is now gone and smooth.

4. bar ends - I imagine the rubber in these wears over time so they may be worth replacing. when i put pinky and ring fingers over the bar end weights though, they're-a-buzzin compared to the grip. I'll look into heavier ones though. I need to go through the manual and see how to remove them

5a. i loosened my gloves. i prefer gloves with long gauntlets but may have had them too snug. they're a little looser now but certainly won't fall off.

5b. i didn't change anything with my jackets, but i do pay attention to them more now and wriggle around if i notice any tension or tightness in my shoulders. also re-adjusted my backpacks a little

6. avatar description fixed :/ how many years...

So .. to do...

1. balance throttle bodies - it's been a while and they always need a little adjustment. I noticed there is a particular vibration at 4000 rpms, +- a few, i'm avoiding this range now and it helps.

2. re-balance front wheel - i need to replace pads anyway, so while i have the front wheel off, i'll balance it and replace the wheel bearings. this set of tires only has a couple thousand miles but worth a re-balance.

2a. same as above, i'll re-balance it.

3. I need to replace my gloves, the left has a nice hole in the palm. they're sedici so the exchange is free (frequent too) and i'll see if they have others with thicker palms

4. ugh. x-rings are burned out of my master link. chain/sprockets are only about 5k old but the master has to go. i do keep it lubed and adjusted

It's possible that one aggravation is that I always ride with my pointer and middle fingers over the brake and clutch. so they are always absorbing a little vibration through the levers. I might see if I can find a little sleeve of foam to cover them. 

On 11/13/2017 at 4:17 PM, DorsoDoug said:

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=nDUKWrWKI8aYjwSG_qmYBA&sjs=3&q=foam+motorcycle+grip+covers&oq=foam+motorcycle+&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.1.2.0l5.1608.6402.0.9506.17.16.0.1.1.0.316.2166.6j8j1j1.16.0....0...1.1.64.mobile-gws-hp..0.16.2164.0..0i131k1j0i3k1.0.Qjrzhhh5JPM&dlnr=1&sei=pzUKWqbFF4KmjwTLlraIAg

omg how did i not think of googling for shit? 

"what is your take" - that's the sort of question you ask when you're looking for personal experiences. but thanks for your grade A+ commitment to providing useful input and getting another post count. 

to clarify for you, i climb and ride. neither am i willing to give up without a fight. this is why i come to a forum like this to find out if others (see above replies to learn) have had any sort of similar experiences or knowledge that i can learn from. i don't mind throwing money at this but i'm going to try to learn from others along the way. 

1. laterally sliced squishy grips

2. look at dirt bike grips

3. heavier bar ends

4. and a link to the first thing everyone found. 

20 hours ago, COS_VFR said:

Have you considered heavier bar ends, some people think that it reduces the vibration.  Others think that it just changes the frequency, either one might help your problem.

i didn't know that was an option! thank you. i'll look into it. yes, just a change may help. 

3 minutes ago, MaxSwell said:

Back in the old days of 1969 I bought a set of grips that had lateral sections of gell making the grips semi-squishie. I've not seen anything like them but then I have not been looking.

Have you determined that you have no wrist issues like carpal tunnel syndrome? I had CTS and the same symptoms. The numbness was no longer an issue after surgery which I understand is much easier since I had mine done eight years ago.

Good luck.

hi Max. there isn't an underlying condition, but i started indoor climbing some months back and this has aggravated what already happened on long rides. I remember seeing the grips you describe, but can't find them now. i think i'm going to try a pair of "grip puppies" and see if they work at least as well as my foam. 

do you still use softer than standard grips? if so, which ones?

Hi all,

I'm having trouble with my hands starting to go numb after fairly short rides. If this has been discussed, please point me in the right direction ... 

What's your take on the "best" grips for reducing vibration? the rubber and weights inside my handlebars are ok, i definitely feel them vibrate more than the bar does so they're working. they just aren't working good enough for me. I know there are gel and foam grips available but I'm hoping someone has found one that works well to better quell vibration.

