Smooth riding

Hi Guys,

I am now the proud owner of a VFR 800 3 vtec. I love the smooth delivery of power up through the revs, the looks, the way it sculpts the corners - fantastic machine.

There is something that I find irksome though. In the UK the speed limit is 30. On previous bikes I was well able to cruise at low revs in higher gears smoothly. I am finding that I need to keep the engine at about 3,500 to avoid a juddering ride when gentling accelerating at slower speeds (all-be-it not too much of a judder but enough to want to avoid it).

In doing this the engine temperature manages to increase over any sort of commute to 105 degrees and the fan turns on.

Am I the only one to experience these things?

I test drove the Fi which seems simply smoother - although I did not try this particular driving style...

Any thoughts?

Nicholas

 

My two cents is that most of the other forum members feel you should be above 4500-5000 but I find it fairly smooth around the low 3000's. Don't LUG it but at a gentle cruise I find it quite happy in the 3's...

 

Thats because it a V-4 not an inline 4.

 

Gen 5 & 6 VFR's like to be above 4.5K, personally use 4k as absolute minimum and like to keep it above 4.8k on commute and don't forget the Redline is 12k. :biggrin:

 

Thanks guys. I will experiment - obviously I must be a little on the conservative side for most riders...

 

i tend to putter around town at about 5k. it's easier to keep it smooth at that speed IMO.

 

I agree with many, 4-5k rpm cruising. You're at an rpm that if you need to accelerate a little or something you can. Mine will cruise just fine down at 3k rpm, but I usually only do that in the neighborhood, to keep the exhaust note down.

 

Town traffic for me is 5k in second.

 

Second or third gear @ 4k around town. Sometimes slightly lower so exhaust is a little quieter.. I found when I first got it 3k seemed right , but quickly went to 4k, just seemed like it was happier there.

 

We all seen to be thinking along the same lines now. Anyway, I think I need to start majoring on the twisty roads - where 3-5k simply is not enough!

 

This motor lives between V-tec and redline and was meant to be used there so try it out.

 

When warmed up, my '04 stutters from 2-3000 rpm, too. Since it's not as bad when cool, and I presume the mixture is richer, I've wondered if one cylinder is too lean and missing, or maybe an injector is partially clogged. It smooths out above 3000-3500 rpm, and the power delivery is fine. Do all the VTEC engines do this?

 

I totally agree, take the bike to a track day and that is how you are supposed to use this motor. You can feel the exact range of power in the upper revs. Not sure why anyone would complain about lack of power I personally love it. Anyone needing a literbike for the canyons can't ride or needs to take it to the track.