VFR1200 Early Adopter Yes/No

Durn dude, I hope you mean ingenious and not ingenuous.

Most moto journalists are afforded the opportunity to ride new bikes on the track or in some pretty neat surrounds. Many of these same jounnalists are fast guys who are just not out on a putt to the nearest Wallys and trying to squeeze all the mileage out of a 150 HP motorcycle that is possible. Those peanut tanks on an 883cc HD ironhead sportys held about a gallon and not good for anywhere near 120 miles. My 91 VFR tank holds about 5 gallons tops. When the fuel gets low I put gas in it. Even WalMart gas.. Granted I don't live and ride near Mt Kilaminjaro or K2 but at 4-5000 ft riding with some of the dudes I ride with my 91 will get right around 24 MPG which is, if ya do the arithmetic, (120miles/5gal) 24MPG. Getting up those molehills will suck a tank dry right skippy too.

Look up Heinrich tanks sometime for both R and K bikes.



Just a guess here but 5-600 bucks will get anyone with the pesos one of several cans that will be on the market soon or even as we speak.

 

On the highway with my 2006 VFR 800 ABS, I CONSISTENTLY average a little more than 44 mpg. Even with my Suzuki SV 650 ABS, I get better mileage than the road tests indicate.

The biggest single factor in getting good mileage is probably to avoid riding in a lower gear than necessary. Unless you will be needing a lot of power quickly, you can save fuel by using the highest gear that will not result in running below 3000 rpm. The VFR 800 runs very well at 3000 rpm as long as you are riding with a light throttle. Of course that limits the power and requires downshifting when more power is required. It can even require downshifting three gears to get maximum power, but it does save considerable fuel. However, in traffic conditions where you may actually need power quickly to avoid an accident, there is really no choice but to ride in a gear that will provide that power and just accept poorer fuel mileage.

Although it may be possible to increase the fuel capacity of the "VFR" 1200, be careful!! It would not be a good idea to mount an auxiliary tank where it could easily be ruptured in case of an accident.

 

Sound like the person with the dead battery stalled her engine. The headlight drained the battery and no one in the group had a set of those small jumper cables that BTW suck big time and IMO somebody could make some good honest money on with an improved design. Bottom line? They are cheesy.

Slipper clutches are from the 70's used mostly on drag bikes and a few 4 stroke racers. They work. Smooth launches and downshifts can be done on bikes with non slipper clutches for sure. Takes practice and there are those out there that will never get it. The one factor I think that was not mentioned is that a slipper clutch will reduce the occurance of a highside. A highside at even 50MPH doesnt even take a middle school diploma to understand torque 101.

It just might be that your MSF instructor knew a bit more than you might think and could perhaps address your question when taking the advanced course or one of the courses offered by some really skilled cats who will show you the ropes.

 

I don't remember what kind of bike she had. Apparently she had turned the key to the accessory position; she also forgot to take the keys out.

On many bikes, it is not easy to get to the battery to use jumper cables; it can be next to impossible. I have a powerlet socket on both of my bikes for connecting a battery tender or electrically heated clothing, but that would be incapable of carrying sufficient current to operate the starter. It might be a good idea to design bikes to expedite connecting jumper cables. Anyway, I would like to be able to start any vehicle by pushing it whether failure to start results from a low battery or a failed starter motor.

I'm convinced that the instructor did not know about blipping the throttle for downshifts. However, if she did know, she should not have feigned ignorance. If she thought that it was beyond our current skill level (and it was not, at least for me), she should have stated that that was an advanced technique and that it would be best to wait a while before trying it. When I said something about "low" gear, she was confused and had no idea what I was talking about. The terms "first" and "low" are both in common use and I don't understand how she could have been unaware of that.

