All Activity

Referring to the Lego Xmas tree looking ones? I've used those in the past but still prefer foamies. Also, my worksite issues Honeywell Laser Lites so I always have a few packs on me.

Very interesting concept, Sounds like a high reving 2 stroke scooter, cool to see the rough engine casings, they look like they were made by hand, one off stuff for sure

I've been having the same problem just the last few years after an hour or so. Using foam plugs and some silicon, pain really cuts down on my riding time. Going to try advrider.com suggestion to carve out some of the liner behind the speaker pocket. For reference used these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099YYWXXK?th=1 I used wired in ear buds for years but preferred the convenience of in helmet.

V3 in 1983

Only ones I can see are ribbed (phnaar, phnaar) and have a handle on the end for pulling out. Are those what you mean?

I guess we have different ears the cos I can wear the Westones all day. The driver is at 90 degrees to the ear canal so it lies flat inside the ear and is flush and not uncomfortable. Not having speakers in the helmet trying to push them in also helps.

Well, as I have in plans to do a cosmic refreshing of Transalp this winter/fall, mainly repaint whit fresh sticker kit, that I already have, my thoughts has started to dream a bit.... A Transalp is a bit dull looking compared to a Africa Twin 750/650... There are options through. But all are costly more or less. Perfect fairings makes a top fairing that has Africa Twin twin headlights and fit together whit orginal side fairings At 110€ (plus shipping) it's not bad actually, but then come the down side, it's made to fit together whit a Africa Twin RD04 headlights as front subframe, both that are hard to find at least for reasonable money.... Headlights are sold for 200€+ (second hand) and front subframe for much more.... well a other option would be to modify current front subframe whit some twin headlights... A other option I looked at is this rally raid look front fairing It's not a cheap option, 360€ plus shipping from one score but found it also for 290€ on a other site. The maker has a nice subframe whit Lights to offer but for a salty price We are talking 500+€! But found a French company that makes a more affordable that uses Universal twin headlights for naked bikes You can buy it in black or raw aluminum, whit or whit out headlights, cheapest in raw whit out headlights for 250€. Black add 50€, headlights 100€... Whit it the Transalp looks like picture above. Cool I think, but probably less protection from elements compared to the orginal as less wide and doesn't have the cool flush front indicators, a thing I like whit the original design. So again a dilemma 😅 Sure a option would be to sell the Transalp as a few more (Zephyr Cafe when ready as SevenFifty) and buy a Africa Twin 750 RD07 again..... Choices choices.....

Try silicone tapered swim plugs (washable) hygienic to, no pressure pain as plugs don't swell, can still hear everything fairly well, dulls down the harsh wind noise frequencies, still hear helmet speakers, no sticky out bits, no pain, just reasonable comfort & cheap too. Same kinda plugs are marketed as bike specific, Bull💩, they're just swim plugs at 10 times the price. Try em, might suit your needs, I'd never put crappy foamies back in my lugs again.

I generally can't stand in-ear solutions for very long. Foam plugs on their own are a necessary, but after enough hours even they can become irritating. I tried out a $30 set of earplugs 🙃 that supposedly filter frequencies for better music listening. That was a huge mistake. The plastic core with silicone tips was murder on my ears, especially my right for some reason. It probably didn't help the plastic ends of the plug sticking out were being pushed on by the helmet speakers. The pain was such that even pulling my helmet off gave me pause, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the side of the head. The inside edge of my ear canal was sensitive for a few days after tossing the "HIGH DEF" plugs in the bin.

Thanks vfrgiving. That does sound like a lot of trouble and expense to go to which is why I just don't understand why Sena have gone the way they have and are phasing out in-ear speaker compatibility kits. I use Westone UM10 in-ear speakers. They give me broadcast-quality sound direct into my ear and are surrounded by foam buds which cut down outside noise and holds them in place. There's no sound deadening foam between the speaker and my ears. Why is this not the most logical and best engineering way to go? I just don't understand and am very frustrated by it. I have emailed Sena Europe and they are very sorry at my disappointment and will pass on my thoughts upwards but I don't think they will be changing anything.

