Motorcycle n00bie looking @ 2 vfr's

So over the past few years I have kicked the idea around over getting a motorcycle. After lots of reading I have come to reaaaaly like the vfr's. I sat on one at a friends motorcycle shop.

Well my dad passed away a few years ago and I am finally getting his 401K at the end of december. It should be about 9K thanks to the wonderful stock market.

I was considering getting 2 vfr's. 1 for my brother and 1 for myself. I already discussed with him at great lengths and he is torn between a vfr or a cbr600.

I have seen a few 2002-2004 for around 3500.

I do not have a motorcycle liscense nor does my brother but we both have lots of experience on dirt bikes and sport atv's since we were kids. My biggest concern is laying over my pretty vfr due to a lack of experience. My brother is convinced that I will have no such problem but it never hurts to get outside opinions.

We want to ride cross country trips. I live about 240 miles away from the rest of my family.

What does RWB mean?

O and I'm 25 so I get cheaper insurance

Do I get a clunker bike for 500 bucks to give a good thrashing to learn on? I feel like I could handle the maintenance no problem.

Do you guys have a list of bulbs the vfr uses? Like turn signals and whatnot.

Should I get my class m before I buy anything? I don't mind paying to have both of us take a proper motorcycle training course.

Ideally I would like to get the bikes with some cash left over to take a trip to the west coast. (I live in San Antonio)

O and I work about 4-8 hours a month (I do I.T. consulting and support for small businesses) so time is not a problem.

I'm sorry for the hard read but I just don't really have any idea of where to start so I'll just shoot for everything I can think of.

O and you guys have a kickass forum, lots of good topics thus far. I really think I want the vtec but I would like to compare the hp/tq dynos of a vtec vs gear driven of similar years to determine which I really want.

 

What kind of "salvage" damage can occur on a bike? Bent frames, flood/fires?

(((((((((( 2007 HONDA VFR INTERCEPTOR 800)))))))))))

Seems like worth making a trip to look at it.

yeah I didn't realize I could chat until after I posted lol.

 

San Antonio TX, but travel frequently back and fourth to Houston unfortunately. I just wonder if I can get away with a salvage titled 2007. Assuming the broken parts have been replaced what would I really be losing on the deal?

It is a freaking killer price. I really am leaning towards the fuel injection. I like the reliability of the GDC's but it does not appear that there are any bikes that have both FI and GDC's.

 

Welcome aboard.

I bought a beater bike and taught myself how to ride at the age of 36. I also took a moto safety course. I recommend doing this before investing in a nicer bike. It is one of the worst feelings in the world to hear the crunch of your baby on the pavement. Any thing you can to to lessen the chances of that happening, the better.

Good luck.

 

Welcome aboard! There are lots of wise men and women here who can provide you with their helpful insights regarding your concerns. Good luck on your search,

 

I am so very sorry about losing you dad. Regarding your questions: TAKE THE MSF COURSE!!!!! It helps you avoid developing bad habits and makes you a better/safer rider. I suggest that you get a low priced bike to get your street legs on. Something small and relatively light and without fairings so when it tips over it is a cheap fix. You can find a serviceable Honda VF500C Magna for low bucks. Maybe do that, spend some time on it and pass it on to your brother to street learn on too. Biggest issue on the street is that you need to treat everyone in a car/truck as if they are trying to kill you. If you shop hard you will find great deals on bikes. Ask here or in another forum for someone near you to maybe go look with you. A second pair of eyes and additional knowledge can help avoid a mistake. Good luck!

 

FYI, the 5th Generation VFR (1998 - 2001) is fuel injected and has gear driven cams. I have a 2001 and love the engine on this thing!

 

Seems like the better thing to do for a "permit" is check into what The State of Texas requires for having said permit. In some states, taking the MSF course garners you a permit and some MSF schools provide bikes.

Totaled bikes? Good Deals? Depends..

 

I live outside of Dallas. If you complete the MSF course you will not have to take the riding portion of the license test. You take them your certificate card and take the written part and your done.

Please take the MSF class. It will seem kind of boring at first but it really will teach you the proper way to do things.

 

Awesome guys, thanks. I will definitely take the msf course. Evidently in tx like Carnage says, I can get a class m license in about 4 days with the MSF and a passing written test at the dmv. My brother found an instructor in San Antonio that does advanced training beyond the MSF and he lets you ride his special bikes so we don't risk our own. Looks like we are going to knock that out.

I'm looking at the gdc's but wonder the output difference on the fi vtec vs the fi gdc. If it is negligible then I'll definitely be going the more reliable less maintenance prone gdc.

