TimC

I have a Hepco & Becker rear luggage rack on my BMW, and have considered adding one of their top boxes for trips. They're spendy but I would love to have waterproof and lockable storage available for long days and trips.

Congratulations on your VFR and welcome to the forum! 🙂

Congrats on your 6th gen. and welcome to the forum! 🙂

There aren't many motorcycle shops left near where I live, as most of the smaller ones closed in the last 10-15 years. There are several in Cleveland, but not closer to my town. There is one large dealership just north of Akron, and they deal all Big 4 brands, plus Aprilia and now Triumph, too. They usually have a pretty good variety of new bikes on the sales floor, but there are also models they never stock. At least their prices are fair, and they have a decent but not great selection of riding gear and some accessories available. I visit dealerships on kind of regular basis, mostly to look at new and used bikes, and just for fun. Once in a while I need a small part or accessory, or a new piece of riding gear. But having a BMW means most aftermarket accessories in local shops (except for the BMW dealer) won't work on my bike. At least the sales staff and parts counter folks are usually friendly and generally helpful. I'm never really in the market so I don't want to waste the sales staff's time, but if they aren't busy they can be pleasant to talk to about some bikes and riding.

We had snow here in NE Ohio earlier this week, but even without it the mornings are in the low 30s, so still too cold to commute on the bike. It's supposed to be in the mid-50s and dry this Sunday, so I'm hoping to get a short ride in, or at least do a little work to my Beemer in the garage without my hands getting frozen.

Welcome to the forum from Ohio! 🙂 Good luck with your search for a VFR1200. I don't think there are a ton out there for sale at any given time, but when you do see them they're generally in pretty good condition. If I may ask, are there any particular reasons you're focusing on that generation of the bike rather than one of the 800s?

I moved on from a 6th gen. VFR to a BMW R nineT model almost five years ago. I don't regret the new bike, but sometimes wish I had kept that VFR. I still think I might buy another one someday, but as the years pass that gets less and less likely. 😞

Nice write-up, HS! 👍 I've always wanted one of the original Super Duke 990's from the mid-2000s. Never could afford one back in the day, but older ones are cheap now. But I already have a naked bike somewhat similar to the SD, even if it's not as sporty as a Duke, so that KTM will just have to remain one of my dream bikes.

I remember several years ago taking my VFR out for either a mid- or late-winter ride where there was still some salt on the roads. Not only is it bad for your motorcycle, but I found out it tastes awful, too! That was back with my VFR was getting older, had a ton of miles on it, and was already less than perfect cosmetically, so I didn't worry much about the salt. It's a little harder to just ignore it and go ride now on a newer bike, though in a few more years and some additional miles I might get back to the frame of mind to just go ride.

Great pic! 👍

The last several years, I usually did an oil and filter change as part of winterizing my bike (VFR for a few years and now my BMW). The Beemer got an oil change in late 2023, just before its annual hibernation. Come spring time, it was ready to rock. But I only put about 1,800 miles on it last year, so I let it go this time. The manual says to change it every 6,000 miles or every 12 months, whichever comes first. But I'm very reluctant to change it after less than a third of its recommended mileage, especially since few of those 1,800 miles were run very hard, and definitely not in adverse environmental conditions. I'm probably going to let it go for now. I have new oil and another filter on the shelf ready to go. I'm going to have to replace the battery in my bike this spring, as it's on its way out, so I'll probably do the oil and filter change then, too. What the hell, it's only $100.

In 2020, after owning my 6th gen. for 14 years as my only bike, I bought a BMW R nineT Pure. As I got older, the ergonomics of my VFR started to take a toll on long days and trips, to the point where my neck and knees hurt after several hours or 300-400 miles. I just couldn't do it anymore. I know a set of bar risers and lower footpegs would have helped, but I was also just ready to move on to another bike. I chose the R nineT Pure for several reasons, but most importantly it put a big smile on my face right from the start of my test ride. The boxer twin (this being the older air/oil-cooled version) is different and has nice character, the ergonomics are somewhat sporty, the bike is somewhat versatile, it's more basic than most new bikes, it's reliable, very customizable, it was affordable, and it looks great in my opinion. I miss my VFR sometimes, and I have considered buying another one, but I doubt that will happen. There are still a couple other bikes I'd like to experience, so one of those will probably be my next bike, maybe a few or several years from now.

Congratulations on the new-to-you bike!! 🙂

I've run Dunlop RoadSmart III's for my last few sets of new tires and have loved them. That's not to say they're the best tires ever, but I've been very happy with their grip in wet and dry conditions for all types of riding and in their endurance, lasting much longer than many tires I've tried before. Personally, if I can still get the III's in the future, I will buy them. The slight gains in the IV's won't be worth the higher price to me, especially since I know the III's have been terrific.

Yikes. If you find out what brand those pads were can you please let us know so we can avoid them? I replaced the original elbow and shoulder pads in my textile jacket about four years ago. They had hardened and started to crack and split apart. I'm not sure how old they were, but it was probably 10+ years. I replaced them with Icon D30 LP2 armor, which had great reviews online. I like that the pads have a vented design, which should keep me a little cooler on hot days. It took a little work to put them into my jacket's pockets, but they fit just fine.