I'm Back!

Accidents happen. Its in the past. It has lead me to writing this email today, and I don't hate the person that destroyed my 4th gen, and at the same time wrecked my confidence.

While he was at fault, he didn't see me. What do you do? You move on.

1245 days represents the amount of days that have passed since I last rode, back in June of 2012.

Days 1 - 365
Never going to ride again.

Days 366 to 730
Never going to ride again, however I secretly dream about riding, and 1998/1999 VFR800 is a saved search on Craigslist.

Days 731 - 1000
Maybe I can get a bike again, and just take it easy and use it for trips only. No city riding. Now seriously looking at 5th generation bikes on Craigslist.

Days 1001 - 1200
The hard search for a bike in in process. Jay (RVFR) got one, so why cant I?

Days 1201 - 1245
Bike purchased, its on a truck.

3.5 years just went by in a blink of an eye, and the past 50 days felt like I was 8 years old again....... waiting for Christmas Day, knowing there was an RC car hidden inside wrapping paper.

This past Sunday I climbed back on the saddle.

HaulBikes has 80 foot trucks that can hold 60 bikes. Before you use them, talk to me. There are some gotcha's.


Love at first sight.


Just as clean as described. Only 16,000 miles. Clean.


Recent Maintenance and upgrades = happy customer.


And the receipts to validate.


60 days without a start and the Yusa was feeling it. 10.91 didn't get her started, so 2 hours on the trickle did the trick.


On goes the Sargent seat, and I snuck in a 2 hour ride before it got dark


Now for the best modification you could give a bike. Its Staintune time.


We have all seen a 5th generation bike with a Staintune, so add this one to your list.




I am already noticing some differences between the 4th and 5th bikes, with the most noticeable being the fuel injection's on/off grab through most gears. Probably something to get used to, and the PC3 I have on order will help sort out.

What can I say, I'm back!

-Ash

 

Yep, you did good, very good indeed. Now that I see that rear fender, I now know what you are referring too..

 

When I busted my leg up pretty badly a few years back doctors, nurses,friends all asked if I would ride again, my stock answer was "what else am I going to do with the rest of my life", watching their eyes was fun, because they didn't know how to respond, usually something like 'oh" and they would walk off

 

Getting past almost buying it takes time sometimes.. Your new bike looks like a winner..

Could you, when it gets crappy oot there and even Randy stays home , share those "gotchas", concerning that bike hauling outfit. A couple of reasons.. The fine print will many times bite ya in the ass and it ends up costing much more than implied. #2 is that many times buying a bike in the non Summer months makes for a better deal. Getting the bike from point A to point B by normal means could be a bit chilly.

 

Man that bike is mint! Good find!!

 

That bike is stunning! And the fact that the previous owner obviously loved the bike is just the icing on the cake. Congrats to you for getting back in the saddle and for getting a gem of a bike.

 

Powderrecon, hello, it is great to have you here.

Most important things first, the bike:

1) Tune the starter valves. Does the engine shake at low throttle cruise (say 30 mph, 3700 rpm, 5% throttle)? Stumbling before power comes on all at once? This is likely the reason. Make sure and do this before changing the fueling, because excess fuel in the 5% throttle range can mask the problem, then all you will be doing is using excess fuel.

2) FYI you may use a PCV on a 5th gen. Now my mechanic indicated that the cable for the PCV is shorter than PCiii which would ostensibly be due to a change between the 5th and 6th gen bikes (?) He indicated he had to loosen the subframe to feed the connector through, in order to route it such that there was enough spare cable for some strain relief. I read a user on VFRD who has a '99 with the PCV and said the install was a cinch. So is this because my guy is a perfectionist or should they all be done like this? I am unclear, so take this as you will.

Personal Health and Riding:

I bought my first motorcycle last year. I barely rode last year but then rode a lot this summer. It was AWESOME.

My family is very social and we have a lot of gatherings. At each and every party, my parents and siblings have been telling motorcycle death stories. They have even started to repeat some that they already told me, and look at me like I have two heads when I repeat it to them before they finish. It is like they are obsessed with getting me off of the bike. I now feel like a total rebel, which is not a natural part of my psyche. I feel like riding just to piss everyone off. Is that sad? I do not want to go to the nieces & nephews birthdays because the only conversation I will have with some adults is a passive aggressive message about what an idiot I am for riding

I dream about my IT startup developing a physics engine that would allow gamers to countersteer a motorcycle (motorcycle games today all steer like a car.) The motorcycle hobby has helped me to develop so many cool technology and business ideas, it is stunning. There is truly a reason why I have joined you guys, which I one day hope to demonstrate in a grand fashion. The riding is certainly fun, but the reasons go way beyond riding.

