TimC

Congrats on the pending VFR and welcome to the forum from Ohio, USA!

I've only owned HJC and Scorpion helmets so far, and I've been pretty happy with them.  I've looked at AGVs and like them, but haven't found one yet I preferred over another option.

As for the premium brand lids, I've considered a couple Shoei's, but the pricing has become kind of ridiculous.  At this point I've had to stumble onto a great deal or buy an outgoing model on sale.  (Also, Arai's don't fit me correctly.)

I tend to only have one helmet at a time, and I keep them for several years.  Next time I'm in the market for a new one I'll probably expand my search.  Even if a premium lid is 2-3 times the price of what I'd usually buy, if you think about how the cost averages out over 5-6 years, it really isn't that much.

Welcome to the forum from Ohio, USA, and thanks for sharing those photos of your great looking VFR! 🙂

On 11/25/2023 at 5:06 PM, bmart said:

Here in the states, you can't give those ZX7S bikes away. Just too many better choices available. 

 

That 600 will be just great. Congrats!

My first bike was a red ZR-7S.  It was really too big a bike for my first, adult motorcycle but I managed not to hurt myself on it.  Several months after buying that bike I sold it to a friend and upgraded to a 6th gen VFR.

Looking back, that ZR was actually a pretty good bike, though I think it was kind of known for being a 'parts bin' bike, cobbled together from parts Kawasaki was already making for other machines.  They are rare to see now, and I always smile when I do see one.  🙂

Welcome to the forum! 🙂

I sold my 6th gen. with 101,000 miles (162,000 km) and it was still in great mechanical condition, and still in good cosmetic condition.  It needed some long-term maintenance items (replace bearings) and was due for routine maintenance (flush and replace all fluids), and a few other minor maintenance items, but I trust that bike would have just kept running with little worry over major failures for many more years.

If you can buy the parts and do the work yourself, an aging VFR will not cost you an arm and a leg.  At 100k kms/65k miles, I would expect the chain and sprockets have been replaced a few times, as well as the brake pads.  When were those last done?  I would ask if the thermostat has been replaced, and if so when.  You would need to check when the bike was last fully serviced - fluids, spark plugs, etc., plus see if there are any outstanding warranty items - but even all these things shouldn't break the bank.

And the good news is most VFR owners take pretty good care of their motorcycles.  That's no guarantee, but these are quite durable bikes.  I only sold mine because I was ready for something different.  There have been a few times when I wished I had kept my VFR!

If I remember correctly, 6th gen. VFRs with ABS have gold brake calipers.  Non-ABS bikes have black brake calipers.  Maybe that changed at some point during the 6th gen's run, but it should be true for your 2004.

Congrats on your VF and welcome to the forum from Ohio! 🙂

I'm not generally a fan of lighting like this on motorcycles, but I have to say the lights on @SubyRS's VFR are tastefully done.  It's not the usual blingy look we see on many cruisers.

The placement of those lights reminds me of the the big lifted pickup truck I saw recently that had lights in the wheel wells, highlighting the suspension parts.  And while I'm also not a fan of lifted trucks either, I'll admit it looked pretty darn cool.

Do what makes you happy and makes the bike look good to you.  I added a small Wunderlich frame button to my Beemer a while back.  Pure bling, just for looks, no functionality really, and it doesn't stand out, but it makes me smile a little when I see it.  🙂

Congrats on your 5th gen. and welcome to the forum from Ohio! 🙂 

Welcome to the forum!

You're right -- this is the absolute best place for all things VFR.  It's an absolute wealth of information on maintenance, mods, repairs, and great people.  🙂

Congratulations on your VFR and welcome to the forum! 🙂

2 hours ago, VetteJim said:

Is this forum mainly for the VFR800's?  Or are there just a lot more of the 800's out there? 

Congrats on that beautiful VFR1200 and welcome to the forum from Ravenna, OH!  🙂

This forum is for all VFRs, but yes, there are probably more 800s out there than any other generations.  I'm a former 6th gen. owner myself, but stuck around here because the people are great!

Welcome to the forum from Ohio, USA, and good luck with the purchase!

