skuuter

BaileyRock , ive been doing the oil changes on my 04 this way sense i bought it new in 04

:biggrin:

I knew I wasn't the only lazy SOB out there! :goofy:

No You're not... :biggrin: ...I never took a single piece of Body Work off either of my 6th Gens to ever do an oil change....."and".....I took step by step Pics, including the needed Tools, and posted it "TWICE".....if You weren't a Lazy SOB like me, You woulda' Pinned one of em' at the time..... :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe:

Oh Yeah, GOOD JOB........ :biggrin: :fing02:

Just curious...what weight fork oil are You usin', and are the cartridges stock in the VFR...???.....THANKS...Great "Play-by-Play" by the way.. :fing02:

Knowing bailey, probably a "special" blend of vegetable and olive. :laughing6-hehe:

I need the ratio of the vegetable to the olive, and was wonderin' if He adds any Peanut Oil.....sure felt like it the last time I rode His VFR..... :laughing6-hehe:

Just curious...what weight fork oil are You usin', and are the cartridges stock in the VFR...???.....THANKS...Great "Play-by-Play" by the way.. :fing02:

Beautiful Workmanship like always Larry...... :cheerleader: :biggrin: .....Nice Beer choice too..... :unsure:

Following Joey Dunlop's death, I put a "Joey R.I.P." decal on my OEM windscreen.

So far so good.

But to remove some glue residue later, I used a solvent....... leaving some irreversible milky stains on the screen.

Hence I bought a smoke one..... :goofy:

Next time pick off with Your fingernails, then clean with starting fluid, follow with Honda cleaner....ask me how I know about "windshield-decal-removal"......

I think one of the biggest problems many riders encounter returning after a crash and especially if you happen to hit something or slide on that unseen dirt/gravel/oil is a habit of looking right in front of the bike(front wheel) to make sure you don't hit something again. :fing02:

Doing this instead of always looking as far forward as possible just messes everything up as it overloads your mind! :wheel:

Yep......and, from someone that has totaled Motorcycles and Race Cars, don't rush it. If You see Your mind isn't into it fully on a particular day, do something else...let it run it's course...You will eventually get back to where You were in due time. My Wife laid a Bike down a coupla' years ago after several seasons, and several thousand miles of riding. I would simply put Her on the back of mine, or drag out the car if She was havin' an anxious day. She eventually got right back to Her level of riding (and beyond) that She was at before the wreck......JUST ENJOY THE RIDE for a while, at whatever Pace, and still practice all of the right techniques while doin' it.....GOOD LUCK... :blush: :goofy:

I really like the tool knob idea.....I used Parts Unlimited Bungee Nuts in the holes. Can be used for bungee cord tie downs, and protrude past the bodywork............... :unsure:.......

Here's the Hobie/Nick Project Bike at the Kentucky Revival Ride last weekend.....

...and draining the bad gas out of it.......

Ran great with the new gas................. :unsure:

Where's Ken while his good name is being tarnished in this thread................. :rolleyes:

If your ass needs attention then Ken is the guy you want to see.

Oh man, this thread is going in a strange direction... :goofy:

Yeah, thats so unlike this site to have a thread go :rolleyes: :fing02: :blink: :goofy:

:biggrin: ..................... :ohmy: ...say it ain't so......"you people" need to shape up and follow my example......... :dry:

................... :fing02:

Yep, my "A$$" has been took care of a lot better since meeting Ken also......... :pissed: He's gonna' be helping me with my "TRUNK" soon also.............. :beer:

Good job Buddy.......... :biggrin:

Bill Mayer saddle?

Looks like it........... :biggrin:

second best mod for the VFR

factory bags are #1

Wrong! #1 is a step stool so all you dwarfs can climb onto something taller than a skateboard.:rolleyes:

Your Avatar bike looks to be about the "right" size............... :idea3:

Had em' on my 06....even at 5' 7", they were very comfy............. :rolleyes:

Most all of these rules work well, and are used most all the time whether it's a VFRD organized ride or a local area VFRD buddy ride. Good organized standard set of rules to use even for your local area group rides.

