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I don't think the Grand Canyon or even Yosemite elicited the stunned reaction from me getting to an overlook. Death Valley may be my favorite NP. Followed GPS to Father Crowley overlook. Paved parking area off 190 looks over Star Wars canyon. Cool enough, but GPS showed a little road from the parking area to a Vista. I could see the gravel road venturing away from the parking area. There was a pretty significant drop off from the edge of the pavement to gravel that gave me pause about taking the bike down there. However, I saw a little section a little wider than a motorcycle tire that wasn't going to bring risk of striking the bottom of the bike and decided to risk it. Took it easy and got the Goldwing to the end. Had to work around sharp bedrock sticking from the gravel in spots and the final drop to the Vista had some deep ruts and loose gravel to contend with. Taking a VFR? Park at the overlook and hike out. This is the Vista. If you stand where that Valkyrie is, this is the view: Panorama mode can't do this justice. That is CA190 snaking it's way down. You can see it cross the valley and climb the mountains on the other side. Other motorcycle stuff that is paved: Badwater gets you to lowest point below sea level. Artist Loop is a 1 way circuit. Extremely tight turns through rocky hallways. Very unique experience. Of course, finale is to do the run up to Dante's Peak.

The tyre is mounted correctly to my eye; the arrow follows the direction of rotation (clockwise as seen from the right side). The axle looks normal to me as well. The other end will stick out about 5mm, there is a line scribed on mine that aligns with the fork surface. The axle is designed so the bolt causes it to pull hard against the right leg: the fat left part of the axle passes right through the left leg and pushes on the left distance collar which pushes on the left bearing which pushes on the centre spacer which pushes on the right bearing which pushes on the distance collar which butts up against the right leg. So the location of your wheel relative to the right leg is fixed and rigid. The left end is deliberately allowed a bit of freeplay until you tighten the axle clamp bolts. That allows the left leg to find its most "relaxed" location on the axle i.e. when the two legs are truly parallel, where there is the least binding. I make a point of bouncing forks before I do up the axle clamp bolts to allow the fork to find this location. I'm not fussed about the lack of a hex head in the axle; if you need to tighten or loosen the axle bolt, just leave the left clamp tight until the bolt is out.

Doing some reassembly and checking mount on the front axle... with the axle shoved "home" left to right...there is roughtly a 5mm space gap between the end of the axle and the fork... (rotor spacing is correct) .... is yours that way? Check photo... While I'm discussing the axle.... 2 cent rant on Honda... Hey Dorks, could you spend another 50 cents and put a hex in your VFR axle instead of the frickn screw driver hole? The Valk has a nice one, makes it easy to use a key and a breaker bar to hold it... Last question... dummy me didnt check tire mount directions on the rear wheel when I picked it up.. ...This guy is bassackwards -- correct? Thxz -Cheerz

Welcome aboard! That bike looks to be in lovely condition. I suffer from MBD, and bought a 2015 VFR1200 as an insurance write-off/project last year; to make room I decided to sell my 2004 ST1300, which I was finding to be a bit tall, a bit heavy, a bit loose in vehicle wakes and also...too darned hot. I know the 1200 is not a replacement for the ST (sadly, Honda wimped out on building one) but the contrast is pretty stark, MUCH better heat control, MUCH better buffet control, MUCH easier step-over for people of shorter stature. And that 1200 V4 engine is a beast. Mine is not so mint as I have yet to fix some road rash, but it is mechanically perfect.

Thanks for sharing this Duch724. My 9 year old Chrome battery left me stranded Sunday. I've push-started one of my bikes back in the 80's without issue. Not this time! When the fuel pump won't kick in, your stuck! Ask me how I know - yeah, I tried. So the timing of your post was just what I needed to help me decide between Lead-acid or lithium. It's still about double the price of a lead/acid, but the higher cranking amps and lighter weight are attractive.

NICE! I love riding up there, when I get a chance. I haven't been in a while though. I see you got the luggage. Mine didn't come with any and I have been beating the bushes with no luck.

51, started riding about 3.5 years ago on a Magna V45 700 I purchased on Facebook Marketplace. Traded up from there to an ST1300 that I LOVED, but the heat bothered me, and my wife didn't want to ride on it with me anymore. I got a Goldwing, but I missed the power, torque, seating position, and sound of the V4. Lo and behold, a Cherry (color and condition) 7th gen came up for sale near me, so I just had to go get it. I'm so glad to be back on a V4, and the VFR1200F is a riot! Looking forward to many miles to come.

