What to buy after a 95 vfr750?

So heres the scoop. I way over payed for a 1995 VFR 750. I think the only thing that worked when I bought it was the kill switch. Plastic? Maybe 3 pieces that are salvageable. It needs a ton of work...I would guess 4k doing most the work myself and bargain shopping on ebay.

With that said I love the bike. I knew when I started researching that this would make an excellent first ride. And it has minus all the busted stuff I have been fixing. When you just start riding it kills you to have to wait on parts for days on end. So I am not really worried about what I spend on the bike. I enjoy it and I enjoy putting in the wrench time. I just hate not being able to ride. I want a compliment to this bike and something to ride when its down but what?

I have just over a month on my new m class license and have probably racked up over 1k miles. Not bad considering its been torn apart most the time I have owned it. I have taken the course as it is required in Texas to get licensed. I thought about 600 supersport since they seem to be in abundance used but I am just not sure I am ready for it with so little experience. My gut says it only goes as fast as you twist but all the advice says that just isnt the case. I was thinking a new ninja 300 but I am not sure that the power will sustain when compared to the vfr. I like harleys but my taste seems expensive. I dont really want to finance a 13k used fat boy. I would rather stick to a 3-6k budget which only the sportster is in my range. Not a big fan. Touring bikes with decent miles and less than 10 years old barely fit in here. So any suggestions? I am in San Antonio Texas if you want to pop out some craigslist finds.

 

Why not a better condition VFR if you love that bike. $3k seems to be the going rate for a 4th or 5th gen that is in ready to ride condition today here in CA. I am guessing its cheaper in Texas.

 

Find a dealer that has a 5th gen and take one for a ride...:biggrin:

 

Buy a parts bike.

$4,000.00 worth of work? How did you arrive at that figure? With a stated limited amount of experience was this bike sold to you by a local dealer?

 

Those are all logical suggestions and I probably should try and cut my losses. What I really would like to do is a frame down restoration over the next year and this is how I came up with 4k. I have got some price quotes from people like Jamie on rebuilding the forks and rear spring setup. I have a local guy here who can help with the engine work. Everything else I feel comfortable doing myself. Really the most expensive part will be the plastics. I lost every bid on the last set that was on ebay due to it getting close to oem costs. I think I need about 1700 in fairings alone. The rest can be repaired here locally.

VFR's definitely arn't cheap or common around here. There is a 94 about 3 hours away that looks in ok shape for 3500.00 and probably my best bet. There is a 08 800 2 hours from me for 6500. A 99 thats missing fairings and I am guessing in as bad of shape as mine for 2700.. At least with mine I know what I have and what I need to fix it. Thats why I was thinking a different style of something like a supersport, small light 250/300 or a cruiser would be a nice change up from the VFR once I get it mechanically sound. I don't know, I think buying another VFR for 3kish to piece together a 80% bike wouldnt be as good as the extra 1k to make it a 95% bike?

I bought the bike from an individual. Took a friend who said he knew about motorcycles. I didnt do enough research and would have probably walked had I known the fairing situation or appraised the bike better. I am motorcycle stupid but have a good grasp on most things mechanical. I am quickly learning whats out of spec and what needs to be replaced.

 

where do you ride ?? around any city roads or streets i know, a VFR is well over-qualified for it's roll of commuter or recreational use. Best city bikes are smaller and much lighter. But on a long ride, few bikes can compete with your VFR.:wink: You need it !

 

The VFR is just about the best bike I have ever owned, and there have been a few over the years (oddly all Honda's so pardon my bias). One bike that I have ridden in the past that sticks with me as one of the more enjoyable bikes to ride was a friends 2001 Suzuki SV650S. The bike was incredibly nimble and easy to ride, got fantastic fuel economy, had ample power, and they can be found for relatively little money. I think you would be able to find one for good money and likely within the budget you are stating above. The 98-2001 VFR's and some newer models as well would likely fall in to your range as well, but it is just a question of finding one for the right price. If you do consider an SV650S there is one comment I would freely offer and that is that the bike is a little cramped for someone of my height (I'm 6'-1" tall and 175 lbs) and I found myself wanting a bit more leg room and a slightly higher (more upright) seating position.

All in all, the best bike for you is the one you are most comfortable with. You mention a super sport 600 as a possible alternative and though these are certainly smaller displacement motorcycles they do have a significant amount of power. They may not show as much horsepower as a VFR (as example) but remember that bikes like the CBR600RR, ZX6R, GSXR600, and R6 are about nearly 100lbs lighter than a VFR so they can be brutally fast by comparison. I guess the long and short of it is that just because has a small displacement doesn't mean it is slower, just my 2 cents.

 

I pretty much ride it everywhere I get the chance. My ride to work is 14 miles of highway. I come home in the evening and go on some short trips around the neighborhood. So far the bike has only been together one weekend which I took a nice hill country drive hitting some very easy twisties. So the answer of where is everywhere I get a chance. We have a lot of nice open country roads down here.

I have actually looked at a couple sv650's (both naked) and one was in the running when I bought the vfr. I would have thought they were pretty close to the same characteristics? What makes them such a great bike and what years should I like at?

Yeah I know the 600 sports are not only fast but the position is bent way forward which is why I have stayed away. I am thinking of going to look at a 600f4i this weekend. A little more upright with almost the same power as the first RR bikes. Thought it might be a nice transition bike to one day going to the SS bikes.

 

There is "mechanical" and there is experienced mechanical with a bike or automotive background. IMO your figures are going to be way off. What is missing in this equation is how much you paid for the bike in the first place. Engine problems means big pesos.

