Is the VFR really a sport tourer?

My two cents

Me and my wife ride all the time. Just completed a 300 mile trip this weekend.
Anchorage to Denali. We both find the bike to be comfortable. I have made some mods like the taller windscreen Gen-mar risers and mirror extenders. We both like the OEM seat over the Corbin. Yes, I drive slower and take our time so we may see the sights. I am 6'1" and my wife is 5'9". As stated already it is all about the person on the bike not the bike.

 

Thanks for all the great inputs. I may get a sargent or corbin seat and see what happens. For the two up, that will be on hold too as the wife clock is ticking pretty hard and she won't be on the bike much anymore. Might be a good thing

 

Riding my VFR was extremely painful at first, but my body got used to it. I'm actually more limber and have fewer joint pains now than I did before. I'm very comfortable, even on long rides. I've done a few seven and eight hour days and felt good the next day.

I'm 6'1", 218 lbs. I've got Heilibars and Buell 1" drop foot pegs. I'm very comfortable.

As for the VFR not being good for touring, I'm leaving on a 5,000 mile tour starting the end of the month and will hopefully be able to do two 800+ mile days back to back to get where I'm going quickly (all slab). I'll let you know what I think when (if) I come back.

 

If I had the money to add a FJR1300, ST1300, 1200RT, Concourse 14 type bike I would in a heartbeat. I have thought long and hard about replacing the VFR with one of those but the sport side of the touring is something that is special. The VFR really is a great all rounder, and that is the issue that plagues you when looking for another bike. I would try very hard to make it comfortable before you replace it.

 

First of all, your Avatar KILLS me, NJA Pilot!
Secondly, this Thread is a perfect example of why this Forum is the best...you all have excellent points and no one got uppity. Let's face it, this knid of question can bring out wildly divergent opinions since we all want different things from a bike and the VFR is a jack-of-all-trades. So, depending on how you look at it, the VFR is not great at anything or the perfect all-a-rounder. I find that I am waaay more comfy on the VFR than my Tacoma or Accord. My back aches in the cages. But, only each one of us can say what is best. This is why alot of folks here have 3 bikes. Good luck NJA...we all hope you figure out what is best for you.

 

Whoa!
I had to shield Cherry Darling's (the viffer) eyes! You could've broken her heart!

Anyways, I have completed 400 plus mile days on the Viffer already and I've only been riding her since the snow has thawed. And I agree, sometimes my knees did bother me as I have patellular tendonitis and have even had surgery on one of them, but I've also ridden a DRZ400s down the Continental divide with the stock seat. So I know that things can be much worse.
I'm 6'1" and I do find the windshield to be short and Genmar risers or Heli-bars are on my Chrismas list as well.
I understand that the bike may need some modifications for added comfort and that two up riding just may be too much for the bike to handle. Like many other people have suggested, a physically larger bike could potentially better suit your needs. Maybe a Gold-Wing, FJR1300, or ST1300. Today my girlfriend and I actually sat two up on my father's ST1100 and then my VFR just to see the difference and the ST felt much more comfortable and accomidating. But, I'm not saying that a different bike is necessary. A few years ago I recall reading an article about a man (I don't remember his name...sorry) who went on a around the world adventure on a Yamaha R1, definitely not a motorcycle that people associate with long distance touring. So the moral of my aberration is that comfort and passion is between the legs of the beholder. (If you will... heheh)

P.S. I realize that last sentence makes almost no sense..

 

I would like to make an addendum!
I'm not sure how to quote somebody else's text and then continue off of it or ask a question, but
This addendum concerns "Knife".
I was curious about the Buell footpegs that are an inch lower than stock.
Is the difference they make worth the hassle?
Do they lower the footpegs too much? Do they scrape significantly sooner?
I know that to scrape anything the bike needs to be quite heeled over, but I don't want to limit the bike's ability in the corners.
Thanks!

 

The VFR was your first bike? dayaaammmm!
And now you're thinking of a 'busa? double dayammm!
My first bike was an 80cc yammie dirt.

I had a road king custom, to me that was a "tourer." Could putt along for friggin days...

ace57

 

I think that a bike that makes around 100hp at the wheel is great for SPORTtouring if that is what you are trying to do. The typical Harley alphabet ride weighs in at about 700-800lbs (for my european brothers, sorry; metric isn't my strong suit) and makes about 100hp at the wheel...Yes, yes is is a Touring rig. Yes it's a V twin (a bit more torque). But I like to do a little scratching so I chose the VFR. One of the responses is to not ride at or beyond the bikes limits and I agree. I think that the seat makes ALL of the difference on a long day on the viffer. My son and myself did 640miles in two days--he weighs in at about 150 and I weight in at 185 is and am a six footer. My seat is stock and my behind started to *tingle* about 1 hour from home...

 

Just finished a 2500 mile trip on my VFR, including a 625 mile day. I found the bike pretty comfortable, with only my butt getting sore, but getting a good stretch standing up on the pegs or stopping for gas fixed that problem. The Sargent seat definetly helped. One thing I might want for next time is an actual cruise control, like some of the guys have been adding, like the Audiovox model. The throttlelock was ok, but i got tired of making little adjustments all of the time. Might add bar risers as well, but I was ok without them. I'm 6'0 tall, but am only 27 too.

