My highly anticipated first ride report! OMG!

So as you may or may not know, i've been browsing these forums for the past couple months with NO VFR!

I finally picked up my 2007 rwb this past thursday and have managed to put on about 300 miles in spite of the crappy weather we've been having.

I would post a picture....but I don't have a good camera, and haven't you guys seen enough RWBs???

So here are my thoughts...

Upon start up, it was the first time in a while that i've actually heard the VFR motor in person. I've ridden with VFRs in the past, but never paid much attention to the bike.

I can certainly say the all the youtube exhaust clips do not do this engine justice. The "throaty" growl coming from this engine is absolutley intoxicating and is very unique. Sounds much better than any of the cookie cutter in-line 4s (IMO).

So my buddy and I ride off (he's on an 07 FZ6). I did take the first ride somewhat easy, due to break in period. This bike had not even had a test drive and i literally rode off with 0.0 on the odo.

However, this is a direct quote from the owners manual regarding the break-in: "Help assure your motorcycle's future reliability and performance by paying extra attention to how you ride during the first 300 miles.

During this period, avoid full-throttle starts and rapid acceleration".

I did not take this as, avoid going into V-tec range or speeds in excess of 100mph. I'm actually quite surprised by some of the break in threads i've read on this site where some riders didn't hit V-tec for 600 miles!! come on! I honestly think that is the wrong way to break in a bike. I tried to vary the RPMs as much as possible, did not slam the throttle, but I also took it over 100mph a couple of times.

So anyway, for the first ride we did about 100 miles of twisties. I've ridden a ton of bikes in my short 22 year exsistence, but i've only owned an sv650 which is about 150lbs lighter.

I was surprised by how comfortable I was on this bike. It didn't feel like a 540lb bike and it felt quite nimble. It kept up in the twisties just fine. However, the extra weight could be felt on road imperfections and high speeds, where the bike felt very stable.

Again, I tried not to slam the throttle, but the bike felt fairly quick. Faster than I was expecting, but not the fastest bike i've been on. I did ride a suzuki b-king (1300cc naked hayabusa death machine) for a good part of last summer.

There was one point where my buddy was passing a car and as usual i began to mindlessly follow him. As I went into the other lane I saw that a sharp corner was quickly approaching. So, this was the one point where I did slam the throttle and I was pleasently surprised that the bike did give me that grin-inducing acceleration I had been hoping for.

In terms of comfort...well I never thought about being uncomfortable so I guess that's a good sign. Non-stop longest I was on the bike was probably a little over an hour. Certainly nothing like being on a race replica, which is a major plus and the reason I decided on this bike.

Overall, I would describe the bike as very smooth and highly refined. Not the fastest bike, but certainly fast enough. Very fun to ride, and ahh I can't get over that intoxicating sound. I'm very happy with my decision and can't wait to get past this initial break in period to really try the bike out.

Oh and about v-tec... doesn't seem to provide a tremendous power boost. It's only slightly noticeable on the powerband, but you can certainly hear it. I'd say the bikes real sweet spot is between v-tec and 8.5k.

Def. going to be a bike I keep for a while!

 

Glad you like it, OMG. I took a nice 100+ mile ride in the hills to the east of Springfield in MA and CT, and though another ten degrees warmer would be great, I grow happier and happier with each mile I ride. If you do decide to take some long tours, you might consider getting Sargent seat. The stock seat was the one thing I would certainly change on the bike.

 

Yeah considered an aftermarket seat, but honestly this year i'm not going to have much cash to add on to it. Spread myself pretty thin between the bike payment and insurance. And plus i'm still a pretty young guy, so I tend to be able to handle the longer trips without much discomfort.

I would like to focus on getting a new pipe, and then just some basics such as fender eliminator, new levers, etc...

 

Glad to hear you're loving it so far.

This weather we're having blows. But I've racked up a little over 100 miles myself this year. Hit 145, too. A new personal best.:biggrin:

Hit me up some weekend, and we can do a ride together. Looking forward to meeting your RWB beauty.

-Matt

 

Excellent! Welcome to the club. Your obsevations are quite astute. Enjoy the bike an dbe safe out there. :thumbsup:

 

Nice write up. Welcome to the Owner's Club.

 

Ah yes thank you.

Yes, VT we will certainly have to go for a ride sometime soon.

The weather looks like its going to continue to suck for the next couple days, but at least we'll have some sun later on in the week...still chilly though.

Ah summer can't come soon enough.

 

Nice post

PLasma