2,000 miles on my new 2006 VFR...

Here's my general thoughts. I traded in a 2007 Ducati ST3 for this, so a lot of my comparison will relate to that bike.


Seating - A bit firm, but roomy. The legs are a tad more angled on the VFR compared to the ST3, but it's nothing to complain about whatsoever, negligible really. I am 6'2", 180#. The bike seems a bit lower to the ground.

Footpegs - I will say that I do tend to tuck in my heels. On the VFR I can feel the swingarm rubbing my left heel as it bounces along the road. I have to stop doing that...lol... or move my left foot a bit more forward to avoid that sensation. The right footpeg is ok, but at times my big feet tap the brake lever when I am moving my foot around to get comfy. A bit longer and a tad lower brake lever would be nice.

Bars - A tad lower again than the ST3, but again, no complaints whatsoever. Personally, I wouldn't change to risers. I like the feel. The lower bars and the lower seat height seem to agree with one another. I have done 3 hour rides in the saddle, and while I can say the ST3 has a nicer, softer seat, the VFR has room to move around and not get too uncomfortable between fill-ups. I don't tend to slide forward as much on the VFR as I did on the ST3. Best way to remedy it would be send it to an upholsterer and have the foam softened a bit, maybe a tad thicker with softer foam. I see no need to spend hundreds on a new saddle when I can spend maybe $60-$75 at a furniture upholsterer and get a great job done, as I have in the past.

Power, transmission - Even though it gives up 200cc's to my former Ducati, the gearing is a bit tighter and the torque seems about equal. The Ducati ST3 has a bunch of missed shifts, and false neutrals. I mean a BUNCH. I came across false neutrals between almost every gear at one time or another. The VFR? - Flawless! Snap-to-it shifting. I did hit neutral ONCE, but I tapped it way too light out of 1st gear, my fault totally. I have yet to really miss a shift. VFR power is SMOOTH and aggressive, no thumping here.

I read somewhere that this bike is 'nose heavy'. I would tend to agree, but that's because it is more to the front weighted for sport than the ST3. The bike feels and IS more planted than the ST3, giving it a more positive feedback to the rider. I find it takes less to finese this bike into turns. Yes, the bike weighs about the same as the ST3, but I like that 'extra' weight for the VFR's lower displacement. That's part of what makes the bike feel more aggressive and planted. An endearing quality for the VFR in my opinion.

I did a rolling start in 1st gear and then gunned the throttle... when the quads kicked in the front tire pulled off the ground about an inch or two, and stayed of the ground till I shifted out at redline! I have no doubt it's a bit trickier to pull a wheelie on this bike, but I also have no doubt that it CAN, if you know what you're doing!

Top gear on a ST3 at 70mph is 4krpm.. VFR at 4krpm is 60mph. That can be adjusted by changing out the rear sprocket and chain. I am not a fan of changing the front sprocket. It tends to put more stress on the transmission. I change the rear and chain and all is good. I know some of you think I am nuts. You go for tighter, faster. I go for relaxed and touring. To each their own.

Surging - I know this is an issue on a stocker, but you have no clue what real surging is unless you've ridden a stock 2007 ST3, believe me! The surging on the VFR is predictable and controllable as far as I am concerned. It has never caused me to doubt the throttle on incoming turns, or cause me to downshift to get the revs up. Yes, a PC3 will do the trick I am sure. As one that hates to mod a stock bike, I can hold off on doing it.

Mufflers - Love the stock sound... when it's warmed up it sounds like my old Plymouth Duster... a very husky voice for this bike, and when the quads kick in it sounds even better, so no, I am not going aftermarket for exhaust. I find it nice and quiet for my commuting, yet audible when I want to be heard!

Suspension - Spot on for me with the stock settings. Very firm. Better than the ST3. Great road feel.

Wind protection, screen-wise - The bike is good... comparable to the ST3 as far as rider pocket. I see no real need to get an aftermarket one, like a Zero G... the Zero tends to give you a taller pocket, yes, but it also narrows that pocket as do most aftermarket screens. Also, aftermarkets, whatever the brand, are never as thick as the stocker screen, and flex gives rise to bobble.

Fairing - Again comparable to the ST3... a tad less wide in the legs so don't count on too much protection from a heavy rain. I don't really care, I have a full rainsuit and wear it in torrential downpours here in Florida and arive bone dry. Objects from the tires in front of you can tend to hit you in the knuckles on occasion, but they did that on the ST too. In a tuck, the VFR is better than the ST3. On the ST3 in a tuck my knees were pressing against the tops of the side fairings. The VFR side fairings are cut lower, and my knees are nowhere near touching by a matter of inches, but then again there is that lesser ability to protect the legs from the elements because of the lower cut of the VFR side panels. Again, I could care less.


