Honda VFR1200F Weblog

The Honda Effect

2011-12-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my January 2012 issue of Cycle Canada arrived and I've already read it cover to cover. I have to say I've had my reservations about this magazine in the last couple years but this issue has me believing again. The editor, Neil Graham has decided that this magazine will be more editorial-based rather than an American-style cookie-cutter press-release paraphraser. They tried that, and it didn't work. (mind you, the S1000RR article fits that mold, but I digress)

I like the direction he's taken things and I appreciate the free-form editorial that he allows.

Michael Uhlarik is a great addition to the editorial base. Though I often disagree with his opinions, he expresses them passionately and with industry experience and knowledge to back it up. He had a line in his CBR250R feature (a ride from Toronto to Halifax on said moto) this month that I enjoyed enough to share it here:

"I hadn't ridden the Honda since the test ride in California nearly a year ago (in fact I hadn't ridden any motorcycle since) so it's worth mentioning that the Honda Effect took place. To those unfamiliar, it goes like this: 10 minutes into operating a Honda product you feel that you have always owned that Honda and you could ride it to the end of the Earth - or the Maritimes, which for most Ontarians is just as far.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I am definitely not unfamiliar with the Honda Effect.

2012 VFR1200F What's New?

2011-11-09T09:58:00.001-07:00

The plight of the Early Adopter... For the privilege of being first you get to suffer through the teething period as an unpaid beta-tester.

Honda have just announced an updated and improved 2012 VFR1200F.

Changes include:

Increased range from a larger fuel tank
Improved low-end torque from 2000-4000RPM
Traction control
Trip computer
Improved comfort from an updated seat
Revisions to DCT transmission
LED indicators
New colours
Chromed headers

So what does this mean for owners of the 2010 and 2011 VFR1200F? How many of these updates can I take advantage of?

-Bigger tank: The increase is only about 400mL. That might mean an extra 4 or 5 miles. Don't bother.

-Improved low-end torque: Basically amounts to different mapping. With my de-restriction and PC5 I would gain nothing from this. If you don't have a PC5 and haven't de-restricted, Honda UK is offering a re-map to their customers which probably gives you the 2012 mapping

-Traction control: DAMN! I wish I had this. Not that I've really needed it, but it would be a great gadget to play with. I don't think it's going to be practical to try to retrofit to my 2010. I would likely need a new ECU, new instrument panel, plus the switch and module. It could turn into a hell of a project.... expensive too. I'm wondering if the 2012 still has the 1st and 2nd gear restriction or if they ditched it out of redundancy with the TC?

-Trip computer: Tells the rider average MPG and DTE (distance to empty). My 2010 gives pretty consistent range so I have no problem relying on my trip odometer for this information. Nice gadget but don't need it.

-Updated seat: It appears that the contour or foam haven't changed, just the surface texture. I like my seat just fine, don't need a new one.

Revisions to DCT: I'm sure this brilliant technology will just continue to evolve and improve. Mine's a 6-speed. ;)

-LED indicators: Probably an easy retrofit if you want to spend the money. Don't incandescent bulbs just feel so.... 20th century?

-New colours: I LOVE the new "Titanium Blade" metallic. It's sort of a sexy greenish-grey. The blue looks a little nerdy to me. Black is black... white is white. Unfortunately Honda Canada never gave me a choice of colours otherwise I would almost definitely have a white bike instead of red. If I ever crash my 1200 and need new plastics, it's going to end up as a Titanium Blade bike for sure. Even if I have to change the panniers. Or as my friend Dave Solo likes to say "They got this shit called "Paint"...

-Chromed headers: I've said here before, chrome has no place on this bike. I like my stainless head pipes and titanium muffler just fine.

Now I know how SP1 owners must have felt when the SP2 came out.
pics:

Traction control switch, located on top of left fairing. On/off only, no settings

Titanium Blade.... yummy.

Snippet from Honda's press release:

2012 VFR1200F

Refined 1200cc V4 Sports Tourer

Release date: 8 November 2011

Model updates: Increased engine torque; greater tank range; Traction Control System; revised styling; more comfortable seat; Dual Clutch Transmission (Optional); new LED indicators

Last updated: 16 September 2011

1 Model overview

2 Key upgrades

3 Model details

4 Colours

5 Model history

6 Optional equipment

7 Technical specification

1. Model overview

The distinctive VFR1200F has been developed for 2012. The engine now offers even greater performance, with significantly more refined torque between 2000rpm and 4000rpm. Changes to the PGM-FI fuel injection system, combined with increased tank capacity, mean the VFR1200F can now travel more than 186 miles on a single tank of petrol. The optional Dual Clutch Transmission has been improved, with new functionalities. The adoption of a reassuring Traction Control System and along with a more comfortable seating position, further enhance the bike’s all-round capabilities.

Launched in 2009, the VFR1200F was developed to deliver a blend of sports and touring capabilities using the latest technologies. It was a clean-sheet interpretation of the ultimate road-sport machine – a concept driven by extensive understanding of customer needs and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies.

In pursuit of heightened levels of control and feedback, the VFR1200F adopted the latest race-track bred technologies, adapted and evolved to create a machine that can be many things to many riders. The harmonic growl of the flexible and responsive V4 motor rekindles the emotions inspired by previous iconic VFRs, with its unique ‘heartbeat’ engine feel and an unrivalled level of refined performance.

2. Key upgrades

2.1 Engine

Stronger torque NEW

For 2012 the V4’s already impressive torque has been made stronger still, with increased drive between 2000rpm and 4000rpm.

Traction Control System NEW

For 2012 the VFR1200F also benefits from Honda’s Traction Control System , which helps ensure the power is put down optimally, safely and securely, even on surfaces with limited grip.

Dual Clutch Transmission (optional) NEW

The VFR1200F was the first motorcycle to feature Honda’s innovative Dual Clutch Transmission, which has been significantly developed for the 2012 model. Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission ensures even smoother and seamless gear changes in any of its three riding modes. Using two electronically controlled clutches, the system offers the choice of manual gear shifting and two fully automatic modes, one for general use (D-mode) and another for high performance riding (S-mode). The VF1200F’s Dual Clutch Transmission also features new software logic with added functionality.

2.2 Ergonomic Design

Greater comfort NEW

The new seat design features new stitching and a new coating finish for improved seat grip and improved quality.

3. Model details

3.1 Styling

Designed in Europe
The designers of the VFR1200F drew on two threads of Japanese culture through the design process. The Japanese word ‘Ma’ can be described as ‘the space between things’. It is perhaps easiest to understand it in relation to music. If one thinks of the intrinsic importance of a measure of silence or the pause between movements in a classical symphony, and the effect on the performance if someone accidentally applauds or disturbs the silence. That illustrates the importance of ‘Ma’. The other concept ‘tsuya’ describes the shine or vitality of an object, its charm, and the way it attracts and holds the eye. Focusing on tsuya gives a new significance to every line, curve and angle. Both these elements were of paramount importance to the design philosophy. The LED indicators used for the first time on a large capacity Honda motorcycle, ensures optimum visibility.

Form follows function
To a large degree; pure function determined the VFR1200F’s form. Mass centralisation, consummate rider control and aerodynamic efficiency provided the key underlying design criteria and from this starting point the machine’s form evolved. The remarkably narrow cylinder heads and clever cylinder spacing allowed a very narrow waist, effectively lowering the seat height and thus making it easier for the rider to place both feet flat on the ground at rest. This wasp-like waist also gives the rider the feeling of being ‘in’ the bike rather than perched on top – crucial for feedback and control. The fuel tank’s elegant yet complicated contours support and assist the rider to add extra elements of control and heightened levels of feedback whatever the riding situation. The ergonomically styled fairing works in harmony with the fuel tank to provide extra support and efficient weather protection for the rider and pillion. Even the hand controls and switchgear are engineered to ergonomic advantage.

Layered fairing technology

The patented layered fairing design of the VFR1200F is a perfect match of form and function. Designers and engineers worked together to create a uniquely beautiful shape and, at the same time, optimal air flow and heat management. The fairing design incorporates two layers, which harnesses the benefits of flowing air to the machine’s dynamic and mechanical advantage. This has two functions: air entering between the layers and through two oval-shaped spaces in the front of the fairing is channelled in exactly the directions needed to enhance the bike’s stability at higher speeds. Secondly, by effectively increasing the speed of the air by channelling it through smaller apertures before it reaches the radiators, engine cooling is optimised and the hot, exhaust air is channelled away from the rider and passenger. The heat generated by the powerful V4 engine is also channelled away to keep hot air away from the rider.

Attention to detail

A balance of positive and negative surfaces gives the front of the motorcycle a light, open look while also creating a profile that slices through the wind with minimal resistance. A strongly defined X-shape characterises the front of the machine. Concave surfaces direct the eye and air up towards the windscreen, which incorporates another air-directing aperture at its lower edge. Even the edges of the screen have been crafted to enhance stability at speed. The light from the powerful single line-beam headlight streams into two tinted LED-look strips that frame it, increasing the feeling of lightness and space.

The cowl and body are fused together, creating one smooth, unified, aerodynamic surface. The compact rear tapers upwards, emphasising the bike’s lightness and dynamic shape, while the tail-light and rear indicators subtly mimic the frontal design.

Luxurious finish

The 2012 machine continues to benefit from painting technologies specially developed at the hi-tech Kumamoto factory, focused on creating top-quality colouring with the most uniform coverage. A deep clear-coat finish enhances the bodywork colour, creating a luxurious, high-class shine. The mirror-like surfaces create a sharp, memorable profile that attracts attention even from a distance.

3.2 Engine

Even stronger midrange performance NEW

The VFR1200F engine was designed to provide its rider with strong power and torque, for a power delivery that is both responsive and exciting. It also delivers the invigorating engine sound and feel that have characterised Honda’s previous V4 machines. The VFR1200F has already established a reputation for delivering both effortless travel and an invigorating riding experience; the V4 engine’s performance has always been most impressive at the engine rpm that matter most, in the low and midrange, making it possible for the rider to simply roll on and off the throttle while powering through bends. For 2012, low-rpm torque has been made stronger still, with increased drive between 2000rpm and 4000rpm to make the bike even more fun to ride.

Improved fuel efficiency NEW

For 2012 the VFR1200F’s advanced PGM-FI fuel injection has been revised to improve fuel efficiency. This, in conjunction with an increase in tank capacity of half a litre to 19 litres, means the VFR1200F can now cover more than 186 miles on a single tank of fuel.

Smooth delivery

There were several challenges involved in tailoring the strong V4 power for use in an all-round machine that can be used for weekend enjoyment, commuting and long-distance touring. Key elements of the VFR1200F’s power characteristics are its response and strong torque delivery. To allow full enjoyment of the engine’s power while still providing a high level of comfort, vibration needed to be carefully managed.

A unique cylinder layout was developed for this purpose. Instead of the traditional V4 cylinder configuration, with the cylinders evenly spaced front-to-rear, the VFR1200F adopts an ingenious solution in order to centralise mass and at the same time achieve a compact, space-saving solution. The rear cylinders are placed side by side but close together, while the front cylinders are more widely spaced. This layout allows for a slim, compact ‘waist’ that fits comfortably between the rider’s legs. It also supports mass centralisation, thus contributing to the bike’s balanced feel and ease of control. With no right-left couple imbalance, the need for a balancer is eliminated and friction is reduced.

A Phase-shift Crankshaft complements the advantages of the cylinder layout. Operating with a 28° throw, it effectively reduces primary vibration and noise, eliminating the need for a power-sapping balance shaft. The V4 is characterised by very strong low-rpm torque. To allow the rider to comfortably take full advantage of this torque, delivery is smoothed by four drivetrain dampers, which further eliminate uncomfortable vibration and backlash.

Racing technologies

The VFR1200F utilises the UNICAM single overhead camshaft cylinder head design from the world-class CRF off-road machines. The logic was straightforward: in an environment where space, performance and weight are at a premium this technology was perfect for a project where mass centralisation and ergonomics were prime design criteria. Also borrowed from the CRF range and the RC211V MotoGP racer is the sealed crankcase system that reduces the pumping loss created through piston movement, and air density. This system had never been used on a road machine before but the gains for the rider are identical - electrifying throttle response and improved fuel consumption.

Refined control

A throttle-by-wire system maximises the rider’s feeling of connectivity with the VFR1200F. Providing light, precise fuel metering at all engine parameters, this highly developed system gives the rider heightened levels of control, whatever the situation. To aid control under intense deceleration a slipper clutch is fitted, similar to the system on the CBR1000RR Fireblade. When the rider downshifts early the clutch is designed to slip, thus preventing the rear wheel from inadvertently locking up, allowing the rider to stay firmly in control.

Innovative transmission layout and ground-breaking shaft drive system

A compact transmission layout contributes to high-speed stability with good handling and excellent traction capability. The highly developed shaft drive system features an offset propeller shaft and a pivot that expands vertically as well as a sliding constant velocity joint that takes up any variations in length during the rear wheel’s arc of travel. At the output shaft a clutch damper absorbs backlash effectively. Thanks to the rigidity of the pivot, stability is improved and throttle-to-drive delivery is much more direct.

Unique exhaust and exhilarating sound

Engineers and designers alike focused not only on the engine’s power and delivery, but also on its feel and sound. They chose a configuration which would emulate the briskness of a typical inline-4 engine’s performance but deliver this with the beat and feel that are pure V4. The exhaust layout was made as compact as possible with the assembly of catalyser-containing exhaust pipes placed on one side of the sump and the exhaust pipes of the rear cylinder bank placed on the other side. On the bike’s right flank a triangular-shaped muffler highlights the styling lines of the bodywork.

The combined induction and exhaust notes create a raw, compelling sound that is authentic Honda V4 and distinguishes the VFR1200F from any other motorcycle. At idle it pulses smoothly, hinting at the engine’s huge performance potential. Each twist of the throttle releases a burst of instant V4 aggression that becomes a thrilling howl as it rises quickly through the revs. The sound and beat of this engine contribute to the unique character of the machine and are as essential to the design as the bodywork or riding position.

A key element in the raw emotion of this V4’s sound is the exhaust system. Engineered to provide excellent cornering clearance and minimal intrusion to the rider’s and pillion’s feet position, the high-volume, twin outlet high-chrome muffler produces an unobtrusive but fantastically stirring note. At low revs the noise is off-beat and bass-rich. Further up the rev range, once the servo-operated valve is opened, the noise changes to a truly inspiring, hard-edged V4 growl.

3.3 Suspension

Peerless handling and stability

The VFR1200F frame, suspension and drive components are brought together in a unique configuration that facilitates both sports bike power and smooth stability. Its strong aluminium twin-spar diamond configuration frame is both lightweight and rigid. The swingarm and driveshaft length are optimised without extending the overall length of the motorcycle. The long swingarm contributes to balanced, confident manoeuvring and exceptional high-speed stability.
The swingarm is complemented by a compliant Pro-Link rear shock absorber with adjustable rebound damping. At the front, sturdy upside-down 43mm telescopic forks with adjustable preload provide smooth and assured control. Together, these systems ensure a comfortable ride, even with a pillion and luggage on board, and add to the overall feeling of total control.

3.4 Brakes

High-performance braking systems

The VFR1200F is equipped with Honda’s highly-developed Combined Antilock Braking System. Powerful six-piston calipers for the front and two piston calipers for the rear act on large discs (320mm at the front and 276mm at the rear). The Combined Braking System creates the optimal balance of front and rear braking forces. The addition of a standard-fit compact and lightweight Anti-lock Braking System supports both the motorcycle’s sports riding potential and its touring proficiency.

3.5 Ergonomic Design

Comfortable dual-seat seat NEW

For 2012 the seat of the VFR1200F – a supportive, vacuum-moulded dual-seat design – has been re-designed to offer improved seat grip with new stitching and improved quality with a new seat coating finis. It features a flat and expansive seating area, with the space to adopt a range of different seating positions. This improves comfort during long days on the road. For the pillion, easy-reach grab handles and footrests ideally positioned for comfort, help create a reassuring sense of security.

Instrument panel

The VFR1200F instrument panel combines sophisticated styling and practicality. Shielded and at the same time displayed by the tilt of the aerodynamic windscreen, its elegant design fully complements the airy and spacious feel at the front. It also adds to the sensation of total rider control. A large, sporty analogue rev counter and a digital speedometer are surrounded by LCD readouts which now include actual, average fuel consumption as well as remaining and range of fuel and Traction Control System activation (On/Off). The display also includes a clock, ambient temperature display, HISS indicator and ABS indicator.

Pannier mounts

To enhance the touring potential of the VFR1200F, the rear is equipped with integrated luggage mounts. These mounting points are unobtrusively cast into the injection moulded under-seat area and pillion footrest mounts. They allow easy installation and removal of specially designed optional panniers without interrupting the motorcycle’s clean styling.

Ergonomic hand controls

The VFR1200F features a state-of-the-art ergonomic design of the handlebar and switch layout. The designers focussed on meeting the rider’s need to reach controls comfortably and for ease of operation, particularly considering the hand position during cornering. As a result, the VFR1200F received new handlebar switches and a new layout with reversed horn and indicator controls. The indicator switch shape is designed around natural thumb movement for effortless operation.

ASV Unbreakable Levers

2011-11-02T13:02:00.000-06:00


I was drunk when I ordered these

I stayed up and finished an extra bottle of wine

And stumbled into solomotoparts.com like a drunk might stumble into a whorehouse

They're well-made and all, but they serve no real function and they were expensive.

I guess they look pretty good though.

Kaoko Throttle Control

2011-11-02T12:48:00.000-06:00

On my road trip in August I decided that I HAD to have some sort of throttle lock or cruise control if I ever wanted to take a ride like that again. (which I do)

I initially decided that I would look for a Throttlemeister, as I like the size and weight and feel of them. Unfortunately, ordering one wasn't easy, as their website is very amateur and doesn't offer any sort of order system. They want you to print an order form and mail send it in with funds. They're also expensive, so nevermind.

There are alternatives though. After a bit of research I chose a Kaoko throttle lock from twistedthrottle.com. It's not as beefy-looking as the Throttlemeister, but it's well-made (in South Africa) and quite a bit less money.

Installation wasn't the 5 minute ordeal I was expecting. I had a bit of trouble getting the bar-end weight out of my clip-on and the Kaoko didn't want to go in. I realized that the internal diameter of my Helibar clip-ons is very slightly smaller than that of the stock ones. With a little grease and some "encouragement" from a precision tool (claw hammer) I got the device into place where it remains solid and secure. A little tightening on the friction nut and this sucker isn't going anywhere.

My wrists will surely thank me.

Winterize.... again

2011-10-23T19:15:00.000-06:00

With 9111 Kms on the clock my VFR1200 was given its 4th oil and filter change. Though the fall weather here has been good, there's a possibility the bike won't be ridden again until spring 2012 and I like to keep it parked with clean oil in it.

With the last service at 4400Kms this is the furthest it has gone on a single oil change. The oil came out quite dirty, but still with a slight greenish tinge from Motul 300v full synthetic. The recommended service interval is 7500 miles but I'll probably never go that far without a change. It's worth noting that this engine has used not a drop of oil since new, and this summer saw some hard use, with a 3600Km mountain tour, a trip to the dragstrip and 2 trackdays.

A new filter went on and 3.2L of 5w40 Motul 300v double ester replaced the dirty 10w40 300v that was drained out. I didn't deliberately switch to 5 weight, it's just what the dealership happened to have.

