attn: Anyone who has ridden a vfr and an SV

This could be a long story, but I'll make it short... I'm finally back on my feet after spending about a month in the hospital after I was hit by a 70 year old woman in a camry... :crutch:

My old ride, a 2001 SV650s, (kinda) heavily modded by me is pretty much done for... I might be able to salvage her a bit as a streetfighter, but it'll take a while. I had about 15,000 miles under my belt after a little over 2 yrs of riding.

I've come across an '04 VFR with about 8000 miles, and I'm very interested in this bike. I understand there is going to be a weight difference, and the motor is completely different, but I'm just looking for insight from someone who's ridden both. Any info like a comparison, or just more general insight about the VFR would be much appreciated.

 

Funny you should ask... I just bought a new VFR, and still have my 2000 SV that I bought in 2000. I spent a good deal of time and money earlier this year modifying the SV suspension, as that has always been an issue compared to the rest of the bike (good education too!). It also has a Corbin seat and National windscreen, and I played around with different gearing to make longer trips less rev-happy. Long and short of this is that as good as the SV is for lots of different things, I primarily got the VFR for a long distance sport bike. I'll keep the SV because it has been an excellent motorcycle.

The VFR, stock, has a few major differences. For me, the handlebars feel way too forward and low, but I have never ridden an SV "S" model, so it may be similar. Hopefully I'll get used to it, as Helibars are about $275. The handling is very neutral and precise; it does not want to fall in or stand up, even with some trail braking. Side-to-side transitions are slower than the SV, and the weight difference is noticable, but not in a bad way. It feels planted and stable in most conditions, kind of like a muscular big brother to the SV.

The stock suspension has too much high-speed compression damping on both ends (for my taste anyway), and is not adjustable (preload only, rebound damping in the rear). It is not as compliant as I would like, on either end, but may loosen up a bit with time.

The motor is fun, and the transmission is very nice. The VTEC transition is kind of weird, but 25 years of V4 refinement is noticable. Very smooth and linear. My mileage to date is about 36 to 40, but I have not been on an extended highway trip. The gearing is about the same as your S, but the VFR feels a whole lot better at highway speeds than my SV did. 75-80 mph is about top cruising speed on my SV for extended periods, and it has to work a bit going through the Sierra mountains. The VFR feels quite relaxed at 80; it seems like a good choice for what my intended use is.

The wind blast hits me at chin level (I'm 5'-8"), which is definitely an issue, so I've ordered an MRA adjustable windscreen. For what it is worth, there are some aftermarket accessories available, but they all seem expensive compared to the SV. A Corbin seat is $400... ouch!

Lessee, what else? The "tool kit" consists of one tool that is used for the rear shock, chain adjustment, and a gas tank prop. I expected at least the typical assortment of open-end and hex wrenches, and possibly a tool for the rear wheel "lug nuts". So be prepared to put together an auxilliary tool kit for raodside repairs, although I doubt that any will be necessary. Other than some charging system problems with earlier generations, I could not find any major "gotcha's" with regard to failures when I researched them.

If you do your own maintenance, which it sounds like you do, removing the front forks looks like a lot of component removel to access the triple clamp pinch bolts, at first observation anyway.

All in all, I am happy with the VFR, but I'll keep the SV for the short and twisty trips.

Best of luck in your recovery, and so sorry about your mishap. To quotye a bumper sticker from the seventies, "Ban low-performance drivers, not high-performance cars".

 

yep..my kid had a 05 sv S....very cool fun bike to ride..But no real comparison from my perspective..not knocking either, just way different in every way. the sv a fun lightweight great bike for the price. the vfr is bigger, more solid ride, more comfortable, with more protection and power. It will be quite a big bigger and heavier than your sv. probly feel like jumpin on a gold wing after the sv650...

What was your main use for the sv? rippin around town or long rides? If you want the vfr for rippin local, you might not find it as much fun, Id go with a 600 ss bike then. But if you want what the vfr does best, compromise between the ss and the st bike, then it might make you happy. Compared to the sv it has less reach to the bars, more upright position, better seat, better overall protection, and still has the nice clean airflow to the upper body to keep the pressure off the arms. I suspect you will enjoy the ergos after the sv as still sporty but more comfy. Handling will run with the sv or better no problem and it is a fair bit quicker than the sv of course. Mine runs with my buddys sv1000 for comparison.

For me it was like jumping on a very little bike when i rode the sv(course it is)
and only comfy for shorter rides.

maintenance? you sv is a simple bike to maintain..You will need much more time and expertise with the vtech. Not the end of the world, just be aware if you pay others to do it! the biggie is the valve adjust for some..check it out.

will u like a vfr after your sv?

I dunno..better try a test ride first!

good luck!!

 

Hey B, there are plenty grandma's here and there... If your up for it, mind sharing what happened.

Glad to see that your up.

 

Thanks for the replies...

