Dream bike? Or just a shiny back killer....

Greetings all,

I've been looking at a 98 VFR800 FI thats up for sale near me. So far all the reviews (baring one) look fantastic. However I've got a few questions before I decide to part with cash.

Before I ask however, you might need a little bit of background info:

I live in Switzerland where they seem to have some bizare rules regarding biking (well, strange for me coming from the UK). Basically, I got my learners permit and I was allowed to ride anything I wanted to for 1 year before taking my test. So not wanting to fork out a fortune on a bike only to find out I was rubbish at it, I got myself something cheap. A 98 Cagiva 750 Elefant. It's basically a large enduro style bike. Great riding position (shame that the seat appears to be made out of stone however). So far I've done about 15,000 km (9.5k miles) and I feel that its time to get something nice thats going to last me a while.

The bike has to be able to do the following:

1) Be a nice, controlable, fun and sporty number that can eat up a mountain pass, but must also be able to sit on the motorway from Switzerland to the UK (800 miles) and back without blowing up.

2) Be comfortable! Right now if I ride more than 200 km, I really need to think about standing up for a while as my arse will be dead.

So is the vfr the right bike for a person like me? I'm not used to putting weight on my arms when riding with my current bike, and whilst my bike is certainly no slouch, it's not exactly built for the long distance driving as it begins to struggle at 80mph (the speed limit on the motorways here). Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking at being a speed demon, I'd just like to be able to ride long distances at that speed without the engine screaming at me near the red line.

Oh, if it helps I'm 5'11 and about 80kg (12.5 st - 175lb ish).

Thanks for answering what is probably a very common question!

 

You are looking at the right bike.
I have the same generation VFR (a 2000) and it is my third VFR (had a gen 3 and gen 4). In my opinion it is one of the most comfortable bikes out there. Fits like a glove; I am around 5'9"-5'10". Decent wind protection, fun to ride in the curves, fast enough, dead reliable.

Part of the reason it is so comfortable is the fact that you do lean just a little bit forward. The force of the wind acts to balance your forward lean, resulting in a very comfy balance. People (non-bikers) think it looks like a "crotch-rocket" and I have to tell them every time how comfy this bike is.

Go for it!

 

Hey Swiss.

Well you are on a VFR forum, so its likely you'll get favorable answers!

Honda, in general, makes a great bike. They'll last for plenty of miles. Search this forum and you'll see plenty of reports on 80,000, 90,000 or more miles. The bike will have absolutely no issues of crusing along at 80mph. I don't usually ride long stretches of highway (or motorway, as you say), but if I recall, I think in 6th gear at 80mph I might be around 5000 rpm? Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. These bikes don't really do well under 3000rpm anyway, in my opinion.

As for comfortableness matched with sport, its hard to beat a VFR. I'm 6'2", 235lbs and actually a little long in the torso. I have a chronic bad back, and I still have no issues doing 350 to 400 miles a day. There are others here who have done twice that. I can ride for a couple hours before I might need to stretch.

No question the position will be different than that of your current bike - and it will take a little bit of getting used to - but you could easily add a set of Helibars and an aftermarket seat (Corbin or Sargent are the most popular among folks here), and that would make a big difference in your riding position as well.

It sounds like the VFR would be a perfect fit for you. Comfortable, with the emphasis on sport, but able to tour. It will gobble up mountain twisties just as easily as it can scoot down the motorway without even breaking a sweat.

Go buy yourself a new bike. I think you'll be glad you did.

I suspect you'll inquire on the maintenance of the bike, as well as the obvious (tires, chain, oil, coolant, etc.) But one thing to absolutely check is the R/R, or regular rectifier. Again, do a search on these forums and there are probably thousands of posts on it. You'll DEFINITELY want to make sure the R/R has been upgraded, or you'll need to do it. It has plagued way too many VFR's.

Keep us posted.

 

One more comment - ride the bike as-is before adding the handlebar risers; you may be pleasantly surprised. This is no Ducati sportbike. I know for long distances, bikes that have you sitting too straight up-and-down sometimes give people issues with all that weight on their butt. That is why I like the perfect compromise of the stock VFR seating position. It spreads the weight out between your feet, butt, and arms (not too much on the arms).
Anyway, just my recommendation.

 

I own a 98 VFR black as well. I also commute every day to work with it 190km round trip. I found there was too much pressure on my wrists, shoulders, and neck with the seating position of the stock seat and handle bars. I get knee pain after 2-3 hours of being in the seated position. Im 6'2" with 36" inseam.

My own personal preferences and pains led me to change out the seat to a Sgt seat, helibars and lower footpegs. I rode with the sgt seat for the tail end of last season and there was a marked improvement in comfort in my butt over the stock seat. I'll have the helibars installed later this week and will start riding with those to see if there is an additional improvement. Once that is completed i'll be adding in the footpegs for all the ergos to fit me.

My one complaint, and it's probably due to my helmet style...The wind blasts me right at mid chest and I get a brisk updraft through my helmet. On the colder days that means my face gets quite chilled in a hurry. My helmet is a KBC FFR Modular so it doesn't have any foam or anything to block airflow up under the helmet. I was contemplating a new windscreen but can't find anything reliable in terms of reviews of the various ones out there.

This was my first bike and everyone was paranoid about how big it was, and such a big motor for a first bike etc. No problems controlling it as long as you're paying attention. Soon as you don't pay attention is when you mess up. It handles great on the highway, and is great for gas mileage.

I can usually pull 375-400km out of the tank as long as I'm following the manual's shift points and sticking to the speed limit (usually +10 to 15kph on 80kph roads)

 

Your complaints are definitely linked to your height.
Regarding the wind blast: On both my bikes, my helmet sits just above the border between the air bubble behind the windshield, and the free-flowing non-turbulent air. I find that if I slouch, and my helmet falls into that border area, I get a lot of buffeting. I am not short enough to get completely behind the windshield, so I much prefer being in that free-flowing quieter air above the turbulent cut-off point.
Hope this helps.

 

Hi Swiss

I might be a bit late on chiming in but I can certainly attest to the comfort of the 5th Gen VFR's. Previously the happy owner of several Honda motorcycles, most recently a 97 VFR750 which I thought was the most comfortable bike I had ever ridden. Usually I rode to work and back a few days a week and every weekend for two years with a few exceptions. The weekend rides averaged 400 km's each with a few upwords of 600km's.

I have recently purchased a 2000 VFR and though I have not had a chance to really get to know it as it were, it feels far more comfortable than my previous bike. My only addition to the bike will be a Sargeant seat to help make longer trips more comfortable and that's it. While I suffer from significant chronic back pain from a crushed lumbar disc I have found that the bike is more comfortable to ride than I am when driving my car. The slight forward lean and wind lift takes pressure off my lower back and is just fantastic as far as relief goes.

Being a VFR owner I am like the others on this site and a little inclined to recommend this particular bike over many others but i really feel it is blessed with the best abilities of the all worlds.

All the best with your decision.