I think it is funny that lots of people claim a gdc means it is a true vfr but the first vfr's were chain driven cams....

Thanks for everyones help!

 

You won't see much difference in numbers in terms of power output between a 5th and 6th gen VFR. I can say from experience that the 5th gen power delivery is extremely linear. Some 6th gen owners speak of a power dip when the VTEC activates all valves - and from what I've gathered installing a Power Commander and O2 eliminators can reduce or eliminate that. Many 6th gen owners love the feeling of the VTEC engagement.

I've never ridden a 6th gen, but I am extremely happy with the motor of the 5th gen. The sounds it makes and the smooth power delivery just do it for me!

If I could have the 6th gen undertail exhaust and OEM saddlebags, I'd be all set!

 

I am going to get a 2001 hopefully not red. The output of the vtec vs GDC is basically nil. From what I could gather the GDC seems to have slightly more hp but less tq. O and the GDC also seems to have greater fuel mileage and less maintenance.

I want the 01 simply because I can say "last year of the gdc/5th gen" and because it lacks the stupid cold weather thing that the 98/99 has. (enrichment circuit) or something like that. I found a red one in Colorado but won't have the cash for a few more weeks so hopefully he drops the price having not sold it and I get to pick it up haha. Anyhow right now I am looking to sign up for the msf course and knock that out. Thanks for everyones help!

 

IMO, the VFR is not good as a first bike.....to top heavy and way too expensive to drop.

A majority here, i believe, here have worked up to a VFR after having ridden smaller bikes for a while first.

 

I talked to my friend pretty in depth and he said he is more concerned about me having a spare regulator/rectifier than he is about me dropping or crashing it.

He also mentioned some yamaha 1200 that weighs about 40 lbs more. I don't like yamahas (lots of bad electro-mechanical experiences with their atv's) and I don't like more weight.

I will definitely be posting pics of my crashed vfr here if it happens. I may in the meantime after I get my license while it is still cold grab an old beater bike to practice on.

 

A good cheap alternative as a practice bike for gearing up to a vfr would be an early model suzuki katana 600(late80s to early90s) weight and riding position are similar, not as powerfull, ugly as sin but cheap. you can commonly find these bikes in decent condition for $500-$1000. Ride it around for a summer(dont worry about fixing anything cosmetic on it) and then sell it to get your money right back out of it.

 

Thats funny, I actually traded a laptop for a katana that had a misfire on #2. I never did fix it, just sold it as a parts bike (no title). I saw that on ebay you could get just about any part for that bike for next to nothing. Might be good to just have as a beater bike.

Thanks for the headsup, I'll be looking around.

 

Well, I got my money to buy the 01 sitting in the bank right now. I'm itchy to spend it... Well I found an 01 in Austin which is not far from me for 3900 but has 31K on it. The owner sounds very proud of it and would rather keep it than negotiate. It is pretty much stock and the low quality picture made it look very nice.


Anyways I am going to big bend in the next few days and hope to never come back. Unfortunately I will probably be back in a week or so then I can go get my msf and grab a bike immediately afterwards.

I like the idea of scoring a crappy bike (katana) just to take my time finding the vfr I want. Anyways perhaps big bend will help me decide especially since the bike money will serve as my trip emergency fund incase something horrible happens to my truck out in the wilderness (hitting napa for a fuel pump just to bring along as spare).

You guys have an excellent set of forums and I have learned quite a lot from lurking around. Looking forward to becoming a class m with the rest of ya soon!

Thanks for the help.

 

Just to let you know, I talked to a couple guys who sell bikes, clean and salvage titles, and they said that bikes are often salvaged when they are dropped and several of the fairings are cracked, so the insurance company just salvages them out. I guess the plastic is just too expensive for them to cut a larger check. As long as you or someone you know that is a reasonable mechanic and can check it out, a salvage bike should have no problems if it looks fine other than cosmetic issues.

I just picked up a salvaged 98. Nothing wrong with it but it does have two cracked fairings. It looked like it was stored indoors and was taken care of reasonably well. Everything is straight on the bike and runs like a top. I am thinking about repainting it anyways (not sure if I want to go with flat or gloss black), so the fairing repair is not a big deal.

I would recommend that you start with another bike. Not saying there is anything wrong starting out with a 100+ hp bike, but the power is impressive. I started out with a Suzuki GS500. Not a very potent bike at all. I got a Suzuki M50 in 08. Not too much power there either, but good on torque. I have not ridden the vfr very much due to the snow here, but it has tons more power than the other bikes. That said if you want to tour on a great bike, the vfr seems to be a great choice. You get it now and you will not have to upgrade later.