Well, I just got back from my first road trip. I haven't been highway riding
(more than 10 miles) since the 80's. It felt really good to be back on the
road again. It was sunny and warm when I left Tuesday, just over 20ēC, and
the weather forcast promised 20ēC and above for the next week. The first day
was great! I decided to go visit my friend about 100 miles North of me, then
decide where to go while I was there. The next day, the weather had cooled
off quite a bit and the sky's threatening to rain. Rode around in my friends
truck. I used to hunt in this area, so I thought it would be a good time to
do some early scouting. We saw lots of deer and runs. The sun never came
back in the next few days. One evening, it dropped down to -7ēC. Frost
everywhere in the morning. Heavy rain on Friday night. Weather forecast was
still predicting 0% probability chance of precipitation. (I didn't get any
chance to ride the last 3 days) Sun finally came out late Saturday Afternoon
so I decided to make a run for it, back to the city. The wind was really
cold. I kept thinking about how great my Rebel 250 was, with it's twice as
big windshield and heated handlebar grips. (Make Mental Note: Get VT750 into
shop and add much bigger windshield, with lowers right down to the front
axle, and heated grips ASAP! Look into electrically heated rainsuit!) I
almost made it home clean and dry. 2/3rds of the way home, it started to
rain, then sleet. I had ice particles building up on the front of my legs.
The road didn't seem slippery, so I continued. Made it back OK into the
city. Next Road trip where it promised to be hot and sunny, I'll bring my
down-filled winter jacket, a rain suit and tall, rubber boots. I can fit a
duffle bag full of any occasion, bad weather gear between the backrests.
But I did see some nice deer and took some good photos. Where I was staying,
the deer are as thick as flies. One nice doe came within 50' of where I had
parked my bike. Anyone here want to see some of the photos, I'll send 2 to
anyone who replies. One of my bike, dressed up, and another of the deer near
my bike. This offer is good until midnight June 10, 2009 only.
Cheers
Roger
Some comments on the VT750C (mine is a 2003 chain drive, bought new):
I've put 37,000 km on this machine. Bought new in 2004 so I've had 6 years
of driving. I drive year round in Vancouver BC, rain or shine, and have
driven to Calgary return and Edmonton return with my dog (5.5 lb Toy Poodle
in snuggly up front with Doggles).
This is a good bike but has some nuances to be aware of.
1) I've cared for the chain and sprockets well. They are now ready to be
replaced at 37,000 km (scheduled for next week). I believe this is normal.
2) Tires last 20,000 km to bald (first ones were Dunlop - came with the
bike. Now I have Pirelli - they wear at the same rate). Everyone everywhere
says this is normal.
3) Do all my own maintenance. This bike is NOT user-friendly for
maintenance. In my opinion this is a design flaw by Honda. I wasn't a
mechanic when I bought it and I had no money to buy the regular $525 CDN
tune-ups at the Honda shop. So I bought the Haynes and Clymer guides and
tried to figure it out under the flourescent garage lights on long lonely
weekends. The owner's manual says to 'Inspect the valves every 5,000 km and
adjust as necessary'. This is retarded. No human being would be able to
afford this bike if they spent $525 every 5,000 km at a Honda shop. So I did
it myself. The first three tries I got so deep into this thing that I just
cursed it and put it back together. Then on the 4th try I decided it's get
the job done or push this stupid VT750C off a cliff. You basically have to
strip the bike to the frame - all that's left is the radiator (which you
have to empty), the cylinders, and the crankcase. But then, after removing
the seats, speedometer, gas tank, the air filter, air filter subassembly,
all tubes and hoses, both carb's choke, push thermostat out of the way,
drain rad, remove fins, blah, blah, blah - finally, the inner sanctum. Valve
covers removed, set clearances, torque down nuts, and put back together.
