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It’s been a while since I posted due to “life” happening. Thought I’d update with some winter maintenance. Oil-and-filter change this season after 5,000 miles, including two track days and a dyno tune. Using good oil pays dividends when you’re bouncing it off the rev limiter. Motul 300V still looks good despite the thrashing it got this year. Still smells like bananas! Oil still kind of yellow… Few flecks of fine metal at the bottom of the oil pan, as expected… With the oil out, it’s a perfect opportunity to fit the Factory Pro Shift Star and Detent Arm kit from our last group buy. Another member changed his mind after I bough it for him, so it’s going on my bike! I leaned heavily on @kaldek post here for directions. Big thanks, mate! Kaldek’s guide is great so I’m not going reinvent the wheel. If you’re fitting one of these, use his awesome guide. Here’s my kit, which includes the shift star, detent arm, detent arm spring and gasket…and some cool stickers! First job is to tear away at the shifter housing to get at the clockwork. Clamp to keep the clutch slave piston from popping out… Marked the gear shifter with a punch so it can go back on at the same angle. Look at the filth from a British winter! If it was filthy outside, it was grotesque inside. All that chain grease and road grime congealed together. Chain looking poorly too… The inner shifter cover is a BITCH to get off but I found one spot you can get a screwdriver behind GENTLY… After finally wrestling it off, I realised there is one good spot you can put your fingers behind this cover and pull it off. Bit of a cleanup with WD40 and some rags… New shift shaft bearing and seal while we’re in there. You can see a little piece of the inner cover broke off (right end of the crescent) More of that later… Old seal and bearing removed. No science here - just screwdriver and hammer on the inner race of the bearing. Torching the outer housing helps get it out a bit easier… Used a socket to drive the new bearing in. Again, some heat to expand the hole makes it easier. Seal just pushes in with a slick of grease. Pushed some good grease in to the bearing… Back to the broken piece. I tried to braze it back on but failed as the sliver was too small. JB Weld to the rescue! Here are the OE parts (top) vs the Factory Pro parts (bottom). The new shift spring is a bit firmer. The shift star has rounded edges so gears click in better. The arm has a ceramic bearing on the end, as opposed to the plain bearing on the OE one, so should roll over the start points nicer. Some good grease thumbed into the shift bearing. You can see the little post on which the shift star orients itself. I turned it all the way clockwise (1st gear) Shift Start bolt gets threads cleaned and loctite applied. Few notes not on Kaldek’s thread: 1. You don’t need to put the bike in gear to loosen-or-tighten the shift star bolt. It just rolls all the way to 6th gear when you undo it, and rolls all the way to first gear when you tighten it 2. The shift star has a single hole in the back that fits on the shift post. BUT, the star doesn’t go deep enough to make good contact and it can slip out of the post. You have to be gentle and make sure it goes directly on the little post 3. You MUST cycle through all the gears when you’re done to make sure the shift star is in the right position. It’s the only way to tell as you’re working blind and by feel Here are all the parts installed, in 1st gear position. Once the star, arm and spring are installed, I put the shifter shaft in and the temporarily fitted the gear lever to cycle through the gears. Unfortunately the old gasket tore as it came off, so it needs to be replaced. Used a new razor blade and a wood chisel to scrape it all off. Hateful job but needs to be smooth for a good seal. Don’t worry about polishing, though: paper gaskets need the little scratches to adhere. Looking decent after 20 minutes… Now to do the same on the engine side. Will this nightmare never end! At long last! Make sure to clear all bits of gasket from internal areas and I blocked off the water pump hole. Time to dit the new gasket. I don’t want it tearing again if it ever needs to come off again, so I smeared the engine side with some copper grease. This way it’ll come off on the cover side, which is easier to scrape if necessary. Replacing bolts with stainless as I go. Brake fluid leaks of the past aren’t kind to OE bolts. Pulling the sprocket back on to the shaft is ALMOST impossible if you don’t slacken off the chain but it can be done if you’re stubborn like me. Would have been quicker and easier to slacken the chain but…yeah, stubborn! All back together. FINALLY! Whilst covered in muck and crying on my knees, thought I’d clean and adjust the chain. What’s a bit more filth, eh? WD40 and a toothbrush to clean, followed by chain lube and a rag to finish. Then, whilst covered in even more muck, what’s a little bit more, eh? So I thought I’d give the rusting exhaust a coat of black stove enamel. This is a tip from @Dutchy, thanks mate. Looks much better than rusty brown! Here’s a “before”… Compare the coated tube to the uncoated one behind. Big difference. Im a little disappointed the black heatproof paint didn’t last even one year. After sandblasting, coating and oven baking I was hoping it would perform better. Anyway, the bike is almost ready for next season. Just needs a bath and an ACF50 rubdown. Roll on 2026!
