Last week Patti and I decided the weather looked great for a run up the Virginia section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

She's not one for endless days in the saddle, so our modus operandi is to trailer the big ST1300 to our riding area and head out from there on the bike. In this case I chose Charleston, WV. We arrived on a Tuesday evening and unloaded the bike at the hotel, where we'll leave the truck awaiting our return. The next morning we began a 3-day counter-clockwise route — south to the Kentucky border on Hwy 119, a gorgeously smooth and scenic 4-lane. This was a great way to get into the riding groove before hitting the twisty 2-lane Hwy 52 east all the way to Bluefield. There we hooked up with another silky and rolling 4-lane, Hwy 460, over the pass to our first night's stop in Christiansburg, VA. 275 miles on the day.

The next day would be spent on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which we picked up outside of Roanoke, VA. The busy tourist season is over, so the route was amazingly devoid of traffic, though we did spot a lone deer just as we swung onto the Parkway. Later we would come upon a black bear and her two cubs standing in the middle of the roadway; they didn't stick around. Lots of bikes to wave at but we never got hung up behind slow-moving traffic. A 50 mph pace on the mellow, rolling Parkway was just what the doctor ordered. The V4 hummed along in fourth gear at 3300 rpm for mile after mile, lulling me into a zen state of left-right, left-right. I love this road. There was some resurfacing in progress along a 30-mile section, but it was never a problem.

For lunch I jumped onto Hwy 60 (west) for one of the most amazing tarmac "ski runs" I've ever been on. Decending into little Buena Vista, VA, this 2-mile stretch of motorcycle heaven is a mini-destination of its own. And, BTW, Hwy 60 eastbound is a tasty treat too. Another reason to sample Hwy 60 is the awesome JJ's Meat Shack in Buena Vista. The menu is a meat lovers nirvana. My burger with pulled pork made the day.

Back on the BRP, we made our way north to mile zero at the I-64 overpass where the Parkway becomes Skyline Drive, a 105-mile scenic road that runs the length of the Shenandoah National Park. This is basically an extension of the BRP, but this road has an entrance fee; $20 for a motorcycle. No worries, my lifetime National Park Pass gets us a friendly wave through the ranger's checkpoint. We eventually exit at Hwy 33 for our run to this night's hotel in Harrisonburg VA. Dinner at a campus sports bar/restaurant and an ice cream at Kline's Dairy Bar, followed by a soak in the hot tub and a swim. 265 miles on the day.

The next day we worked our way back to Charleston for our final night — west out of Harrisonburg on Hwy 33 past the Seneca Rocks recreation area. This road has a few sections through the passes that rival the best that the Rockies has to offer (IMHO).  We stopped for a slice of delicious cherry pie near Seneca Rocks where we chatted with a group of trailer-pullin' trike guys who gather for regular camping trips in the area. At another scenic stop above gorgeous Germany Valley we talked with a guy from Pennsylvania who travels the country on his Gold Wing photographing covered bridges. I guess you do meet the nicest people on a Honda. We eventually had to hit the I-state for a final run into Charleston and a well-deserved cocktail...or two. 278 miles on the day.

The next day we steered the Ridgeline and trailer along the 2-lanes back toward Illinois and home. We had no riding or mechanical issues on the drive or the ride. Another great bike trip in the books; highly recommended.

This week Patti & I delivered the 1997 VFR750 to its new owner, Scott, in eastern Iowa.

Scott was excited to find his new ride and, I think, genuinely thrilled when he first laid eyes on it. "It's just beautiful." 

I wish Scott many safe and enjoyable miles and smiles on his new toy.

As I've shown here before, ya gotta be careful out there. Ebay is a combat zone and Craigslist a minefield. Here's a few examples of some, err, optimistic sellers of VF/VFR goods.

From a very active seller in Ohio we're offered a used owner's manual with the original case.

The rather hopeful value he's placed on this item is $75 or make offer, so I suspect my offer of 20 bucks won't be accepted. I will add that the real value here is that the manual is for a 750 model, which are getting difficult to find compared to the 700/F2 versions. Good luck.

Speaking of VFR700 owner's manuals, up next is an '87 VFR700F2 manual which our seller presents as a New Old Stock item in its "original protective bag." I've never personally seen a ziplock bag for these manuals, but that certainly doesn't mean it's not the real deal.

What I do have a problem with is the lack of a Honda sealed bag with a part number sticker. The other issue is the $90 (!) asking price (or best offer). As if that's not enough, there's also a $2.63 shipping charge. Again, good luck with all of that.

Finally, offered for a Buy It Now price of $120 (plus $7 shipping) is a NOS tool kit for the 87-88 VF700/750C (Magna). This is a pretty rare find these days and the kit is in beautiful condition. But at that price you will desperately want a tool kit to complete your concours restoration.

This item has been on offer for a long time, just waiting for that one buyer to come along.

No posts this week: Patti & I will be gone this week with the ST1300 to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive on a 3-day riding adventure. Here's a YouTube video (someone else's) for a sampling of the Parkway (skip to the 1:30 mark to avoid the narrator's whining...)

