Considering a 6th Gen VFR

Hi All,

I am a fairly new street rider (legally), but not a new rider over all. I have been riding motorcycles off road since I was 12, and I am now 43.

I have had my endorsement for a year now and have been riding my 2006 Ninja 500R, which I actually like a lot, but I find myself wanting a bit more now after puting more than 7K on this bike.

I love the look of the VFR's and really like the anniversary edition. I haven't sat on one of these yet since I haven't found any around in my area. I want to know if I am being reasonable thinking of one of these bikes.

I am a female rider. I am not afraid of the power of the bike at all, but wonder if I will be too small for the bike overall. I am 5'5" with a 30" inseam. I am pretty strong, so that part doesn't worry too much. I just don't want to be thinking of a bike that isn't really a wise option for me. Of course, if I got one and it didn't work, I could always just give it to my hubby :biggrin:

Are there any women on here that ride a 6th gen bike? I would love some imput on this.

Thanks!

 

welcome to the madness I'm sure someone will chime in soon
I say go for it you won't regret it.

 

We have a few female members that have 6 gens, I had a second gen. With the newer bikes you have a lot of options. What a lot of people like to do, male or female, is get an aftermarket seat. It will give you more comfort while lowering the seat height without sacrificing any handling aspects. I believe Theresa on here is about your height and she LOVES what the Sargent seat did for her. I think that would be your best bet because even you decide that it is not what you are looking for your husband will like it too!

Great choice on bike though, the RWB's are superb!!!

 

My wife is 5'6", started out on a 06 Ninja 250, then got a 07 Ninja 650R. When she started riding, she sat on my bike and felt intimidated by the size and the weight. Now that she's been riding a few years, she recently sat on the bike. I told her to take it for a ride. It took a little convincing, but she finally did it. She had no problems what so ever, and now she wants to ride it all the time. She is a very capable rider, and I think the biggest problem was convincing herself that she had the ability.

 

We have members with about the same measurements on gen 6 .:thumbsup:Go for it!:biggrin:

 

Thanks you all for the replies. It seems like the bike is certainly worth looking into further for me. Hooray! I will have to start looking around seriously to find dream 2007 Anniversary edition.

 

Welcome to VFRW!

As others have said, there are plenty of female VFR riders out there. It is kind of a heavy bike, but not difficult to handle IMO. You can always lower it a bit if necessary.

There are great deals to be had on leftover '07s right now, as Honda is offering up to $2660 off. Now is a terrific time to buy a leftover RWB anniversary edition '07 if you can find one. :thumbsup:

 

+ 1 Plasma.

 

I have your inseam and am only less that 2 inches taller than you and I have no problem with the bike. I can pretty much flat foot it with my tcx rider boots, which don't have an overly stacked sole...and this is with the stock seat.
I am not a female however.

ace57

 

Thanks so much for the great information! I have definitely been inspired to begin my search my VFR! I did find a local bike, but it wasn't the anniversary edition I was looking for, but was worth a look I thought. It was a 2004 with 3400 miles on it. The bike was absolutely immaculate along with everything else in this guys garage. It was bone stock. I was able to sit and get my feet on the ground without a problem. Not flat foot, but shaving the seat would probably take care of that.

My hubby took it for a ride and completely fell in love with the bike much to my shock. Well, not really, but just how he kept raving about it and such is uncharacteristic for him. So, I am now going to try and settle a deal with the owners on the side and surprise my hubby with it. I don't think I could keep it a secret until Christmas as I would like, but for a little bit anyway !

 

Awesome!! Please let us know how it goes.

 

The bike is tall for someone your size but it can be lowered quite easily. if you like the bike and are not scared of it DO IT!

 

The 2004's were special you know... thats the only year they did the super special asphalt black. (points to my bike in the sig hehe)

 

Steven,
Now that I have sat on the bike and felt it and such, I am not leary of the bike at all. I would shave the seat to make it narrower for me...if it were going to be my bike, but it isn't going to be now.

Meatloaf...well, this 2004 won't be quite as special as yours since this one is race ready red (or whatever silly color name they gave it) no Asphalt Black...sorry. LOL

 

The bike is a heavy sucker as far as imports go! I'd say, find one and put it on the center stand, if you can do that, than go for it!

I have a short buddy that rides an SV650s, it's a hella nice bike and somewhat light as well. It maybe a better choice for you.

 

VFRBenny,

I sure do appreciate your input regarding the VFR. I did go take a good look at one with my hubby. I liked the bike a lot. I wasn't able to flat foot while sitting on the bike, but wasn't on my toes either. My hubby took it for a ride and LOVED it. I ended up going back and buying the bike for him and surprising him with it. I rode it home (25 miles)without any problem whatsoever. I liked it a lot. So, for the time being, I am going to stay riding my 500R and enjoy that while I got my hubby into the 21st century from his vintage 80's bikes.

By the way, I had to see if I could get the bike on the center stand since you mentioned it. I did! Hooray!