Why VFR instead of ZX14, FJR, Sprint?

Just found out I have to start communting daily 100 miles round trip to work. So, time to get a bike to make sure I can avoid slow freeway traffic. I have owned some great bikes. Triumph Speed Triple, CBR 600, Yamaha R1, and a mighty Hayabusa.

I need something that is very comfortable, but I DON"T want to bore the hell out of myself. The VFR following is pretty impressive, so I an seriously conconsidering buying one.

1. why would you buy a VFR which seems so under powered when for about the same price you can buy a ZX14 or Triumph Sprint? Or a Kawi Z750S for several thousand less?

2. Which generation is best? 5 or 6?

3. Has anyone gone from a fast sport bike to the VFR? Did it feel too slow?

4. what would be a good price on a new 06 in California?

Thanks. Any comments would be great.

David

 

This should be a good read, as I'm thinking the Sprint could just beat it out because of the displacement issue. But hard to beat the VFR for all around do it all just great and we all know why, Cuz it's a V4 baby.
Interesting you picked the zx14. just a couple weeks ago I rode a friends, have to say it did surprize me as how close it felt once going down the road it was to my 4g VFR handles very well for a larger-longer bikeand that ooooo factor with the power myOmy, other than I don't care how the ZX14 looks would be reason enough for me not to get one. as nice as it is to have that kind of power not sure it's really all that nessaesary IMO again hard to beat the fit and finish of the VFR. Plus that sexy SSSA and V4 motor, man hate to be in your shoes.. Oh one more thing, and you asked so I'll throw it out there I'd go after a 5g IMO gear drive cams makes for one hell of a cool sounding motor, plus have you ever heard of gear drive breaking? nope Chain on the other hand , Ben alot of so clled auto chain adjusters go south, so the jury is still out on that one. then there's the Vtec question, I say keep it simple. either way still hard to beat the VFR

 

Sits down and prepares popcorn...

Answers in order..my opinion only..

1)Seems underpowered ? underpowered for what ? Unless you're hauling a huge amount of luggage and a pillion passenger then there is PLENTY of power. Use the revs and gears, that's what they are there for..

2) In general , the 6th Gen is best, but the 5th Gen engine seems to be favoured over the VTEC. The updated 06 engine with the amended VTEC system may well be as good as..

3)When I looked last, the VFR of any generation would exceed 135mph easily.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this bike is for more than stop-light sprints ?

4)No idea. Considerably less than we pay for them in the UK.


Comments.
1) The VFR will outlast any of the above bikes. Build quality of the others is poorer (especially the Kawa)
ZX14 is not for commuting 100 miles round trip unless you are prepared to have it spend one day every 2 weeks off the road having new tyres fitted.

The Triumph is a great engine in an unfinished chassis. The cycle parts are poor quality .
No offence intended to any owners of the above vehicles, these are merely my opinions.

Rod

 

i have a 1998 vfr with 54000 miles,i will never own anything else as my no 1 ride unless they go to 1000 ccs and leave all else like it is.it is fast enough to stay with anything else in the twisties and comfortable enough to ride 1000 miles a day[3 times].unless they improve the 14 over the 12 a bunch it is just a bigger zx9 which is just a step above junk compared to the vfr.the only thing wrong with a vfr is like of power ,but how much over 100 hp do u need.you cant go wrong getting one.

 

Did you find the ZX-14 all that comfortable? I thought the seat to peg clearance was tighter than the VFR. As far as a Sprint, if you will be riding in any kind of hot weather it will cook you. A guy at work has one and we road to lunch on a hot day here in Albuquerque and the under seat exhaust was cooking him. It was hotter than my VFR which I consider a warm bike to ride in traffic. As for the Z750S, do you think it would hold up as a high mileage commuter bike? I looked at one, but I didn’t fit on it as well as a VFR. On the subject of power, I don’t think you would be disappointed with the VFR. I have a 50 mile (round trip) commute, with about 2/3rds of it on the interstate. Traffic out here moves at about 70mph and the VFR rides real nice at 80-90. The VFR doesn’t have the top end rush of an R1 or the raw power of the ZX-14, but it is still plenty quick and has a sweet gear box. I think any of the bikes you talked about would work but since you’re on a VFR sight most are going to recommend a VFR.

 

the veefer is a blast to ride. Compared to a zx-14 I guess you could consider it underpowered, but it doesn't feel that way. Compared to an R6 I guess you could call it slow, but it doesn't feel that way.

