Just because I can. Tank grips made a world of difference on this bike, especially after the suspension upgrades. Other than that, I haven't done a whole lot to her. I did manage to get it on a dyno for a quick power pull and it made 167.6hp@10,000rpm corrected, which is about 20 to 22hp more than an average 1200F makes at the wheel stock. I honestly have no complaints at this point, and just a few small changes I want to make.

This was right after a full detail a couple of months ago.

Very impressive :tup: what mods have you done besides the exhaust.

High flow filter and airbox bottle delte and the ecu flash tune.

I guess I should note thathat the heavy increase in power was not just peak power. The factory Honda tuning was super lean below 4k, and the ignition timing was severely retarded across the board to make it capable of running 87 octane. It currently has a 91 octane tune optimized for exhaust and intake. That is why there was a 20+ hp increase. That makes this bike close to 200hp at the crankshaft, and over 100ft/lbs of torque from 3800 to 10,000 rpm. It is a freaking missile, and I rarely ever find myself going anywhere near full throttle.

It's amazing how much power you can get just from tuning the ECU. I'm sure most bikes are tuned just like cars and trucks. They are tuned for the worst gas out there and detuned even more. I've retuned many stock cars and trucks and it's like night and day after I get finished. Good example was I took my brothers stock Chevy pick up at the track. He made a couple of runs on stock tune and we logged it. From that log I retuned it for 87 octane gas and he picked up a whole second I a quarter mile. A little fine tuning and picked up another half second. That's probably a 60+ HP gain.

Some manufacturers are better than others when it comes to ECU tuning. Honda is fairly notorious for tuning back their engines pretty severely for emissions reasons. Most tuners will tell you all about Honda tuning in the lower RPM range. Usually very lean and with very clunky roll on fuel mapping. Even bikes like the CBR1000RR don't escape some of this, although they are a little better.

They also love their gear restrictions. My bike in the U.S. Market had first and second gear restrictions with the E-throttle, essentially only opening the throttle to around 65% - giving around 100hp peak. Then an RPM restriction in 6th to limit top speed. I had these removed.

Other small things like the mapping for the E-throttle itself. The delay they programmed in is too long, and the subsequent rate it opens is not very intuitive. It makes trying to be smooth with the throttle incredibly interesting. This was also remapped by Guhl, and is now much more instant and linear giving the bike the same feel as a cable throttle.

Took my bike out of hibernation today. I couldn't pass up the mid 40 degree weather, and I needed to head to my local motorcycle dealer to pick up a few small parts and gaskets.

To date, I think this is the best picture I have snapped that really captures what this color does in the sun. So bright.

Great picture! :tup:

Yeah, it's not too shabby.

The hard part was not wanting to buy another bike while at this dealership. They had an Africa Twin there, used with a whole 500 miles on it for less than $10k. A CB650F, a little bike I have always wanted to get my hands on for a decent price too. A couple other bikes I would also love to own...

I think I have a problem lol.

One thing I will say about the Africa Twin. You don't really get an appreciation of just how BIG that bike is until you see it in person. My VFR is somewhat of a big bike, and it looks downright small compared to the Twin.

I here ya. I have to stay away from them places. Local dealer has a new 2017 Kawasaki 900 Custom listed for under 7 grand and bet I could talk them down more. I had looked at this same bike over a year ago and still hasn't sold.
https://cdn.dealerspike.com/imglib/v...0-20444801.png

Those Vulcan 900's are great bikes too. Getting one for under 7 grand would be one hell of a deal.

Ordered the seals, o rings, and gaskets needed to do my up and coming valve check. I also ordered new plugs, because I might as well do it while I have it all apart. And of course all the oil, filters, etc for my new year service. Got some other small goodies on the way too like some axle sliders and new grips. Here soon I need to take a second pair of heel plates I bought for the foot pegs and take them in to be powder coated satin black like the frame so I can swap that all over and install my new foot pegs.

So, my Hawk is going to be my daily again. My VFR is deciding it doesnt like 6th gear. Best case scenario is that my clutch is fragging itself. Worst case is the dogs for 6th gear or a shift fork are damaged.

I am hoping its the clutch, that is cheaper and doesnt require pulling the motor and splitting the cases.

Sigh...

Bummer if its the gearbox Dan.


But at least you have the Hawk for backup!

Funny thing is, the gearbox isnt too bad to service, but getting the motor out is a bitch lol. I am just hoping it is the clutch. That will save me days of work.

Well, I hoped against hope that it was the clutch.

So, the good news is, it isn't the clutch!

The bad news is, the motor does have to come out to split the cases.

The good part of the bad news is, the way the engine is designed, outside of removing the cams and timing chains, the heads can stay on, which saves me a decent amount of money ($170) for the upper gasket kit. I already have the gaskets for removing the valve covers anyway because I was going to do a valve check.

The second half of the good news is, once the lower case half is removed the access to the transmission gears is incredibly easy. Both shafts and gears can be removed without removing the shift forks or drum. I think Honda unintentionally designed this engine to be quite service friendly.

