VFR800 As Commuter Bike

i commute 40 mins each way, Monday to Friday, down State Highway 1 in NZ, been doing it since I got the old 86' VFR with no problems... replaced it with the "new" (well new to me) 2000 VFR800 and it came with a Zero Gravity Double Bubble screen...... well..... what a great add on that is.... hardly any head wind, hits me at just the right height... even the rain flows almost over the top of me... almost. LOL

 

I have this bag as well...(fieldsheer) and even though i've only used it a couple of times...once in the rain...i really like it and the fact that you can...as brock said...you can put any combination of these on your bike...the magnets are STRONG...i usually take the large bag with me and put it on the tank for shoes and pants, cell, etc...the waterproof cover is pretty nice too....good product all around i would say.

 

Can't address octane with a PC, but I've also run my '99 with regular and never had a problem. As a prior poster noted, unless you've changed something in the engine - compression is the biggie - there should be no reason to increase octane. Octane does not boost the energy in the gas, it only quells pre-detination of the gas.

 

I am about to start doing the same thing. last summer/fall I rode until the end of October (thats when the snow started here). I drive 200km daily (100k each way) to work. Only thing I've had issues with are my gloves, boots and my neck. My helmet doesn't provide enough neck protection or air deflection. My gloves aren't waterproof and my boots aren't either.

Things to think about, are comfort, leg position, and storage.

For my 98, I have the following:
Givi 26L tank bag, comes with a shower cap
Givi wingrack 2 with 45 L top box and 2x 36L side boxes
Sgt seat
Heli bars
KTM heated grips
Thinking about the double bubble windscreen for it to help with wind deflection.

My gear is
Alpine stars leather gauntlets
Joe rocket ballistic 10.0 3 in 1 jacket (has a warm vest, rain coat and nice bright orange textile jacket and armor in all the right places)
Joe rocket ballistic 10.0 2 in 1 pants (has rain pants, tough textile outer pants and armor in the knees)
The joe rocket stuff is great down to about 6C to 8C for about 45 minute rides with all of the layers and a light sweatshirt/jeans. Down to 5C and lower, recommend you get a thermal or fleece undershirt and long underwear. The rain gear that comes with the jacket and pants will keep you dry and warm in rainstorms. I drove 3 hours through the rain, the coat and pants were soaked, but I was dry underneath. The only trouble spots I noticed are the wrists may get a bit wet, but im pretty sure that was due to my gauntlets (not water proof).

Find some GOOD weather/water proof boots and some good weather/waterproof gloves. If you have heated grips, gloves with leather palms are great as it will allow the heat to transfer pretty well.
To help me out and the OP, anyone have recommendations for warm, waterproof and armored gloves and boots that won't cost a small fortune? I heard lots of good things about SIDI equipment, but theres a massive price tag attached...Some of their boots are $450+

 

I wear this boot Alpinestars Web Gore-Tex Boots - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore
It is truly waterproof and has a gore-tex liner. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I have been caught in some unbelievable downpours in these and my feet stay dry as a bone. In the winter (before I moved further South) 13 degree commutes were comfortable in this boot. Not the cheapest but at $239.00 it is a lot of value for the dollar.
Gloves, I have a pair of Warm n Safe heated gloves that are waterproof leather that I love but even without turning them on they are too hot in the Florida Heat. So for summer I use these by AlpineStars Alpinestars SP-2 Gloves - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore They are not water proof but they hold up fine and I keep the leather conditioned.

YMMV

 

Just an update:
I took the bike to work on Thursday and Friday of last week. Approx 100 total miles in those 2 days for commuting. Chilly morning rides in, really warm rides back in the afternoon. We hit 78* on Friday, and I was stuck in traffic for over 1 hour due to a motor vehicle accident. My bike temp rose up to 244*, and I swore if it hit 245* I was going to start riding up the shoulder for some wind cooling. Luckily, it never hit 245*, but it worries me that it got that hot that in only warm, and not hot temps.

I've come to the conclusion that in rain I will be taking my M3 as a commuter. 22 MPG overall is not horrible I guess. I'd just rather leave rain riding for emergencies/caught in the rain type events.

 

I've never had temp problems with the VFR itself. Down here - in south Lousisiana - the problems are with me getting overheated when the temperature gets into the 90s and humidity is over 85%. Stopping at a light can be miserable with no wind to cool off. When I have to be presentable wherever I'm going, I take the GTI (30 mpg).

 

I had temp issues up in Vermont last July. Temps were over 100* and it was humid as anything. We get that often here in PA as well. But, up in Vermont, the bike temp hit 250*, turned red, and I shut the bike off/left the cooling fan on. That was while driving around Burlington, VT, in low speeds (under 35 MPH). Not sure what was going on that day.....

 

Sounds like something is not right with the bike. Have you checked the radiator and antifreeze? Almost sounds like you may have some sort of restriction somewhere.

 

Have not had a chance to check all that. The traffic was literally stopped, would move about 5 feet after 30-90 seconds of sitting, then stop again. So there was literally no airflow. I did hear the fan on the whole time as well. Right when I started moving temp dropped back down to between 215-225*.

 

I'm sure you are aware that these bikes DO have cooling issues and many have done a fan mod and use water wetter in their bikes. I live in the desert and my bike routinely runs at about 225 in the summer. I do not run water wetter and do not have the fan mod. One year I was on my way home from CA and came through Death Valley. At the lowest point of the Valley I hit 255 degrees and the temp started blinking. I was getting worried, but I saw the road raise in altitude a few miles off in the distance, so I kept going, hoping the higher altitude would bring cooler air temps and help cool 'er down. Sure enuff it did. I don't remember where the temp wa for the rest of ride but it wasn't blinking anymore so I figured I was safe. That was a couple years ago, and no problems...

 

That's hot! I was getting yelled at in the 6th Gen section about how hot it was getting... lol. I run the bike almost year round, and from late October 'til about early/mid April, we can easily see nights below freezing. The bike (now) sits outside under a cover, so water in my cooling system is not a good idea. The VTR fan mod was showing mixed results from the reviews I read. Some people showed a difference of up to 10* cooler, others didn't show anything, and some others had hotter temps? I will be doing a lot of City riding, as well as commuting in rush hour (stop & go) traffic, so something for these lower speeds is required.