My Rock Auto newsletter landed in my inbox this morning and I was educated on a tool that I have to admit I never knew existed; a brake fluid tester.

Over the years I must have gone through many gallons of brake fluid on my projects and vehicle maintenance in general. While the project bikes get a full fluid replacement as a matter of course, there are cases where more complex systems are not so easy to flush out, like cars or modern ABS-equipped bikes. For those tasks, it would be great to know if the brake fluid does, in fact, need replacement. That's when this tool would pay for itself. Owner's manuals like to suggest a two-year replacement schedule, but that's rarely followed and, in reality, is rarely necessary.

Here's an excerpt from the newsletter's article:
"Brake fluid absorbs water over time or relatively quickly if left exposed to ambient air. Under heavy braking, that water could boil, reducing hydraulic pressure in the brake lines and causing brake fade. Water may also acidify the brake fluid which can lead to internal galvanic corrosion of components in the brake system. 
Acidic brake fluid can mimic the electrical properties of battery acid. The voltage of that weak "battery" can be used to approximately measure the moisture content of the brake fluid. Set a multimeter to DC millivolts (mV). Put the positive multimeter lead in the brake fluid in the master cylinder and the negative lead on a good ground or the negative battery terminal. A reading greater than 300 mV may indicate the brake fluid is contaminated with water and should be flushed and replaced with new fluid. 
A dedicated brake fluid tester can provide another convenient way to test brake fluid moisture content. Submerge the brake fluid tester's two probes in the master cylinder reservoir. The tester measures conductivity between the probes and translates that data into a moisture reading. Generally less than 2% water is good and more than 3% water means the old brake fluid should be flushed out of the system and replaced. I found the dedicated brake fluid tester to be more accurate than the multimeter.
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Another advantage the brake fluid tester has is the ability to test leftover brake fluid in an opened bottle. Leftover Johnsen's brake fluid I had in my garage since 2019 was still good with 0% water contamination. The bottle's lid must have been sealed tightly."
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This tool will soon be finding its place in my toolbox, so that I can more accurately decide when my vehicle's fluid needs freshening.

What: 2006 VFR800 Interceptor
Why: Low miles, sexy black, farkled
Where: Chicago, Illinois
Price: $5900

​This particular VTEC 800 caught my eye on my local Facebook Marketplace for a few reasons. Beginning with the relatively rare Pearl Cosmic Black with muted silver wheels and progressing to a handful of desirable mods and accessories. The low 11,300 miles is just a bonus.

This is a non-ABS model, no factory luggage is included, and there's no details on the cosmetics, though the photos look great. For the asking price I would want a few more details and hope for recent tires to avoid that immediate expense. I'll let the seller handle the details:

"Full tune up; new spark plugs, manifold clean.
Carbon fiber brakes front and back.
Carbon fiber dual HBK exhaust.
Fresh clutch and brake flush.
Puig racing aftermarket tinted windshield.
Battery trickle charger installed, hidden wiring.
Sargent seat.
Handlebar risers.
Carbon wheel overlays.
Aftermarket sideview mirrors.
2 original keys.
I have a bunch of the OEM parts for the motorcycle as well."

$5900 is at the top of the range here, so I would expect some wriggle room, especially considering its local competition, see below…………...

What: 2014 VFR800 Deluxe
Why: Low miles, Deluxe model
Where: Bartlett, Illinois (Chicago)
Price: $6000

Skipping ahead two generations, here we have a Gen-8 in Pearl Glare White, "ready to ride" and showing only 9252 miles. This model represents the pinnacle of Interceptor development, and is generally regarded as the best balanced, most refined example of the breed. On top of that, this one is the rarer Deluxe which adds ABS, heated grips, traction control, self-cancelling turn signals and center stand.

This is a lot of VFR for $6000, all stock and lightly used. This is the one I would choose, how about you?

What: 1996 VFR750F
​Why: A gorgeous survivor
Where: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Price: BaT auction ends Aug. 25

UPDATE: Sold $6000

I know this bike and this seller…but that's not why I'm posting it here. I'm featuring this bike because it is an exceptional example of an excellent generation of Honda VFRs. The seller, Joe, has the eye of a collector with the soul of a genuine enthusiast — he searches out the best and then treats them as such.

Go through the videos and 100+ detailed photos included with this listing — there's nothing to hide here. Read the seller's comments, "what’s unique about this bike is the paint and body panels are flawless." I've seen this bike in person and that's an accurate assessment.

If a Gen-4 VFR is on your list, this bike and this buyer is what you should be looking for. This is offered on a no-reserve auction, nor does it need a reserve — the next caretaker of this VFR will know its value. Bid with confidence.