There are a number of things which MSF instructors either do not know or choose not to acknowledge. For example, there are differences of opinion on how to stop as quickly as possible. The MSF says to "squeeze" the brakes (which makes no sense if the dictionary definition of "squeeze" is used) and, as forward weight transfer occurs, apply the front brake more firmly. They do not quantify the time required for the weight transfer. On the other hand, there are those who state that the forward weight transfer occurs instantly and their logic sounds impeccable. An English book I have recommends applying the front brake first, although I fail to see the logic in that. In England, they recommend waiting at a red light in neutral, with the left foot poised over the shift lever, and the right foot down. The MSF recommends waiting in first gear and makes no recommendations about what to do if your left hand is painfully hurting from having to wait at several red lights in a row. One is supposed to accept without question anything they say.

Regarding the advanced MSF course, when I learned that it also was given on a large parking lot, with no traffic, and at speeds not exceeding 20 mph, I decided not to take it; it seemed to duplicate the beginner's course. There are ways to improve one's knowledge and skill without taking that course. There are DVDs and plenty of reading material available, and one can find places to do the recommended exercises. It would be good to have advanced courses available that are really ADVANCED.

 

Darn sticky fingers. Yes ingenious. Thank you. But what's a jounnalists?

Well if you watched the video I'm sure you saw all those JOURNALISTS at race speeds on those wet mountain roads in the fog. Yea they were really flying and only getting 24mph. As far as your bike goes, it's sounds like you need some fuel system work. I suppose when one goes out touring across country they do it slow and stay out of the mountains to save fuel.

Let us know when Heinrick goes back in to business and starts making the larger VFR1200 tanks. You could buy one then. May be an 8 gallon so you can go 230 miles. Oh wait you don't do long distance touring. You only race around mountain roads at 4000' at race speeds all the time and don't go far. The peanut tanks hold 2.4 gallons. Geez google it sometime you may learn something instead of just being a lazy ass know it all. OK bucky?

 

Any number of events could lead to a discharged battery including the all too frequent R/R failure on VFRs. All sorts of jumper cables are available. The cables spoken of are the universal motorcycle type with the cheesy spring loaded clamps that everyone seems to have in stock. It would be no more difficult to attach said cables to a battery than attaching a battery tender if this helps with visualizing or if a pic of these bike type cables cannot be found somewhere on the www.

I have much the same socket arrangement on a 79 BMW. This was an OEM item. I have charged a battery with it, jumped a battery from a car using the cigarette lighter socket, I cannot say if it is connected directly to the starter. I don't think it is.

The question as to whether a slipper clutch would slip so much as to prevent pushing a bike to start it remains unanswered More specifically will the slipper clutch in the new VFR prevent a push start is the adjunct to the question. What I can from observation state is that I have seen racebikes being started on rollers many of which have slipper clutches.

She probabably does not know the starting procedure for firiing up a 1924 Henderson Four either, and was just waiting for someone of superior skills to put her on the righteous path. Low and first are the same to be sure. I have heard both called "stump puller" and then ya got compound low. IMO if you were really concerned and not just being one of" those" and for some reason on HD's that are in almost every class and perhaps did not cut the mustard, you could have easily explained that there is indeed differences in syntax. Here is an exercise much in the same vein. Does one ride a motorcycle or drive a motorcycle?



I am certain that squeezing a brake lever is understood by most as a universal concept. I have serious doubts about packing a dictionary, even a small one, and a stopwatch just to find out. I betcha there is data from Moto-GP that can at least provide curves on reaction time if one does not expect as the average dude to be as fast with the various knobs as those dudes. Onward to your question about feet and hands. All is not gospel. Threre are older bikes that shift and brake on the "wrong" side including a whole shitload of Limey bikes. Then ya got some brake and clutch mechanisms that are not hydraulic. Some even shift upside down. Then ya got tank shifters and suicide clutches and even auto tranny on some Honda 750 Fours from the days of yore.

There is the legend of the dude on a Harley at a RR crossing. Engine running, tranny in low or first, no hydraulics, clutch disengaged. The clutch cable lets go. SPLAT!

I sense more and more by your responses that your riding and motorcycyle experience is limited. A major indicator IMO is that you make no mention and have little knowledge of the "advanced" courses put on by many notable luminaries in the world of motorcycling. Then again you may be the next Evel Knevel. A word of caution if and when you decide to take one of the "advanced" courses and start correcting the instructors from some book you read, do not be surprised if they in fact prove that maybe they are just not in the game of guessing and out on the racetrack will be happy to show you the ropes.

