VFR as a second bike?

Lord knows I don’t want to stop someone from getting a VFR but if you have to change windscreens, bar height, pegs and such have you considered alternate bikes? One that springs to mind is a Kawasaki Ninja 1000, upright ergonomics and a much lighter package than your FJR, just slightly less than a Gen 8. Plus it’s luggage can easily fit a full face helmet whereas the VFR side cases are really tight to fit a helmet.

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2017/05/07/2017-kawasaki-ninja-1000-abs-review-14-fast-facts/

 

Good question. Nice bike to be sure. You can get a 2018 which has the only semi acceptable color in three years with 1500 bucks back. Say 10,500 for the sake of argument. First, the bike has a very cluttered look to my eye. BUT, If it were in red, I would at least look at it. Two, the luggage is a very...very...uh...interesting shape. My friend bought a Versys 1000 with the same luggage. Ugly to be sure but the usable space is odd. So, yes, you are correct. If function is over form, the 1000 cant be ignored. So for $3500 more plus $350 more WA st sales tax, yes, and of course more insurance cost, I could ride a not so good looking bike in a medeocre color with is not to me a piece of art. Or, I could ride this!

 

I should add that the Tracer GT is an excellent bike. My Fjr bags will fit right on, too. A good riding friend has gone to one. It might even make a good primary bike. But yet again, it is uglier than a pug.....If this bike looked like a VFR and had a shaft, I would sell two bikes to get it! But a secondary bike is for lust and beauty....(no references to girl friends vs wifes please. I have a beautiful wife! ) (One thing I like about this forum is the emots!)

 

Ah, the heart wants what the heart wants. The neat thing about the VFR is that it is a very unique motorcycle and a complete pleasure to ride. Of course you get a 2014/15 Ninja 1000 and the price would be on par with the VFR's you are looking at right now. But to your point you don't find them appealing so why bother. I guess I brought it up because I was wondering if there were any other motorcycles you were looking at or was it the VFR or nothing?

Funnily enough my other bike is a Versys 650 with those odd shaped cases. The only griping I've heard about it were people that were trying to carry laptops and such, hard objects that were a bit longer than the short side of the cases length. Personally I've never had issue with it as they are quite spacious.

Honestly I hope this VFR or another works out for you. They are truly great bikes, highly refined and exquisitely designed... except for that big honkin' exhaust blocking the single-sided swingarm. Good Luck!

 

I really like the Tracer GT and much like Coyote Chris dislikes the Ninja 1000's looks I have the same feeling about the Tracer GT, though it is a step up from the FJ09, just a bit anyway. Agree with your assessment, if Yamaha offered it in a nicer looking package I would probably own one. I would even be okay with the chain as long as they keep the centerstand.

 

Yeah...just like the CBR650F. No center stand? Really? We actually LIVE with these bikes. WE have to clean the rear wheel and adjust the chain. And no factory luggage. Same with the Ninja 650. I dont really HATE the ninja 1000....I do hate the Tracer gt. In the immortal words of a friend of mine who rides triumphs and Royal enfields, "It looks like a transformer bike"
WE over at the NT/ Deuville forum are waiting with baited breath for the new 1000 deauville. If this comes out, my NT is History. Toast. Finito.

 

That is a cool mock-up. I test rode the old/current Deauville and found very nice but that mock up is a looker.

Honda has a bike it only sold in Europe and Canada (probably other places too but not here in the USA) that I've always drooled over, the CBF 1000. Would still buy one today if I could figure out how to get it across the border without too much fuss.

 

That is way cool, but that is not the only bike that the rest of the world gets that is cool and we dont. The US is a very small market for motorcycles so we get the short end of the stick. I have had my NT 700v for 30,000 miles. It was a big hit in Europe and the deauville forum is still big there. Here, I think they maybe sold 200 bikes and stopped trying after 2 years. Its not worth anything but its still a good bike. Took it to the Honda sport touring ralley in Spearfish SD as usual this year. It reminds me of the euro spec virago I owned in the 1980s. Yamaha XV920RH. Put on a Vetter windjammer and toured for 5 years.

 

OK, there are developments. I should know by Wednesday which bike to buy.

 

My 20 year old VFR is just back from 5000km trip with my FJR friend and it performed flawlessly. It was the oldest bike I saw out there, but you do not need to worry about reliability. These are terrific machines and in. 20 years it has never let me down. Buy the VFR, its a keeper.

 

Great looking bike!

