Semi-Experienced Rider but new to the world of VFRs! With a 2002 VFR800fi ABS

Hello everyone, glad to be a part of this place! I posted this in the 6th Gen forum before I saw this intro forum...sorry!
Anyway...

Just bought a 2002 with about 23k for $3700. I feel that I may have overpaid a little, but I am super happy about the bike and I feel that thats all that matters. She is in beautiful condition (a few VERY small blemishes) and runs seemingly perfect other than perhaps needing a new chain pretty soon (BTW, how do you read the chain gauge- Tho outer edge of the sprocket against the lines on the gauge sticker?).

I live in CO, so I am blessed with lots of twisties within minutes of my home. If you aren't jealous just yet get ready... I sold a 1979 yamaha xs750 and for my birthday, my WIFE gave me the remaining $$ I needed to buy my VFR... then she went and bought herself a bike to ride with me (2008 yamaha fz6)! SHe is a wonderful woman...

The only downside so far is that while CO is in a ten-year drought, it has rained almost every day since I picked her up Oh well, the season is young. I plan on posting pictures when the weather gets good enough that I can ride it up to somewhere in the hills to get a good backdrop (probably Wednesday).

This is my third bike, I bought an 04 R6 before I had ever even sat on a bike. Dropped it the first day, then rode it about 7k miles that summer. I highsided the R6 while riding on a cold day the following winter and got spooked about riding (cracked a couple ribs and had a hard time sleeping for a few months) and made a huge mistake...traded the R6 for a jetski. Needless to say, that didn't last long and I bought the 750 just to get back on 2 wheels.

Now I'm back in fuel injected heaven, and love my VFR like I never knew I could love a bike. Always heard they were incredibly versatile, reliable and fun to ride...still I'm blown away.

Spent most of my money on the bike and registration but have stuff I need to take care of now: Need a new helmet since my shoei hit the pavement pretty good when I HS-ed the R6, need a new chain, and want to get the valves checked out on my new girl since she has over 20k and I couldn't get maintenance records from the seller (he didn't have it for too long). Always something. And the VFR is wearing Dunlop 220's, which I haven't heard many good things about, although they look to have decent life left.

Things I don't have to spend money on: She came with a Corbin seat as well as the stock seat/cowl in new condition and ZeroGravity Double Bubble Black Screen.

I am realizing now how long this intro is, nobody really wants to read something this long about a guy they don't know, but I am glad to be here. If you are still reading, thanks for stickin with me and I look forward to any replies with advice or comments on my introduction!

 

Doing fine! Check out downloading a free manual for your new bike. Be prepared for the usual "welcome aboards" I notice you got rid of that jet ski so that one doesn't exactly apply..

 

Welcome.

Ditch the D220's yesterday. Calling them a horrible piece of garbage would be insulting to garbage. If you want a Sport Touring Tire, go with the Continetal RoadAttack 2, Pirelli Angel or Michelin Pilot Road 3. If you want a Super Sport Tire, go with the Pirelli Diablo Rossa Corsa or Bridgestone BT-016.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Welcome and congrats on the ride. FOCO huh? I'm in Loveland, we'll have to ride sometime..

 

Were the D220's the tires that ol KC busted his butt on or the others? Remember that garbage can be turned into compost easily and it really doesn't become bothered over insults.

 

Sounds good to me! If this rain would ever quit for more than an hour or two...
What is your favorite ride around here?

 

f I'm planning on riding through the mountains AND am on a budget, what would you recommend?

 

Dunno why you guys are so down on the Dunlop 220's, other than that they haven't been produced in many years (which means they are OLD tires - a good reason to replace them no matter what). I ran through a couple of sets of 220's when they replaced the 205, and have moved on to the Dunlop Roadsmart on my Trophy 3 - which I like.

You guys just down on Dunlop or what?

 

Don't listen to Tink, going 15-20mph over is how you get a ticket. Welcome, feel free to hit me up if you wanna catch a ride. A few of us get togather whenever possible and will do everything from a couple hundred miles up North to 400-500 mile rides down south.

 

So you guys just do the speed limit, or you're implying that if you do more than 20 over they won't catch you? :redface: Anyway, are the multi-hundred mile trips on the interstate? I am just getting used to a capable bike again after the old Yammy so I don't want to slow people down, but I definitely want some riding buddies.
Tink and Havcar I would love to ride with both of you all at some point.

I have rode Rist Canyon before, sweet ride! I hope to go up there or somewhere in the hills on Thursday to gain some confidence again and get some pics of my new lady, If anyone is interested (but able to be patient) hit me up, I'm off until 4p.m. thursday

 

I haven't rode on them much, but they don't look cracked or anything to me. But these guys do have me super scared to ride on them, even though I won't be raging too hard anytime soon. Still, I am looking into getting some pilot road 2ct's put on friday while the weather is supposed to be bad. Maybe everyone is just making me nervous, but I would rather buy better tires than new fairings.

 

Not much interstate riding at all. As Tink noted, one desperate to ride jackass, short on patience, got nailed in the trippel digits last year on I-70. Most of our rides are mixed pace back roads and canyons. The skill levels vary, so the quicker guys will usually slow it down in the straights and let the others catch up, or meet at a designated stop. There's no need to try to keep a pace that you're uncomfortable with. It's a good group of guys who are most impressed with riders whom make it home in one piece, and nobody minds waiting a little to achieve that.

The North rides usually include Golden Gate Canyon, Peak to Peak, HGWY 7, Estes Park, Devil's Gulch, Stove Praire, and Poudre Canyon/Cameron Pass through to Winter Park on the longer ones.

South is usually Morrison, Bear Creek Canyon, Deckers to Woodland Park, Cripple Creek out to Cotapaxi/Canyon City, up to Bishops Castle.

The majority of the riding in either direction is primarly mixed speed curves, nothing crazy. I would think that you'd be getting pretty comfortable after safely doing one of these rides a time or two.

 

I rode with my wife down to work this morning. It was about a 40 minute ride round trip and I can't say that my temp ever went above 165 or so....Really not looking forward to doing the t stat replacement. I've read the how-to but still not looking forward to it. And when I select the air temp, it flashes "122" over and over, never changes. ANy ideas as to what that means?

 

It's your money. For mine, I'd be buying Dunlops for one pretty simple reason - when they begin to lose traction (which all tires eventually do) they do so very gradually. You can feel it. Another advantage I have observed is that they warm quickly, providing decent grip without requiring an extended 'scrub'.

I'm sure there are many other opinions. Yours is the one that should matter to you. As I mentioned earlier, Dunlop hasn't manufactured the D220 in several years so those tires are <ahem> 'aged'. If you plan on spending any time at all 'on the edge' then replace them. If you're going to spend the next several thousand miles getting yourself comfortable then take your time, make an informed decision.

 

Peak 2 peak and stove prairie are two of my faves. 7 going west out of Lyons is pure bliss on a friday traffic-less morning. If you are looking at tires for a decent price Conti Road Attacks are my tire of choice. The weather is starting to get nice when are we all getting together???

 

Not sure about your air temp guage, I have not heard of any problems with that before.. My bike usually runs in the 170s on cool days..

 

Finally took some pics of the bike. Not in the mountains, in my front yard. Closer to the mountains than some places I guess