New Guy from Germany

Heyho and hello, guys!

I guess I can more or less claim to be "one of the VFR-guys", although technically and legally speaking I can't ride one until next summer due to license-restrictions bound to age due to the EU here in Germany :/


Have been reading up on them VFRs for quite a few months now since a collegue from work rode his 98-2001 VFR800 to and from work last summer. Have been reading a lot of reviews, threads on forums, on how buleltproof the engine's supposed to be, what little problems the VFRs have and maintenance-tips.

And that's basically how I also ended up in this forum, too!

2 months ago I spotted a VFR with 24k kilometers on it in a very good condition, all the services done, including that much talked about 24k valve-check and changing the fluids (oil, clutch & brake fluids), new chain and sprockets. Rode over, test-rode it on private property and it was smooth as silk, no hick-ups. Didn't have the chance to fully unleash the power and tap into the V-Tec-pool, but the owner really took good care of it, so I'm not much worried.
But first I had to seel my then current scoot, the Shadow 750 Ace.
And just 2 weeks ago I sold the Shadow and basically swapped over to the VFR., which is now waiting in the garage.

But me having to wait until next summer to fully ride her also means I got some time to do the"usual" mods, mount some saddle-bags and maybe also crashpads if I feel like it

So, take care guys and have a good one!

 

Welcome to the forum! I hope you can stand the wait.

 

Welcome. Usually riders have to go through a lot of bikes to find the VFR. You are one of the lucky few.

 

I gotta admit, it's not easy, but the wait is not a 100% true wait, I've taken her up and down the private property a few times, what a great feeling bike, man.

Yeah, all in all this is my 3rd bike, but before that I've been on a few more 2-wheeled-engine-driven vehicles, for example a Honda Vision 50, a Honda DAx/Skyteam Skymax 125 and a small 49cc moped

But my first bike is a VX 800, shortly after that the Honda Shadow and now the VFR.

All good bikes, hands down, but I think I'll stay with the Viffer for a while to come, the position feels just like home

 

We need Pictures .....

& Welcome..

 

Ah, yeah, fair enough
Will be sure to snap a some pics in a few days when I try to mount my saddlebags^^

 

Hi and welcome to the MadHouse

So what part of Germany are you based in? I guess with winter on its way you may not get much chance to ride the VFR until next spring. Over here my VFR is parked for winter and the garage already surrounded by plenty of snow meaning its time to catch up with mates to enjoy planning some rides and possibly sort out any maintenance or modifications. Whatever else take care at low speed - as these bikes are rather top heavy and can quickly tip past the point of no return and end up lying on their side. If your bike is in great condition - you might want to consider fitting R&G crash bungs which will minimise any tip over damage. Also make sure mirror stems and levers are not over tight on the bars - you want them to stay put in normal use but still able to move (rather than snap off) if the bike falls over.

Have fun

SkiMad

 

Thanks for your welcome and the tip with the not overtightening the mirrors and levers, I will keep tht in mind and make sure they're "loose" enough as you said!

As I'm still under the A2-license currently, I'm not allowed to take the VFR on public roads until end of spring. That's when I plan on doing the test for the "total" motorcycle-license^^
So all the riding I do is mostly "low-speed"-stuff on private property, yes. I have already looked around for crash-pads. The R&G-crashpads immediately caught me eye.
But I've read there are crashpads where you have to cut the fairings, and ones where you don't have to.
The R&G are the ones where you have to cut wholes and replace the coolant-reservoir, right?
Do you have to modify the coolant-reservoir yourself or do the R&G-guys send a modified one, too?


And I'm from Bavaria, near the Czech border, so sadly not too close to France :/

Just a short question: When you've parked the VFR for winter, do you put it on the side- or the center-stand?

Take care, man!

 

Now the answer to your last question brings a whole new thread...lol

Centre stand, with front stand too if you have it, tyres pumped up extra couple psi, tank filled to the brim - with super unleaded - good stuff..., battery removed & put in warm environment, exhaust plugged, cover placed over bike.

 

These bikes are HEAVY and even when they just teeter over they hit the deck with a hell of a lot of energy, so cheap no cut sliders mounting only onto fairing mounts can simply snap off and in the process can exacerbate damage to the fairing.

