Search the Community

I want to give a shout out to Mark, the owner of Dell's Powersports in Blue Springs, Missouri. Dell's is a Honda / Yamaha dealer. I had a flat tire on my way to work this morning in Topeka, KS. While at highway speeds, something punctured my rear tire. It went down really fast and I feel lucky to have made it off the interstate and down a ramp to a gas station. I immediately assessed the situation and decided to not attempt a roadside repair since I was local to home and just called AAA. Mark happened to be filling his truck with fuel and noticed me out of the way, off to the side. He inquired if I was OK and I told him I had a flat tire. He introduced himself and mentioned he owned a dealership in KC. He sincerely asked if there was anything he could do and offered to arrange to have my bike picked up. I explained that I had already called AAA and lived local. He stuck around and we talked motorcycles until just before AAA arrived on scene to take my bike home. I think a trip to Dell's Powersports is in order for me this summer. I'm hoping to repair the puncture tomorrow with an X-tra Seal combination patch/plug.

Just had the 16k service completed on my '14 1200F and the tyres are beginning to wear. I have a weekend rideout to attend in a few weeks but they will probably need replacing after that. Currently using Michelin PR4s and really like them, especially in the UK where it can rain almost any day. I've read on an old thread on here that Dunlop Roadsmart 3s are good - how are they in the wet? Also, any other recommendations for the 1200F? Thanks.

Since getting my ZX14 last month I have been switching back and forth between the bikes taking note of the differences. One thing that has bothered me is that my VFR seems to steer like a truck compared to the ZX. This is strange because I always liked the handling of the VFR. I didn't expect the ZX14 to be so much better. Today I figured out why... my tire pressure! I had last checked my VFR tire pressure about 6 weeks ago when the weather was VERY COLD. I run my tires a bit lower pressure in the winter (32f, 36r) so they heat quicker and stay warm. Today my pressures were 26 Front and 29 Rear... no wonder it was steering like a truck. Pumped them up to 40f/42r and my VFR is back! Such a nice ride into work today... I have to be more careful to not let anything like this slip past me again. I own 4 bikes and it's a lot of work to maintain them all... but it is fun.

So I am no Rossi, but I do ride at a pretty good pace through the turns. I feel that I push pretty hard while still being with in reason. Anyways, going over my bike the other day and I am looking at my tires. My rear shows that I have used it all the way to the last mm of the edge to the sidewall. But looking at the front shows that I have plenty left, more like a centimeter left. So to cut to the chase, I am wondering if I need to adjust something. I have the rear at the standard height and the front lowered about a half of an inch. I wonder if maybe I should raise the rear some or increase the tire pressure in the rear etc... I had both the front and rear at 32 psi last time I checked. One thing that I have noticed after dropping a lot of weight off of the bike is the rear feels pretty harsh. I weigh only about 165 fully geared and I have pulled a lot of weight off of the bike. I know a lot of people say that the bike is under sprung from the factory, but I feel at this point that my front spring rate is about right and my rear spring rate might be a little high. My front preload is one line out from full stiff and has fresh honda pro oils in it per you guys advice. My rear is at full soft and I am not really sure about the rebound, I cant seem to find a good spot. I think I may just need a new shock, as I am sure that they get cooked with there location to the rear exhaust primaries... My bike is a 2007 with 46,000 miles. Hoping to hear back.