Newbie with VFR800p

Hi everyone! I'm Wellard. I got my first bike which is a VFR800p (police version) 3 months ago. I'm excited to learn from this forum particularly on my bike model. Thank You and Ride Safe to everyone!

 

Welcome ….that bodywork is certainly distinctive

 

Just curious, how did you come across that model? I thought those were Japanese-only models.

 

Welcome Wellard : ) , and wow look at the rise on the handlebars ! I've never seen a VFR police special before. Are you going to leave it as is or convert it to civilian specs?

 

suggest you convert to standard vfr handlebars.

mabuhi

 

these models were initially used by some local government office here in the Ph. After substantial time of service, they offer it for public sales thru bidding then they bought newer models. To cut the story short, 1 unit landed on my marketplace page then able to have this beauty.

 

actually I'm still undecided. Primarily is the additional cost to buy new handlebars and secondly is the availability of the parts here. My priority for now is to change the disk brake rotor for the front as some friends told me that it's already worn out.
I'll attach some pictures for appreciation.

 

3 things a new 'cycle owner needs but may not think about:

1-amp battery charger

multimeter volts/ohms

small air compressor for tires

 

your rotor is probably fine as the surface marks look good. measure the rotor to determine actual thickness compaAred with minimum listed in manual, usually about 3.5 mm.

genuine honda rotor is gonna bust the bank, handlebars would cost about the same. many people here have replaced stock bars for one reason or another so you could get a great deal on what you need from one of our members.

 

Thanks for the recommendation and noted on the first two. I already have a compressor.

 

Thanks for the insight! May I ask why you recommend to change to standard handlebars?

 

it's a personal preference of course. you would need to sit on another vfr to know. my guess is that police changed bars to aid quick U-turns in traffic or for arm comfort.

 

The police bike setup is actually the "superbike" bar setup that is taller and more comfortable ergonomically speaking.

 

I'm considering of changing the panel gauge to the standard version (RC 46) but I'm not sure if it's doable. As you can see, mine is equipped with ABS. Another concern is that the panel gauge for RC46 is hard to find. I saw a few on Ebay but hesitant to proceed.

 

I've changed out the handlebars on civilian VFRs to the Police bike riding position using the aftermarket kits available from Hurricane. It's a Standard upright posture, and all out comfort for street use. Unless you plan on using this bike as a track weapon, I have no idea what the benefit would be to move to a hunched over posture. Your VFR800P is already setup for comfort, if anything I would continue on this and toss on some lower footpegs.

 

Seeing now how many parts you would need and considering this is your 1st motorcycle, leaving the bike the way it is and just maintaining it is probably the best way to go. It will also be a unique conversation piece at any riding hang-outs you visit : )

 

For me those Police bars are cartoonishly too high.

 

You would need a lot more than just the gauge panel. A gauge panel off eBay probably won't come with the connectors, so you'd need an old wiring harness off a civilian RC46 to provide the needed donor plugs, assuming they're different than the plugs used on the VFR800P. All the mounting hardware would be needed. The panel plastic surround piece, and the little corner pieces that live by the mirrors on the civilian bike would be needed. Does the surround plastic off a regular VFR even meet up with the front cowl of a VFR800P? If not, you're going to need the front cowl off a civilian VFR There's also a concern if the underlying cowl stay bracket is the same.

Then there's the wiring signals. Most of what the regular RC46 gauges expect to see could probably be provided by the police bike. The oil pressure light, turn signal indicators, fuel level, tachometer, and speed signal are probably fine. A difference I see is the coolant temperature. Your bike looks like it has just a warning light. The regular RC46 has a sensor that the display translates into a digital value. There's even an outdoor air temp probe. You would be giving up some things as well. There is no gear position indicator on the regular RC46.

 

thank you for the suggestion. actually that makes a lot of sense.

 

that's what I thought. I need a complete set of front cowl and gauge brackets if I will convert it. what I don't realize is the different harnesses and plugs which gave me a second thought. thanks for that