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Has my VFR750 been lowered at the rear ?
Captain 80s replied to Smarty750's question in Modification Questions
Shiny only proves they're, well, shiny. The bike does not look lowered to me. Here is my stock suspension 95 before I started modding it. What the preload/sag is set at, how heavy the rider is, and the resulting laden geometry /ride height is also unknown.
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Has my VFR750 been lowered at the rear ?
lalan45 replied to Smarty750's question in Modification Questions
Sounds like you might indeed have a lower setup — that shiny linkage is a good clue. I don’t have exact ride-height numbers, but measuring from the floor to the top of the rear subframe or swingarm pivot and comparing it to stock specs should tell you if it’s been lowered. If you get those measurements and share them, folks here can help you confirm before you order the Thurn riser links. -
lalan45 joined the community
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DM1200f joined the community -
V4 is heavy & complex=expensive. IL4 is lighter, less complex=cheaper. iL2 is cheaper again with same complexity. Now they have applied the engineering to twins & singles that was applied to multi's years ago, they make good power, have great torque & cost less to make. V4 in motogp is more about power delivery & aerodynamics than anything else. Over 100mph, the drag saving from a thinner bike is worth more than HP due to diminishing returns from HP as speed increases drag becomes the challenge. Road bikes don't regularly travel faster than 100mph, so iL4 or Twin has more than enough power to get you there & drag is irrelevant. The VFR's made sense when power is equal & everything else is optimised the V4 should be faster than an iL4 !
- Yesterday
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itshouldhavebeenyodug joined the community -
Beyond all-day comfort. I've done a bunch of stupid endurance riding with standard/ADV ergo. Like having my VFR in Pacific and East Coast time zones in under 48 hours kind of stupid. After so many hours I'll need to start stretching my legs (why I prefer a cruiser now for this kind of dumb riding), but back and upper body with standard ergo no problems.
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anarchiveofromancedug joined the community -
All adventure bikes are equal. But some are more equal than others. -Animal Farm, George Orwell
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youcanscreampdfdug joined the community -
DjFreeman joined the community -
Hi Sirbike, Thank you for your donation of 25.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion
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- Last week
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I get the dislike of the ADV looks, the beak is pretentious and not functional, the designers hoping to give the impression of taking on any road or any trail. But to paraphrase Skids, I'll take function over form. My ADV, owned for eight years now and with a silly beak, is just a great sport touring bike for me. 140hp, weighs less than any VFR made in the last 30 years, more luggage capacity than I need, has 7" of suspension travel, rips the canyons and is comfy on the freeways. The bars are just the right height for all-day comfort.
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are you laying down on the tank? From what I've seen of Crossrunner ergos hands should be at or just below your sternum.
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Philup joined the community -
Haha, no surprises that there are differing opinions. Lord help us if we all liked exactly the same things. The Crossie is all-day comfortable. You can ride fast or take it easy and the miles can just vanish yet it is equally at home in the twisties. Yes, the suspension could be better for this (the same for every VFR) but the wider bars give you a lot more leverage for turning and your view ahead is better with a higher head height. And despite the higher drag from the upright riding position, I've seen well over 50mpg (imperial gallons) at high cruise speeds which gives nearly 250 miles to a tank. Looks aren't something that bother me too much, it's the bike between my legs that's important and the VFR800X, which has exactly the same engine as the 800F, ticks my boxes for what I need it for. 68000 miles, never failed to start first touch and with nary a cough or a splutter, all weathers, all year round for 6 years. However, I shall be sad to see her go come the spring as my commuting days are over and I cannot justify keeping her. YMMV, as always.
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The adventure bikes are quite ugly...not to mention that my shoulders are on fire about 1.5 miles in. It is very unnatural to have your arms WAY up there.
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As someone who only ever rides on the road, I just don't get the adventure bike style attraction (looks especially). For me the VFR800F is almost perfect. Sure, I'd prefer it to be rather lighter for the dynamics and the ergonomics only work in 1.5hr segments but it suits my purposes.
