Chicago girl considering a VFR800

Do you weigh 80lbs and ride 35 mph? I was super excited to get 40 mph with a tail wind and pure gas! My next best mileage has been 38mpg, all freeways in SoCal.

 

Imperial gallons Lint, approximately 1.2 US to 1 imperial.

 

PS Lint, do you have a full size photo of your avi? Nice.

 

Not at all work safe. Butt, enjoy. http://i.imgur.com/Ak9IVmr.jpg

Now that I have hijacked this thread and I look like a total male chauvinist pig, I return it to the OP.

My experience with my 05 VFR has been mostly positive. I HATED the off throttle fueling on mine. I took off the PAIR valve, actually the valve and hoses and solenoid and capped the parts on the valve covers and that helped a lot. I also synced the throttle bodies to the number 4 cylinder and that helped too. I also just put in a new battery and even that helped. I need to flush my brakes and or upgrade the master cylinder, because while they still definitely work, after riding a 2016 S1000RR I never knew how good brakes can be. I also shimmed up the rear shock and dropped the front 12mm. I may add one more shim to the rear shock and raise the front back up, but there is no urgency to that. The suspension is still stock, so I am saving money to upgrade that. Even so, it made a MASSIVE difference in how the bike rides. Next step is a DMR suspension. Then exhaust.

 

Now that you mention you have a Shoei RF-1200, I got one of my saddlebags out of storage and tried my RF-1200 helmet, and it is just too tall, does not fit no matter what position you try. Hope that's not a deciding factor in your choice.

 

Go ahead and buy the thing already ! :couple_inlove::couple_inlove:

You'll love it !

 

lol...I found a place that had one for a great price and I'm getting a price on my trade in F800GT. The trade needs to include the saddle bags. Small or not I still need them for work.

 

FYI rebs, Shoei just came out with a photmetric shield for the RF 1200 so you don't have to carry 2 shields. Save some bag space.

 

By the way, no one in this thread mentions the Triumph Spring. I would personally recommend the VFR over it, as I love the V4, the honda build quality and reliability, etc., but the Triumph Sprint is by all accounts a great bike. I've ridden an older one and liked it. Just food for thought, though my money is still on the 2014 VFR800.

 

NO shiet, how cool, I've always wondered when this might happen be it's in sunglasses, it should have been sooner, now to see what helmet it all fits. doubt it will work in my Shoei as sad as that is, I love my helmet.

 

Funny the Triumph Sprint ST, with it triple engine was on the radar but the only one around here has 30k miles on it so I decided to not pursue it.. The Sprint GT is a much heavier machine and somebody who's owned one told me how they're a bit top heavy and recommended against it for me. I'm tall enough to flat foot the VFR with the seat in low position but I'm on my tip toes with my S1000RR. What I liked about the VFR was how centralized the mass was making it much more nimble than its 520 wet weight would suggest. Other contenders were the Ducati ST and the ninja 1000. I've pretty much settled in the VFR but need to check on my finances.

 

This past summer, I discovered that the VFR800 will keep up with a C14 (both bikes loaded down) with the right rider.

The C14 will get the jump off the start thanks to the higher amount of torque and HP, but it's much heavier and geared differently, the VFR800 can make it up once V-TEC kicks in.

That said, the VFR is a swiss army knife ... it doesn't particularly excel at any one thing, other than being a really versatile bike and is a pleasure to ride in just about any situation. The only thing it doesn't do, is off road.

 

Make sure you do a full nationwide search for your new VFR800, as prices can be all over the place, from full MSRP to under $10k for a Deluxe. With shipping being in the $500-$700 range, it's a good option if you find a really great deal on one in another state.

FYI, I've bought 2 bikes online from out of state, and had them both shipped with www.Haulbikes.com. Both purchases were fairly easy with no issues (just a lot of faxing and emailing).

 

Nice rebs on your thinking, hope it all pans out for you, I'm pretty sure you'll be one happy girl. Don't forget though if and when throw up some photos, we like photos.

 

Thanks DriverDave. I did find a Deluxe for less than $10k but fortunately in an abutting state. I'm negotiating a trade in price for my F800GT now and think I have a reasonable deal including saddlebags for the VFRer. My problem is that I want to get rid of my F800GT as well and trade in, while not as economically beneficial as selling on the open market, is quicker and less of a hassle. First, it's cold here so people will be expecting a huge deal from a seller right now and second, I have to trust that the person responding to my ad is a real person and not trust that something bad won't happen when they come to see the bike. (ya, I worry about things like that lol)

Jeff: A C14 is a much heavier bike isn't it? I think I sat on one at the store also and it was heavy, long, and the seat was higher. I think the FJR had the same problem. And I agree. All ST style bikes are jacks of all trades and which one you pick depends on which compromise you're willing to accept.

 

Rebs, there are 2 New 2014 VFR800's on ebay each is a buck under $8k. Not in your state but close.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Inter...0d80c16d:g:kQEAAOSwfZ1WaY~g&item=172025233773

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Inter...5f554b96:g:me8AAOSwgQ9V2jZQ&item=401031383958

 

Thank you Grabcon. Those are great prices but I really am looking for the Deluxe model because I would like the hand grip warmers (Chicago area is kinda a damp cold ugh) and the ABS. Thank you though!

 

I see those two companies a lot selling Hondas at greatly reduced prices. It may be worth a phone call to ask about the deluxe model.

 

I have the X 12 and they don't have it out for it yet but I'm told they will soon.

 

$170 for a face shield is a bit much.