Why Do You Own A Vfr?

[TimC]

After growing up on two wheels, I finally bought my first adult motorcycle (a nice '01 Kaw. ZR-7S) in March 2006 at age 36.

Fast forward a few months, I'm looking at bikes again, wanting something newer, sportier, and with FI. I was considering a 2nd gen. FZ1 when I spotted my first VFR in a dealer showroom -- a leftover '05 in silver. I was stunned at its beauty and sleekness. It was literally love at first sight. I thought surely this bike was way beyond my price range. It wasn't nearly as much as I'd feared, but the price tag on that particular bike was at least $1k too high IMO, and the dealer weren't willing to come down to a reasonable price. Same was true at another local dealer shop who had a leftover new '04. So I started looking for a great used VFR.

I had a bid on a very nice 5th gen. on Ebay, close enough to home to go pick it up and ride it home, but I really loved the looks of the 6th gen. When I found the one I wanted in Cycle Trader, and only about 50 miles from home, I contacted the seller (original owner) and made arrangements to see the bike within 24 hours. '04 in Italian red, bone stock, mint condition, 4200 miles. This was the bike for me. I had wanted ABS if possible, but was willing to settle for a perfect bike without it. We agreed on a price, I contacted the Ebay seller, asked her to please cancel my bid, and bought the '04 locally.

I've never looked back. I still love my VFR's looks, it's versatile, it's more than fast enough, with a Sargent seat and factory bags it's a perfect blend of sport and touring, my insurance is cheap, and my bike has been almost perfectly reliable over the 66k miles I've ridden it. I look at new bikes frequently, studying features, considering what I might buy in the future, but at this point, very few bikes can beat my VFR in my eyes.

[Dutchy]

Rode a LeMans when I met my now wife.

A firm ride for the rider, even more so for a passenger. Knowing that the rose tinted glasses would eventually vibrate off (as did the exhaust and other bits at times....) a more comfortable 2 up bike was due. So after 7 years of ownership the Guzzi had to go. With cash at hand to buy new, I researched what was out there and did quite a few test rides.

The sssa, 6 speed gear box, gdc ticked the right boxes, also the 2 up position.

[NRSPTR]

Coming from a Honda 919, I knew I wanted a fully faired bike. I wanted sport touring capabilities with less weight and size than the typical sport tourers, I wanted equally comfortable rider and pillion ergonomics. ABS was a must, as was lockable hard luggage. Most of all though, I wanted reliability. My budget ceiling was $7k and I wanted something with less than 10k on the odo. I looked briefly at the BMW K1200s, BEAUTIFUL bike, but the service costs associated with BMW scared me off. Kawasaki's ninja 1000 was interesting, but the passenger ergos were awful. For me, there really wasn't a choice to be made. The VFR fills a nitch that no other manufacturer can deliver (IMHO). So I picked up an '08 with 8k on the clock and have been thrilled with my decision. If something happened to her, I would be looking at replacing her with the exact same model, year, color and options... she's perfect!

[Beck]

After owning a Honda Hawk 650GT,.......there was only one logical way to go for a next bike.....

Problem is, Honda never made a VFR after the 4th gen that I liked as much......so I'm still riding and enjoying my 95 VFR....

[NRSPTR]

I wouldn't call that a problem Beck, sounds like a blessing to me;-)

[Dutchy]

NACA's are the best......

[carlgustav]

I started out as a teen lusting after 'easy rider' style choppers. With both parents in the medical field, neurology & radiology, a bike was not going to happen if they could help it. Which, eventually, they couldn't . 1st came a 650 BSA as my 'learner'. That was followed by an 850 Norton, then a 750 Benelli Sei, then an 850 Moto Guzzi T-3. By now I had a wife, 1st child, and we'd moved to another state. The MG was feeling 'old', so I went looking for a replacement. Found a one model year old, but new, 1984 VF700F at a nearby dealer. Asked them to have it ready for pickup by the weekend, went back, took possession and rode her home. I had been interested in the Interceptors since a friend of mine, who had been racing a tricked CB500-4 in WERA, got one.