Best bet? Cut your losses and use the current POS as a parts bike, and if you decide to get some other bike to ride, don't take your buddy along.

 

I'm not sure what exactly makes the SV650S such a great bike but it left me with the feeling that "Wow, that was fun." The couple of times I rode the SV the only thing I could really find fault with was the cramped riding position (at least for me) and most of that I think is because of my height and the fact that I have long legs so I find the VFR to be much more roomy. The SV's engine was very responsive and the sound it made was incredible (the bike in question had a full Akropovic exhaust system) and the bike was just an overall joy to ride. IMO the riding position of the SV is more like a super sport 600 which leaves you leaning forward a fair bit but I think some bar risers would bring you very close to the VFR's riding position.

With any bike purchase I would say that the newest one you could buy the better. Personally I like the more rounded body style of the 2001 compared to the more angular shape of the new style. Up here in Canada you could probably get a low mileage 2001 for around $4000 or less and since it has only 650cc it has a lower insurance cost due to the lower displacement.

Another bike you might consider, though I have only sat on one and not actually ridden, is the new GSX 650F. It is a more upright version of the GSXR600 super sport chassis and has ergonomics fairly close to that of the VFR in my opinion. The engine and drive train are slightly different I believe but the seating position is far more upright and yet the bike still looks sporty. Here is a link to a write up on the bike. Take a look and see what you think. I'm sure there are Honda purists here that will call it an abomination and they might want to revoke my membership here for mentioning the "S" name but alas, IMO the GSX is a nice looking machine. I'm not sure how long they have been made for so whether or not they would be in your price range I can not say.

2012 Suzuki GSX650F - Top Speed

 

Let me throw in another bike to your choices. The Superhawk. They can be found in your budget and have enough money left over to cover for some accessories. I used to have a first gen sv650, a superhawk and an f4i last year. The sv is a very fun bike and is versatile. It was cramped for me though. It was fine for me for about 90 mins. Same thing with the f4i. Very fun bike, much more top end power and acceleration than the viffer; But not comfortable for longer rides. The only problem I had with the Superhawk was the short range(120 miles). But I got around it with careful route planning. Ultimately I realized I need a sport touring bike with good range as when I get a chance to go riding I tend to go for 300-400 miles and the 220 mile range of the VFR helps as the routes( CA gold country, Sierra foothills etc) I like to take can have no gas stations for 170ish miles.

I also have other smaller bikes like the hawk and CB-1 that I take for under 200 mile trips. I will get another Superhawk eventually.

Since you mentioned the VFR was lacking in low end grunt I would recomend looking into the Superhawk, SV1000, TL, bandit 1200 etc. The F4i has much less low and midrange compared to the VFR.

 

Sounds like a frame up to me.. I think the guy is low especially if there is engine trouble, a bent frame and parts of the fairing that need replacement. Also, all the mechanical aptitude in the world ain't gonna help much when working on a tranny or a lower end. This is best left to the dudes that do this work all the time.

First "frame up" bike? A bike in a ten dollar box. A 1950 Francis Barnett with a 175 Villiers. A real sub mach 1 ride..

 

Ya got me beat on finding a bent VFR frame. Maybe because I am not looking in the right places. A few might ever be wrapped around some of those 20k engines..

One little mistake wrenching on an engine can be a major disaster. I did a partial restore on a 53 Triumph TBird a few years ago. These were pre-unit machines. I forgot to bend a security tab on the main sprocket nut and it worked loose inside the primary case at about 70 on a freeway. Ouch!

Yep, Plastic can be fixed most of the time. Even if chunks are MIA. ABS is so universal and if one is not above a little selective dealer dumpster diving lots of fixes are possible.

Paint? Right on.. Look for about two Cnotes just for materials. Or, if function overcomes form a couple of rattle cans of Wally's best for $.99 a pop.

 

I was a mechanic in the army for 5 years. Worked at a Lincoln dealership and then Pep Boys before I went back to school to change career paths. I liked turning wrenches just not against the clock. I have semi restored a few things over the years but this is my first venture with a bike.

The 4k was more a budget with some quotes. Just painting, powder coating and buying some new fairings is 2500ish. New tires 400 and it may need a rim, carb boots are 100, clutch disks 100. This stuff adds up fast! Suspension.. The bottom end is probably fine. The bike does have 50k on it so I wanted to check the valves which is where I would enlist some help. The frame seems fine. It needs a lot of little things like bolts, vacuum lines, cables, etc. You can really spend as much as you want to here. I dont see how its hard to spend 4k on a restoration and even then that seemed a little restrictive. Kudos to you guys that can do it on the cheap!


I talked to some other people about the bike and all of them said just ride it and have fun with it. It needs a carb cleaning/sync and a rear tire. I have already rebuilt the front brakes because they were sticking and changed all the fluids. I have a sprocket and chain waiting to go on. Other than that it will stay as is. I appreciate all the suggestions! I just need to be patient and get some experience.

 

We still need to know what you paid for this treasure. If it was ten bucks then you have a bargain. If it was in the Bluebook ballpark then it should have come with some lithium grease or KY Jelly. The choice of mechanics everywhere.

 

2 tubes of KY price range although it seems no running bike sales for less than 1500 here.

 

:hss:I'm thinkin of an old Texas joke about all Texans having brown eyes.

 

Not sure I know that one, lets hear it!!

You know reflecting on the transaction, its funny how buddys can talk you into stuff.. lol
"oh plastic is cheap dont worry about that stuff"
"High idle but you will want to rebuild those carbs anyway"
"You will want to select new tires with any bike"
"Dude, you dont want something pretty for your first bike and this one is a steal"