While I was at it, I changed the final drive oil again with another 200mL or so of Motul full synthetic hypoid oil. I'm well short of needing a final drive service but its an easy task to perform and only took a few minutes. The oil came out clean but with strings of black slime marbled throughout. I added some StaBil to the fuel, put the bike on stands and hooked up a battery tender.

There's no such thing as too much maintenance.

The Last Track Day

2011-10-04T23:01:00.001-06:00

I spent Sunday afternoon at Race City turning laps at the last ever scheduled event at Race City Motorsports Park. Next year, the facility will be demolished to make room for an expansion of the neighbouring landfill.

I normally participate as an instructor, but this time I decided to ride as a "customer". I paid my fees and was free to ride in all of the groups, at my own pace, as much as I wanted. The VFR handled beautifully.... predictable, stable, fast, and with surprising grip from the Pirelli Angel sport touring tires. Being ever more confident with the bike, I pushed it quite a bit harder than the last track day, grinding out my pegs regularly and spinning the tire coming out of 2nd gear turns. The ABS was a bit frustrating, forcing me to brake way early for turn 1. (or otherwise risk blowing past the turn-in point when it kicked in) I passed a few intermediate riders on litre bikes and supersports who were surprised at how fast the big girl could be hustled, and admittedly, I also got in the way of a few racers who were probably wondering what the hell I was doing riding in the fast group. :)

I'm sad that Race City will be gone, but grateful for all the memories and friends I've made there.

A debt of gratitude is owed to my friend Brad Gavey who introduced me (and hundreds of others) to the sport. Brad kept his school and track days going through thick and thin, sometimes at great personal expense, out of pure burning passion for the sport he loves.Thanks buddy.

Lego Motorcycle (non-VFR related)

2011-09-20T22:36:00.000-06:00

Lego was my favourite toy as a kid. It was all I wanted for christmas and birthdays. I wasn't very good at "playing" with my creations, I just liked building them. I read recently that the founder of Lego is a billionaire and the wealthiest Dane. I guess I'm not the only kid who liked it.

I found myself in a toy store on Sunday and I couldn't stop myself from buying this kit. It's a fully functional streetfighter motorcycle with working suspension, a 3-cylinder motor with functioning 180' crank and pistons, primary drive, transmission countershaft, final drive and functional roller chain. The kit also has alternative instructions for a chopper-style bike, but fuck that, choppers are dumb.

I bet with an unlimited supply of technic parts in front of me I could build a wicked VFR1200... V4 engine, shaft drive and all.

Dear Santa: Please bring me a Lego Technic Unimog kit for Christmas. I've been a good boy and I promise to leave you gluten-free cookies and nonfat milk.

467 pieces, took about 2 hours total

Coming together nicely. You have to build the chain from individual links

Finished. I left out the corny decals

Yellow pistons, rods and crank are visible here

Yup... pretty badass

VFR1200F at the Dragstrip

2011-09-14T21:46:00.002-06:00

I always wanted to try dragracing. Race City provides an easy and cheap introduction with their Friday night grudge racing known as "Secret Street". Every Friday night at 6pm in the summer, anyone can bring their car, truck or motorcycle to the strip, pay $25.00, go through a brief tech inspection and get 3 passes down the quarter mile, complete with time slips. It has a lot of support in the city, as it keeps the racing off public streets, and the enthusiasts love it because it sorts out the bullshitters.

I went out of curiosity with zero experience so I wasn't expecting to break any records but I wanted to run respectable times. My friend Brad wasn't able to go faster than 11.0 at 134MPH on his 2010 ZX10R and a little over 12 flat on his 2011 R1. The VFR doesn't have as much power as those litre bikes but I figured it would be easier to launch, with its long wheelbase and short first and second gears. I decided I would be happy with low 12s on my first try, and I'd be happy to be any faster than that.

There weren't many bikes around when I arrived, but soon an experienced drag racer with a heavily modified CBR1000RR showed up and was happy to give this first-timer some pointers. I didn't get his name... let's call him "Cletus". First and most important: Don't wait for the green; go when the bottom yellow is lit. There are four tenths of a second between the bottom yellow and the green; this is where your reaction time is measured. If you even see the green, you waited too long. He had never seen a VFR1200 before, but based on the large engine size and a lot of torque, he suggested that I would want to launch at about 3000RPM and feed the clutch out smoothly rather than pop it open. He showed me how to stage and where to do my burnout. I decided I wouldn't bother with a burnout. Tires are expensive and burnouts are messy.... I like to keep my 1200 clean. A burnout might gain me a couple tenths, but I wasn't here to compete, just for fun.

Bikes line up separately from the cars, and have to cut in when it's their turn. All of the bikes race at once, then the cars come back on. Eventually another bike showed up (CBR600RR) we got our turn. Cletus said he would go first solo, then I would race the guy on the 600. He didn't think it would be a good idea for me to line up with him on my first try, because he would do a big burnout, and his bike would make a lot of noise which might "intimidate" me. I smiled and nodded... I appreciated his concern. (#rolleyes)

Cletus did his burnout with his wide drag tire and extended swingarm, staged, and laid down a 10.56. He said he could have done better, and he generally runs low 10s.

I lined up next to the guy on the 600RR, who had dragraced a few times before. I staged, held the revs at 3000, and when I saw the bottom yellow light fed out the clutch quickly and smoothly and fired off the line. The surface was sticky so I didn't spin much, just a little fishtail, and I didn't wheelie. I didn't see the green light, so I knew my R/T was good, and I didn't see the other bike, so I knew I beat him. I missed my shift and banged off the rev limiter in second so I knew I probably wasted a few tenths. I also shifted into 4th as I crossed the timing trap when I could have probably just over-revved a bit in third. The display board in my lane wasn't working so I couldn't see my time until I picked up my timeslip at the tower. 11.03@126! My "opponent" ran a 12.4. I was very pleased and it was a hell of a rush. I was excited for my next run.

Cletus looked in disbelief at this rookie's slip and decided that when we got our turn again he would line up against me. Some other bikes had shown up, mostly 600s and 750s. He told me that it's more fun to race someone with similar times, and while he would still "leave me in the dust" it would be closer than if he were to race the other bikes.

Our turn eventually came and I lined up against Cletus. I held the revs slightly higher (maybe 3300) and had another good launch, though I did spin and fishtail slightly more than the first run. Cletus didn't have a good launch. I saw him wheelie out of the corner of my right eye. Not a little wheelie where he floated the front end, but an out-of-control silly tire-spinning wheelie up over 45 degrees from the horizon and crashing down hard as he shut the throttle. If you've never witnessed a motorcycle with a stretched swingarm do a massive wheelstand, it's quite something to behold. I held the throttle to the stop, kept my head down and blasted through 400 metres. I kicked his ass! My time was 11.07 and his was 14.8. Granted, he made a big mistake but it still felt great. I think he wanted to teach this rookie a lesson and he got a little carried away.

When I circled back to the lineup Cletus was a bit humiliated and didn't really want to talk to me. I didn't want to wait around another 45 minutes for a third pass so I quit while I was ahead and went home with a sense of smug self-satisfaction.

I understand how people get addicted to this sport. It's not just a cheap thrill, but a precision contest between perfectionists, where every thousandth of a second counts. After only 1 pass, I was thinking about where I could have shaved tiny fractions of a second.

I had a great time trying a new sport and I exceeded my expectations. I like to imagine that the spectators (there were a lot) were bewildered at how this big red shaft-drive sport-touring bike was going faster than all the "crotch rockets". The fact is, the VFR1200 happens to have a few qualities that make it very quick in the quarter mile. Long wheelbase, short first and second gear, great traction, awesome power that builds quickly and a relatively aggressive riding position. If I could do 11.03 with no experience, no preparation (other than letting a few pounds of pressure out of the back tire) no burnout and a hard-compound touring tire, what could I do with some practice and sticky rubber? I think low 10s would be very achievable. That achievement, however, will remain in the realm of bullshit, because I don't plan on doing much more (if any more) drag racing on this bike. I really enjoyed myself, and the bike was quick, but I have to think that this is pretty brutal on the drivetrain and I don't want to subject the VFR to the abuse.

Still... I wouldn't mind seeing a "10" on a timeslip.

Tech Inspection

Waiting for other bikes to show up

long lineup of racers

Time Slips (I'm number 90)

The Skalkaho Pass

2011-09-07T14:44:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to producing the footage of this crazy road from my trip last month:

link

Air Filter Change / Resonator Removal

2011-08-31T20:32:00.000-06:00

It would ordinarily be a bit premature to change the air filter element, but my recent trip had me concerned. I rode on a number of dirt roads through a bunch of fine dust and I suspected that my filter would be clogged up.

The local Honda Powerhouse wanted $120 for a new filter which I found flat-out insulting, especially as someone who has recently bought a new motorcycle from them. I ordered it from Ronayers.com for less than half that price. I had to wait a couple weeks to get it but I didn't have any riding planned in that time. I will always give the local retailer the first opportunity to earn my business, and if it is even reasonably close to what I can pay online, even within 25%, I'll buy it locally. When the price is 100% higher, I'm afraid I can't justify buying local.

Lift the tank

Take the airbox cover off... here's the old filter.

Old filter on the left, new one on the right. It doesn't look especially dirty, but it was obvious by the weight. The old filter felt like it was at least double the weight of the new one. Its folds were packed with fine dust. I'm convinced that stock paper filters do a much better job at picking up fine dust than the oiled cloth filters from K&N, etc. You'll never see a K&N in one of my vehicles.

While I had the airbox open I decided to remove the resonators. As far as I can tell, they're there to tune the induction noise. From what I know of similar systems on cars, they are meant to reduce the "sucking" sound when the throttles are opened.

They came out easily, 2 small screws each. I took my time to clean the airbox, scoops, and velocity stacks, wiping up any residual dust and oil and even sucking up debris with a vaccuum cleaner.

I doubt that removing the resonators will make any performance difference whatsoever, but I do know that I haven't seen them in any of the supersports bikes I've owned. They do take up a lot of space in the airbox and probably generate a lot of turbulence. I started the engine up and cracked the throttle a few times to see if I could tell a difference in the sound. I'd like to think I can hear more of a "ssschwissshhhh" with the resonators out but would I be able to tell the difference in a double-blind scientific test? I'm not sure. If I don't like it I can always put them back in.

I wonder what Honda's genius engineers would think of all the hacking up this roundeye bumpkin has done to their creation? I'd love a chance to talk to them all about it. If anyone from Honda reads this, my passport is up to date and I have some vacation days to use up this year. You're invited to fly me to Kumamoto for an all-expense paid tour VIP of the factory, as well as an exclusive meet and greet with the engineers where we will eat a bunch of sushi and get drunk.

Arigatou Gozaimasou (bows deeply)

Old Spiral Highway Video

2011-08-20T21:54:00.000-06:00

http://vimeo.com/27959699

Beartooth Pass Video

2011-08-13T07:57:00.003-06:00

http://www.vimeo.com/27905944

I deleted the youtube video and uploaded to Vimeo in full hd. Enjoy!

Power Commander V

2011-08-10T21:17:00.001-06:00

While I was on holiday a package arrived from Bayside Performance. I've been interested in installing a PC5 on my VFR and I finally got around to ordering one.

What does it do?

It overrides the motorcycle's fuel injection system to alter the air/fuel ratio. It can be programmed at small incremental throttle openings in each gear.

Why install one?

Modern fuel-injected motorcycles must meet emissions standards and therefore have "lean spots" in the air/fuel map in order to pass the tests. A Power Commander with a proper map will eliminate the lean spots for an ideal air/fuel ratio and therefore improve performance and make the bike run more smoothly.

Fairings come off again... getting pretty quick at this now.

Honda left a perfect spot under the seat for a power commander

You need to pull the axle out of the tank to run the wires under it.

Plug and play.... almost.

This little hot-tap splices in to the throttle position wire.

Here's the fun part: installing the 02 optimizers. The rad needs to be partially removed to get your hands in there. The plugs can be dismounted from their frame bosses which makes them a little easier to work with.

I'm running the "jardine slip on, stock air filter" map from Dynojet. I can't imagine my Leo pipe really needing much different mapping. Maybe this winter if I've got money to burn I'll have a custom map done up. As long as the lean spots are tuned out I doubt anyone can tell the difference.

I went for a quick ride to try to feel the difference. It seemed to pull harder and more cleanly from lower revs, and the throttle reponse seemed crisper between 2500-5500RPM. I'll need to get it out for a proper ride to really evaluate the difference.

I have read some reports of the 02 optimizers throwing a fault code. Basically all they do is short out the 02 sensor signal to the ECM. Evidently, the VFR's computer is a little more sophisticated than they were expecting and isn't fooled by the optimizers. If I run into this problem I'll just hook the 02 sensors back up. My concern is that this will cause the PC5 and the ECU to "fight" over the fuel ratio and cause a surging. We shall see...

edit: You'll probably need to zero out the throttle position on the power commander. Mine thought the throttle was open 5% when it was closed. CLick on "power commander tools>calibration tools>throttle calibration. Whatever the voltage reading is with your throttle closed, set that as the minimum. I think on mine it was 0.708 or something.

Tour of the Inland NW USA

2011-08-06T22:48:00.001-06:00

A few months ago some friends and I started roughing out some ideas for a 4 or 5 day motorcycle trip through the NW United States. The plan was to make a loop that would take us on the best motorcycle roads that Montana, Wyoming and Idaho had to offer. I wanted to ride the Beartooth Pass, Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, Going to the Sun Road, and the Lolo pass, and all the best motorcycle roads in between. We sketched out a route, agreed on dates, and made reservations.

This would be the first real trip I would take on the VFR. I've done long day rides but nothing that used more than a tank of fuel. This is the reason I got the bike and this kind of trip is what it was designed for. I was going sport-touring on my sport-tourer. On Sunday morning it was finally time to go, and I was vibrating with anticipation. Up until now my VFR has been treated as something of a treasure or prized possession. I had been very careful to keep it in pristine condition and I could point out to you where each of its 3 stone chips were. 5 days and 3600Kms from now I would feel very differently about the machine.

Day 1

Calgary to Red Lodge

Up at 4:30, leave the house at 5:30, collect Rob at 6:00 and hit the road. I didn't even need to set my alarm.

The first few hours were dull, slogging down the freeway towards the border, me on the VFR, Rob on his 1200GSA. We crossed at Carway, a little off the beaten path, west of I15. We would be taking US89 most of the way down, which would be more interesting than the interstate. The weather was perfect, starting at about 12 degrees when we left and warming up to the high 20s and then low 30s as we got further south.

The first great motorcycle road we came to was US49 or "Looking Glass Hill Road". It's a detour a little to the west of the main highway and runs down outside the eastern edge of Glacier Park. The first half of the road curls its way over some foothills, snaking up one side and down the other through a series of switchbacks and sweepers. The jagged peaks of glacier park provide a landscape oil painting backdrop to the right. The track day I attended a few weeks ago allowed me to learn the limits of the VFR, and this is the first road I've been on since that has let me approach those limits safely and confidently. I had no trouble railing through the s-bends and hairpins... fast, but smooth and safe. It felt great. The second half of the road winds its way alongside a mountain, with a steep drop-off to your right and no guard rails. The road is in rough shape, with washouts and patches of gravel on its edge. In this case it adds character and makes it more exciting. Pay close attention, because if you put your wheel one foot off the line you're going for a long tumble. There was almost zero traffic here. A couple bikes, a couple tourists and an old Grand Prix with 8 indians inside, the driver with a can of Black Label beer in his hand. He politely pulled over to let us by.

2nd half of Looking Glass Hill Rd US49

We made our way back to US89 and the next few hours were pretty dull. We had lunch in a pretty little town called Choteau and shuffled our way southeast to Great Falls. From there we re-joined US89 and headed further south to the next good section of riding through the Lewis and Clark forest and over the King's Hill Pass. This road re-invigorated us after a long straight hot slog through the plains. It's about 70 miles of sweeping curves on great pavement through a wild forest. It reminded me of highway 40 through Kananaskis, except without the traffic. We saw few other vehicles here.

We fuelled up in White Sulfur Springs and continued south. Most of our riding up to this point was a fast cruise between 80 and 90mph. I had been consistently topping up with less fuel than Rob was using in his GS. Later on when the riding was slower, the GS had the advantage in fuel economy. This confirms what I've suspected, that the VFR1200 is happiest in top gear between 4500 and 5000RPM, which puts about 140km/h on the speedometer. (130 on the GPS) Fuel economy suffers a bit with the panniers and Givi E55 topcase. I can tell there is a lot of drag because when I close the throttle at speed the bike decelerates as if there were a parachute behind it. Over the entire trip I got 39-41MPG US. The next hundred miles consisted of more boring straight roads through Livingston and down to Gardiner, dropping in to the NW entrance of Yellowstone Park. The buzz from VFR's clip-ons makes my right hand numb after an hour or so of this. Remind me to order a Throttlemeister when I get home.

NW entrance to Yellowstone

Yellowstone is truly spectacular to see, but doesn't rank highly for pure riding roads. We were greeted in Mammoth Hot Springs by a massive herd of elk, as well as a massive herd of Japanese tourists. The road through Yellowstone is narrow, with low speed limits and a lot of traffic. There were certain parts where we could enjoy the curves, but it was better to just slow down and enjoy the scenery. We only needed to cut through the park to get to US212 and the Beartooth Pass. As we rode out of Gardiner it started to rain lightly. By the time we turned on to 212 it was raining quite heavily. I didn't pack rain gear because my Joe Rocket Survivor Suit was marked "100% WATERPROOF". As it turns out, it's about as waterproof as my cat. I was wet and cold. I've decided that the 1-piece suit is not for me... even if it actually was waterproof, it's too hot below the waist. The front vent lets plenty of air through the torso but the legs have no ventilation at all and it gets quite uncomfortable. I would rather ride in armored jeans and a vented textile jacket, with a rain suit packed away just in case.

Cooke City marks the beginning of the Beartooth Scenic Highway. I pulled over to change to my winter gloves. It was raining hard, I was wet and cold, and I figured that if it were raining at the bottom, it could be snowing at the summit. We had come all this way to ride this road and we wouldn't have the weather to properly enjoy it. In spite of all that, there was a sense of adventure swelling within me, and in a strange way I hoped that we would ride through snow. It would be a character-building experience and a great story... an adventure.

As we pressed eastward, the road went from gentle sweeping turns to slightly tighter curves to 90 degree curves and then we started climbing... and climbing... and climbing. The road just kept going up. There was a moment earlier on where I was beginning to think that maybe the Beartooth Pass was a bit over-rated and that we came a long distance for something... forgettable. And then right as that seed was starting to take root, the skies suddenly cleared and the rain stopped. And then the switchbacks started. Climb climb climb, left hand hairpin, climb climb climb, right hand hairpin, climb climb, quick glance to your right and look down the canyon, climb climb left hand hairpin. It goes on like this for miles. The pavement is flawless. The air gets thinner, the trees get smaller, and soon you are above the treeline, and instead of trees there are lichen-covered boulders, scrub brush and pretty little alpine flowers. Your spine tingles and your heart swells with the overwhelming spiritual sensation of riding over the top of a mountain. Climb climb climb, left hand hairpin, climb climb right hand hairpin. You're no longer looking up at a huge mountain to climb, but looking down at a huge mountain below you, and beautiful peaks, emerald lakes, chasmic cliffs and little glaciers in every direction. You start to sense that you're at the summit well before you arrive. When it seems like you can't climb any higher the road just keeps going up and up and finally to the barren summit. Pictures can't capture the humbling sense of absolute majesty. And then you get to do it all again riding down the other side. Over-rated? Absolutely not. Forgettable? I'll never forget it. This road lives up to it's hype and then some. Montana is the "Treasure State" and this is it's treasure.

