TimC

Man, your lucky you bike hasn't burst into flames yet! :fing02: I'm lucky? Hey buddy, at least I've had my valves checked! :goofy: :fing02: J/K as usual, BR!

I've been using the Fram PH6607 or Honda filters since I've had my '04. I change my oil and filter every 3k to 4k miles. I've yet to have a problem, but I'll be changing to the Pure One or one of the Champion-made filters listed above. Thanks for the great info! :biggrin:

Great ride report and pix, HS! (Will have to check out the vids later.) Thanks for sharing these with us. The only bad thing about your reports is how jealous is makes me! :( Wish I lived in an area as scenic as you, and/or as twisty as the NC/TN roads we saw during TMac.

I just checked out this thread for the 1st time. Nice work, guys! :fing02: What a great mod that also improves the looks AND performance of the bike. And that black sprocket looks cool, too!

+1. When learning to lean off the bike, I started very gradually. But even then I couldn't believe the difference it made. I'll lean off a bit more now, but it took some courage and getting used to. And while I still don't lean off too much, it is starting to feel more natural to me.

Great tips above, everyone. Thanks for sharing them with us! I never hang off the bike but do move my upper body a bit lower and inside the turn. It's rare for me to shift my butt around on the seat more than 6" or so, but when I do I try to get it done well before the turn, and then very quickly if there's a left-right or right-left transition. Of course I am far from being an expert in this area, but the one thing I'd add is to make sure you're steady on the throttle during the transitional movements. (And I'm sure Will is doing that, so this is more for folks just starting to lean/hang while cornering.) The rear wheel will get squirrelly when you close the throttle as the bike checks up a bit (weight and traction moving mostly to the front wheel), especially if you're moving around much on top at the same time.

Nice! The carbon fiber exhaust looks nice on the black bike, too. :fing02:

I finally just installed the PCII and O2 eliminators tonight which I bought over a year ago. I'd been meaning to do this for awhile, but when the VTEC transition smoothed out at 10k mi and just kept getting better, I thought "Why not just sell the PCIII, etc? You don't really need it." But instead I kept it and decided to install it during my next oil change since the left fairing would be off anyway. Last night was it. Most of you know I am not much of a mechanic, so this took me awhile, but I got it done. Cozye emailed me the map last year. I held on to that email for a long time and finally downloaded the map last night in preparation for the PCIII install. Computer stuff was easy to do. Hardest part of the whole installation was getting the throttle body wiring harness and O2 sensor connectors apart. My fingers still hurt. After I was done I took a quick ride for an initial test, both to make sure the oil change was 100% OK and to see what changes the PCIII made. After that short ride I have to say I'm really glad I kept the PCIII and am very grateful to Cozye for his map!! My '04 never had a bad VTEC transition problem, and like I said above it got smoother with more miles. With the PCIII and Eric's map, however, it's even better! And I think I've also rid the bike of the surging at 5k-6k rpm in lower gears, which was an annoying but not unbearable problem. I never really had any complaints before the PCIII, but with it and the great map I think the bike is really that much better. Thanks again, Eric! :rolleyes:

I like being prepared, too, but took way too much stuff with me for a 4-day trip last year, packed in (Firstgear) expanding soft saddlebags and tailbag. Over the winter I bought the OEM bags (via ebay) and am planning to finally install the brackets this weekend in preparation for TMac... Except now I'm thinking I might be able to get away with just that big expanding tailbag and a decent tankbag instead - if I pack light enough. I'll try it tonight.

So what are you riding at TexasMac '08, Marty? Will we see the custom VFR? BTW, I'm really looking forward to seeing ya there. I won't make ROTR this year due to coaching my younger son's baseball team. (Season starts 5/5/08 - just after T-Mac.)

Nice blog entry. Of course to us it's wrong to sit on someone else's bike without first asking and receiving permission, but some people (mostly non-riders) just don't know any better. Nice job keeping cool when it happened. If the future, you could carry a bike cover with you - one that has grommets at the bottom so you can lock it in place.

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!

Nice. And nice to know such things can be done. I'm not planning to do this myself, but for folks who want the VFR to ride more like a supersport, this is a good (but not easy) option.

LOL. Me, too! Anybody need one in Italian Red?! I'll even discount it to $109.99. :blink: Hey! I had one of those. Much cooler than a Big Wheel! IIRC you could really skid that thing around. The only bad thing was that after awhile the wheels weren't exactly "round" anymore! :P

Congrats on the '06 and welcome to VFRD, Robert! Nice list of mods you have going already. You're smart to only do a couple things at a time as far as ergos go. Make a change, see how you like it, then make more changes if necessary. Baileyrock is right, tho...if you're coming from a different kind of bike, you might allow yourself a little more time to adjust to the VFR's ergos. If you bought your bike new the cowl should have come with it. If you bought the bike used, the previous owner or shop might have it. Before you order the Corbin AND the cowl, double-check that the cowl will fit with a Corbin. It probably will, but some aftermarket seats cause problems with cowl fitment. It's just garnish anyway, IMO. I haven't put mine on since I bought my Sargent seat 9-10 months ago. Sure it looks good, but I bungee stuff to my rear seat a lot, so it's easier for me to just not have it on there at all.

I went the cheap and simple route. I bought a Kryptonite mountain bike seatpost cable and Craftsman small brass lock. I carry this in my tankbag or backpack and lock my helmet (over the chinbar/thru shield area) thru my handlebars or fork tripleclamp. Cost me about $10. Of course it's not 100% secure, but it is effective enough to deter a bad guy just walking by, eyeing my helmet and thinking evil thoughts. Helmet cable lock