Back in the day when people bought bikes based on fun factor as opposed to dyno chart and dry weight, the VFR was a great buy. Only thing that's changed since those days is our perception of what's under powered. It's still a great bike.

Ride one. Then decide.

Having said that - I have an FJR for sale if yer interested

edit

you should also check out the Vstrom. there. I said it out loud.

/edit

 

my .02 on this....

#3 - my previous sport bike was a ZX6R, before that a ZX7R, and the VFR does not feel slow at all. Granted, it doesn't have the top end of either but I wouldn't trade that for the better low end torque of the V4 for the type of riding I do.

#4 - I paid around $9,600 OTD for my non-ABS '06 here in Northern Ca. Seemed good to me based on the shopping around I did.

 

some smart guy said

Some smart guy said that "less is more".
That quote would fit my 6th gen VFR. It will fit all the requirements of a sport bike, able to tour, or long ride to work, and you won't have to pay those insurance bills!
You could go faster but how much over 150 do you need to go?
All those awards over the years were earned.
Its nice Honda built on a tradition of strength I guess not unlike with the Wing.

 

I guess I am the same as the above more or less. I bought a 2005 VFR after extensive testing and study. Can't comment on the ZX14 I haven't riden one. I looked at the FJR 1300 but thought it a bit big and overpowered for city use and your legs tend to get fried in hot weather. Great as a haul ass sports tourer though. Tried the Sprint and liked it but again a little big for city use and not ergonimically as good as the VFR. Decided on the VFR because it would do everything well, maybe not the very fastest or best bottom end or the very best handling but you would have to be a lot better rider than I am to push it to the limit. For commuting it is so easy to ride in traffic you don't have to think about it. Much easier than the Sprint or FJR. Can't comment on California prices as I live in Canada.

Just a thought, I love the kick of the VTEC.

 

#1 Absolutely agreed...

#2 Blasphemy...

I've been to the Dragon on my VFR 3 times and all 3 times, I had no trouble whatsoever keeping up with the squids on their 600's. I can take a pic of my rear tire showing wear all the way to the very edge of the tread on sport touring tires. Those same 600's are supposed to be a track scalpel why the VFR is supposed to suck on the race track. A VFR in a good riders hands (most VFR riders seem to me to be just as good or better than most other riders) will keep up with or beat a better bike in the hands of an inferior rider.

The only way I'd ride something as butt fugly as a ZX-14 is if I was wearing one of these:

KC-10 fe out...

 

if I could do it again, I'd be running the Sprint ST with stock bags.

But at the time, I couldn't come up with the extra money, as the VFR was going for several thousand less then stock, and the Sprint ST was holding retail price.

Now, the new Concours coming up next year will replace the VFR, most likely



You see, the VFR is great, but its not fantastic. It does many things well, but nothing exceptionally.

 

:lol: on # 2

The VFR is a great bike and I will always have the 5G in my garage, But for twisty riding, my old CBR 600 was alot easier to throw into the corners, was I any faster through the corners on my CBR? No, but it was a lot less work. That being said, would I ever go back, hell no!!!

 

haha i just went thru all that this summer myself..Included were those bikes in my shopping!

Theres more to it than just power.....
I was on my way to pick up the sprint..saw the red yr old new vfr in another dealer..price was 3500$ cheaper than the sprint, felt just the same to me..bought it! very happy! I did ride the sprint extensively..I would compare them very well to each other..power was very close, handling(on test rides) seemed same, one factor not many think of is the heat issue..the sprint, and the other flat 4's are typical leg cookers in the city..the vfr is cool compared to them due to the rad setup I guess..Not enough by itself to make big diff to me as i hate to go near a city, but i sure enjoy it when i do screw up and end up in one!
I also had a issue with the small triumph dealership network (here)and the typical larger honda resale market as i dont keep a bike long.
I have found it to be the most comfortable bike i have ever had, but comfort is diff to each.

The sprint still is on my list for next time as i just loved the looks and sound of the thing! nothing ever sounds as good as a triple to me, bikes or sleds!!love em!

and i see they claim they fixed the heat issues. It will be competing with the zx14 in my next buy as i like it too! power is always nice!


I never got to drive the zx14, but will for next year as its on my short list..although it is a bit bulky for my liking (so far).

As for the naked bikes, they didnt have anywhere the same handling, feel or the wind protection I was after, a diff class altogether so no comparison..If you want naked, thats a whole diff ballgame in itself! btw, i love naked bikes and have 3, so thats not to diss them, just a diff critter!

