The 2013 I bought new in 2015 currently has 19,000 +/- on the odo and is now going in for it's first valve check on Friday.

If the valve check is required at 8,000 miles per Honda why did I wait to bring it in until now?

In descending order of importance of why I did this.

1) I have Zero faith in my dealerships maintenance and parts department.

2) Based on our Forums membership feedback when they did have it done at the prescribed service interval this does not appear to be a problem area for the bike.

3) It took a while to find a shop I was comfortable with.

Trailering bike down Friday and dropping it off to have valves looked at and brakes flushed and rear pads replaced. At the same Time I'll have them replace the plugs since they have to pull the tank anyway.

I'll ask the tech to write down the specs of each valve and will report them back here. Tech on the phone told me they are out about a week before it will be ready. I'll plug the commuter role with the XR1200 in the meantime.

Sold my 2014 CB1100 in 2016 because of a move from Ohio to Georgia and the belief I just had too many bikes, well my families belief.

I ended up keeping a 2014 Vstrom 1000 and Honda Hawk Gt. Well now I just have the Honda Hawk but really miss having a bigger modern bike in the garage.
I enjoyed the power, comfort and lighter weight of the Vstrom but was spoiled by the transmission of the CB.

I am between 2 bikes and would like to hold onto this one for a long time. I can't decide between the BMW RnineT and 2017 CB1100.

I have only had Japanese bikes starting with a Honda QA50 in the late 60's and am afraid I have grown too accustomed to wet clutches and Japanese quality to enjoy switching to a dry clutch.

I have read many reviews of the R nine T talking about the uniqueness and allure of the BMW transmission. It sounds like if you grew up with dry clutches and agricultural transmissions than it is all part of the experience.

The transmission in the Vstrom was not terrible but certainly less smooth than the Honda CB and I am concerned the BMW will be even more of a pronounced difference.

I really like the lighter weight and horsepower of the BMW but would really like to hear from others who have maybe made the switch from a wet clutch to a dry clutch and how hard it was to adjust. At my age learning new tricks is not as fun as it used to be.

Thanks for any input.

Interesting article: [url=https://motorbikewriter.com/suzuki-patent-radar-reflector/]Suzuki Motorcycle patent radar reflector

The good: "Suzuki Motorcycles have developed a radar reflector, not to detect or jam a police speed radar, but to make motorcycles easier for hi-tech cars to detect them."

The bad: "In fact, the radar reflector could make motorcycles easier for police to detect with radar guns!"

The ugly?: "And once the systems are developed, the next step is for legislators to make them mandatory."

Feel free to share any intimate knowledge you may have of this bike. I've already hooked her up with the Suzuki Savage forum, and she'll start posting there soon to increase her knowledge of the bike.

The short version of the story is that we were going to buy Honda for her but she did not score an endorsement out of her MSF (she completed it at least). Given that she didn't really master the skills to completion, we decided it would be best to get her a beater and let her work out her skills in practice on a bike that it would be OK to drop numerous times. Enter the S40. it's a janky looking bike and runs like a lawnmower on steroids, but I rode it home today and it's bizarrely charming. She gets to take it out and start experimenting and practicing tomorrow afternoon.

There's not really an off topic section so sorry to post here. Is there a site free site I can look up a VIN # that you guys know of? Looking up a Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab I may purchase.

Where do you get your parts for vintage restorations?

Below are some random thoughts, opinions and places I’ve used over the years.
(not affiliated or endorsing any of the businesses)
Please chime if you have other suggestions or information.
Restoring vintage bikes can be challenging when searching for that “one part”.

Partzilla
Business based in the USA. Good to deal with. Has very good prices, but they only have what is still available from Honda.
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/...th-no-year

David Silver Spares
This company is based in the UK, but has a hub in the USA. Very good prices and good people to deal with. If calling to ask questions; keep in mind their time zone.
https://www.davidsilverspares.com/

CMSNL or CMS
This company is in the Nederlands (Amsterdam). Good people to deal with, but can be pricey. They specialize in vintage motorcycles and their inventory is probably the best I’ve seen. It will fluctuate, so check back if you don’t see what you need. Be sure to factor in shipping, as it can be a bit on the high side.
Also, their prices are in Euro (no problem); just need to do the exchange rate.
https://www.cmsnl.com/honda-motorcycles_model2/

Honda Restorations
Steve, at Honda Restorations is very good to deal with. His inventory is limited, but sometimes will have what you’re looking for. Good prices and excellent service. He’s “hooked up” with CMSNL (above link), so if he doesn’t have the part; there’ll be a link to the CMSNL site.
https://www.hondarestoration.com/

Things to consider when searching for vintage parts.
- know your part numbers. Many parts will be shared with various models & years.
- when doing searches by name(s) and/or descriptions; keep in mind parts can have different names, in different countries.

Everyone has their way of refining searches. The longer/more detailed your description; the fewer hits you’ll get. Using shorter descriptions will get more “hits”, but will consume more time.
Some examples:
1971 Honda CB175K5 headlight case #61301-292-020EW
Honda 61301-292-020EW
1971 Honda CB175 headlight case
1971 Honda CB175 head light bucket
1971 Honda CB175 headlight housing
Honda CB175 headlight
1971 Honda CB175
Honda CB175

A couple guys from work took time off so I met them in Fountain Hills. Rode to Payson, topped off the tanks then headed to Clint's Well (the back way to Winslrfow Arizona or Flagstaff depending on whether you go straight or hang a left at Clint's Well).

Well the cafe at Clint's Well was closed on Mondays (and Tuesdays and Wednesdays!) so we motored over to Camp Verde via 260 - had to backtrack 13 miles to hit 260. Still lots of snow in the high country!

After filling up on Mexican in Camp Verde I headed straight home to let the puppy out while Frank and Larry were going to scoot over to Cottonwood then take 89a to Jerome and Prescott. Should have been a fun ride.

I took the 2014 CB1100, dang what a nice bike. However; I desperately need to lower the pegs. I think the Seth Lamm seat needs to be upgraded to a Russell Day Long. Those two items are not cutting it when the rides get "longer".

I just installed Pirelli GT's to replace the stock sneakers - I think I like them a wee bit better than the Road Pilot 3's on the 2013.

Saw this one the Jacksonville dealer's site.
https://www.cyclesofjacksonville.com/Pre...4?ref=list

Pretty cool Honda collection. I'm sure most of us have owned a few. I had a first generation CRX Si. Loved that little car!

https://youtu.be/I7SZeIqpTi8

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

Few customised conversions "look right" to me.
They either appear as "bits'n'bobs just tacked on", or "bits missing", or a lot of money spent turning it into another type of motorcycle.

BUT... crucially, they are our expressions of ourselves and what WE want, not the ideas of some Japanese designer of a standard UJM. Freedom in an increasingly less-free world, if you like.

So, whilst I inwardly squirm at some customising attempts, I'm nevertheless really pleased that guys are still having a go and occasionally coming up with something really great.

When Government stops us doing it (via supposed "safety" legislation, etc.) it will be a very sad day. So... be prepared to fight for the right to customise!