Looking at a possible VFR purchase, what's your thoughts on this bike?

Hi all- been looking for a 4th gen for a while now, and came across one yesterday that looks like it's in good shape. My question is, do you think 32k is high miles when considering buying a VFR? I know these things go many miles, I've just never bought a used bike with that many on it. The seller is asking $2500 and I'm gonna have to drive over 600 miles to see it, so I wanna be sure it's petty much good to go mechanically. It has the Corbin hard bags and a D&D exhaust as well. Here's a photo-



what do you think?

 

32k isn't crazy for a VFR.

The asking price is close to market value I would think especially with the bags and exhaust included. The windshield doesn't look stock and it looks like he has done some custom work on the wheels too which is nice looking. If the rubber, chain / sprockets and body work are in nice shape it's probably worth a look. Mind you, you can find 5th gen and some 6th gen machines for just a tad more $$$$$.

 

About three years ago I purchased a new to me 2000 VFR800 with 54,000 km's (approx 30,000+ miles) and even thought the fairings looked a bit rough (they were badly chipped and pitted) the PO provided me with about 14 pages of service history for the bike that were printed out for him by the local dealer where he had serviced the bike regularly. The bike looks to be in good shape visually which might indicate that the bike was well taken care of, but you might want to ask what the bike was used for (ie. daily driver or touring machine, stop and go driving could arguably be said to be harder on the engine if short commutes were more regular), and you might also check to see if the regulator/rectifer has ever been changed and when and if the valve adjust service has ever been done, and when the fluids were last changed. Condition of the tires and color of the fluid in the brake clutch reservoirs would also be a good thing to look at. The darker the fluid in the reservoirs the more likely that you may need to change the fluids.

Personally I would not worry about buying a VFR with that number of miles as these bikes can easily hit a 100,000 miles. If there is a member here that lives near the bike, maybe they wouldn't mind going to look at it for you?

Good luck with your purchase and it sure is a nice looking machine.

 

Hi - If the service was done at the regular intervals/miles, then 32K is a chump change on a vfr. There was another post couple days ago with a link to a CL add and that bike has 170K+ miles. If everything checks out, then you should be good. Like other member pointed out, you can probably find a 5th or 6th generation between 3 and 4K. If you end up getting the 4th gen, think about changing the rear wheel to a 5th gen. I think there is a video on youtube about it. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

And, before making the 600 miles trip, ask for as many pictures as you can to cover every angle on the bike and also service records. You can post the pictures on the forum and we will take a look at them as well and point of anything that you need to pay attention.

 

Wow thanks for the replies everyone! I emailed the seller and asked many questions, now I'm just waiting on a reply. When he does, I'll also ask if he has a service history for it and a few more close up photos. I'm really liking the fact that it has the hard bags already as I plan on doing some trips on it. Also asked if he had the seat cowl for it- are those hard to find if he doesn't?

I'll keep you updated!

 

few years newer, few dollars more.
2006 HONDA VFR 800 INTERCEPTOR

 

What's the benefit of upgrading to a 5th gen rear wheel?

 

Yeah that's a nice bike, but that's more than a few dollars more-almost twice as much! I'm trying to keep this purchase $3k or less. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

I believe that the Corbin Beetle Bags are getting quite rare these days and they were pricy when new so yes it is a plus as is the exhaust. Solo seat cowls for 6th gens are relatively easy to find with a little patience but the older 3rd and 4th gens don't seem to pop up that often. That said, one will get listed in the classifieds tomorrow and I will have to eat more crow. I'm starting to get a taste for that little bird lately.

As much as I like the bike you are looking at, I personally wouldn't pull the trigger as the 5th gen with EFI is so much nicer. Of course that is just my personal opinion. I've a had a number of VFRs over the years including many carbed and a number of EFI machines. I can't be bothered to dink with jetting anymore it's just too tedious.

 

If I am not wrong, I think the 5th gens have a bigger tire 180/55 which should give you more stability.

 

I can confirm that they do indeed have a 180 rear tire.

 

Thanks !!!

 

I think you can still find the rear cowls for the 94-97 bikes but they are more difficult to come by used without broken mounting tabs. They can still be purchased OEM but they are around $200+ dollars. www.bikebandit.com lists them as available on their website. One thing that might be worth mentioning is that from the look of the pictures you might have to remove the beetle bags in order to get to the bolts that go through the side of the fairing and hold the cowl cover on.

As for the wider wheel, if you can find the 8 spoke rear wheel from a 3rd gen for cheap (not likely, they are quite rare) the wheel can be installed with no modification. Having owned a 4th gen and a 5th gen I can't say I have ever noticed a difference in the bikes handling between the 180/55 R17 on the 5th gen and the 170/60 R17 on the 4th gen. The 180/55 R17 is a bit cheaper to purchase as I recall because the tire size is more common but the cost required to save the money on the tire likely would not be worth the added expense. That said, I would gladly put an 8 spoke 3rd gen wheel on my 2000 VFR just because it looks soooo much nicer IMHO.

 

First off, that is a gorgeous bike! Looks like it is ready for the road with nothing needing to be done to it. However, if it were me I would spend just a little more and get a 5th or 6th gen.

I concur with the advice about the rear wheel. The 180 would feel better and there is also a wider selection of tires available to you. (Pilot Road 2 is my favorite!) Good new is that the 5th gen rear wheels are very common on ebay and inexpensive if you choose to do that.

The Corbin Beetlebags are nice, and they are better than no hard bags in my opinion. However there are some serious drawbacks on them. They have lids instead of a clam shell design. This limits you in regards to what you can carry. Only things that fit through the opening is what you can take with you on trips. Also the latch system on them are pretty weak and expensive to replace.

Carbs - some people love them others hate them. Me personally I won't go back to them.

The mileage? Wouldn't concern me in slightest.

IMO, if you can get him down to $2K even, then I would jump on it. Otherwise I would seriously consider a newer one.

 

Go for it !! For that bike the price seems fair. My belief is that 5th and later gens are less reliable than that bike, with a myriad of potential fuel injection issues and more electrical chaos, not to mention the huge difficulty of valve adjustments.

 

I've considered a 5th or 6th gen and while I'm not opposed to fuel injection, I am much more familiar with carbs and I like to do my own maintenance, including on the side of the road if need be! Plus, I simly like the older styling of the 4th gens better than the newer models, but that's just me.

 

Then that's the clincher! Really, you cannot go wrong with 3rd - 6th. I don't include the 7th only because I know nothing at all about them. I also like the 4th gen styling. I was looking for a 4th when I found my 5th. Now that I have the FI, I just cannot see going back. However in my case, I don't do most of my own wrenching. So I couldn't fix either way.

I hope the bike looks as good in person as it does in this picture! Good luck and let us know if you snag it!

 

Is that a crack on the right side of the head light cowl right below the windshield?

 

Buy it. The bags alone are worth half the asking price when they were new.
Don't waste your money on changing to a different rear wheel etc.
I wouldn't wait too long because there is a big demand for these machines.
The flagman just gave you a green flag . . . so what are you waiting for? >>>>>>>