LONG POST AHEAD: First time on a gen 3

Well I left my 85 vf700 interceptor at TOE's house and he was kind enough to let me take his new ( to him ) 90 vfr for a spin. Well hot damn what a differance. I previosly have ridden on and off for years few differant bikes.

age 13-14 1975 honda cs70 made mostly for street but a little dirt capable
I used to jump speedbumps and do wheelies.. ah to be young again.

age 17 1982 HD sporster 882 WOW never again what a POS ( no offense )

age 23-24 1977 CB750 SS Way to fast to be so damn top heavy. I dropped that bike at alot of stop signs. She was a tank tho and never got hurt. Lucky I lived in the country at the time. Course I will say most of the droppage happened in the snow or rain. all low speed of course.

age 25-28 87 gl1200 goldwing. I will never bash that bike. that thing rocked, and I would own one as a second bike in a heartbeat.

age 33 ( current ) the 1985 interceptor. yes it brought me to this community, so it will always be my fav. and I dont just say that here, I say it to people who dont even ride when they ask me the things I love about my bike.

So I am no veteran rider, but I'm not a total newb. I also owned a kawasaki dirtbike for all of 1 ride and it blew up on me so I didnt even mention it above.

My first time on a VFR was just a few nights ago, me and BWEISS swapped bikes on the way back from the store, it was less then a mile so I cant ay anything accept that it was way too fast for the road we were on, so I dint push it to hard. I never got it above a 1/4 throttle and had to wait for him to catch up on my 1st gen. Fast and well balanced.

Well tonight the toecutter kept my bike at his garage and I took his gen 3 home. about a 40 minute ride. So here is my thoughts about my first time on a gen 3:

1.I want to buy it.
2.It does handle a bit differant.
3.It reminds me of the goldwing with the luxeries.

so adressing
#1 I want to buy it
I know this ones not for sale, but I might look for one like it. I liked it alot. I would definatly have to change the seat, it was too hard, and I dont like the grey color against the beautiful honda red. drooling and googling other gen 3's tonight I like the red seat or the black too. not to insultTOE's bike of course, just a personal pref.

#2 I does handle a bit differant
Toe told me that compared to his other bikes this one is a little slower, but a well refined ride. I cant imagine what his other bikes are like, because this thing was simply too fast. If the other bikes are faster then maybe they are too fast for me. I wouldnt imagine using all the raw power this bike had to offer, and i was carrying a passenger. I really had to watch my speedo to make sure I wasnt flying way too fast for riding on a holiday weekend. To me it was very hard to not go to fast on accident. what a freaking powerhouse. and, mind you I was with a passenger on back, I can only imagine the self control if I was riding solo with all that power.
The handling did not feel as good as what I would have expected, it "walked" on me at times and does seem to have a lowere then normal center of balance...I would like to hear other gen 3 owners oppionions on this. Cause I am thinking it may be a gen 3 that I am wanting next after tonight. Is it something to get used to, or could it be a suspension issue? I carry a passenger frequently on my bikes and I noticed something differant on this one. It was bouncy with her on and off the back... maybe a new shock? Dont know never rode a high performance bike before so maybe thats normal... also maybe it walked harder cause I had a passenger. I will ask the owner TOE about this tomorro as he may have some insight. I gaurantee that the gen three I rode was indeed road worthy im just really pumped up about maybe getting one like my friends that I got to ride tonight.

#3 it reminds me of my goldwing
the bike didnt seem to care that it was carrying 2 riders at around 330lbs
I found myself revving it to high to compensate at first, but it really had enough power to take of at near idle speeds without shuddering. I also complained earlier in #2 about the handling, but it could be operator error as well. one thing for certain, coming to a stop with both rider and passenger it was easy to balance, not as tiring as my current 85 interceptor. There are also little luxeries that my other bikes didnt have ( save the goldwing ) digital clock, very large and easy to read gauges and lights. The full fairing and nicely shaped windshield kept the cool night air off me if I wanted to lean forward a little bit. I feel like this bike is like a cross between my goldwing and a jetplane.

Anyways, got home, was excited, drank a little and posted! feels good. any 3g's got any comments?

 

neckcutter, good write up.

You've had some cool old bikes for someone the same age.

I know someone who has an old 'wing' and loves it. I was blessed my forst VFR was a 1993 in Pearl White. Had it for 5 years and your riing observations are not far off. Great bike. If you can find a decent one, but it.

Since you are hanging out with Toe, do me a favor. Change your screen name to Johnny the Boy. We need more MM fans:biggrin:

 

I love my 3rd Gen. Even though it has less power than my newer bike, it definately feels lighter and more manueverable than the 6th Gen. As far as handling goes, tires can make a big difference in how the bike feels and handles. After putting Michelin's on mine I could immediately tell a big difference in handling and smoothness. Suspension has always been a pretty weak point on the Viffer and carrying a passenger will probably make this much more noticeable. If the bike still has it's stock suspension I would expect it to feel pretty bumpy considering the age of the bike. I would definately consider a suspension upgrade on the rear and fork rebuild on the front if it hasn't been done already. Remember that these 3 Gens are fast approaching 20 years of age and the overall performance of the components will naturally decline over time.

Regards,
Rollin

 

Coming off an FJ1200, I thought my 3rd gen handled pretty well. It handled even better with some additional rear ride height from flipping the rear eccentric and when I switched tires back to a 170/60 instead of the 180/55 that was on it.

That said, the bike was 'heavier' handling (slower to respond) than a lot of newer bikes I've ridden, but never as ponderous as the FJ1200 or as awkward and top heavy as my old 1989 GSXR750. It did have a bit more uncontrolled suspension travel than the GSXR but this simply encouraged smoothness with the inputs... an Ohlins shock and a fork rework would probably transform the bike, but at that age you'd have to ask if the $2K or so in upgrade work would be warranted on a bike that's maybe worth $3-4K.

Just my 2 cents

 

Digital clock? Where? Had a third gen for years and I've never noticed a digital clock!

Handling: Between 3rd, 4th, and 5th, handling seems very similar to me. The bike is very stable and predictable. It takes a decisive input to make the thing turn. Ditto for making midcorner adjustments. You have to make it happen, not just think it to happen, like you can on modern sport bikes.

If it walks away from you, I'm guessing you are used to using brake/throttle control to tighten your corners. This bike is more neutral in handling. Braking doesn't really tighten your line on this bike. You have to do it with counter-steering inputs. Once used to it, it makes for a much more interesting ride to me, compared to the modern 600/750 sport bikes I've ridden, which automatically roll into a corner as you decelerate. On this VFR, braking and changing your line are more distinct and separate acts.

IMO, you can ride a modern 600 ok with just guts and instinct. They react so fast that even if you're not as precise, you will correct just as fast. Going through a corner on one is like one big, continous, on-the-fly adjustment - where you look, you go. But a VFR is more cerebral and deliberate. It waits for you to tell it exactly what to do, and then it executes. If you misjudged, you have to consciously formulate and execute plan B.

 

yuck

I think we would have to squeegie his shorts out!

 

Progress is good!!

most VF riders would be trying to sell their stuff after your experience and step into a newer age of advanced mechanical refinement.

 

I will never ride with you.

 

I've never had issue with the shock. It has always worked fine for me, with or without a pillion... one of them a 300 pound dude, lol.

But after riding some sportier bikes, I have concluded the forks leave a lot to be desired. They don't inspire much confidence when braking hard.