Converting the 6th Gen from a SPORT-Tourer to a Sport-TOURER

stosh - one more thing. Can you speak to the perceived quality differences between the two? I know you said that the Sargent is much lighter, but I'm assuming that doesn't mean it's cheaper or of lesser quality.

 

Thanks for sharing reg. I'm reposting the link since I had trouble loading it:

http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/20631-seat-comparo-stock-v-corbin-v-sargent.html

One thing worth noting on the Sargent is that for the 6th Gen, from what I've read off their website, the rear seat cowl will now fit over the seat. If it didn't, then that would be a deal breaker for me. I love the looks of the bike with the seat cowl in place.

 

So I have decided on a couple of things. As mentioned before, I was considering just moving to an ST1300. I went to my local dealer and sat on one. It is a nice bike, but it is bigger and heavier than the VFR and doesn't seem to really have anything that I can't just change on the VFR - which is what this thread is all about. Although I bet the ST would provide for comfort for both the rider and passenger, I have decided to convert my VFR.

I just ordered the Hondaline OEM hard cases. The GIVI V35 cases are definitely cheaper, but I just like the look and feel of the factory bags better and to me is worth the added expense. Retail is listed as $1091 and I'm getting them for $873 which includes shipping. I cannot find them any cheaper than that, but if you remove the shipping, they're about $250 under retail. If anyone has found them cheaper, then I probably don't want to know!

 

I'm curious where you found your hard bags? I've looked everywhere and turned up nothing but a set for $1000 on ebay.

 

I bought them through Mason City Honda. Here is a link to the blue hard bags for the 2007 RWB on their site:

Mason CIty, Iowa, Honda. Power Equipment, ATV, Motorcycle, Scooter, Dealer, Used, Parts, Service, FInancing

I did a lot of searching and found about 10 different places that had them. Most were around the $900 to $1000 mark. One site had them for $840, but it didn't include the shipping. I saw some good references for Mason City on VFRWorld and VFRD, so I went with them.

 

Neat, thanks! Looks like they even have 02-04 red in stock.

 

You misunderstand Stewart,when I stated that the Sargent seat was lighter weight-wise I meant that literally. I didn't mean to imply that it was in any way cheaper or of lesser quality than the Corbin.
If pressed for any perceived quality differences that I've noticed between the two seats I guess I'd have to say that the Sargent seat does have just a little bit more of a "mass-produced" look to it. Other than that it's basically a dead-heat.
Weighing in at 6.5lbs though it weighs about half as much as the Corbin seat does.



The seat pan on the Sargent is made of sturdy yet lightweight plastic and the seat cover is stapled very securely onto it.
The seat pan however does have just a tiny bit of flex to it Stewart. As to whether or not that will be a problem with the VFR800 remains to be seen because as I said I haven't used it yet.
I will tell you that I picked up a Sargent seat for my Ducati 900SS earlier this summer and I like it a lot,I have absolutely no nitpicks whatsoever with that seat.



One particularly handy feature of the Sargent seat is this small underseat storage compartment. Good for maybe a small tire repair kit,or a coupla small tools,some extra keys,a pack of smokes,etc.



Top view pic of the Sargent seat.




The Corbin seat has a bit more of a "hand built" look to it. Weighing in at a hefty 11.3lbs this thing is definitely built for the ages,and it shows.



Not exactly sure what the seat pan on the Corbin is made out of but it might as well be cement because this thing is rock freakin' hard. The seat cover is riveted securely onto it.
I ended up having to shave down the center two rubber mounts on the seat pan just a wee bit to get the seat to fit correctly. As delivered the seat fit way too tightly,it was difficult to install and remove.
I also had to reposition the seat locking plate just slightly to get it to align properly with the seat latching mechanism.



Top view pic of the Corbin seat.




The Triboseat passenger seat pad is basically a very grippy fine rubber mesh material with elastic draw straps that secure it to the seat. I found that the best way to secure the seat cover to the Stock and Sargent seats was to pull the draw straps around the rear two seat hooks on the underside of the seat pan and then tie-off the draw straps to each other.
Just a heads-up Stewart,an extra pair of hands to hold,form,and smooth the seat cover would come in mighty handy while performing this maneuver.

I was able to get the Triboseat cover to fit on all three of my seats.