I did like the idea of fitting no cut sliders BUT certainly at the time, when I got mine, the ones on the market were pretty dire - all show but no effect. A friend installed some Chinese junk sliders onto his GSX which later slid out on a Diesel spill on a slow speed bend. By the time it stopped the whole left side was trashed and the slider mounting had broken loose from the bike where it was attached to a fairing mounting bolt and breaking off a huge chunk of the fairing which later found several yards back still attached to the slider. I stopped a few seconds later and from the mess I suspect that if the bike did not have a no cut slider fitted, the damage would have been a lot less severe.

When I got my 6th Gen it was second hand and had already been on its side several times so I was not really stressed about intentionally adding a couple of small holes into it. I had no hesitation to fit R&Gs as they are really designed to go way beyond just tip over protection and are routinely fitted to race bikes to minimise potential damage during a racing slide out. The kit was expensive but it includes a replacement coolant bottle and all you need including instructions written in clear English. The key bit is a high strength, ductile steel rod which effectively replaces and extends the stock engine mounting frame bolt to which the sliders are fitted. If the slider catches on something the ductile metal head is concealed inside a plastic collar which together gives a bit to absorb some of the energy rather than destroy the frame and possibly the engine.

If you check on here Randy keeps a tally sheet on how many times people drop their bikes. Its not pretty reading - but shows how decent sliders are a sound investment for many of us. More recently there have been a few new manufacturers offering no cut stuff for 8th gen Models however I cannot advise if they are now sufficiently strong to be worth the hassle of fitting. What I can say - as I have tested them a few times is that proper R&G sliders installed direct to the frame really do work even if they are not quite so pretty.

As for storage Pete has already described pretty much what I do too.

As my garage is unheated I also coat most metal surfaces on the bike with ACF50 to keep rust at bay (but not the brake rotors) and every month I put the batteries onto a motorbike trickle charger for a couple of hours just to keep them healthy. As a result both of my bikes have always started first time when I bring them out of hibernation and just have to wait for a few minutes before I can ride off as the bike creates its own fog bank as the ACF burns off the exhaust.


SkiMad

 

hello irishRoy,I have R&G crash bungs fitted to my bike by the previous owner he also fitted R&G bar end sliders thankfully they are unmarked and hopefully will stay like that!,my garage has the central heating boiler in it so it warms the garage just enough to be pleasant to work in so I do not have to worry about corrosion, fingers crossed

 

Thanks for the in-depth answer!
Yeah, I, too, think I'm am gravitating heavily towards the R&G-crashpads as well!
Can you maybe give me a link to the list you spoke off? I can't seem to find it, not even with the search-engine, sorry :/

Do you recommend tha ACF-50? I have heard it is good, but I've also heard it is pink and you spray it on metal-parts, also exhausts, etc.?
What happens after the winter? Can you just wipe or off, or does it evaporate or burn off due to the exhaust-heat?

Thanks for the welcome, man!
by bar end sliders, do you mean handlebar-sliders or the typical ones? Sorry, english is not my mother-tongue, the irish in my nic is just for fun^^

 

the bar end sliders are actually fitted into the handle bars so if I drop it the sliders will cop a hiding and stop any thing getting damaged, hopefully!

 

Ahh, okay, that's looking good, man!
May I ask which brand you recommend?

 

R&G - lol

 

Ah, OK, figures, i guess

Gesendet von meinem Apollo Lite mit Tapatalk

 

There you go, man!

Not much done, except the previous owner fitted a broader and tinted windshield, I think.
Apart from that, she's pretty much stock, which is nice.
I think I will remove the "Honda VFR V-Tec"-stickers, though, and slap my own stickers on





Thing is, she's in a garage for the winter and when I can't ride for longer periods, but the garage is in the middle of the city while I live a 4-5 kilometers apart from the garage, so taking pics and working on her isn't always as spontaneous as I would like it to be^^

 

Bike looks good,

I've been doing a little more looking at storage of bikes over winter - don't ask why...

& have just found this:

https://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorcycle/bike-covers-shelters/vac-bag-motorcycle-dry-storage-system

I must say I'm tempted to give it a go..

 

Damn, like a bike-condom so to speak?

Yeah, in that garage where I have it over the winter sometimes the plaster comes down, so I tend to put a beach-towel over her.
Oh, and putting rags in the exhaust, of course^^

 

If I were to store mine, I would definitely give one of these a go. I have never heard of these for anything other than clothing. I do like!