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I picked up this 1992 RC36.1 last spring (2018) in Connecticut (USA). It was a really good price, but not exactly a cream puff so I’ve been trying to bring it up to a decent standard and as cheaply as possible. To do that, I've been poking around online and you all have been guiding me too, so thank you for that. By now I have a few insights and experiences of my own that might actually help somebody else. Time to get out of the shadows. The odometer was at just over 25,000 miles when I got the bike and I am at least the fourth owner. The bike's history is long lost along with a number of odds and ends, bits and pieces. I wonder if there is a way to trace it all back. The guy I got it from seemed honest and funny but he had some curious theories of shade tree mechanics so it's taking me a little while to learn to trust the ride. I'm still semi worried about the long term effects of some of his theories but so far, so good. The title showed that he'd bought the bike in 2012 at 23,122 miles. So we're talking 2000 miles in 6 years. I’ve ridden about 1200 miles in less than 4 months without major surprises. I've also encountered the usual gen3 issues. When I took it on, the bike had almost new tires and chain and battery, and the upgraded regulator/rectifier. The starter clutch is supposed to be new too. The engine oil was the color of honey. I needed a few things right away and, as you'll see, this is a work in progress. The cosmetics really, really need help. Really. Look closely at my photographs and you'll spot plenty of issues. I haven’t decided exactly how to proceed on those yet, but I’m considering options. You are welcome to make suggestions here and I might even follow some up. And I can tell you all my experiences so far. A few things done as soon as I got the bike home... Front Brake Switch I needed a front brake switch. These are $16 at Honda or $3 from China for a generic one on Ebay, or maybe it was Amazon. I’m trying out the $3 version. Sorry Honda. The one I got is pretty cheaply constructed with a thin plastic shell, but it does fit and work as advertised so far. I check it before every ride. If it doesn’t last, I know where to find the real one. Or I can get 4 more cheapos… Krator Mirrors I picked up the Krator replacement factory-look mirrors too, also from Ebay (...or Amazon...). They’re fine. The bike came with carbon look mirrors that were a mess. I know lots of you prefer newer styling and you get rid of the boots. I’m content with the original look. The Krator fittings are plastic, not metal, and the boots are kind of a fiddly fit on the proximal end. But you can tighten down the collar so that with a little patience you can get the boot to stay in place. These cost $22 for the pair. Honda OEM? Um, more than $22. Keys I needed proper keys. The bike came with a single cut key that looked like a generic car key made at the DIY store. It didn't even fit all that great. I had to get the key code from under the gas cap and there are services that’ll make you the right key from the code for about ten bucks. Once more to Ebay. Once more cheaper than the dealer. I don’t have anything against my local dealer. Not at all. I feel bad not supporting the guys more. But jeez louise, I just can't afford it. I wouldn’t even mind paying a little extra, especially if I could just walk in and out again with the parts I need. Unfortunately, not only is the dealer expensive, but most things have to be ordered from the warehouse anyway. So I still have to wait three or four days. I’m just sayin. So far I’ve had good results from all Ebay orders. I'm not thinking they're better than OEM. But some things are good enough. There's plenty more to add, but that's it for today. Stay tuned.

Or, My New 2007 VFR800A! Of course I wanted a 25th R/W/B but this red (what color is it called?) was so clean with low miles I didn’t want to pass it up. All the 25th’s were thousands of miles away, however my new ride was less than a hundred miles to go pick up. Purchased from Omni Powersports in Palm, PA, nice people and easy to transact with. The title showed first titled in 2009, first owner logged about 400mi, then 2011 second owner 3000mi, then 2016 the last owner just about 1100mi. Now mine with 4500mi, all stock except a fender eliminator (Competition Werkes?) and new tires (Battlax BT023R). In just a few days I’ve put a few hundred miles on and basically left wondering Why didn’t I get one of these before!? I may be new to VFR’s, but not new to motorcycling and not new to sport riding, roadracing, mx, woods riding, et cetera. My last MC was (still have it, hey now it’s for sale!) a 2006 Suzuki SV650 cafe/street fighter/backroad twisty tool that I loved building and tweaking on but somehow lost interest in because it couldn’t do the long miles and left me sore from the clip ons and seating position. So here’s to a new start and a new forum, and maybe some touring, and definitely some tweaking. On to the pictures! A new Shoei RF1200 has replaced my old Suomy Spec1R in the pictures, and some new relaxed riding gear is on order to replace my two piece AStars leathers. I won’t bore you with the suspension set up (that was first), but I already have some things on order and plan to update here as I go. RAM mount, power supply, cruise control, are first things first.