Lookout point about halfway up

Pollard Inn, Red Lodge

We pulled in to Red Lodge around 7pm and checked into our hotel. We rode just under 1200Kms. Red Lodge is a great town. It was a booming city in the coal mining days of the 19th century and has been preserved as a bike-friendly tourist destination which hosts dozens of motorcycle meets and rallies throughout the summer. Our hotel, the Pollard Inn, was built over 200 years ago. It's the perfect place to stage a tour of the nearby roads. Our friends Brian and Tommy had arrived slightly earlier and rode over to our hotel to have dinner with us. They arrived wearing shorts and t-shirts and shades... no helmets. I had almost forgotten that helmets aren't required in Montana. It looked funny to me. Brian rides a Ducati Multistrada 1200 and Tommy had his MV Agusta 750 Brutale, outfitted with soft luggage and a small windscreen. Our group contained four very different motorcycles with 4 different types of engines. A 1200 V4 Sport Touring bike, a 1200 V-Twin adventurish sport-touring bike, a 750cc inline-4 streetfighter and a 1200 air-cooled boxer adventure touring bike. Oddly, all of them have their rear wheels bolted to single-sided swingarms.

We had steak and beers and ice cream and planned out our next day. We would go back over the Beartooth, turn southeast over the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway in Wyoming, lunch in Cody, then back into Yellowstone Park at the southeast entrance and over to our hotel in West Yellowstone.

Day 2

Red Lodge to West Yellowstone

Leaving Red Lodge in the rain

I had a terrible sleep. Our hotel was charming and historic, and therefore came with charming and historic tiny room. It didn't help that the reservation got screwed up and Rob and I ended up with a single queen bed to share. We drank a bunch of strong rum and cokes in the hotel pub before bed but that didn't make us any more attractive to each other. It was hot and stuffy and claustrophobic and my brain was still steering a motorcycle through the turns. It didn't matter because we had plenty of great riding ahead of us and I had no trouble finding energy and inspiration.

We were up for breakfast by 7:00 and on the road by 8:30. It was raining and the forecast indicated that we were heading into worse weather. Miraculously, the rain stopped and the road dried for a brief 20 minutes or so right as we hit the bottom of the Beartooth Pass. I attached my helmet cam and chased Tommy to the top. We both knew that this might be our only chance to really ride our bikes hard all day so we charged up the slope full blast. We had a great ride, but as we neared the summit it started raining again, and this would continue for most of the day.

Summit of Beartooth Pass

Riding through the rain just west of the Beartooth

Beautiful scenery between Cody and YP

We turned southeast towards Cody on the Chief Joseph and rode nonstop for what felt like several hours. The Chief Joseph Scenic Highway might have been the most beautiful and perfect motorcycle road of our entire trip but sadly we weren't able to properly enjoy it because of the constant pouring rain. There are all types of curves..... long fast sweepers, s-bends, hairpins plus thousands of feet of elevation change and breathtaking scenery. It's the type of road that, in good conditions, we might have spent all day riding, backtracking and taking dozens of pictures. I need to come back some day and ride it in the dry. We had lunch at a diner in Cody and stopped at a laundromat to dry our soaked gear.

View from the lower falls lookout

Kelly Inn, Wet Yellowstone

The rain let up as we made our way west back towards Yellowstone. We took our time in the park, weaving our way up to the falls, where we took a hike down to the scenic viewpoint, and then looped back down to see Old Faithful. Right as the geyser finally erupted, the skies went black and we got hit with a big thunderstorm. After waiting probably 45 minutes to see the eruption, we only watched the first few seconds of it, getting our "money shot" and then sprinted to our parked bikes to beat the traffic out of the visitor's centre. We rode the 60 or so miles to West Yellowstone in the dark in pouring rain. We were exhausted and starved when we finally checked in to the Kelly Inn. On the desk clerk's recommendation we walked over to Buckaroo Bills for something to eat. It was a shithole. There was nobody there and we were lead into a back room dining area. The waiter was mopping the floor and the tables were done a in chintzy covered wagon theme. One by one, the staff poked their head in and winced at the sight of 4 more stupid tourists sitting down to eat at 9:30 when they were trying to clean up and go home. It smelled like mothballs and piss. Tommy asked what kind of non-alcoholic beers they had... the waiter's reply: "root beer". Rob asked what they had on tap. The waiter's reply: "water". We got up and walked out. It was a good decision because we ended up at the Beartooth BBQ which had great food, a great selection of beer and friendly staff. We waddled back to our hotel and I slept like a stone.

Day 3

West Yellowstone to Lolo

Kids fishing pond at Virginia City

With the aid of our trusty Butler Map, Tommy plotted a route through southwest Montana that would offer the best curvy roads available and avoid the interstate. It wouldn't be a direct route but that wasn't the point. It was still raining as we left Wet Yellowstone, but the skies cleared up as we passed alongside beautiful Hebgen Lake on hwy 287. The road twisted along the north side of the lake, with the Madison mountains forming a majestic backdrop. This stretch gave me flashbacks of riding through the Kootenays in BC... the scenery and roads were eerily similar. We continued alongside the Madison river to Ennis and then west to Virginia City and Nevada City, two old west towns with main streets preserved like living museums. Very quaint and pretty. We continued on 287 to Sheridan and Twin Bridges before turning south on 41 to Dillon and then west again on 278. From 278 we turned north on 73, which became 484, a windy pass through the Pioneer mountains that was some of our best riding of the entire trip. There was virtually zero traffic to interrupt a beautiful fast flowing ride twisting through the woods, following Rob who demonstrated the very surprising abilities of the 1200GSA on gravel-rated Metzeler tourance tires. The surface of the old chipseal road was even and grippy as long as you stayed away from the gravely shoulders. I gave the VFR a great workout. Its long wheelbase and creamy suspension had no problem flying over bumps while leaned way over. The ride was so fast, smooth and fun that we all stopped at the end and high-fived each other. We continued north to Wise River, went northwest on 43 and turned north again on 569. Through this bumpy unmaintained twisty stretch we did a little swapping and tried all of each others bikes. I only did a few minutes on each but here are my initial thoughts:

Brian's MTS1200:
Very cool high tech machine. I couldn't have picked a better ride for the bumpy parts. Great suspension with computerized modes. I switched from sport to "touring" to take the edge off the bumps a bit. Awesome power in that deceptive v-twin way that never really feels like you're going as fast as you really are. I felt like I was just casually enjoying the potholed broken road but I looked down a few times and saw 85mph on the clock. Sounds great. High, wide bars make it easy to snap the bike over from side to side with little effort. Feels very nimble. The riding position is very comfortable but locks the rider into a fixed triangle and leaves no room for shifting around. Lots of legroom, especially compared to the cramped legroom of my VFR. Center stand tang doesn't allow you to position your left foot properly. Tallness gives it too much teeter-tottering weight transfer under acceleration and braking for my liking. Feels more like a fast dirtbike than a tall sportbike.

Tommy's Brutale
Hard, sharp, high-strung tiny little pissed-off machine, kind of like Tommy. Extremely cramped riding position, insanely short wheelbase, engine that needs its nards revved off. Really sexy bike but about the last motorcycle I would choose for long trips. Tommy's assessment of my VFR1200: "a big, very fast, very good handling couch... awesome brakes"

Hwy 484... moo

Rob's R1200GSA
Front end feels weird. Bouncy, cushy, torquey, smooth. Doesn't dive under braking but the front end pops up when you accelerate and squats under compression braking. Great wind protection, great seat. Probably the most comfortable bike I've ridden. I can see why they are so popular; it would be very easy to ride long miles on this bike. Rob is already looking at sport-touring bikes because he wants to ride faster. He'll probably end up with a K1300S in the stable beside his GSA.

Potter's Corner

Skalkaho Pass summit

We turned west on highway 1, fueling up and getting a sandwich in Anaconda. Heading northwest out of town, we ran through a great little canyon and turned at Potter's Corner to go west through the Skalkaho pass of the Sapphire Mountains into Hamilton. I knew the route wasn't paved but I didn't realize I was heading towards one of the most intense motorcycle rides of my life. Approaching the Skalkaho, several signs warn of a narow winding gravel mountain road and caution trucks to turn back. 16 miles in, the narrow paved road turns to narrower gravel one and climbs to about 7300 feet. I cautiously followed Rob on his GS up the switchbacks. I've ridden over gravel roads on the VFR before, but not like this. It was steep and narrow, clinging to the side of the mountain with a steep drop into the valley to the left and no guard rails. I used only 2nd and 3rd gear with a gentle hand on the throttle and brake. We stopped at the summit and waited for Tommy and Brian to catch up. It had started to rain lightly, and as we got moving down the other side it started to pour. The red clay of the road was drenched and greasy and it was impossible to see the gravel ridges and find a smooth line. I had to keep my speed high enough to keep the bike stable, but slow enough that I could safely steer around the switchbacks. The ride got a lot easier. Riding the rear brake through the turns applied just enough front brake to effectively slow the bike without causing the front end to dive and over loading the front tire. Eventually we made our way to the bottom. The gravel turned back to pavement and the sun came out. We sped triumphantly through a series of sweepers and hills, the air turning immediately hot and dry. We stopped in Hamilton to compare our filthy bikes. I had several hundred miles worth of bug guts, road spray, rain and now mud all over my formerly pristine VFR... and in a way it looked better to me. The filth had a story to tell and provided proof of our adventure. I might have left it that way, but the wheels, brakes and radiator were full of mud so we rode to the nearest car wash to clean the mess up. I might not choose to deliberately ride that road again, especially in the rain, but I never regretted the decision for a second. I was proud of myself for getting through it and more confident in my motorcycle than ever. That was the end of our adventure for the day, but it wasn't the end of the gravel. Highway 93 was under construction and the ride from Hamilton to Lolo was a long one. We needed a good rest for the next day, which would take us on a big detour from our intended route.

My next helmet will be a modular. Super convenient for touring.

Skaklaho Pass and aftermath

Day 4
Lolo to ~~Whitefish~~ St Maries

Our day began with one of the biggest highlights and most anticipated roads of the trip: The Lolo Pass, Hwy 12 from Lolo Montana to Kooskia Idaho. The sign at the entrance reads "Winding Road Next 99 Miles". Take that in for a moment... think of your favorite section of twisty back road... the one you go play on every Sunday. How long is it? The Lolo pass is a series of intense curves of every type that goes on for 99 miles. At a quick pace on a sportbike it takes close to 2 hours. The actual "pass" part is over early. You climb up to about a mile high over some tighter turns and a few switchbacks, then more of the same down the other side and the rest of the road consists of 3rd and 4th gear sweepers alongside a river. Some of them feel like they just go on forever. You lean the bike over to the right and carve a giant fast semi-circle. The VFR1200 is perfect for a road like this. You just pick a line, lean it way over and roll on the throttle through to the next turn, fast, smooth and stable riding a wave of rumbling barking V4 torque. The road is in great shape and the weather was perfect. We stopped at a little cafe near the end for a break. Nearly 2 hours of constant curves demands a lot of mental and physical stamina. It was intense and exhilarating.

Lolo Pass

Fantastic cafe at the end of the pass

We fueled up in Kooskia and that's where Brian noticed he had a screw in his back tire. It was holding air but something had to be done about it quickly. Our original plan was to ride back through the Lolo Pass and into Glacier park to our hotel in Whitefish. The night before in Lolo we plotted a "plan B" that would give us a loop through the panhandle, crossing back into Montana on the St Joe River Road from St Marys to St Regis. We had considered going as far west as Lewiston to ride the "Old Spiral Highway" but ruled it out. As much as we wanted to ride our motorcycles on that brilliant piece of road, it amounted to a 2 hour detour for a 6 mile ride. By chance, we would end up riding it anyway as part of "plan C".

Brian, not wanting to spoil anyone's trip, was prepared to call his son in Boise to bring the truck and drive him home so we could carry on. We wouldn't allow it. We came here as a group and we would leave as a group. We weren't leaving our friend high and dry. The nearest import motorcycle shop that could change his tire was in Clarkston. (twin city to Lewiston, across the river on the Washington side) We cancelled our reservations in Whitefish and made new ones in St Mary's. We stopped at a tire shop in Kamiah where they removed the screw and installed a plug, then headed west to Lewiston. A plug may have been an adequate fix but couldn't be trusted with the demands that Brian, an expert club racer, would place on the tire. Even if the plug held up, he wouldn't have had full confidence in the tire and absolute confidence in your tires is paramount to riding fast on a motorcycle.

I had absolute confidence in my Pirelli Angel ST tires on any surface at any temperature, wet or dry. I am very pleased with these tires and they are perfect for the VFR1200. I love the way they handle, they never run out of grip and after nearly 4000Km they're showing very little sign of wear.

Some old bullshitters in the tire shop warned us that highway 12 to Lewiston was under construction and recommended detouring across 64 to Highway 95 instead. It was 36 degrees and we were sweating our bags off so we would avoid waiting in traffic at all costs. What the geezers failed to mention is that our detour would take us up a narrow spiraling grade through the Nez Perce Indian Reserve out of the valley which turned to rough gravel at its treacherous summit. It was another adventure in itself and a great little ride.

We had lunch while Brian had a new tire fitted and headed over to the Old Spiral Highway. This brilliant little piece of civil engineering was the original way out of the valley to Highway 95 and winds steeply up the slope in a series of tight hairpins. It is no longer a necessary route out of town, but has been preserved as sort of a functional relic. A few wealthy folks have built homes along its 6 mile length and the road is basically their driveway. It is kept in impeccable shape with perfect black asphalt and freshly painted lines. The hairpins are banked dramatically and can be taken with surprising speed. We only ended up there by chance, but if I were planning the trip again I would still include it. It may only be 6 miles but it's the funnest 6 miles you'll ever ride. I recorded videos going up and back down. It's much easier to climb a grade like this than descend it... I confidently carved the curves on the ascent, and awkwardly wobbled through them on the way down.

On Top of Old Spiral, all covered with cheese

From Lewiston we wound our way north to St Maries on Highway 3, which was just about as perfect an afternoon motorcycle ride as you can imagine. This road is a sweetheart, full of great curves, challenging but smooth and forgiving, and providing short straight sections to give you a little rest as it weaves over high plains farmland and down through forested coulees. The VFR and I were working as one... as though my nervous system extended itself through the bike directly to the road. It felt great. It was a very hot afternoon and after checking into our motel we walked down to the St Joe river for a swim in the cool, clean slow-moving water.

Here is my summary of St Maries Idaho: as we pulled into town we stopped at a red light and a woman turned in front of us riding an ATV with a Coach handbag in her lap, with a chihuahua sitting in it yapping at us. Say no more...

Brian's punctured tire spun us off our intended course and our trip was better for it. This type of unexpected fork in the river is what can make an adventure truly memorable. I went to bed early as I would need plenty of rest for the last day of my trip.

Day 5

St Maries to Calgary

Our original plan had us staying in Whitefish and riding the "Going to the Sun Road" before splitting up and going home but after our detour we decided to skip it. I would have loved to ride this road but we had better options. GTTSR is a crowded tourist destination and while its views are breathtaking, you may never get your bike out of first gear. I've got the rest of my life to try it. Instead, we had two of the best roads I've ever ridden ahead of us: The St Joe River Road and the Koocanusa Lake road.

The St Joe River Road took us back across the Idaho panhandle into Montana and the town of St. Regis. It follows alongside the St Joe river through a beautiful canyon, with very little traffic and a million opportunities to stop and take great photos. Brian described it as a "slower Lolo Pass with a better view" which is quite apropos. Instead of the 4th and 5th gear sweepers of the Lolo pass, it takes you through tighter 2nd and third gear turns, with the occasional fast sweeper or hairpin. The pavement is mostly smooth and there is very little traffic, just the occasional campground and the odd truck stopped with a fly fisherman nearby. We all needed to make a lot of miles today but couldn't resist making several stops for photos... it was just too pretty. The road is only maintained for the first 60 miles or so, then it turns to rough pavement and then gravel. Of course it couldn't just be a straight gravel road, it had to be another winding gravel pass over a mountain, my 4th one of this trip.

St Joe River Road

The ultimate Honda on a perfect road

Brian rumbles by on the Mutley

I scrambled up the craggy slope for a few shots

Gravel portion of SJRR

We stopped for fuel and food in St Regis. While I was pumping gas, a gentleman probably in his 60s approached me with great interest in my kitted-up filthyVFR1200F. "An honest to goodness roadtest of the VFR1200F" he exclaimed. He knew a lot about the bike and I was happy to bullshit at length with him about it. He had been considering buying one and I may have talked him into it. For a brief pause I considered that I might be riding an old man's bike but the thought was fleeting. This distinguished gentleman had a 919 Hornet and a ZRX1200 and was probably a quick sport rider. I wouldn't have chosen any other motorcycle in the World for a trip like this. I don't feel like I ride an old man's bike, but I do recognize that I am maturing as a rider.

Our next destination was the Koocanusa Lake road. The ride there was a bit dull but would be more than worth it; this would arguably be the best ride of the entire trip. Koocanusa is a reservoir of the KOOtenay river, crossing the border of CANada and the USA. Get it? The 400 foot high Libby dam at is south end is an impressive structure, but not as impressive as the road that runs along the lake's west valley wall. The eastern side has a great road too, but with a lot of traffic. Much of the east valley is developed into cottage country, but on the west side there's nothing.... nothing but a road. It's narrow but has been kept in reasonably good condition, save for some tar snakes and bumps. Its sharp curves weave along the valley with a beautiful view of the lake below and here's the best part: no cars. Since there's nothing but a couple of little camp sites on the west side of the lake, there is very little reason for anyone to drive there... which makes it a perfect playground for motorcycles, especially a bike like the VFR with its smooth ride and stable handling. We had the whole road to ourselves. The four of us sliced through its hundreds of turns at a quick but safe pace and gathered at the bridge which spans the lake just south of the Canadian border. It was a perfect final chapter in our adventure but a bit sadly, this is where we would split up and head in separate directions. Brian would head east and then turn south to go home to Boise, Rob and Tommy would head northwest to play on the roads of BC's Kootenay range, and I would head northeast to the Alberta border and home to Calgary.

Dam it

Time to say goodbye. Fast fact: Brian always turns his Ducati around so he can photograph the wheel side of the single-sided swingarm.

The rest of my ride home would be a bit of a grind, heading north to Highway 3, then east to the Cowboy Trail, and north again through Longview and Black Diamond to Calgary. Eager to get home to my wife and daughter I rocketed up through the lonely plains at full throttle, punching through the atmosphere at escape velocity and smashing a few million mosquitoes. I had a couple of hours to reflect on what an incredible 5 days of riding I had just experienced, with 3 of the best friends I could ever choose to go on a trip with, on the best motorcycle I could ever choose to take it on. My VFR motorcycle metamorphosed from a polished ornament to a loyal old dance partner.... we knew each other's style and habits and worked beautifully as a team. I relied on it and it never let me down no matter what the challenge. We turned a scribble of lines on a map into a tapestry of experiences and fond memories.

I got home, parked my VFR in my garage, stepped off and took a look back at it. It was covered with dust and tar and bug guts, and its paint job was blasted with stone chips. The filth and chips told the story of a great ride. It had never looked better.

