To spend or not 2 spend

Hi I'm new here I'm in the UK
iv got a 2004 vfr800 with 32000 miles on her with full luggage in blue
She worth about £2500, mechanically the bike is brilliant but the body works is abit battered, every panel has a mark on it some where and the paint on the wheels and some off the Engine casings is starting to flake off so a little unloved
I use her to get to work on in all weathers and go on annual 10 day biking holiday to Europe.
I'm planing to keep the bike for 5 more years or till she Dies whichever come first

I'm considering spending £800 on her by
Aftermarket full fairing kit in rothmans race colours
Repaint the wheels diy
Repaint panniers in Rothmans colours diy
Hydro dipping some of the engine covers
And a couple of other bits and bobs
Now my question to you is should I do it or do you think it's a waste of money thanks

 

Hi and welcome!

I tend to brain dump everything that comes to mind, and then think about the ideas. So here is my brain dump. Don't get too bored reading this.

For many of us here this necessitates a conversion factor. Google shows me that 800 British Pounds equals $1232.00 American dollars.

What is the country of origin for this fairing kit?

You say the bike is mechanically brilliant. I would take that to mean that all of these are in order:

* The Fluids are less than two years old
* The chain and sprockets are in good condition
* The brakes work well and they do not bind at all
* The tires are in good condition
* There are no electrical problems
* It shifts smoothly and reliably
* The spark plugs are up to date

Since you rely on this daily I have a feeling you have maintained this bike well, so I just thought I would spell this out because different people tend to have completely different perceptions and standards.

One of your opportunity costs, or the other things you could do with that same money include using it for scheduled maintenance or emergencies. For example does it have the original rectifier, because it may need replacement before you get rid of the bike. Is everything in the list above in order? The bike is the right age where the switches and connections have corroded a bit. Cleaning all switches and connections may be a good proactive move to completely prevent any electrical gremlims.

One "pro" for replacing the fairings is that it should make it easier to sell the bike. One "con" is that you will not get a lot of this money back when selling.

Does the bike have OEM fairings? You say each fairing has marks. But are there any bad cracks? Can these be repaired? That may be a lot cheaper but can give you a very nice result.

Here is an oddball opportunity cost: You can get an awesome guitar for $500 and take lessons for a while for the balance. Or any musical instrument.

How many nice dinner dates is £800? One awesome dinner each month for an entire year?

After thinking about some of the opportunity costs, you might find one that you think is a much better value than repaired fairings or new fairings. Or, your heart may tell you there is nothing else you want but for this bike to look great again. When all of the thinking is done, go with your heart.

 

If I were to keep my bike forever, I'd spend money and get new fairings. But then again, when I realize what a clumsy rider I am and that eventually I'll drop it again, I change my mind.

 

I can't really tell you if spending all this money is worth it. It's up to you really on how much you value on having a cosmetically flawless bike. People spend 5 grand on a custom paint job for their 2 grand POS Honda but it makes them happy. I'm not here to judge you on what your money is worth.

Seeing as how your bike isn't a garage queen and how aftermarket fairings don't get good reviews my advice is to keep the OEM fairings and have them repainted. And as for the wheels, try to get them powdercoated instead because it will last longer than a paint job and not that much more expensive.

 

I agree with Joey_dude

 

Hi and thank you
The fairing kit is sold by an Australian by the kit is made in China,
I get a main dealer service every 2 year and a miner service by me e.g
1 year honda 2year me 3year Honda 4year me so on
The bike has oem faring but thy Are all scratch with every panel having at least 1 deep scratch that gose right through the pain in to the black plastic thy wood need filler to fill them
I'm not 2 worried about a return for her as she 11now and she will be 16 when I sell her, it's a cheeper option to buying a newer bike by tarting her up pluses she wood look loved agen

 

