You dropped it how many time!

I gave up replacing the levers on my VFR long ago and just manage fine with the bent ones. I guess they can be bent beyond use.

 

It is an honour to have one of our elite members join the ranks. Welcome Gator. You have been inducted to the list of the adventurous and riders of truth.

 

I gotcha bud. A little late is never too late.

 

BTW all my Fall of Shamers members I just got back from a two week trip from Chilliwack (it snowed two days after we left) to Cabo San Lucas and did not drop the bike. Had a very close call though. Passing slower trucks on a right hand curve in the road. They were signaling me on, which is very common down on the Baja. Front wheel grabbed the pavement edge and pulled the rear with it. The drop down that side of the road was substantial. I managed to pull the wheels back up onto the pavement but the bike shuddered with some serious wheel wobble on both wheels. I don't know how, but I managed to ride that out and keep going. If I had gone down that embankment, I would not be posting this. My ass puckered so hard I suffered rectal cramps for days after that. Took stock of my riding from that one. The rest of that trip, I was very conservative in the twisties.

 

SoI did a long slow heat and slow bend of the lever and its back to almost perfect. While rummaging around an old dirt bike bin I found a box with probably a dozen bent or broken levers, mostly from the Honda CR 250's , some form my sons and nephews Yamaha YZ 125's. More stuff to throw out! We would bring tat box to the track as we knew someone was going to bend/break something and you could usually find one less bent to finish the day on. lol

 

It's weird the things that run through your mind during short, stressful situations. I had a near high side in the carport yesterday. Forgot to put it in neutral when getting it on the centerstand. It slowly started pulling away from me, like some ghoul trying to pull me off a cliff. It took all I had to bring it upright and the sidestand prevented it from landing on top of me. The whole time I was wondering what new scratches would appear, and trying to remember what website I got the last mirror from...

 

Is Randy having a nap?

It seems time to update the thread as a recent post by Wolstead seems to qualify for a special mention - is the first instance of dropping a VFR whilst underwater?

 

I'M AWAKE NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I was having my normal after breakfast nap. I put the invite out there for him to ....or is it a her.... Anyway hopefully he will send it in to add to the rest of our stories of our esteemed flippy floppy clients. His story was one made out of it's own mold.

Can I go back to having my morning nap. It is time for my post nap, nap.

 

Well you gone and done it FFS. Eeeeyup! This is my 15th sad report. Thanks for jinxing me Skimad. Today was the day to add another drop of the VFR. I was just doing maybe 1/2 mile an hour turning around. Was going into my Message therapists place. He was out there to greet me. It started to lean, and I simply (after the heart issues in March) do not have nearly enough strength to stop it from going down. Nor did I move fast enough to get off the fukken thing. So there I was, sitting astride my bike with the left foot peg on my ankle. Left mirror flew down the street. Pulled myself out from under the bike and stepped down on the left foot and yup. Something hurts. Jesus Christ it is easy to get yourself into a pickle when you are old. Looked the bike over. Clutch lever is curled around some badly, the end almost touches the other end. Gear shifter is bent. And some body damage to the front cowl and left side faring. But after I had my message, I was able to ride it to the dealership. There is at least 2500 bucks damage, so I may just go through the insurance. But in the meantime, I am going to fix a few things and keep the bills. Clutch lever and mirror of course. Drive me nits riding it with no left mirror. Will try to bend the clutch pedal back into shape.

The foot is starting to become very colourful. If it gets worse, I will go into the ER tomorrow morning and get some x-rays done. Twice now, we have assumed it was minor and it ended up being broken or fractured bones. Wish me luck.

Now to find some parts that are no longer made by Honda. After market levers are easy. But the mirrors are no longer available. The front cowl is not longer available. I think the gear lever is out of production as well. But I think I can fix that with some heat and a big fukken pipe wrench. Wish me more luck.

 

Doh Doh Doh. I really should put down that voodoo doll...



You can probably find EMGO mirrors for 5th and 6th gen VFRs on sale on Amazon and eBay. They are virtually identical to OEM.

As for the fairings I chose to fit quality (R&G) tip over bobbins which means that when (not if) my bike takes a nap it is kept clear of the deck and importantly your leg is not trapped. I know it is a shame to drill holes into a pristine fairing panel but now its got a few battle scars it won't hurt to add tip over protection. Even if the fairing is broken - it is often much better to fix them as the material is far stronger than is used by typical Chinese replica kits.

Take Care - PS I am hoping to get over to LA to catch up with Long and hopefully some of the old R3 contingent in autumn 2025. So as I have not yet discussed possible routes with Long - are you ever allowed South of the border?

SkiMad

 

Thanks for the tip on the mirrors. The firings I may or may not fix. I am not sure if they need to be replaced or can a good body shop properly feather the scratches out and re-paint. Thing is, last time I had it painted, they did not use the paint code like they did previously. They matched it. And as I am sure you understand, with the pearl white, a match will never be as good as using the paint code. So there is that to consider. But I do need the mirrors. A set of AM levers have been ordered. The gear shifter, I am hoping I can remove and using heat, straighten it out. It is still functional but I need to dig my toes in there pretty good to up shift.

I would love to go down there to meet you in person. I missed the R3 that you came over to. But 2025 is already a huge ride year for me. I belong to two bike groups, one being a Veterans group which is having their Western Canada rally in Winnipeg Manitoba in early July. Right on the heels of that, the West Coast Conference of the Blue Knights to which I also belong, are having their annual Conference a week later in Penticton. BC. These days, it will take me that long just to get there. And my unit are going to be there a day early . Don't know if I can make that. I just don't have the strength for that kind of riding any more. And then, there will be our monthly over night rides with the BK and monthly day rides with the same BK. That's a lot of riding on the old bike (I'm selling the Twin) not to mention the very old and now decerped rider. But we shall see when the time comes.

Again thanks for the mirror tip. I guess you are not such a bad guy after all. Like the 60's commercial said, "you meet the nicest people on a Honda."

 

Sorry to hear about the tipover Randy.

It's been a few days now, how is the ankle/ foot?

 

Thanks. The ankle was sore for just a couple days. It twisted but I don't think it was sprained or fractured. Now the left toe. Well the gear shifted landed square on the big toe and I was stuck there until I manhandled my foot and pulled the foot out. Loosing the boot (runner actually, Don't start cause I know I should know that I should know better.) Anyway, the nail started to come up up near the cuticle and was still attached to the end of the toe. And being diabetic I worried about infection and the fear of amputation that so many diabetics have gone through for a minor foot infection. So a week ago, I went to the doc's office and they pulled the whole nail off. I'm on blood thinners for the heart issue so it just bled like the fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Vegas. I have just today been able to put socks on without a bandage. But I went riding yesterday on the VFR anyway. The ankle was only sore for a couple days. So, all on all, I am doing fine. Bike is ridable. But seems the left handlebar riser has been pushed out of place as the bar end hits the tank now. Hopefully it is not bent and just a minor adjustment will fix that.

Thanks for checking up on me. I do see a CanAm Spyder in my near future though.