In 2012 and prior, the rate exchange is 80 Yen per Dollar, that made 1 million yens (price of this bike) equal to $12,500 USD. The current rate exchange in 2003 is 100 yens per dollar, that make the bike $10K MSRP in US

will you buy this bike at $12.5K USD?

The weather is becoming prime riding weather (and dog walking on trails) so we need to schedule a meetup of the Phoenix area riders; especially the ones with custom seats so we can compare and bum test.

Typically the group I hang out with meets at The Grotto in Cave Creek on a Sunday morning (this Sunday is the Guzzi breakfast, 8am the Denny's on Bell Road and I-17, all riders welcome!) so Denny's or in Cave Creek later in the morning.

Anyone game?

Had a slow year, no big trips.

RR 2500 ?? i think
CB 2480
ST 4850
XX 2600
GS1100 400

12830

Just noticed the date, and realized I picked up my CB 7 months ago yesterday (3/29/13)

My odometer is reading 6557 which is just under 1,000 miles a month. That includes a trip down the BRP/Dragon and another trip to W Va and Va. (Not too shabby considering I also put 4355 miles on my ST, 1022 on my Majesty and 467 on my wife's Majesty)

The bike has run like the proverbial Swiss watch, that's to say like every Honda I've ever owned, bike or automotive. Nothing has broken or fallen off. Never a hiccup while riding. Averaging over 50 mpg since the third tank, as high as 57 mpg.

My only complaints would be what I consider a sub par rear brake which the Honda Service Rep thinks is inexperience on my part (had to laugh at that one)...ok sonny... I'll take care of it myself! a fuel gauge that drops too quickly, and a seat that gets uncomfortable after 6 or 7 hours in the saddle. I'll be due for tires next season... think I'll try the Bridgestone next time for comparison.

Really enjoying this motorcycle. It's beautiful, fit and finish is superb, the motor satisfies me. Transmission is slick as long as the chain is adjusted. Front brakes are great. Handles better than it should. It is easy to service (except for those pesky valves). It gets lots of attention from strangers wondering what year it is (2 more yesterday). Sure am glad Honda brought it to this country

I'm giving it

Also enjoying this forum a bunch...I see in Guth's signature this forum was founded on April 13, about 2 weeks after I got my bike, and I joined the forum the next day April 14th. Thanks again Guth...and everyone else that participates too ... It's been a hoot

Check out Takashi, he just now has listed braided brake/clutch lines available. I use braided front brake lines on my old CB's, looks good and provides firmer application.

As I was walking to my bike in the parking lot for some reason (possibly the red Brembos on the first car) I noticed that some calipers were mounted on the front whereas others in the rear of the disc. it was consistently either front-front or rear-rear and one SUV had rear-front placement. Which lead me to wonder as to why and what might be the ideal position or placement for effective braking? On the bikes it's back and front possibly due to mount point constraints..

Just wondering and thought I'd share..

BTW, agree with you all and love riding in this cold weather.

I have placed my bike into winter storage here in my garage today. It was 24 degrees this morning and that is pretty much my limit. Here is what I did to the bike.

1. At the filling station I placed the proper storage dose of fuel stabilizer in the tank for long term storage and filled the tank. That amounted to 1 oz. per gallon. Drove the bike home from filling station to work the stabilizer in. Took the longest route along the shore...four miles.

2. Drained the oil and replaced the filter.

3. Put in four quarts of Pro Honda 10W30 dino. Ran the motor briefly and checked the level. It was perfect at the high mark.

4. Removed the spark plugs and placed 15cc of the same motor oil in the cylinders. This was a little difficult to do so I poured it in using a plastic tube. A turkey baster would be ideal for this.

5. I let the oil sit in the cylinders for a short time, then holding throttle full open, I cranked the motor to make sure the oil spread inside the cylinders. FYI, did you know that if you hold the throttle fully open and crank the motor, it will not start? Mine wouldn't start anyway because the plugs were out, but I did not want a lot of fuel going into the cylinders.

6. Cleaned up the oil spray mist from the cylinders from the bottom of the tank. Loosely installed the spark plugs, left the wires loose as well. The plugs have very long threads and you will think they are never coming out, but they will. When they do come out, you will see the tiniest little plugs you have sever seen.

7. Cleaned the bike using Pro Honda Cleaner. Polished the header pipes with SemiChrome and 3M pad. Cleaned the rims, etc.

8. Plugged the bike into the Honda Optimate Battery Charger/Maintainer.

9. Put a scissor jack with wooden spacer under the crank case and cranked it up until the front wheel was just off the ground. Be careful when doing this that the center stand feet remain solid on the ground and do not tilt to one side.

10. Covered the bike with a breathable dust cover.

11. Cried real tears.

This is a general discussion thread so I thought I'd just throw out a thought and let's discuss. There seems to be a mindset amongst the Northern motorcycling community that at some point, you need to put your bike up for the Winter. I can see that for places like Canada or Alaska where you never see the bare road until late Spring but here in the Northern US, there are lots of places where you can continue to ride.

Personally, I prefer Winter to Summer. No bugs or thunderstorms to contend with. Any time I want to stop, I just pull over. Don't have to find some shade to keep from overheating. You can always add more layers to warm up but in the Summer, there is only so much you can take off. Sure you have icy spots you need to watch out for but is that really so different than an oil slick or some loose gravel on the roadway?

And the best part is I have all the good roads to myself. Maybe I don't want to push the issue too much. Others might figure it out too.

Happy Trails!
sanoke

While brainstorming for an easy way to measure chain slack, I came up with this. Scroll down to the last image on the page.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_do_I_me...n_slack%3F

I visited Helimot In Fremont, CA this Saturday. I've heard raves about his race suits and gloves from everyone that's heard of this little shop where Helmut and his wife Lynda manufacture their products on site.

This week Helmut is making a pair of his Helimot [url=https://shop.helimot.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=25]Buffalo Pro gloves for me. He is an avid rider and these are the gloves he uses. I tried on his well worn pair and loved them immediately.

He's also a fanatic about fit. After measurements of my hand, fingers (length *and* circumference) and tracing out my hand on paper and trying on several gloves, it was clear my hand was a combination of XL and L.

Helmut is enthusiastic about his products and his leather manufacturing equipment. He took me in back of the shop where the sewing machines are as well as the iron patterns for the glove and hand and thumb shaped irons that heat shape and condition the gloves so they're perfectly formed for riding and comfortably broken in from day one.

The quality of the leather and the stitching seem to be as important as the glove design in delivering the strength and protection that have held up for many locals who've logged 75+ mph offs with hands protected and gloves and seams intact.

I can't wait to pick mine up next week and share a thorough review of these gloves. But I can already give Helmut 5 stars. He's a complete riding enthusiast, dedicated and skilled craftsman and an all around great guy.