Opinions needed... Time to upgrade??

I retired at the end of Dec. Looking to do some cross country touring. I'm in Jacksonville Fl. and my son lives in Co. I want to ride to his house and use it for my base to tour the west coast. My '97 has 60K on the clocks and is in excellent condition and has never let me down. Opinions on if this is a good idea or should I upgrade to a new ride? If opinion is to upgrade what would you suggest? I'm 5'6" and weigh 150# maybe something lighter.

 

Upgrade the charging system (if it hasn't been done) and tour the shit out of that thing. If the charging system is good, you won't hardly find another more reliable bike.

Mileage is just broken in.

On the road if you need tires, you can put a 160/60-17 on that size rim and they are available everywhere and relatively cheap.

But I am biased.

 

What the Captain said....... upgrade and ride it.

Or to quote a friend of mine..... Carpe the f*ck out of that Diem!

 

With Cap .... +1

 

I like these answers! Charging system as been done. My friends say I am crazy touring on a 30 year old bike alone cross country. I didn't even give it a second thought until they started in on me. Only thing I need to do is get my Corbin seat recovered and new foam. Any tips for long distance riding?

 

So what do they ride (and tour on) and what were their suggestions? Doesn't sound like they ride VFRs.

And what system on the 30 year old bike is going to cause stress? The only thing that is substantially different is carbs vs FI, and that is one of the fucking sweetest running carb bikes ever made. The only caveat would be to make sure the float bowl orings have been replaced at some point in its life. They are old and have been thru some heat cycles and fuel exposure in the center of a warm V4 for 30+ years now. Same with the fuel tube orings.

 

I would not hesitate to take my 84 vf1000f cross country today! 64,000 miles and runs great!


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FUCK
That is a good looking bike.

 

8 posts and we are officially off track!!

Hah!!

 

As usual … you know what , just make sure all is good and go!


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The RC36-II has smaller carbs than the previous gen and has a .5 gallon larger tank. I would never tour on my 92, it is the thirstiest bike I have ever owned.

Be honest about your endurance and stop accordingly before getting fatigued. Every hour or so with just quick road side stop and stretch does wonders. Plan your route with gas stops in mind. Pack smartly.

I haven't done any cross country stuff, but some 3 - 7 day three state tours and the concept is the same.

Plan for weather and have appropriate apparel. Pack chain lube, tire repair kit, spray/cleaner polish for the face shield.

Not sure what your luggage situation is. I have loved the Tour Master stuff when I did 7 days touring Eastern British Columbia on my 1986 VFR, which was 30 years old when I did that. Not one mechanical issue, but yes the bike was sorted.

There's so many things, but a positive attitude and the idea that it is going to be fun as fuck is the most important thing.

 

"Be honest about your endurance and stop accordingly before getting fatigued. Every hour or so with just quick road side stop and stretch does wonders. Plan your route with gas stops in mind. Pack smartly"

I get about 200-250 miles out of a tank but I stop a lot, (old man pee pee breaks). Usually top off tank at every stop.
I pack light. I have a Givi box and use a dry bag. Also tank bag holds all I need. I wont be camping so that saves a lot of cargo.

They are on BMW's and newer Hondas. No they have never ridden a VFR and I won't let them ride mine. They are my friends but still they are "squirls" on a bike.

 

I have a 91 and a 93, had them for a long time. Know them front to back if you get the picture. These bikes are thirsty on fuel, 130 and the low fuel light comes on and your cheating fate, usually its 110 no light and I fill up. In theory these bikes will out-last me. I have a EX500 that goes over 200 on tank. I did some light traveling on it, have an up graded seat with custom foam and a nice Sergent seat cover on it.

By the way, I use these 3 decade old bikes daily to commute to work five days a week. No problems and if they do crop up, I tackle them promptly.

 

The most I've ridden

The secret here is regular use that keeps the fluids circulating and stops your carbs from gumming up. I see no reason not to ride a 1997 VFR as far or long as you are capable of. The bike will love it. I rode my 1990 ST1100 about 3000km in 2019 at the tender age of 39 years old; it was awesome.

 

I have been using it as a daily driver for the last 10 years. low mileage due to living only 3 miles from work. I would take the long way home after a bad just to clear my head. nothing better.

 

I had a 3 mile commute and took the bikes there, they were in a really cold inside garage, my EX developed a bowl leak, the 93 had a failed fuel o-ring on the fuel tube that leaked into the front right cylinder. It was strange, I grew up in North NJ and had the 91 VFR there, rode it year round in 30 degree weather (I should have had a winter hack) never had a problem. Sometimes the commute can be too close where it will not heat up the motor oil. Now, I have a nice 11 mile commute, takes about 15 minutes, park right up against the building with an amazing open vestibule where the bike is out of the sun and elements.

My Vfrs have aluminum fuel tubes now with viton o-rings, no more smells or leaks. I alternate between the three bikes weekly, they are in service short of a bad rain storm. All maintenance is done by me with exception of changing tires, I have log books with dates, mileage, and highlighted intervals for oil and other consumable stuff. Peace