National Post Review

2011-07-13T07:47:00.002-06:00

Strongly agree with David Booth's assessment... a great bike let down by impossible expectations:

http://www.nationalpost.com/cars/Road+Test+2012+Honda+VFR1200/5064752/story.html

New Tires

2011-07-06T21:24:00.000-06:00

I don't really NEED new tires yet but I'm installing some anyway. The OEM Dunlop RoadSmarts are still in OK shape after about 5000Kms but the back tire is squaring off and worn down to the indicator bars. The front tire is still fine. In my squidlier days I would have kept it on another 1000Km or so until the cords were showing before I changed it, but these days I can afford to avoid such unneccessary risks. Plus, I've got a trip planned down into Montana, Wyoming and Idaho for the first week of August and I want to do it on fresh rubber. Chances are the rear tire would have needed to be replaced part way through the trip, which wouldn't have been practical. Also, I find that motorcycles don't handle so well on a square tire. ;)

Given that my front tire is still in good shape, it would have made more sense to just order a replacement rear Dunlop. That was my intention, but I couldn't find any retailer, local or online, that had a listing from Dunlop for the 190/55/zr17 size. In fact, Dunlop's web site doesn't even list this size, though it is the OEM tire for the VFR1200. They could only get me the 190/50, which is a lower profile tire that I expect would be detrimental to the handling of the VFR. I don't like to mis-match tires so I decided to get a new set in a different brand. I was able to order a set of Pirelli Angel STs in the proper size for a reasonable price from Bayside Performance. From what I've read they should wear a little better than the Dunlops and probably handle better too, with a similar level of grip. I lurked on a couple of Hayabusa and ZX14 boards to see what their members had to say, as those are 2 bikes that devour tires. I heard claims of 7500+ miles longevity. In my experience I've found that Pirellis tend to have a bit of a pointier profile, which helps the bike turn-in more quickly. I'm looking forward to trying them.

When I get new tires I always take the wheels off myself. It costs less this way, and I don't trust anyone else to remove and install my wheels or brakes... particularly hamfisted bike shop technicians working against the clock. I want everything done in the correct order and with the correct torque specs. I have all the neccessary tools and stands and it doesn't take me long.

The front wheel comes off easily. I like to loosely re-install the calipers while it's sitting rather than try to hang them from wires. It's important not to let them dangle from the brake lines.

Check out the size of this brake caliper... 6 pistons, 4 pads. Could these be the biggest brake calipers ever fitted to a Honda motorcycle? It looks like it belongs on a sports car.

Here's the rear tire, down to the wear indicators but still in ok shape.

The front tire, still with plenty of life left in it. I'll sell these to a stunter for 50 or 60 bucks.

The muffler has to swing away to get the rear wheel off. I unbolted the hanger and loosened the clamp at the collector.

The rear wheel off, with its machined face.

The final drive, hub and rear brake. Very sturdy.

Unsprung weight reduced by several lbs:

The new Pirellis over the old Dunlops. Does it seem like the Pirellis have a pointier profile?

Deutschland Uber Alles (my wife's family is German)

Another view of the massive brakes. The caliper seen on the right contains the Linked Brake System. The 2 upper pads and pistons are powered by the rear master cylinder. To my eye, the 2 linked pads seem to have about a mm less wear on them. That would be indicative of my riding style and how little I use the rear brake. The VFR1200's brakes do not link from front to rear.

This is the left side linked caliper. You can see the additional brake line going into the top which powers the linked pistons.

VFR1200F Fairing Removal

2011-05-21T22:43:00.000-06:00

Since I was peeling the left side of my VFR to hook up the GPS, I thought I'd produce a short video to explain how the fairings are removed.

This video only shows removal of the under cowl and left mid cowl. The right cowl comes off identically to the left so it would be redundant to show both. And it goes without saying, but installation is the reverse order of removal.

I also didn't bother to show the removal of the tank covers, but it's very obvious and simple once the mid cowls are off.

It isn't actually neccessary to remove the under cowl to get the mid cowl off but I prefer to do it this way.

I hope someone finds this helpful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkHdUsblwmg

Garmin GPS

2011-05-21T21:14:00.000-06:00

I bought my wife a new 4Runner which came equipped with a satellite navigation system, so it only seemed fair that I would inherit the Garmin Nuvi 250 dash-top navigation unit that used to reside in her FJ Cruiser. There are better options for motorcycle navigation.... TomTom makes a rider GPS and Garmin has their Zumo series... but they're pricey and I'd only be installing it for fun. I probably won't use it that much. The Nuvi works just fine and was paid for a long time ago.

I had been reading a lot about Ram Mounts and they seemed to have the right product for mounting a GPS to a motorcycle so I ordered a steering stem mount, arm, and cradle directly from their site. I also ordered a bag of connectors to hook the unit up to the Honda quartet harness which I installed this winter.

Warning: Hackjob alert...

I'm too cheap and lazy to try and source the proper cable to hook up a GPS so I hacked up the 12V USB car charger cable. It's just a coaxial cable with positive and negative leads, but inside the plug is a little circuit board which corrects the voltage and current for the garmin unit. I smashed open the connector and with some splicing and a lot of tape, I turned the coaxial cable into a stereo cable and crimped the ends into the connector.

Yeah it's ugly. So what?

I plugged into the quartet harness on the black plug.

I fished the appropriate length of cord through the frame and out the conduit at the front of the headstock, leaving just enough slack to turn the bars from lock to lock. I wrapped the excess cord around my Stebel horn compressor and tucked it all in under the retainer.

I'm impressed with the Ram mount. The arm is made out of metal and is much sturdier and secure than I imagined it would be.

Now I just need to travel far enough from home that I will actually need this thing!

Another Day at the Track Pt II: additional notes and photos

2011-05-19T18:42:00.001-06:00

Additional notes:

2008 CBR1000RR

My friend Rob let me take a few laps on his nicely upgraded Fireblade. I've always been interested in Honda's fastest bike so I was excited to try one out. Rob's is a particularly nice example. He's got it de-restricted and custom mapped to a very rare hand made "Ladybird" titanium full system brought in from Japan. It spun the Redline Motorsports dyno up to 165hp and 82 lb-ft of torque. Rob is a bit of a suspension guru for some of the local racers, and he outfitted his Honda with an Ohlins shock with custom valving, as well as a 30mm Ohlins cartridge kit modified to a "big piston" setup with compression damping on one leg and rebound damping on the other. What a ride... It is probably the most nimble motorcycle I've ever ridden, and flicked from side to side like a toy. The power was simply awesome, both in quantity and quality, with a progressive delivery giving good grunt, midrange, and top-end power. I was impressed.

2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 Rossi Replica

Brad's sponsor Bow Cycle has kindly loaned him a Rossi Rep R1 as an instructor bike for his school. He offered to let me ride it and warned that it might feel weird at first. He also warned me that I'd be out 13.5 grand if I yarded it. I was excited to experience Yamaha's unique crossplane engine, which I've read and heard a lot about but hadn't really seen in person. I might have been heard calling the bike ugly when I first saw pictures, but in person it's quite stunning so I take it all back. In pictures it looks bulky and awkward, but in the skin it's quite tightly packaged. It has a wide tank and tail section with the dual silencers, but the seat and centre of the bike are narrow giving it a sexy "wasp waist" proportion. Brad wasn't kidding when he said it would feel weird at first. The riding position is very aggressive, even more so than the ZX-10R I rode last summer. The rider sits high and looks down at the front wheel. The power delivery feels nothing like any inline-4 bike I've ridden. It has a steady flat "pull" that drops off suddenly at redline just when it feels like it should be giving a top-end hit. Like my VFR motor, it's deceptively fast... you're always going faster than you think you are. Strange as it may sound, the bike that it most reminded me of was the RC51. I fought it for a couple of laps before I could find any rhythm but after the initial climatization it felt smooth and accurate. The sound it makes is intoxicating. I was leaning my head in closer to the tank going down the straight to listen to the intake honk. Really cool motorcycle.

Fuel Economy

I'm getting very respectable fuel mileage on the road with my VFR, but on the track with the throttle held wide open it was dismal... as should be expected. In each 15 minute session it guzzled about a quarter tank of fuel.

Action shots

This morning I purchased some action photos from a photographer that attended yesterday's event.

I think this is the entrance to turn 6. Two of my 3 students are visible behind me. Ric on the R1 and Tanner on the ZX-6R. I'm shadowing a third student. There is a lovely landfill visible in the background.

Same location on another lap. That's Ash on the 954

I think this is turn 4. Looks like the student's body positioning is better than the instructor's...

edit:

I picked this image up from a different sports photographer. This is turning in to the carousel:

VFR1200F... Another Day at the Track

2011-05-18T23:05:00.000-06:00

I spent most of the day today riding my VFR1200F at Race City Speedway and I couldn't be happier with the way things went.

Earlier this week my friend Brad Gavey called to ask if I could help out as an instructor at his school this week. He was short of staff and it would be a good opportunity for me to regain the feel for my VFR and build some confidence after a long winter. I couldn't refuse. He assured me that I would be assigned to a slower group of students so I could take it easy on my big sport touring bike.

I arrived at 8am to start setting up. The VFR got a lot of strange stares as I unloaded my gear from my enormous Givi top case... most people had never seen a VFR1200 before, especially not at a race track. My old racing buddies didn't miss their chance to take pot shots... "Hey do you want me to stand behind and direct you while you back that thing up? "Can we use that thing to haul all the students out to turn 3 for the fly-bys?" It was all in good fun. A few of the other instructors were genuinely concerned about my safety on the Dunlop sport-touring rubber. By the afternoon though, everyone was genuinely surprised by how quickly I could hustle the big girl around the 2 mile road course. I was most surprised of all... My first visit to the track last year amounted to dipping my toe in the water. Today I jumped in head first.

This is the first time I've ridden a bike to a track day. I've always brought one on the back of a truck or trailer. If for no other reason but that it guarantees a ride home if I should huck the bike into a swamp or concrete wall. There was no way I was calling my wife to load up our 3 month old daughter and bring me home...

I'll admit I was a bit intimidated. The logical part of my brain kept telling me that the ride down Deerfoot trail to the race track was statistically more dangerous than anything I'd be doing on the circuit, but ego defies logic. I would need all of my focus on the track. I would have to set a good example to educate my students. I could not allow myself to crash. What state of mind would I be in? How would I cope? Would I get in over my head and push too hard trying to catch up with other riders? Would I have confidence in the bike and the tires? I couldn't afford to get myself in a funk early and fight the bike all day.

What I needed most were LAPS!

I went out early by myself before the classroom let out so I could shake the rust off. IMMEDIATELY I felt more comfortable and confident on the VFR1200F than ever. My confidence level hit a new high. Within 2 laps I was nailing apexes and driving out of turns with a consistency I don't recall having in my racing days. I was trailing the brakes deep and putting my knee down in every turn. My body and mind were relaxed and free of fatigue. The VFR doesn't "flick" from side to side, but it inspires massive confidence on the brakes and will allow the rider to set it up for any type of turn and rail through any line you choose with smoothness and consistency. While it requires more effort to change direction than a supersports bike, it transitions smoothly and predictably. And if you get it wrong, it forgives ham-fisted line mid-corner changes and braking. As odd as it sounds, I felt like I could race it... not that I ever will. Race City was in pretty rough shape, with some new patches that were boucing riders out of the seats of their CBGSXZRs. I just blasted through them wide open with my cushy suspension and long wheelbase.

The students were divided up based on skill level and assigned to instructors. (3-5 students per) There were 2 sessions... Group 1 and 2... slow and less slow. Brad had reassured me that I would get one of the slower platoons and ride in group 1 so they gave me students with limited track experience.Things didn't quite go as planned. While my students may have appeared inexperienced on paper, their skills were much higher than anticipated. While they each needed some coaching, they all had good control of their motorcycles, and they had fast motorcycles.

It was a good thing I found my confidence so quickly in the morning because from the first session it was clear that my students belonged in the faster group. After lunch we were "bumped" and yet even in the faster group we repeatedly passed the other squads and got faster still as the afternoon went on. I even had the pleasure of witnessing one of my students get their knee down for the first time.

At the end of the day we went out for our last session and got split up early trying to filter through a slower group. I decided that my ducklings were safe to leave the nest on their own so I dropped the hammer and put my fastest laps in of the day. I started charging deeper into turn one and braking harder and for the first time felt the ABS engage on dry pavement. It was a strange sensation. At maximum braking with the lever almost all the way back to the bar I could feel the system pressure up and actually push the lever back out against my squeeze. While it did this it would reduce the braking power just slightly. It was simultaneously unsettling and reassuring. The sensation was strange but it was also nice to know that the safety net was there if I ever needed it, and now I would know what to expect. I can understand why people wouldn't want this system on a track-focused bike. The newer digital systems (newer CBRs, S1000RR, new ZX-10R) probably have much higher limits.

The Dunlop Roadsmart sport-touring tires began to show their limitations as I upped the pace. The back tire started to wriggle and squirm around under power in the corner exits, but it never really "let go". It approached its limit predictably and progressively. The front tire never gave me any loss of grip while leaned over, but slipped enough at maximum braking to engage the ABS.

With sticky tires and the right suspension setup, the VFR1200F could be a very fast bike on the race track. Personally, I don't ever intend to prove it, but today I had the chance to safely explore the bike's limits and bank a stack of confidence for the riding season. It was a great day.

Pictures:

Fish (whale?) out of water

2 of my students' bikes. A heavily upgraded 2000 R1 and a 2010 ZX-10R (which took a rock to the radiator in the morning, putting it out of service for the afternoon.)

A Dunlop Roadsmart that spent a lot of time on its left edge.

My students

Rider's meeting at the end of the day. Everyone recieves certificates. Nobody crashed.

Hero blobs ground off

2011 VFR1200... Niche market boutique bike?

2011-05-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

Someone may eventually write a textbook for marketing students on "how not to launch a new product" and base its tenets on Honda's mishandling of the VFR1200.

Yes it's a great motorcycle and all, but Honda gave loyal fans unrealistic expectations, and then stoked the fire for over a year with outrageous statements from an over-the-top web site.

I'm sure they learned their lesson...

Now Honda Canada has done something unusual. After the cocked up launch of the VFR, they allowed inventories (however small and exclusive) to rot in dealer showrooms for months without any real advertising and few opportunities for test rides. Eventually, they introduced a rebate of $1800 to the $18299 sticker price... which may or may not have worked. And now the strange part: they've released the 2011 VFR1200 (in dead sexy black and silver) and INCREASED the sticker price! It now lists at $18699 (plus freight and assembly) http://hondacanada.ca/MCPE/Motorcycle/Models/ModelOverview?L=E&Type=Sport&Year=2011&Model=VFR1200FA11

Is this a marketing move to position the VFR as more of a premium offering, or is it a general symptom of the global economy, with a high Yen and supply issues in tsunami-ravaged Japan? Both?

One thing I can say for certain is that Japanese manufacturers must be finding it more and more difficult to be the price leaders compared to their European competition. Building bikes for Euros and selling them for Dollars must be more favorable than building them for Yen and selling for Dollars. If the Jap4 can't be price leaders, I think it would do them well to position their products as superior, premium offerings.

On a completely unrelated topic, I have a question for the experts: Does the "A" in VFR1200FA identify it as a 2010 model, or identify it as an ABS-equipped model? I've been losing this argument on the UK VFR club board. I maintain that the A represents ABS. My opponents insist that the A designates 2010 model, and that a 2011 VFR1200F is known as a VFR1200FB. Here's where I get confused: Honda Canada refers to a 2011 VFR as a "2011 VFR1200FA" They also add the "A" suffix to other ABS-equipped models. They offer a CBR1000RR without ABS and a CBR1000RA with ABS.

Who can settle this?

VFR1200F Sighting in Calgary

2011-05-04T18:31:00.000-06:00

I saw my first VFR1200 in the "wild" today. Up until now I was convinced that I had the only 1200 in this town. It's cool having a rare motorcycle!

In case you ever visit this site, I saw you heading northbound on Blackfoot around Heritage at about 1pm today. Please share your comments on this site and I hope you find some useful information here.

First Ride of 2011

2011-04-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

It's been a long long long long winter here... Today is April 22nd and the snow still hasn't melted. It snowed about a foot last week but it's now starting to finally warm up. It was 10 degrees today and the roads are fairly dry so I decided to go for a quick spin on the VFR.

Over the winter I made a couple of changes and I was eager to test their effects. My new Helibars would alter the riding position of the bike, and my new Leo Vince slip-on exhaust would alter the sound and maybe increase the power a little bit. (not that the VFR1200 really needs more)

After only a short ride, I'm very pleased with the Helibars. They only move the handlebars 2 inches up and an inch back but the difference for me is very noticeable. I can now ride it sitting fully back in the seat and have my elbows at a comfortable natural bend. I also have less weight on my wrists, and I didn't find my hands getting "tingly" like they used to. I'm very happy with the Helibars. One negative thing I noticed when parking the bike back in the garage was that my knuckes will now touch the mirrors when the bars are turned to full lock. It's a very small price to pay for the improvement in comfort.

I'm also very pleased with the Leo Vince pipe... but the price I paid factors into that pleasure. If I had paid retail price I would probably be a little disappointed. But for 250 bucks, I'm really happy with what I've got. The sound from the Leo isn't much louder than the stock pipe, which is a good thing. It gives the bike a nice snarl, but what it's missing is the deeper rumbling tone that I'd expect with a big V4. The biggest improvement it offers is in the looks department. It really makes the VFR look a lot more aggressive.

I wanted to get a clip of the sound of the bike at wide open throttle from a bystander perspective so I put my camera up on a fencepost and took this little video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=mwJqdwYlt80

VFR1200 Engine Porn

2011-03-24T09:45:00.000-06:00

Check out this video from Dutch mag Moto73:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNuoUvnLSQA

Power Commander V

2011-02-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

According to the Dynojet web site, the PCV is now available for the VFR1200F with an auto-tune module available.

According to their installation instructions it looks like they've released it with OEM connectors so it's a very simple installation.

I plan on eventually installing one, though I expect it won't be very soon. Christmas and birthday have passed and I've got a daughter about to celebrate her 0th birthday so it'll be hard to find excuses to spend money on myself. :)

http://www.powercommander.com/powercommander/powercommander_v.aspx?mk=7&mdl=317&yr=16-020&pcVersion=PCV&PartNum=16-020

Leo Vince pt II

2011-02-06T13:03:00.001-07:00

The pac-man Leo Vince sticker looked a little nerdy so I peeled it off with the help of an old hair dryer and some acetone to clean up the glue.

I also didn't like the way the pipe touched up against the heat shield on the pannier so I loosened it up, twisted the link pipe a bit and re-tightened. I also added a spacer to the exhaust hanger to push the can slightly outward. It clears perfectly now.

Without the badge it looks almost as though the bike was designed with this pipe to begin with.

Leo Vince Titanium Slip-on Exhaust

2011-02-02T20:48:00.001-07:00

I had hoped to eventually purchase a slip-on exhaust for the VFR1200 but wasn't quite ready to lay out the cash until I stumbled upon this thread at VFRDiscussion 2 weeks ago.

The deal seemed too good to be true ($249 for a piece of equipment that normally retails for $699) but after some checking around I determined that the deal was legit and placed my order on amazon.com. The retailer is Fay Myers Motorcycle World in Colorado, who seem to have a pretty good reputation.

If and when I ever originally planned to install a slip-on, the Leo Vince model wouldn't have been my first choice. I'm partial to the Akrapovic or the DAM exhaust from Belgium. But at 250 bucks I'm very happy with the Leo. Leo Vince is an Italian manufacturer of high-end racing exhaust, and their products have a very good reputation so I could have done a lot worse.