Then curse Honda for saying you have to do it every 5,000km. SO HERE'S WHAT
I'VE LEARNED FROM RIDING MY BIKE AND TALKING TO A KNOWLEDGABLE BIKE
REBUILDER: Throw the Honda book in the garbage, then set the valve
clearances every 18,000 km. Do it yourself - saves you a fortune. All you
need are a bunch of sockets, flat wrenches, and two torque wrenches (inch
lbs, and ft lbs). The basic idea is to set valves only when you feel the
first signs of viration in riding the bike. This occurred at 18,000km. It is
now occurring again at 37,000km. Surprise, surprise! I have friends with the
Suzuki Volusia and Boulevard (800cc bikes, different model years) who claim
it takes an hour and a half to set the valves. It took me 8 hours to do my
bike, but now that it 's due again, I'm determined to do it in 5 hours. Keep
in mind I'm not a mechanic, just a persistent weekend warrior.
4) There is a design flaw with the bike. Here's how I know: I paid the
stupid $525 for the first tune-up / valve set because of the warranty on the
bike. But when I went to set valve clearances at 18,000 km I noticed that
the rubber intake to the left side carb was not on properly. It has a
circular metal clamp with a screw to tighten it on to the top of the carb,
but whenever you try to put it on it slips off. The problem is that they
made the intake tube a tad too short, so it's not a good fit. I've cursed
this thing so many times that I finally used my brain and came up with a
permanent solution. I took two long zap-straps, joined them together, and
wrapped them around the frame of the bike to hold the air filter subassembly
tight to the frame. The rubber tube intake to the carb now 'wants' to stay
in place. (If it doesn't stay in place your bike is breathing dirty air,
because the air filter is bypassed).
5) For sharp cornering at any speed you have to shift your weight properly
or the bike goes straight. I haven't ridden a lot of bikes but suspect this
is normal.
6) The manual says to use 90W gear oil on the chain. This makes a mess but
lubes better than chain wax. Chain wax is greasy and therfore has built in
friction. However, gear oil washes out in the rain, whereas chain wax
doesn't. I used gear oil for four years, then gave up on it - because here
in Vancouver I'm riding in the rain at least half the year. I commute 2 hrs
per day for 110km (1 hr each way) and gear oil washes out of the chain in a
single day of heavy rain. So for the past several years I've used chain wax
and am happy with it.
7) Just drove 2,000 km on my bike up to Calgary and back a few days ago.
Haven't used the gas tank reserve in years. Ran out of gas about 20 minutes
from home (just short of Abbotsford), went on reserve and the bike died.
Hobbled to a gas station, first on one cylinder, then two. Discovered later
than sediment had built up in the reserve tube, and this sediment dumped
into my fuel filter plugging it almost completely. Solution: run on reserve
every several months to keep the tube clear. Also, in an emergency if the
tube is plugged, just turn off the fuel petcock, then turn the filter upside
down and drain gunk out. Bike will then run until you get the filter
replaced.
8) My dog loves the ride.
9) By design this bike has heavy airflow from the highway up the footpegs
and into your legs. This is a major problem in rain, as your legs get soaked
and your boots fill with water. No motorcycle outfit will handle this (I
have a good quality First Gear outfit). The solution - I went to Moutain
Equipment CO-OP in Calgary and bought a pair of snowboard gators for $50.
They go on with velcro and three snaps. They rip off. They work perfectly. I
never have wet legs, ankles, or boots anymore, and they tend to keep your
lower legs warm.
10) The bike runs impeccably all the time. It has just the right amount of
power for me. I can cruise up the Coquihalla, Roger's Pass, Salmo Creston,
or any other high mountain Canadian pass at 115 - 120 km/hr when alone.
Fully loaded with full backpack, full saddle bags, dog on front, daughter on
back, tent strapped over saddle bags on one side, and poles strapped on
other side - I go no slower than 90 km/hr up these passes. On flat highway
the bike cruised best at 110 - 120km/hr but is capable of much more if you
want to be buffeted by the wind.