I did everything on my SV... Sport riding, track days, light touring, and it's seen a small bit of light off-roading. Most of my riding was twisty stuff, but I do like to do long trips with my dad. Thats where the SV lacks a little bit... The ergos also get to me after a while. After sitting on a vfr for a little bit, they're a little more relaxed but still sporty, which I like.

I've always wanted a naked bike, and was looking at getting a street triple but I knew I'd miss the wind protection... I might make my SV naked to fill that craving, and have the VFR as my all around mile munching, sport riding, touring machine.

I just didnt know about the motor... Thats one of the best things about the SV... I love that little V-Twin! I've ridden twins, I-4s and one triple, but never a V4. Hopefully I'll be able to test ride one soon...

 

I also own a 01 SV (it's became HER bike now) while the SV is a fun "little" bike I enjoy the "plant" the VFR gives.

I actually prefer to ride the VFR in town over the SV

 

The fuel injected SV is leaps and bounds ahead of the carburated one in my books. Wasn't too impressed with the '1st gen' SV650 but loved the FI model.

 

I traded my '03 SV1000 for my '05 VFR. I agree with most of the comments above, especially from Lgn001.

The SV was great for ripping around town or tearing along a twistie road in the Smokie Mountains. But I had to trailer it to the mountains as it was a killer on a long trip. The VFR, on the other hand, is a great all-around bike that is a pleasure to ride from south Florida to the Smokies. I do wish it felt as light in town as the SV, but you won't notice the extra weight on the road.

I have the ABS model; I highly recommend you go for ABS as it saved my butt one rainy day.

It comes down to how you're going to use the bike. Mostly local riding, stick with the SV. But you can't beat the VFR as a do-everything bike.

 

Yes, long distance rides is one of my main reasons for interest in the VFR. My dad and I prefer not to trailer the bikes, and while I could handle long rides on the SV, my wrists started to hate me, as well as everything else. Most of the fatigue came after we got off the bikes for the day.

Most of the riding I do is actually a bit of everything. Commute to school and work, twisties, and some long super slab stints. I initially thought the VFR might be too much of a pig for the tight twisty stuff, but research is proving otherwise.

Does anyone ever take theirs to the track?

I have to disagree with you... In a nutshell they are virtually the exact same bike, with almost the exact same mannerisms provided you get rid of the stock tires. Of course the gen 2's have a few more ponies, but I'd trade for the carbed model as it seems to be the consensus that fuel delivery from the factory is sketchy. Starting was never an issue either. First try every time for me, even in 40 degree weather. I dont know what upgrades a bike undergoes to be "leaps and bounds" ahead of another. To me, a leaps and bounds difference would be if they upped the motor to 800cc, corrected the fi problems, had better stock tires, and threw in fully adjustable ohlins front and rear...

 

I own both. My first bike was a 2001 SV650 (owned since 2006), just bought a 2001 VFR which I love. The SV was stock except I changed fork oil to 15w for less brake dive. After an hour or so on the SV I start getting sore butt/hands. The VFR has a similar feel to the SV but is better in most respects -- more power, better suspension, better fit, better sound, etc. Compared to SV650S the riding position is less aggressive, much more comfortable , and the VFR does better at low-speed handling. The best word to describe the VFR is smooth -- the suspension is waaaaay better at soaking up bumps. I think of the VFR as an SV for grown ups. Everybody here loves the VFR, so instead of singing it's praises I'll point out it's shortcomings.

Drawbacks -
* like any fully-faired bike, maintenance is a pain. On the SV oil changes took me 20 min. You'll spend that much time just getting the fairings on/off the VFR.
* maintenance costs are higher, probably because of labor to remove/install fairings
* you can't quickly install high quality frame sliders on the VFR, gotta cut a hole in the fairings and replace the coolant reservoir. I didn't know this till I bought the bike and was pretty disappointed. C'mon Honda, this was originally a sportbike, should be easy to add sliders.
* Sidecase racks cost more -- you can't just buy a Givi sidecase rack, gotta buy the topcase rack too. Or buy a SW-Motech for $230 with the VFR adaptor.
* VTEC motor (2002+) takes off around 6500 rpm, so power isn't linear. I don't like surprises so I bought non-VTEC. But this is a religious issue, some people love the VTEC.
* Stock windscreen had wind buffetting over 45 mph, I much prefer the Zero Gravity Double Bubble ($75). I'm 6'0".

my favorite features (compared to SV650) - gas guage, air/coolant temp gauge, center stand, easy access to battery/fuse box (just remove seat, no tools required!), dual headlights, linked braking. I would have bought ABS if that was available on a non-VTEC VFR.

 

Prior to buying my new vfr in sept of 07 I havd a 05 SV650. I enjoyed the bike. It wasn't that comfortable on long rides. The engines are different...alot of low end torgue on the SV. But all in all the vfr is much more comfortable and I believe it has a higher top end if that's what u want. The vfr is twice the bike the SV is.

 

To all of u who have vfr's out there...is there a kit available to add an extra cooling fan. I'm concerned about the bike over heating int he summers here in Ca.Is there the potential for that?