Have you posted your accident story? I certainly do not want to bring back nightmares, I am just curious. I hope you health is great again today.

Did you get anything unique accomplished while you weren't doing this (riding)?

 

That's a nice looking 1. Looks new. Have fun.

 

@Knight - try growing up wanting a bike, living under a Neurologist & a nurse/Cat Scan tech. ... you don't get one till you're old enough to buy your own. To their credit, it wasn't long after I got a bike that stories quit coming, & my dad now likes my riding (track at least) ...:smile-new: ...

ACE

 

To the OP, glad you're back up/riding ...

ACE

 

Welcome back!! Congrats on a great find!!!!

 

I bet the previous owner did NOT change the blinker fluid as required. Do that before your next oil change.
Nice ride and well taken care of! Welcome back to the magic world of motorcycles.

 

lol.
After destroying a GSX-R and getting beat up fairly good by the asphalt, family members asked if I had given up on motorcycles. While I was recovering, and unable to ride, family members asked if I had given up on motorcycles, imagine their faces when I told them to go check out my new bike in the garage.

 

Welcome back Cotter. Obviously you are on the mend in every way now that you have gotten a new to you ride. Nice one at that.

Agree with bb. Would be of benifit to others here to find out where you had issues with the transport company.

One thing for us to consider when it comes to moving a bike. We are a rather large group. For the most part, I think we are also a generous group. We should consider asking people here we trust for help. Some of us here are un employed, under employed, or retired and mega bored. Cover my expenses and I would likely ride your bike just about anywhere for you. And do my damnedest not to drop it.

 

I have been fortunate that other than the very occassional "be carefull", no one in my family harps at me about riding. Good thing too. Conversation would get very blunt very fast. It did many years ago with one sibling and that discussion was never repeated.

We all understand the risks involved here yet WE choose to ride. Accept that as part of our makup, or take a hike.

 

She looks beautiful! Welcome back!

I got into a head-on with a semi truck myself earlier this summer - I never got to the "never gonna ride again" stage ... all I could think about on the asphalt waiting for the EMTs to arrive was "fuck! my wife is never going to let me ride again! I wonder if I can hide this?"

Thankfully, she didn't even question a new bike. 2-3 weeks after the accident, I was riding my new bike 800km+ home with a gimpy leg. My mother on the other hand, has always vehemently been against me riding anything motorized on 2 wheels.

I won't lie though, it did take about an hour to get comfy and get my confidence back.

 

Thanks all for the kind words. I forgot how much of a core workout riding is. I am exhausted after riding an hour.

Regarding HaulBikes, its very much a bait and hook type sales process. Finding a direct shipping company is getting harder these days. They all use a central warehouse, and no hard dates.

It the case of Haulbikes, they have up to 2 weeks to collect the bike from order date. In my case it was exactly 14 days. Then they have an estimated delivery of 3 weeks from ship. In my case it was 6 weeks.

They were very confident that the delivery would be under the 5 weeks, as "most" are, so I signed.

After signing, the service went downhill.

First, I had to call to get new information...they never initiated the call or were pro-active with the information.
Second, each time I called information had changed. Whether it was weather, re-route or broken down truck, my bike was delayed.
Third, my 3 day delivery window was changed 4 times, which is a pain to deal with with work.

When I inquired about the service, before signing the contract, there were two red flags that I should have been more serious about.

1. They cant provide a % of on-time statistic for deliveries. The fact that they don't have this statistic, means its not a good one.
2. Unless you pay $50 more, your deductible for damage is $500. I thought that is bordering rude, considering they are handling your bike.

The entire experience lacked communication, missed repeated expectations, and had no follow through.

The best part about the experience was dealing with the actual driver. The service he delivered once we got within 24 hours was exceptional.

At the end of the day, I got the bike without a scratch which is what they are known for.

 

Thanks for the tips. Putting the Staintune on seems to have smoothed out the throttle considerably. I already ordered a PC3, however I may not even keep that. The throttle is very smooth now.

Accident story is on here somewhere and it doesn't bring up anything bad. Due to litigation, I won't post details.

 

That is a really good idea.

 

I just read front to back cover the life of the bike, in a journal that the owner kept. What is interesting is that each time he stored the bike he filled it with race gas.

Here is a little snip of one of his entries.