returning to riding

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by vikingGoalie, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. vikingGoalie

    vikingGoalie New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2019
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    so many moon ago, before kids and marriage I rode all the time, had a kz1000 that i put over 50K miles on. put quite a bit of saddle time on a sabre v45 and rode my friends vf1000 a fair amount.

    thing is in the last 20 years i haven't ridden a lick, but that is gonna change this year. One of my all time dream bikes to own is a 5th gen vfr. I found one for $2800 with only 13K miles on it. seems to be well taken care of, only issue is the one side has rash on it where it was dropped in gravel at a stand still.

    so a few questions to the group.

    Am I nutz getting a 22 year old machine?

    I was a pretty competent rider back in the day, but it's been a while. I don't think this is too much machine for me to be jumping back on, and I'm pretty disciplined and will take my time growing into it. But is this a bit to much for a returning rider?

    Mostly it will be shorter trips on this bike, I want something that is convenient to just hop on and get something from the store that will fit in a tank bag.
    I plan on using this for longer trips down the way . I have to travel for work sometimes, roughly 500 miles and would love to use this for the trip. Everything I've read is these are great for that, thoughts?

    I have looked at a few fairly new versys 650's that intellectually I was like, ya I should get that to start things off again. But there are two bikes that sing to me, one is a 5th gen VFR, the other is a ZRX in eddie lawson colors. But the VFR is #1.

    thx!
     
  2. bk94si

    bk94si Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2018
    Messages:
    297
    Likes Received:
    72
    Trophy Points:
    58
    I bought one even older so no you aren't nuts. These things will run almost forever.
     
  3. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2019
    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    450
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Millgrove, ON
    Map
    Go for the VFR, sounds like a gem with that low mileage. What's not to like! Just got mine and digging into it... can't wait for spring!
     
  4. vikingGoalie

    vikingGoalie New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2019
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    so gonna pull the trigger on it. gotta sort a couple things out first, but got wifey approval so that was the biggest hurdle...
    youtube of the bike:

    i'll search around on here, but any tips on gotchas to look at? The inside of the tank is spotless, no rust, no leaks that i can tell. if all goes well I'll be riding home on this in a few days... :)
     
  5. bk94si

    bk94si Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2018
    Messages:
    297
    Likes Received:
    72
    Trophy Points:
    58
    Thing looks like new!
     
  6. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2019
    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    450
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Millgrove, ON
    Map
    Congrats..... I guess check the usual stuff, new fluids, stator connections, etc. I think the wee bit of rash on the left side will buff right out!!
     
  7. Ttxpc

    Ttxpc New Member

    Country:
    Australia
    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2020
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    I'm in a similar situation, kids are older now, so time for bikes again. Had a few prerequisites,
    1 had to be more comfortable than the zx6r I had previously
    2 had to sound good at low speed/rpm, so I could cruise around and hopefully be a bit more restrained
    3 not a cruiser, just not a fan
    4 reliable, I'm a mech so no real problems fixing bikes if they go bad, but less problems = more riding

    So there was really only one choice a5th gen vfr800, couldn't be happier
     
  8. weevee

    weevee New Member

    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Joined:
    May 16, 2018
    Messages:
    62
    Likes Received:
    27
    Trophy Points:
    18
    From the corrosion on the under-section of the exhaust, I'd guess that bike is likely to have its original (mild steel) down-pipes/headers. These are known to rot through, and they can be a real pain to remove 'cause the studs can shear in the head. Many 5th gen bikes now wear stainless pipes for just this reason.
     
  9. vikingGoalie

    vikingGoalie New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2019
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    so guess it wasn't meant to be the owner decided he didn't want to sell after all. guess i'll keep lookin...
     
  10. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

    Country:
    Canada
    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2019
    Messages:
    1,228
    Likes Received:
    450
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Millgrove, ON
    Map
    Patience is a virtue, there is always another deal out there. Shame that one got away.
     
  11. vikingGoalie

    vikingGoalie New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2019
    Messages:
    52
    Likes Received:
    12
    Trophy Points:
    8
    so... the owner of this bike just put it back on the market. I have wifey approval, and some cash. So hopefully by end of the weekend I'll be owning a '98 vfr with 13K miles on her.
     
Related Topics

Share This Page