You only get 1 mod.....

[8541Hawk]

While out messing with my bike, now that I actually feel like a human again....lol
I came up with this question.... and figured it might be helpful to someone new to this bike.

If you had a completely stock VTR, with the exception of having the suspension set up for the correct rider weight to keep things fair as that is or should always be the first thing done to any bike.
So with this stock bike you were only allowed to do one modification, what would it be?

For me the answer would be add a fork brace. Yes a full suspension swap is better but it is more than one thing.
IMHO the weakest part of a stock VTR is the lower triple clamp. The forks actually are not that bad, but then I'm old and remember 35mm forks
Because the lower triple is made of cheese, again IMHO, this is a bike that really benefits from adding a brace and is noticeable not only in improved suspension action but also in much improved braking
So you get a lot of improvement for a small investment

[Wicky]

Manual tensioners.

Not much good if the engine is wrecked.

[sirch345]

So after the suspension had been sorted (I agree one of the best mods you can do for the VTR, that mod transforms the bike) and the CCT's and rectifier taken care of, I'd most likely go for a set of after market cans so the engine can breath properly, and to let that great sound out

Chris.

[alanfjones1411]

Manual tensioners.

Not much good if the engine is wrecked.

+1

[8541Hawk]

Manual tensioners.

Not much good if the engine is wrecked.

So you're saying that on a brand new bike you would change tensioners? I guess I was unclear but this is on a brand new untouched bike.....you know just for fun.

Auto CCTs can work fine if looked after, which means when you buy a used bike they need to be changed right away. Which ones you run are up to you though I did run Auto CCTs for a bit over 100K miles but that is another topic.
I do have a set of manuals now but that is because I had a set at hand not because I don't trust the auto units.

With that I'll stick with my original answer.

[fabiostar]

A nice set of cans so i can hear it coming outa 3rd gear corners

[TheGingerBeardMan]

First thing I'd do with a brand new storm is put decent tyres on it.

[Wicky]

Manual tensioners.

Not much good if the engine is wrecked.

So you're saying that on a brand new bike you would change tensioners? I guess I was unclear but this is on a brand new untouched bike.....you know just for fun.

Auto CCTs can work fine if looked after, which means when you buy a used bike they need to be changed right away.

Approx 2 hrs in I hear a noise similar to a bag of spanners. Switched bike off came to a stop. Deciding it was best to get it home . After a few hours wait it's loaded up and taken home .
thinking I'll have a look to see what the problem is. .
The dreaded cct let go bending all 4 valves and bending 2 valve guides aswel as killing the piston .These were changed for oem honda auto tensioners only 4 months ago prior to ownership 800 miles ago .

dreaded cct after 48hr ownership :-( > http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 23&t=33856

[TheGingerBeardMan]

Y'know....I've had another think about this. I'd STILL stick with the 1st mod being a set of tyres though.

But, I'm really hard pushed to think of anything else I'd do to the VTR (if I collected it out of the showroom with 0 miles on it). Even if I knew other owners that had Storms before I bought mine, and they hit me with different things to change 1st....

When I got the VTR at first, I knew nothing about their quirks and foibles, their achiles heals, or their tendency to self destruct. (I just saw one brand new in a bike shop 17 years ago. He fired it up, and then it was: One day, I MUST have one of these). Mine was not new though, and took me MANY years before I got one. But, having ridden not even 50 miles after getting it, the first thing I wasn't happy with was the previous owners choice of tyres - so, I changed them. Then the whole bike changed for me because of fitting better rubber.

So erm, it's still the choice of rubber for me.

[Paultandy]

A set of cans you can't beat that distinctive sound

[lloydie]

I couldn't do just one to a Vtr !
Rsv front end /rear shock.
Stopper mod ,
Tyres ,
Race shift,
Baffelectomy,
That would do me

[8541Hawk]

[quote="Wicky"
dreaded cct after 48hr ownership :-( > http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... 23&t=33856[/quote]

Now was that 48hrs from new or new to them? You know the first 5-6 years these bikes were out you never heard a word about CCTs.
You guys make it sound like they were just letting go left and right from day one..... sorry but that is not the case.

If you also reread what I stated I also said they should be changed on a new to you bike.....