My current fix ... is thin foam sheet wrapped around my regular grips. it works, but isn't very sticky so the throttle doesn't stick to my glove particularly well. I have decent riding posture, forearms somewhat flat so that i can't put weight on my hands, and i make sure that i'm holding all my weight with my rather than hands. 

Hi thereisnospoon,

Thank you for your donation of --. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation.

Thanks VFRDiscussion

OOPS! I'm a dumb ass! I cut and pasted the wrong link!

I've edited it now. Thy this one:

Visor Scratch Repair and Prevention

snoman, how did this end up working for you? I have a spot about the size of a dime, almost in the line of sight, that is scratched pretty bad and considering trying the heat gun technique...

Math Check...

so the increase from 17/43 to 17/45 is 4.453%, and that translates roughly to 6267 instead of 6000 RPM in top gear? That isn't much change. One of the reasons that the mileage isn't hurt much or at all is because the engine is running slightly "easier" even though it's spinning a little faster. Sounds like a decent change.

For the increase of two teeth in the rear, does the new chain need to be +2 links from the stock chain length (don't remember that count off hand)?

I had it all memorized then got a speed-o-healer... now i must relearn, and it is much more difficult now that i'm oooooooooolder :p

erion_1_resize.JPG

erion_2_resize.JPG

Got to invest a little bit of my thumb on the spring...

Here is my install. I used a <gasp> 3/8" grade 8, 5" </gasp> bolt because there weren't any 110MM 10MM bolts and I didn't feel like a goose chase. I used a ground down steel spacer with washers at each end for the additional needed length. It's a tad long but didn't take much to get in. I have the compression/rebound adjusters at about a third from full soft and I guessed at the sag and am two clicks towards stiff on the spring collar. Interested to see how it does.

I just purchased a 929 with a white spring (faster, and goes with my Erion slip on, lol) and I'm looking forward to doing this and seeing what difference I feel. I'm also at almost 45k miles on the stock shock... so with all this info and a decent price why not I do like the "plush" (most seem to argue undersprung) feeling of these bikes... but a bit more "bite" would be nice.

Timmy is this all you have done so far or have you put different springs in the front?

I mean no offense to anyone, nor any about the lowering blocks (I love them)... but from personal experience about joint pain. When I got my bike I was about 215 lbs (6')... since then (couple years) I've dropped to about 175. One of the things that was helped was joint pain. At my "high" I was about 240 (certainly young enough that the weight was the contributing factor), taking lots of glucosamine-chondroitin and still had problems. After I dropped the weight, things started to go better, joint pain disappeared, more energy, etc. I'm not a "large" build, I jog but rarely lift weights. What I'm trying to say is that being overweight causes symptoms that people can try to remedy, rather than actually fixing the cause.

Comfort however is greatly improved by the space addition these blocks provide! They are the ToroCharger for your knees.

Has anyone thought about making a water powered fuel cell bike or car or has one working? This may interest ya.

http://water4fuelguide.com/

I have a customer that is making one for his car that will cost less then $500.

Let us know how it works out. I'm skeptical of all the advertising. Water injection has been used for years to reduce combustion temperature, but I don't know about a mileage increase. If "they" are making an electrolysis system that can actually extract the hydrogen then that would be different. I went to a presentation once where a guy had "invented" an electric motor that more than 100% efficient, but was still in development stages. he was looking for investors...

Just ordered my new fan blade Hope it works well. I don't usually have a problem, but don't like the potential. I realized reading this thread that the reason they used a "puller" fan as opposed to the RC51/superhawk/whatever pusher is probably "rider comfort" of not having the fan blowing out hot air thru the radiator up at you or on your leg. The race bikes won't have the same level of expected comfort. I know we see that as a fault, but I guarantee it was intentional. I rode a Sportster. If HD doesn't give a crap about rider comfort (sitting on a furnace) I can live with the fan actually cooling the water.

VFR 180º little bang crank...

I like my widdo bang :biggrin:

good read about the development. the whole theory about allowing the back tire time to rest and "plant" itself before being hit by power is interesting.

