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.
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.
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