Yet another new 07 owner

My first mod to my new VFR is going to take place soon. I bought another stock exhaust for $100 bucks shipped, which should be here Thursday. I'm going to gutt it and have my original in case I don't like it or need to go back to stealth mode.

 

Lux,
I'd like to hear those cans when you're done. Where abouts in SoCal are you? Ventura here.
L Smith

 

Welcome aboard, and congrats on acquiring a great ride. I've had my 07 for a little over a year, and I could not possibly be happier with it. Enjoy, and keep the shiny side UP!:thumbsup::thumbsup::tongue:

 

I'm in RSM (Rancho Santa Margarita). Ventura is about 2 hours north of me.

 

VERY nice! I got my RWB non ABS in September 08 for $ 9000. wish I had sprung the extra $1k for the ABS but what the hey. I have the bike, love it and put 4500 miles on it this year. Not bad for the NE USA. Ride the pants off it! Time for me to order up a new set of sneakers for it.

 

I'm on my way right now to pick up my bike, even though this is my fourth bike since 2002, I'm excited and nervous. I've never even put a leg over a VFR. It can't be worse that that 2005 ZX-10R, that was a monster :smile:
The winds are howling outside, that sucks.
L Smith

 

It never gets old seeing pictures so post some of your new bike when you get back!

 

Nice ride home. God speed and be safe. Take it easy until you are used to it. You will really love it!

 

This motorcycle is awesome, smooth, refined and sexy. I only rode home from the dealer, less than 40 miles, but it was so easy to ride.... good motor, good brakes, good feel... you all know that though. The seat sucks, I have a Corbin on my ST2, I see a Sargent in the VFR's future.
There was some bad though... the dealer was awesome about the issues, the battery was in need of replacement, they did that on the spot, without any input from me, the owner of the shop insisted.
The first thing they pointed out to me was a flaw in the paint on the gas tank, a slightly yellow spot in the white paint on the right side, they ordered a new tank before I left, I couldn't expect anything more. Simi Honda, you rock.
When I rode home it was very windy, no problems there, the bike handled it nicely.
I still love my Ducs, but this Honda has the potential to push them out of my garage, time will tell. At least one of them must go.
I can hardly wait until I can get a real ride in.
Sorry if I'm rambling, two martinis down.
L Smith

 

There should be plenty of room in the garage for all the bikes seeing that the Ducs will spend most of their lives rotating in and out of the repair shop :biggrin:

Regards,
Rollin

 

My ST2 has been as reliable as could be for 28K miles, only regular maintenance. I've ridden it all over the western US, in all kinds of weather, it has never given me a lick of trouble. The ST4s, that's a little different story, pretty reliable except for failing to start about two or three times a year. Oh yeah, and a blown fork seal.
I'm sure I'll love the VFR, but the Ducs are special machines.:thumbsup:
Now if my roomate would just get rid of that fat-ass Harley taking up all that space...!
L Smith

 

I got the other stock exhaust I bought so it's gutt time tomorrow! The thing is BRAND NEW. I think I'm really lucky to have found this exhaust for so cheap.:smile:

 

Lux,
I hope you'll keep us up to speed on this mod. I'm very curious how it goes. Maybe I'll start looking for some stock cans.
Leo Smith

 

Ok, so it wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. I cut the end caps off and expected the baffle inserts to slide out, well, that didn’t happen. I cut far enough behind the welds so it wasn’t stuck on the cut side. After struggling with it for about an hour, I decided to cut a section off the side so I could extract them that way. That worked and I discovered why they wouldn’t come out. There are stainless wool gaskets around the base of the baffle inserts that got welded to the outer pipe during manufacturing. There are additional heat shielding that is welded on and those welds penetrated into the steel wool gasket around the baffles. My exhaust is over at the welder right now so I hope to get it back soon. The only bummer is, where I had to make the additional cuts, I think they may be visible so I might paint the exhaust depending on how crappy it looks. We’ll see………..

 

Ok, the welder did a great job and I picked up my exhaust on the way home from work. It took me about an hour to swap out my original with my gutted exhaust and it was time for a test ride.

I was really worried that it would be too loud but at start up, it wasn't nearly as loud as I expected (a good thing). It does sound VERY good though. I've also heard some people describe the sound of a gutted exhaust as "tinny" but I don't think it sounds that way at all. It's a deep throaty tone that does sound a bit V8ish at idle and at low RPM. When you get up in RPM, the sound seems to get quieter but still good and it sounds like a MotoGP bike :biggrin:. I must admit, my initial impression was that it was still too quiet. However, riding around for a few minutes, I now think it's PERFECT. I have an Akrapovic system on my CBR and it's way louder than my gutted VFR exhaust. I'm not worried about getting harrassed by cops at all.

For me, this mod was just something to get me by until I could afford an aftermarket system, but now, forget that! I have no intention of getting an aftermarket system anymore. For anyone that's thinking of gutting their exhaust but have reservations, I HIGHLY recommend doing it. It's totally worth it. Total cost including welding was $155 bucks and I still have my original system. BTW, the extra cutting I had to do is not visible so it looks completely stock which I like.

 

Thanks Lux,
I think I'll start seeking a pair of stock cans.
Leo Smith

 

You won't regret it!

 

They don't seem to be plentiful, it may take some time to find some that are affordable. Oh well, there are plenty of other mods to be done.
Leo Smith

 

Right on the money and a great post. Why do some people always try and beat others down with negative comments when they have already made a purchase they are happy with.

 

Welcome and thanks for your honest opinion on the VFR. You have a great bike at a great price!