The "mystery muffler" referred to in the previous post belongs to this bike. A past client, Jeff C. from Oklahoma, has a fun collection of Gen-2 & -3 white VFRs, three of which were full-on projects of mine at some point. This one is his "rider," and it's a 1986 VFR700F2. When coming out of winter storage earlier this year, the bike presented itself with a no-start condition. Jeff focused on the carburetors as the culprit, but he also verified that the fuel pump was supplying the magic juice and replaced the plugs. We were texting back & forth but neither of us thought to do a basic spark check…which eventually showed itself as the root cause; more on that later.

Not knowing much of the history of this bike, Jeff decided to have the carbs redone and tuned, volunteering to deliver the bike to me on his way to other duties in this area. I only had a few days with the bike so I got right to work on the carbs, which proved to foreshadow several maintenance surprises.

(Below) While removing the carbs, I found three of the eight boot clamps had been replaced with loose-fitting hardware store hose clamps. The boots were old but three of them were reusable while the fourth was physically damaged beyond use. Next I found that the metal airbox plenum base had been ground out around the brass tubes which protrude from the carb tops. I've seen this before, and it's a result of trying to install the plenum on the carb set which was prematurely secured by the underside screws/brackets. The carbs need to move apart slightly to install over the brass tubes…then everything gets snugged up. By hogging out those radius' you create a permanent unfiltered air leak at each carb. Fortunately, I had a spare plenum on hand.

Next, I found a bent enriching plunger — not the end of the world, and would actually continue to function as long as the now-weakened soft brass didn't break off. This I've also seen before, and again, it's a result of trying to force the plunger on or off the carb without first removing its linkage. We also sourced its replacement. Various jets and passages were clogged and several of the carbs' screw heads were damaged by use of an improper screwdriver, so they were replaced with new.

While the carbs were off, I did a quick valve clearance check…all OK.

(Right) Later, I would find that these carbs' sync settings were waaay off. By the time I got to this point, I was not surprised by the lack of proper tuning.

In the end, it was a good decision to address these carburetors.

With the rebuilt carbs remounted, I quickly encountered the original no-start situation. There was absolutely no indication of this engine wanting to light off, so the first thing I did was to remove #1 spark plug and check for spark. Nothing. Well…there's yer problem.

Even on these relatively simple bikes, a no-spark issue can be the result of a number of failure points; a check of the service manual lists ten possibilities in the trouble-shooting section. But what I needed to focus on were only the items which could cause all four plugs to fail. That quickly eliminated things like pulse generator(s), coil(s) or plug lead(s), as these would require multiple items to fail at once, highly unlikely.

I began at the beginning, as it were, with the ignition switch, which has a simple continuity test in the manual: OK. Next was the kill switch, likewise a continuity test: OK. Next on the list was the Cam Pulse Generator, again, a simple continuity test: FAIL. The Cam Pulse Generator is a Hall-style (magnetic pick-up) sensor located on the front cylinder head and sensing a trigger on the front intake cam gear. This is wired directly to the Spark Unit (black box), offering lots of potential information to the Spark Unit. If this information is missing, there's no way the black box knows when or even if to signal the coils to fire the plugs — no spark.

The next hurdle was to find a replacement. Honda no longer supplies the part, but I did locate one at CMSNL.com in the Netherlands. Before committing to that, however, I reached out to internet friend Bazza, and asked if he could lend us the part to check my diagnosis. He could and he did, and a week later we had a running engine. Baz was even kind enough to sell us the part. Another example of the VFR community coming together.

Because of the parts delay, Jeff was forced to leave his bike with me to get back home, which gave me some time to poke my curious nose around his bike…a good thing, as it turns out.

The first thing I noticed was that the rear brake torque arm was installed front-to-back, missing the spacer washers and wasn't safety wired with cotter keys. This all kinda still worked, but wasn't, you know, right. Looking further, I see that the rear axle was also installed backwards. In the process of righting those wrongs I realized that the rear brake caliper slider pin wasn't, ahh, sliding; rusted in place, a common issue (below). Honda can still help out with that part, so let's clean up the caliper pads and pins and set all of this right. While installing the rear wheel, I took the time to clean and adjust the drive chain. Along the way, I discovered that the rear brake lever wasn't activating the brake light, but the adjuster was stuck in place requiring removal of the footpeg assembly to allow access.

Next, I checked all the hydraulics and found this soup in the clutch reservoir (below). Okay, let's flush the front brakes and clutch (the rear brake looked fresh). I also removed the clutch and front brake lever assemblies for a clean and lube which smoothed the lever action considerably. Later, on the test ride, I still didn't like the front braking action in general, so the decision was made to replace the unknown brake pads with some upgraded EBC HH pads. Again, a fortuitous decision, as I found the left-side pad spring installed backwards (this is becoming a common theme), limiting the outer pad's movement. So, a full cleaning/lubing had the brakes back in shape.