All the damage done to the bike was not by me, I bought her from an old guy who had not put the side stand down and lent the left side against his garage wall by mistake and my intention was to get it fixed that was 4 years ago never got round to doing it, when I was in Germany last year I came back to the bike and she was on the ground on her right side, I have carpit on the floor and the walls (just in case a bike touches the wall) of my garage and its heated and dehumidified 24/7 as there a 3 bikes in there the vfr800 a 1966 norton Atlas whitch im cafe rasering and a 2014 norton commando 961 sf

 

I had the same dilemma to paint or Chinese fairings but after lots um ing and ah ing I opted for a suspension upgrade instead that made a huge difference in handling. Now I look at the scratches and scrapes as a deterrent to someone pinching it who'd want to steal a bike that's been dropped

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

I am glad you mentioned this as I was just wondering if the VFR was your only bike. (Feel free to list your bikes in your profile to show them off.) I was unaware this Norton company made bikes today. I looked them up and see they just returned to the US. Eighteen thousand for an air-cooled naked bike? Wow that sounds crazy. Then I consider the high quality and 415 pound weight. Hrm.

 

The reason to further investigate filling and touching up the paint is that the OEM fairings are of very high quality. It sounds like the fairings still have their full structural integrity. Overall they fit better than any Chinese fairings will.

Have you gotten a repair estimate? If no I suggest that you get an opinion and estimate from someone experienced in motorcycle body work. What if they tell you, "I can make that look almost new for £1000"? A finisher that I turn to produces cars that are pure works of art, but his daily grind is fixing cars of average people, making them look excellent, at a very reasonable price.

Now that you iterated how you have the bike constantly serviced and up to date, I feel even stronger about evaluating the repair of the OEM fairings.

 

One item to consider is even if you decide to go with chinese fairings you'll have to get the tank repainted anyway to match the new fairings. And it's kind of a moot point, you might as well get the whole OEM fairings and tank repainted anyway.

 

The Norton 961 was £19500 so about $22000 U.S. By the time I had the sport exhaust and dual seat and a couple other bits and bobs, she sounds amazing for a parallel twin and the torch out of it, I can more or less pull away in 6th not that I wood want 2

 

I have a 2003 vtec which is used in all weather's for comuting into London. Most of the panels are scratched mostly from inconsiderate scooter riders parking too close). I spent money upgrading the rear shock (wilbers) and getting the forks serviced with heavier springs. This transformed the bike and is a much better return on investment imo. The upgrades are fairly subtle and with a non perfect paint I'm happier to leave it parked on the street.

 

The kit comes with a tank cover whitch is a thin metal cover that fits over the oem tank, is exactly the same as an oem tank gust a couple off mm bigger and slides over the oem tank but u have 2 take the tank off to do it

 

Hi I can see where your coming but I live in a small town brixham Devon so nothing like London or London traffic and I'm happy with how the bike handles. on a tipical day I park the bike in a garage at home and a privet car park at work and I'm the only biker who work there in a team of 15, all so on a rainy day I can put the bike in the bosses privet garage at work (he's a mad biker with 50 bikes all old British bikes)

 

I not done this just presumed it Wood be too expensive to do , I will go get a quote and see what they say

 

Here are some potential vendors for decals. I do not know how good these businesses are or if they serve the UK. They do help me easily identify needed parts. Select your bike then select "marks" as that is what they call the decals.

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Honda/Motorcycle/2004/parts.html
http://www.hondapartshouse.com/oemparts/#/c/honda_motorcycle_2004/parts

 

One has to see a Kenny Dreer 961 to appreciate the workmanship in one of Kenny's Nortons. Unless your OEM fairing is in small pieces or has large chunks gone, it is repairable. Yes, paint is expensive both in terms of the paint and the labor involved. The Chinese knock offs are crap. Some are so bad that the graphics do not line up when fitted. Even the ads are deceptive.. Some state the price sans shipping from who knows where which in some cases double the stated price.

One of the Dreer bikes was the "door prize" in a drawing for the Cycle World Motorcycle show produced by Advanstar. The Norton name is worth big pesos and has had several "owners" here all of which seem to go tits up.

BB is an Honorary Member of the Norton Club in Seattle. I was awarded membership by once proving that BMWs were invented by Norton Boffins after WWI.