I love my VFR but.....

I am still a biker novice as i passed my full licence (UK) only 1 year ago. Been driving cars for longer than I want to tell you. Anyway I jumped from a Honda V twin 125 to the 2005 VFR-VTEC. It was I think too much of a leap I must admitt. But I am starting to relax enough now to enjoy riding it. My biggest fear was dropping the thing or falling off it. Well I have now done one of each now so I can relax and settle in to it. I realy wish and hope I can ride well enough next year to do the bike the justice it deserves.

There are some things I dont like but not many.

1. I think the clutch spring is a bit too strong and after a longish ride my left hand knows it is away from home and on the bike again.

2. I am 5'11" but have only a 30" inside leg I wish the bike was just an inch and a half lower. Can this be acheived some how. If I "soften" the spring tension adjustment on the swing arm as I wont be taking a passenger for a good while yet will this give a lower position?

3. The throtle is very very "responsive" and in 2nd gear on a bumpy road it gives an almost stop go ride. Can I get the responce "softened" to suit.

4. The only thing I am disappointed with is I thought there would be more bottom end torque the bike shudders just below 3000 in 3rd gear and is ready to die below 2700 and requires a change down well before. I was hoping to stay in third gear more often than I do for tight bends "roundabouts" and street riding in town. The engine is still tight I think at 2000 miles and i have seen some improvement after 1500 miles. I was wondering can this be "tuned" "mapped" for more low end grunt as I dont see myself needing the wacky top end speed. What about a smaller sprocket at the rear. Any advice will be very welcome.

Besides that I love the bike and the build standard is fantastic.

Regards,

JT

 

Welcome to the group. We are glad to have you here with us.

Your clutch is hydraulic. And it appears you have a relatively new bike and so the spring pressure will take some getting used to from that of your other bike. But it is not like have a cable operated clutch where you can adjust where it engages/disengages. I do not think there is a ligther spring set available and personally, I think that lighter springs will not hold up over the long term.

For the ride height, there may be a lowering kit avaiable for your bike. Not sure where to get one since my 93 is just about right for me. Tho I did sit on an 07 model and didn't feel uncomfortable with the height, and my inseem is about the same as yours.

Not sure about the throttle response. Remapping the ECU mighthelp. I have carbs, so I don't experience that issue.

These bikes have plenty of power. If the engine is "trying to die out", then you should be one gear lower. If you really, really, really want to be in thrid a lot more, then you could go down a toth on the front sprocket. This will change the gear ratio and allow you to ride in third gear like you want. Be aware tho, that your speedo gets its reading from the front sprocket, and tooth changes, up or down, will make the speedo read incorrectly. There is a device called a speedo healer that will correct that to some extent, if not completely.

As you get used to the bike you will learn all its little quirks and you will naturally adjust how you ride. It's like that with every bike. Each has its own character and it takes a little time to learn how it likes to be ridden. :smile:

 

Thanks I appriciate your quick responce and food for thought. Cheers JT

 

A Power Commander will resolve this problem. I had the same issue, now it's completely smooth.

 

Thanks for that what is a Power Commander and how do I get my hands on one

 

Thanks what is a power commander and how do I get my hands on one

 

You can get a PowerCommander from your local dealer. If you're changing your pipes, it's a good thing to do at the same time. I recommend a powercommander with every HD that I sell.

I'm a short mutha W/A 30" inseam as well. You'll grow to love your VFR, in fact, Harley sales have been remarkably good this December, so I think that I'll take my 95 VFR off sale!

If you have no formal rider training, take some, or take a riding shool course.

Good luck!:biggrin:

PS. Loved your work in PowerStation .................appreciated you work in DuranDuran.eace:

 

Read all about it here: http://www.powercommander.com/

Easy to install, no cutting or splicing. It'll run you about $300 bucks, shop around though. I first was confused with all the references to "customized mapping" and it sounded like a headache, but I installed it with the map it came with and couldn't be happier with the results.

 

John, we don't get a V-Twin 125 in the USA.Could you post a photo?:hungry:

 

I know what you mean about the shuddering at lower rpm's in higher gear. My '95 does the same thing, but I think that's "par for the course" with these bikes. It's basically letting you know that you've got a V motor there between your legs. :smile: At lower rpm's in higher gears it's almost "thumping" more like a v-twin...or at least that's how it seems to me. I was previously accumstomed to the characteristics of the inline 4 motor that would spin up from lower rpm's more quickly and smoother. I'm not knocking the motor by any means, and I think it's the best motor design in motorcycling. It's just that along with that comes a bit of character that you will probably soon come to love !

 

Hey - Link to the Honda CBR 125cc UK Edition

http://www.huntsmotorcycles.co.uk/NewBikes/Honda_CBR125R.htm

There is even a NSR 125cc bike.

 

V twin 125

Thanks all. Here is the Varadero I learnt to ride on. It was sweet and when fully run in it exceeded 78mph (on the clock) as I said it was a big leap to the VFR.

The Varadero is the most expensive 125 on the UK market but when you get to see and ride one you can see why.

Over this side of the pond we have to pass our final bike test on a machine over 50bhp so it was no use for taking my bike training on so in my case it was a 500cc Kawasaki I didnt like it much but it did the job.

 

John, was the 125 fuel injected? the vfr is and has a very responsive throttle, I can see how in 2nd gear on a bumpy road the bike is gonna be jerky, be smoother with your throttle hand, that might be an alternative to a power commander. In town I try to keep my rpm's at 4k or above, as far as ride height? I put on a Sargent seat, the new seat changed my riding position a bit, it made me feel as if I was lower on the bike.