GRYPMAT

New ideas to make my garage time flow better are always welcome. This bright idea is called the GRYPMAT and is designed to safely hold tools by some sort of polymer-silicone magic. It's non-magnetic, has anti-static properties, is resistant to chemicals and won't scratch painted surfaces. It will hold tools in place at angles as sharp as 70 degrees!

I suspect the idea was born from a need in the aircraft industry where sloped and slippery surfaces give mechanics no place to put tools and where a misplaced tool could pose potential problems in flight. My thinking is that it will also protect the surface from tool dings and scratches — like a motorcycle fuel tank. And it's a great place to put tiny parts like screws and cotter keys. The mat measures 12 x 22 inches. A great idea. Find it here at Amazon for $60.

What: 2007 VFR800 Anniversary Edition
Where: Grand Junction, Colorado
Why: 320 miles!
Price: Auction with $5500 buy-it-now

The trouble with collectable vehicles is that one never knows for certain which vehicles will actually end up being collectable. Some are more obvious  candidates simply by nature of low production numbers or astronomical price (or both) but it's often a crap shoot with more pedestrian cars and bikes. Honda's Anniversary Edition VFR800 is a perfect example.

Manufacturers these days are keen to produce so-called special editions; tribute or final-year bikes which are usually cosmetic exercises with no additional substance — the Ducati Neiman Marcus bikes are possibly the most blatant example. The VFR Anniversary Edition was marketed for 2007 as a tribute to 25 years of Honda's V4s with eye-catching red/white/blue paintwork and....well, that's about it. The "non special" model for 2007 offered a dark red, almost maroon color.

Our exceptionally low mileage example today shows only 320 miles and the seller claims "perfect showroom condition." I spoke with the seller about this bike's history and he explains that it was purchased new in 2011 with an eye toward collect-ability but sold a year later, with our seller as the third owner.

Purchased new in '11? Yes, when these bikes were offered in '07 they didn't sell well and left-overs languished for the next few years. At some point Honda offered to help out the dealers and allowed the bikes' MSRP to be "readjusted" to $7600, if memory serves. This one is the standard model without ABS brakes. It does, however, have some other nice farkles — Leo Vince exhaust, bar risers, Power Commander and more. All stock parts except the exhaust are included. The auction has an unknown reserve in place and a buy-it-now of $5500 which is at the high end of the sixth-generation VFR values, though this particular example would presumably justify it with the condition, extras and, of course, the low miles.

If machines had feelings, this Interceptor would surely feel unloved. Maybe yours could be its forever home?

Update: SOLD for $5500.

What: 2012 ST1300 ABS
Where: Gaylord, Michigan
Why: No miles, 40% off, with warranty
Price: $10,500

Way up yonder in north-central Michigan is a dealer by the name of Extreme Power Sports who sell just about everything short of Milwaukee twins. They've got a bunch of leftover bikes, wheelers, watercraft and snow machines...including this 5-year old ST1300.

This bike is equipped with Honda's excellent linked ABS brake system and at the heart of the beast is a 1261cc 90-degree V4 rated at 117 hp and 86 lbs of torque, pulling about 700 pounds of bike filled with 7.7 gallons of fuel — premium, please. Tuned for mid-range power, this sport-tourer will drone two-up through Nevada's open spaces or take on the Tail of the Dragon. I know, I've done both. With the right tires the ST will entertain in the twisties with no fuss and no down shifting required, thank you. Relaxed, easy-going, with lots of power at the ready; a true Gentleman's Express. No matter how I ride mine I get about 40 mpg, whether stripped of bags and solo or loaded up and peacefully cruising the Natchez Trace.

Other goodies include an electric windscreen, shaft drive, fuel injection, comfortable ergos, quiet mufflers, smooth engine, excellent lighting, high-output alternator, adjustable rider's seat...and I'm probably forgetting a few more.

In gleaming Graphite Black, this bike is listed on the dealer's site at $12,500 and on eBay for a buy-it-now of $10,500. At 65,000 miles, my ST isn't ready for retirement anytime soon, but I do like that black....

Well, here's something you don't see everyday. Found on VFRworld.com, a seller in Texas has a 30-year old NOS engine — and it's for sale. $600 will get you a wooden crate with a 1987 Honda VFR700 V4 bolted inside. In actuality, I do believe this is an '86 engine, judging by the tan side covers — by '87 all the U.S. VFRs were 700 F2s with black engine covers. But I've been wrong before...

If, back in the day, you somehow managed to destroy your VFR's engine, this is what Honda would have shipped out as a replacement. From the photos, we have a complete package including the carburetors — ready to bolt in, connect the coolant hoses, wires and fuel lines, and motor away. Well, prudence would dictate a few more steps to gently wake up the old beast.