This exhaust will free up a few horsepower and drop a little over 5 pounds from the bike. It should also look and sound better than the stock muffler. Some time this spring I'll bring it back to my friends at Redline Motorsports for another dyno pull. The gains won't be huge, but a genuine 150hp at the wheel would be very impressive, along with some improvement in the midrange. The VFR doesn't need more power but I say you can never have too much.

The exhaust came beautifully packed and packaged, with several layers of protection.

It uses titanium link-pipes and a titanium sleeve with a thin carbon fibre end cap and carbon fibre clamp.

It can be fitted as a high-mount or as a low-mount which is compatible with the factory hard luggage.

This is the big fat stock pipe. Kind of looks like a crashed car muffler.

Here's the new slip-on next to the OE muffler. I never quite understood why Honda went with a chrome finish on the heat shield. I just felt that chrome didn't belong on this ultra-modern bike.

On the other hand, the big muffler did have a certain visual "weight" that suited the design of the bike. When viewed from behind, the big steel stove countered the bulk of the massive final drive on the opposite side, giving the bike a stereo balance visually. In this sense, the aftermarket pipe will look a bit undersized, but from the side it looks great and shows off more of the beautiful rear wheel.

Here's the Leo fitted up. The canister mounts to the link pipe with a tension spring fit, like a race exhaust. It allows some freeplay and adjustment range while keeping a tight seal.

Here is the DB-Killer insert which of course I had to remove. ;)

All installed with the luggage attached. The pipe comes very close to the heat shield on the pannier. Hopefully it won't rattle against it or I will have to modify the mounting hanger.

Videos for comparison:

Stock muffler with cable removed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2wQst6ji0U

Leo with DB Killer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWlOfxGDQ-g

Leo without insert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nviPY2c3MhU

I'm using the video function of a cheap point-an-shoot camera so the audio quality in these videos is poor and doesn't give a great representation of the sound.

Compared to the "bark" of the stock muffler, the Leo gives a sharp growl up to about 5000RPM which turns into a hard-edged raspy snarl in the upper rev range. I didn't wind it up past about 6000 in these videos as I don't like revving up my bike in neutral. When I eventually get out to ride this spring I plan to set up a "fly-by" video that will give a more accurate representation of the sound while under load and in motion.

Overall I'm very happy with the Leo Vince exhaust, especially for what I paid.

Sealed Crank Case

2011-01-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

The VFR1200 motor features a "sealed crankcase" and it took me a little while to figure out what that meant. It's a unique and clever setup.

I refer to it as a "semi-dry sump" design. The oil reservoir is still a sump pan at the bottom of the motor, but the crankcase is sealed in a separate chamber above it. This design combines some of the efficiencies of a dry sump design with the practicality of a compact wet sump design. "Windage" losses from a crankshaft whipping the oil around in a wet sump are eliminated by sealing the crank chamber from the pan below it. Honda designed a special 2-rotor oil pump. One rotor acts as a feed pump to force oil up into the crank bearings and top end, while the other acts as a scavenge pump to suck oil out of the crankcase, then jet it on the transmission gears before it drains back into the pan. No bulky, leak-prone external oil lines are neccessary because of the simple gravity drainage design.

Another advantage is better compression ring sealing and reduced blow-by as a result of the slight vaccuum in the crank chamber generated by the scavenge pump. This oiling system cools the engine efficiently as well. High-pressure jets mounted under the cylinders squirt oil up into the undersides of the pistons, helping exchange the heat of combustion. The motor also uses a high-spec continuous oil pressure monitor, which is constantly taking readings and can sense a drop in pressure before the bearings are damaged.... unlike a conventional system which sets an "alarm" when the pressure drops below a fixed level.

All of these small efficiency gains combine for a motor that's more responsive and powerful. This design is similar to the oiling system in my CRF250X off-road racer, and Honda claim that it is used in thie RC212V MotoGP racebikes.

Helibars

2011-01-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

A mass-produced motorcycle has to be built to fit a range of different-sized riders. The riding position of the VFR1200 is a great compromise between comfort and sportiness but it doesn't quite fit my 5'9" frame to a "T".

The seat is very supportive and comfy, but only when your bum is scooted all the way back in the saddle. For my limited height and reach, this makes the distance to the handgrips a bit of an uncomfortable stretch.

Heli's handlebar kit for the VFR brings the grips up 2 inches higher, 1 inch closer, and an inch wider. I picked up a set second-hand from a member at VFRDiscussion who bought them new but preferred the stock position.

Heli posts a great set of installation instructions on their site so I won't bore you with a step-by-step tutorial, but I'd like to offer some tips for adjusting them.

The Helibar kit is of quality design and manufacture. The welded and machined pieces are heavier and feel sturdier than the cast aluminum stock clip-ons. They are powder coated with a rich glossy black finish and it is clear that a lot of design and testing was neccessary to get the dimensions perfect while retaining the stock cables and hydraulic lines. The cockpit on the VFR is built to a very specific fit, with only the exact amount of room available for the handlebars to swing between the windshield frame and fuel tank. The Heli designers were clever enough to provide the more comfortable position while retaining the stock cables and lines by simply re-routing the throttle cables. This is specified in their instructions.

The helibars don't have a metal "tab" like the stock bars to locate them at the right angle, so it is up to the installer to get it just right. The right handlebar with its throttle assembly and brake master cylinder leaves the least room for adjustment, so I aligned that side first. I turned the bars all the way to the right, then turned the bar as far rearward as it would go before the starter button touched the tank, leaving about 1mm of clearance. In this position, when the bars are turned all the way to the left, there is just a hair's width between the throttle cables and the windshield frame. I adjusted the left bar to match the angle, using a set of digital calipers measured between consistent reference points.

In addition to the recommended cable re-arrangement, I also adjusted the brake line a bit. Once installed, it formed a dangerous-looking kink right below the banjo bolt on the master cylinder, so I very carefully loosened the bolt and turned it a few degrees to give it a more natural path. Be careful if you try this not to loosen it too much or you could introduce air into the brake line.

I won't get a chance to ride the bike until at least late March, but just sitting on it in the garage I can tell that it's going to be a lot more comfortable for me.

Here's a comparison of the Helibar on the left and the stock clip-on on the right.

The added height and "pull-back" ar ea little more obvious here:

Not a lot of room for error:

Helibars installed:

Brake banjo rotated clockwise a few degrees to relax the line:

Finished product:

Pit Bull Stand

2010-12-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

I like to keep my motorcycles on race stands when I'm not riding them. It keeps the tires off the ground (avoiding flat spots) and makes maintenance simple.

The design of the VFR1200 final drive makes the use of a conventional (rear axle) stand impossible. Certain "single sided swingarm" designs can accomodate special stands but only when they have a hole through the middle, like a Ducati or a BMW. The VFR has no such passage.

Honda offers a permanent centre stand for the VFR that mounts on a pair of dropouts on the bottom of the frame. The centre stand is very handy for a chain-driven bike like the VFR800 where you need constant upkeep of the chain but on a shafty like the 1200 it doesn't make sense to carry the weight and bulk (and reduced cornering clearance) of the stand everywhere you go. The Honda centre stand is also very pricey.

Pit Bull makes a stand specifically designed for the VFR1200 that uses the mounting points for the factory centre stand. I love their products... they are built in the USA with quality materials and fine craftsmanship. There are many cheaper "made in China" knockoffs but Pit Bull is (literally) the golden standard. A tag on their packaging proclaims "This stand will outlast your bike" as quoted by number 34 'living legend' Kevin Schwantz. I can attest to this... I've had my same set of Pit Bull race stands through 3 different motorcycles. That's another great thing about Pit Bull stands: they're (mostly) universal. Just adjust the lifting points and / or insert the appropriate pin and they work with all modern sportbikes. But as I said, the unique design of the VFR neccessitates a special stand so I bit the bullet and ordered one from Bayside Performance out of Vancouver. Shipping took a long time but only because the stand had to be special-ordered from Pit Bull in Alabama. The pricing was excellent though and their service and communication were great.

Not Just any Shaft Drive

2010-12-01T12:32:00.002-07:00

A lot of development went into building the single-sided shaft drive for the VFR1200FA.

Here is an article from Honda:

Progress – the VFR Drive Shaft Up Close

It's a first in the history of the VFR for Honda to equip the VFR1200F with a shaft drive. But not all drive shafts are created equal. The design effort that went into ensuring extremely low-reaction operation for this component is more than remarkable and warrants detailed examination.

The shaft drive on the Honda VFR1200F is something special. Integrated into the single-sided swing arm, its design impresses for its unusually low-reaction operation. Motor cycle riders who are used to machines with chain drive to the rear-wheel and test ride a VFR1200F for the first time often discover that there is little or no noticeable difference. And motor cycle riders who are used to other shaft-drive machines are astonished on their first VFR ride by the smooth transmission of power and the absence of the typical accompanying traits.

... more

Did the Honda technicians perform some kind of magic? Let's resist the temptation to answer "Yes". Let's say instead that innovative development and design went into providing a shaft drive that sets new standards from a functional point of view. Several factors contribute to the impressive result.

First the basics: The drive shaft transmits engine power to the rear wheel and rotates on the left side, sealed in the one-piece, cast aluminium single-sided swing arm in the drive shaft tunnel. The final drive housing is flanged to the single-sided swing arm.

One special feature that distinguishes the VFR design is offset axes. The drive shaft and the swing arm in which the shaft rotates do not run on a parallel axis but at a pointed V-angle to each other. The mount for the swing arm on the frame is offset upward, so that the drive shaft can run below it directly for deflection at the transmission output.

This design refinement offers two benefits: First, a continuous swing axis can be used, which benefits the overall stability of chassis and swing arm mount (shaft-drive bikes mostly have to put up with short pins on the left and right to carry the swing arm in order to make room for the drive shaft running behind it along with a front universal joint). Second, Honda's design with offset axes does away with an additional torque bracing using lever systems against the frame, which not only saves weight but helps to achieve a clean look.

Anyone looking at the drive shaft assembly of the VFR1200F from the side who draws an imaginary line from the centre point of the wheel to the transmission output and then observes the position of the swing arm bearing on the frame can clearly recognize the upward offset. The benefit of this design is that reactions to load changes are successfully suppressed. Normally, with shaft drive the motorcycle lifts when the throttle is opened and it drops when the throttle is closed, an effect that is more or less pronounced depending on the model. This idiosyncrasy is foreign to the VFR1200F.

The shaft drive of the VFR1200F is astonishing in all riding situations for its smooth transmission of power. No shaft jacking, no stiffening of the springs under acceleration load, no scrunching when shifting through the gears, no clunking from the rear end in energetic braking maneuvers when the foot brake is used as well.

The exemplary manners of the secondary drive are helped out by the elaborate design of the drive shaft. At the rear end, it is fitted with a constant-velocity joint (instead of the usual universal joint) to transmit rotary motion consistently and smoothly even at large deflection angles. A plunging function additionally ensures length compensation as the rear wheel goes through jounce and rebound. The constant-velocity joint, which is about half the size of a Red Bull can, is completely sealed, filled with special grease and requires no maintenance.

Hint: If you enter the term "constant-velocity joint" in Wikipedia on the Internet, you will find animation that clearly visualises the ability to articulate forces smoothly.

Constant velocity joints are widely used in automobile design, for example on drive shafts on front-wheel drive cars. Their use on bikes, on the other hand, is not usual. The Honda VFR1200 is currently the only motorcycle on which this technology is used in the drive shaft area – although it is not the first. As a marginal comment for history buffs let us note: Only the shaft drive on the Van Veen OCR 1000, a Wankel-engined machine produced in Holland in the seventies, was also equipped with a constant-velocity joint.

But let's get back to the drive shaft on the VFR1200F. This component is fitted with the aforesaid constant velocity joint at the rear and with a universal joint at the front. Between them, a rubber damper is vulcanised in a tubular sleeve on the shaft that permits a certain amount of torsion. The drive shaft is meshed to the pinion that transmits the power to a ring gear and finally to the rear wheel mount. Three more damping elements can be found in the engine in addition to the rubber damper on the drive shaft. So the VFR1200F is equipped with a total of four dampers in the drive train, which contributes to its smoothness and the untroubled pleasure of riding with shaft drive.

The final drive housing with ring gear and pinion is designed as a closed system, which is also something new. During operation, the oil in the final drive heats up and expands; in order to equalize pressure in the housing previous Honda shaft drives were fitted with a cast-in vent cap. That is different now. Special shaft seal rings are used on the VFR that can withstand higher pressures. The pressure provided by these seal lips provide reliable sealing without the need to provide extra pressure compensation at the housing. The drive shaft housing could be made smoother and more modern looking on the outside without the vent cap.

It is perhaps also worth noting that ring gear and pinion are shot-peened in the manufacturing process at the Honda Kumamoto factory. As a result, the surface of the material is smoothed again and compressed after milling, being hardened only afterwards. The surfaces are made particularly resistant to wear as a result. The rear axle housing is filled with SAE 80 transmission fluid that is particularly stable under pressure. Because of the special mesh on the ring gear and pinion, very high flank pressures are created on both sides of the gear. The molecules of the hypoid gear oil are not crushed between the metal surfaces so that lubrication remains constant.

The drive shaft of the VFR1200 is visually more compact, the housing of the final drive smaller in diameter and more compressed than is usual. This is also a consequence of the design because the bearing for the rear-wheel carrier that sits internally in the usual construction is now placed outside. The diameter of the ring gear could be reduced accordingly and the pinion moved further inboard. The overall structure ends up saving more space. Note for technology mavens: The tooth flank clearance of the ring gear and pinion can be adjusted axially (by means of adjusting shims), the specification is 0.05 to 0.15 mm.

As a technology showcase, the VFR1200F has a lot to offer: V4 engine with unique cylinder arrangement, Big-Bang ignition sequence, Unicam cylinder heads, six-speed gearbox with slipper clutch, drive-by-wire throttle grip, aluminum chassis, single-sided swing arm, six-piston brake calipers, Combined ABS, layered fairing, the most up-to-date design, high-quality paint, impressive pannier system and and and. And don't forget the optionally available dual clutch transmission.

The drive shaft of the VFR1200F shines as a highlight in its own right as well. An easy-to-maintain rear-wheel drive, contemporary modern design and extremely low-reaction, allowing not only the outstanding experience of the benefits of automatic shifting with interruption of the power flow but which can also instill enthusiasm when changing gears manually. Just to call the drive shaft of a VFR a drive shaft does not do justice to its superb operation. So instead take a respectful look at it at the next opportunity. Or even better – ride it.

Brad Gavey VS the VFR1200

2010-11-03T23:50:00.001-06:00

When I was a part of Brad's race team and school, we had our own expression that got used often. To "Gavey" something was to destroy or otherwise damage a mechanical device. If you overtorqued a bolt and stripped some threads, you Gavey'd it. If you just finished rebuilding the motor on your racebike and blew it up on your first lap out, you Gavey'd it. Plenty of Ducati transmissions have eaten themselves and become Gavey'd. It isn't neccessarily ham-fistedness or abuse... Brad is a smooth and fast rider... it's just that he takes things beyond their limits. In a 7-round race series this year, he entered 4 different bikes... not because he had the luxury of a multi-bike race fleet, but because he couldn't keep one running for more than 2 consecutive races. And he still won a championship.

In spite of his history of mechanical molestation, everyone wants Brad to try their bike. They want to hear that their bike is the greatest he's ever ridden. I guess I'm no exception. His opinions mean a lot. He has ridden hundreds of different bikes for probably hundreds of thousands of street miles and thousands of race laps. He knows what he's talking about, and he shoots from the hip.

Yes... in spite of his history of mechanical massacre, I wanted Brad to have a ride on the VFR. I trust him not to wreck it, and I trust the big Honda's ability to take punishment. I had a rare day off work today, and an even more rare warm weather forecast, so I went out for a spin and followed Brad around for the a few hours; he on my VFR1200, and I on his 2010 ZX-10R, then his B-King.

He was quite pleased with the VFR. Here are some of his observations:

-smoothest most comfortable bike he's ever ridden

-tires are shit. Good for protecting the rim and that's about it. He was spinning the back tire all over the place. He recommends the Michelin Pilot 2CT instead.

-falls into turns. (an observation I've also made) This effect is multiplied by the squared-off profile of my worn back tire

-sounds great, looks great. Flawless fit and finish

-carries its weight well and feels lighter than it is

-great brakes, though he would like to disable the ABS

-more likely to lose his license on this than his ZX10R... never feels like it's going as fast as it really is

-plush suspension, good handling but could benefit from a heavier rear spring

-barely noticeable shaft drive... but would still prefer a chain

-feels the throttle "hunting" a bit at steady speeds

-perfect bike for a trip down the west coast.

We had fun afternoon. Brad was impressed with the VFR and I got to try some pretty cool (and fast) motorcycles.
No motorcycles were Gavey'd in the making of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8SEbu7hIcc&feature=player_embedded

Switchable Power Modes Part II

2010-11-03T09:43:00.001-06:00

A member on an enthusiast board had some questions and comments about my power mode switch. I thought I would repeat our conversation here... maybe it will be informative to others.

Warren's words in italics:

So... Looking at your blog, it appears that the VFR is doing what so many other high power motorcycles have done in the past with restricting the lower gears to prevent early termination of it's riders. Namely, the GSX-R and the 1000RR.

That's my best guess. I've pondered about the restriction being some sort of mechanical failsafe, but I really don't think that's the case.

Both of these bikes have products that do essentially what you do with your switch, however they have "smarts" built into them so that the instrument clusters continue to read the correct gear.

For example, Ivan's make a smart TRE:

http://www.ivansperformanceproducts.com/tre.htm

The company that make the speedo healer has the X-TRE:

http://www.healtech-electronics.com/

But more interestingly, Bazzaz has a product called the Z-Bomb:

http://www.bazzaz.net/bz1/index.php?...art&Itemid=181

But as far as I can tell when looking at the installation instructions, it attaches to the Throttle Position Sensor. What are your thoughts?

http://bazzaz.net/team/Tech%20Suppor.../ZBomb404i.pdf

Thanks in advance,

Warren

The wiring layout in the VFR1200 makes it difficult to avoid the gear indication error when the bike is in de-restricted mode. There are 7 individual gear position wires which run directly from the gear position sensor into the ECU and transmit 7 individual gear signals. It's simple, so it's easy to hack. After that it gets tricky. The ECU interprets those individual signals, decides what throttle and ignition map to use, and then encodes it and sends an encoded digital pulse signal through a single wire on the serial link to the combination meter (instrument panel) to be displayed on the gear indicator. To get an accurate indication on the gear while in de-restricted mode, you would have to decode the serial link. I think that's what Ivan has done with his Smart TRE chip for the gixxer. It's a complicated solution. It can be done, but it would take some work and savvy computer skills. On a bike like the Gixxer with its enormous market base, it's worth it for someone like Ivan to put in the time. With very few VFR1200s on this side of the pond, it's hard to imagine anyone bothering.

The Z-bomb is a little different. Honda programmed the American market 08 CBR1000RR to retard the timing at high RPM at full throttle, robbing it of 7 or 8 peak horsepower. It was suggested that this was to pass noise tests which are measured at a percentage of maximum RPM at full throttle. As far as I can tell, the Z-bomb tricks the ECU into thinking that the throttle isn't fully open, therefore allowing the full ignition advance and replacing the stolen horsepower.

The Gixxers and CBRs use a timing retard to limit power, but I still think that the VFR is limiting power through its "throttle by wire". (which the GSXRs and CBRs don't have yet) If I'm correct, that would mean that there are 2 throttle maps, one restricted and one unrestricted. The ECU is interpreting the gear position signals and telling the throttle valve motor which map to use. The gear position sensor is a crude but effective bypass.