Brakes - Very adequate. I do not feel the linked system really, as I do much of my riding commuting to work. I know this is a love/hate thing among a lot of subscribers, but I consider it no big deal, having been riding for over 30 years. I have pushed the bike hard a few times, ok, more than a few times, and the brakes stop progressively and predictably. On par with the ST3 Brembos if not better! I do not have, nor do I want ABS. I don't need it.

Hydraulic clutch is always nice EXCEPT when you are in rush hour traffic and you inch forward bit by bit for say an hour, then you HATE it! But overall it's a great clutch and the ST3 had the same thing.

Heat -

I know some of you say this bike runs hot... it sure seems to if you look at the temperature gauge. On a cool day here in the morning mine runs about 175F. During the afternoon it seems to be steady at or just a bit below 200F. At a stoplight it has gone over 220F, but never has it been detrimental to the bike in any way. And believe it or not, it's a cooler mount than the ST3. The ST3's gas tank gets HOT, even when full. The VFR's does not, even practically empty.

Headlights - Best in show here folks. Hands down, no complaints. Hardly ever use high beams. Nuff said!

Dashboard's nice and simple and easy to read and adjust. Can't complain about it at all. My Ducati dash used to fog up internally overnight outside.

Mirrors - Better than the ST3. I can actually see behind me! and still manage to fix them so I have no real blindspots! VERY NICE job Honda! Some of you must be pretty wide in the torso to be complaining about them and wanting aftermarket mirrors. All I have to say about that.

Ok, so that's my diatribe on the VFR. I call this bike best in show, as do the pro reviews. It's a great all-rounder. Best bike if you're only going to own one. If I left anything out feel free to tell me and ask what I think, but for now I think this post is large enough! :wave:

Stan

 

After my short test of an ST3 I can understand why you dumped an '07. Suspension was top notch thanks to Ducati's outsourcing of Ohlins, but that power delivery was just awful. Think lawn mower on some serious steroids, totally unrefined. I figured I was in for a strange ride when I noticed it needed an idle adjuster! Great trade, btw.

 

Regarding the suspension...

I found the ST3 a bit spongy. Probably because it sits more upright and the weight is more to the center and rear when you're just tooling around town. And the rear suspension is another matter... the tool (that hook wrench) they give you to adjust the rear shock does not even fit! The frame is in the way! I talked to the guys there at Ducati and they said they take the rear wheel off to adjust them. Guess how much THAT costs?! That's bogus. A lot of the members of the Ducati forum stated they just used a screwdriver and a hammer and knocked it up or down a notch or two, placing a rag between the screwdriver and the frame so as not to scratch the frame. For the cost of that damn bike you'd think it should not be such an event to simply change the rear settings.

Stan

Oh yeah, I forgot one thing...

Bags - My 2006 VFR came with the bags and liners. While I do not use the liners much, they are nice when you are packing clothes for a trip. It's nice to just open the side case and take the bag out. They only seem to be a bit more than half the storage of the hard case, but it's plenty for a weekend. The Ducati bags leak... not the seal, but when you leave the bike out and it rains and you go to open them. The handle's recessed and water colects in it, so when you open the hard case the water runs inside the shell. Not so with the Honda/Givi cases... the handle is flush, no recessed areas to collect water. My brother owns a 1999 ST4 and he is envious of the bags I have on my Honda.

 

Great review! Thanks for putting in the time and effort. You're making me feel better and better about my purchase.

 

Great review, Wabbit! Keep riding and keep us posted on your impressions.

 

I have 5000 miles on my 2006 and I agree with everything he said . I just want to ride a Ducati now to see the differince

 

Biketoc...

The Ducati ST3 is not a bad bike, if you only plan to ride it briefly every weekend. The first maintenance interval is 6,500 miles. I hit that in less than 5 months on the Ducati, and it costs anywhere from $900-$1200 for that first service. They adjust just about everything; the throttle bodies are sunc, the valves adjusted, the belts tightened or replaced... basically an all day service that drains one's wallet, if you ride as often as I do. I could not justify spending $2000 a year on a $14,000 bike, sorry. My Ducati was not an 'S' model, so it did not have the Ohlins that was talked about above.

