Newbie saying Hi!
 

Hi there all. I joined a couple of days ago and this is my first post. Thought I should introduce myself. The beers are, of course, on me !

Anyway, as my user name might suggest I have a bit of a history with Aprilia V twins which I dearly love, but the first big twin I ever rode was a friends VTR1000 and that was the bike that confirmed me as a V twin addict. A recent job change and house move means my budget for a bike was severely limited, but I managed to find an ideal project bike.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a 98 model VTR1000. The bike is totally original appart from a black screen. mechanically the bike is fantastic, however, cosmetically it leaves a lot to be desired. No accident damage, just a lot of corrosion where the previous owner seems to have neglected regular washing during the winter months.

So I have a few days work ahead of me. The wheels will be heading off to the powder coaters for nice new shiny black coat. Fork legs will be stripped, primed and re-painted, the subframe will also be receiving some attention as it's starting to show a lot of rust. Not what I've come to expect from usually immaculate Hondas. Hopefully the bike will soon be tidied enough to justify a few pics in the owners gallery.

So no doubt I'll be bending a few ears here asking for tech tips as my romance blossoms!

In the meantime I'd like to wish everyone here a very happy new year and a prosperous 2008

Cheers, Neil

Happy New Year Neil & Welcome!

Hey Neil. I just got a '98 also. Fortunately it doesn't sound like I've got the work to do that you do. A front brake job will probably do it for now on this one.

I see you're in the UK, ever go to londonbikers.com, good group there.

Brian

Welcome aboard Neil and Happy New Year to all!

Welcome and also a Happy New Years wish to all.

Welcome in the VTR-World,

nice to see some more europeans here in the USA.


And of course a happy new year to the UK

Thanks for all the warm welcomes folks. Seems like this is a cool forum and I've visited enough bike forums to know that's not always the case.

I'll be starting work on my bike this weekend. The subframe and fork legs will be first to get my attention. The clock/fairing support is also looking a little rusty, so That will be cleaned up and refreshed with a coat of paint or 2.

There are plenty of rusy nuts and bolts dotted about the bike, so perhaps I might be wise to invest in a stainless bolt kit.

The wheels are definitely the worst part of the bike. Lots of bare metal where salt has found it's way below the paint. I'm hoping that a couple of weekends will have the bike looking pretty damn good. Any smaller stuff can be attacked in spare evenings after work.

Welcome aboard Neil! Hey bringing her home and making her yours is half the fun right?

Aint that the truth. Tinkering in the garage is all part of the fun for me. Hey, us UK riders need something to do when it's pissing down rain outside!

Thankfully we also get good vacation time from work and I will be heading your way in July this year. Got 2 weeks in Kissimmee planned from July 5th. Maybe we can hook up for a beer when I'm stateside

That would be great! Gonna bring the superhawk? You can ride some of the famous florida roads LOL! :) Flat and straight... Mine should definitely be done by then!

Hah! I wish I could. I'm afraid my only mode of transport will be the rental car. I have actually done a fair bit of riding in the US, but only in western states. Did Arizona for a week in 2000, then in 05 I did a weekend out of San Diego on a rental Duc 749, followed by a weekend with a VFR800 through Yosemite and Death Valley. Both trips were done with friends from the Apriliaforum site. For anybody who thinks all American roads are straight and boring I'd recommend a trip into the Sierra Nevadas. Just awesome.

Man, so many new members.

Most of my posts are for welcoming newbies.

So, welcome.