 

"I'm 6'0 tall, but am only 27 too.".....Youngsters are alway braggin :biggrin:.
I'm 5'9" tall, but am only ..... ahhhh never mind. Sorry, my brother-in-law just had his birthday and felt the need to remind me how MUCH older I was!

I have never had problems with my knees so far but I have probably only been on a 100 or so mile ride at a time so far. My problem area's are my hands and shoulders, I have been trying to work on my body position and I think this is where people make a big differance in comfort. I remember when I first started riding the VFR my hands would go numb and after reading some suggestions from folks here I no longer have this problem. I'm sure with some more effort I will find my perfect comfort on the VFR. I do love the bike...

 

This takes some practice too; seems like I sometimes get into THE position, and the ride rocks...sometimes I have a hard time getting in the groove so to speak. And I'm 43 this year I think...

 

I just came off several years of riding touring model Harley Davidsons. What the hell am I doing here? I am still not sure. On a nice touring machine, you can shift your body and feet in many positions to keep from getting stiff. A touring machine doesn't really know if there is a passenger there or not. The wheel base is long and stable full loaded no matter what and the torque is always there to pull you or two around.

After a 200 miles on this new old 5 gen, I am ready to get my Hog back. I plan to keep the vfr but it may see limited duty. I am finding that I cannot change my body position around much; not my feet or adjust the wieght on my seat (and I have a corbin). I am not used to the weight on my wrists, but I am getting used to it. I miss all of my luggage space (nice space from the factory)

That being said, sounds like you (and I) have the wrong bike if we can only have one. This is a sport bike no matter how you slice it. It can tour well one-up, but I think it's too small and light to be solid and safe with two people. Touring bikes come with luggard as standard issue. Touring bikes are designed with comfort in mind for the driver AND passenger.

Many folks here seem have had the vfr for quite some time and they've already said they can ride for many miles and they feel great. I guess it's a matter of conditioning in many respects.

The VFR imo is a great bike packed with great technology that will last last a long time, but it sounds like you need more touring than sport as do I.

 

nhmountainman kinda hit it for me; I wanted the look of sport, the lean of sport without the wrist issues and butt issues of sport. I didn't want a touring rig. But I did want a long legged sport bike. I will be buying a ST1300 for the wifey and me.

 

The Buell pegs were inexpensive (maybe $28.00 for the pair?), and only took a a short amount of time to grind a bit and mount. Had to also adjust the shift lever a bit, and I heated and bent the foot brake lever some. They do make a difference for me. As far as scraping, yes, but I still have chicken strips, so that's not really a concern of mine.

 

I've had my viffer for 4 months now, and have already logged 4500 miles! When I first started riding this bike, I found it uncomfortable, as I've only riden cruisers previously (V65 Magna). It took a while, but I am now acustomed to the VFR, and actually prefer the riding position to the cruiser position! I did a 450 mile day a couple of weeks ago, and it didn't bother me at all, although without the Corbin it would have been tough. Some soft Cortech Sport bags, and I can haul about everything I could need.

Dave P.

 

I'm 5'9", 185 and 60 years old this year, no problem at all with the riding position on the VFR.

I am a lucky guy, my wife rides her own bike, and so I don’t have to ride a ST. :biggrin:

 

If they were under 400 and went wide, the suspension was obviously setup incorrectly or it was rider error. I'm not trying to degrade the situation or anything but the bike can handle it's limits as long as the suspension is setup properly. For two up, you should have the bike re-sprung front and rear for sure. That will eliminate going wide.


That being said, I'm 23 years old, 6'4", and 350lbs. The bike can ride on rails with hard luggage loaded up near 400lbs. I DO have an Ohlin's rear shock with a spring for 360lbs at least. Front forks definitely need higher spring rate as well, but haven't coughed up the cash for that yet.

As long as the suspension is setup right, the only thing you need to worry about is the load capacity of your tires.

Also, I haven't had any problems with comfort on the the bike either(with Sargent seat) unless I'm over 400 miles in a day or I get lazy on the throttle wrist. Just remember to stretch your knees as much as possible or get better fitting clothes if you're having problems.

 

There are many options with the VFR positioning, I can't imagine anyone couldn't make changes to get comfortable, although I will admit there are limits to the changes you can make. I can see the motor not being strong enough for 2-up plus luggage, although I've done 2-up from one end of CA to the other with no issues.

The Buell pegs have been mentioned, also these peg lowering blocks from BLS:
link: Peg Lowering Blocks - VFRD

These lower the pegs and move them backward a little, very comfortable.

Higher bars can be added with heli bars, genmar risers or 41-43mm bars from other bikes.

Corbin or Sargent seats are available, along with Givi touring windscreens.

Givi has many options for 5th gen luggage, and the 6th gen has factory or Givi luggage available.

With a little money and mods the VFR can be a fine sport tourer.