New Guy...looking at VFRs and saying hello

I've been away from motorcycles for some years, put mine in storage while busy with other stuff...like racing a Porsche, living in Baja, bicycle racing..etc. I recently revived all the bikes and sold off the DRZ, have the KTM 520 listed around.

The Honda Hawk: Love that little beast. It's been my 'second' bike, track day ride, and used by my S.O. on sport tours. I've had it since the 90s, as well as having some new Triumph triples.
A few weeks ago I was at a track day on the Hawk, as I revived it. I was there as a spectator only. There was a Dyno service there, so I took the chance to check my tuning with a run or two...Right in front of me in the line was a VFR doing some rolls...Wow!

I liked that VFR, though I didn't get to talk with the owner or even find what year it was or anything... So now I am looking into getting me one. I am not so keen on 'racing around' on my Hawk on the highways after racing my very fast Porsche all over the western and central US...and often using my Tri. Daytona for track days at the various tracks I visited along the way...So after looking a little, it seems I could sell the Cult Hawk GT ride and replace it with a Gen 5 VFR for near the same $...And I would have a real "sport tourer" rather than trying to make do with my pretty tightly wound-up Honda Hawk for my spirited but no longer 'nuts' fun rides.

So I am trying to get about $3k for the Hawk and spend somewhere around that for a VFR...Am I dreaming? Dunno.

The only 'off-putter' I see with the VFRs, from my limited research, is the electricial problems they seem to have plenty of....I'm not keen on a bike that is going to strand me or die without warning on some back road in say...central Nevada. I hope I'll find, with further research, that these often mentioned Stator/rr problems have a fix that will give a decent amount of dependability to the bike so I could use it without reservations ...
Anyway, Hi all, Don Hanson here from the Columbia River Gorge in the Pac NW...

 

It's only my opinion; but I think if you take a proactive approach to the charging system issues you have a very good chance of avoiding failures. The VFR is probably the best sport-tourer you can get, and is worth buying even with the chronic charging system stuff. Before any issues show up, do the wiring harness upgrades and clean all the connectors and ground tabs (these are well documented here). If you're worried, find one of the many alternative R/R units that provide some extra 'robustness' compared to the OEM unit.

The biggest enemy of the charging system is a bike that sits for an extensive period and doesn't get a little TLC. All those connections will accumulate corrosion, unbalance the 3-phase stator input to the R/R, resulting in extra heat and - ultimately - failure of one of those components. Yes, the harness is questionable; but that's easy to fix. Don't worry about it - deal with it ahead of time!

As far as pricing goes, I would think you can find a decent 5th gen for $3K. You might even find one that already has an upgraded charging system.

 

Thanks,

Yes, I've read about cleaning the grounds and the aftermarket changes that some have done...but I saw some "This thing sucks! I am gonna sell it if I blow another charging system" etc. and some where riders were having multiple failures despite recently doing everything you suggest...
That....puts me off, if indeed it happens like that often.
Is there a model year that is preferred or to be avoided on the gen 5? This G5 seems about as technically complex as I want to go...
One thing that I was jealous of while watching the guy get his tuned on the dyno was the ease with which they got an additional 15% in power with a laptop in about 5 minutes....Me, I had to take my Hawk away home and spend about half a day removing the tank, then the carbs and linkage and change out a simple main jet....Now I am going to go back to the dyno tomorrow to see if I did good....that sucks, compared to EFI..

 

So what kind of HP does that Hawk crank out now?

 

Somewhere around 70 at the wheel. With a weight of around 360lbs and' small size, it's a very quick bike...unless a track has a long straight, not many bikes will stick with it. In the canyons and mountains, I really piss-off my riding buddies with their Ducatis, etc...leading them easily through the slower speed tight stuff....but the Big Boys leave me once into the triple digit speeds.

I wish I could afford two bikes like I used to...but with the tight time$ I am not able to keep the Hawk, too...so I am selling or trading that and I think I shall soon be a VFR rider, if the right deal comes along.

Anyone want to trade? My Hawk lives near Portland, Or...but I'd deliver it on the West Coast. Selling price for the Hawk is $3000, firm...and a great deal at that cost considering the mods. I know it is the wrong Forum, but if anyone wants a few more snaps, there are some in the link below.

Me want Gen 5 for more laid-back long distance riding and to duck behind a fairing again..

https://picasaweb.google.com/112899774170781374478/HawkPicsAug11?authkey=Gv1sRgCIOz5vaYqZH9NQ

Don Hanson

 

I think about the only thing that can't be sold here is maybe a Harley.. I am almost afraid to look though.

Hawks are great bikes. Darn near swapped my SR for one once..