I would submit both courses were given on a closed course and perhaps a large parking lot. Better there for a herd of noobs than say on I-5 during rush hour in my hood.

 

As everyone knows, a jounnalist is a guy or, perish the thought, a woman who hits the wrong key once in awhile and has the local spelling Nazi there to correct him or her. These Nazi's are called proofreaders or editiors in some circles. On bike BB's they are just called assholes.

Thanks for the tech help the Stabil and the old gas will be drained tomorrow and I'll even synch the carbs. As to touring I try to keep it down when the LEOs are lurking. Sorry about your lack of mountain riding. It's great fun and getting all pushed out of shape about mileage detracts from the fun. Race speeds? You have to be kidding or thats all you could come up with in a pinch..

Those Heinrich tanks are pricy. The BMW tanks are handformed aluminum and come unpainted. Last I looked MSRP on just a stock tank for my R100RS was over $700.00. Not to worry there will, just as there will be a prettier can for the new VFR, a shop somewhere in the Far East that will be making a larger tank for this bike if this is possible. What you might need to do is hit the Ronny Kramer site and take a look at what is out there a bit more closely than worrying about my spelling. After that, I am positive the local Honda dealer will take your money for a downpayment on one of these new bike and might have some new gadget that will get you 250 MPG. Or did I just have a flashback from late nite TeeVee?



Off to Google to see about those HD peanut tanks. BRB.

 

So you don't get lost or run out of gas. I'll help you out. peanut tank, buy and sell Parts Accessories on eBay Motors

sieg heil................................

 

Any leads on brownshirts or armbands on Ebay? Yep, those stock peanut tanks were larger. I guess we should compare them to the tanks on the new VFR. BTW without even looking I betcha most of the peanut tanks on Ebay are knockoffs from outfits like Custom Chrome.

Maybe when you get delivery on your new VFR you can score one of those peanut tanks and Bondo it to the VFR tank for a function over form look and in case you run into some mountains somewhere where there are no gas stations or nuked Jo-Jo's


A really great book on HD is "The Harley Century" by Darwin Holstrom. Kind of a shameless plug because one of the guys I ride with (Greg Field) has some stuff in there. If you want I can change the structure of the sentence to read "one of the guys I have climbed many a mountain with" but that would be not only a prepositional phrase but we ride on the slab too.

Greg has two Moto-Guzzis and his SO has an old Honda Dream. He's from Milwaukee and that is probably why he doesnt have a Harley.

 

Actually the after market has already caught on to the short comings of the VFR1200 fuel problems. One of our own here has the solution. Now you won't have to pay $700+ dollars to get that extra, well actually normal range out of a tank, for a Heinrich tank. Just buy yourself one of these:



It comes in the correct color also. So you can put your rattle can away. So what is it now? Do you ride the mountains or do you climb the mountains?

 

If that's a pic of the tank sitting behind the rider, then where does the second passenger fit into the equation? I'd hate to be on it when someone rearends me. To me, there is no fix for the shortcoming of a small fuel tank, sorry.

 

Oh My. I guess that sentence structure threw you another curve. The stock tanks for the several 100 series Beemers are at the 700+ bucks range. That's for a new painted tank. The Heinrichs are much more. Are we discussing paint now too? This will be more fun that I had before. BMW's could also be equipped with panniers that were hard cases with fuel bladders for the really long distance stuff between gas and Jo-Jo pit stops. The tricky guys who ride Iron Butt have several increased capacity tricks they use. I suggest you try the Bondo approach first even before the first payment on your new VFR is due.

So since Cebu lives in Carson and I am originally from there too and BTW, Carson before it was moved to Torrance was home to Honda USA and is one of the racing and hotrod centers in SoCal. Living in the boonies I thought you might want to know that. Lots of gas stations too. Some ever have lumpia and Jo-jo's. No bagoong though so far.

Do I climb mountains? Naa. No gas stations on Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood or Pike's Peak.