As for the tires the bikes came with....yeah they were iffy at best

[agentpineapple]

of all the mods I've done to my bike, the single biggest difference made, was having the forks rogered, transforms how the bike handles...

[fabiostar]

I couldn't do just one to a Vtr !
Rsv front end /rear shock.
Stopper mod ,
Tyres ,
Race shift,
Baffelectomy,
That would do me

RSV shock? mmmmmm year,how easy,whats required? iv not heard that one before and hate to miss an excuse to buy shiny things lol

[Wicky]

Now was that 48hrs from new or new to them? You know the first 5-6 years these bikes were out you never heard a word about CCTs.
You guys make it sound like they were just letting go left and right from day one..... sorry but that is not the case.

If you also reread what I stated I also said they should be changed on a new to you bike.....

As for the tires the bikes came with....yeah they were iffy at best

So new auto tensioners failing after 800 miles is reasonable....

You know the first 5-6 years these bikes were out you never heard a word about CCTs.

This forum dates from 2002 and looking back

(Thu Oct 10, 2002 1:48 pm) Just want to know if any one else has had cam chain tensioner problems. If so have you had the fike fixed under warranty.

Or ... if the bike was out of warranty did you get any money out of Honda for the repairs??

Al.

So at an early stage when on the bell curve of occurances of CCT failure it was becoming very apparent there was a problem, necessitating either getting it fixted in the warranty period, or outside of warranty. Hence culminating sometime before 2003 a petition to Honda asking them to officially recognise and address CCT failure issues.

Tensioners and Mr Honda > Sept 2003 http://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewtopic ... ers+letter

Honda of America, 1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Chairman and Representative Director, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Yoshihide Munekuni

President Koichi Amemiya

CFO Shinichi Sakamoto

Honda of the UK, 470 London Road Slough Berkshire SL3 8QY

Honda Motorcycle Japan

Thanks, Jim Stinnett



VTR Superhawk Internet Mailing List

Hosted by RunlevelZero.Net

Subscribed by many VTR Owners World Wide

Dear Honda of America, Honda of the United Kingdom, Honda of Canada, Honda Motorcycle of Japan

Honda of America, 1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Chairman and Representative Director, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Yoshihide Munekuni

President Koichi Amemiya

CFO Shinichi Sakamoto

Honda of the UK, 470 London Road Slough Berkshire SL3 8QY

Honda Motorcycle Japan

We are an online fellowship of Honda Superhawk and Honda Firestorm ( VTR1000F) owners who have been exchanging information and ideas over the Internet since the Superhawk first became available.

Over the years the overall impression of this motorcycle is that we love it. The great reputation and superb quality of build is mostly what drew us to this fine machine. Most of us have gotten great satisfaction from our Superhawks for the duration of ownership and so it is with a great deal of respect that we ask Honda to be honest and forthright in answering a nagging and disturbing question that has come up over and over again in our discussions.

Many of us have reported various mechanical failures of the cam chain tensioner and adjacent components. In fact there have been reports of this particular problem circulating for a few years now. Evidence in the form of actual repair orders are available to verify this phenomena if there is any question as to the validity of this question.

Some owners have been lucky to still be under warranty when these failures occurred but others were not so lucky and have incurred catastrophic valve train damage as a result of these failures. There are more owners who have had cam chains, tensioners, and tensioner adjusters replaced after noticing the sounds of impending mechanical failure. These sounds are variously described as tapping, slapping, grinding and rapping noises emanating from the upper engine and valve train.

Our question to Honda is this: Since it is a known fact that many of the Superhawks, and Firestorms built between 1997 to date have had cam chain tensioner, cam chain tensioner adjuster and cam chain failures, why hasn’t Honda simply offered to replace these defective parts before someone gets injured or killed due to the failure of one of these parts.

Please reply to VTR Superhawk Internet Mailing List, C/O Jim Stinnett 1008 Cole Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 and or VTR Superhawk Internet Mailing List , Attn: "Cam Chain Tensioner" Issue Interested Parties at moto-rama@mindspring.com

Signed

....

see at link names of VTR owners worldwide

https://web.archive.org/web/20030423083 ... letter.htm