I added some el-cheapo grip heaters from Cycle Gear (the resistor type with the same size clutch and throttle side pad sizes) but the difference was amazing, I don't have to wear my heavy winter gloves when it's only 45 anymore The install was pretty easy and I got to get some new grips that have a pretty good matching yellow in them :salesman: Definitely worth the $40 investment (with grips)

Well, it doesn't. In fact it isn't supposed to stay on the chain (for long) :D

Chain oilers are a total loss system: the oil lubes the o-rings and oil and dirt flings off keeping the chain clean.

The PO FAQ has some good info why to use oil instead of spray-on lubricants.

Gear oil doen't stick to the chain as wel as regular motor oil, so you need a richer setting of the PO.

What oils to use in a Pro-Oiler

this kinda got to me...

some bikes are harder on chains than others (rule of thumb, 4-cylinder bikes are easiest on the chain)

those boss hoss big blocks would just kill 520 chain without an oiler.

Sebspeed asked me to check the horn install I did on my bike in the spring, to see if there was any "surprises" that I might not have noticed.

I just took the biek out, and had a close look. Everything looks great. No rub marks on any lines, the horn is still tight into the bracket, alls good.

Heres a bunch of pictures - more for Seb to get anidea of how it fits.

I go the Stebel off of Lobster, and he was kind enough to epoxy a screen over the output area, so that it wouldn't get filled up with crud.....

So I just noticed (unless i'm nuts)... your horn tank/motor appears to be laying on it's instead of "within 15 degrees of vertical"... It is still working well in this orientation? If it is, wonder what is the reason they want it mounted vertically?

My bad! I'm sorry my personal life is slowing down your bike modifications. Bracket was made from 3/16" aluminum and

keep in mind - additional cutting may be required if you use OEM brake lines.

Stebel Front View.jpg

Stebel Angle 1.jpg

Stebel Angle 2.jpg

Stebel diagram.jpg

Ok, time to find a Stebel...

Very Cool!! Mmmm yellow LED's hehe. Is the mirror extender cast or a chunk of acrylic?

Hey Beck-

Do you know of a model or retailer? I have come across a couple online but they didn't have any dimension information. I like the idea...

Maybe the older air horn design with the separate air pump and trumpets might work better for a space defecient 5th gen. The horns are ususally small, thin and light plastic affairs that could be squeezed into tight spaces within the 5th gen's tight fairings. Supporting the light trumpet units should be very easy because it does not need heavy support brackets. In fact you might even just zip-tie the buggers on to anything solid enough. All you need to adjust is the legnth of the air tubes. The air pump unit should be small enough to find room for, somewhere in the near vicinity of the trumpets.

Regarding the Vtec and Stebel horns, I think you can even mount two of those Stebel units on a 6th gen, one under each of the fairing "boobs" , immediately above the radiators. That could make for a trian like sound to blast away those pesky Volvo Estate drivers.

Just a thought I'd like to share.....

Beck

95 VFR

Yeah, not enough space for it. Someone had one mounted under the rear faring near the reg/rect (or on the opposite side) but thats the only installation I've come across. It almost looks like there is enough room between the front headers and the engine but that may just be a figment. Some of the "driving" situations I've come across though I'd settle for having it taped on above the headlights.

Why cant you install them on a 5th gen? no room?

Seriously, someone needs to produce a 5th gen compliant Air Horn!

Just FYI to all out there....this doesn't work on a 5th Gen. I tried and tried and tried and tried and tried..... :huh:

now we're talkin thanks for the link!

Check out this thread http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...c=22997&hl=

post #6 shows what i did to help this problem and there are some thoughts on spinning the fan backwards.

I'm thinking of modifying this slightly... to turn the fan off. On the way home yesterday 104 degrees + 80mph = 230 degrees of engine temp. Since the fan was running the whole time fighting the airflow I think it needs some attention.

Has anyone made the fan spin backwards? Probably more trouble than its worth, but pulling the air in with the fan so its more "comfortable" is silly... The left shin is rather warm anyway.

HS, can you repost your pics? I know its been a while... Thanks