If you get used to using these on your locally lead rides, then attending VFRD Rides will be a lot simpler for you and your friends if you attend one in the future.............. :goofy:

Surely, since the info is in your old unit, it can be retrieved......might ask Garmin............ :unsure:

I just got back from my 4 week trip and I'd have to say.

Don't bother spending your money on a Zumo, or any other Garmin Product!!!

Mine failed on me. I tried everything.

-remove from the bike cradle.

-reset

-plug into the wall

-remove the battery

-reset while trying all of these things

The damn thing will not turn on.

So, I called Garmin. I sat on hold for over a half an hour wasting my cell time. When I told the first person what had happened, they said hold on one sec. Then they hung up on me.

I called back several hours later and only had to waste 10 minutes of my cell time on hold to get the response "yep it sounds broken, you'll have to send it in for repair/replacement."

Well XXXX Garmin!!! I was in Indiana and had just learned to rely on the damn thing when it failed on me. Was I supposed to put my road trip on hold? Nope, I had to lug around a dead peice of gear because Garmin makes a XXXX

product.

I know your feeling....my first one did the same thing (2nd trip I used it). Garmin told me to send it to them for repair / replacement until I told them I purchased it from Tiger GPS. They told me to call them back. They replaced it free, and said they had that problem with some units. Starting on two years with (knock on wood) no probs with the second unit...... :ohmy: I too was very frustrated at forking out that kind of money, then not getting longer life of the unit...I feel your pain.................... :unsure:

I "edited" your post......... :cool:

No doubt a properly set-up suspension with at least the right rate springs can make a huge difference in how our bikes handle(any bike really), but a VFR with all it's stock components in good working order can go amazingly quick especially if your a smooth rider.

I think it's wiser to develop riding skills first before spending money on suspension Mods or power increases.

A skilled rider can ride most anything quick, the best set-up bike in the world can only be ridden as well as the riders skill level allows. :biggrin:

Develop the rider first, that helps every aspect of the riders experience including survival. :unsure:

Yep.....a "bad", or inexperienced rider on the latest, greatest Ohlins stuff out there matched to his weight, etc. on a CBR race replica bike would do good to keep up with a "good" or experienced rider on a 250 Ninja on super tight, technical roads..............yes, the rider is the most important part that needs to be dialed in............... :fing02:

will, at your size and assuming weight to go with it, have you upgraded your suspension? while all said previously is correct, if your suspension is setup factory, it will be quite difficult to keep the bike settled as you ratchet up the speed.

Nope... I'm all stock... haven't adjusted anything yet. My friend down the street works for Traxxion Dynamics and offered to tweak the stock settings for me if I can drop by the shop. I think I will start by letting his team look me and the bike over, dial in some good settings, and then see what aftermarked suspension stuff the reccommend. I gotta pay Dymos2000 for a set of Lasers, then I can put some cash into the suspension. I don't know if Butch had suspension work done, but I loved the way his bike rode. Hard to believe that I have put in over 21,000 miles on VFRs and never touched the suspension... but that's how it's played out.

Now you can say... "Yeah, I know that guy! He rides much better now that he changed the settings!"

Watch out Vespa riders... I just might pass you out on the road :biggrin:

I think you said the other bike was lowered. Lowering a bike gives it less leverage to work the suspension. When the sprung weight drops to a lower point between the axle centers, it effectively "stiffens" the bike, making it seem to have firmer suspension. Raising the sprung weight gives it more leverage to work the suspension, making the bike seem "softer". A bike that's lowered transfers weight less than stock or raised. The lowered bike probably seemed firmer for your size. Roughly, once you transfer the swingarm to the point of parallel to the road, weight transfer stops....this being the point of maximum traction, especially "rear bite". Lowered bikes handle great...to a point. A stiffer sprung bike with the rear raised will transfer weight better/longer for a better maximum traction point with a large rider. In a nutshell....you can go faster because the suspension can drive the rear tire into the road on acceleration harder/longer before the maximum traction point is reached.

