To leave or not to leave is the question

Looking for advice on my current VFR situation, my previous ride was a 4th gen 750 worn low miles in beautiful condition, unfortunately it left me stranded with the common rectifier issue on a 3,000 mile road trip, other than that it was a great machine... sold that bike upon returning from the trip to purchase a 2006 VFR which i have discovered sucks in several categories (not the v-tec), so my question is do i abandon VFR's all together or try the 5th gen? Or look for another 4th gen and figure out how to make the rectifier bullet proof?

Issues with the 06 are as follows:
First and foremost, the wind protection is horrible (I'm 6'-0"), I'm comparing that to the 4th gen that i put 3,000 miles in one week.
Second, i find more wrist pressure on the 06 than my 97 ...... Both had heli bars
Throttle control: The 06 is way more jerky than the 97!!
Fourth: Crazy but fuel mileage on the 06 is horrible compared to the 97

So with this said, can anyone tell me how a 5th gen fits into this category? Or do i drop Honda and go FZ1 first gen???

 

OOo... good debate here. I too am from the 4th gen family, but when the Deer incident left me VFR less this gave me time to think about the options. I looked and tried other machines, but it always came back that the 4th gen VFR in my case was a very well tuned 97 version made it a hard act to follow for the money. Fast forward 5 years a 5th gen came about that was to good of an offer to not look into this further, but since i had friends that had the 5th, and compered to the 4th, then, wasn't worth the bother. But now maybe not so when a particular 5th gen was in sight. for me I still have minor nit picky issues with the 5th, but they are getting worked over and those pieces that can't be fixed, I tell myself it could be worse. So if it where me, I'd look into a 5th, but if you where to find a good 4th, I wouldn't pass it up if it talked to you, but the 5th isn't all that bad Better than a 6th IMO.. but that's me.

 

wait... Did you sell your 4th gen because the R/R went bad?

Really??

 

Charging issues will always be a problem with these unless you take the bull by the horns and fix what Honda was not able to do before it lets you down and it is no one particular gen that is plagued with the problem

 

A very understandable and thought provoking question with no easy answer.

The FZ1 is a great bike with pretty much an R1 engine at its heart so loads of fun making it way too easy to loose your license. You will find the wide bars means filtering in city traffic can be a bitch and it too has fueling issues, but like the VFR they can be sorted by adding a PCV and a proper custom map.

Inherently the underlying issue is whether or not there is a VFR which will work for you and your body ergos - something only you can determine.

At 6ft you are well above the average height of riders in Japan but if your 6ft height comprises long legs and short body then there are aftermarket solutions which will make a VFR (and most other bikes) suitable. So taller screens which can move the airflow clear of your helmet, and rear-sets to give a bit more room for long legs.

But if you have short legs and a relatively tall body - then I suspect you do need to consider other bikes. The stock 6th Gen screen works well if you are average height by intentionally channeling the airflow at chest height - keeping your helmet in relatively clear un-turbulent air. Once up to speed, the below helmet level airflow also effectively lifts some of the riders upper body weight from the riders wrists.

Reading between the lines it seems your heart is already in the market for another 4th Gen - so why not buy another?


SkiMad

 

I'm 6' and found the buffeting from the GIVI touring screen to be awful. Going to try the stock screen soon.

Can't comment on bar risers.

Battling mileage on the VFR, these items must be in check: Any problems in the braking system causing binding pads, such as gunk in the linked valving from poor maintenance. Make sure those wheels spin freely, and like CandyRed recommended, run a lot of brake fluid first thing, through all of the valving on any older VFR that you buy. Tuning the starter valves is a must for off throttle cruise and getting the best mileage. These bikes recommend low octane gas. High octane may not burn completely, actually reducing the mileage. The thermostats when bad tend to stick open, and the engine will run rich all along that very slow warm-up period, particularly in cold weather. (Maybe these things were addressed, but they must be dead on before comparing mpg among different models.)

Every bike is a compromise and you can battle the compromises a bit, see if they are acceptable, then make a decision to stay or go. That FZ1 just might fit you perfectly. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

LOL...Knight is on his first bike and it's not running. So much for expertise...

The best way to get rid of that unburned high octane gas is to park your bike outside knowing that there are little doods aboot with gas cans and siphon hoses. Optional is leaving the gas filler open or just leaving the key in the slot.

 

