Howdy from Palmdale, Ca

Just a looky loo for now folks. Currently ride a 2013 Ninja 300 which suits me fine for daily commutes of 46 miles...one way :smile-new: Went up to Sacramento for 2014 Aftershock Music Festival and lets just say it was a bit...brutal? 300 performed flawlessly but I was a bit beat by the time I made the 377 mile trip back home after a weekend of partying in 100 plus degrees and walking from one end of the park to another over and over trying to find bands that didn't bore me to death! Godsmack finished off the weekend in good fashion...Weezer and The Offspring were pretty cool on Saturday. I'm a kinda sorta old dude at 51 so I have a range of music I like and there was plenty of interesting music there. And plenty of eye candy :tongue-new:

Been riding on and off for 40 years or so starting out in the desert and a little motocross as I got older plus a few 600cc sportbikes in the late 80's, early 90's (Ninja and a couple of Hurricanes, an 89 and the last one being a 92 F2). I didn't ride street again until 2002 when I picked up a Honda Shadow 750. I tried to ride it like a sport bike and after a year of peg scraping I let it go. Cruisers and me aren't made for each other and I don't much care for "standards". So back in February of 2013 I picked up the 300 after getting an itch I had to scratch. Racked up over 10,000 miles on it so far and I'd say I can't see a future for me without a motorcycle in it moving forward.

Somebody posted a question the other day about the VFR on the 300 forum and that got me looking at the new VFR. I've been looking for something in the under a liter class that would accept saddle bags and not weigh a ton...and still be fun to ride on ACH. I think I have found it...Time and money will tell :greedy_dollars:

 

Welcome........ you are an old fart but I'm older....
Come and jump in the VFR water....you won't be disappointed. ..I'm in Simi by the way...

 

Oh hai there, that was my fault I guess! :livid:

 

Yes xorbe...you are the one to blame! I have an interview of sorts tomorrow so as long as I have money coming in at the same level I'll be doing some shopping :nod: Been trying to look at dealer inventory around here and it's pretty scarce...

 

Simi honda has a red one ....14 something. ...new owners...it's a deluxe. .

 

Right on! I think you'll love the VFR. Very Fun Ride.

 

:welcome: to the madness :wave:
Good luck with your new purchase.....:thumb:
You come to the right place for info.

 

Just wondering why did you go backwards on cc's?
750 to a 300...dont ya find it a tad anemic?

 

Compared to the 750 Shadow? Not at all...that thing was a porker that could barely do 90mph. It was a cruiser in the true sense of the word. The 300 is surprisingly torquey and fun to ride. Also, I hadn't ridden for a few years and just wanted a sport bike that gets the job done and keep me in check :wink: That and it gets 50 to 60 mpg's which is nice when you are doing 92 miles a day. I really like the 300 but it just ain't suited for longer rides. My butt screams for a break after 45 to 60 minutes or so...

 

Okydoky.......ya know there are alot of 6 gens for sale out there..even RWB's. But if you have your heart set on a 8 gen
go for it...cant go wrong....just more $$$$$$$

 

Heart ain't set but this bike just jumped out as something that I would want and appreciate. There are a ton of hideous bikes out there in my opinion and they do not fit the bill of a true "Sport Touring" bike. The closest thing to this one is the BMW F800 GT. Mind you, this was just a wild hair, spur of the moment thing since the pounding I took on the 300 up and back to Sacramento covering over 750 miles. I've just been looky looing since I "discovered" this bike. I've poked around different manufacturers web sites and nothing even comes close to what this bike offers...

Going back in time for an earlier model is certainly an option...

M

 

What I love about this bike is it's the best of both worlds.
Went to T.O. Motorsports...holy crap...so many new bike ..I personally like the FJR...and the 9 triple. ...sweet rides....but will never replace my VFR...It's perfect.
Good luck

 

Since I dragged you over here Malice, the only other bike that looks truly interesting to me, but is a different bike than the VFR, is the Suzuki V-Strom 650. $8500, 645cc V-twin that's more torquey in low revs vs parallel twins, max 64 whp, 5.3 gallons * 52 mpg for a 276 mile range, and a taller stock wind screen. Supposed to be an easy to get along with bike. Ah, but from the other thread, I see you like full fairings (as do I) ... well, it looks like it kinda has an integrated fairing from the radiator shroud.

On paper the VFR800 has better 40% better hp:lb (incl rider), smooth V4, but 200 mile range and 39 mpg typical. But that price, and vtec valve adjustment complexity. But, that bike ...