Running music in my helmet evolved in a few steps but I finally settled on the following. I don't have any experience with Sena, but I found Cardo's volume output lacking for music especially trying to overcome wind noise (I ride with foam earplugs). First thing I tried was the 45mm JBL upgrade. That didn't do anything for volume and just made the sound a little richer. I then found a company called IASUS that makes a small amplifier you stick between the comms unit and the speakers. It drives the speakers harder. The 45mm JBLs tolerated being a little louder but quickly got blown-out in a crackling overdrive mess. I swapped out the 45mm JBLs for IASUS XSound 4 that can tolerate being driven much louder before distortion. They come with a little leather paddle to help tuck your ears around that flex seal on the speakers. That works but is obnoxious in practice. I found wearing a cheap, thin helmet liner cap that covers my ears to be the solution. So now when I put my helmet on my ears slip past the XSound 4. The Cardo lasts 12+ hours on a charge, but the tiny IASUS amp lasts 5-6.. and I tour. So I purchased a 2nd amp. I keep a small battery bank in a cheap soft shell electronics case in luggage. The 2nd amps lives there on charge. When the one on helmet duty inevitably dies on a long day, I can quickly swap it out with a charged one and the outgoing one starts charging up on the battery bank. The amp battery is super tiny so they just take little sippy-sips from the 10000mAh battery bank. I'll pull the battery bank every few weeks and charge it, but it handles a ton of amp swaps.

I find that the black wheels on my '99 are BLAH! I'm thinking white, or bronze, But I'm lazy and not a paint guy.

Well, if you're going to jump into the 3-cylinder pool, a V-3 is a nice Honda twist with a homage to the V-4s

Given a choice I would go with black to keep with the red/black/silver combo.

Yes I did. Moved to STO eventually, but then kinda lost interest in most of the group after a while. My girl is still in touch with some of those folks on Fakebook. I don't do the mass social media thing. The "Before The Snow Flies" rides are some fond memories. Haven't heard anything from GTS Rider in a long time. Last ride we did was Portuguese Pass in 2013. There were 4 of us.

😎

Last night I decided to switch out the worn Road 5 front tyre for a tasty new Bridgestone T33; I've got T33s on my 6th gen and they seem to be a great wear/grip/feel compromise, and they are a little cheaper than the Road 6. I will give Michelin credit for making a tyre that is easy to mount/dismount, it took only a couple of minutes to get it off, the T33 usues a stiffer carcass that wants to hang onto the beads, but was not too challenging; I use a couple of nice levers and some hard plastic rim protectors, plus soapy water and a bit of perspiration. I use a garden spade as my bead breaker, just pretend you are digging into the sidewall and jump on, this has been successful on all but the toughest tyre so far, which was a T32GT on my ST1300; I had to devise a different method for that one. I was expecting to be able to remove the ugly line of steel balance weights with the new tyre, but I (wisely) left them in place until the new tyre was mounted, and based on the very slow speed on the balance stand, the wheel is near enough to perfect, so the rim itself must be a source of inbalance. Earl is now ready for another decent test ride this weekend but unfortunately the weather gods may have other ideas.

White '93 VFRs really do stand out. I like the look of my '09 a lot, but the '93 is even nicer.

Some updates Bought a more off-road capable rear tire for the Transalp, was on great sale, -45% of list price The Zephyr Cafe.... I have geathered a few bites A rear fender whit light from a Yamaha XSR 700, turn signals, a loop for the frame The support for the seat is ready. Next to cut the tail to fit the loop, but rain prevents as I like to do the grinding outside... So what to do Started cleaning the carbs Just to notice they are not Zephyr 550 carbs, but 32mm CKVs off a ZX600C5-10........ Jets seems stock but needles rised quit a bit..... Should have known better factor is high again... Well we have to see, they (carbs) are ultrasonic cleaned now.. And tube between carbs not in good shape... Hmmm

Because if I go with white, I'm going to spend too much money on a 8 spoke rear. 😁 Plus a friend has white wheels on his 07 Anniversary. He did paint the front fender the same red as the accent stripe which looks good IMO.

Seeing this has become the subject at hand.... About wheels. I'm torn between Black and Bronze wheels. The bike will be painted Italian red. Is there a shade of bronze or maybe any shade will look good with the red paint? I would like to get the opinion of everyone in the class. I want the bike to stand out a little but not be abomination or I can just stay with the black.

It's no use, Lorne. White wheels on a VFR is a Marmite/Vegemite question. I had my '90's wheels powdercoated black at the first opportunity! However, black wheels on a '93 "fridge" model would be an abomination... Ciao, JZH

Yes, but too bad about the exhaust sound... Ciao, JZH

I hope this will be the basis of a new VFR…