Hi all, I'm a Newbie to the VFR World, in anticipation of a '99 VFR (5th Gen?) purchase this weekend. I'm a long time New York based rider...some 40+ yrs. I ride trials, dirt & dual-sport, and lots o' long-distance sport touring. I wanted to introduce ma'self, and reach out to the VFR knowledge base, as to the experiences with the 99 VFR. Are there any common issues with this year (or any) VFR I need to take note ? I own/ride a '91 ST1100 for 17 yrs now, and have been an owner's club member since '95, (STOC#913). They've been an invaluable wealth of info and helped keep my STeed out of mechanical harms way over the yrs. I do all my own work, and have performed some heavy duty modifications to the bike. It has won "Most Modified ST" at two events - its a really nice ride. I'm keeping the ST, and simply adding the VFR to the stable. So, what should I look out for with the 99 VFR ? Any words of advice ? I greatly appreciate any words-of-wisdom some kind soul(s) would gift me ! thanx all...you look like a great group ! vincent Suffern NY 91 ST1100, 2005 Gas Gas TXT200Pro, Yamaha XT225, Honda XR400R
Hey, I'm a '99 owner too. A common issue they have is the R/R overheats. Fortunately there's an easy fix and you just have to buy the VFRness from http://www.wiremybike.com and to be on the safe side, replace the R/R too. Other than that you might want to upgrade to a sargent seat because the stock seat isn't that great for extended trips. And if you're more into sport-riding than touring a good cheap mod to do is to pull the forks up 10 mm. The stock set up isn't real sharp handling and it's more like a middle ground between sport and touring. You're probably expecting some huge list but this is a Honda we're talking about here. The R/R is really the only mandatory item you got to take care of. Hope that helps!
Hey Joey, thanx much for the R/R heads-up. That same problem used to exist on a '83 Nighthawk I used to have another lifetime ago. I'll check if a bigger gauge re-wire of the R/R and charging circuits was done. Hopefully Sunday I'll be purchasing the 99 VFR. I look forward to meeting and riding with some of you folks ! ...um, what is that you're holding up in your profile picture ??? vincent
ha ha, that's not exactly me. Have you ever seen those infomercials for slapchop and shamwow? The guy that sells them is hilarious. Check out this youtube of the slapchop: YouTube - Vince with Slap Chop (Long version)
Thanx for the warm welcome guys. I should be scoping out the 99 VFR Sunday, and if all checks out, I'm gonna bite ! It looks to be a pretty well cared for 99, (5th-Gen ?) with 16k miles asking $3500. I know its below blue book, but is that a good price ??? let me know & I appreciate all your feedback and help vincent
Welcome to the forum! That price seems somewhat fair if it's a museum quality bike. If it's got little things here and there wrong, and worn tires, knock it down to $3k and call it good.
That's a good price if it's in good shape; museum-quality would be more, I think. Then again, everything's cheap nowadays so maybe soundmaster is right. I paid $4k for my '96 with 18k miles on it, but that was last September and the economy has been free-falling since then.
