I'm a sucker for white wheels. But whenever the subject comes up on a public forum, the first comment is usually something like, "they sure are hard to keep clean."

And that's true, but it's also true of any color wheel, especially rears with chain drives. My solution over the years is simply to keep them clean, rather than letting the dirt and grime win. Of course, that's relatively easy for an occasional use classic bike — a daily rider is another matter.

This tool will help in either case. It's a medium-soft bristle brush designed for today's cars with alloy wheels and all their nooks and crannies but works well on our motorcycle wheels, both alloy and wire spoke. It also accesses hard to reach bits like brake calipers, engine recesses and much more. Yesterday it helped make the final detailing of Project 39 (for its new owner) much less of a chore. The brake dust and chain splatter disappeared with minimal effort and no bruised knuckles. The intricate calipers, swingarm, chain guard and exhaust pipes now look their best.

$9 well spent.

BIKE IS SOLD

What: 1993 VFR750 F​
Why: A fully sorted Gen-3 VFR
Where: Antioch, Illinois 
Price: $5700

I won't dwell on my difficult decision to offer my personal VFR for sale. Suffice to say, I have to admit that I've probably aged out of sport bikes, and I don't keep motorcycles that don't get exercised. It's been a rewarding build and a great bike to call my own.

​I acquired this project in early 2022, the first ride coming nearly a year later. This was a full-bike project, every system outside the engine internals requiring my attention. I will provide links below for all the details. Yes, it has a "rebuilt" title, a result of fairing damage over 20 years ago; the insurance company totaled it but the owner kept it and repaired/replaced the damaged fairings. I've applied several personal mods and updates to this bike but have the parts to return it to a more original look, if desired. They can be viewed in the Flickr photo gallery.

Please spread the word and help this great bike find its next caretaker. Thanks to all who have contributed to this build and complimented it over the past few years.

Build details with photos:
https://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/my-v4-dream

A Blue Ridge ride report:
https://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/blue-ridge-dreamin-a-ride-report

Photo album:
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBADva

Two short riding videos:
https://v4dreams.com/shop-blog/two-quick-videos

Many of us who turned on our televisions on the morning of the September 11, 2001 attacks are looking back today, amazed that 25 years has passed. For many, it was, or became a very personal experience. One of those is reader Brian, who contacted me earlier this year for some parts and advice on getting a pair of Gen-2s back to running condition, one after 14 years of inactivity.

It wasn't until later that I found an account of Brian's VFR story on a VFR forum. It involves his brother (I'm so sorry I can't find his name) who was sickened after responding to the attacks in NYC. Brian's words are below….

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?