Hmm ? After 6 years on a 07 RWB (bought new in 2010) and almost 50,000 miles the only issue I ever had was a melted 30 amp fuse. I beefed up the wiring to and from that fuse at 30,000 miles. Never a charging issue ever. Swaped out the cam chain tensioners at 35,000. Not that it was nessesary, but I changed out the clutch discs, plates, springs, and basket because I got tired of the noise it made. Keeping fluids changed (fork oil, brake, clutch, coolant, ) keeps high cost issues from occuring. A carb sync helped with low end performance. I had the valves checked around 30,000 and they were good. I know of two indiviuals with over 80,000 that have never even had them checked. Bikes are running fine. As for comfort, that's a individual adjustment and as others have said there are remedys to make the 6th gen as comfy as you like. I put over 500 mile days in stock form and never a whimper. I must say that bringing the bars up a inch and a sergent seat makes things nicer. My only complaint on the 6th gen was the pain of keeping the chain clean. Living on a sandy dirt road(being no fault of the bike) made it a chore. Having to remove the clutch piston to get the grime from the front sprocket. If I lived on a paved road it would have never been a issue. I wish as others that the 6th gen had gear driven cams. No matter the brand or model there will be issues. No bikes perfect. But I believe the VFR is as close as it gets. You just have to mold your bike to fit you. Those pieces are there, you have to put them in place. Oh and fuel milage, well I've pulled over 50 mpg when running 50-60 mph with a avg of 40-45. Check those spark plugs. I'm also 6', get a touring screen, do you wear a full face helmet? I never had any wind complaints

 

Yeah, this does not compute. Mind telling us why you really sold your 4th gen?

 

That's how I read it with what's there. Had low mileage bike, loved it. Broke down on road trip felt betrayed so it was sold upon return?

If that' the case.. OP should probably just stay away from bikes.

 

I concur with those who have stated that any bike has to be 'molded' to you, and that any bike you buy will have its own set of issues. I just got back from a round trip on my 6th gen, AL -> AR -> MO -> KS -> CO -> KS (God KS sux, any direction, my apologies to those who have to live there) -> MO -> TN -> MS -> AL. She was not happy at 14000 ft. And I did have a problem getting her started & keeping her running, after spending all day sitting at 11000 ft. But once back down at 6000 & below, she perked up again. Avg. fuel use, 40 mpg. I have an MRA varo windscreen, but I'm also short. I run Sato rear sets and heli-bars. My one regret on this trip, and it's huge ... I forgot my beaded seat , and I love my beaded seat for distance riding. I can massage my butt while riding with it :biggrin:. Oh yeah, I do have a Saddlemen sport touring seat upgrade. Which actually wasn't bad, but the beaded seat would've made it so much nicer. Did I mention I like the beaded seat :lol:.

Leave or don't leave, just go buy what makes you happy ... and expect to 'mold' it to your needs anyway ... JMO :smile:.

ACE

 

What!? you have not installed that one of screen yet? SMH..

 

Well, you asked, and to be brutally honest. From the sound of your post, you should leave the VFR and Honda. You seem to be trying very hard to hate the VFR and Honda both...as well as trying very hard to do very little.

Goodbye and enjoy your FZ-1

 

Bye bye.........

 

I followed somewhat the same path of Jay (RVFR) owning a 4th gen for about 40,000 amazing miles, until an accident took it away from me. Three years later (6 months ago) after much debate I decided to get back into the saddle and picked up a low milage 5th generation bike.

I always liked the looks of the 5th generation bikes, and the fact that I could source a Staintune for it, sealed the deal.

I choose a 5th over the 4th generation based on the fact that I owned a 4th generation, and I wanted to own a 5th.

The bikes are very similar, with the 5th gen bike feeling a little more refined, while the 4th was more raw, or mechanical.

What I liked about the 4th? I am 6'4 and I felt like I fit in the bike better. I felt like I was a part of the bike. With the 5th, I am more on top of the bike, where as with the 4th, it fit a little more like a glove. Being a carbed bike, the 4th was smoother on the wrist, with no herky jerky below 4000. The 4th was more forgiving at low RPM's, where as the 5th bike I try to keep above 4500 at all times, to keep the throttle smoothed out.

If i had to choose again I would still go 5th generation. It's a better bike than the 4th in most ways, however only by a fraction. However I do miss the raw, feeling of the 4th, and would like to have one in the garage again one day. And a white storm trooper 3rd gen while I am at it.

I would never consider a 6th generation bike. When you give up gear driven cams, the bike loses its soul.

Regarding the R/R issue...it happens to us all. There are newer R/R's that remediate this issue, along with something called a VFRNESS. I have never had an issue in 30,000 miles of riding, since doing these easy modifications.

Always carry a spare R/R on long road trips, and if you want to go the extra mile, take one of those 1.5lb Lithion Ion batteries with you also, that hold a charge for a year.........then you are extra set.

 

Talking about the gear driven cams, anybody know why Honda dropped this proven method of driving the cams in favor of chains that we all know has limitations

 

My bet is the chains saved a few pesos. I want to know why Honda continued with the linked brakes when no one really wanted them and they just added complexity and expense?

 

Jim, I sort of figured that it might be something to do with a cost saving but in the overall cost of a bike it would be only small and then you run the risk of a following of people who got burnt with pre gear driven cams and all the negative talk that went with cam failure, they got it right with the gears and then somebody decides to go back to the old days of adjusting and replacing cam chains. Sometimes business decisions are dumb

 

Honda dropped the gear drive cams mostly because of the tightening of noise restrictions as the gear whine was causing problems with the ride by noise testing and cam chains are cheaper

I was fed this info from some body in the engineering dept from Honda back when the 6th gen first appeared and I saw no reason for him to be spinning bullshit

where as the Vtec engagement point is higher than the revs used for the emission testing so easily passes the ride by test