There may be a more elegant solution but I'm just not smart enough to crack it. Studying the wiring diagram, there are a pair of wires which I suspect may contain the answers. There are 2 wires that run from the ECU to the TBW motor labeled TBW MTR+ and TBW MTR- on the throttle valve side, and labeled TMOM and TMOP, respectively, on the ECU side. If my hunch is right, these could be the wires that send the throttle map signals. My guess would be that TBW MTR- could transmit the restricted map. If that were the case, you could cut that wire and splice it to the TBW MTR+ wire so that the throttle valve motor never recieves the restricted map.

Again, I'm just guessing... and I don't want to be the guy to test it. If I'm correct though, this type of mod would de-restrict the bike without giving a false reading on the gear position. A switch could be installed easily with this mod as well.

I just need somebody smart to review my theory. Where's that Dutchgixxer guy?

Here is the wiring diagram and the wires I'm referring to. The wires I'm talking about are circled in red:

Edit: TMOM and TMOP appear to be the power supply for the throttle motor. (wires A9 and A10 coming off the ECU. Cutting or altering them will cause the throttle motor to quit. Not advised. :)

Honda CrossTourer Official

2010-11-02T07:28:00.000-06:00

From Asphalt and Rubber:

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/honda-crosstourer-concept/

Man what a beast!

Those forks sure look wimpy.

Crossrunner 800 Official Release

2010-11-02T07:12:00.001-06:00

From the good people at visordown.com:

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/first-look-2011-honda-v4-crossrunner/15275.html

I jumped to conclusions on the brake pedal... it definitely has one.

Unless I'm wrong, this is basically new packaging for the VFR800. And it will probably be a great street bike. It's about time the VFR stopped posing as a race bike... it hasn't been one for many years. This makes more sense.

Honda CrossTourer Concept and Crossrunner

2010-11-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

Honda have said that they will unveil 2 V4-powered adventure-style bikes at the Milan show this week. (opens Nov 2)

There is the VFR800X that I posted about earlier and a rumored VFR1200-based adventure bike. The VFR800-based model (CrossRunner) is supposed to be production-ready, while the 1200X (Crosstourer) will probably be a 2012. Other moto blogs have mistaken the 1200 Cross Tourer for the 800X Cross Runner.

Someone at Oliepeil (Dutch moto mag) got a hold of some spy pictures today before the show has opened. One of the pictures shows the "Crosstourer Concept" which is clearly based on the VFR1200.

The image of the Crosstourer has some interesting clues. It seems to have the (a version of) VFR1200's frame, swingarm and final drive. (and presumably engine) There are hand guards, extra running lights, lots of ground clearance, a big gas tank and spoked wheels. If they include a sophisticated electonics package and all the gadgets, it could be a serious competitor for the R1200GS and Multistrada 1200.

Unicam > SOHC

2010-10-30T07:35:00.000-06:00

I've read a few remarks in forums and comments sections of moto sites about Honda's choice to use a "cheap inferior" SOHC valve layout on the VFR1200FA. I want to explain the differences here and clear the air.

Technically, the Unicam design is a Single Overhead Camshaft layout. There is one camshaft (per cylinder bank) placed overhead of the valves. But this design, which is unique to Honda, has some key differences and advantages.

A conventional SOHC cylinder head has a camshaft mounted down the middle of the head with a rocker shaft on either side. The valves are opened with rocker arms. It's simple and effective, but there are some disadvantages compared to a DOHC design... The main disadvantage is the added reciprocating weight from the rocker arms. The added weight limits the engine's rev ceiling. Another drawback might be the compromise of the combustion chamber shape. The spark plugs and ignition coils cannot be placed in their most efficient location: top center of the combustion chamber. The camshaft sits in the way.

On a DOHC cylinder head, the camshafts are placed directly over the intake and exhaust valves on opposite sides of the head. There are no rocker arms or shafts and the ignition coil and spark plug sit directly over the center of the combustion chamber. It can rev higher than a SOHC but it requires a bit more maintenance and it's bulkier.

Honda's Unicam is a hybrid of both designs. There is only one camshaft, but instead of sitting down the middle of the head, it is located directly above the intake valves, like a DOHC. The intake valves are opened from directly overhead through a solid lifter. (with shim adjustment) The exhaust valves are opened with tiny little roller rockers, one for each valve. The exhaust valves are smaller and lighter than the intake valves, and they don't open as far... so the added reciprocating weight from the rocker arms is less of a factor, and high RPMS are still possible. There is also less stress on the cam drive compared to a DOHC. Just one (shorter) chain is required to turn the camshaft, and a larger sprocket is used for more torque multiplication and less stress on the chain. The chain also doesn't have to bend through a complex path, so a simpler cam chain tensioner (with less potential for failure) can be employed. Valve adjustments are slightly simpler than a DOHC, because the exhaust valves have threaded adjusters at the ends of the rockers, which eliminates half of the tedious shimming work.

Honda introduced this design for 4-stroke motocrossers and off-road bikes. The reduction in bulk and mass is especially important to compete with flyweight 2-strokes. It made sense to employ this design on the big V4 for the VFR1200F. V4s are bulky engines and are tricky to package compared to the typical inline 4 on most sportbikes and the Unicam design helps make it a bit more compact. (smaller overall than the DOHC VFR800 motor) Very little performance is sacrificed compared to a DOHC and maintenance is a bit simpler.

Honda CBR250R

2010-10-28T08:52:00.000-06:00

Honda have announced that their redesigned CBR250R will be offered in Canada and the USA next year. When Honda brought the CBR125R to Canada a few years ago I liked it so much that I bought one. It was by no means a high-performance motorcycle but it was great fun to ride

This new CBR250 would make a great "little brother" to my VFR1200F. Don't tell my wife.

Honda VFR800X Adventure

2010-10-27T15:36:00.003-06:00

Honda have been releasing teaser sketches over the last few weeks that hint at an upcoming V4 "adventure" style bike which will be unveiled at the Milan show next month.

From what I can see, the bike they've come up with isn't an "enduro" style adventure bike like the BMW GS or KTM 990 Adventure, but more of a "standard" sporty roadbike meant for sport touring... much like the Suzuki V-Strom, Kawasaki Versys or Triumph Tiger 1050.

This was the original sketch. Some of the enthusiast boards started buzzing about a VFR1200-based adventure bike. The sketch clearly shows the continued use of the "layer concept" fairing as debuted on the VFR1200F... which will surely be incorporated into all future Honda sportbikes. The sketch also clearly shows an upright riding position with high handlbars.

This is the second sketch that was released a week later. The styling reminds me of the Versys. The layer concept fairing is shown again and Honda hinted at a "floating instrument panel"

This final sketch was released today. Clearly this isn't meant to be a true enduro adventure machine, but more of a "real world" sporty standard bike with an upright riding position that should be comfy for long distances. The bit of engine and frame visible is clearly carried over from the VFR800 VTEC, and not a derivative of the new 76' unicam V4 in the VFR1200. Maybe I'll be proven wrong but this to me looks like the replacement for the VFR800. There looks to be a lot of carry-over parts, including the wheels and conventional fork. If they've made it a bit lighter and more rideable than the 800 it could be a big hit. If what I think is true, and it's a re-styled VFR800 then the price should be quite reasonable too.

edit: The bike in the 3rd sketch doesn't have a brake pedal but the second sketch clearly shows 2 levers. These sketches usually contain important clues so I don't think that's just an oversight. You can clearly see a pulser ring on the front rotor for ABS... I wonder if Honda have fitted a simpler combined ABS that is operated only by a hand lever? I could imagine it having a delay valve which progressively increases rear braking. Can't wait to find out.

Stebel Nautilus Air Horn (second horn upgrade)

2010-10-24T18:46:00.002-06:00

I shared my horn upgrade post on VFRdiscussion.com and a few different people recommended installing a Stebel instead. I was curious, so I did some browsing around and learned that the "Stebel" is an Italian-made 12V airhorn that is obscenely loud. I consider myself obscene so I went ahead and ordered one up from the good people at Twisted Throttle.

The biggest obstacle with the Stebel is its bulk. It incorporates a compressor and is rather large. There's no possible way that it would fit in the stock location (the previous FIAMM barely did) but I found a perfect location.

I noticed that the ABS controller bulges out quite far from the frame on the right side of the bike. The space on the opposite side of the frame is vacant and the fairings are symmetrical so it stood to reason that there would be room in that location. Hell there was even a threaded hole on the frame to use as a mounting point and a chassis ground nearby to make wiring easier. After this photo was taken I reinstalled the top fairing / headlight so I could make sure I had clearance where I needed it.

As you can see, the Nautilus is substantially larger than the previous Fiamm and immensely larger than the stock "meep meep" horn.

A device like the Nautilus draws substantially more current than the stock horn, and therefore has the potential to fry the light duty horn switch. The solution is to wire it through a relay. Basically a relay is a heavy-duty switch which is contolled by a light-duty switch. This also allows the new horn a direct connection to the battery so it can blast away to its maximum effect. I'm not very skilled electrically... this would be my first encounter with a relay and I learned all this as I went. I used the aid of a handy online tutorial. I wanted a clean installation so I bought some quality automotive connectors and a fuse holder.

I used the soft metal bracket from the Fiamm, test-fitting it and bending it into a "Z" shape that would keep the Nautilus tidy against the frame.

Here is the Bosch relay that came with the Nautilus. All hooked up. The heavy white wire is my power wire. I used some heavy-duty speaker wire from an old kit I had. Comically, this wire was labeled "subwoofer".

I drilled a little hole in the inner cowl where I would mount the relay next to the upper harness connector.

I secured it with that old favourite fastener of mine... a windshield screw. (I have a package of them) It is the perfect size and provides a "shock mount".

Here is the red relay secured in place.

And here is the Nautilus bolted in tight against the frame in the desirable downward-facing position. This is exactly where the bulky ABS controller mounts on the opposite side of the bike. I test-fitted the left fairing panel to make sure it fit.

Here is the fuse holder and the power wire running up to the relay:

I briefly tested the horn inside the garage... big mistake. I gave myself a splitting headache. It's FUCKING LOUD!!!

I wheeled it outside to test it properly and piss off my neighbours. Turn your speakers all the way up and press your ear firmly up against one of them to fully appreciate the experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFFZaosVoho

Quartet Harness

2010-10-24T18:05:00.000-06:00

Honda offers a "quartet" harness that makes it really simple to hook up factory accessories. (such as the heated grips or 12v outlet offered on the Honda web site) Since it's cheap and I already had the bike peeled, I figured I'd pop one on there. I ordered from David Silver Spares once again in the UK. It was cheaper than buying from a US dealer on ebay.

The instructions are simple. Locate the waterproof accessory plug. It is electrical taped to another harness. Remove the tape and the dummy plug.

If you pull back the cover you can see the 4 plugs for hooking up the factory accessories.

Use the supplied zip tie and clamp to secure the harness firmly in place.

Now I just have to get some accessories.....

MotorcycleUSA Comparison

2010-10-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/12/8188/Motorcycle-Article/2010-Sport-Touring-Shootout-V.aspx

Pretty much mirrors how I feel about the VFR.

I like this comment in particular:

“Sometimes I wonder what market Honda was trying to attract. I think the VFR was designed for a young man who just doesn’t want to give up his sportbike, but wants to do a little more travelling… so just take a sportbike and add some bags.”

Yep sounds about right.

Thinking out loud RE power limitation

2010-10-19T07:38:00.002-06:00

I have another theory on the torque limitation in first and second... It might be to keep the side gear case with its coil spring / cam damper from blowing up. A sudden high-torque hit will bang that cam into the coil spring really hard.

I wonder.....

Switchable Power Modes

2010-10-17T16:28:00.003-06:00

Electronics aren't my strength but I figured out that I could wire a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switch to change modes between the normal restricted mode and the hacked de-restricted mode. Why bother with a switch? Dutchgixxer has de-restricted his VFR1200 and reports that he considered changing it back to stock because the torque was so responsive in 1st and 2nd gear. His bike wanted to wheelie and spin if he wasn't cautious with the throttle. Also, the inaccurate gear position sensor could get annoying in the de-restricted mode. I figured a switch would be nice if I changed my mind, that way I wouldn't have to go back in and keep changing it back and forth.

I decided to place the switch under the seat. This way it can't be switched on the fly... I will have to stop the bike, take the key out of the ignition and unlock the seat to access the switch. I don't want it to be changed on the fly because if it were changed in 1st or 2nd gear on the fly, the interruption in the signal could cause a fault, thereby triggering an engine light which in itself doesn't have any negative effects but it's annoying to clear the trouble code.

The first thing I would need to do is repair the wiring that I hacked up near the harness. I kept it tidy with shrink-sleeve insulation and wire ties.

The gear position sensor sits on the end of the shift drum, right next to the shifter spindle. I removed the
shifter linkage and the plastic side cover to gain easier access.

On the inside of the frame spar there is a connector for the GPS. The connector needs to be released from its clip. The group of wires with the woven insulation goes directly into the GPS>.

I spliced 2 lengths of wire into the 3rd gear wire on the ECU side. I would run them up the inside of the frame and under the tank to the battery area.

This is the DPDT ON-ON switch that I picked up from Radio Shack. There are 6 poles. I ran the 1st and 2nd gear wires on the GPS side to the middle poles. The 2 3rd-gear wires ran to the outer poles on one side, and the 1st and 2nd gear wires on the ECU side ran to the other 2 outside poles. Now when the switch goes toward the 3rd gear side, the 1st and 2nd gear wires will be shorted to the 3rd gear wire therefore the ECU will receive a 3rd gear signal when the bike is in 1st or 2nd. When the switch is in the other position, the bike runs normally.

This is the plug coming from the GPS. The first and second gear wires are cut and the opposite ends run to opposite poles on the switch.

This is my crude schematic. You can see that when the switch is on the left side, the ECU (on the right) can only receive a 3rd gear signal.

I drilled a little hole in one of the baffles under my seat to mount the switch. I sealed the 6 terminals up with a blob of silicone and taped it up tightly. The 6 wires were tidied up with some wire ties. When this switch is in the "up" position the first 2 gears are de-restricted.

Here is my switch:

I threw on a helmet and rode the naked VFR up and down my street a few times, stopping in between to switch "modes". The result is exactly what I expected... In the de-restriced mode the hesitation before 5500RPM is gone. Instead, the torque rushes full-on from idle. It's drastically more responsive. It makes the natural restriced mode feel sluggish.

Gear Position Sensor Mod... or... "how to de-restrict power in first and second gear"

2010-10-12T00:41:00.001-06:00

One of the most common complaints of VFR1200 owners is the power restriction in first and second gear. My dyno runs from an earlier entry clearly show the "torque hole" that occurs in first and second. I've speculated that the reason for the restriction is to reduce wheelspin in the lower gears. (when Honda should have just equipped the bike with proper traction control) I've also speculated that the restriction was the result of a "traction map" that reduced the throttle opening at those specific RPMs in 1st and 2nd.

A fellow enthusiast on a discussion board argues that the restriction is a result of a timing retard in those circumstances... which I have no reason not to believe. (this would be a much simpler solution to execute)

That same enthusiast (dutchgixxer on vfrdiscussion.com) hypothesized that the restriction could be eliminated by "fooling" the ECU into thinking that the bike was in 3rd gear while in first and second. This would mean that it would revert to its full power map. He studied the wiring and provided a simple schematic on how to fool the ECU.

The VFR1200 has a very sophisticated gear position sensor (GPS) that uses an extremely accurate potentiometer on the shift drum. I suspect that this is "trickle-down" technology from the DCT version where the GPS plays a crucial role. Each gear position has its own wire going into the grey serial plug on the ECU. This makes it relatively simple to fool the computer.

I can't take credit for the concept of this modification, but I am pleased to provide a set of instructions.

The tank must be lifted to gain access to the ECU.

The grey connector is unplugged.

I cut a slit in the shrink sleeve to gain easier access to the wires. I separated the black and yellow wire. This is the 3rd gear wire which is grounded when the GPS detects that the transmission is in 3rd gear.

I carefully stripped away a bit of insulation and spliced in 2 short pieces of wire. I twisted them together, used a little blob of solder and taped it up.

The black and brown wire is the first gear wire and the light green and red wire is the 2nd gear wire. The third gear wire is spliced into the 1st and 2nd gear wires on the sensor side. I taped the ends of the wires on the ECU side to prevent shorting.

All taped up and back together. Now when the transmission is in 1st or 2nd gear, the ECU will get a 3rd gear signal. Full power will then be available in those gears. The only drawback is that the gear indicator display will give a false reading in 1st and second. It will read that the transmission is in third gear.

It could be a while before I ride again but I'll report back on how the mod changes the power delivery.

EVAP Removal Mod

2010-10-11T23:12:00.001-06:00

The VFR1200F is equipped with an evaporative emissions control system. The purpose of this system is to comply with California Air Resources Board vehicle requirements. It draws fuel vapors from the fuel tank, stores them in a canister, and then purges them into the throttle body to be burned in engine combustion rather than evaporate into the atmosphere.

It's bulky and unneccessary so I took it out. My "green" European readers may find this offensive but this is a motorcycle blog, not a political blog so I'll avoid discussing the perceived environmental consequences here.

Here is the diagram for the system in the repair manual:

Here's what it looks like, located under the tank behind the rear cylinder head.

I joined the fuel tank breather hose to the evap drain hose, essentially bypassing the canister.

This is with the EVAP tray removed. Underneath the tray is a heat shield for the rear exhaust headers. The rear shock is also visible here.

I plugged the "purge solenoid valve to throttle valve" hose with a big bolt. This line goes to a manifold under the throttle body which splits it into 8 individual lines, 2 going into each intake port. To thoroughly remove the system, you could remove all the lines and insert vacuum plugs in the holes. It would be a lot more work and likewise a lot tougher to reverse if you had to.

The tray is reinstalled but with the solenoid and canister removed. I duct taped the solenoid plug and throttle hose to the tray so they won't rattle around.

This is what was removed. I threw it in a box of stuff I've removed from this bike... the box is starting to get heavy.

As was the case with the PAIR solenoid, the EVAP solenoid does not provide feedback to the ECU and therefore shouldn't cause a trouble code or malfunction light by being removed.

Throttle by Wire

2010-10-07T22:08:00.000-06:00

Here you can see the throttle grip being twisted but no movement from the throttles. The only thing the throttle grip moves is a throttle position sensor. The position of the TPS is interpreted and cross-referenced with other data, run through feedback loops and algorithms before the computer tells the motors how far to open the throttles.

PAIR Removal

2010-10-07T15:45:00.000-06:00

Most new Hondas (and other new motorcycles) are equipped with a PAIR or secondary air system. PAIR stands for Pulsed Air injection. It is sometimes also referred to as a smog pump. The purpose of this device is to burn off unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust in order to meet emissions requirements. They typically only operate during high-vaccuum conditions and work by drawing filtered air from the airbox and pulsing it into the exhaust port. On closed-throttle decelleration the PAIR system can usually be heard popping... it sounds like a backfire. Here's a basic diagram from the repair manual:

I like to remove this equipment for a few reasons:

1. I don't think it's neccessary. I'd be willing to debate its pollution-fighting merits if anyone cares but I'll spare you the rant for now

2. Removing the system eliminates a lot of clutter in the engine bay, making maintenance easier.

3. Dyno tuning becomes simpler, as the system confuses the tuner's "sniffer" that measures the air/fuel ratio.

4. It's fun to take apart motorcycles and put them back together. :) Especially Hondas.

Here's how it went. First I lift the tank and support it with a strap:

Next I take off the airbox cover.