My Ducati was an '07. I traded it on an '06 Interceptor and I am glad I did. I have had the Interceptor now for about 5 months and I have 7,000 miles on it. Not even a tick out of place. Valves not due for adjusting until 25k-30k according to the Honda mechanics.

The seat - I have grown accustomed to the stock seat and find it broke in nicely.

The chain - Is it just me, or is anyone else not having to tighten the chain very often. I have yet to adjust it at 7,000 miles! It's still tight! Granted, when I bought the bike it had 735 miles on it and they had done the first service on it, but DAYUM! I'm used to adjusting a chain about every 1k or so, so this is freaking me out a bit.

I do wish it didn't have that little plastic chain guard on the bottom. It would make cleaning the chain a lot easier. I took it off and put the screws back in the swingarm.

I get A LOT, and I mean A LOT of compliments on the deepness and richness of the black metallic paint job on this bike. People literally love the gold flake and how it comes out in the sunlight, and so do I. (I have yet to really wash the bike.) I leave the bike outside, and in the morning I take a soft cloth and wipe off the morning dew or rainwater. Takes me less than 3 minutes to do, but I really should break down and wash it for real and give it a good waxing.

If anyone's interested - when I wax, I use Moto Glow, made by Full Throttle. It's a 3 ounce bottle. You do not use much. It spreads thin and wide and comes off with hardly what I would call a buffing effort. Wax on, wax off. I did my ST3 in under a half hour, including washing it. Presoak with S-100, or the Honda or Suzuki equivalent, and a bike comes out clean quickly, with most of your time spent on the nooks and crannies of your wheels. This little 3 ounce bottle should last you 4-5 wax jobs at least.

I should take off the lower fairings and clean the exhaust pipes with Mother's, but they still look great! A nice bluing to them and no pitting, even though this bike is left outside everyday and I ride it in downpours. But they are a bit glazed over from road dust... maybe someday... lol

Maintenance-wise I have done nothing but change the oil and filter twice since I bought it. Yep, this is definitely a good buy.

xShadowRider - Throwing a leg over your bike should be confirmation enough that you made a great buy here. I find myself making excuses to go to the store just to have a short ride.

Stan

 

I ride my 2006 every day as I don't have a car. The snow was not good so I got a 250 ninja to spread out some of the milage. The VFR has expensive parts when you ride it as a daily driver, but I cant wait to get on it every morning so I pay to play . Glad you like yours.I will let the honda mechanic do the valve adjustment . I read the manual and decided it was better to pay them then do it myself.I am a mechanic buy the way.

 

Biketoc -

I also ride mine everyday, rain or shine. If you think Honda parts are expensive you should try owning a Ducati. Not only that, but if I needed a part I had to wait two weeks for it to come from Italy! They have no U.S. parts warehouse.

Of course the Ninja 250 is going to cost you less than the Interceptor. The Ninja is WAY less complex a machine for one thing. For another, it's way easier to work on yourself as the engine is not packed into the frame like a sardine. The Interceptor is a knuckle buster. I am sure, as a mechanic, that you probably do the maintenance on the Ninja yourself.

Personally, I preferred the Ninja 650R. I had an '06 and that's what I traded in on the Ducati. I SHOULD have traded it in on an Interceptor, but at the time I was wearing my rose colored glasses.The Ninja 650R is every bit as nimble as the 250, with more ooomph. I traded it in because it was not an ideal touring machine, prone to too much wind in the rider's chest, even with a touring screen up front. My shoulders and neck were sore after a 3 hour ride on the hiway from constantly pulling against the wind. In the city, I found it to be a pretty flawless and fun commuter bike though.

You probably opted for the 250 over the 650R for better gas mileage and no fuel injection, making it an easier bike for you to work on yourself. I was getting 55mpg with my 650R.

My one complaint about the 650R, and motorcycles in general, is that they should have larger fuel tanks. Hell, I think the Interceptor should have a 7-7.5 gallon tank. What's the use of getting better gas mileage if you have to pull to the pump every 3 days? If your Ninja 250 had a 5.8 gallon tank, you could probably go at least one week on a tank, right? If my Interceptor had a 7 gallon I know I could go a week between fill-ups.

Stan

 

Hey Wabbit,

Try installing just he O2 elims on your bike and your surging will stop. The elims keep the ECU from going into closed loop operation which is for emissions anyway and will keep the bike from doing the in and out lean mobo (surging).

I have Leo Vince exhaust and O2 elims (no PCIII) and the bike runs flawlessly.

 

I also found the brake pedal too high in the stock position. You can easily adjust it with a open end wrench. Love my VFR.

