Can someone make sense of this for me?

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOH HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! Aw damn, I'm not on the bike anymore.. Well, I'm just going to say that I couldn't be more satisfied with the bike, unless it had come with a hot blonde to ride with. I can't really tell why the guy was acting like such an idiot on ebay. He was a really nice guy though and not an idiot by far. The bike is as mechanically perfect (it seems to me) as a '99 can be. I still might take it in to the shop and have them go over it professionally, since they know things about these that I might never. It is wearing brand new Dunlop Sportmax front and back, and of course the Jardine slip-on, which sounds mean as hell by the way. That V-4 growl is so unique, I can't and don't want to get it ou head! I'm really surprised by the power delivery of the bike, it is very, very consistent, as most of you already know. I could go on and on about how happy I am with the performance but I would just be reiterating what everyone already knows. Cosmetically, there are only a couple of things wrong. First, the paint on the forks doesn't look bad, but if I get a chance to get them off the bike, maybe to send them to Race Tech, I'm finding a sandblaster. The only reason for forks to be gold is if they have an Ohlins sticker on them. I actually didn't notice the scuffs in the pics but I did when I got there. There are a couple of minor scuffs on the right lower and clutch cover and if it happened in a tip over I guarantee it was at below 10 mph. Frame sliders would have saved that. Oh yeah, very small stress crack around one of the fairing bolts on the same side. Maybe I'll be able to pick up some new plastic one these days but for now, I'm going to just keep enjoying the hell out of it. Since last night I've already put 250 miles on her, not a hiccup! I see my bank account growing steadily smaller, good thing I'm not married. I guess the first order of business is a new windscreen. I'm 6'1" and that wind hits me square in the face. Do Heli-Bars improve ergos that much? I like them the way they are but I could definitely see myself cruising a bit more upright, maybe not in the tank so much, but I guess a Sargent is the best remedy for that. Thanks for all of the response fellas! It's good to be able to get some honest opinions. I shall be hanging out here more often! I am very pleased I was able to, as I think any one of us would be to pick up a '99 VFR in great shape for under $4k. Any reccomendations for great Florida rides?

 

That Bandit he is currently selling, he supposedly bought it just a few weeks ago, EBay item 300074002507. Sooooo many red flags on this one.

 

Chris, I hope the Owner Certificate papers were in good sound order. The seller really sounded like he had an IQ of room temperature. There were a lot of red flags on this one. Need more comfort?...I have a '98 and I have added a taller Givi windscreen and HeliBars for better ergonomics. Just those two mods makes a big difference in how long you can stay in the saddle. Good luck on your new toy.

 

My grandparents immigrated to this country also - what's your point?

 

My great-grandparents immigrated to this country, and so did most of everyone else's who is now an American. You guys are killing my thread! :boxing:

 

^^^WORD!^^^

Glad you're loving the bike. If a few cosmetic blems is all you have to deal with, you've done well. I look forward to reading how she's treating you as time goes by. Enjoy!

 

You sound just like i did when i got my '94; ten miles to get to work, 100+ miles to get home :biggrin:

 

wooo hoo glad it sounds like it all worked out, good job. not sure you'd notice, but hows the paint on the tank, as there's no Honda wing like there is suppose to be, but hell man if it makes you happy, it's cool congrats...

 

No, that was one of the first things I looked at. It looks exactly like the rest of the bike. So I guess that the stickers were taken off. I also inspected the frame for stress and the tubes around the 3 clamp as someone else reccomended. No cracks, bends, clamp marks from re-bending or any of that. MY TOOL KIT IS MISSING THOUGH! I'm taking this thing back. Hahaha, no way. I think this bike will be with me for a long, long time. Sure glad I did't get that FZ1! I'm sure that it's a great bike and has a ton of power but it won't ever out-class the VFR.

 

Hey I'm glad you like it..

Ye canny remove the stickers mon, they're under the lacquer....

Tool kit is a waste of time anyway,standard stuff (edam, if I'm not mistaken) all you need is the chain adjustment wrench & extension, and the wheel nut wrench. everything else can be had from your own tools or bought as required.

 

I wish I could of seen the pic of the VFR with "Gold" colored tubes. Were you referring to forks more specifically "the stanchion tubes? If this is what was colored gold, it may of had a Titanium Nitrade coating which appears as shinny polish gold color. This is what Ohlins forks have on their forks.

I almost had this done to my forks by Race Tech, but they will only do this type of service upgrade on new fork tubes.

 

Nah.

It was the fork legs, not the stanchions which were painted. Think about it..

 

No, the gold is nowhere near as petty as an Ohlins. It has no shine to it really, just a little sparkle. Like I said, it has to go whenever I get the forks off. I'm not into the "let's just throw some shit on here and see what it looks like" look.

 

Yesterday I stripped the bike down and did a thorough cleaning. It didn't really need it but I wanted to get under the plastic and see what there is to see. I think I am becoming obsessed. :biggrin:
I need to get a good digi-cam, my phone cam doesn't do the bike justice.

 

I have never seen an orange VFR before (maybe it's the camera), and the tank looks darker than the rest of the bike. Definately a repaint - no stickers being a big indicator. I would, like you said, have the bike looked at by technician to make sure everything is true and straight. If it runs great, though, the color just makes it look custom and debadged. Have fun on your new ride.

My creampuff '98 VFR was in almost brand new condition except for a small dent in the top of the gas tank. Nothing a tank bag won't hide! Gotta love these guys that buy lots of bikes, put a few thousand miles on them and then get rid of them.

 

no, not orange... It's probably the camera or the lighting. The guy I bought it from had 6 or 7 bikes in his garage, among a bunch of other toys. I have a friend who was in the service with me who is an amazing artist and does custom airbrush work, mostly Harleys, but I might get him to do a job on my bike. Alot to do before that though... I have so many ideas. I'm sure this happens to all VFR owners. It's weird, I look at other bikes alot differently now, like they're inferior to the VFR. Maybe it's just pride of ownership.

 

I wish I had a friend who does custom air brushing, I was hoping to change the look of my 99 so it doesn't look like every other VFR, not that they are everywhere, but just to be a little different. Here is what I'm thinking of doing minus the number plate, BTW :welcome:

 

I like that, that's all vinyl? I like the red/white/blue color scheme of the '07 but I think it would have to be reworked a little for the 5th gen. You know how a hot flame looks? White, then Blue, then Red? I'm kinding of thinking in that direction, using the lines of the body for the flames. Kind of like if a fire was flowing through the vents in the fairings. I'd probably also want all the badging airbrushed too, no stickers. It's hard for me to visualize the final, sure wish I was good with Photoshop.