Hello all:

I am a new member to the forum. I joined a few weeks back looking for input on my bike decision. I was considering a VTR, 5th gen VFR and CB919. Well, I went with my first choice the VTR. I had a late 80s Hawk GT650 and loved its light weight, torque and simplicity. That is what drove me to the VTR. Along with a few good perspectives from this forum.

Have not had too much chance to ride it, will get the tag tomorrow then it's on! I want to ride so bad, but luckily its raining and thus negates the issue. Tampa FL in July, what can you do?

I got the 04 black with gold rims, I was looking for red, but now I feel I got the best color choice. Pretty unique, even for the VTR. There are many red ones on the i-net, though I still love the color, too. The bike has 6600 miles and seems to be tight and strong compared to others I have ridden. Luckily the guy did not thrash it.

Questions:
1. Any other VTR owners in Tampa Bay FL?

2. I will need tires soon. I read that you should stick to the OEM rubber to optimize the "tuned flex". Is this reaaly true? Any success with other rubber out there? It will be used for sport touring, not racing...you know.

3. Anything important to know about THIS bike. I have had 5 bikes in the past, 2 Kawis and now my 4th Honda. But is there anything to watch out for here?

4. Dare I ask.... any recommendations on aftermarket exhaust. I want Carbon Fiber to match black, and Ducatti sound (sorry). Which manf. best emulates this?

5. Also MIGHT want handle bar risers, but I will need to ride it a while before I decide. Can the clip ons from a VFR fit on the VTR, or is Heli the way to go?

6. What fender eliminator to get?

Any feedback would be awesome. Look forward to being a VTR owner.

Mark

 

Welcome! I think you posted in the wrong section accidentally.

2. I like my Pilot Power tires but I think I'll try the dual compound Pilot Roads next time.

3. Swap out the stock CCT (cam chain tensioner) for a manual one. Most go with the A.P.E.'s. Hondas and many other bikes are notorious for the stock CCT failing on some bikes.

4. I really like my Devil highmounts, though they are not CF. CF ones look great as well. I have a few vids of the exhaust if you look at some of my posts. I'm sure people will post up their opinions as well on whatever exhaust they currently have.

6. Mine is actually just a severely trimmed stocker but with a hinge plate mounted on it. Serves the same purpouse as a fender eliminator but costs next to nothing. Looks much better than stock.

 

The forks are bad stock--too softly sprung and overdamped. The correct springs help a bunch and a revalve helps even more.
Some bikes have issues with the stock cam chain tensioners (CCTs). Manual ones solve the problem.
The regulator/rectifier will fail.
The stock tires are ***** and should be replaced at once. Do they even make them any more? A good sport touring tire, like the Michelin Pilot Road 2s or the Metzeler Z6, should do well for you unless you really push it hard. If you do, stickier tires are available.

 

He has a 04 and I was under the impression the newer designed R/R from the 2001+ models is good to go. Is this not the case and both versions are bad or known to fail?

 

I don't know.

 

Hey Mark,
Sorry, I didn't see your post until now. I live in Brandon, I have a 2000 SH in the garage, along with a few other things..Give me a yell here or on my email if you want to get together and compare superchickens!

Doug

 

The newer model should be good... Atleast the failure rate are greatly reduced...

As for clip-ons, yes there are VFR clipons that works... Do a search on the forum to find which years have what rise/angle, there is a listing of it in one thread or more...

The stock Dunlops are crap... I would go so far as to say they are borderline dangerous in the wet... I have had stock tires older than my bike (11 years) that had more grip...

My personal preference is sticky stuff, Pilot Power 2CT or Pilot Power Race... But for touring I've had good luck with Metzelers...

 

I just put the PP 2CTs on the SH and they seem to work pretty well; definitely better than the stock rubber!

 

Im in Tampa... Let me know anytime you feel like riding!

 

Any electrical part can fail but the later finned ones do hold up a lot better than the non finned pre 2001s. I have only heard of a few of the later models having R/R failures in my 3 years here.

 

I ride the central part of the state, Orange county, Lake, etc. Nice to know that the S'hawk isn't a dying breed in the Sunshine State.

I've got the TBR Carbon on mine, but to tell you the truth, a re-jet and balance on the carbs and would probably make more of a difference on the perception of power, seat of the pants torque meter. I got real power with Moriwaki pistons and cams. (Sir, would you please move your RC-51 aside to let a faster bike pass?)

Some guys are happy with gold emulators in their forks, but if you pull them to do all that work, why not just graft on a set from one of the Honda RR's? Mine is happy with a set from a 900RR, that, with Ohlins in the back let me carve like I'm on rails.

Tires are so good these days that complaints between the brands are really just quibbles. Buy good stuff, but you know that.

Black is nice, the lines of the bodywork cry out for sticker removal and a nicely done application of gold double pinstriping. Ala, the John Player Special. Yeah, gold on black, classic.