This is all the crap (bugs mainly) that came out of the air filter when I banged it on the floor:

Top view of the inside of the airbox. The layout of the throttles repeats the offest layout of the cylinders with their growly firing order.

There is a little hole in the side of the airbox where the PAIR draws air in.

From the outside: this is the suction line that feeds the PAIR

Bottom of the airbox and ECU removed:

The 2 silver pods with hoses attached are the PAIR valves for the rear cylinders

To get to the front cylinders I had to remove this engine shield that sits over top of the cam cover. The manual says to remove the throttle bodies to get this out but I didn't want to go that far. A bit of wrangling and some skinned knuckles and I popped it out:

Here are the front PAIR ports, housed in one double-sized pod: (look next to the hose and hose clamp)

Rear cylinder head with PAIR valves removed and the holes left behind:

The holes need to be covered up, as they drop right down into the combustion chamber. A "block off kit" is needed. There won't be much of a demand for kits for the VFR (typically this mod is only performed on race bikes or heavily tuned bikes) but I studied some parts diagrams and found that all recent Honda sportbikes use 1 of 2 different valve assemblies. Multi cylinder heads (CBRs) use a pair of twin-port units while single cylinder heads (RC51) use a single valve unit. I contacted Kyle Racing and ordered a CBR kit and a RC51 unit. Here are the plates, machined out of aluminum and anodized in black:

I spread on a very thin layer of gasket maker and slapped them in place. I was careful not to over-torque (and thereby ruin a cam cover)

Here are the rear block-offs bolted in place. On the right of the image you can see the motor that controls the throttles.

The double-sized front block-off bolted in place:

This is what was removed: 4 pair valves and their associated hoses as well as the control unit. Unlike the purely pneumatic system on my CRF250x, this one is run off a solenoid. I was initially concerned that its absence could throw a fault code, but after studying the trouble code guide and wiring diagram, I don't think it gives feedback to the fuel injection system so it shouldn't be an issue. If it does trigger a fault code, I can remedy it by shorting the wire with a 25 ohm resistor which will "simulate" the presence of the solenoid.

The intake port had to be plugged, otherwise it leaves a hole into the airbox where debris can be sucked in. Typically a hose cap is used. I used a windshield screw. (the type with the expanding rubber nut and washer)

Then I just had to put it all back together. I was careful to lay the wiring harness correctly as Honda intended. It only fits one way, and it fits perfectly. I also made sure to clean all of the internal airbox and throttle parts so dust won't be sucked in.

This mod doesn't increase performance, but it gets rid of a lot of bulky unneccessary junk and it gave me a good excuse to dig into the guts of the bike and learn how it all goes together.

Winterize

2010-09-22T20:20:00.000-06:00

The summer of 2010 was basically non-existent in Calgary. Aside from maybe 2 weeks of nice hot weather, all we got was cold and rain. I don't see any motorcycle trips happening in the near future so I decided today to take a quick spin on the VFR and winterize it. Winter is long and I'll miss riding the big bitch but I'm excited about some projects I have planned for it.

First I hand-washed and waxed it to a glassy consistency and smeared Armor-All on the matte surfaces:

With about 4500 Kms on the clock, I changed the oil and filter again, this time going to the best synthetic oil money can buy: $18/litre Motul 300V double ester. Winterizing will also include putting the bike on stands (to take the weight off the tires and avoid "flat-spotting") hooking the battery up to a tender and adding stabilizer to the fuel.

I had time to spare after the oil change so I decided to strip the VFR's clothes off again... this will come in handy for some of the work I plan to do to it. After doing it once before, taking the fairings off the VFR is a cinch. Just pop out some clips, take out 4 bolts and the side panels slide forward and off. The tank "sides" are just as easily removed. I decided to go a little further and removed the front cowl as well. It was easy as pie... all I had to do was disconnect some wiring clips and the whole front subframe subassembly came off with the 2 13mm bolts that hold it to the headstock.

Just for fun, I tried starting the bike and surprisingly it started and ran. My last 2 Hondas wouldn't start without the instrument panel attached. I rode it around the alley with a big grin on my face... it felt like a big streetfighter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RDvBThFyQk

Stay tuned for my winter projects. I'll be removing some emissions junk and making some small cosmetic improvements. If Dynojet releases a PCV I'll aim to get one of those hooked up as well.

Dyno Run

2010-08-25T21:06:00.001-06:00

Today after installing my new horn I brought the VFR to my friends Rich and Benny at Redline Motorsports to run it on their state-of-the-art Dynojet 250i dyno. The purpose of this visit was just to get a baseline measurement of the power and sate my own curiosity.

I had to "peel" the bike to lift the tank and gain access to an ignition wire. This allows the dyno to measure the engine speed of the bike, and therefore its torque output.

I've been seeing this girl for months and this is the first time I've got her naked. The fairings are surprisingly easy to R&I, as long as you read the manual. The clips and screws have to be removed and then the side panels slide forward and off.

Looks pretty good with her clothes off:

This is what it looks like under the tank:

The dyno results were about what I expected. I asked Benny to record runs in 2nd, third and fourth gear to show where the power is restricted.

This graph shows the power output in 2nd gear (restricted) compared to 3rd and 4th (unrestricted).

The upper 3 curves are the torque (with calibrations on the right side) and the lower 3 curves are horsepower (with calibrations on the left) The 2nd gear dip in horsepower and torque between 4000 and 6000RPM is very obvious. It's almost a 20hp / 20 lb-ft deficit. First gear is the same way. 3rd and 4th gear are overlapping on the chart, with virtually the same output.

Next, I asked Benny to plot the VFR's (4th gear) power over top of that of a modern litre bike. He had a dyno run from a stock 2010 GSXR1000 on file. Black lines are horsepower, grey lines are torque. The longer lines belong to the GSXR, as it has a greater rev ceiling. You can see how the VFR has a substantial power advantage up until 10000RPM, at which point the Honda peaks (142hp) and tapers off quickly while the GSXR continues building to its peak (152hp) at around 12k RPM, then over-revs right to 13000.

Someone needs to figure out how to trick the ECU into thinking that the transmission is in fourth gear, thereby reverting to its full-output throttle map. That would get back the lost power in the lower gears.

Here's a little video of the dyno run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMI06vATebc

Horn Upgrade

2010-08-25T10:52:00.000-06:00

The VFR1200 comes standard with a very polite Japanese horn which Japanese people probably think is suitable for politely "tootling" at other polite Japanese motorists and pedestrians.

Here in Canada where motorists don't even acknowledge motorcycles (let alone respect them) I need something more assertive. When a SUV-driving soccer-mom casually invades my space I want to let her know that "Here I am!" and "you fucked up!" A loud horn blast accompanied with a scolding stare or rude gesture should do the trick.

I bought a truck horn at Canadian Tire that claimed to have a "big rig sound".

The old horn next to the new one:

The new horn is bulkier but fit easily without any steering or suspension clearance issues. If I were to panic-brake HARD and fully compress the fork, the fender might touch the horn but it won't do any damage.

New horn installed:

"Before" video with polite little Japanese horn:

"After" video with new loud horn:

The Badlands

2010-08-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

Not all of southern Alberta's scenery and tourism lies to the west; head east from Calgary through about an hour and a half of open prairie and you will reach "the Badlands". There is plenty to see and do here, and it is much more peaceful than the mountains to the west, which while they are beautiful, can often be overrun like giant ant hills with tourists, campers, climbers, hikers, bikers and hippies.

A wide column stretching up from the US border to around Hanna, the Badlands area covers Milk River, Lethbridge, Brooks and Drumheller, as well as several small villages and ghost towns and thousands of tiny lakes. Millions of years ago, this area was a low-lying tropical swamp, rich with prehistoric flora and fauna... especially dinosaurs. Over millions of years the area became sort of a depression in the prairie, and the Red Deer River carved out a spectacular valley and series of coulees through the soft soil. What remains today is a breathtaking landscape of unique geographical formations. The layers of Earth are clearly visible in the steep valley walls, and otherworldly hoodoos stand guard like ancient stone sentinels.

All those prehistoric plants and animals left behind a wealth of bones and fossils, making this a World-leading destination for paleontologists, many of whom are based out of the Royal Tyrrell Museum near Drumheller. (or Helldrummer as I like to call it... sounds way cooler that way)

The dino remains which weren't preserved left behind another valuable resource: rich, horizontal (easy to mine) seams of semi-bituminous coal. This sparked a "coal boom" in the late 19th and early 20th, which had the area bustling with early settlers looking to make a good living. 139 coal mines were dug in the area and and much of the infrastructure and artifacts have been preserved. When oil was struck a few hours to the north in 1947, it replaced coal as the fossil fuel du-jour of the 20th and the area was largely deserted, leaving little ghost towns scattered about.

All of the valleys and coulees in the badlands have neccessitated some curvy, hilly roads, which make the area all that much more interesting on a motorcycle... especially a big fast fighter-bomber motorcycle. Before I left yesterday morning I sketched out a route on Google Maps which would take me on what looked like the most exciting roads. I would take Country Hills Blvd out of the north of the city, which would become hwy 564. I would follow that right to the "T" at the end, head north 6 or 7 Kms and turn on to 848, which would drop me down into the valley, across an old wood-decked bridge and into the ghost town of Dorothy. I would head up the 570, which becomes highway 10 leading into Helldrummer for lunch. From there I would ride on the North Dinosaur Trail which curves and climbs out of the valley, then drops back in to cross the Red Deer River at the Bleriot Ferry and becomes the South Dinosaur Trail, leading back into Helldrummer. After that I would leave my options open and figure out a way home.

While I certainly chose an interesting route, I didn't realize that 564 ran out of pavement at the "T", and that 848 wasn't paved either. By the time I got there, my fuel light had started to flash, meaning I had only 1 gallon left to get me 40 miles to the nearest gas station in Drumheller. Interesting indeed. I should have left the house with a full tank, but my last fill-up was in Canmore last week so I started the trip with 100Kms already on the trip counter. It was too late to turn around so I had to ride about 20Kms of gravel road. This is definitely not what the VFR (and its high-performance Dunlop rubber) was meant for but I was interested to see how it would cope. As long as I kept my speed above 30 and kept my body and arms loose to let the bike move around, it was actually pretty easy. It also gave me a chance to test out the ABS. This is my first ABS-equipped motorcycle, and so far in the ~3500Kms I've put on it, I've never engaged the anti-lock. So I practiced spiking the brake lever on the gravel to get a feel for it. I was amazed... the lever just gives a gentle vibe (not unlike my Blackberry on silent mode) and the bike quickly comes to a calm drama-free stop. It's good to probe the limits of the machine... this technology may save my life some day.

Marooned on a gravel road... can`t turn back:

I made my way to Helldrummer and put 16.8 litres of premium in my tank with 286Kms on the trip counter. That's as empty as I've ever had it. A billboard outside of the town told me that if I wanted good food I should go to Bernie and the Boys Bistro.... and who was I to disobey. Bernie's was exactly the type of place I want to find on a solo adventure like this... a charming mom-and-pop hole in the wall diner that served up a mighty-fine bacon cheeseburger.

Bernie`s:

With a full belly I headed up the Dinosaur Trail, stopping along the way at the HorseThief Canyon lookout and riding the Bleriot Ferry. The Red Deer River isn't very wide or very deep at the ferry crossing.... they probably could have built a small bridge here for less than the cost of keeping the ferry operational but I'm glad they chose not to. The ferry lends a historic charm to the drive.

Royal Tyrrell Museum:

If the VFR1200 were a dinosaur, which one would it be?

HorseThief Canyon:

Bleriot Ferry:

After looping back to Helldrummer I worked my way back towards Dorothy to stop and see some sights that I bypassed on the way in. (I was too focused on getting to a gas station to bother stopping anywhere else) I stopped to walk across an old timber-framed cable suspension bridge in Rosedale. It is one of several such bridges built by mining companies a hundred years ago, but is still maintained and preserved as a functional relic. I also stopped at a roadside-attraction-cum-campsite near Cambria, where sight-seers can hike and play in the hoodoos that stand around a mini canyon. Cocky about my VFR's off-road capability after my ride down the gravel roads earlier, I rode down a potholed dirt trail through a little coulee and back. A guy ambling his way by me in a Jeep gave me a shocked double-take. I must have appeared really lost, but the fighter-bomber and its pilot were fully up to the task.

The VFR out of its element:

Heading further south I stopped at the Atlas Coal Mine near the village of East Coulee for a few quick photos.

Back at Dorothy, it was time to head home but I didn't want to go back the way I came... I had enough gravel for one day. I took a long way home, working my way back to highway 36 up to Hanna and west back to Calgary. I was texting my brother while I fuelled up in Hanna, and I told him that I was in "the home of Nickelback". His response was "quick, take a shit on something!" It wouldn't have done the town any harm... what a dump. I bet those guys were huge losers back in school... not that I wouldn't trade them places. They've found their niche selling millions of shitty albums to white trash the World over. Good for them.

As long as I`ve lived in Calgary I`ve never bothered to tour the Badlands until now. It`s a damn shame, because the area has a great deal to offer. I plan on spending more time a little ways east of Calgary instead of always heading west. The Badlands aren`t bad at all.

Videos:

This is a montage of my "all-road" riding on the VFR. The first half is the gravel road west of Dorothy (sped up and condensed) and the second half is in the coulee behind the hoodoo park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WrZDKgGe6I

This is the Dinosaur Trail, condensed into 5 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXwtwQrZXKQ

A few more pics...

Wheat on the left, flax on the right:

I couldn't resist riding my 1200 into the knee-high flax field for this image:

An old truck contrasted against a new motorcycle:

Apatosaurus sculpture in Drumheller:

World's Largest Dinosaur... a cartoonish looking T-Rex standing over Drumheller:

Don't know why but I just love the big green machines:

END!

Banff

2010-08-16T22:58:00.004-06:00

On Wednesday I rode out to Banff to ride a couple of little roads that I've been meaning to try. The Minnewanka Loop and Norquay road. Both are short runs that only take a few minutes, but the scenery is great and there are some fun curves.

The Norquay road is a series of switchbacks climbing up the side of the mountain of the same name to the ski resort near the top. It overlooks the town of Banff.

The Minnewanka loop is the road surrounding the lake of the same name. The lake is a reservoir that was expanded multiple times in the late 19th and early 20th century with progressively bigger dams. It is a popular spot for SCUBA divers because there is a ghost town at the bottom of the lake. Archaeological findings indicate that this area was inhabited by First Nations peoples as early as 10000 years ago.

I stopped in Banff for lunch at Timbers and then headed out to Lake Louise via the Bow Valley Parkway. This is an alternative route to the Trans Canada, and is more narrow, curvier and much more interesting.

I've been wanting to make my Vholdr videos more watchable, so I picked up a copy of PowerDirector video editing software. It was highly recommended online, and though video editing is new territory for me, I'm finding this program simple and intuitive.

Here is a short video of the climb up Norquay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1SwO1O_VIQ

Here is one of the Minnewanka road: (at 5:42 or so you can see some divers in the water)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9tvtgCW0cM

This is the drive down Sulfur Mountain, on the opposite side of the Bow Valley from Norquay, from the natural hot springs to the town of Banff and Banff Avenue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEa1DjTNOZ8

These videos all had some of my favourite music blended in but youtube kicked some of it out for copyright infringement. Fuckers.

Pics:

Entrance to Banff National Park

Cascade Ponds

Norquay lookout, looking down on Banff

From the TransCanada just west of Banff

***UpDATE: I disputed the copyright claim on my minnewanka video and youtube restored the soundtrack. Much better now.

The TankSlapper

2010-08-11T19:49:00.000-06:00

I bought a mail-order product called "The Tank Slapper" a few weeks ago. It finally arrived this week so I installed it today. It's basically a static cling plastic film that adheres to the sides of the tank to protect it from scuffing.

The paint finish on the VFR is gorgeous... I'd hate to scratch it up. Mind you, when I ride the VFR my knees don't touch the sides of the tank (cover) but what the hell... it was cheap.

I used warm water with dish soap and a spatula from the kitchen as a squeegee.

Dunk the film in the soapy water and position it carefully on the tank. Lots of liquid lets you move it around and get it in the right spot.

Work the bubbles out with a "squeegee"

All done. You can barely tell it's there.

Rumors and Innuendo

2010-07-28T12:51:00.001-06:00

I heard a rumor... and this is just a rumor... that VFR1200 with a Givi E55 top case installed on a Honda OEM rear carrier can do 200Km/h with a solo rider and exhibit no weaving or strange handling.

Just something I heard.

Givi E55 Maxia Topcase

2010-07-27T23:38:00.000-06:00

My Givi topcase finally arrived today from Twisted Throttle. Since I already had the Givi base plate installed, it was a breeze to attach. It clicks into place, and the Givi Monokey system makes it easy to open, shut, secure and remove.

It's a finely-made piece of equipment.... I'm quite happy with the fit and finish. I had thought about painting the lid red to match the bike but it doesn't look too bad in matte black. It matches the black seat and silver rear cowls. I also purchased the optional back rest, which at about sixty dollars seems pricey, but is nicely upholstered and fits well. I'm not keen on the leftover Chrysler Sebring "tail lights" but they're not as ugly as I expected.

As I gotit all together I began to feel I should be cautious not to overload the trunk. It's the biggest topcase on the market so it would be easy to cram a lot of stuff inside... but it's a big box hanging off the back of an adapter plate, which hangs off the back of the luggage rack, which hangs off the back of the subframe. The pieces are all strong but there is a lot of cantilevered leverage at play. The Givi manual states not to exceed 120Km/h, which I doubt I'll obey but I do wonder about the forces of turbulence pushing and pulling at it. I'm curious if it will cause a weave at high speed. I'll soon find out.

Here are some pictures:

The big case almost looks like it belongs.

From behind. Givi offers a kit to make the brake "lights" functional. I think it's a good idea for safety's sake, given the way the bike's tail lights are swallowed up by luggage.

Instructions and template for the backrest. Requires drilling.

Backrest installed in a couple minutes.

Cavernous. The red box is a little storage tray. This would be a good spot for a first aid or roadside emergency kit. An extra pair of metal hinges support the lid.

The E55 easily gulps 2 full-faced helmets as advertised... with room to spare.

Looks not half-bad I think. As I've stated many times, this is what I love about the VFR1200: It works and looks good as a sport bike or a touring bike.

A Response to the blog entry "Taking Shamu to the Track" on hellforleathermagazine.com

2010-07-24T01:50:00.001-06:00

About a week ago the motorcycle enthusiast boards which I frequent lit up with links to an "article" posted on hell for leather. The opening statement is quite alarming.... "The VFR1200F is terrifying on a race track. As an owner of a VFR1200F, and someone who has happened to ride one on a race track (a terrifying race track!) and happens to have a bit of motorcycle racing experience, I immediately took exception.

I didn't take exception to the author merely criticizing the Honda; it is certainly deserving of some criticism. It can be called overweight, it can be called underequipped (in terms of high-tech gadgets) and it ought to have a bigger gas tank. Many have called it ugly, and they are entitled to that opinion... though I will emphatically disagree.

Honda started building a head of steam in the boiler of their hype train over a year before the VFR was released. They promised to revolutionize the motorcycle World and instead just delivered a really excellent motorcycle. So I suppose they over-promised and under-delivered. Mind you a lot of the hype also came from fans of the Honda VFR series, which have a large and loyal following. Many were disappointed when Honda didn't deliver exactly what they were expecting. Forum trolls who make a spectator sport out of Honda-Hating lapped up the controversy. SEE I TOLD YOU SO was a common theme.