My wife/I had less/less time on the VF as another child, school, work, etc. interfered more/more. But whenever I, or both of us, wanted to ride, she was ready. 20+ years/50K miles of ready. My wife was a real gem with respect to my riding interest. She loved to ride with me, even learned to ride herself but that ended with the 1st pregnancy . Lost my wife in '07, & started prepping the VF to just get out & go. The VF decided not to go anymore. I went looking again. I was actually interested in a 1K FZ Yam but the dealership sales folks were putzes at that location. Found an '07 RWB, again a model year old, at another dealer about 3 hrs away. Got a ride out there, bought her, rode her home.

Since then my VFR has proved to be a great all-rounder. I did add the VFRNess after a problem with battery charge. She has a low-end Penske rear shock (still much better than stock) with .95 Racetech springs up front. Handling much improved as a track day on her demonstrated. Sato rear sets with reverse shift pattern help to reduce confusion after I've been at the track with my Mille, also reverse shift.

So, in conclusion, I still have the VF700 with carburetors sitting on a card table in the house waiting for my attention. I finally decided that the VFs problems were carbs and not ignition, but I don't really know yet (it's been 5+ yrs). I have the Mille for 95% track/5% street fun. I recently added an XR650R for 33% track/33% commute/33% adventure duty. But when I get right down to it, if there's one bike I feel I can just hop on and enjoy, it's my VFR .

ACE

[Rice]

My choice was made purely based on specifications and utter inabvility to commit to any one thing (sport/tour, etc...).

I have since grown to appreciate the other qualities, like V4, reliability and the excellent customer base of the VFR

I have thought of what would be my next bike on occasion since, but honestly, just can't come up with a worthy replacement.

Well, except the Multistrada, but it is not in my fun budget

[wagzhp]

I was originally shopping for a CBR 600 F4I, but couldn't find one that was in my price range and wasn't beat up. As I started to broaden my search criteria for bikes with similar performance and reliability, my research kept popping up information about a bike called a VFR. The specs and reviews for this mysterious machine were all very favorable, and since they seemed to be in my budget, I added the 3rd and 4th generations to my searches.

The really appealing things to me about the VFR were the single sided swing arm and the intoxicating exhaust note. I heard a couple of youtube clips of VFR's with after-market exhausts and they reminded me of my V8 muscle car days. Then there was the fact that most of them are red, my signature color. I really wanted a fuel injected bike, but most of the CBR's and VFR's that were new enough to have FI were too pricey for my budget. But I kept looking, hoping, and dreaming...

Then one day I was searching craigslist and saw a red '99VFR for sale about 100 miles away, and it was just above the CFO's spending limit. (but close enough that a few honey-do's would likely tip the scales) After several emails and phone calls, and lots of convincing the CFO that this really was a great deal, we arranged a meeting to look the bike over. This bike had new tires, a Micron high mount slip on, the VFRness with aux fuse panel and power socket, came with the stock seat and a Corbin Smuggler seat, and upgraded suspension. The owner was about my weight, so the suspension was a match. He took very good care of the bike, and all of the fluids were fresh. After a very short test ride, I knew it was the right bike, so I bought it on the spot and drove it home.

After my wife learned to ride our son's CBR 600 F2 and expressed an interest in getting a bike of her own, we ended up with a 2nd VFR. Hers is a '87 VFR 700F, with a GSXR front end, a fox shock, and GSXR wheels and modern rubber. It will be a while before her skills match the upgraded suspension, but when they do, watch out. It's a fun bike the way it's set up.

[Bad Boy]

I have owned 11 bikes in 42 years. All 4 Japanese brands, some very old to brand new. None held up as well and look new longer than the Hondas. When the kids left home I started group sport touring. Over 100k miles in the last 10 years. My old CB650 Nighthawk was just not keeping up, more like my skills were not keeping up. So the research and training began.

Criteria:

Fast maneuverable canyon carver to keep up with the sport bikes

Long distance touring, comfort, luggage

Occasional 2 up trips

I highly value light weight and enjoy the high revs of a smaller engine. An over weight over powered sport tourer would just not do.

