TimC

Same here on the winter blues. I was really hoping for some very late season riding, but the weather has not cooperated. And when it was mild enough to ride a couple days recently I was busy with other things. There might be a couple decent days left here in NE Ohio this month, but at this point I'm better off winterizing the bike and shopping for any mods and accessories I want or need for next year. 😕 Thanks for posting the great photos and videos, @Sweeper !!

I carry a small first aid kit during trips and tours, but otherwise do not carry one regularly. I should have one with me during long single-day rides, too. I don't have a link to the one I bought, but I think I bought it at Dick's Sporting Goods. It isn't the best but hopefully I'll never need it! 😉

Congratulations on your VFR and welcome to the forum from Ohio, USA! 🙂

Hi TimC, Thank you for your donation of --. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion

Must...resist...posting in...an oil thread... 😐 Ugh. I can't help it. Here we go. A little context first: I bought a like-new, bone-stock 2004 VFR in August 2006 with just 4,200 miles on it. I rode it. A lot. I sold it two years ago with just over 101,000 miles on the clock. I changed the oil regularly, every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, depending on what oil I'd last put in it. Shorter intervals for regular or semi-synthetic, and longer intervals for full synthetic. The engine was still funning as smoothly and strongly as ever when I sold the bike. When the local Honda dealer shop changed the oil (which they did a few times in the early years of my VFR ownership), they probably used whatever they were supposed to, hopefully the Honda oil, but I never asked. I did a bit of research a few times over the years as to what oil I should use when I changed it myself. Opinions varied, as did the data people posted, just as we've seen forever. When I changed the oil myself, I believe I started with regular automotive 10W-40 oil. Valvoline or something decent. Then as the bike got a little older and the mileage increased, I switched to "high mileage" semi-synthetic 10W-40. I tried a different viscosity when my CCT started clacking, hoping the oil would help. (If I remember correctly it didn't make a big difference.) In the last several years I had the VFR I went back and forth between the Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 and regular automotive full synthetic Mobil 1 10W-40, usually opting for the later because it was cheap at Walmart, who usually had it in stock. By the way, I think in the early years I used a couple cheaper oil filters, but soon started buying better ones. K&N, Mobil, etc. Motorcyclists talk about oil a lot, but not as much about oil filters, and we probably should. So here's my point. I'm no scientist or expert, but judging from my experience and the bit of reading I did along the way, as long as you use good oil in the right viscosity, your VFR will probably be fine. I put 97,000 miles on a 6th gen. VFR over 14 years, using a variety of oils (and filters), and never once had any kind of issue with the engine (not including the failure-prone CCT). If you are racing or doing track days on your VFR, subjecting it to extreme use often, I can see the value in pinpointing the exact best oil to prevent mechanical failure. You can do the same to help ensure engine longevity for decades to come. But for average use - like mine was - choose what you like within reason, and you'll probably be okay. That's just my opinion, take it or leave it.

Congrats on that sweet bike! Looks like it's in terrific condition, too. 🙂 When it was announced Buell was closing down and the HD dealers starting blowing out the remaining bikes in their inventories, I considered buying one of these in the naked version. I didn't really have the money at the time, and I wasn't looking to replace my VFR, so I passed. But I still think about buying a nice one for a fun short-ride road rocket. Congrats again. I'd love to read a review if you'd care to write one after putting a few miles on her.

What a terrific looking bike! I've always kind of liked the quirky looks of Moto Guzzis, but never really considered buying one. The Mandello looks like a great sport-touring option. And I love that it's different. It appeals to the non-conformist in me. But the downside for me is the dealer network. If my bike needed warranty work, the closest dealer is 150 miles away. And if I were on a trip and the bike broke down? Yikes. Still, I'd like to have something like a V7 or V9 for commuting and shorter rides. Seems like it would be a blast to ride!

Your passenger looks pretty terrible, too! I don't envy you that weather. Good luck on the ride home and be safe!

Congrats on your 6th gen. and welcome to the forum from Ohio! 🙂 I'm guessing (or hoping) you got a good deal on that VFR. Good luck getting it all sorted and back on the road where it belongs!

I have attended the Cleveland show every other year or so, whether I was in the market for a new bike or not. Sometimes I was just looking for a couple specific accessories or pieces of riding gear. Regardless, it was fun to walk around and check out most* of the current models I hadn't yet seen and some new models that were coming soon. I have to agree with @ducnut -- the Cleveland show was usually in late January, sometimes making for a very cold walk into and out of the show, especially since I didn't want to wear or carry my winter coat the 2-4 hours I was inside. The West Coast and southern shows usually had test rides available outside, which just wasn't possible in Cleveland in the dead of winter. Still, it was fun to go and be immersed in motorcycle stuff for a few hours when I couldn't ride my own bike. * I say "most" because invariably there were new and existing models missing from some manufacturers' booths. I'd go to the show excited to see the latest Honda, Ducati, or whatever, and sometimes they weren't there at all. It never made sense to me why when you have a huge booth (like the Big 4 always did) they didn't bring one of every model available, even the less popular ones. Even though I was sometimes disappointed at the show, I'll be sad if this is really the end of the IMS shows.

Great write-up and photos from what looks like a terrific day of riding! Thanks for sharing them here!! 🙂

Is there a local number for the hotel so we can contact them directly? I'm pretty sure that's how I made my reservation for the event this past May.

I don't know if it would help, or if you'd even consider it, but Oakley makes prescription sunglasses, including some of the "wrap" style frames used by athletes. It might still be a pain fitting them inside a helmet without slots for glasses, but the benefit would be the rubber coated temples (the arms/side pieces) should help keep the glasses from bouncing around. Also, the straight temples would push into your helmet and not have to wrap around your ears, making the glasses easier to put on and take off. They aren't going to be cheap, but maybe it's a solution. For trips and long days I prefer to wear contact lenses, which gives me the option of sunglasses. But I've also been fine just wearing normal glasses most of the time. One nice benefit of the contact lenses is no fogging up of eyeglasses in the rain, mist, and/or cold temps.

I wish I could join you all down there this weekend, but my weekend is booked solid with gigs with a few different bands. Have fun and be safe! 👍

Welcome to VFRD from NE Ohio! Great looking 5th gen. you have there! 🙂