No, I didn't take exception to the fact that the author pooped on the VFR. My problem was the way the article was written. It reads as a hack piece. The author rode all of 5 awkward laps and drew some very strong and declarative conclusions about the bike. His opinions and criticisms could be taken at face value if only he had backed them up with some thoughtful analysis but they must be taken with a grain of salt. It seems clear that the conclusions were drawn well before "Shamu" ever turned a wheel. And some of the observations are just flat-out false! Why would a somewhat popular and respected (if a bit "tabloidy") enthusiast site turn out such a piece of shit? I've got a pretty good idea why...

For reasons obvious to anyone who reads this weblog, (all four of you ;)) I followed the launch of the VFR1200 very closely and digested every morsel I could sniff out. With all of the built-up hype generated primarily by Honda UK, the official launch was a big deal. Honda held it at the Sugo circuit in Japan... by all accounts a fast and technical track. Based on the specification of the bike (big, heavy shafty with a touring emphasis) the launch location seemed an odd choice but the reports from respected journalists all over the World read the same. Something along the lines of: "surprisingly capable on the track for such a big bike. Great engine, great handler, awesome brakes." And though the VFR1200F may not have lived up to the impossible expectations created for it, it has been very well-recieved by the moto press World-wide. It's a favourite of the very well-written and highly-respected BIKE magazine in the UK, who have put a lot of miles on new VFRs... 4 features in the last 5 issues if I'm not mistaken. They are downright gushy about it. In the most recent issue, they rode one to the Anglesey circuit in England in a light-hearted comparison with bikes from various genres. They found it to be "a breeze" on track. Quite a contrast from "terrifying".

Why does this article swim so vigorously against the current?

I feel a need to rebut some specific points of the article: (in italics)

I should have known when the Ohlins tech couldn't stop laughing while he was setting up the suspension. "You're not going to like this around here," he said, bouncing the rear end up and down to demonstrate the utter lack of rebound damping despite cranking that adjuster to max

I personally found the VFR to be over-damped. My sentiments are shared by a lot of owners who are posting on the message boards. Here is a simple video illustration to show the rebound damping of my VFR:
With rebound damping turned all the way down: (the squeaking is the front tire rubbing in the Baxley Sport Chock)

With rebound damping turned to maximum:

"First session of the day, second lap out and the pegs go down hard as I turn into the uphill right hander that's turn 10 on Beaverun's North Track. I thought I was still warming the tires before trying to ride it quickly."

With proper body positioning and racing lines, I barely touched the pegs down when I rode at my home track. And while I didn't ride it at anything near a race pace, I easily dragged my knee through a few different turns.

"Recover, point the bike back uphill and wind on full throttle. Rather than rocket down the short straight, Shamu just sort of thrums along, sportsbikes flying past left and right. 172bhp and 95lb/ft of torque aren't enough to coax much get up and go out of the 591lbs (wet) Honda"

You can't be serious. What gear were you in? You're talking about the bike that Tim Carrithers from Motorcyclist ran the quarter mile in 10.23 seconds at 136.8MPH. Only 90 thousands of a second and 5.5mph slower than his time on a freaking Hayabusa. Don Canet from Cycle World did it in 10.33. That ought to count as "get up and go"

"The suspension is too soft. Sure, with a 591lbs curb weight it's extraordinarily heavy, but stiffer suspension or at least a larger capacity for adjustment could make it corner. Instead, it dives, sinks and wobbles around all over the place."

I've not experienced any diving, sinking or wobbling. In fact, the VFR's standard suspension setting is way too stiff. That sentiment has been expressed almost universally from owners posting on enthusiast boards. When I brought mine to the track, my friend and instructor (an expert racer who owns and operates an established local racing school) rode it and said the same thing. I've dialed back my front and rear rebound damping to make the ride more bearable.

"It's got zero ground clearance. Even after decking out the pegs hard and repeatedly, there was at least 1cm of unused rubber on each side of the rear tire. "

Zero clearance huh? Wow that does sound terrifying. I rode my VFR right to the edge of the front and rear tires (no chicken strips left) and had no real trouble with the pegs.

I wedged a piece of cardboard under the tire and folded it up to the footpeg to illustrate the clearance. Now granted, the suspension and tire will be compressed in a hard corner, reducing this angle... but does this look like "zero" clearance?

"The controls are unpredictable. The fueling is seriously bad, like early Honda fuel-injection bad. It surges when you don't expect it to and the twist grip just doesn't have a linear relationship to engine power."

I'll partially agree here. The relationship from twist grip to engine power is definitely not linear in first or second gear, where the torque seems to be heavily mitigated. I liken it to a crude form of passive traction control and it bothers me. But the fueling is excellent. I've experienced no surging or stumbling or any of it. Very very smooth, even compared to my 2007 CBR600RR racebike. The controls are unpredictable? Horseshit. They are very easy to use and forgiving.

The brakes, too, are snatchy, something that's not helped by the linked arrangement.

The brakes, while being extremely powerful, are child's play to use. Still, if you truly found them "snatchy" as a subjective observation, your remark about the linked arrangement is completely unfounded. The linked arrangement is very mild and only linked from back to front. The rear brake pedal provides about 15% braking power on the front and the brake lever has zero effect on the rear brake. You have to stomp on the brake pedal to really notice any linking effect. I don't know how you ride at the track, but stomping on the back brake is generally something I avoid.

The ergonomics are poor. The wide seat, low pegs and huge tank make it hard to hang off in a conventional manner and, once you are off the side, the slippery seat makes it hard to stay in one spot.

Again a declarative strong opinion with not much to back it up. The riding position (bar to seat to peg) is virtually identical to that of previous generation VFRs which were widely considered to offer a perfect compromise between sport and comfort. The seat is wide at the back for good support, but very narrow at the front where it meets the tank which makes it easy for short guys like me to stand flat-footed. Hanging off does feel a bit awkward with the saddle-like contour of the back of the seat (which keeps the rider firmly in place during hard accelleration) but this is not the type of bike you're meant to hang off of.

It kind of looks like a rival for the BMW K1300S, but that bike would run circles around Shamu in a corner and feels notably quicker.

Except it isn't, and it doesn't. (see Motorcyclist, Cycle World, motorcycle.com, motorcycleusa.com, BIKE mag and Motorrad mag which in comparisons found the VFR to be nearly as quick in a straight line but way faster through curves)

Maybe track-riding whippersnappers like us are the wrong audience for the VFR. Maybe it's really for old guys that want to look like they're going fast, when really they're just cruising around on a Lay-Z-Boy; who want to feel fast when really they're five under. They can keep it.

I am a track-riding whippersnapper, and maybe I'm not the target audience, but grab whatever bike you want and meet me at any twisty road in North America. I'll bring my VFR1200 and we'll see who is trying to look like they're going fast. Oh and I plan on keeping it a long time.

So why would a somewhat popular and respected (if a bit "tabloidy") enthusiast site turn out such a piece of shit? Seems obvious. The VFR1200 is a controversial machine which, while it has been almost universally praised by testers and owners, has been polarizing among discussion groups in the moto web community. This article is the equivalent of a radio shock-jock or Fox News commenter arguing a hardline position on a topic they're completely ignorant about. It takes a contrarian position on a controversial topic to get attention and it shouldn't be taken seriously... but I'll bet it's driven a hell of a lot of relevant traffic to one dark pissy corner of the World Wide Web. And here I am, wasting my time writing a rebuttal, stirring up the coals.

Hell for Leather posted a follow-up piece (of shit) which featured a road "test" of the VFR and a lot of backpedaling to respond to the comments on the first article. It's past my bedtime and I don't feel like addressing every point but there was one smoking gun statement that fully and completely implicates this article as a crock:

First gear is too tall. You need to use it up to about 25/30mph and you're slipping the clutch up to about 15mph.

Now you're just making shit up. The VFR1200 is geared too damned short! At 60mph it is bouncing off the rev limiter in first. My 04 CBR1000RR would do 95.

I made a few crude little videos to drive the point home... Speedometer is in Kms.

Here I am taking off from a start UPHILL simply by letting the clutch out slowly:
(you'll need to turn up your volume here)

Here I am taking off in 2nd gear with barely a twitch of throttle or clutch slip:

Now I'm just being cheeky:

I bet she'd pull 4th too but I didn't try. First does not need to be used up to 30mph. At 30mph in first it's wailing at 5500rpm. And I was able to fully release the clutch by about 10mph in THIRD!

If there's anyone out there who's interested in the VFR1200 but is sitting on the fence... go out now and test ride one. You'll probably like it. If you don't, well, draw your own conclusions but don't let this bad joke of an article have any bearing on your decision.

Panniers and Tank Bag

2010-07-21T23:54:00.001-06:00

With a rare day off work today, I had planned on exersizing my muscles in my home gym but instead ended up giving my soul a workout with some motorcycle maintenance.

I changed the oil on my 250X dirt bike, made some suspension and handling changes and cleaned and lubed the chain. I then re-installed the Givi adapter plate on the VFR... I wasn't happy with the way I had it attached so I repeated the process with some different hardware. Looks much better now.

Right around the time I finished that up, the UPS man rang my doorbell and dropped a big box from David Silver Spares. Remarkable... It only just shipped out of England on Monday.

The box contained my genuine Honda tank bag and panniers plus all the hardware and instructions. I'm very impressed with David Silver. I'll definitely continue buying from them for as long as the exchange rate favours it.

The panniers are superb. They clip to the VFR's mudguard in seconds. They're latched in place and removed by folding the bag handle and they're opened and shut with an additional latch underneath the handle. Everything works very well, fitment is perfect. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the paint finish isn't immaculate like the bike, but these weren't painted in the clinical conditions of the Honda factory. They look great.

The same is true of the tank bag. A cover goes over the centre exposed strip of the gas tank and the bag clips to the cover. I like that the exposed part of the tank is covered because it is painted a very deep glossy black and shows scratches readily. The bag isn't very big, but it looks smart and it's very functional. I'm quite pleased with it so far. Besides, I don't enjoy riding with a bulky tank bag. It lacks a map pocket, but the designers probably figured that the owners of this bike would have a GPS.

It is now quite clear to me that Honda designed the accessories at the same time they designed the bike. Everything just integrates so perfectly. Smart move on their part... They knew what people would use the bike for but they didn't pigeonhole it as a touring bike. That's why I bought it... it is a sport bike and a touring bike. It looks and works well in either role.... as BIKE magazine describes it: "The Definitive Sports Tourer".

The panniers are designed to be "mono-keyed" to the bike, meaning that they are locked and unlocked with your ignition key. Included with the kit is a semi knock-down lock cylinder and instructions on how to pair it to your key. It comes with several tiny bags of lilliputian lock tumblers and microscopic springs in different varieties. It was a little intimidating at first for someone who doesn't know a sniff about locksmithing. The instructions were good though, and I had the first cylinder banged together in about 10 minutes. The second one took a fraction of the time. As a bonus, I learned something new today: how the hell a lock cylinder works. I'll bet I could also figure out how to pick them now! ... but I promise to only use my powers for good, never evil.

A few photos:

Here is the lock tumbler kit:

This is the base pad for the tank bag. It's anchored at the back to the axle for the tank hinge.

The tankbag mounted:

The tankbag opened:

With included rain cover: (it also includes a shoulder strap so you can carry it around like a metro Euro man-purse)

Easily unclipped and lifted up to allow re-fuelling:

The Definitive Sports Tourer:

Rear Carrier and Givi Adapter Plate

2010-07-19T22:56:00.001-06:00

My rear carrier finally arrived today so I decided to mount it up. It's a nice unit... heavy and sturdy-looking. The only problem is that it's a proprietary design and not really meant to carry anything other than the genuine Honda accessory top trunk. I decided to go with a bigger Givi trunk so I had to buy a Givi universal mounting plate and figure out a way to make it fit. The brackets that come with the adapter plate are designed to mount it to tubular luggage racks. The Honda rear carrier is an odd-shaped triangular cast aluminum design so I had to improvise.

The instructions said max load of 6 pounds! Is that a joke? I suppose the lawyers force them to publish a low weight to absolve themselves of any liability if someone overloads it and has an accident. It's a heavy, sturdy rack which bolts up to a heavy, sturdy subframe. It looks like it will be fine with much more than 6 lbs.

The carrier ships in 3 pieces. I used a bit of red loctite to help secure the bolts that hold it together. It came with all of the neccessary hardware and a good set of instructions.

The old grab handles need to come off

Rack goes on... 4 big bolts plus the 2 little cowling bolts:

Next I mounted the Givi adaptor plate. It's a bit of a kludge but it's secure.

And with the little Givi cover to tidy it up:

My panniers and tank bag recently shipped out from David Silver Spares in the UK and should be here in a couple of days. The Givi box will be here from the US soon as well. I'm excited to load the big bitch up and see how she performs as a tourer.

Suspension Settings

2010-07-14T20:56:00.001-06:00

I took a nice long ride today, but before I left I adjusted and recorded the suspension settings. The default suspension settings on the VFR1200 are too stiff for me. Both front and rear suspension are adjustable for preload and rebound damping. Compression damping is static. I have been riding it at the default setting up until this point. I reduced preload and rebound damping both front and rear. I made fairly significant changes... they paid off. The VFR was much less harsh over the bumps and had a lot more natural feeling to me after the changes.

These are my notes, scrawled in the back of my shop manual. The default rear rebound damping is set at the maximum level... WAY too heavily damped for rough roads, or any roads for that matter.

I took a route that I tried but only partially finished about a month ago. From Calgary I went west on the 1A through the Stoney Indian reserve, Exshaw, and then stopped in Canmore for lunch. After lunch I went east on the Trans-Canada to the Kananaskis Trail (AKA highway 40 AKA Highwood Pass) which curves west deep into the mountain range through the Valhalla-like Kananaskis valley, approaching the BC border and climing to the top of the Highwood pass at 7700 feet before looping back east and meeting highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) at Longview.

You may recall from my post a month ago that I had to stop and turn around where the road was closed; it's been open since June 15th so I rode the full loop. Without going into elaborate detail, it was absolutely gorgeous. Traffic was light and I only had to stop twice for rocky mountain sheep crossings.

A few pictures....

This is the big Lafarge cement plant in Exshaw, just southeast of Canmore:

Now entering Kananaskis Country:

The summit of the Highwood Pass:

And a big "D'OH!!!".... I mounted my Vholdr cam on my helmet and took what I thought was some spectacular video of the 1A through Stoney and the Kananaskis Trail... When I got home and uploaded it I discovered that the camera was aimed at a 6-foot patch of asphalt right in front of the bike. All the footage was completely useless. I guess I'll have to do this ride again!

Ordered some stuff

2010-07-12T19:59:00.000-06:00

In preparation for a big 2-up roadtrip to the west coast in September I've ordered some touring kit for the VFR.

I've got the Honda luggage rack coming from the local dealer. They were able to give me a decent discount but they can't guarantee availability. The item shows on their system as "extended backorder". Hopefully it gets here in time.

I ordered a Givi E55 Maxia top case with backrest from Twisted Throttle. It won't look as good as the genuine Honda colour-matched case but it's nearly twice the size and still looks pretty good. It's the biggest and best case Givi makes. I can always have it painted to match.

Honda tankbag and panniers are coming from David Silver Spares in the UK. It was actually cheaper to have them shipped out from the UK than to order locally or from the States. The Pound must be down a bit... Also the availability of the genuine Honda accessories is a lot better in the UK... this stuff has been slow to make its way to North America.

I've got a Givi inner bag for the topcase and a universal Givi adaptor plate coming from 2nd Gear Motorsports ebay store, which ironically is actually a local motorcycle dealer that I know quite well... I bought my CBR954 and CBR125 from them, as well as a lot of parts. Supposedly they have agreements with their suppliers to sell the givi product on ebay only... they don't offer it at their retail store.

I'm looking forward to getting everything installed and taking the VFR for a proper long ride through the mountains.

Flapper Mod... follow-up

2010-07-03T22:46:00.000-06:00

I went for a quick ride tonight through the city to test my new modification.

The de-restricted exhaust sounds much different... At idle it makes some rude noises; burps, coughs, rattles, etc. In motion the difference is very noticeable. In the stock setting, the VFR sounded like a Jetson car under 5500RPM... bbbbbbwwweeeeeee... Now it sounds like more substantial and satisfying, like a V4 sportbike ought to. It isn't obnoxious... still relatively subdued but with a throaty growl that can be felt in the bones. I like it. I'll keep it this way until I feel saucy enough to drop 5 or 6 bills on the Akrapovic pipe.

It felt a tiny bit stronger and smoother at lower speeds as well, but the lag still exists in 1st and 2nd gear. I'm 100% certain that this is due to the mapping of the ride by wire. The Honda engineers must have decided that the VFR1200 motor hit too hard at low speed and they dialed things back to soften the blow. Maybe they found that the tire spun too much? Maybe the main drivetrain damper in the side gear case wound up too tight and unloaded like a rubber band. Without knowing what the mapping looks like, I'd guess that the throttles will only open 55-65% (with the accellerator in the fully open position) in the restricted zone. (evidently first and second gear below 5500RPM) I'm sure they spent a lot of time getting it right, but I'd really like to experience the raw unfettered power of this motor. I'm sure smart people somewhere are working on a crack.

I need to plug the hole where the flapper cable went into the top of the muffler. Exhaust gasses puff out like a little chimney. I need a thick bolt with fine threads. My junk drawer had no such component.

Flapper Mod and Front Reflector Removal

2010-07-02T00:26:00.002-06:00

There's a lot going on in that big goofy goiter hanging off the side of the VFR. To meet noise emissions testing a bike like this needs a quiet muffler. A quiet muffler is a restrictive muffler and a a restrictive muffler restricts performance. So they defeat the noise testing by fitting a muffler that is quiet within the testing range only (usually up to 50% of max RPM... 5000rpm in this case) The way they do this on the VFR is by using dual exhaust outlets. There is the small outlet on the bottom, no more than 2cm in diameter that exhaust gasses flow through below 5500RPM. Then there is a larger upper outlet that allows more exhaust volume to flow above 5500RPM. The flow is controlled by a "flapper" valve that is opened up using an electric servo motor, allowing exhaust to move through the larger outlet. Honda designed a sort of "failsafe" on the VFR1200 where they reversed the manner of operation. The default position of the exhaust flapper is the "open" position, and the servo motor actually holds it shut in the noise testing range. Due to this design, you can disable the system and the flapper will stay in the open position. The flapper is located in the end of the muffler, and the servo motor is located under the seat. They are connected by a cable. The easiest way to disable the system is to simply disconnect the cable. I went one better and removed the cable altogether. If would be nice to bin the servo motor as well, but it has a built-in feedback system to assure the ECU that the valve is in the correct position... if you remove the servo motor, you trip a fault code in the fuel injection and the bike goes into a "limp-home" mode with a flashing engine light.

Here's how it went:

Seat comes off:

Another example of quality... little rubber washers for the bolts that hold the cowl down

Side cowl comes off. The servo motor can be seen with the cable coming out the bottom.

This is the flapper in the closed position:

Remove the cable from the bell crank.

Now the flapper can be seen in the open position.

Just for the hell of it I decided to pull the heat shields and covers off the muffler to have a look.

The muffler swings away so the wheel can be removed. I took the cable out.

I also decided to remove the front reflectors. Before:

After. The reflectors are on brackets that help mount the fender. I had to replace them with some spare "tophat" collars. Looks a little cleaner now.

I started the bike and it definitely sounds better. More throaty and deep sounding. I'm looking forward to taking it for a ride and seeing if this helps improve the low-end torque.