Sporty image and artistic style that stir my soul

Excellent fit, finish, durability, and value

I could have gone with a naked bike but liked the weather protection

Previously I did not know what the VFR was all about. Research showed it was the best choice for my criteria. I looked at VFR generations 4, 5, and 6 and chose the under tail exhaust over the geared cams. In 2003 I picked up a slightly used 2002 VFR and added the OEM hard bags. Last year at 89k miles I sold it and bought another sparkling '02 VFR with 15k miles plus ABS for a net cost of $1150. The new ride draws the compliments as much as the last one did when new.

In the last decade no one has come out with a better suited bike for how I ride.

[GadiantonRob]

Why did I buy a VFR?

Cause I troll Craigslist like whoa and spend money unnecessarily.

And now I own a motorbicycle.

[PhotoOp]

Wanted one since the early 90s, fell madly in love with the 98, in 98. Took 12 years to convince myself to buy one, cause Im dumb.

Should have bought one 15 years ago, wasted so much time on other, lamer bikes

[Beck]

Over the next 6 years, I rode anything and everything possible that I could borrow, riding like a maniac in the dirt, jumping and mud bogging, digging in the sand, riding trails, hillclimbing, anything at all to be rowing through the gears and hearing the engine rev out. I rode 125's, 250's and the odd 500.

When I turned 16, in 1981, I bought my first bike, a 1975 XL100. Identical to this one:

Rode the wheels off of it and it never let me down. I think this is what got me hooked on Hondas in general. The bike just did everything I asked of it, and never broke.

Back in 1981, there weren't really any sportbikes per se, and my head was full of CB400F Supersports, and RD350LC's and the like.

Dang!, that's EXACTLY the same XL100 (can't remember what model year it was, 73?...74?) my dad gave me and my brothers when we were kids to introduce us into riding "real" motorcycles......Only thing different is, the bike in your pic has a a red front fender. Our XL had a silver painted one that matched the rear fender....

Loved it! Never gave us any trouble, despite me fiddling with its motor and carb...looking for something broken to fix. Only thing that wore out on it was the end of the exhaust can rotting out from rust...... Rode it all over the place, on and off road..... I remember my younger brother and I comparing it constantly to other 100cc bikes from Yamaha,Suzuki, Hodaka and Kawasaki looking at buyer's guide specs. The XL was down on power (the other brands were always more powerful two strokes), top speed and suspension travel compared to the other Japanese 100cc road and trail bikes back then, but we always found the build quality of the XL was head and shoulders above them when we looked them over at dealer showrooms. That's why our family always bought Hondas....

Thanks for posting the pic of the XL100 as it brings back great memories from when I was a kid riding it!

It also proves that a lot of us VFR owners have the same Honda roots....

Beck

95 VFR

[Teacher]

I wish I grew up riding, but I think I can appreciate it just as good as an adult. I actually grew up on two wheels and had biked around manually on road and mountain bikes. I think it just made sense that I would own a motorcycle. But as someone mentioned before, the parents were totally against it. I grew some balls and got one anyway. It was a shady Craigslist deal for a naked Suzuki GS500E. The guy had to start it on a downhill because it had issues. I was 20 and didn't care, I was going to get a bike no matter what. Drove it home (still lived with my parents when I went to college) late and woke up super early to go to class, not to mention my mother's wrath! She called later that morning hoping it was a friend's bike, but after telling her it was mine, I knew she'd be a little calmer with some time to think before I came home after classes. After some long discussions, they knew I wouldn't get rid of it, and understood that I wasn't a road rage maniac anyway.

The GS500E was a great beginner bike, but I needed some cash for graduate school two years later. An adult career, a dedicated girlfriend, and some growing up kept me from getting another bike for a while. That is, until I couldn't help but scratch that itch 4 years later. Bought another Suzuki GS500, but the F version with the fairings. My eyes must have been screwed on wrong because there were problems with this bike as well. Bought it anyway and barely made it home as it had a lot of electrical issues. Fixed it up, and started touring on it with my girlfriend. Fell in love with the idea and had my heart set on the VFR. I had wanted one ever since I rode around with my manager who had one many years earlier on my first bike. It had a sexy single swingarm on the back as well as *that* sound. Wow!

