Pics Of My '03 VFR800 Jokermobile.

[stoshmonster]

As promised,here are some pics of my '03 VFR800 Jokermobile. The license plate says it all. Yeah,I know what you're thinking,WTF STOSH!!! An explanation is in order. I like to have fun,and part of that is to bring an element of humor to my riding. Living here in Harley Davidson's backyard,you see tons of flashy road iron rolling by stealing all the attention. I thought to myself "Hey,how come those guys get to have all the fun?" So I decided to do something so crazy,zany,and whacked out that you couldn't ignore it. I wear a Shoei Pascal Picotte joker helmet,with an orange mohawk on it when I ride this bike. It gets people laughing and excited,and that's the point. It's all worth it to me when I see people smiling. They're laughing,not at me,but with me. The tank and seat cowl art was done by Shawn Hansen,of Shark Signs and Designs. I disassembled the entire bike,and my buddy Pez (yeah,like the candy dispenser) did all the rest of the paintwork. We used Imron 5000 effects sparkle paint. The yellow centerstand,orange mirror brackets and brake stayarm are powdercoated. The license plate mounting bolts are seven color changing LED's,and the dice actually light up. I'm sending the seat back to Corbin,and every single piece that makes up the seat cover will be a different color. We'll be painting the mirrors and clutch cover,and installing four different color angel eyes lights in the headlights. I currently have blue and green LED's in the dash display,I'll be swapping them out for purple and pink. The reason I'm submitting my pics is because I saw an article in the Jan/Feb '08 edition of Honda RedRider by Landy W. Peace of North Carolina. He showed a pic of his tastefully customized 25th Anniversary Edition Intercepter. He said he watches the VFRWorld forum to see if anybody else has a mind to change their VFR. He said he hadn't seen one as yet. I read that and smiled to myself,and thought "Oh yeah,wait til he gets a load of mine!" Enjoy my friends.

[RWB25]

Awesome!

It's a little over the top for me personally, but I totally appreciate the effort that's has definitely gone into this masterpiece. I can truly admire the hard work and creativity in your bike.

Awesome job!

Don't forget to post up any update pics.

[btay67]

Wow! Man you have done a ton of work on that VFR. Everytime I go back and look at it I see something else. I've never tried to draw that much attention to myself but you certainly did a nice job on the 'ol VFR! My kids thought it was way cool which means you've definatly done what you set out to do...put SMILES on peoples faces. Good luck on the rest of it...

[drewl]

Wow. You ain't kidding.
Although I don't really dig the paint scheme, that bike shows alot of hard work. The quality looks pretty good.

[shaynej]

WOW. There is a lot going on there. It took quite a while to look at the pictures. Just wanted to know...

HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE?

That is incredible.

[Yonan]

Like it, but your pics were way to big..............hard to take it all in. Would like to see a smaller pic please, very cool though

[R.W.]

You definitely have quite the unique VFR, I was impressed by your performance mods

[RVFR]

You definitely have quite the unique VFR, I was impressed by your performance mods

Dito...........

[QuietGuy]

It's certainly an impressive looking VFR! And, it appears your mods have gone way beyond "just" the cosmetic... Can't help but notice, it looks like you've de-linked your brakes... What have you done to stop the left side caliper mount from moving when the front brakes are applied?

[Rollin_Again]

I'm sorry but that is just WRONG. If you want to bring attention to yourself buy an older Katana and cover it with leopard fur or whatever else you want and ride it while wearing a chicken suit. I appreciate the art work for what it is but it just looks tacky on a refined machine like the VFR. You've basically put alot of time and effort into the bike and ultimately lowered it's value. It's your bike though and if you like it that's all that counts.


Regards,
Rollin

[derstuka]

Man, that is a unique machine alright! Looks like you poured some hours into her. Hope you are happy with the outcome.

[derstuka]

If you want to bring attention to yourself buy an older Katana and cover it with leopard fur or whatever else you want and ride it while wearing a chicken suit.

Damn.....you just cracked me the hell up with that comments Rollin'! I am picturing some clown on leopard fur can-a-tuna riding in a chicken suit now....that is a funny image!

[i_needit]

Wow, that is different & different isn't allways bad.

[jasonsmith]

I think it's sweet. Go big or go home...