The downside is, if I do need to replace any gears, they are about $75 each, and if either main or counter shaft is damaged, it's another $100 each. I am hopeful that the damage is just to the dogs, and that the worst case scenario will simply be the two gears that the dogs engage and a shift fork. Combined with 6 new main bolts and the lower gasket kit it will run me about $360 in parts and probably 3 solid days of work of all goes well. Not looking forward to it, but I am trying to keep positive. If I do have to pull the heads, that adds about another $110 on to the total.

Well that doesn't sound too bad. Just time consuming.

Extremely time consuming. I did talk to one guy who had the same symptom recently that told me his problem ended up being something wrong with the gear selector/ratchet mechanism not allowing it to engage 6th gear fully. Since that is right behind the clutch I may as well investigate that before I go ripping it to shreds. If it is just a bad ratchet pawl or something that got bent I would be more than fine with that!

That would definitely be an easier fix.

Viffervlog?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W_J...ature=youtu.be

So, I have saved up a couple grand in order to get this bike fixed. I want 6th gear back! I don't have the space or the time right now to tear into it, and I am just tired of looking at it collecting dust. I hate putting my babies into somebody else's hands, but I do trust the shop I dropped it off at (I have a couple of friends that work there). I will likely be without it for at least a month.

https://i.ibb.co/F3Nb1Bp/66641650-10...69174528-n.jpg

How I missed this post. Must of posted this during the storm. I know what you mean about letting someone else work on your bike. I like doing my own work because I know it will be done right. Seems like every time I brought a vehicle for the dealership for warranty work on them they always forget to fix something. End up bringing it back a couple of times and have to explain to the mechanic on what to fix.

Yeah, but sometimes you just have to accept the reality. I could do this work, but I lack two important ingredients. I could make the space, but that means I need more time that I slready don't have enough of. Either way it isn't a cheap repair.

So here is the fun update to this story. A week after dropping the bike off, they still don't contact me. I call them to ask what is going on and get told "sorry, but we won't be working on it for a few months..." Essentially the same thing everybody else told me, so I took my bike back, brought it home, and I am setting up to do the damn work myself. In the meantime I am just riding it and not using 6th gear, which is more than fine considering how tall that gear is anyway (really only useable above 70+). No long highway trips for now, but I don't have any planned.

I gave it a nice wash and full detail this weekend.

https://i.ibb.co/7kF4bWJ/70703753-10...85768448-n.jpg


Anyway, I am currently cleaning out my garage, tossing a bunch of junk, putting in some shelving and building a work table to set the motor on and tear it down.

On positive out of this whole mess is that another VFR1200 owner had the same thing happen to his bike and he gave me some wonderful insight into doing the job. The heads do not have to come off in order to split the cases, but instead it can be done by splitting the case and backing out one bolt at the same time. That will save a ton of time and money. I am still looking at about $500 in parts between the gaskets, gears, and a shift fork, but it beats the $2000-3000 repair bill of somebody else doing it.

Since I now have some extra money on hand I may do a few extra things while the bike is apart. I have wanted to de-cat the bike for a while, so I will likely do that and then have the whole exhaust ceramic coated. I may change to a different muffler from the current Coffman's shorty, especially if I do decide to de-cat. This will also require a re-reflash of my ECU, luckily Guhl only charges $100 for this instead of the $350 it first cost me. It should also unlock about another 20hp if I raise the rev limiter in conjunction with the de-cat, giving a total of around 180-185whp.

I am also debating ordering an aftermarket fairing set in a different color. Not that I don't like the orange. I just want to keep the OEM panels as pristine as possible. I am thinking of black, which would match my panniers. Besides, if I ever get bored with one color, it would only take an hour lol.

That will be a good winter time project as long as you have the garage heated. lol Bike looks awesome as always. :tup:

I plan on starting it next month. Realistically, it should only take a few weekends to get it sorted as long as the parts don't take too long to arrive.

I couldn't help myself. I hate to see it sitting there, and I am waiting for some parts to arrive, so... I had to take it out and ride for a bit, and clean the dust and finger prints off. I am so used to riding the Hawk now that I forgot just how quickly this bike gets up to speed even when you aren't trying. First gear tops out what the Hawk tops out in 5th lol.

I will say this. This bike is photogenic as hell, and not too bad looking for being 10 years old.
https://i.ibb.co/SBhrKSX/95488177-10...66710272-o.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/7WxM1hL/95607873-10...97347072-n.jpg

A couple of angles that really caught the sun. :)

https://i.ibb.co/Ykd5wkL/96081812-10...79794688-n.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/KhFzWHm/95479530-10...48280832-n.jpg

That thing is just downright sexy Megadan. :)

She sure looks good in the sun! Are those tank grips tech spec?

Yes, yes it is. One of the few bikes I have ever owned where I still have to turn around just to look at it agian lol.

It's that pearl coat. It really comes to life in the sun.

Yes, those are Tech Spec snake skin grips. Kind of a necessity with this bike. Trying to grip smooth painted tank panels when braking with the earth stopping braking power, or ballistic missile acceleration, this bike has is rather difficult lol.