 

I have only owned Japanese bikes for the last 56 years. I have had a few issues but none every left me by the side of the road. Hopefully I will get mine by the end of this week or next. Laker, how many times have you checked the valves and how many times did you have to change shims/buckets?

 

OK, pulled the trigger on a 2015 VFR800 delux red. Will be shipped here and delivered by a local dealer. Meanwhile I am off on a bike trip to darkest Idaho.

 

Given what you've said, I would not buy a VFR, but I'm not you. It is labeled as a "sport / touring" bike but in reality is much more sport than touring. It is heavy for the power it has and is not easy to move around when at a stop either. Trying to make it a comfortable touring bike is making it something it still won't be, IHMO. I'm anything but young but have strong core muscles and in decent shape otherwise. I don't use risers and don't want to change the riding position and make it harder to handle given where and how I ride (mountain twisties). I ride with essentially little to no weight on the bars and a very light grip on the bars (that's the right way to ride anyway). It just takes physical fitness. I typically ride 325 to 400 mile days in 90% twisties when I go overnight to ride. I can easily put all my clothes and needed stuff in an expanding Cortech tail bag (it's a great product!) and small tank bag because I wash clothes at night in the sink with Woolite. It works good and I travel light. I completely disagree that the Deluxe is the way to go. That's a personal decision. I have a standard and would give you the center stand (negotiated that for no cost when bike bought new) if it wasn't so hard to remove. You need Pit Bull stands anyway (awesome to have and use). I don't like ABS brakes on anything and I will tweak the front suspension when I change the fluid. As is, the front is nothing I can't successfully deal with. I don't want a traction control system that is known to not work well, a turn signal canceller (anyone that can't remember to turn off turn signals shouldn't be riding), ABS, or a center stand that I regret getting, and from experience on other bikes, heated grips aren't worth much to me because your hands will still get cold.
So, there's another opinion and I know I'm in the minority but take it for what it's' worth. I respect everyone's opinion on this subject because we're all different people. What makes you happy is what you should do!!

 

Can I help you with this video ?

 

No. I have a turn signal indicator canceling device. It's called my left thumb and it works every time but thanks anyway.

 

Congrats on your new bike. I'd be interested to get your riding impressions on it after you get some miles on it.

 

I appreciate your opinion!..., and what you have given is exactly why I need the VFR. I have a SportTOURER. Its called an FJR. Its 670 lb and its a sled made to eat miles, with a real cruise control, heated grips and electric windscreen. The suspension is very nice. There are few bikes that are as pleasing to the eye as it is. At 150 hp, it will pass trucks with authority. I also have an adventure touring bike which is fun in a whole different way. Now I need a SPORTtouring bike. If Yamaha made a 800 cc FJR that weighed 550 lbs, I would be all over it. But until the 1000cc Deuville comes out, I can think of few other bikes I would rather ride in this class as the classic VFR. I only rode one a few weeks ago for 15 miles, but the bike reached out and grabbed me. All the power I need, a very slick tranny, manuouverable, yet stable. Just the thing for all the mountain passes around the west I ride. Ride to the Cascades, set up camp, and ride to Mt St Helens and Mt. Rainier the next day sans gear. That's the ticket. When I sat on the VFR first I didnt know what position the seat was in but it fit me except I would want some setback. Not as much as the Ninja 650 comes with but I also needed some for my Kaw Concours C10. Very fixable. But the C10 and the FJR have top heavy issues. You sit on the VFR (I am 6 ft 2 inches and very fit) and throw the bike left and right and its wonderful. Slow speed turns in a parking lot? No problemo. Try throwing a FJR left and right while stopped and you can see why I have canyon cages, roll bars and sliders.
There is a dealer in Texas who has about 6 VFRs without ABS for sale, BTW. Actually, I like traction control more than ABS. In Spokane during the winter, they cover the roads with sand, and when the sun comes out and the snow is gone, that sand is still there. When I got my FJR, I made a left hand turn onto a highway briskly, and the sand in the median got me, but the traction control stopped anything unpleasant from happening. I like it. Did I have 20 bikes without it? Sure. But I like it now. (I am not a big heated grip fan but coming home last year from the Reno National Air races I rode through the high desert at 45 degrees F in the rain for 5 hours and I really enjoyed those grips. But they are just not an option I would order on purpose.)
My bike will be delivered soon after the 17th. I will report back on my first 100 mile ride! I got a quarter that says I love it. Its gotta be better than my 1960s era Yamaha YM1!

 

I think its safe to assume that - lol