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The 1st Gen was very much "meh"... Test rode it when introduced...
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MotoGP is quite a few years ahead of the consumer market but you can see the pendulum swinging back to the V4 configuration.
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MotoGP is a whole different world from the American consumer motorcycle market.
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Has my VFR750 been lowered at the rear ?
MBrane replied to Smarty750's question in Modification Questions
I don't doubt that at all, but it still doesn't have the same handling unless you've made some mods we are unaware of. -
This is what cmsnl shows for a 2000 vfr. I've been keeping an eye on this thread, thinking it might be a down the road project.
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I think you'll find that's not a 5th Gen shift star, looks nothing like one. Looks like its for an old 750,
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Hi bmart, Thank you for your donation of 25.00 USD. We look forward to improving the forums with your donation. Thanks VFRDiscussion
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Has my VFR750 been lowered at the rear ?
Captain 80s replied to Smarty750's question in Modification Questions
The 750 responds VERY well to substantial ride height increase in the rear and dropping the front. Much quicker steering, not a hint of nervousness.
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I haven't ridden a Crossrunner (we no get 😠), but I have done 80K on 5th gens with Crossrunner equivalent ergonomics 🤩. I completely understand your assessment.
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Has my VFR750 been lowered at the rear ?
Mohawk replied to Smarty750's question in Modification Questions
"It's never going to handle like a CBR600" Not sure on the 750, but my 800 beats 600's & has matched 600 club racers on track days 😎👍 -
I've done nearly 70k miles on my Crossrunner and though I haven't owned an 8th Gen but have test ridden one, the Mk2 Crossrunner is the best VFR800 Honda produced. IMHO of course.
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It's just an aftermarket adjustable sidestand. Amazon special. I was going to return it if it was a total POS, but it has worked nicely. One of those rare worth-it impulse buys. Haha.
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What is going on with the side stand in that photo - looks interesting.
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Latest Entry
The Last Day Of Good Riding Weather
Juniper Pass
I took a day off from work and also from my bicycle training to take out the Veefalo one last time before the weather turns ugly, supposed to snow the rest of the week and possibly start sticking to the ground along the Colorado Front Range. I took a leisurely pace up hwy 105 toward Morrison and got reacquainted with the bike since its been over a month since I took any sort of twisties on it at all, hwy 105 is a scenic ride along the front range between Denver and Colorado Springs, its mostly easy fast sweepers and lite traffic so its a favorite road of mine when going north. Then I have to negotiate a bit of traffic near Highlands ranch and up hwy 470 into the mountains. I decided to take the Morrison Exit and try either Lookout Mountain or head up Golden Gate Canyon - this time it was Lookout Mountain, I was sort of making it up on the fly as I went along. Lookout Mountain is my old bicycling haunt from my days while I was working at Coors, its a killer ride and all uphill - I don't think I could do it today If I had to, not quite there yet! I saw a whole bunch of riders doing it though and wished I was in shape enough to be there doing it as well. 30 more lbs and I will be able to do it! On this day I would do it on the Veefalo instead.
I took a video from the gateway to the top at the Lookout Mountain State Park, getting past riders, the guy in the green jacket actually pretty much astounded me with how far he had gotten in the short time it took me to set up my camera, some 3 miles at least and up to the gateway from the turn off at hwy 6! Amazing I thought. I took the first two turns slow then got more comfortable as I went up further, till I was doing well, I made some gearing mistakes and took the tight 15mph marked hairpins in the wrong gear so I lugged it a bit on one or two. Still enjoyed it though and then got off at the top and hiked over a rock outcropping for an overview of the road for the pictures below.
Lookout Mountain - Golden Colorado
Zoomed in
Lookout Mountain Park top of the mountain
From there I headed up interstate 70 to Idaho Springs for a beer at the Tommy-knockers brewery, I was the only customer in the joint - slow day for them so they treated me like a king! I got a nice tour of the place sort of impromptu, they made me a nice Pastrami sandwich on rye and with the brown ale it was fantastic. I must say the beer is much better there than in the bottles - its always good at the brewery. I am glad I stopped
Tommy-knockers Brewpub Idaho Springs
Idaho Springs Colorado
Mashtuns and fermenters
Rows of fermenters
I finished my lunch and since the road to Mount Evans is right there I headed up Squaw pass hoping to get in some nice pictures I wasn't expecting what I found, ICE IN ALL THE SHADY PARTS
Icy patches on Squaw Pass definitely taking it easy on that road
There were some section where the ice covered the whole road for 300 yards or so I had to roll through it with my legs out to help keep the bike from sliding and falling over, I took it real slow. A Ford pickup was right behind me so I pulled over to let him pass but the guy was going slower then even I was so I pressed on - in places where I could see I just cut over to the oncoming lane and out of the ice where the sun was shining on the road more, but some places there was not alternative so I just had to go slow, good thing it wasn't slick but rather they tossed some gravel over the worst parts so I had some traction!
