Old rider here that's new to the VFR and the forum. Found a '98 5th gen with 15k miles for sale at a local dealer. It was sitting next to a 2008 VFR and mine was actually in better condition that the newer one. Hardly a scratch on the beautiful red paint job. Helibar risers, Corbin seat, and other extras. Having owned several BMW sport tourers and now a Ducati Multi , I was amazed at how nice this bike rides. The engine sound is intoxicating. A guy I know who owns the same VFR said to change to a +2 rear sprocket. Anybody second that emotion?
Pics! IMO, the 5th gens are the premier midsize VFR's. So congrats on your purchase. As for changing the sprockets, I am not a fan unless you have a desire for faster take off or greater mileage on the slab. So ride it for at least a month or 2500 miles, whichever comes first. That way you know what want. Either way, spring for a speedo-healer to keep the odometer and speedometer correct.
:welcome: to the world!! Yes the gear drive whine is pure music :love-struck: As to the sprocket, it all depends how you ride. A +2 sprocket will give you more on the bottom and less up top. IMO, they are set up just right as is.
Thanks for the advice. I will do just that and ride it a while before changing sprockets. I rode the VFR into work today. When I arrived and turned it off, I realized I had a big freakin grin on my face. That is one cool old bike!
I currently own an '07 and owned a '99 prior to that. +2 on the rear is what I am currently running. I think the stock gearing ratios are too wide. I have no need to go 150, so I'd rather close the gaps a little bit and gain on the acceleration. A SpeedoHealer is a must. Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
It will correct the factory speedometer error in addition to changes in gearing and tire sizes that would affect the accuracy as well. Check out Post #16 in my thread where I just installed one in my 2nd 2007 bike. http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/47300-Winter-Updates-to-My-2007-RWB For more details, here is the link to their website: http://www.healtech-electronics.com/products/sh/
I like +2 better than stock for my kinda city and suburban ridin and don't care much for max top speed, really ! Going +2 makes your bike feel about 60 # lighter on take-off, it seems. Es mi dos pesos.
my 99 has stock gears and let me tell you it RIPPS wouldn't change a thing!! I have an after market exhaust and the air box mod done LOVE IT
I do find the VFR feels a little flat below 5k which is 120kmhr in top gear. So unless I'm tearing along at 130 or so (which is well over the legal max here) I find myself dropping one or two gears to get a decent surge exiting bends. I've thought about gearing down but I expect that would affect fuel consumption and would make the speedo even more optimistic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The gearing question is really a personal choice. I've only had one fifth gen that was geared down (down a tooth on the front) and it revved too high when I needed to do some slab work. It certainly did make the front end lighter when launching off the lights or when shifting to second but even with stock gearing I never had trouble getting the front end up so it was pointless IMHO. I'm actually up one tooth on the front and down two on the rear at the moment as I'm in touring mode. Thank goodness for the speedo healer!
