Bent

OH MAN!! Don't get rid of the BMW. The boxer engine is a torque monster that just goes and goes, and goes. BMW makes great bikes. After two of them and zero problems, I know.

FWIW, the 5th, 6th, and now 8th gens. I have owned all had the fan come on at 221 degrees.

That's an idea I would drop if you can see with your OEM set-up. The LED's on an 8th gen. are good for about two car lengths at night but the white light does alert oncoming better in daylight. Anyone used to riding a MC can tell when they're being seen. The OEM sixth gen. are MUCH better for night riding.

Nope. Get an AirBnb. Motels in the area are ridiculously priced. Leaf peepers must have a lot of money or be stupid. I quit tents a LONG time ago.

One of the things that will never happen is a motorcycle with everything easy to access and work on. Dreaming again.......

I know how you do it. No criticism meant. I have slowed down condiserably though.

That's still very good mileage. Don't know how people get over 3K on any kind of rear tire.

Nice ride. Consider ditching that OEM bazooka muffler. Saves a lot of weight depending on the slip on you get.

FromMaine is right. The hub doesn't need to come off. The job is, to me, a messy and PIA job but a shop would do it wrong for too much money. You can do it. I recommend using Honda sprockets. Just my opinion on that.

Rubbed it down with Honda Cleaner/Polish and let it dry. Nobody has come along to wipe it off so I guess I'll have to do it.....

Just got back from 4 days to and from The Great Smoky Mountains riding some of the most technical curves in the country while there. Total: 962 curvy miles the entire way from my driveway. The 8th gen. took almost all of it at high throttle and heavy engine braking with no ill results. Tough bike in the garage. Rode The Dragon too much. It's a dangerous place to be on...don't advise riding it any more. Too many incompetent Hog riders. It is what it is.

I've run through a rising flock of wild turkeys twice. It's a miracle one didn't hit me in the head. Quite a surprise when they're hidden in the shoulder grass and you surprise them and they fly right into you. I ride slower through that area now.

Damn! Someone told me you were kidnapped and the ransom wasn't paid.....

Winter, that's just wrong right now!! I'm enjoying the beginnings of a beautiful Fall!! Going riding in the mountains soon while the leaves fall. To get more specific on chains, I find that overly tight chains cause poor shifting. Right now my shifting is perfect with that crisp "snick" making rev matching easy. I just changed the clutch fluid which can make a difference as well.

That puts some scientific logic on things. Thanks Terry! A chain can actually be run very loose and still do fine. I see no reason for it to be "very loose" but I've seen it with no problems. Very tight just doesn't seem logical.....

Bled the clutch and brake fluid. First time for that job for me. Don't need the Motion Pro bleeder I bought. It just gets in the way. The new fluid does make a very distinct difference. Much crisper braking and shifting. Brake fluid looked so so but the clutch fluid was very dirty with crap in the reservoir. Moral to the story: change your fluid on time.

Same where I live. I think insurance is like government too. They waste too much money. Money corrupts.

I have to laugh at myself now. I learned that finding OEM Honda pads for an 8th gen. is not so easy. Most places have them on back order (meaning they don't sell a lot of them so why stock them). I found the fronts at "Wild West Honda" in Texas for $25. per side cheaper than my LBS. After looking at the new ones, then the original pads on my bike, I decided not to change them. New pads are thinner than I expected and I concluded the fronts, though thin, are not worn out at all. I'll have pads when I need them now. Off to the mountains we go! Oh, and curiously, it's in the owner's manual that Honda recommends engine braking. I do it a LOT anyway but interesting to hear a manufacturer recommend it. I've never heard of a VFR suffering cylinder or ring wear so I'll do it even more now, LOL!

Squirt some GT85 in the pivot points and it will be like it should be. GT85 is a relatively unknown jewel for lubrication and penetrations. Bicycle shops use it a lot and I've found it's good for about anything needing penetration and good lubrication. Much better product than WD40.

Answered my own question. Scenic View Motel in Bryson City...."spend a night, not a fortune". They're re-modeled the rooms and it's pretty peachy and not expensive. I'm planning a W. NC trip later in October just to get alone and ride the twisties, spend the night, ride again spend the night and ride again, spend the night and ride the twisties all the way home. Once I replace a front tire and bleed the brakes and clutch fluid, my 8th gen. is ready to rip. Gettin' excited right now. 😎

Insurance is one of those "damned if you do and damned if you don't" propositions. I'm not lucky enough to not have it.

Run your chain looser than what Honda recommends and it might last longer. No scientific proof but a lot of people do that. I've gotten 28K from VFR chains doing this. As far as chain lube, it's like "fuel injector cleaners".....they all work, just use it. Honda recommended differential lube works great, is the cheapest, and doesn't attract grit and grime unless you slop it on.

All I know for sure is that, for some reason Amsoil makes all three VFR's I've owned shift better than other brands. I don't care why, just use it for that reason. Years of oil threads here and elsewhere have concluded that no particular oil has ever caused an engine failure or been proven to shorten the engine life of a VFR. If I'm wrong, the details would be interesting to read about. Oil is like beer. Everyone has their favorite.......; )

All VFR's are old and obsolete. I suspect one reason Honda doesn't sell them in the U. S. any longer is that people here have always had the "Like who would pay that anyway" attitude towards the bike. It's a strange situation. On two forums, people love VFR's but have never been willing to pay much for them. V4's are heavy and cost more to make so wishing for a liter V4 bike that weighs 400# and costs 6K new isn't going to happen. So, Honda, not being stupid, probably said "hell with it, we won't sell them any longer". People that ride VFR's are fading away in the U. S. just like this forum is no longer active. Enjoy them while they're here.

I'm very scientific about which oil I use (not). I just use Amsoil motorcycle 10w-40 because, through experience, for some reason I don't care about, I know the bike shifts better with it than others (like Mobil 1) and the engine is much much quieter with synthetic than dino. I use motorcycle specific because Honda recommends it. They know more than anyone else what their design is made for. I use 10w-40 because when Honda switched to 10w-30 recommendations it was strictly due to alleged mileage increases. They didn't change anything else in the engine and I run the hell out of it in the mountains. No, I don't like their multi-level marketing but just don't care. It works, the bike shifts best for me using it and I don't worry about it.