I did stop for pictures in all the best spots
Echo Lake at Mount Evans showing off my new plate
Elephant Butte Park and Denver
Close up
Veefalo on Squaw Pass
Juniper Pass
Juniper Pass
Mount Evans
My route A is home B is Tommy-knockers
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Recent Entries
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I Am Back !
Not that it matters and not that I expect anyone had noticed, but to those who sent me "where are you?" I would like to say I am back. Not only that I am officially returning to VFRD after nearly 2 months break but I have also ridden my Hawk last weekend and had FUN! Let me restate that; I had major fun riding! Something I have almost given up on.
Most of you have been riding your whole adult lives and riding is not only a hobby to you, it is part of you. But I started riding three years ago and even though I have encounter some setbacks, till this spring I loved riding with whole my heart. However, I have always considered riding as my hobby. As a hobby which suppose to make my life better, more fun and more rich. Life is too short to do something which we don't fully love.
My love of riding received a first major scar this spring: I lost a friend on the racetrack. He was a total stranger who offered me his help after I lowsided at CMP track last year. I still remember hearing his "Hi, my name is Todd, do you need help?" while I was duct-taping my roadrash from ripped jacket. He helped me straighten up the shifter and we kept in touch. The next time we saw each other was the day he died.
With 9 months delay, I can say that Todd's death shook me more than I have realized. It rooted fear in me which was fueled by seeing and hearing about others getting hurt over and over again. If I was to summarize this year - it would be one big accident report. I became sensitive to every broken bone, every roadrash, every lowside. And even though I did 10 track days this year, I became slower and slower and slower. Suddenly, I have acquired this 'grandma' riding style on the road, frozen with fear that behind every corner there is car standing in my lane, or major sand trap or deer staring at me ... I was crippled with fear not only for me about also for my fellow rider.
So, at the end of this year, I rode more and more by myself. I could not bear the feelings of responsibility for others on the road and my lines were crippled by my own fears. It all culminated this fall at WDGAH. In a freaky accident Love2rideh82crash was taken down by a truck crossing into our lane. I was done. I finished the weekend, locked the VFR into a garage and took a break.
Until the last weekend, I pretended that motorcycles do not exists. As a last instance after 2 months break from riding, I decided to go to CMP track to see if I can still have fun. I also felt like I should go for the memory of Todd. I went and I had fun! I had much more fun than I expected and the most fun on track I can remember. Suddenly the whole track connected into an uninterupted line of turns and I felt one with the bike riding around! I was giggling like a little girl in my helmet and keep on giggling ever since
Granted I was not the fastest one and through out the weekend, I have never exceeded about 60% of my riding abilities, but I had no "oh-shit" nor 'blond' moments. I could have maybe go faster, I could have brake later for the turns and I could have lean further, but I am no Rossi nor Stoner. I decided to ride for fun and I had amazing blast riding well within my comfort zone.
I was proud of myself when, after bandaging Ricks arm, I was able to distance myself and go back to riding without the year-long fear. I did feel bad for him but the feelings were not crippling my lines nor my mind. And when a total stranger came to me and said "Hi, my name is Todd", my heart stopped for a minute though but I suddenly knew that my life went a full circle. I probably will never win MotoGP :idea3: , but I am back! :wheel:
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For owners of the Honda Interceptor and related Honda V4 motorcycles, for the purpose of mutual help concerning safe riding, maintenance, and performance of their motorcycles.
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By vfrpilot28 · Posted
I enjoyed reading this and seeing your story. For the love of motorcycling! -
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By interceptor69 · Posted
Oops. I do believe I know how to post YT videos or they wouldn't be on YT. However I may have screwed up copying the link to the playlist. Thanks for the helpful comment. -
I think that you might not know how to post videos. You're in your YT studio in these links. You need the link to the actual video.
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