hellindustries Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Got mine in mid-July of 2015 at 24500 miles. Now at about 32500 - That's 8000 miles in 18 months. Not ground-breaking mileage, but i mostly ride to and from work, which equals roughly 10 miles a day. Naturally; I ride more in the summer, but keep trips to essential in the winter (bike is my only transport). I liked the bike initially, but the longer i own it, the more i like it. It took me a fair while to really get used to the bike, and i had some trouble with learning the clutch's quirks initially. That issue is still there (grinding at high-rev take-off), but unless i screw up, it's not an issue (i know it can be addressed with an EBC heavy duty clutch pack and springs, but i don't really need it). This is the closest to a sports bike i've ever owned, and will ever own (cruiser is next, hopefully as a companion bike to the VFR - I've got no good reason to sell it). Granted; I've ridden a LOT of other bikes due to working in the trade which generally only serves to reinforce my positive opinion of the VFR. There are plenty of great bikes out there, don't get me wrong. I've ridden a LOT of them (at least 125 unique bikes, that i've listed - via work, 25% of which between 5 and 30 miles to test for issues etc, the rest are under 5 miles, to make sure everything works) and for the age/price/quality; The VFR is really high up there. I'm not saying i wouldn't swap it for something else (Tiger 800XC, Yamaha Bolt, Harley Sportster 48 1200, MT10/FZ10), but i'm very much NOT looking to sell it without a DAMN good reason, or a very good offer. In the first few months, i had some issues with wrist and back pain when riding the bike, but a set of Genmar risers and tightening the rear suspension have sorted that right out. Just need to get the seat re-covered for more grip and a more long-range comfort (have a guy via work which can make a custom seat cover for me). Other than the 5th gen, i've ridden the '98 version which is almost as good, but the 'fast idle' (not a) choke ruins it for me. I've ridden various 6th and 7th gens, too. Love the shape, but the engine doesn't feel as good as the 5th gen, and the bike feels heavier. But that shape. Love it (if i could combine the shape of the 6th gen with the 00-01 engine? Lovely). So far, it's only eaten 1 reg/rec and i got myself an uprated unit from a 3rd party manufacturer which should last for many years (though still might fit a fan and a non-crappy volt meter to it, just to be sure). It's had plenty of accessories and work to make it better for my needs, and i don't have much left that i want to do (within reason) - Just re-coat the wheels ready for summer (gloss black), maybe the seat and whatever else it needs to keep it nice. I'll stop rambling now. The tl;dr of it is: I love this bike. It's pretty good. Now for some pics (at various stages): Day one: Delkevic exhaust Favourite shot, for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellindustries Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 And here's (attached) a wallpaper i made with a photo of my bike and the delkevic exhaust - In glorious 4k resolution, 16:9 aspect. The original shot is also attached, for comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted December 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted December 29, 2016 Cool man, glad you like it! I still dig my '99 and probably more than when I bought it in '03. Plenty of others have come and gone from my garage, but it stuck. (And I actually prefer the fast idle lever) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer paulmeisterpk Posted December 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted December 29, 2016 13 minutes ago, KevCarver said: Cool man, glad you like it! I still dig my '99 and probably more than when I bought it in '03. Plenty of others have come and gone from my garage, but it stuck. (And I actually prefer the fast idle lever) Same goes here Kev, I've bought and sold a bunch of bikes, but my '98 is still here. And I prefer the fast idle lever as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epyon007 Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 My story is a lot like yours Hell. I was looking to get out of my Ducati, mainly the payment. Though the aftermarket fixes weren't coming fast enough and it didn't really fit me as well as I originally thought it did. I always had an eye for the 6th gen VFR's, 5th weren't bad either. I found a few to demo and a Sprint ST early this season. I road 2 98's and was blown away by the bike. It was pretty much exactly what people drooled about. I've had sport bikes and I have a track bike but I don't need that kind of thing for the street anymore so this was a fantastic compromise. The Sprint was leaking oil when they pulled it around for me to demo. Funny thing was I had pretty much 3/4's of the way made up my mind already that I wanted my VFR. No demo of the ST put me over the top. "So your a VFR guy now?" the sales man said, who also is a fan. I only put about 5k on mine this season. I plan to do a lot more this coming season. Some trips and more back roads scratching. Just like you the more I ride it the more it grows on me. It is very decidedly 90's in its appearance but I don't care. I prefer big lights for better visibility. I don't know what it is but there is something special about that gauge cluster. It's just a great bike and was a fantastic time in Honda motorcycle history. My 2000 RC51 isn't much on paper compared to anything sporty today, but I don't know that I enjoy any other bike I've tracked as much as I do my RC. I don't have many plans to sell either, though I'll the Ducati Multistrada 950 is VERY tempting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bono Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Totally agree and I'm on my third VFR 5th gen, Anyway, quick question regarding the R/Rectifier you have from Electrex world. Was that a straight bolt on in the same location ? (sorry saves me getting out the tape and faffing about measuring. It would save me grief cos I can't solder very well) Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellindustries Posted January 1, 2017 Author Share Posted January 1, 2017 Almost. You'll need to cut off the white connector block from the old RR and fit it to the new RR. Then there are two leads to go direct to the battery. This leaves the original black block connector unused (mine has been left hanging inside, unprotected for about a year through the totally never rainy British weather. Still A-OK. The RR itself has a backing plate and is pretty simple to fit. Has no fitting issues outside of that. No alterations of the cooling fins etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bono Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Many thanks for the prompt reply and that's exactly what I hoped and I shall click buy Mmm been raining all day down south lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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