 

Okcvfr -

Does having just the O2 eliminators connected affect cold weather start-ups? (Yes, we do get cold enough here in Florida for it to kick into a cold start high idle...lol)

Stan

 

The bike won't go into closed loop operation until it's warmed up. So a cold start means it won't be looking at the O2 sensors anyway. I think it goes into closed loop around 145F engine coolant temp.

O2 eliminators from PowerCommander aren't really required; the story goes that all you need is a 330 ohm 1/4th watt resister from Radio Shack. I've not done this mod but am considering it because I don't like the 5500 to 6000 RPM lean surge that my '04 does on the highway.

 

Hey Stan, I'm in the same boat as you!! I have an 06 650R, wanted an S2R 800 or 1000 but now looking at the VFR. I am not ready to make the commitment to a Duc! I have had several Honda's in the past and never had any issues. So how would you compare the 650 to the VFR ride, maint cost, insurance...?

Thanks in advance!!
~Damian

 

milage

My VFR gets like 30 mpg my ninja gets 50 or 60.
I just like little bikes. It goes forever between fillups.
I wish it had fuel injection. Since I am racing my 08 250 I will get a new one to ride every day when they come out with fuel injection. till then I ride my vfr every day and spend all my money on the 250.

 

Stan, thanks for keeping us in the loop as you progress mileage wise. I just passed 2K kilometers so I am a long way behind you but I am loving every klick!

I am fortunate that my '06 gets to slumber in the garage which is attached to the house. We're still newlyweds so I can't help myself from taking a peek at her while she's parked there every once in a while. My wife wants me to see a Psychiatrist. At least she knows the "other woman".

I experienced the surging issue but I just assumed it was me being unfamiliar with fuel injection. The more I ride the less of an issue it becomes it seems so maybe the VFR is training me on her proper care and attention.

Thanks for the chain lube trick and the wash and wax recommendations too.

Keep ridin' and writin'!

 

10k miles now...

Have yet to find flaw in this bike. Ride's the same as the first day I bought it and rode it home.

I changed the tread from the stock BatleAx B020's to a set of Metzler RaceTec Z6's at 8k miles, and have to say there's a world of difference. Love the Metz! The B020's had a LOT of tread left, but the tires got hard in the centers and sloppy on the sides, rendering them useless in my opinion. There was a noticeable ridge formed, especially on the front tire, from the hardened centers that you felt everytime you leand the bike over. A very unsettling feeling at speed! Made the bike wobble. NOT COOL!

The Metz have a wider band of used (wear) tread on both front and rear, meaning I have leaned this bike over a lot further and a lot more often than I ever did before with the stock Bridgestones. There is no ridge developing and they have been predictable as hell. I have the wear pattern almost to the ends of the width of the tread on both front and rear, and I am not a daredevil anymore!

Note: I have YET to adjust the chain still!!!

Dlan asked about the Ninja 650R... It's a great bike at a great price. But not a comparable bike up against the VFR. If you're a shorter rider it's perfect. I got 45mpg easy with it when I had it. Insurance-wise it was very cheap. The VFR actually cost me more to insure than my Ducati, since it is classified a sportbike and not a sport tourer. I did not find any fault with its performance at all, but it was not what I was looking for in a bike overall.

Stan

 

Thanks for your impressions and comparison. I have always wanted a Ducati ST (2, 3, 4 or 4s), but your comparison confirms what I have always thought- the VFR's refinement and durability is tough to beat!

However, if anyone wants to loan me his Ducati ST for a long ride (need a bike ridden across the continent?) I am offering . . . . .

 

That'll do nicely since I'm 5'10" and around 200lb. Sounds like it will tow my my arse around just fine!

Thanks for the info!!

 

Having come from a 3 yr. affair with a 1000S DS Multistrada with full Termi's and cams I likewise have no regrets about trading for an 06 VFR abs black pearl (or is that bass boat black). I just wish I hadn't spent so much $ on the Duc before trading for the VFR. Aside from my own personal tire preference (Dunlop Roadsmarts) I couldn't find anything that I wanted to modify on the VFR. Handling, brakes, engine, transmission, and even suspension I find superior to the Multi. I do not find the Ohlins any better than the Showa and the Ohlins require more frequent maintanence and of course more expensive. When I had to wait two months to get a replacement top clamp from Ducati I became convinced it was time to finally get the VFR. Wabbit there's nothing in your evaulation I find exeption with. I've been riding for 49 yrs. (the first one being a 1958 Ducati Bronco) and the VFR is the best I've ever ridden or owned.