This time, if I was going to buy my dream bike, I wasn't going to go through shady Craigslist anymore. Especially since I'm not that mechanically inclined in terms of vehicle motors. Found one at a dealership and never looked back. I had to make a lot of adjustments though, as the stock VFR is not designed for people 5'6" or below. I got Heli Bars as well as a custom seat made by Rich's. This thing is a dream!

[Bad Boy]

Like Beck and Canuk I had the same start. In 1973 I bought a brand new shiny red Honda SL100 from the dealer for a whopping $485 of paper route money. Looked like the bike in the above picture. Rode the thing for a year, trails, got my drivers license on it. Great bike for learning on and puttering around the trails.

The next year I Traded up to a '73 Yamaha 175 enduro. Equally light but nearly twice the power it became my favorite woods bike. So much so, after years of riding street bikes and heavier dual sports I recently bought an '78 DT175 and have used it much on mountain trails, almost keeping pace with the KTMs I ride with. 12" of travel those old bikes had, 6" in the shocks and another 6" in the seat.

[dgordon]

I'll add to the chorus. By far, most of the responses have been from good people who have owned many bikes prior. Imho, I think this is a real key to "getting" the VFR. It gives you an appreciation for the bike it is. Once you sit on one, it feels right. I summarize it as a smorgasborg of sensory nirvana delivered with precision. I for one happen to love that, and don't get me started on the sound the V4 makes. Dang, you just made me do so! I used to think a Norton Commando was the best sounding bike made. Okay, I'll retract a bit, Nortons are ace! But the V4 is incessant, and becomes one with you. I love the sound as its lumpy and vicious sounding too. In my humble 20+ years riding, the best all round line of bikes I've ever owned.

[93 VFR750 RC36]

In 1998 I was in flying training and had no desire to ever own a bike. I'd just built a Sylva Striker kit car that could outbrake, out corner and out accelerate (to about 110mph, then aerodynamics let it down) a 911 GT3.

However, one of the senior instructors on base had a '95 VFR with a Micron can and I remember thinking that it was the only mechanical sound better than a Merlin engined Spitfire or Mustang on take-off.

In 2003 I was on leave in Canada and decided to learn to ride. Several buddies had eventually convinced me that the bang for buck was way better than a car and considering I had to wear waterproofs and a helmet anyway (my car only had a 4" aeroscreen), I may as well go the whole way. So I bought a CB450 and learned to ride.

I returned to the UK and found a Squadron buddy was selling his old VF500 FII. I threw him some cash and rode the tyres off it for two years including a couple of track days. At full throttle there was a beautiful but muted V4 howl that needed to be let out.

After a year I convinced my wife that I needed a VFR and found a nice '93 for sale with every receipt and MOT from new. I handed the man some cash, added a Scorpion can and I had a mistress my wife allowed provided she didn't come in the house. The VF went to a friend.

I then crashed it on an airfield track day so rebuilt it with a left exit exhaust, a bit of tuning, upgraded forks, rear shock, upgraded brakes and Camel racing colours. She's since seen several airfield track days, Mallory Park, Snetterton 300 (my favourite), Thruxton, and Pembrey. She's taken me down to Le Mans and across Normandy and Pas de Calais on a battlefield tour, where we averaged about 85mph for three days straight. Yes, France has some great riding and the Gendarmerie bikers generally just join in the fun.

Now she lives in Canada and despite her charms, I'm still happily married and my wife says I can have an RC30 when I've built her a house. The Honda V4 howl . . . despite what she tries to tell you when you've shrunken her blouse in the dryer, your wife/girlfriend wouldn't want any other sound coming in the driveway.

In summary:

She sounds better than a V12 fighter from WWII.

She forgives me when I push her too hard.

I can ride the chicken strips right off and ball up tyre rubber around the tyre edges.

My wife secretly likes her too.

She sounds better than a V12 fighter from WWII.

Are there any others out there whose track bike has electric hand warmers, a Scottoiler and fits a Givi Wingrack?

[Guest]

I could go on about how my first bike was an '85 VF700 Interceptor, and how after two Suzuki's I've come full circle to a 99 VFR800. But frankly, I'm just clinically addicted to the noise it makes.