How long have you had them on and have you had any trouble with them coming loose? I just bought some small Tech spec snake skin grips for my V strom. Mine isn't the power monster like yours but I think they help from scratching the tank as well as gripping.

About 2 years now, and not one peep of trouble from them in any way. The adhesive they use is top notch.

I engaged warp factor 9 for the first time in probably over a year. Open empty highway, no wind, no cops, no traffic... somewhere in Mexico.

I forgot just how much of an adrenaline rush this bike is. Even wide open in 5th gear it pulls so damn hard you have to hang on for dear life (while in a tuck). Somewhere around 150 I decided I had my fill for the night. Doesn't take very long to get there.

Honestly, as exciting as it is, it's the fact that it doesn't take that long, or any real effort, to do that kind of speed is part of the reason I love and hate this bike. It is also the reason I find my Hawk or other small engine bikes so much fun. I can twist wide open through all 5 gears on my Hawk and still barely scratch the speed limit on most major roads here unless I get one heck of a run. This bike will hit 100mph between stop lights with 1 wheel off the ground without even trying and still manage to stop ( I love the brakes on this bike ).

In truth, it's the torque this thing makes that inspires both awe and fear. Not only does it make a ton of it, but it makes almost all of it from basically 3500rpm to redline. It's a savage kind of power that just wants to rip your arms from your sockets.

I do believe I have fallen in love with my VFR again. Now I feel inspired to actually work on it.

That Honda is beautiful!.. I'm kinda interested in the late 80s early 90s.S-10... I bet it has the famous 350 swap lol.


Owned 2 myself lowered 4 in the front (spindles and springs)and 5 inn the rear. Never had anything faster than the 2.8 . Really would like to find a Syclone.. Hell I'm still working on getting that kpx...

The end of an Era.
 

I got my goodbye ride in. I listed it for sale Sunday at Midnight and I have a person scheduled to show up from out of state Friday afternoon to take her away.

A part of me is definitely going to regret selling this bike, but it is time to move on to something new and a little more tame.

Took these right before my last ride on her. A part of me is sad to see it go.
https://i.ibb.co/fD84C9W/432962533-1...79038194-n.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/9p3tmm8/420497169-1...67833628-n.jpg

I know that feeling. I just sold my Hawk. I was kinda attached to it. It's the bike that got me back into riding again after being laid up for so many years with my back injury. I have 5 other bikes that will get me through these hard times. Lol

I am not quite so attached to my Hawk as I am the VFR. I just don't see the point in getting rid of it at this point. I will never ever get out of it what I have into it. I am still considering it and replacing it with something that gets better MPG, like a scooter, but with getting a new big bike on the horizon I may as well hold on to it a bit longer. I can't own more than 2 bikes at a time. Takes up too much space and I always end up neglecting one. Plus, I kind of like the idea of having one bike suited to the end of the world scenario. Simple and carbureted. Nothing else on the cheap chinabike market quite catches my eye, although the Lycan comes close. Most of the road bikes just don't fit a man my size well either.

I said goodbye today, just an hour ago. A part of me is sad, but also excited. The new owner is a great guy who was super passionate about it and drove 4 hours and missed work to get it, and that really takes the edge off. I can tell he is going to care for and love it just as much as I did.

https://i.ibb.co/sjQ8ghQ/20240412-154638.jpg

A little sneak preview if what is to come. I didn't buy this one (it's their Demo bike) but I put a deposit down on a Stencil White version right after that test ride.

https://i.ibb.co/fxLfG2g/20240413-133453.jpg

Power wise it's everything we all wish our Hawks would/could be. It has zero problem going the highway speeds I need it to, and has more than enough power to get the job done. It's so smooth too.

One thing I absolutely love about it is the almost conplete lack of plastic,. Almost everything on this bike is metal. That's probably also why it weighs 529lbs with a nearly full tank of fuel lol.

In the short ride I got on the Demo bike I fell in love with it, despite a couple of small issues, but they were also expected.

First is the front brake has zero feel to it. Seems to be a common theme with the RE Bybre brakes. The rear brake is stupidly strong though, so it helps make up for it. I will probably look into options for upgrading at least the brake hose and pads to something different.

Second. Me, being the bigger man that I am, find the front suspension to be too soft on the spring rate side of things. It's not the worst ever and I even went over some good bumps and they never bottomed out, but it will happen eventually if I don't do something about it. Currently there isn't anything bike specific out on the market, but being Upside down Showa Single Function Big Piston forks, there is bound to be a spring out there for it that works. I just need to call Race Tech or another company and talk to them.

Now I just have to wait. My bike will be here sometime this week. I hope Tuesday so I can bring it home before I start work, but at the latest I will be picking it up Saturday.

The rear suspension is almost perfect as-is, most people complain about it being too stiff, so of course it works great for me lol.

This is what the Stencil White looks like.
https://i.ibb.co/SNBt2Fq/Screenshot-...-15-025229.png

New 650
 

With your stature, Dan, you will have no problem putting it anywhere you want to on the road, and I'll bet that extra weight of the bike just translates to a smoother, more stable ride for you. And it will buck the wind better on gusty days too.

It's a really great looking bike.