TimC

How about these? http://www.redwingshoes.com/ProductResults...bType=Lace%20Up

I'm not partial to these styles myself, but Red Wing makes some great boots.

I have a particular backpack that I zip tie to my tail bag. It is on backwards so the shoulder straps connect at the rear of the bag/bike. It doesn't touch my back and helps as a theft deterrent. I carry a pair of cutters to remove the zip ties when I get to my destination and of course have extras for the trip home. It works great!! :salesman:

That's an interesting idea, Nicole. You wouldn't happen to have a pic of that setup, would you?

I use my backpack a lot for commuting and running errands, but I don't like wearing it during trips. It just gets uncomfortable after awhile.

I wear an HJC AC-12 Carbon, in the "Vader" print. Got it during a terrific sale (XXL only) at newenough.com. Not the quietest lid around, but it fits me well and the quality of construction is very good. Plus of course it's very light!

I'm a big "form follows function" person, so most 'blingy' mods for appearances' sake only seem really unnecessary to me. That being said, some of them look very cool, but for the most part I'd rather put the money into working mods - or for gas into my tank for more great rides!

My $0.02...Unless it's about the color of the bike, buying a brand new current year bike when leftover (still new) '06s and '07s are available for less money is kind of a waste of money. Keep in mind, too, that you'll pay more for insurance each year with an '08 vs. a slightly older bike.

But if you gotta have the grey (which I do like), sounds like it's reasonable to expect to pay a couple grand less than MSRP. Frankly, however, I'd be surprised if many normal-sized Honda dealers have '08s in stock. Considering the last couple years' worth of VFRs didn't fly out the door, there's no reason for them to order new '08s that won't sell quickly either.

Buy It Now set at $3500?!

That thing looks like it got the (TV show) "Pimp My Ride" treatment.

There's also this thread about the Luggage Locker group buy going on now:

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...=39275&st=0

The Luggage Locker is basically a fancy tailbag. What's nice is that it doesn't require bungees or extra straps.

If you're doing 3-4 day trips, I think you should couple a tailbag with a decent sized tankbag. Tailbags will hold a lot, but probably not that much, so the tankbag can hold the overflow, plus you'll have a couple options for carrying stuff during overnight and long daytrips, too.

OMG. That's just about the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

Just goes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Congrats on the nice new boots, Travis! :thumbsup:

I ended up buying a pair of Thor 50/50 boots from the Iron Pony a couple months ago. Kind of a hiking boot style, over the ankle, two buckles, and comfortable for walking when off the bike. Haven't worn them while riding yet, but looking forward to getting a ton of use out of them this year.

Glad to hear you like your new skins, Gamer! I've loved the Conti Road Attacks I put on last year, but sometime this spring I'll be putting a set of Storms on my '04. I've heard nothing but great things about them from friends here on VFRD.

BTW, the stock Bridgestones that were on my bike weren't terrible, tho not real good either. But I can't condemn them too much since they had 4200 miles on them when I bought the bike used. Still, the RAs were a night and day difference from the 'Stones.

I personally think Bar End mirrors are about the ugliest thing there is...and convex mirrors mean depth perception is off.

I think it depends on the bike. On my Ducati Monster they looked a million times better than the stock mirrors.

I agree - bar end mirrors depend on the the particular bike. IMO many naked sportbikes look better with bar end mirrors than the long stalk and circular or rectangular slab mirrors. Last year I rode with a guy who had a very sharp orange Kawi Z1000 with bar end mirrors that looked totally sweet.

Don't forget there are different styles of bar end mirrors - different shapes and made of different materials.

I may not be as crazy about bar enders on a faired bike, but 'm looking forward to seeing how the whole package looks on your VFR, Wesley. And to seeing how those lights look when they're lit up!

Thanks for the write-up and pix, guys. Wish you had a couple pix of the new 1kRR, but I'm sure I'll see one at a dealer this spring. Not that I'm in the market for a new ride, but I am curious.

I didn't go to the Cleveland show last weekend, otherwise I would probably have seen both the new Honda and the new Buell 1125R I've been wanting to see. But like I said, I'll see them soon enough.

I haven't done more than about 450 miles in a single day, and I've never done a long-distance tour. My long rides have either been point-to-point to a destination 400 miles away, or 400+ miles riding to and among SE Ohio twisties and then back home again.

I rode up to Ontario last year for a friend's wedding, then down to Indiana to my parents' house the next day. Those were solo days and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I like riding with friends, too, but I like the freedom and solitude of riding alone sometimes.

I really enjoyed all the pix and stories above. Thanks for sharing them, everyone. I dream of heading out west or to the northeast, just me and my bike, packing essentials and maybe even taking a sleeping bag and small tent and camping along the way. But I can't take a solo riding vacation, leaving the wife and kids at home, feeling very selfish in the process. Maybe someday, but for now I take a day or two at a time instead and visit closer twisties and beautiful scenery.

I have a Joe Rocket Manta tankbag that has a small cellphone pouch on top with a little clear window so I can see the display, tho if someone calls I may not see it light up - and I certainly wouldn't answer it while riding, but at least sometimes I can see that someone is calling or that I have a voice mail.