[Alaskan]

I was looking for a used sport-touring motorcycle. At the time, I had narrowed my search down to the VFR, the Ducati ST4, the Ducati Multistrada, and the Triumph Sprint. My VFR popped up at such a good price I pulled the trigger on it! I probably would have been just as happy with any of the other motorcycles, but I love my VFR now. I just don't see myself getting rid of it for a different sport tourer with more HP and a few more ft./lbs. of torque.

[vanion2]

I needed something better suited for 2 up riding and longer distances because my R6 was killing me after 5 hour rides with my wife (then girlfriend) on the back. The VFR quickly popped to the top because it was the smallest sport bike with touring capabilities I could find. Did a bunch of research (where I found this site) and the rest quickly became history. One day I may move up to a full sport touring bike because my family has gotten bigger but until that day comes the only place my VFR is going is where ever I can ride her and make it back in one piece.

[2thdr]

When I had my VFR it was the great solo sports touring bike for me. Plenty of power, with the hard cases plenty of space to pack for trips, sporty in the twisties, comfortable for longer distances. However, since we are older, it just wasn't comfortable enough for two up trips. So I ended up with an ST1300 for that duty. After wrecking my VFR, I have found my CB1000R the perfect bike for my shorter trips to Arkansas, and it is a great bike for the tight stuff. I still miss the character of the V4 however...

[Duc2V4]

Reading some of these post is almost like recalling my own experiences. Like some of you I bought my first MC when I was 16 (Honda XL125), which I used to get to and from High School. During this era, my mother, who was trying to build up her own credit, offered to buy a new bike for me or my dad and low and behold what was just released?..The VF500 "Babyceptor". Well this was my first and only choice, but mom thought otherwise so she bought my dad a CB650 Custom. Well, since I actually had my M1 Class license and my dad only had his permit, I was able to enjoy the CB650 more than my dad was, he was relegated to riding it weekends and for overnight trips, while I got to use to get to and from school but had to use my XL for any other riding I wanted to do. Often times I would join my dad on his weekend rides, and once or twice we would do an overnight somewhere.

Well, 1984 rolls around and I'm getting out of High School that summer and my dad had his sights on a new Honda (V45 Magna), so he convinces my mom to trade in the CB650 and get the Magna and she agreed. Now you would think that by this time time (2/3 years +) that my dad would have gotten his MC license, but no, still riding with a permit. So again, I get the "daily" use of the Magna and he gets it for the weekends, etc. (At this point I'm thinking I was born under a lucky star). Here is where I fell in love with the Honda V4 motor, that Magna, although a cruiser, it was such a fun bike to ride and until my dad had it lowered (He's 5'2") it was a good performer in the canyons too. Once it was lowered, it would scrape the center stand if I got too "spirited" but that didn't stop me from riding it like I stole it. All the while I was dreaming that I was on that Interceptor and anytime I saw one I swore that I would own one some day!

A few more years roll by and my dad adds another ride to the stable a Honda Shadow (yep, another cruiser) but I still had my XL and use of the Magna, until 1995 rolled around and I found myself the owner of a brand new 1995 Ducati 900SS/SP! I know what you're thinking, why didn't you get the VFR you always lusted for? Not sure what it was about the Duc, that made me buy it, it could have been my friend's influence, as he was secretly wishing for one. I figured this out as once I bought mine, he sold his CBR600 and bought a '95 900SS/CR and then another friend ends up buying one too! At this point I never second guessed my buying decision but as coincidence would have it, another good friend of mine ends up buying a used 94 VFR, go figure huh? At this point with 4 bikes in the stable I decided to tear down the little XL and work on giving her a refresh, new paint, exhaust, fenders, etc. (This actually never came to fruition, I ended up selling her ).