That being said..."most riders" never reach twisty road speeds that require that much transfer............. :rolleyes:

WOW, thanks for all the advice!! I made an important discovery yesterday... it was like a light bulb going off. I was taking Butch's bike back to him (done with this round of mods,) and he has lowered his bike a bit. That coupled with my new riding stance had me whipping through the turns on the way to work about 5 MPH faster than usual. I didn't want to push too hard (I wasn't on my bike after all,) but I noticed how much more confidence I had with a lower center of gravity. I am about 6'2" and just naturally throw the VFR center of gravity up there a bit (Jeremy probably knows what I am talking about.) So today I worked really hard at getting my center of gravity lower (by following the posted advice.) It definately made a difference. I have been just sitting way up on the seat with my head in the clouds and leaning... now I feel like I just slip through a turn instead of dragging the bike around a corner... the difference is HUGE I feel like I can keep up with the Vespa riders now :blush:

That's great Will,

Lowering your CG is the fastest way to quicken turn in, increase stability and confidence. The easiest & smoothest way to lower you CG is with your upper body. You don't really even need to lean towards the inside of a turn, if you just sit still in the seat but lean forward you will do two things: unlock your elbows(unweighted arms) and lower your CG. You should feel an instant improvement in feel and confidence. Adding a lean towards the inside(along with leaning forward) will lower the CG even more and the lower the CG the easier it is to transition the bike! :laugh:

Hanging off with you butt is an excellent way to achieve dropping of the CG, BUT it takes much more coordination, muscle groups and time to do so and if you are not proficient at it you are More likely to upset the bike then help. This is why I suggest most riders(street) focus only on upper body movement as it achieves similar results, is easier to learn and can be done smoother with less practice then hanging off.

Once you become proficient in this technique (UPPER BODY) weighting, then you can add lower body (advanced technique) leaning!

Best Street Riding answer so far............. :laugh: ...."The Old Fart".......... :blink:

Another countersteering "fact".........I know this primarily addresses VFRs and riding bikes leaning toward sport types, but in case someone owns more than one type bike, or thinking of owning another type.........

Cruisers, Gold Wings, etc., that place you in a fully upright riding position with a tendency to "plant" you in a seat closer to the rear wheel of the bike, feet farther forward, require the use of lots of countersteering as the primary tool for transitioning tight twisties. The longer wheelbases, and more relaxed fork rakes also, to some degree add to countersteering importance.

Choppers (Oh no, not "THOSE" things... ) put you in a situation that almost entirely reduces you to countersteering being your only "tool for twisties", requiring a lot of countersteering input, for a small amount of gain......... :laugh:

Ditto on that your legs should be supporting the weight in these situations, if in the brief space and time you have ina switchback you're:

1. Lifting your weight off the seat

2. Shifting to the other side of the bike and planting your other cheek on the seat

3. Replacing the weight on said cheek.

...you will probably cause that wobbliness. It's all in the legs. If the transition from one corner to the next is less abrupt, you'll have plenty of time for the lazy man's version... otherwise... work those quadriceps!!!

Emmm... the term "butt movements" has me feeling a little queezy... :laugh:

For street riding in Tennessee, carrying your weight on your legs on some roads really can wear you out. Some of these roads are tight transitions for miles. A good "road riding system" makes more sense than "road racing systems"............ :laugh:

Skuuter is a freak! :laugh:

....... :blink:......probably......... :blush:...you've caused us to disrupt a serious riding form thread......... :laugh:

I gotta' go with learning to get your body weight and head out over the inside bar and mirror first, with weight on the inside peg, and fully looking through the turn...... :fing02: It really gets too complicated to start trying to do everything at once......... :fing02: Once you start getting smooth with these moves, you'll find yourself "instinctively" sliding around on the seat eventually. Getting your sight line, and upper body position right makes a fantastic cornering difference by themselves in quick, right, left, transitioning type twisty roads. After getting the position right, next step needs to be the timing of when to change position................2 cents from the "Old Slow Guy".............. :biggrin: