• Welcome to the new B.I.R.D. Forum. Please be sure to read the "New Member / New Registered ? Please Read" thread in the Coffee Shop. This contains some important information. To become a full member ( £5.90 a year ) simply click on your user name near the top on the right I hope you enjoy the new site ................ Jaws ( John )

I Don't Believe it! Jinxed Bike...

Toast

Birdie Maniac
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So... briefly, I sold my 1996 £400 bargain Repsol Blackbird (it had had a light front-ender & cost me £450 to resurrect) that had 63K miles on it because it looked, well, tatty I suppose, in the fading paintwork department and tatty orange wheels...
Replaced it with a 20k miles RED '98 mint condition £1600 which needed a full service & new oil lines.

Oh, dear reader, if only that was the full story... tiny exhaust blow was noted when fairing off for service, other weak patches on the collector where found, so 4-into-2 Down pipes (bought Delkevic, didn't fit so now have Black Widow) (oil lines leaked because of poor machining on the little engine brackets (from Jaws MC) so I was hoping to MOT it but alas no..

Started it yesterday ready to ride to shop and it didn't turn over happily; checked the voltage - no charge; rang Karen @ Jaws - she emails me the check sheet - yup, generator gone west so today my new genny, upgrade reg/rec & gasket will arrive by 12pm and then... So, spent yesterday afternoon removing stuck-fast green gasket off both faces ready for reassembly today. HOPEFULLY I'll get to ride the bloody thing down to the MOT shop and get it road legal just in time for winter...

Oh, idiot, why did I sell my lovely Repsol bike that had flawlessly taken me around Europe this year?
Off to hit myself over the head with the larger of my 'adjusting' club hammers...
RED CLEARLY means DANGER when buying birds LOL...
 

Jaws

Corporal CockUp
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DO NOT FIT THE DELKEVIC !!!!


Just do a search and you will find nothing but bad news

It is a shame because all their other products are very good ............. but the down pipes ?
Massive flat spots mid range
 

Toast

Birdie Maniac
Club Sponsor
DO NOT FIT THE DELKEVIC !!!!


Just do a search and you will find nothing but bad news

It is a shame because all their other products are very good ............. but the down pipes ?
Massive flat spots mid range

Normally, I'd agree but - Jaws MC are usually tip top; Karen is very hellpful; it took two goes at filing and refitting to get it sealed up.
(amusingly when I bought oil lines for the Repsol carbie they sent me FI pipes by mistake - which I didn't know as it said carb on the packet- and my mechanic had one hell of a job fitting them - apparently they will fit but not easily! - this set where the right length)
Yup - downpipes - time will tell; I'm not a flat-out-in-every-gear rider anymore, but if they're really shite then when I've got some more money perhaps I'll try and find something better... But what, I don't know.......
 

Toast

Birdie Maniac
Club Sponsor
Right!!! Genny fitted (ok alternator) and new reg/rec, took it for MOT FINALLY!!! Passed, of course.
What a joy to be back on the bloody road again. Been feeling like I'd had a limb severed..
Alternator kits are weird - unlike many I've fitted before you have to re-use the rubber bungs in the casing and assemble the plug - only thing is the plastic plug is the wrong one (female clip not male) so had to re-use the old one; no biggee, just kinda stupid.
As to the mentioned mid-range flat spot, well, it was wet & dark in the lanes, but nothing noticed so far (at legal speeds, of course, of course, Ossifer) so next dry day I'll get out from the leaf-mulch country lanes we abide in and give it a proper, er, testing... Probably Sunday, I'm hoping.
It's bloody filthy after the muddy lane ride so next job is spit & polish.

Very Happy to have my Redbird back up & running... What a delight to ride. Come on Honda, gissa new version updated for 2020 of one of the world's best bikes!
 

Lee337

Confused Poster
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Very Happy to have my Redbird back up & running... What a delight to ride. Come on Honda, gissa new version updated for 2020 of one of the world's best bikes!

They tried, called it a VFR1200 and it failed miserably.
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
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Right!!! Genny fitted (ok alternator) and new reg/rec, took it for MOT FINALLY!!! Passed, of course.
What a joy to be back on the bloody road again. Been feeling like I'd had a limb severed..
Alternator kits are weird - unlike many I've fitted before you have to re-use the rubber bungs in the casing and assemble the plug - only thing is the plastic plug is the wrong one (female clip not male) so had to re-use the old one; no biggee, just kinda stupid.
As to the mentioned mid-range flat spot, well, it was wet & dark in the lanes, but nothing noticed so far (at legal speeds, of course, of course, Ossifer) so next dry day I'll get out from the leaf-mulch country lanes we abide in and give it a proper, er, testing... Probably Sunday, I'm hoping.
It's bloody filthy after the muddy lane ride so next job is spit & polish.

Very Happy to have my Redbird back up & running... What a delight to ride. Come on Honda, gissa new version updated for 2020 of one of the world's best bikes!
I haven't reread the thread but if you haven't fitted a new battery as well would seriously consider doing so.......quite possibly the root case of the charging issues.
 

longfellow

Old Hand
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They tried, called it a VFR1200 and it failed miserably.
Well as an owner of both the 12 hasn't failed for me! - Possibly the most most underrated bike in a long time and unless owned to experience then its generally regurgitated press drivel that the magazine readers spout of which im happy with by the way as its kept prices low, a lot of motor for the money.
It would be a hard decission as to which is best
They tried, called it a VFR1200 and it failed miserably.
Well having both and in my opinion the 12 is the most underrated bike ever, For those who havent had one, try one and you will know where im coming from. What it could have been is subjective.
Magazines and the few gremilns Honda should have sorted before launch helped kill it, but its a kind of hidden gem and since the secret came out has started changing views on what is a cracking bike that certainly lives with any of the latest stuff.
 
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Jaws

Corporal CockUp
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Well as an owner of both the 12 hasn't failed for me! - Possibly the most most underrated bike in a long time and unless owned to experience then its generally regurgitated press drivel that the magazine readers spout of which im happy with by the way as its kept prices low, a lot of motor for the money.
It would be a hard decission as to which is best

Well having both and in my opinion the 12 is the most underrated bike ever, For those who havent had one, try one and you will know where im coming from. What it could have been is subjective.
Magazines and the few gremilns Honda should have sorted before launch helped kill it, but its a kind of hidden gem that as the secret came out started changing views on what is a cracking bike that certainly lives with any of the latest stuff.
I suppose it is a good thing everyone is different.. But having ridden everyone of the variants ( even the prelaunch 'press only' thing, I would rate it the same several Honda dealers did, and that is pretty low !
 

longfellow

Old Hand
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I suppose it is a good thing everyone is different.. But having ridden everyone of the variants ( even the prelaunch 'press only' thing, I would rate it the same several Honda dealers did, and that is pretty low !
Agree that everyone being different is a good thing.
living with the 12 has changed my view from when i first test rode one, i wasnt convinced at first, even the looks were a bit Marmite, but giving it a test for more than a few laps of a track and half a day on different roads (sometimes with a pillion) started to change my mind, the one i have now has been treated to full Maxton suspension which has took it to where it should have been standard just like the Blackbird in that respect. In some ways its a little like the Blackbird in that when launched the looks were subjective and nobody knew exactly what category it was other than allegedly being the fastest at the time. What i do know is that in the past i have bought bikes after having a short test ride that proved nothing other than to give me a smug feeling and convincing myself i had done the right thing, i admit that more than once i went on to regret it within weeks, the VFR 12 is similar to the Blackbird whereby the longer you ride it the better it becomes, what it will never be is a replacement for the Blackbird that it was lorded as.
 

Cougar377

Express elevator to hell
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I think bikes (and cars) are a bit like wine/beer/spirits....everyone's got an opinion on what's the best but if it floats your boat then that's what matters.

I got a lot of stick from mates when I bought a Ducati 750SS when everyone else was on a 600 or bigger, especially as my previous bike was a Thundercat. On the test ride it was immediately obvious that it was underpowered and had totally different engine and handling characteristics, but there was something about it that did it for me....enough to buy and keep it. Each to their own I say.....

Unless you're on a Harley...in which case you're a lost soul and really should seek therapy. :D
 

Jaws

Corporal CockUp
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When I got to use one I found it felt pretty soulless.. Just a mode of transport.. I felt no interaction with it...
It was also a total and complete bitch to clean.. I found the only way to do it was remove the front panels !

Interestingly, and this is direct from Honda PR, it was never meant to replace the Bird.
At a meeting I ( and others ) asked the question "was it meant to replace the Blackbird"

No, it is for a new generation of customers

So is there something in the pipeline to replace it ?

Not in the foreseeable future

What about all the existing Bird owners who are waiting for the new Bird ?

( Question side stepped )

The VF1200R is aimed at new customers looking for a tourer

Are you not interested in what existing owners/customers are going to look for when they come to replace their Birds ?

( Question again ignored )

The VF1200R is designed for the new generation of riders

So basically what Honda was saying is that they have got your money, and either change to what we say or piss off.

On a lighter note, I think it was the 2010 NEC show, I was given a note by someone ( cannot remember the chaps name ) on the Kwak stand to deliver to the then head of marketing ( Europe ) on the Honda stand

I cannot remember the exact words, but it something along the lines of:

Thanks for releasing the 1200, it has done wonders for our sales
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
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Human beings by nature tend to follow the crowd - the 1200 got slated by the bike media when it came out therefore it was a useless bike.

Everyone totally ignored what is one of the coolest things ever on a motorised cycle - the little inset badge on the side fairing.
 

Malone

Been there, and had one
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I can just about recall nigh on 20 years ago when my bird was coming up to 2 years old and I needed to decide to change it or pay the balance and buy it outright.

I went into my local dealer to see what was on offer in the way of an upgrade to what I had.

same colours sort of, FI not carbs but reduced power, still piss poor linked brakes and minimal suspension.

why not take out our hayabusa demo and see what it’s like I was suggested by the salesman. Well as I was really only interested in touring with side boxes and top case with the wife onboard it was a bit of a struggle to convince me to ride a sports bike.

anyway, I took the key and went off for a brief ride and quite liked it. I then went home and picked up my missus just to see how she felt about it. We were away from the dealership for around 3 hours riding it on all sorts of roads - and absolutely loved it.

we rode back to the dealership and signed up there and then. I fitted a Givi 3 box rack to it and our first trip was to the Dolomites - it was effortless.

in this last 20 years I’ve been without a busa for only a year or so, I’ve had 5, along with 2 ZZR1400s Gen2. (Far better than a busa) I’ve got the bird as a reminder of what I’d had 22 years ago.

what Suzuki, and then later Kawasaki did, is what Honda should have done all along - bigger engine, better suspension and proper brakes.
 

andyBeaker

Moderator
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Moderator
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It
I can just about recall nigh on 20 years ago when my bird was coming up to 2 years old and I needed to decide to change it or pay the balance and buy it outright.

I went into my local dealer to see what was on offer in the way of an upgrade to what I had.

same colours sort of, FI not carbs but reduced power, still piss poor linked brakes and minimal suspension.

why not take out our hayabusa demo and see what it’s like I was suggested by the salesman. Well as I was really only interested in touring with side boxes and top case with the wife onboard it was a bit of a struggle to convince me to ride a sports bike.

anyway, I took the key and went off for a brief ride and quite liked it. I then went home and picked up my missus just to see how she felt about it. We were away from the dealership for around 3 hours riding it on all sorts of roads - and absolutely loved it.

we rode back to the dealership and signed up there and then. I fitted a Givi 3 box rack to it and our first trip was to the Dolomites - it was effortless.

in this last 20 years I’ve been without a busa for only a year or so, I’ve had 5, along with 2 ZZR1400s Gen2. (Far better than a busa) I’ve got the bird as a reminder of what I’d had 22 years ago.

what Suzuki, and then later Kawasaki did, is what Honda should have done all along - bigger engine, better suspension and proper brakes.
plus one for the hyabusa. I was loamed one for a week in Cyprus and it was awesome.

For a motorised cycle that is.

Would,rather have had a car.
 
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