What: 2010 VFR1200 DCT
Where: Wheaton, Illinois
Why: Low miles, potential bargain
Price: Bidding at $5000, no reserve

Showing only 930 miles and sporting optional factory saddlebags and top trunk along with a windscreen lip and center stand, this Dual Clutch Transmission 1200 has suffered a bit of garage rash, but is otherwise a straight and low-mileage example.

This could end up being a bargain sport tourer for a lucky buyer.

Here's a new idea. This is a rear axle stand with a second component fitted with casters allowing the stand to be maneuvered around the shop.

This would be uber handy for confined spaces or when you have the rear wheel removed for an extended time and want to get the bike out of the way.

<< (click on the image for the eBay link)

It also functions as a standard wheel stand. Nice.

Ships (from Germany) with a model-specific axle adaptor for $160 total.

To stand out in the car- and bike-crazy culture of the L.A. basin takes some creativity, something reader Dave McDonald has no problem with. When he scored his '86 VFR700F from a neighbor for $1.00 he saw it as an opportunity to express his vision, and that's what we have here. Some say the best builds are inherently polarizing — the viewer will love it or hate it. What's your take?

I'll let Dave provide the background....

The story is...I bought an '84 VF1000 a few years ago. It was a beautiful bike but it was top heavy, didn't handle well and had an uncomfortable seating position. Since I didn't ride it that often, it finally would only run on three cylinders. I needed to sell it and didn't want to rebuild the carbs. 

On one of my morning walks I ran into my neighbor down the street and he asked if I knew of anyone who wanted to buy his VFR700F. I said no, but how much did he want for it? He said $1.00! I really didn't need another bike and it didn't run either. Two days later I knocked on his door and gave him a dollar. He hadn't started the bike since 2009 and had retired from riding. I pushed it down the street and parked it next to the 1000. Later I sold the 1000 on ebay and the buyer was amazed at how gorgeous the bike was. Little did he know about the handling aspect.

Paying a dollar for that bike was a big deal because it gave me the psychological freedom I needed to do anything I wanted to it and not feel bad. I pulled the bodywork off and rebuilt the carbs. The plastic around the tail light was cracked and there were other cracks too. I had previously owned a '79 "naked" Goldwing and liked the functional look without the fairing. I happened to set the solo seat on the bike and thought it looked pretty cool without the tail assembly. The big step was to cut that frame member behind the seat. Since I only paid a dollar, what have I got to loose? Now I was starting to have fun. 

I found a new (used) eBay tank ($130) and mounted a phone holder next to the tach. I can never read the speedo, so I use my phone with a speedo app with 2-inch digital numbers. Below is a dual USB and 12V power outlet.

Looking for hoses on ebay, I see I have a choice of red. Same for the chain. A few rusty bolts got the red treatment also. The front number plate I cut out of a clipboard I found. I couldn't figure out the best angle to bend a mounting bracket, so I used a gate hinge from Home Depot. I didn't want to see screws protruding so I bonded magnets on the back. Now it just pops on or off. Most cafe racers use a round headlight that doesn't blend well with the number plate, so I used a rectangular LED light bar.

A friend gave me the large front tire. I know it's not for performance, just looks — I'm not going to try and drag my knee. I would like to get it more proportional to the rear someday. Also, I trimmed the heat guard off of the exhaust because my shoe never seemed to touch anyway. I trimmed the side stand rubber off too. I also removed the footpeg "drag" bolt on the bottom and trimmed the protrusion off that it screwed into, then polished and clear coated.

It rides great, nice amount of torque for around the neighborhood but will scream at higher RPM. I weighed all the parts that were not used and the number is right at 50 pounds. I tried to connect the California smog system but was missing a part and couldn't make sense of the vacuum lines so the system was plugged. The carbon canister went into the weight savings pile, but don't tell anyone. 

I love the bike for its performance but more importantly it gave me a chance to create a fun project!

(click on an image to enlarge)

It would be nice if refinished body panels would just bolt up and play nice with one another. That seldom happens.

Each one interacts with its neighbor which in turn affects the next piece. This is particularly true with the headlight fairing, which serves to locate the lower mid-fairings.

Project 18 is being fitted with its new clothes. I begin with the refurbished turn signals on shortened stalks, followed by the repainted rear fender. Then the tail light cowl is joined with its sanded & buffed tail light, then fitted to the bike. The side cowls slide into place followed by the newly upholstered seat and seat cowl. Next up is the fuel tank. Finally, the headlight cowl is fitted and refitted until the mid-cowls adjust to their new reality. The infill panels are the final piece to this puzzle.

Folks who don't dabble in this kind of thing may not appreciate the time and effort, but it's like this at every stage of the build. 

Kickstands get no love. They live at the low point of the bike, pummeled by road grit, dirt and chain grunge. And of course...kicked at a lot.

Project 18 deserves a refurbished stand. The original had held the bike up for years in a pole barn and surface rust had crept up the shaft. The large engine mount bolt can sometimes be, ahh, difficult to loosen. Once on the bench, I remove the rubber foot and prep for paint.

I begin with a degreasing and thorough sanding. This is followed by a self-etching primer and gloss black wheel paint. Clear wheel paint finishes the job.

Here the assembly cures after painting.

The mounting bolts get a cleaning and mild buffing, the rubber foot is remounted and it's back on the bike.

Also visible in this photo are the Samco coolant hose and refinished shift lever.

Next up, refitting the bodywork.