Finally, with the front end suspended, I checked the steering head bearings and found the worst steering bearing situation I've ever encountered. The bearings were reluctant to move, but the real issue was a severe "notch" in the center position. No question that we had to service the bearings, which required a hammer to loosen the bearing lock nut. I've never seen anything like this entire situation, actually. A bearing replacement/upgrade to tapered bearings had everything moving like butter. Here's a short video showing the issue.

So, even though this was a running, riding bike last Fall, when we poked around under the plastics, there was no shortage of surprises. But, as was the case here, a competent DIYer can put this bike right with a service manual, a few days of garage therapy and a couple hundred dollars.

I think that there's an overall lesson here, one which I learned early on in my time with these V4 projects. That lesson is that initial looks can be deceiving, and what lurks beneath can cost you time, money and even your safety. The previous work performed on this bike reeked of amateur-grade sloppiness. I'm an amateur and I'm the first to encourage others to learn to work on their machines. It's satisfying, saves tons of money and you know it's done right. That is, IF you at least follow some qualified guidance while learning. I've said many times here that I consider a service manual at your side to be a must-have tool. And a torque wrench would have helped immensely in this case. If you're not willing to do it right, you shouldn't be messing with something that could hurt you or someone else — brakes being a prime example.

And as always, caveat emptor.

I've recently had a 1986 VFR700 in the shop for several bits of maintenance, and was intrigued by the aftermarket muffler mounted on this bike. I've never seen this style, but it's obviously made for, or adapted to, the Gen-2 VFR — the mid-pipes fit onto the stock header pipes and the rear mount lines up to the stock footpeg mounting point. I really like the polished and substantial 3-bolt flange joining the pipe and muffler. The cast two-pipe outlet flange is pretty cool, too.

The sound? While a soft, mellow rumble at low throttle settings, when I had this on the road it makes itself known under throttle and higher RPMs. I'm not sure whether this can be repacked, but the owner likes it just as it is.

Anyone know this muffler's manufacturer?

From poster ishmac on ADVrider.com's VFR Thread, comes this beautiful postcard-like photo from Scotland. In stark contrast to the rustic backdrop we have ishmac's 1999 VFR along with an equally exceptional Gen-4 in factory teal color, err, colour. Lovely.

Despite the gloomy reports swirling around the U.S. motorcycle market, the fact is that America repesents a small portion of world moto sales, which is led by the emerging economies of India, Latin America and SE Asia. In fact, while global sales are rising year over year, American sales declined 1% last year and Canada 4%, much of that due to our penchant for large displacement bikes in a world focused on small, practical scoots.

From top to bottom, here's the top ten in two-wheeled production….

1. HONDA. Honda has held this top spot for an amazing 52 years! With numbers frankly hard to comprehend, Honda sold 20.7 million motos last year, an average of 56,000 per day, more than Ducati makes in a year. Honda also holds the distiction for the current best-selling two-wheeler in the world, the PCX125.

2. HERO. Vitually unknown to most of us in the west, Hero is the leading Indian manufacturer, selling 6.1 million units, mostly concentrating on the small displacement Inidan and South American market.

3. YAMAHA. Always one of the world leaders, Yamaha posted 4.8 million sales.

4. TVS MOTOR. Running a close fourth but definitely a future player, TVS sold 4.5 million bikes, mostly in its homeland of India. TVS is also the parent company of Norton and has built small bikes under license for BMW. They're also betting on the electric future of two-wheeled transportation.

5. YADEA. One of two Chinese companies to make this list, Yadea makes only electric bikes — 4.3 million of 'em actually.

6. BAJAJ AUTO. With 3.3 million of their own sales, Bajaj has also partnered with KTM, producing two smaller models in their Indian factory.

7. SUZUKI. With possibly their best production year ever, Suzuki manufactured 2.2 milliion units last year.

8. ITALIKA. The largest manufacturer in North America, Italika serves mostly their domestic Mexican market with 1.3 million bikes, but also builds under license for Hero and Benelli.

9. ROYAL ENFIELD. Gaining steam in each of the past three years (+46% just last year!) Royal Enfield is fighting sucessfully for off-shore expansion but still sells most of their 1.2 million units on their home turf of India.

10. NIU. The second Chinese manufacturer to place in the top ten, Niu also makes only electric motos, 1.1 million last year.

So, for national bragging rights, India takes the lead with four in the top ten, followed by Japan with three, China with two, and Mexico with one.

And the future looks bright. According to MotorCycles Data (.com), "Despite a highly uncertain global economic environment, the motorcycle industry continues to expand at a solid pace. After four consecutive years of growth ended with the new record established in 2025, the first quarter 2026 started with double-digit growth. Indeed, Q1 2026 global 2-wheeler sales have been 16.8 million (+11.0%), the highest quarter ever…."