Sargent.



Corbin.



Stock.

 

having owned Sargent and Corbin saddles previously, I would say without question or hesitation, I would not buy Corbin over Sargent. Corbins are usually heavier, not as well made, not as comfy, don't fit as well. "hear" many many more complaints on Corbin than Sargent over the years as well. Except if you go to corbin and have it made in person, then people are pretty much universally happy.

 

I was in a similar situation this last year.

In the spring I had a 1994 CBR F2 (an oldie but goodie!), and was looking to get a fuel injected late model bike. I loved the sport bike responsiveness and feed back, but wanted something a little more comfortable on the long hauls. Since I had zero problems with the CBR I was leaning heavily towards a 2006 F4i. After talking with some friends and doing a little research I came across the VFR. We all know how the story ended, but the point is this:

For my own personal reasoning I am going the route of make the sport-tourer a SPORT-tourer. My weird rational was that I was taking a tried and true sport tourer and giving it the extra performance I wanted it to have. Rather than taking some of the SPORT out of the SPORT bike. I know I wasnt really negatively affecting the performance by putting clip-on's, resets, and hard/soft luggage. I just felt better about sticking with the base defitition of the bike I wanted and just adding the little perks to make it my own.

Just my $0.02

 

I just received the OEM bags a couple of days ago. They look great and I am happy with the quality. I want to say that they were worth the money, but if you want the bags made for this bike, then there is no other option. I'm thinking about adding a white pinstripe to them to break up the blue. I figure if I don't like it, then I can always remove it.

 

So I've tried a couple of ideas for pinstriping the cases. In this first picture, the one on the left has pinstriping around the inner perimeter where the case is molded. The one on the right has it at the edge of where the blue part of the case ends - which is not visible from the side. Both cases have the diagonal pinstripe across the front which too follows the crease where the case is molded.



The next picture shows both from the front.



This last picture shows both from the rear.



Overall, I think I'm going to stick with the wider pinstripe that I have at the edge of the case. I like how it cleanly separates the black part of the case from the blue and I like how it is not visible when looking at the case from the side.

Some might like it and others won't, but since the RWB has so many colors and lines as part of the paint scheme, I think the bags as they are look a little out of place and need a little definition added to them. Once I put them on the bike, if I don't like the way they look, then I can always put them back the way they were.

 

Jeez, it ALL looks great! No wrong decisions there, amigo.

 

Thanks Alaskan. I wanted to post this in order to give others ideas too.

 

I currently ride with a Sargent seat. Delivery took about three weeks because they had to make it, however it was definitely worth the wait. This is abundantly more comfortable than stock; it flares a little more near the tank so you're not all crushed up. It's padded but not so much you're sinking into the battery. I'm just about to do an all day tour this weekend so we'll see how it really goes, however the real test is when I go around Australia next year.

 

So I've made some decisions and have purchased the following items:

Power Commander V - This wasn't on my original list, but I am sick of the low speed FI jerkiness and riding double will only make it worse. I found it for $265 which I think is a great price since retail is $370.

Heli-Bars - I'm going with the black and found them for $251. Rarely have I seen these for less than the $279 retail price.

Windscreen - I went with the Zero Gravity Sport Touring (23-454) model. I paid $85.

Hard Case Liners - The OEM liners are discontinued. I found some made by BESTEM USA that seem to be of very good quality. They are embroidered with "VFR800" which is kind of cool. I paid $45 for the pair. I'll see if I can post up some pictures of them.

As far as the seat goes, I think I'm leaning toward the Sargent with a white welt.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

You are gonna love the PC. The snatchiness at low throttle openings disappears. As does any residual lurch at VTEC transition. Best $$$ I ever spent on my bike.

 

That's what I'm hoping for. My main complaints are the jerkiness at very slow speeds going through parking lots and right around 30-35 MPH in third gear, I get an on / off type of situation where the bike actually bucks - I usually just shift up to 4th and it goes away. After living with this for the last 5 years, I'll probably be asking myself why I didn't add the PC years sooner.

 

Some pics I took recently. I have the OEM Bags, Heli bars, Sargent Seat, and a PC III and love them all. Also have heated grips. I haven't played with buying another windscreen, but I think the OEM one is fine for me. If I were riding cross country then I would probably get something with more protection.