Farewell for now, VFR World

Well, all good things must come to an end.

My beloved black 2006 VFR 800 interceptor with factory Givi cases is no more. July 1st I was on my way to UPS to pick up, of all things, a new helmet I had purchased. I was waiting behind a plumbing truck and was rear-ended by a woman who I later found out was texting on her cell phone. As I put my left foot down, clutch in, gear in first, I looked into my mirrors and saw truck grill in stereo coming at me at about 40mph. By the time you read the end of that sentence I was slammed into the back of the plumber's truck. I had no time to react.

I remember starting to come to my senses as I was standing by the stretcher and I sat down for them to secure me and lift me into the ambulance.

I must have popped up like toast from a toaster for the most part. No tears or even scrapes on my jeans, no holes in my gloves. My new Bell RS-1 took a good hit. The visor popped off, a few scratches on it but still usable. My Alpinestar boots barely a scuff.

At the hospital I went through some xrays and cat scans. Nothing broken, just sore as hell. I bounce well for a 50y/o. For the most part the worst was a right black eye and a cut on my right arm below the elbow, probably from my Givi windscreen. I took Tuesday off from work to heal a bit more. Wednesday I returned to my job as a cat scan tech. I complained about my knee and ankle and they did MRI's on both for me for free - A non-displaced compression fracture of the tibial plateau and a torn ACL. The ankle similarly I had a non-displaced fracture of the cuboid and torn ligaments and tendons. I basically limped a bit for about 2 weeks. I'm fine now except rib and low back pain from the impact.

The woman that hit me had of course PIP coverage only. Her $10,000.00 in bodily injury was exceeded by my 5 hour visit to the ER. The insurance covered my bike at replacement value. I was lucky I found on Cycletrader my exact bike with bags at a dealer neaby for $8,000.00 - The insurance agreed on that amount.

I went a week after the accident to see my bike at the tow yard. My hear just sank. The front right of the bike looked like someone took a scalpel and sliced off the face of my bike. The rear was surprising. The bags flew off the mounts and both had fist size holes in them. Looking at the Givi mounting brackets you could not tell that they were even scratched! They probably saved my ass, literally. They're on the bike as strong as a roll cage. The front of the bike smashed inward, The rear wheel looked like a teething ring for an ogre. I asked for the key. It had been sitting about 3 weeks now and I figured that the 5 year old battery would probably be drained. The gauges came to life. The motor cranked about 5 seconds and started up like it wanted to go and leave this place. Not even a tick, just smooth as ever. But the oil was pumping from the front hose like a severed artery. I shut her down and sighed. I hope someone gets the motor from the junk yard. She died young. 38,000 miles on her.

I had just put on new tires, new Pazza levers, new grips, new chain and sprockets, and a Sargent saddle. The later was about the only thing on the bike with no damage. Anyone need a Sargent seat? I also have the stock seat and rear cowling, as well as the stock screen and a ZG stock screen if anyone's interested.

Well, after I left the tow yard I went to the cycle shop down the road. Told the salesman my tale of woe, my riding style, my likes, etc... They don't sell Honda's. That's ok. Nothing could really replace my VFR in my mind. Those days were gone. Onto a new chapter.

The salesman talked about a Ninja 1000. I said I am not into crotch rockets. He said, 'No, no. This is new. It's a full faired street bike.' He led me to it. I looked at it. I sat down. I started to smile from ear to ear. This bike is what we VFR owners have been asking Honda to do to the VFR 800 from the get-go! 1,043cc, upright seating, high rise bars that were higher than my VFR with bar risers! Reach to the bars was basically like riding a BMW R1200R. The windscreen is manually adjustable on the fly in about 1 second via a release lever under the gauge cluster, and it works great! The bike feels LIGHT, although it is supposedly about the same weight. The front forks are FULLY adjustable.

I looked around about another week, but nothing came to interest me. Then I found the ad on Cycletrader for the Ninja 1000 at the shop I visited. The $10,999 price was dropped to $8,298.00! SOLD (this past Saturday)!!! I got the red black and she's a beauty! I also got the factory Givi bags for it and heated grips. They come in this Friday. Oh, OTD for all this was $11,300.00. A bargain.