11) Milage - the bike consistently gets betwen 5 l/100km and 5.6 l/100km,
depending on how you drive and if it is highway driving. Best highway
driving will yield just under 5 l/100km. I noticed you said that the bike is
very economical for commuting. That's completely false. I bought this bike
for two reasons - to enjoy riding, and to save money in commuting. It's
enjoyable to ride. It doesn't save anything. In fact, it costs exactly the
same to run as a car (except it has less depreciation). You have to consider
that you will average 5.5 l/100 km, $2.50 per 100 km for rubber loss on the
tires, $1.00 per 100 km for chain and sprocket wear, and say $0.50 per 100
km for tune-up costs. If gas is $1.00 per liter, then the bike costs you
$9.50 per 100 km to ride. My Pontiac Sunfire burns 7.9 l/100km, $0.40 per
100 km for rubber loss on the tires, $1.00 per 100 km for miscellaneous
repairs, and say $0.50 per 100 km for tune-up costs. So the car costs $9.80
per 100 km to operate. Therefore, if you ignore insurance (which is about
the same for both) and depreciation, they cost the same to operate. The
reason bikes are so expensive is that it costs $525 to get two new tires
installed every 20,000 km, whereas the auto gets 4 tires installed for the
same price and they last 125,000 km.
Conclusion: Bikes do not save money. If you do the maintenance yourself they
cost the same as a car to operate. If you pay the shop to look after your
bike, you'll be bankrupt within 5 years.
12) No bad virbrations. In fact, I found the Suzuki 800cc Volusia vibrated a
lot more than my bike. Vibration starts to occur when the valve clearances
need setting, typically about 18,000 km. Set the valves and you're back in
heaven.
So ... having said all of this, why do I have a bike? Because it's fun to
ride with my dog, and I learn about mechanics in the process. It's a very
good quality waste of money. Other people waste money in fruitless ways, but
I waste it on something enjoyable! As soon as I had some money I did what
every intelligent human being should do - I bought a motorcycle. I've very
happy with my machine.
So that's what I know about the VT750C.
Tom
> Well, I just got back from my first road trip. I haven't been highway
> riding (more than 10 miles) since the 80's. It felt really good to be back
> on the road again. It was sunny and warm when I left Tuesday, just over
> 20ēC, and the weather forcast promised 20ēC and above for the next week.
> The first day was great! I decided to go visit my friend about 100 miles
> North of me, then decide where to go while I was there. The next day, the
> weather had cooled off quite a bit and the sky's threatening to rain. Rode
> around in my friends truck. I used to hunt in this area, so I thought it
> would be a good time to do some early scouting. We saw lots of deer and
> runs. The sun never came back in the next few days. One evening, it
> dropped down to -7ēC. Frost everywhere in the morning. Heavy rain on
> Friday night. Weather forecast was still predicting 0% probability chance
> of precipitation. (I didn't get any chance to ride the last 3 days) Sun
> finally came out late Saturday Afternoon so I decided to make a run for
> it, back to the city. The wind was really cold. I kept thinking about how
> great my Rebel 250 was, with it's twice as big windshield and heated
> handlebar grips. (Make Mental Note: Get VT750 into shop and add much
> bigger windshield, with lowers right down to the front axle, and heated
> grips ASAP! Look into electrically heated rainsuit!) I almost made it home
> clean and dry. 2/3rds of the way home, it started to rain, then sleet. I
> had ice particles building up on the front of my legs. The road didn't
> seem slippery, so I continued. Made it back OK into the city. Next Road
> trip where it promised to be hot and sunny, I'll bring my down-filled
> winter jacket, a rain suit and tall, rubber boots. I can fit a duffle bag
> full of any occasion, bad weather gear between the backrests.
> But I did see some nice deer and took some good photos. Where I was
> staying, the deer are as thick as flies. One nice doe came within 50' of
> where I had parked my bike. Anyone here want to see some of the photos,
> I'll send 2 to anyone who replies. One of my bike, dressed up, and another
> of the deer near my bike. This offer is good until midnight June 10, 2009
> only.
> Cheers
> Roger
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> as excellent condition mechanically as it looks. So I'm all set up
> for some touring, and I'm going to take a short tour tomorrow, for
> 3-4 days.
> Roger