The seller is open to an offer and buyer pays shipping. What a deal. I may be a hoarder of VFR parts (according to Patti) but I'm just not sure if I'd ever have a use for this little jewel. Here's a link to the post (registration required).
(click on an image to enlarge)

Sold! $731
Value can be defined as "the importance, worth or usefulness of something." I've always defined it as whatever two people agree upon on any given day.

And today as I watched the auction wind down on this 1986 red/white/blue VFR fuel tank it had a value to me of about $200. But to its buyer that value was $731. That's impressive — I've bought entire Interceptors for less. But something about its importance, or its worth, or its usefulness (or all of the above) meant that at least two VFR guys were willing to fight it out...and it ended at the number 731.

For his or her money, there's a lot to like here: no hardware but nice original finish, very clean interior and the big one — no dents. The tank sure looks good in the Colorado sunshine. Congratulations to buyer and seller.

What: 2010 VFR1200F DCT
Where: O'Fallon, Missouri
Why: A DCT for under $6000
Price: Auction with $5750 reserve

Here we have a low-mileage first-year 1200F Interceptor featuring the Dual Clutch Transmission. This bike is also fitted with a few nice farkles — bar risers, rear stand, smoked screen and hugger rear fender. The seller is the original owner and has put on just shy of 10,000 miles. New Michelins and battery are installed. The bike is described as "beautiful and like new condition" but notes a small crack in the seat vinyl. It's a little disheartening to see the values of the very capable VFR1200s so low, but it does represent an opportunity for the smart buyer. Hurry, auction ends Tuesday afternoon (March 7).

Update: No sale. With 16 bids on the books, the high bid of $5999 came up short of the reserve by only $151.

I noticed these photos from a gallery on VFRdiscussion.com. They're from a club gathering — nothing unusual there — but this club is in Hungary; Club Hungary Sikonda.

They seem to be a well-organized group and take their bikes seriously...especially the guy pictured below.

http://www.hondavfrclub.hu

The March, 2017 issue of Cycle World magazine features a "Characters" focus; bikes with an indefinable something that manages to nudge your mechanical soul. I've had cars, motorcycles and even an airplane that met the criteria — at least for me. Every time I stepped off one of my Ducatis, for example, I would stand back and give a little involuntary "whew," and a few years back I did a solo 3000-mile cross-country on a '79 Triumph 750 Bonnevile, a bike that literally drips character. The bikes Cycle World chose to feature are a range of customs and factory models from the new Bonneville Chopper to the Zaeta 530SE. From the article:

"By their very nature, motorcycles are transportation of character, ones that require us to make a conscious choice to be closer to our machinery of movement and to participate in the world that much more intimately. But some bikes give us more than others...."

Do VFRs have this magic ingredient? Of course they do — all bikes do to one degree or another. But Honda has often been accused of making machines that were too refined, too smooth, lacking the rider/machine interface that gives us grins where non-riders just see fear and discomfort. But Honda knows its customer — the Gold Wing is made for one rider and the Africa Twin for another. The company has seldom felt the need to emulate others, and when they did — the GB500 is a classic example — they did it better (and more smoothly). The CB750 was the introduction of the modern motorcycle and the CBX was the air-cooled era's pinnacle. Both reeked of character in their time. But what of the V4?

On a summer ride several years ago I found myself pulling out onto Hwy 82 in rural Vernon county, Wisconsin. Ahead of me lay a long uphill sweeper and under me a 1986 VFR750F with a Kerker 4-into-1 exhaust. As I let the V4 pull through fourth gear — 8000, 9000, 10,000 rpm — the sound and feel of that machine released endorphins into my brain and imprinted the letters V-F-R so indelibly that they may as well have been tattooed on my forehead.

Just me? No. In 1986 Cycle World awarded the VFR750 a Ten Best award. Then again in 1990, and every year through '97. It wasn't over, the VFR800 taking home a Ten Best in '98, '99 and 2002. From the 1990 Ten Best story: “The VFR isn’t the fastest in its displacement category, and it won’t set the quickest lap times around the nearest racecourse. What it will do, with its balance, poise and deftness, is give its rider the best all-around motorcycle in the business.” And the racing success of the V4s speak volumes. For a taste of that side of the equation pick up an old copy of the coolest motorbike video of all time — V-Four Victory, with Joey Dunlop winning the '83 Isle of Man TT...and the World Championship.

Character is defined as "the qualities distinctive to an individual." Trust me, the VFRs have distinctive qualities all their own, as that summer day on Hwy 82 shouted to me loud and clear.

I've never been a particular fan of vanity license plates. Half of them I can't figure out and most of the rest are often kinda stupid, truth be told.

That being said, my adopted state of Illinois is offering a new personalized plate with a Route 66 theme — "Where the Road Begins," a reference to the fact that the route began (ended?) in downtown Chicago. The state claims that proceeds will go towards the preservation of the few remaining remnants of the original road. In any case, it's kind of a cool design.