This bike will spank any VFR 800 and probably most of the VFR 1200's out there. The power's amazing. From lower than 2krpm it pulls, and pulls, and PULLS. The center of gravity is higher on this bike, albeit the seat height is the same as the VFR. It's so flickable I am still learning it. Rear brake sucks. But I guess I am used to having the linked system.

Clutch takes a bit of getting used to after having a hydraulic one, but shifting is crisp. Right now she's sprung tight like a racer. I'll wait till I get the bags till I soften it up.


So, as I say farewell to you all in this forum I do so with a heavy heart as I loved that bike despite anything negative anyone including myself could say about it. It was simply an endearing motorcycle that was totally predictable in any situation.

But I think I have found something better, stronger, faster.

God bless all and ride safe.

Stan

 

Good things worked oot for you and glad your OK! Don't be a stranger just cuz you changed up.

 

If I said that lady must of been thinking wabbit season, I hope you know I'd only be joking!

Dear God man - glad you're still with us!

And +1 to what Toe said. I'm sure you're not the only one that's eyeballed the Ninja. I, for one, would like to hear more comparisons as you rack up some more miles on her.

Hope to see you around, and heal well, fellow rider.

 

tinkerinWstuff - Would not have mattered. We're talking about maybe at best 2 seconds.

Toe Cutter - TY

Pliskin - LMAO. I didn't think of that!

I can give tyou a bit of insight now. I put 125 miles on it and the low fuel light started flashing...lol. Kinda disappointed at only a 5 gallon tank, but according to the manual when the light flashes I have 1.1 gallons left. I don't think they gave her a good fill at the shop anyway.

The torque is amazing. This bike actually pulls strong from lower than 2krpm. I was coming home today and taking a left from a stoplight. I shifted into second, revs were about 2k, I gased it just maybe 1/3 and the front tire lifted coming out of the corner (in front of the police station...lol). People on other sites say there's a typical flat spot at like 4krpm. I haven't noticed it. The bike cruises in low speed zones at 3krpm or lower without surging or sputtering at all.

Kinda miss the hydraulic clutch, but it shifts sharp and clean. The rear brake's crap as I think I said already. Don't ask it to save your life. It won't hear you.

The mirrors are smaller and in my opinion not that good but aftermarlet is out there for that. I think they should have positioned them not so far down the nose.

Vibration at the footpegs is present at 5krpm and definitely at 80mph. the hand grips are a tad buzzy. Some of this I will for now attribute to breaking the bike in and I think smoothness with start to come out with a bit more age.

Chain adjustment is almost as easy as the VFR. No guessing with this new concentric system. Just loosen both sides, click, click both the same, and tighten. No centerstand needed, but hopefully available in the future.

Exhaust fairly quiet until you crank throttle. It has a nice sound from that funky setup. I think a nice set of Yoshi's will be in the future.

Seating position and reach to the bars is VERY relaxed. I'm 6'2" and I sit as far back in the seat as I can. When I sit forward and hug the tank my elbows feel almost bent 90 degrees. I may even see if there are aftermarket clip-ons to lower the bar profile if you can believe that! Footpeg position is great. Less cramped, even when you crouch into the tank in race tuck. The seat has very little to no tilt causing you to slide forward. Where you sit is where you stay.

If you ask me, a set of regular clip-ons on this bike and it would be a great starting platform for a cafe racer.

Rear seat has tool bag and just enough space for my motocycle jumper cables. Storage won't be an issue next Saturday as I get the bags installed.

Comes with BattkleAx (yuck), easily fixed...lol.

Longest ride for me so far was about 45 minutes on some backroads and highways. No surprises except this thing is a rocket waiting for launch. I redlined it slowly in 1st gear. Ok, maybe half throttle, and when it spooled down in second and I looked down it was at 110mph already. This bike is fast...lol. It feels 100 pounds lighter than my old VFR.