If I'm not using the tankbag I put the phone in my zip-up breast pocket inside the jacket. I may start carrying it there all the time.

BTW, it's a good idea to carry a couple small Ziplock baggies with you. If it starts to rain, put your phone (or other gizmo) in the baggie and then in your pocket.

I prefer carbon fiber over them all...

I love the looks of CF cans, too, but it kinda depends on the color of the bike.

I would think the Ti cans would be less susceptible to dents than the AL ones. Weight might be about the same given wall thicknesses in this application, but Ti should last longer due to its "give", whereas AL is more likely to crack or break after the same number of cycles. (Think Ti vs. AL bicycle frames.)

Of course, I'm not metallurgist, so what the heck do I know?

I do like the looks of the Ti cans better tho, b/c they match the other "dull silver" looks of the passenger pegs and brackets and a few other parts.

I put a set of Road Attacks on my VFR last year. Other than those Conti's I had run only the stock Bridgestones on a couple different bikes, so I don't have a lot to compare the RAs to. But I loved them. Great sport-touring tires IMO, plus they are a great value. And they lasted for 8-9k miles.

What kind of milage did you get out of your Sport Attack? What type of riding do you do?

Did you mostly ride in the warmer months? This will give me an idea on road timps sorta.

I'm hardly ever on major hwy's.

Anyway, thanks for your input.

I just put on the rear Sport Attack near the end of the '07 riding season, so I probably have less than 1000 miles on it so far. I try to ride year round, but the weather and roads have been terrible over the last month. I ride a lot of straight miles for trips and commuting, and I'm usually pretty easy on the throttle for acceleration, but dial it up a bit in the few short twisties around here. I would say it's wearing fairly evenly so far, but wearing faster than the Road Attack did, which makes sense.

I may go ahead and replace the front Road Attack this spring even if there is still some tread left on it. I might go for a Sport Attack to match the rear tire for now, then put another set of sport touring tires on it before my first long trip this year.

I'm running a Road Attack on the front and a Sport Attack on the rear. Not the way it's supposed to be - usually you want the softer tire on the front.

I mounted Road Attacks front and rear last spring and the rear wore out first (no surprise there) tho it did last over several thousand miles. When I replaced it I wasn't planning to stick with Conti's for another season, but wanted a matched set of tires - at least in tread design - so to finish off the front Conti I went with the softer Sport Attack rear, figuring they'd be done at about the same time so I can move on to a different set of matched tires this spring (probably Avon Storms).

Last fall I felt the front slip a hair a couple times. Talk about a bad feeling. I think the tire may have lost a bit of its grip after 8-9k, but I also know the roads were colder and my tires not as warm in the cold weather when those tiny slips happened. As long as I'm riding at a reduced pace in the corners I'm fine with this set-up, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If you just put a new Road Attack on the rear and feel like you've felt the front slip in the past, go with a Sport Attack. I would think that the Sport front and Road rear would wear about the same, or the front might even wear a little faster depending on just how soft that compound is.

I loved my Road Attacks and they handled great and lasted many miles, but I'm just ready to try something else for this year.

That Sargent bag looks very nice. I'm looking for a bigger tank bag for tours and that one might be a good option.

I've had a couple smaller tank bags, but I'm with Motor Ref - I haven't found the perfect one yet. I like the Oxford bags, but I put one on my VFR at a shop last fall and the magnets were "wimpy". Seemed like the bag pulled off kind of easily. When doing 90 on the freeway, I'd like to be sure it won't fly off.

I voted for the Conti Road Attacks, mostly b/c I rode them last year and loved them. A terrific ST tire IMO. Did a lot of freeway miles and several good twisty roads rides, too, and the RAs handled it all very well.

They lasted several thousand miles, too. In fact, I'm still on the front tire that got installed about 8k-9k ago. But that tire lost a little grip by last fall, tho that could have been a product of not being warmed up enough on colder roads.

:thumbsup: That's what I'd do. I've thought about this mod myself, and may attempt it next off-season.

I like the looks of this placement very much. It seems to me you'd get optimal illumination down low from placing the lights on the forks. But I also think it might be the best set-up for being seen by oncoming motorists b/c it spreads the lights out more from the bike's headlights.

I was in the market for a decent pair of non-racing style boots and bought semi-offroad boots made by Thor, their "50/50" boots. Two buckles, no laces, pretty comfy for wider feet like mine. Feels more like a hiking boot, with the boot height being about like a good hiking boot, too. I think I paid $110 for these from the Iron Pony in Columbus, OH.

Link: http://www.thormx.com/product.jsp?path=1011,1018,5030

Glad to hear you're OK, murpjaph. That's obviously the most important thing, but hopefully you can get up and running again soon!

Very nice pix. Thanks for sharing them.

I got a nice little ride in on Saturday after I picked my bike up from the shop. Sunny, temps in the mid- to high 30s (F).Rode down into the Cuyahoga Valley (National Recreation Area) and around a few of the nice (but short) twisties in that area. Then ran an errand in Akron and then rode home. A little cold, but well worth it, since I hadn't ridden in almost a month!

I'll ride in cold temps when the roads are OK, but Spring cannot come soon enough this year!