Welcome to the club 🙂

I turned 13k miles on the yellow '00 as I pulled into the garage and serviced the K&N air filter!

There was not an 86 version of the RC15. Nothing of any consequence interchanges between an 83-85 RC15 and the 86 RC24. Nor were there any real changes to the engine 83-85. Metallurgy on the cams may have improved in 1985. You may be thinking of the 84/85 to 86 VF500F PC12. There were substantial changes on that model in 1986 engine wise.

As Terry noted they did have some cam wear issues. This was in the 84-85 model run. In 86 Honda made some changes to the valve gear and carbs plus some other bits IIRC. This was a far better version, but a number of engine parts do not interchange between the two models. Check you vin numbers, if one of them is an 86 model, and it has decent compression, that is the engine to build on. Best of luck, fun bikes for sure.

Yes! Everytime I get on my bike I feel 30 years lighter. 😁

Correct, its for my 2001 VFR. And Thank You.

Hmm, I just used the part finder on their website. Are you looking for a battery for a VFR or another bike? If it's for a VFR I can get pictures and do measurements if needed.

I've used stompgrip on my bikes for years. Very slight yellowing over many years but hardly noticeable. Makes a huge difference on the road; allows you to properly lock on and use your core muscles rather than writhing around on a buttered pig. Go for volcano. The icon are useless other than a paint protector. I've not had problems with wear on leather. Shorts, no idea I always dress to protect

You don't need the secondary master replacement bracket. Just use the clevice that is already there with a bolt retained in the secondary master cylinder by the steel plate & circlip that is also already there. The clevice is static the bracket moves on it. If you gut the secondary master cylinder then you can fit a bolt of the correct dimensions into it such that the bracket does not move when the brake is applied. Simples 🙂

I had the Stompgrip clear version on my RC-51 for about five years until I sold it last year, and I'd recommend them. Helpful on the street during brisk riding but a huge difference maker for track days. The abrasion on my leathers wasn't bad actually, I think it is more a result of accidental contact, not when your knees are locked onto the tank during braking. Sadly sfdownhill is no longer with us, he would have had a much more detailed and witty answer than mine!

Since I designed the bracket, I have 'the specs'. However, at this point in time, I would be reluctant to share 'the specs'. I believe in my design (since riding with it), but for a 'commercial' product (thus sharing it with others), I would at least want certification by TÜV SÜD (or similar). I feel confident to 'risk' my own life, but not that of others at the current level of testing / lack of certification.

old thread i know but how have they held up? discolored? mess your pants up? im seriously torn between the volcano and icon versions and clear vs black. was the volcano too aggressive for street use? i do spirited commutes only. super uncomfortable in shorts?

FIRST TEST First test for the bike and... for the biker either, as I haven't been wearing a leather suit for a decade 😁 Well, the bike is lovely; the lighter flywheel makes the engine more lively and prone to rev up and down quicker, as expected. The only (slightly) noticeable downside is a bit of nervousness at the corner apex at the moment you get the throttle on hand, but it's a matter of recalibrate my moves being a bit smoother. Moreover, the inlet trumpets changed the behavior of the bike significantly. With the "all long" configuration (OEM long trumpets both on rear and front cylinders), the engine is FANTASTIC at low and mid range (until 6000 rpm, I'd say) but became lazy in revving up over 7000. With my new trumpets I lost a bit of "fullness" until 4500rpm (just a bit), but over this threshold it seems to have a different engine, lively and FEROCIOUS in revving up 💪 Very happy of the result; I could make a new version with a little variation in the geometry to increase low-mid speed torque, but it's a matter of details. The mods on the cooling system lowered the op. temperature by 2°, approx. Suspensions are yet to be set up; I'll take a bit of time in the next rides to finalize the setting. The lighter wheels (especially at back) "seem" to make the bike a bit easier in pif-paf or in leaning down phase, but the difference is subtle (I didn't install magnesium of carbon rims, so the weight gain isn't big) In conclusion, I'm more than happy about the bike. The biker, instead, is an old fat rider still convinced of being a pilot, while the ugly truth is that he's just an old guy riding peacefully 👴 😅

do you still have the specs for the bracket? Love what you did!

What is 'facebook'?