The windscreen even in middle position is good for high speeds. None of the screen positions puts any turbulent air at the rider. It does not have a flip up lip at the tip. It's curved down and in and the air that hits you, even in the helmet, is a smooth stream. That part was surprising given how skinny I thought the screen was, but it does a better job than any of my touring screens on my old VFR.

Let me know what else you'd like insight on. I am sure I mmissed a few things.

Oh wait! I hate bikes that have the one-eyed cat look, so I keep it on high beam. Looks sharp that way too.


Take care everyone. Be safe.

 

I knew what you meant. I just wasn't over far enough when I stopped. Hence the right-sided scapel appearance of the fairing in the tow yard. Caught the left side of the back of the truck. Either way she would have totaled the bike at her rate of speed. Honestly, if I was over far enough she would have rammed me into oncoming traffic though.

Sorry, I should have clarified that this was a two lane city backstreet (side street) that occasionally has a center turn lane (no concrete dividers, no light) when needed for busier streets. I was in the turn lane behind the truck. We were both at a stop waiting on oncoming traffic.

 

Careless driving - 4 points

Being that she already had high risk insurance, I'd hope that was enough to take her license for a while.

 

Sorry to hear about your girl getting mooshed and you gettin all banged up. Glad you're still with us man, definately don't split on account of the new ride, you're among many others who have long since lost their VFRs

 

The heartbreaker was that she started when I turned the key... Like putting down a dog that smiles at you but you know she's really sick and it needs to be done. I had the VFR actually from 2007. It had 734 miles on it and I got it for $8,000.00 with the cases and liners. I traded in a 2007 Ducati ST3 for it and never regretted that decision. A far superior bike.

Dealerships and salespeople used to know me by name. I had a rep of buying a bike and getting bored with it and trading it in inside a year. I kept this damn VFR for 4+ years. My mechanic said I must really like this bike. All I know is it just fit like a comfy pair of shoes.

I like the new bike, but like a new dog given to you as a replacement for your loss, it's just not the same yet. I hope this one grows on me like she did. Maybe I should go out and pet it and talk softly to it.

Once I get the bags on it I think it'll be a closer match. The new one is a looker. The solid black version is a flat black. It's boring. The VFR black has gold flake in it and I always got compliments on the paint. The red on the new bike is flake metallic and that makes it pop. I plan to get the bag insets (trim panels) sprayed the red to match. They only come in black right now.

I guess I still have the memories and stories.

 

Sorry to hear about the misshap. Sorry that you lost your old mate too.
I agree with all here, don't be a stranger coz u changed rides.

 

I do miss the tone of that V4 exhaust, even if was the stock exhaust. Reminded me of my 1973 Plymouth Duster. I guess that was a good part of the character of the bike.

 

I can always go to the Kawasaki forum and berrate them. Like, I already read one woman talking about how her hubby spent the $12k for the bike and the suspension was 'flawed' It bottomed out according to her. Well, if your hubby weighs 290 and she probably weighs more than 200lbs (she wouldn't divulge her weight, typical) My back would give out too! Morons... lol! Aren't those the people Harley Davidson targets anyway?!

At a spartan 175lbs. I find the suspension way more than adequate. Even if I overload the bags I think it'll be more than adequate. But then my female passengers don't weigh more than me either!

 

Make the bitch pay. Sue Sue Sue. Fuck I hate it when I see some bitch or asshole on a cell phone or texting when I am nearby on the bike.

The minimum liability insurance you must have here is 500,000. Our insurance may be expensive, but there is good coverage if some asshole hurts you or disables you.

And BTW. YOu are bilingual now. You can speak Hondese and Kawese. Simmilar languages but the accent is different.

 

Instant No Button! Star Wars funnies FTW!

 

Glad you are ok and can still ride. The Kawi Nija 1k is a great bike. Good luck and keep the shiny side up!!!

 

This is what he went through.

‪Biker Gets Rear-Ended and Lands on Feet‬‏ - YouTube

 

If you still have the liners, I would be interested...at least a part of her would live on....