[stoshmonster]

Thank you for your comments gentlemen. I'm genuinely sorry if I've offended any diehard VFR purists. I realize that my bike isn't for everyone's tastes. As I stated in my introduction post,I was hoping to raise a few eyebrows. Sorry about that gentlemen. I have a few more details for you. I revalved the forks with Race Tech compression and rebound Gold Valves,and a Race Tech fork spring. The rear is equipped with an Ohlins shock,with remote preload adjuster,and a set of Thurn Motorsport lowering links. K&N filter,Powercommander,and Two Brothers Racing "Stash" exhaust system. Did anyone notice that the left exhaust pipe is actually a dummy pipe? It's a lockable storage compartment. I store my tire repair kit,tool kit,maps...etc in there. People give me odd looks when I pull-in on the bike,they give me really odd looks when I start pulling things out of my left exhaust pipe! I use Braking Wave Rotors,with HEL Performance stainless steel lines,fittings,and banjo bolts. LBS is removed. Pazzo Racing adjustable levers. Throttlemeister Throttle Lock. Factory Pro quick shift kit,with Barnett kevlar clutch discs. Corbin Touring seat. Dash harness was replaced under warranty. I'm a bit reluctant to admit it,but I installed a set of Magnum Tuning Performance 02 sensor chips,I'll have to wait til I can get it dynoed to see if those actually work. I used 9 different color anodized aluminum bolts for the non-load bearing parts. The c/f shark guard on the swingarm is from Thurn Motorsports. To answer a few questions. Btay67,glad your kids liked it. I've had many parents ask if they could have their kids pictures taken on the bike,I always oblige. I've gotten many Thank you's,and shook many hands for that. Shaynej,I bought my bike new in Oct '03,I had just the tank and cowl painted over the winter,rode it all of '04 like that. I didn't really like the first artist's work,it was too serious,I wanted it more cartoony. In Dec'04 I took the tank to another artist,and approached my buddy Rob and said "Wouldn't it be funny if....I've been slowly working on the bike ever since. Yonan,sorry about the picture size. When I upload the standard 640x480 size,the pics always blur,look at the cockpit and tank top pics. So I just bailed and used the 1600x1200 size. I cringed too when I saw my post. RW & RVFR,thanks for noticing my mods,most people just notice the paint. It's nice to know that there's other VFR gearheads out there besides myself. Good on ya Guys! Quiet Guy,you are correct sir,I've removed the LBS system. I wanted the ABS,but there weren't any left when I bought mine. I didn't see any advantage in the LBS. Ever seen the LBS system off the bike? I removed mine intact. EESH...the thing's like an eight foot long octopus! I gutted the left caliper mount and had my buddy Rob machine a pin to fit in the bore hole where the valve used to be. He threaded the end so we could use the stock mounting clevis. It was critical to get the pin length correct so that when the brake caliper was mounted the brake pads would ride correctly on the rotor,and the brake rotor would not contact the brake caliper housing. It took a few tries. We used super strength epoxy to secure the pin. It's a solid structure now,it physically does not move,just like a regular brake caliper mount. The picture kind of distorts it,but there is actually an inch of clearance between the red brake line and the tire. Hope this answers some of your questions. Thanks again for your input gentlemen.

[VT Viffer]

Could you maybe put some spaces between the pics so that they don't all show up next to eachother in a row? I have to scroll over for about half a mile to just read your first post!

Looking at the pictures is not as bad, but I'd rather scroll down than to the right...

[stoshmonster]

Thanks for the tip VT Viffer. Hope that works a little better for you.

[VT Viffer]

Much better.

Kudos to having a VERY original bike. I have to say that although I wouldn't do it myself, it looks very cool, and the attention it must get must be tremendous!

Good job!

[Phil Ceptor]

Wow ,Thats what cabin fever made you do? Jesus that is insanely creative or somewhat disturbing. I guess I'll have to wait to pass judgement until Elkhart lake . I do remember see your bike there three years ago. If I see the joker moble beforehand I'll certainly wave. You know that wave of acknowledgement you give that one crazy cousin on your wifes side.

[stoshmonster]

Yeah Phil you know how it goes,not much to do after the Packers are done playing for the season.

[PUSkunk]

Wow, that thing is amazing. The paint scheme may not be to my taste, but the amount of effort that went into this...plus the performance mods, tres nice!

[reg71]

I think it's pretty cool. and it's damn sure an original. I haven't seen any bike close to that one. even all those stretched out drag bike gixxers with all those crazy paint jobs. you'd definitely be able to pick your bike out in a lineup!

[Sandalwood]

Wow, that thing is amazing. The paint scheme may not be to my taste, but the amount of effort that went into this...plus the performance mods, tres nice!

Agreed. It's certainly not what I would build, but I have to appreciate the effort that went into it. There is a lot of attention to detail here.

[hondajt]

so is this paint or Vinyl? I have seen the same concepts done in Vinyl:


Its nuts. Very cool.