Base that decision more on cost and use(city-tour) and go one way or the other.


i have run both a 02 and the 05 vfr and i love the vtech gimmick thank you!

powerwise comparison . all i know is it will pull ahead of my kids 06 gsxr600 from a slow roll up too110 mph before he goes by.and it will top out at 150 speedo... so good enough in the normal driving..handling it would take a better driver to show up the diffs than we are. very comparable for us!
major improvement i found was dropping the front sprocket a tooth..much better ratios in town, and will now wheelie quite easily. Before had to be over 7g into the vtech to lift easy..now comes up at 6, and a few more lengths pull on the kid..


I would base the buying on dealer, ease of resale if you change a lot, how it feels to you, and of course the price. but in the end just get what feels the best!!!


good luck!

NN

 

My Turn & Thanks!

Thanks for all the good feedback. I appreciate it.

Tonight I went and test rode a 1998 VFR with about 7k miles. So, here's my impression of the beloved VFR.

Seating position: Terrific. And that is saying a lot. The only bike that is more comfortable is a R1200GS.

Handling: While I am talking about R1200GS's, the VFR has this on rails like stability in an odd way similiar to the GS. I took some long sweepers at 90+ and the bike felt like it was no where near even showing any stress.

Wind protection is very good.

Motor. The best I can say about the motor is it sounds like a mini 911. It is underpowered for sure in a big way. That said for most riding it is plenty fast enough, extremely smooth and sounds terrific.

Okay, so, I am going to buy it.

What's the best exhaust pipe? Goals are to add acceleration and hear that great sounding motor?

What are the best tires?

Thanks!
David

 

Hey there DFauvre, i'm jelous and can't wait to get a bike again. I had a 2001 VFR800, same as what you're getting. I struggled with the price, but I did end up buying a high-mount oval Micron pipe, in cobalt blue. It's likely more expensive than Hindle, 2 bro's and the rest, but the buy was worth it. I didn't want to have to replace the whole exhaust, and here, buying the pipe alone brought out the sound a bit more, not raspy and annoying but really nice, and a bit of power gain too. Good luck, love to see pics...Justin

 

Don't forget Staitune way nice. ask RW how much he like his

 

IMO pipes that are shorter than the tail section look much better than a pipe that sticks out past the tail. You are going to get 8-10hp tops from aftermarket cans. The main goal is weigh reduction, looks & sound.

If you are going for sheer noise level, D&D are the loudest slip-ons I've heard on any bike. Micron will be a close second to that. If I owned a 6th gen, if I was going for looks, it would have either Remus or Bos. Bos pipes looks the closest to the stock ones that I can tell. As far as quality, Staintune pipes are supposed to be the highest quality ANYTHING you can bolt to a bike. For the best sound that I've yet heard on ANY bike, gut the stock cans and run that. On the only set I've seen up close, the guy cut the end caps off, pulled out everything and tack welded the caps back on. Basically the pipes are now a large accoustic chamber. This set up will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you hear it. Think 2 Ducati's with Termigoni's going down the road side by side.

As for tires, I can give a enthusiastic recommendation for the Continental Road Attack. I flogged them unmerciful on the Dragon and came away smiling. 1000% better than the D204K/D207.

KC-10 FE out...

 

Personally I like the ZX-14 and if was going to buy a new bike would seriously consider it although its probably still to fresh to work out what the big "K" missed and needs to get right over the next 12 to 18 months.

The Sprint ST seems to have some early build issues...

Click Link " http://tinyurl.com/jqjsf "

Having said that I'm not and wouldn't trade my Gen 5 in for anything currently on the market for all the tea in China.

If in the market for nice new Shiny the Gen 6 is a great bike, incrementally better in most ways then the Gen 5, I had a '03 Gen 6 before my current Gen 5 was a good bike but my current '99 Gen 5 does have more something intangible.

The Gen 5 feels little rawer and not quite as perfect maybe but still just as comfortable for distance and handles as well with a little tweeking, both feel like they are hone from a single billet. :first:

VFR's Handle very well for a " fat " Sports bike...Just got back today from a good run with a '04 R1, tweeked CBR600RR and CBR600F4i and found the R1 & 600RR disappeared on the long straights but were holding me up in the tight twisties...Was perplexed why, when riding with the VFR's I'm at the slower end of the group...:smile:

 

Vman put together this sound thread.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/modifications/3310-exhaust-sound-clips.html


This one is just a Staintune, my personal favorite.

http://s115.photobucket.com/albums/n281/clinteg/?action=view&current=MOV00786.flv