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.

This whole climate change thing is causing havoc to many parts of the U.S. this winter season, but here in the upper midwest it's having more of a calming effect. There hasn't been a flake of snow on the ground since late December and right now we're experiencing an unbelievable run of warm weather, so naturally I thought it appropriate to get a bike out.

So, while waiting for the paintwork to be returned from the paint shop, I dressed Project 14 up in a spare suit of clothes and hit the road. I've never actually had this bike on the road — running, but not ridden. So this would be a shakedown run for all the mechanical refurbishments in addition to running the shorty mufflers for their first outing. I was also curious to see if I could find any difference with the 17-inch front wheel mounted to this bike.

I'm happy to report after today's 60-mile local ride that we have another beautifully running VFR. I'll be tweaking the carb's main jetting a bit, but everything else was flawless. The bike tracks straight and feels perfectly neutral in handling. I don't have the best twisty roads nearby so I'm not able to determine any differences with the larger front wheel/tire, but nothing obvious stood out. The pipes sound great — a very satisfying bass growl without being raspy or sharp-edged. As I was riding along, it occurred to me to try an experiment; why not set the iPhone in the tank bag (out of the wind) and see if I could capture some of the sound. So that's what I did. The scenery's not much, but maybe you can get an idea of the sound.
NOTE: The first run I'm shifting at ~6500 rpm and the second at ~4000 rpm.

What: 2010 VFR1200F
Where: Mansfield, Texas
Why: A 7th-gen with attitude
Price: Auction with reserve

No, there was no such model as a "black edition" 1200F. But our seller had a vision and did a meticulous job making it a reality. All of the factory silver was blacked out through a combination of paint, powder coat and vinyl wrap. There's performance upgrades too, along with convenience and cosmetic farkles. This is a "standard" transmission version; no DCT.

All that attention and dollars lavished on this premium sport-touring bike...and only 2200 miles. Original parts are included and there's even an extended factory warranty till April of 2019!

If you're a fan of the unique "black edition" then this is your bike.
Click on the image below for the eBay link.

A few years ago the Motley Fool (fool.com) published an article on motorcycle ownership ranked by state. I'm not sure why folks keep track of such things...but there it is. Statistics are a funny business, and in this case the rankings account for population, or "people per motorcycle" in each state. This explains why a low-population/cold weather state like Wyoming is ranked #5 and high-population/mild weather California is way down the list at #43.

In any case, the total number of registered bikes is listed at 8,410,255 (2011) or one motorcycle for every 36 people. I'm doing my part with eight (currently).  Here's a link to the article.

As my work takes me more and more into refinishing bodywork on my VFRs, I have the need to remove lots of decals. The red/white/blue bikes, in particular, are full of 'em. There's a few approaches to removal.

Sanding. An orbital or dual-action sander will take off anything in its way, including decals.
Scraping. The combination of a heat gun, razor and adhesive remover (and a lot of tedious work) will eventually get the decal off.
3M Stripe Off Wheel: I stumbled upon this gadget while browsing Amazon one day. It's essentially a giant rotary eraser wheel that promises to take off pinstriping, vinyl, tape, adhesive residue...and decals. Works great on metal without damage to the paint. Unfortunately, it can't be used on plastic — it will gouge it. I ordered one up for $25 and gave it a try. Here's the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00063VT0G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Patti and I made our way to the Chicago International Motorcycle Show last week. We always go on Friday afternoon to avoid the crowds and that tactic worked well this year. Minimal crowds made it much easier to see and touch whatever caught our eye. It seemed to me that the manufacturers were in force this year, unlike some years past. Honda, BMW and Piaggio had impressive displays. Even Royal Enfield did a nice job. Lots of over-the-top customs and some really great vintage bikes were shown with plenty of room to drool. The only Interceptors in the joint were a pair of VFR1200X.

One of the more interesting "motorcycles" being shown was a 3-wheeler which I'd never heard of, the Vanderhall (vanderhallusa.com). Based in Provo, Utah, the company produces four models powered by a 1.4 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder with a 6-speed automatic and front wheel drive which weighs in at about 1400 pounds. It's a great-looking "bike" and Patti and I had to try it on for size — a little...ahh...tight. And with prices ranging from $30,000-$80,000 it may be a bit out of the budget.

Honda had an interesting rig to allow folks to "sample" their DCT transmission. The rear wheel was on rollers and a cute attendant walked you through the automatic and manual modes. What impressed me is that I couldn't hear or see any indication as the transmission shifted. I would really like to try one on the open road.

Overall a good show and, as always, a chance to shake the winter blues, at least for an afternoon.