2004 Red OEM pannier on a 2005 Red VFR

I know this has been discussed in the past, but still wanted to ask. Is the color significantly different or will I be able to live with it?

I did a search and read the previous threads, but I think my situation is little different. I work from home and I had recently sold my car. If I need a car, I will drop my wife at work and then take her car. So, the VFR is my primary transportation. I will only use the panniers 30% of the time to get basic groceries or pick up lunch/dinner. The 2004 pannier set is half the price compared to the 2005. There is also a 2006 black pannier set available for 399 from david silver.

I am also thinking about getting the top box and can get the 2005 winning red color and this will match my bike color. So in your opinion, should I go with the 2004 italian red panniers or the 2006 black panniers? Please advice..

 

Your 05 bike is Red.......?
I did not know Honda have red in 05
I would go for red if I have a red bike
Might not match but better than red and black. Just my 2 cents

 

Yeah, they made a different red in 05(winning red).

 

Close but no cigars.

A picture may be worth a thousand words however it might not be so helpful in this case,but I posted one anyway so that you could get a rough idea of the color difference between the two different Reds.

On the left are the R157 Italian Red panels from my '03 VFR800,and on the right are the R258 Winning Red panels from my '04 RC51.

Pictures never do paintwork justice so it may not look like it in the pic but when viewed with the naked eye the Italian Red is a much darker shade of Red compared to the Winning Red which has quite a bit more of an Orangey tint to it.

Put those two Red colors side by side in direct sunlight and you will definitely notice a difference. :twitch:




HOLY FREAKIN' SMOKES SCUBA!!!

I don't EVEN wanna know WTF you're doing to that poor dinosaur.

Fer da cripes sakes it's prolly gonna take at least a gallon of bleach to wash that image out of my eyes. :lol:

 

Thanks stoshmonster for posting the pictures. I can see the difference in colors in the picture you posted. I came to the same conclusion after reading the previous threads. In your opinion, do you think it will make a huge difference when I install the Italian red bags? I will have the winning red top box, but I don't think I will have it on the bike 90% of the time.

I am thinking that Italian red would probably look better to the naked eye over the 2006 gloss black panniers.

 

You make the call.

Hmmm...... I guess the best response to that question is that anyone who isn't colorblind will easily be able to spot the difference in color.

Bottom line is if those Italian Red bags are half the price of the others that you looked at,and if you'll only be using them part time,and most importantly if you're not all that particular about the color match then why not go for them and save yourself some money.

Food for thought but if you decide to color match the paint on those bags somewhere down the line then you'd still have less money invested in the Italian Red bags than if you'd bought the Black bags and had them painted.

 

FYI I have a blue bags on my black bike :tongue:

 

Sorry Stosh she was so cute and I cannot resist


HOLY FREAKIN' SMOKES SCUBA!!!

I don't EVEN wanna know WTF you're doing to that poor dinosaur.

Fer da cripes sakes it's prolly gonna take at least a gallon of bleach to wash that image out of my eyes. :lol:

[/QUOTE]

 

My opinion whether you want it or not.

If you can see a difference in the red colours to the point that it jumps out, I would go to a very obvious colour change and buy the black ones. Though a matched red set would look better, black will go with the red better than an off matched red. When it comes time to paint, it is no longer an issue.

Or you could cover them with duck tape and tell everyone how you narrowly averted death when some asshat cage driver on a cell phone crashed into you.

 

Thanks guys for all the responses. I went back and forth between Italian red and gloss black and decided to go with Italian red. The reason being, I found the winning red top box at David silver for a good price. So to keep everything as close as possible, I went with the Italian red panniers. If it bothers me, I will get them painted to winning red later.

So I ordered the Italian red panniers, Winning red top box and the top box carrier. They are waiting on the shipment for top box and carrier and will be in later next week. I am done spending money on the bike for this year or 2. Next upgrades when time/money permits, I will get the PCV and Sargant seat. I usually don't keep my bikes for more than a year, but after spending so much money on it and there is no point of return, I will probably be keeping this forever

Wish me luck with the installation process . I tried to remove the grab rails the other day using the hex wrench in the tool box and I could not budge it. Any pointers or will a T-handle wrench help removing it?

 

WD40 and using a wrench for more power

 

[/QUOTE]

This is why we sleep with one eye open when Long is around.

 

Did you use that before you took your avatar photo Long.

 

Hehe.......ound:

 

Go to Harbor Freight and purchase a set of metric ratchet drive hex bits for your 3/8 drive ratchet. Some day you'll wonder how you got by without them.
John

 

Agreed. I hardly use my hex set anymore. I throw the set in my bags when I go on a trip, along with the other roadside emergency stuff.

 

Thanks John. The search did not come up with anything on Harbor Freight's website. I was able to find a set at Sears.

Craftsman Evolv 7-pc. Hex Bit Socket Set Metric - Tools - Ratchets & Sockets - Sockets & Socket Sets

Will pick this up tomorrow. Thanks for your help!!.

 

Those will work just fine and compack as well. For 9 clams lifetime warranty cannot beat that.

 

There is also the back side of the bag which is black as well. That puts some space between the painted front and the rear cowl and the top bag. That might help. I have what I think are 2007 "sword silver" wheels on my 2003 "force silver" VFR (or maybe it's vice versa). It's not noticeable since the tires sit between the wheels and bodywork.

 

Thanks DAC. I didn't knew that the wheels were color coded. Mine has the regular silver/grey color wheels.