'86 VFR is home!

Went and picked up the bike today. No surprises and I am a happy camper!

Many pics here: Val the Viffer (VFR) « foothillryder

 

Looks good congrats!! Good deal? Mileage?

Rollin

 

Thanks. I think it was an outstanding deal. A bit more than your 'average' '86 VFR; but considering all the time and effort that went into her, and the results of that work (how she rides), I'd say I got a bargain. Mileage is ~38K.

Jon told me the work he put into the bike is documented here.

 

Looks great. Now all you need to do is add the '86 500 to your collection and your life will be complete! I'm in the process of getting my 750 back on the road after being in hibernation for the last 6 years, so we can compare notes. From what I remember of it, it will run rings around the R, which I am in the process of putting back in moth balls ........

 

Actually I already sold the kR. It is just too heavy and folded up for my old bones to be comfortable on as my only sport bike. The bike is still here, as the lad who bought her is 'on station' and won't be back for another month.

I found this VFR on eBay; but it didn't sell because bidding never reached the reserve. I contacted the owner and we made a deal. I tell ya, this thing may as well be a new bike. I had a nice 100 mile ride home to get used to it, and had a big grin on my face the whole trip. Strafed a couple of miles of twisties that are very familiar to me - faster than I've ever done them before. And it fits me perfectly. :biggrin:

The Yosh pipe is louder than I'd like, and it was just repacked; but with earplugs and a helmet she sounds sweet indeed.

 

She really does look *that* good!

I stopped on the trip home with the VFR for fuel and a stretch. A gent with a funky giant-tired truck caught my attention as he stared at the bike. Here's how it went:

"Nice bike" he says.

"Thanks" I respond.

"Is that a 25th year?" (25th anniversary) he asks.

I smiled. "Uh... nope. It's an original 1986"

After he picked his jaw off the tarmac all he could say was "Wow".

I loved that.

 

Sweet, it is Yonan's bike! Glad to see it go to another that loves such a beast as he put a WHOLE bunch of love into it. GOOD FIND! HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!

 

Right you are sir! Jon really didn't want to see her go; but he still has the '01. I was honestly expecting to find a bike that wasn't quite as clean as the pic he sent me; but it is all that and more. He did indeed put a lot of love into it, and it shows both in the way it looks and the way she rides. The bike is brilliant.

 

HA! is that an anniversary edition?

gotta love it:wink:

 

Looks fantastic!

 

Congrats on the purchase.

Very nice to see this bike going to another member of VFRW and someone who will take good care of it.

You have a great looking bike. I am sure there are more compliments to come!

Love this photo, kind of says it all:

 

Got in a quick ride...

You know one of the things I love about this bike is that on most of my favorite twisties I don't ever need to change gears. Put her in second and fly - listening as that fabulous V-4 runs up and down the rev range. I got in a short ride today, and being where I am it involved twisties. This thing is brilliant. Thanks Yonan!

Now to get out there and figure out the video camera mounts...

BTW - anyone who questions the wisdom of doing the F2 wheel conversion (and the associated suspension work) can rest assured. While I did not ride this bike before the conversion was done, I can say with a very high degree of confidence that the handling after said conversion is fantastic. Very well balanced, good front end feel with no tendency to tuck or run wide, and with a bigger contact patch combined with better rubber the tail is nicely controlled.

 

Bummer. I assumed you were adding to the family. The R draws more attention, but the 750 is far more capable as you're already finding out.

 

Oh gawd, I know it's a sin to lust after another man's ride, but I just can't help myself. :crazy: Sweet, sweet bike you got there, please keep the reports coming, at least I can enjoy it through your words. The video may be too much for me, but I REALLY want to hear how she sounds running through some twisties. :drool:

-VFRGeek

 

Well lad, I did get the video camera mount in its first trial location this evening, and will be shooting some test video tomorrow - including good quality audio capture.

Thanks for the lust!

 

Todays test video

is here!

Test video of ZCameraMount on '86 VFR on Vimeo

A few notes regarding the video.

It's a quick errand down to the QuickeeMart and back; but this little trip has some pretty tasty twisties in it and I had a clear run both directions. I don't generally go much above the 55mph limit as this is Hwy 88 and there are often LEO's patrolling. Having said that, if you do 55-60 through the twisty section it is big fun!

There are some annoying 'artifacts' in the video, which I have to assume are from the 'digital image stabilization' built into the camera. It's only annoying because it appears as 'waves' in the air ducts on the side of the fairing. You'll understand that once you see the pics (in the video) of the camera location.

The audio has some noise in it, and I've ordered a microphone to deal with that in future vids.

Other than those things I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. Enjoy!

 

A Saturday ride...

Spent four hours on the VFR today. Wanted to evalutate both me and the bike in the heat under different conditions. Did some traffic, a bit of slab, some twisties. It was in the mid-90's down in the valley, so a decent test of cooling, etc.

My verdict? Well... Other than my right ankle getting a tad warm when sitting in traffic, the bike is uber-comfortable for me. Temp gauge never got much above the mid-point, no issues at all with anything else.

Had a quick visit with the BFAM and God-kids, and I think he probably figured out what the annoying 'waves' are in the video. D'oh! Heat waves, of course.

This bike does capture alot of attention both on the road and stopped. Those who know what it is appreciate its condition. Those who don't either think it's new or just think it's badass. :wink:

Damn this thing is sweet.

 

Test Video #2

Okay gang, I swapped the ZCameraMount for a RAM setup and shot some video yesterday. Just my ride back home from the monthly massage/chiro 'tuneup' on my daily twisties.

Here are some notes:

- The annoying 'waves' from the first video are greatly reduced with the RAM mount, suggesting that the camera moves less.

- The audio in the beginning of this video was recorded using a separate device with an external microphone, and sounds great. Unfortunately, there was far too much wind noise when the bike was moving and the ride video has a heavily filtered audio track from the video camera. I'll fix this in future vids.

- The middle segment of the ride is 'time compressed' to avoid boring the viewer.

Here it is!:

Test Video #2 - '86 VFR with Tachyon XC on Vimeo

 

Test Video #3 is up

Put on a 'shorty' RAM setup, clipped the audio microphone inside the pocket on the tailbag, did a quick ride to test the setup. IMHO both the video and audio are better than the previous tests. What do you guys think?

Test Video #3 - VFR750F/Tachyon XC/RAM on Vimeo

P.S. Damn I love this thing! :biggrin:

 

Nice setup. I like the sound of the Yoshi too, but like you I think earplugs woul;d be a must. My old ears aren't what they used to be. LOL