Just got my April 06 Cycle Canada mag, and right near the end of the magazine is a two page layout of the infamous Frankenviffer of Safe-T. Bike looks great - thought I'd post the article for those that don't get this magazine. How does this bike handle with all those fancy mods? Looks really nice - but I hope you ride it !! Congrats on the article.
chris2992, Mar 20 2006, 03:16 PMI'd like to get my hands on a copy of the issue, is there any place to get it state side?
I'm not sure if CC makes it to the States....they used to have a place on their web site where you could order additional issues, back issues, etc. but I think they discontinued that service. sad.gif
Too bad, because right before they canned it I ordered two back issues from 1990; one with their first hands-on experience with the VFR, and another where they took a VFR and a GSX-R touring (up front they admitted it was comparing apples to oranges, but they just did it for the heck of it!).
The bike is still the same friendly VFR we know and love, just a little sportier. The Ohlins components shrug off bumps mid-corner, although I have yet to fine tune it - the front is still a smidge too firm (probably have to back off the compression damping) and the rear a little soft, and I think the bike needs a little bit more height in the tail as well.
I put in several thousand km last summer testing it to make sure nothing was going to break or fall off, and everything went well except for a reg/rectifier failure at the very end of the season. This year I'm off to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah to watch the AMA Nationals and Oliver, BC for Sportbike West.
cbar, Mar 20 2006, 02:46 PMI'm not sure if CC makes it to the States....they used to have a place on their web site where you could order additional issues, back issues, etc. but I think they discontinued that service. sad.gif
Too bad, because right before they canned it I ordered two back issues from 1990; one with their first hands-on experience with the VFR, and another where they took a VFR and a GSX-R touring (up front they admitted it was comparing apples to oranges, but they just did it for the heck of it!).
If anyone wishes to subscribe, they can do so here:
Damn my Cycle Canada magazine subscription lapsed................40 years ago I think lol. "Touchstone Of Excellence" he says good show Rick, first day of Spring too.
Kanadian Ken was wondering how I managed to get the bike in the magazine.
I was at the Edmonton Motorcycle Show in 2005 and asked the Cycle Canada rep there how the magazine picked bikes in 'ShowCase'. They said they liked to see motorcycles with an interesting story behind them - I wrote to the editor and mentioned how I had bought the bike off a vfrmailinglist member in the middle of the night over the internet plus and how it got taken off the transport truck and stored in a meat inspection plant at the border because Purolator failed to deliver my importation documents on time, etc. etc plus some photos I had taken. They liked it enough to send out a professional photographer in April '05, but I thought they had either forgotten about it or changed their mind as I didn't get any further response from them until January '06 after their longtime editor suddenly resigned.
In the end there was a lot of material they just didn't have room to print - how the Honda techs wondered why I was so excited about getting a wrecked bike in a crate from Utah, how I took the rear end apart at least 30 times figuring out the rear brake and spindle adapter, how the bike had bodywork from the same Edmonton dealership it was delivered to, how my briefcase was stolen with all my import papers in it, how I had to plead with American Honda to send me a typewritten letter confirming the date of manufacture so it would pass the Canadian Federal Inspection after it was finished, how the mirrors got returned to their sender twice before finally getting to me, how the headlight came from a vfrmailinglist member in San Francisco, how the original gauge cluster was traded to a US owner with a Canadian bike, how the original seat got sold to a buyer in Texas but re-routed to a completely different person in Wisconsin who just happened to have a fifth generation VFR, how the person selling me their seat backed out of our deal leaving me without one, how I found another seat owned by the webmaster of another VFR site where I got ripped off $500 by a guy in Philadelphia, plus a lot of personal mods I did to the bike like putting my kids name's on the rear wheel, hand polishing the cylinder head covers and about 50 small bolts, making my own stainless steel brake lines, the digi gear indicator, and the 'pursuit vehicle' police badging on the rear fender.
But I'm thankful it got in at all. It's neat, and it feels great to think that something I did would be considered good enough to be featured in a national magazine.
So thanks again to everyone who helped, and all the positive comments.
dude, Mar 21 2006, 12:41 PMHey I'm going to pick up a copy just so i can say.... " hey thats the guy that sent me the wrong chainguard" goofy.gif Congrats Rick
At least I was able to find the right chainguard for Dude although I wound up paying $27 to 'sell' it to him.
I had a pair of CBR1100XX rotors I was told would fit the VFR when I bought them - is that what I sent you ? Too many freakin' frankenparts going through my basement in the past two years...
Pegasus, Mar 21 2006, 08:02 PMCongrats Rick! Great job with the article and the bike! beer.gif
offtopic.gif Now if Honda brought us that VFR for a 7th gen, I'd be waiting cash in hand.... offtopic.gif
Does anybody happen to know why Bruce Reeve left CC suddenly? I haven't been able to get Cycle Canada for a couple of years now...
He had a disagreement with the new publishers as to the direction the magazine should take in the future, and apparently could not come to terms with them. He wanted to run the magazine like they always had, and the publisher had new ideas, exactly what, I'm not sure, but apparently he felt it could not be worked around, so he left.
Too bad, and I hope the magazine doesn't go down the crapper for it.
Just finished reading my issue. I thought cool... nice fifth gen...wait a minute... I know that bike! That's one clean lookin', heavily moded bike. Very nice. beer.gif
When I look at the photographs Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistable goes through my mind:
She's a craze you'd endorse, she's a powerful force You're obliged to conform when there's no other course She used to look good to me, but now I find her
Simply irresistible
She's so fine, there's no tellin' where the money went... rolleyes.gif
canucklhead, Mar 22 2006, 04:40 PMNOT ENOUGH PICS!!!
The photographer who took the shots is supposed to be sending me a CD with over 200 photos - if I may toot my own horn there are some absolutely stunning pictures.
Looking forward to getting down to Calgary for the Superbike Nationals.
Round 3 June 30 - July 2 Race City Motorsport Park Calgary, AB
My issue arrived this morning. I was anxiuosly waiting to view the Frankenviffer in the esteemed pages of Cycle Canada. Maybe a follow up article is required with more pics???
When you do get the cd from the photog, please post for us to view.
Met SAFE-T, sPOTO and, I'm sorry Erik, was it stinkbate? Anyway, we all had a good dinner at the RedRock Cafe in SLC tonight and then I got to sit on FrankenViffer and fire it up!
I hopefully will meet with these guys tomorrow at the AMA races.... if not.... Hey guys nice to meet you! Its so cool to finally meet some other VFR owners/enthusiasts.
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