Fast forward to 2010, after years of owning just the Duc and not really using a bike for commuting, in fact I had put the Duc in moth-balls for a while so that I could concentrate on building my own business as "free time" wasn't too available. However, by this time I just got the Duc back to being ride-able but was still not using it for daily commuting and one day I had to go to a project in Burbank, which is ~35 miles from my house and It took me 3.5 hours to get there! This is where I thought about using a MC for commuting, in fact insisted upon it! For all you non-Californians, lane splitting is a fact of life and one of the biggest advantages of riding a motorcycle for commuting, not that this was the only reason, but it sure would have been helpful that day. Sorry for the long story...why the VFR? As I was thinking about what MC to get for commuting, I spoke with my friend and fellow Duc owner (ex-owner at this point, but that's another story) and as we were thinking about it, it was almost comical, we both spurted out "The VFR!". We discussed the history of the VFR line and recalled all of the accolades and praise it received, how "universal" it was for both commuting, sport riding and all around great bike and that was all she wrote. So basically I went out and found a 6 Gen VFR (2009) an finally bought one and not too recently I added another VFR to my stable (2001), this one just for playtime. I still lust after the 500 but for now I'll live with my two VFRs and the Duc.

[JeffInFranklinTN]

Riding cruisers a good part of my life I didn't think I would ever desire to own a "sport bike" or even ride one until about 3 years ago when a good friend of mine (who lives in NC,) offered me to ride is 98 VFR. Scared and reluctant to ride it he said "Oh come on it's a motorcycle, you can ride the thing." Okay, okay I'll ride it and off we went. We were on 215 going south from 276 up to the BRP and back. Sunny day and 70 some degrees. He was ahead of me on my V65 Magna and I was falling further behind but that's okay I didn't care, I'm taking my time. When you're used to steering a 600 pound cruiser and then jump on a sport bike that weighs over 100 pounds lighter it feels like it's gonna fall over on ya. Just before reaching the BRP it started raining so we decided we should turn back. He asked if I was okay I said YES so we didn't swap bikes. Still afraid of it but I was starting to see why these bikes are so popular. The rain was getting heavier and the wind was getting stronger. It had started raining so hard it was hard to see, water and gravel gushing out onto the road and a small tree had fallen across the road. Tim managed to get around the tree but I couldn't. My first thought was "Crap I'm gonna wreck this motorcycle." Grip the bars tight, stand the bike up, slow down but not too slow and stand up on the pegs. This tree was maybe 3 to 4 inches in diameter but I hopped right over it without a hitch and without damaging anything. WHEW!! Continuing on through the deluge of water across the road we made it back to 276 to a gas station for some shelter. We were drenched like rats. A short time later I found a craigslist ad for a 1986 VF500F for $600.00 Non-running and needed the usual complete hydraulic rebuild and fluids change but over all the bike was in very decent shape. It was the "learner" bike until I upgraded to the 2000 VFR I purchased a year ago this month.

Yep, I'm hooked.

Jeffrey

[slo1]

How many bike owners go out to the garage when the weather's nasty in the winter, open the door and start their bike - just so they can listen to it?? Only a VFR owner would do that.

So I'm not the only one ;)

[SamW]

After owning a Honda Hawk 650GT,.......there was only one logical way to go for a next bike.....

Problem is, Honda never made a VFR after the 4th gen that I liked as much......so I'm still riding and enjoying my 95 VFR....

Almost the same story, first bike was a Hawk GT, loved it, and just like you the VFR was the next step. Then I went to a motorcycle show and fell in love with an RC30, so when it was time to upgrade from the Hawk, I was torn between a used '86 VFR700f and the red and a new white '97 YZF600, just because the VFR was a VFR and reminded me of the RC30, I got it. When it came time for a new Bike, I considered the Aprilia Futura, I had done a cross country ride on the '86 VFR and knew I had a lot of sport touring in my future. But I really did not need or want to get rid of the VFR, and for the same money I could get my dream bike, the RC30, so I did and kept the VFR for sport touring duties. Then my buddy who owns a shop told me he had a customer who had a '91 VFR he needed to sell because of a divorce, he had a fair price and I liked the bike, so it got added to the collection. After moving to TN, a lady's at work husband had a '95 that he laid down and let sit for 2 years and wanted out of his garage, so one more got added to the collection because by then I was completely sold on the VFR and liked the idea of having one of each of the VFR750 years in the US.