Love the theme. I'm a huge gambler, and for some reason, that bike really seems to match my personality. Very cool.

[mello dude]

Stosh - wow what a ride.. not my taste but I can appreciate the thought and work that went into it. Just a curiousity question, -- If you knew you were gonna ditch the LBS, why didnt you ditch the stocker fork legs or forks altogether and add better performing brakes in the first place? You know, you got about 4 lbs of dead weight hanging on your forks now. --( Yeah I did the whole hog route, I'm the original VFRworld linked brake hater)

--Confession -- I'm an engineer and considered what you did, but it just seemed risky. Maybe its ok and maybe not but I didnt want to be test dummy.


MD

[stoshmonster]

Thanks for your ongoing interest in my bike,your input is appreciated gentlemen. Time to answer some more questions. Sandalwood,you mentioned the attention to detail on the bike,we actually had alot more ideas for the bike. Some of the sillier ones like mounting propellers,hanging bells or maybe dingo balls,or a horn that went "ha ha ha HAH ha" like Woody Woodpecker were nixed right off. One of the cooler ideas that got nixed had to do with the chainguard. There's just a silver painted plate behind the word "Jokermobile". I was originally going to box off the area behind the word "Jokermobile",put some clear reflector material behind the lettering,and install a seven-color-changing LED light in there. It would've been easy enough to do,but this bike is a rider not a show bike,it gets dirty and washed alot. The idea got nixed because I asked the question,how do you get the water out of that box? I may still do it,because it's an idea that's just too cool to ignore. No Hondajt,that's Imron 5000 effects sparkle paint. Pictures never do paintwork justice,in sunlight that paint sparkles. My buddy Rob(Pez)mixed a bit of pearl in the clearcoat to give it a subtle hint of rainbow sheen. Hello Mello Dude,I have to confess that I've been waiting for you to weigh-in. If you're the original LBS hater,I guess that makes me number two in line. I read your article on removing the LBS system(in fact I read it several times,OK I admit it,I'm a gearhead junkie too!),your solution was very well planned and executed,and a good read as well. I went about removing the LBS from a different point of view. I did it on a budget,with MY SAFETY being the main priority. I understand your concern to my solution of removing the LBS system. I didn't decide to remove my LBS until the problem of keeping the left brake caliper mount stationary was solved. The pin we used runs the full length of the bore hole in the caliper mount. Before I epoxyed the pin in place I bolted both pieces to the fork leg and pulled backwards on the caliper mount. The pin and mount swing through two different arcs,and those arcs overlap. The very end of the pin wants to move up,but it can't because the mount is moving down. You could pull the caliper back a little bit,but nowhere near far enough to move the brake pads fully off the rotor. Under braking all of the front wheel's rotational inertia is moving the caliper toward the fork leg,and the epoxy is there just to keep the caliper from falling backwards. Remember,in stock form all that holds that caliper from falling backwards is the tiny circlip that secures the oil seal of the proportional valve in the left caliper mount. As a redundant back-up to the epoxy,we could've drilled a hole through the caliper mount and pin and pressed another steel pin through them,but we deemed that to be a bit of overengineering. The caliper mount is a solid structure now just like any other ordinary caliper mount. I freely admit that your solution is a cleaner more elegant,although more expensive,solution to removing the LBS than mine,however both solutions do work. I posted that close-up shot of my front wheel just to see if anyone would notice,or even care that I removed my LBS system. Thanks for your concern Mello Dude,I appreciate it. I guess it's true,you do meet the nicest people on a Honda! Stewie,love your enthusiasm,I'll try to PM you a pic. Hope this answers some of your questions. Thanks once again for your input gentlemen.

[Gears]

Wow..you used every crayon in the box !

I do like the tank and seat cowl.

[34468 Randy]

Damn.....you just cracked me the hell up with that comments Rollin'! I am picturing some clown on leopard fur can-a-tuna riding in a chicken suit now....that is a funny image!

And jsut what is wrong with leopard skin patterns. I have some perfectly fine underwear in leopard skin print. They are made of spandex and are shiny too.

[cebuVFR]

your bike would definitely stand out when parked next to ours. kudos to the effort upgrading it!

[300shooter]

And jsut what is wrong with leopard skin patterns. I have some perfectly fine underwear in leopard skin print. They are made of spandex and are shiny too.

Too much information Randy. Stosh, HOLY FARKLES BATMAN!! Wow, I wish I had the free time you did. Thumbs up on the detailing, not quite my style but damn, you're good at what you set your mind too!