SnoPro753 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Update below: I am planning this weekend to go look at a 2003 VFR with 94,000 miles. I read that these motors can last for a long time but this one is creeping up on 100k miles, what kind of maintence is needed? Are the camshaft chain tensioners due for replacement? (Edit: Found the very useful how to thread for this). What is interval for the tensioners? What should I look for? Ask owner? The price is right and it has lots of upgrades to suspension and ergonomics. Owner long distance toured on it. I plan to do the same. Moving from a 650 Vstrom to this. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you, Purchased Sunday. -Owner had all the maintenance records from Honda dealer up the road from him. Test ride checked out. -Farkles include: Elka rear shock, progressive front springs, Sargent seat, Ken's top case bracket, scottoiler, risers, peg lowering, speedohealer, heated grips, laminar lip, lights, fuel cell hookup, and other stuff I've forgotten. Here are the pics. Excited to get plates and ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Howdy and welcome to VFRD! If the price is right and w/suspension upgrades ( most costly mods) I wouldn't have many concerns. CCT's seem to avg 40-k miles. I did replace my rear hub carrier bearings at 97,000 miles. Just ask the owner what type of things he's replaced and if all Recalls are done. Sub-harness the biggest one. When was the last time the forks and shock have been touched? Buy it and Ride it! BR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y3v Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd look long and hard at the price (and what the above fella mentioned!).I'm on the complete opposite spectrum from you... I just bought a 2004 VFR800A with 1,498 miles on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoPro753 Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd look long and hard at the price (and what the above fella mentioned!). I'm on the complete opposite spectrum from you... I just bought a 2004 VFR800A with 1,498 miles on it. I appreciate your perspective. I am not afraid of high miles if a vehicle is taken care of. My daily driver is a 2000 VW Jetta TDI with 271,000 miles. Original turbo, original motor, original transmission. Expensive synthetic lubricants are worth every penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y3v Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd look long and hard at the price (and what the above fella mentioned!). I'm on the complete opposite spectrum from you... I just bought a 2004 VFR800A with 1,498 miles on it. I appreciate your perspective. I am not afraid of high miles if a vehicle is taken care of. My daily driver is a 2000 VW Jetta TDI with 271,000 miles. Original turbo, original motor, original transmission. Expensive synthetic lubricants are worth every penny. I'm just saying if you can find the same bike with less miles at the same price... why not? The tough part is knowing how well the bike was really taken care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoPro753 Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd look long and hard at the price (and what the above fella mentioned!). I'm on the complete opposite spectrum from you... I just bought a 2004 VFR800A with 1,498 miles on it. I appreciate your perspective. I am not afraid of high miles if a vehicle is taken care of. My daily driver is a 2000 VW Jetta TDI with 271,000 miles. Original turbo, original motor, original transmission. Expensive synthetic lubricants are worth every penny. I'm just saying if you can find the same bike with less miles at the same price... why not? The tough part is knowing how well the bike was really taken care of. If I told you the price was sub $3000 would you think I could find a low mile bike for a similar price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y3v Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I'd look long and hard at the price (and what the above fella mentioned!). I'm on the complete opposite spectrum from you... I just bought a 2004 VFR800A with 1,498 miles on it. I appreciate your perspective. I am not afraid of high miles if a vehicle is taken care of. My daily driver is a 2000 VW Jetta TDI with 271,000 miles. Original turbo, original motor, original transmission. Expensive synthetic lubricants are worth every penny. I'm just saying if you can find the same bike with less miles at the same price... why not? The tough part is knowing how well the bike was really taken care of. If I told you the price was sub $3000 would you think I could find a low mile bike for a similar price? Sub 3 would be a hard price to beat. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer joneill Posted April 30, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 30, 2013 I've seen some sub 3K VFRs and some close to 3K. April 23rd there was a 98 VFR for $2500 at dealer in NH. It's looks like it sold quickly This weeks craigslist shows 98 with 34K for $3100. They are out there but at <$3K they won't last long and you have to be ready to move quickly As for buying the VFR w/ 94K miles on it, if the motor starts, runs, makes good power and doesn't burn oil I don't know what else you could expect. I would focus on what the rest of the VFR looks like after 10 years and 94K miles. Sprockets, head bearings, brakes, electrical system, tires and corrosion if it has been stored outside. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Depending on what suspension mods were done, that alone could be worth a grand or two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 At 94K, brakes would be the first thing I'd check really closely, above everything else, If anything cannot stand up to any sor of neglect, it would be the braking system. If a previous owner was not sharp on making sure that the system is not contaminated by moisture, even a little bit of moisture in the lines or master cylinder can really wreak havoc in the form of corrosion on pistons, and cylinder walls which can then rip up seals and can sometimes result in no brakes when you pull on the lever......... Neglect on the hydraulic side of the brakes usually means the PO might not be also good in maintaining the calipers, pads and disks.... Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoPro753 Posted April 30, 2013 Author Share Posted April 30, 2013 Good advice. At 94K, brakes would be the first thing I'd check really closely, above everything else, If anything cannot stand up to any sor of neglect, it would be the braking system. If a previous owner was not sharp on making sure that the system is not contaminated by moisture, even a little bit of moisture in the lines or master cylinder can really wreak havoc in the form of corrosion on pistons, and cylinder walls which can then rip up seals and can sometimes result in no brakes when you pull on the lever......... Neglect on the hydraulic side of the brakes usually means the PO might not be also good in maintaining the calipers, pads and disks.... Beck 95 VFR Good advice. Thank you. I will definitely discuss with seller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted April 30, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 30, 2013 If the bike had been used for long distance touring by a what I assume seasoned rider, I'd think that the engine and other components had a relatively easy life. At least easier than 20K miles of wheelies and light to light races in the city. Just curious, what suspension upgrates where made - As was mentioned earlier, that alone could be worth the price of admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer joneill Posted April 30, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 30, 2013 Good advice. At 94K, brakes would be the first thing I'd check really closely, above everything else, If anything cannot stand up to any sor of neglect, it would be the braking system. If a previous owner was not sharp on making sure that the system is not contaminated by moisture, even a little bit of moisture in the lines or master cylinder can really wreak havoc in the form of corrosion on pistons, and cylinder walls which can then rip up seals and can sometimes result in no brakes when you pull on the lever......... Neglect on the hydraulic side of the brakes usually means the PO might not be also good in maintaining the calipers, pads and disks.... Beck 95 VFR Good advice. Thank you. I will definitely discuss with seller. While you,re at it mic the rotors. Mine are on the edge at 50K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearfreezing Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Even if the bike has been well-maintained and doesn't have any problems now, with that mileage it will probably need repair more frequently than a low-mileage model. Caveat emptor, this is how a (say) $2000 motorcycle turns into a $4000 motorcycle worth $2000. Well-maintained sixth generation VFRs with less than 20,000 miles can be had in the $3000-5000 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted April 30, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 30, 2013 Even if the bike has been well-maintained and doesn't have any problems now, with that mileage it will probably need repair more frequently than a low-mileage model. Caveat emptor, this is how a (say) $2000 motorcycle turns into a $4000 motorcycle worth $2000. Well-maintained sixth generation VFRs with less than 20,000 miles can be had in the $3000-5000 range. So true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 At 94K, brakes would be the first thing I'd check really closely, above everything else, If anything cannot stand up to any sor of neglect, it would be the braking system. If a previous owner was not sharp on making sure that the system is not contaminated by moisture, even a little bit of moisture in the lines or master cylinder can really wreak havoc in the form of corrosion on pistons, and cylinder walls which can then rip up seals and can sometimes result in no brakes when you pull on the lever......... Neglect on the hydraulic side of the brakes usually means the PO might not be also good in maintaining the calipers, pads and disks.... Beck 95 VFR Hell, I'm in trouble!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 I've encountered brake master cyclinder/reservoirs that look OK when you view the brake flluid through the sight glass, but if you look inside the reservoir itself there could be thick, dark cloudy gunk collected near the bottom of the reservoir where the piston pulls in the fluid. I think the gunk is moisture emulsified into the fluid with corrosion by-products mixed into it and settles to the bottom of the reservoir. So do not trust what you see on the level sight glass, Open the reservoir periodically to check what might be "brewing" at the bottom of it...... Brake fluid also darkens very slowly when it starts to deteriorate. so slow that you might not really notice it. Any noticable darkening should be a sign to do a flush and refill session soon.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 I'd be looking at everything visible real close. Did anyone suggest to ask for written maintenance records? If it was done by a reputable shop, that would be a plus. You also need to consider how trustworthy the seller is. Is their garage clean and organized? (Don't look at mine, lol). Or do they meet you away from their home, and the engine is already warm? Request they do not start it before you arrive. You want to try starting it cold! Check with your hand, carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I am planning this weekend to go look at a 2003 VFR with 94,000 miles. I read that these motors can last for a long time but this one is creeping up on 100k miles, what kind of maintence is needed? Are the camshaft chain tensioners due for replacement? (Edit: Found the very useful how to thread for this). What is interval for the tensioners? What should I look for? Ask owner? The price is right and it has lots of upgrades to suspension and ergonomics. Owner long distance toured on it. I plan to do the same. Moving from a 650 Vstrom to this. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you, Come to Arizona and I will sell you mine for $3000. 58,000 miles with VFRness, gutted exhaust and new battery. :) Currently running straight pipes, I know LOUD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnoPro753 Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Purchased the mentioned bike. Pics in original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 congratulations on the purchase. why don't you start a new thread with the pics and I'll close this one. Br Just start a new thread in the "Official Welcome" forum and go from there. Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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