Looking at a 96 VFR750

New to the forum and VFR's in general, but have always been intrigued by the V4 motor.

Anyway I'm going to look at a 96 VFR750 with 24,000 miles tomorrow. Bike appears to be in decent shape with a few scuffs here and there on the plastics from a claimed driveway lay over.

Is there anything in particular that I should be looking for on a VFR that I wouldn't normally look for in a used bike?

I've read bits and pieces on the top end oil starvation issues. It seems this was an issue on first generation VFR's only. Is that true?

KBB has it at $3685, what's the average going price for one in this age group?

Thanks for all your insight and assistance.

 

Ooo a nice fine if it's in good/ fair shape, not been run hard put away wet. LOL average price will vari depending on where and who the owner is , in general should be in the mid 3k range for any thing decent, if it's cherry could see prices in the $4-4500 range, perfect like mine $5K baby. if it's not so pretty but runs good then mid $2ks isn't out of line either, 24k miles is nothing to worry about if it's had its normal service, even if not they are pretty bullet proof. things to watch out for #1 is the voltage R/R if it hasn't gone through one or two it's due more than likely, just one of the bug-o-boos about these bikes, if it's sat for a long time like anything over 6+ months be fore warned it could have carb issues, bad gas does em in by plugging things up, Oil use was never a problem in this motor, other than the what you see and what one would want to make sure was good goes with any bike you're looking at, of course take a peek in the tank for rust, ask about all the fluid changes, look at the chain for what looks like ignore maintenance. Other than the normal stuff, like how it was used where it's at, was it garaged or left out, toured or rode hard. one owner or many. Still a great bike if the price is right be hard to go to wrong. Hope this helps, let us know how it goes.

 

Thanks for the prompt response RVFR.

Pics look decent enough and claimed to be kept in a garage. The mileage is of no concern to me. The V4 in near indestructible with regular maintenance. The bike has been ridden, not alot but ridden none the less. We don't have much of a winter here in South Mississippi, in fact i only parked my current bike for about 2 weeks. Then of course I don't ride to work if it's raining when I have to leave.

I'll let you know what i find out...

 

As an afterthought. How do these bikes fare 2 up? My significant other is rather small 4'9" 85lbs so weight isn't an issue. The small bike I'm riding right now pushes her up against me and me up against the tank.

 

TRUE....

I have a 94 and it is one of six bike I own; iis the best bike I have or have ever had.

 

The bike can handle two up riding well, assuming the shock hasn't given up the ghost. Comfort is a mixed bag. Your partner may be sorry she came along for an all day adventure. My wife will do fine for most rides short of a couple hours. She did better on it for the long hauls when we were in our late 20s and early 30s. Now that were pushing 40, the game has changed.
"....your results may vary...."

 

wow nice size partner there the ride two up isn't the great nore the worse handles short trips with ease and say anything longer than a tank full of fuel and you start pushing your luck, but at here size like Vlad says your experience will vary from ours and the shock could be of concern depending on its condition and your ride environment, other wise I'd say you'd do just fine for those week end get aways.

 

Thanks for all the great replies gents.

 

So i met up the seller to look at the VFR today. The bike is more or less as described. Owner received it from a family member. Bike has a Seargant seat, Two Brothers Pipe, Joe Rocket Manta tank bag, and a rear seat cowl with one broken tab.

Owner claims it was dropped on the left side in the driveway damaging the fairings. He purchased some used fairings somewhere that currently have a hand full of nicks and scratches but no deep cracks that I could find with the exception of a 3/4" crack under the seat.

Looking over the bike it appears to have been over at some time on the right side as well. The brake pedal is bent in an upward direction from an apparent drop.

Owner was nice enough to allow a test ride. Bike fires up with no issues settling into a smooth idle nicely. Hydraulic clutch is different than I'm used to, but nice easy pull. The transmission shifted nicely. No noticeable fueling issues. The geared cam has a neat whine to it

Running up through the gears I was paying attention to any odd sounds, which i heard none, and apparently not paying any attention to the speedometer. I noticed I was up to 100mph rather quickly without noticing my velocity. Boy these things are smooth.

The rear suspension was a little bit rough, but I look to be a good 50lbs heavier than the current owner. This could probably be dialed in with a bit more pre-load.

The owner has the bike listed on ebay.