I hope you'll report back on how it went, and post a couple photos of your new-to-you VFR!  🙂

Very sorry to hear of this.  My condolences to Duc2V4 and to Lance's family and friends.

I'm only going to chime in here because I believe I have the same SC Project exhaust can (the Conic titanium) as @slo1 on my BMW R nineT.  Completely different bike than a VFR, of course, but my experience matches slo1's -- no noticeable difference in performance, but the sound is a little better than the single OEM can it replaced.  You can definitely feel a difference in the weight when handling the two exhausts, but once it's on the bike I couldn't tell a difference.  I'm running mine with the baffle in, and it sounds just a little deeper than the stock unit did.

Of course, it looks better, too.  😉 

I have no idea how it is on the 8th gen. VFR, but with my Beemer, one nice bonus is because the SC Project exhaust can is a little shorter and sticks up a bit higher than the OEM can, I don't have to loosen the exhaust to remove the rear wheel.  With the stock can I had to loosen it to remove the rear wheel.

Awesome videos - thanks for sharing them here! 🙂

Seeing those really makes me miss riding in the mountains, something I've not done yet this year.  But also, NC226A reminds me very much of most of the roads I hit regularly in SE Ohio.  Gravel driveways, pavement imperfections, etc.  It's a more technical road than many in that corner of Ohio, but the challenges are similar.

I'm glad the turnout was good.  I wish I'd been able to attend.  Maybe next year!

Congrats on your two VFRs and welcome to the forum! 🙂

I bought and installed a QuadLock for my iPhone this summer, and it works great. If you go that route (or with any other brand for that matter) be sure to add the vibration dampener. Even mild vibes from a motorcycle engine and the road can quickly kill a smartphone's camera, and most companies will not warranty the phone due to damage from mounting it on a motorcycle.

Glad to hear you are doing well and are able to ride again, @Grum !!  🙂

Great idea for a way of transporting bottles without breakage!  I may have to do the same but on a more limited basis with bourbon during my next ride to Kentucky.  👍

Welcome back! 🙂

I think most dealers' shop mechanics do decent work.  But not all them have a passion for it.  To them it's probably just a job, like many people feel about their work.  Which is to say they might do it well, but when it comes to working on our motorcycles, we probably have much more concern about it being perfect when we do our own work vs. when a shop mechanic works on it.

As for plugs, it stinks having to pay a dealer shop for something that didn't really need to be done.  But knowing it was done and now won't need to be done again for years is some peace of mind.  And if you're doing these things yourself, in the long run plugs and filters are cheap enough that if you do replace them more often that is needed you're not really just throwing money away.

At least you get to wear out the sides of tires.  Very few decent curves where I live, so my tires always get squared off and worn to the cords before I can even try wearing the edges off!

On 8/12/2023 at 1:04 PM, Trevorf said:

Maybe I'm too fussy....but I want bikes in my garage with some character.  🙂

I don't think that's fussy at all.  When I was shopping for a bike to replace my VFR, it had to have character.  I ended up with a BMW R nineT Pure, which has tons of character in my opinion.

Thanks for that information on the Suzuki, and good luck with your search for a VFR1200!

Welcome to the forum from northern Ohio!  Also, great fleet you have there!  👍

I'm curious what would lead you to part with the GSXS1000GT+ so soon.  I've looked at these, thinking it would make a nice sport-tourer to replace my old 6th gen. VFR I sold a few years ago.

You said the rear tire is now touching the ground when the bike is on the centerstand.  Is that a fairly new tire, or a worn one?  With my old 6th gen. I found there could be a pretty big difference with how much the rear tire was in the air depending on the brand/model of the tire and how new or worn it was.

Congrats on the weight loss!!  I've lost 20-some pounds this year, and hoping to lose much more.  It definitely makes a difference in how I feel on the bike, and the responsiveness of the bike's suspension.

Also, glad to hear Traxxion did great work for a low cost and turned it around quickly!  👍

Sounds like a great trip, Seb!  Thanks for sharing some details and the photos here.

Sorry to hear about the problem with the rear shock.  I don't think I've seen that many blown seals like that.  Any idea what caused it to fail?