Size and Comfort?

Hey There!

New to the forum but I have been riding off road for 17 years and on road for 12 (almost solely on Hondas) and am finally getting myself an Interceptor (I hope).

A coworker is selling a relatively clean, low mile 2003 Interceptor ABS for a good price (I think) and now that I have a longer commute, I think it might be a better option than my 1975 CB750F. My question is about size and comfort for 40 mile commutes and longer trips. I know there are a lot of things out there to improve comfort (windshield, bar risers, seats, etc.) but I am curious how it works in it's stock form.

I am a 6'2" 195lb rugby player with a previously-broken back. Any thoughts as to how it will work for me? I have ridden it short distances but never 40 miles+ in one sitting.

Any help appreciated!

-Chris

 

Normal upgrades are Helibars for more upright position. At 6-2" you might want to power foot pegs, several solutions, for comfort the Sargent seat is the best.

I would try it stock first and find out what bothers you the most. I had an '03, which came with the Sargent seat. I now have an '14 with a stock seat, but still lowered pegs, and raised bars a little.


Edit: I am 6' with 32" inseam, 220#

 

I'm 6' 2" about 240#, with a bad back, but never broke it so I suspect your a bit worse.

I would guess part of it depends on your inseam as well. I have kind of stubby legs with only a 31-32" inseam.

The ergos on the 5th Gen were a little different I believe, but I found the bike to be surprisingly comfortable. I could do 200-250 mile days of aggressive riding, and had a bunch of single days where I did 300-450 miles. That was with stock bars, pegs and a Corbin seat. I know that 450 miles isn't a lot for some of the guys on here, but for those of us with a back that's been jacked, its acceptable to me (and it was still more miles that many of the younger kids I was riding with could do on their gixxers, R1s, etc.).

Few notes: If you have the coin to invest, aside from helibars, seat, etc., money would be well spent on suspension. Also, ask your co-worker that owns the bike if he had the wiring harness recall done. Any chance said co-worker would let you take it out for a good ride, or home for a day to see what the commute is like?

 

I had a cb750k for 9 years and put a lot of miles on it. I purchased a butt buff which helped but when I bought my 5th gen. With lowered pegs and a Sargent seat I am so much more comfortable. My next purchase is the group buy helibars

 

I am 6' 1" and 210lbs, and I'm riding a new-to-me 2003 VFR800. It has helibars, which are nice, and came with Sargent and stock saddles. I need to commute with my son, so I am replacing those with a Corbin and backrest, though I found the Sargent quite comfortable. I have a 32" inseam, and my legs fit fine, but I guess it depends on whether or not you have bad knees. I think price, performance, and reliability, there is not much else out there to compete. If you need more upright, you are looking at FJRs, etc. and more $.

 

I'm 6'0" @ 240lbs and a 32" inseam. I own a 2002 VFR800, same gen as yours without the ABS.

It's very comfortable for me but I haven't ridden it much yet (just got it over the winter) ... mine is bone stock, my back hasn't hurt, but I find if I'm not paying attention to posture, I can put pressure on my wrists. The HeliBars should help with this. I don't think I'm going to drop the pegs. I fit it nicely with regards to my legs / hips.

 

For those who are curious, I ended up pulling the trigger. I traded the green 2007 ZX6R in the background for the VFR + $500. They both were in equally good condition with a few modifications each, but the ZX6R had 20k miles vs. 10k on the VFR. All-in-all, I could not be happier. My motorcycle stable is back to all Honda's (and an old Vespa) as it should be.

 

Love the cans on that VFR.

 

Sweet! What are those cans???

 

Congrats on the purchase. Your biggest concern is one that only you will be able to address, more than likely through trial and error. Back injuries are very unique as I am sure you are well aware by now. I haven't broken my back but have had three surgeries and spent days in the ER with no feeling blow the waist.

I was also brand new to motorcycles when I bought mine in 06. Never ever had ridden one. Been a passenger a couple times on my brother's bike some 45+ years ago. In hind sight, choosing this bike, on the advice of the salesman, was a good decision over a cruiser type bike considering my injury. Sitting more upright would have meant constant up and down bouncing on the spine and that would have ended my riding days I am sure. With the geometry of this bike, the spine is flexing on rougher roads rather than compressing.

I rode mine until last year with stock bars. Had helibars sitting in the garage for about two years and finally put them on. They did make a difference but not huge. For someone your size, maybe the difference would be more noticable.

I put a Sergent seat on mine after a couple years and a long trip. Only because of the deal I got, and the hype I had read mostly here. For me, I did not notice really that much of a difference. Maybe I have a hard ass. Rode a bicycle as primary commuter for about 20 years prior to this working. If you can tolerate those seats, thin as a 2X4 on edge, I guess you can tolerate anything.

Myself and two others completed a 1000 mile/24 hours Iron Butt Challenge last spring. With the gear I had, certainly my back got sore. But I was able to walk that out in minutes. I would not hesitate to try that again. Matter of fact, next year I am going to once again, try the Border to Border Insanity 24 hour trip. Twice failed already. Hopefully third time a charm.

Talk to your physio therapist about the bike and your preferred riding habits. He should be able to give you some insite into longer rides and what to do to relieve any issues that may develope on your back.

Oh and BTW. Until I retired a couple years ago, my commute was about 50 miles each way 5 days a week, in four seasons. Only time I did not ride was when it snowed. Got caught a couple times inthat too. All this before the helibars. That commute was as easy as the truck. Matter of fact, my back is worsening to the point that a 1 1/2 hour drive in my truck or my wifes Civic is hell on my back. The bike on the other hand is quite comfortable. Go fugure that one out!

 

It's an FMF exhaust, not sure on which yet, I still need to go through everything on it. To be honest, I have barely ridden/looked at the motorcycle I rode it around the block, confirmed it worked as he said, and took the rest at face value. It's a colleague so I know he wouldn't purposefully screw me over.

Randy, thank you SO much for the thorough information. It gives me a lot more confidence in my decision!

It's odd because riding-comfort is such a hard formula to get right. My CB750 is really uncomfortable for any distance, yet my same-year GS400 cafe bike that I built, with a chopped-up seat, was a breeze to travel long-distances with. Go figure!

 

Thanks, I'll have to check those cans out for sure once I get all the comfort and maintenance upgrades done.

Yah, bike ergos are tough because we're all different in physiology.

 

Those are FMF Apex cans, mounted reversed from how they're meant to be (L to R). I had the exact same thing on my 07. Good luck finding them anymore...they no longer list the VFR on their site.

 

Was mounting them reverse a common practice? I did wonder why the emblem was not facing out....

 

Annnnd never mind. I looked at a photo of both options and it DEFINITELY looks better mounted this way. haha