Buy it now of $4000. Talking to the owner about this, he doesn't really expect to get this out of the bike. His reserve is set at or around $3500. I still think he's being optimistic there. I made it clear I wouldn't settle a deal today but wanted to think about it a bit. After a bit of talking bikes he said that he would take around $3000 for the bike.

He has no real knowledge of the maintenance history of the bike so he wasn't able to answer a lot of my questions. The bike does have the Honda R/R still. Not sure if it's new or not. I didn't have a multi-meter with me but he claims he replaced the battery recently so the charging system may be suspect, or may not be.

I think $3000 might still be a bit optimistic. What do you guys think?

He only has one bid on his auction and is still $2000 below his reserve with 3 days to go. Thinking that I'll wait out his auction and see what I can do after that.

Also i'm trying to decide if I can live with the existing scratches and whatnot. My current bike, that I'm selling, is only 9 months old and has perfect paint.

 

My guess is its worth somewhere around $3000. If you got it for $2500, I would say you got a great deal. However really in the long run, the bike is worth what you are willing to pay for it, and if you really want it that bad, it shouldnt matter than you pay what its worth, or a smidge over.

I would never buy a bike that has noticable scratches on it, only because everytime you get on the bike, you see them, and it represents something negative about the bike. I would much rather pay a little more, get something clean, thus taking away the questionable history. Thats just me though.

Take a multimeter with you and check the R/R. It only takes 5 minutes, and all you have to do is remove the seat cowl, seat and rear plastics. If you find its bad, there is another $200 off the price.

Also check the chain. Make sure there is no excessive slack. At 24k miles, it something that should have been replaced at least once, and something that could have easily been overlooked by the previous owner, due to laziness, or the fact that he/she knows it was going to be sold. There is an easy to read wear indicator located in front of the rear sprocket.

Good luck, and report back how it goes.

 

I'm guessing if the auction doesn't make his reserve of $3500, I could likely get the bike for $2700-$2800.

I haven't decided if I can live with the scratches or not yet...

The chain looked good, not perfect but good.

I can't help but think if i saved a bit more and was willing to up to $4000 I could find a decent shape 5th generation VFR.

Any pros or cons on the 5th generation as compared to the 4th generation?

 

This input is probably a little late, but I always ask to listen to the vehicle start when it is cold, and have the owner start it. For whatever reason, lots of people start a vehicle and immediately rev the motor before the oil has had a chance to circulate. I walk away from those deals.

 

Yeah can't get an answer to that one. He met me at a local shopping mall with the bike. He live out in BFE and was easier to meet than to have me riding around for a couple hours trying to find his place...

 

Sounds to me as if you have already made up your mind, and don't really want it. Spend a little more and get something thats clean.

 

I'm really torn because I love a project but at the same time I'm not 100%. If i can get a better price than the $3000 he wants that could put me at 100%. I'll have to let the auction run out and go from there.

I'm a cheapskate I can't help it

 

Hey, nothing wrong with trying to get a steal on a purchase.

I will tell you the same thing this forum told me when I purchased my first bike.

"Go out and meet the guy, don't look super interested, and give him your best offer in cash"

 

Hmm guess it all depends on what one whats for the money, can deals be found ? once in a while. I'm with you on the scratched items, as that would drive me up the wall. ask yourself whats it worth to you, I kinda have the feeling you all ready have answered that. I know your looking for the best bang for the buck ,can't argue with that one, thats how I operate too. depending on whats messed up cosmetic wise, new parts can still be had, so if it was like a lower side faring, no biggie, if thats all it is thats holding you back. $2700 would be a killer price. If you where to do across the country search you will find a wide variable on price and condition, $3500 isn't out of line either, so all done and said, it's really it's up to you. GL keep us imformed

 

The scratches aren't neccessarily a deal breaker, a buddy of mine can do pro level paint work. The real factor is going to be price in the end. IF i can get a wicked deal on it, I'll go for it, if not i'll hold out and find something in better condition.

Thanks for all the input though.

 

I never believe those"just fell over in the driveway" stories...find a cherry one ...ive seen em here on this site for sale.Ive had mine for 12 years and would never sell it.. these are a bike for a lifetime.

 

this was the bike i was looking for last year but could not find one in the condition or price i wanted. The price you say for the condition you describe is very fair. i saw bike like this with triple the miles go for more then $4000 and a lost out on a mint one last year when the price went to $5000

i ended up buying a 2000 and could not be happier but the silver 96 is a great bike and anything under $4k is excellent