 

BadBilly it's really a coincidence that you mention Torrance. Ever hear of "Gasoline Alley"? I worked with a famous name from there. Billy Williams. One of the pioneers of "Pro Comp" class of alky racing. He move to Cleveland in 91. I worked in his shop (after hours) and on his team for 6 years. Here is a little excerpt from Speed Zone mag:

They are listing the top TAFC, Top Alcohol Funny Car, drivers of all time.

7. Billy Williams: In the late seventies and through the 80's no one from the west coast was a bigger power house than Billy Williams. In 1979 he won 5 national events and even won three in a row to end the season including Indy, Seattle and the finals to give him the world championship. Once Dale Armstrong moved on to the fuel ranks Billy benefited from Dale's potent combination and became THE hitter from the west. His record in NHRA national event competition is 10 wins in 16 final rounds. Surprisingly, with all his success he never won a divisional title. He competed right up to and including 2002, but a bad crash that year at an IHRA national event put him in the hospital in serious condition, and he has yet to recover from his injuries. The entire drag racing community is hoping he can recover. (The quickest driver in 1979 and '80).

Billy died from his injuries 4-14-02. I got to meet a lot of people from your area like Mert Littlefield, Bob Devoe, Chet Herbert and his son Doug plus many others.

So yes this hic from the boonies has been to the big city once or twice. Now on to the BMW's and their tanks. I've had some paint work done by a guy named Kent Holt. He was and may be still is the man for BMW restorations and mainly paint. His site is: holtbmw.com | gallery. You can see some of his work if you click the link. ( check out the videos) He is also from the boonies right outside of Athens Ohio. You may want to contact him for paint work. He does excellent paint work on the 10 gallon tanks also and he doesn't use bondo. So put your rattle cans away. They just don't cut it anymore.

As far as the lumpia which do you like Filipino or Indonesian style? I enjoy the Lumpiang Sariwa and Shanghai. But if you eat to many you may end up with gas. Which Mt Hood and Rainier don't have so you say. Then don't take your VFR1200 up there. Well actually you could because you can coast down to the nearest gas station for more.

Now to stay on topic. No I would not try the early adopter program now or later. I really like the VFR1200 except for the fuel range. Which is the stepping off point for me.

 

Never heard of any of those dudes.

I could talk paint with your paint guy though. Did you learn all this stuff by hanging out at all those shops all day? Seen computer and camera dudes that seem to live to hang out at retail stores. Then ya got the Harley dudes who used to be able to hang out at the stealerships but since they have become botiques, thats sort of out.

Another famous dude from Torrance goes way back. Lou Zamperini. More on Google on that. We might see a film on that sometime in the future with maybe Nicholas Cage as lead.

If your paint guy is painting bikes he is using some rattlecans. You should ask him before trying to convince anyone he is not. He might tell you and he might not. There are a bunch of tricks to painting anything that he may not want just anyone to know. Especially dudes that hang out in his business and never buy anything.

Glad to see your Google is working. Can you find me a local supplier for baluts? I hear they are great with Jo-jo's.

I have found that the dudes who run out of gas more than a few times are sort of out of gas anyway. Gas stops on Rainier are noted as "Next Gas X miles and this depends on whether one is going roughly East or West. No gas in the park its fed. However the rent a rangers who are hired on as Summer help to write tickets because the real rangers are many times saving some fools ass because he is stuck on the glacier because he wanted to be the first one to climb Rainier with his cat named Fluffy.

WTF is a hic Herr Oberst?

 

ROTFLMAO Thanks for all the laughs. Your quite the entertainer. Have a good day.

 

Mini tanks, it was a gas.

 

Just read my first ride report on the VFR1200 in UKs Visordown ( ex TWO) magazine and found it was very positive, still think Honda made a mistake on its small tank size but in a stripped photo you can see the 1200s airbox is massive.

One of the testers remarks I found of interest was the front Headlight is supposed to look sorta human face like therefore attracting the attention of dozy car drivers, have to say like it or not the Headlight / front fairing certainly stands out in the visibility stakes.