UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted January 31 13,000 miles on it and I'm the third owner. Owners manual, service manual, tool kit, original retail sales paperwork and buyers check stub are in hand. Paid for but need to arrange transit to my home 6 hours away. It's been so well cared for, I'll be a steward of it rather than an owner. I'm just smitten with it. All of these 5th gen left the factory with black painted wheels, no? I'm wondering what process the original owner used to strip them. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohawk 536 Report post Posted January 31 Sweet, enjoy 🙂 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottbott 12 Report post Posted January 31 when you see lovely cherished bikes like this I often wonder 'why buy a brand new expensive bike' ?,not that I could afford a new bike but the new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 looks like it would be fun for not a lot of money, it looks like it suits somewhere nice and warm and sunny in the US or OZ and just tooling around, lovely bike by the way, hope you have fun with it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuzznerSuntrusts 495 Report post Posted January 31 Well cared for is right! Congrats on a good find Yes, they all left the factory with black wheels. Are they stripped or powder coated? Reach up under the headlight and see if the small square panel is in place. In Europe there is a parking bulb in the front of the headlight and there is an access panel to change it out. It's gone in the vast majority of 5th Gens. I'm betting your is there! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted January 31 2 hours ago, BuzznerSuntrusts said: Well cared for is right! Congrats on a good find Yes, they all left the factory with black wheels. Are they stripped or powder coated? Reach up under the headlight and see if the small square panel is in place. In Europe there is a parking bulb in the front of the headlight and there is an access panel to change it out. It's gone in the vast majority of 5th Gens. I'm betting your is there! It was a bit of a 'lucky' find, listed by the 2nd owner as a 2002 in a rural ATV oriented market. He ran his listing for 9 months before I saw his advert, then I waited 2 months to pull the trigger because he had erroneously listed it as having a replacement cam. Thankfully a VFR expert pointed out to me that there are no replacement cams available for this bike so that couldn't be the case. Then my interest picked up. I believe the wheels were chemically dip-stripped or bead blasted by the original owner who also polished the edges. They weren't clear coated so some of what you are noting as dirt is oxidation, IMO. That would be a long term goal for this bike - having them soda-blasted then clear coated. I finished the transaction yesterday and came home with title, cowl, a heavy file folder full of every bit of ephemera associated with the original purchase of the bike including buyers check stub, owners and service manuals, 2000 Honda full line catalog etc. But no bike. Its too cold to ride the 7 hrs home over an 8000' mountain pass so I'm looking for economical transport from Grand Junction, CO to Salt Lake City. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BuzznerSuntrusts 495 Report post Posted January 31 There was some kind of chemical stripping goop that was popular a few years ago. Aircraft paint remover or something... Probably was that. Personally, I'd get them powder coated. Because I did mine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hingley 4 Report post Posted January 31 Very nice piece, I really like the gray wheels with the yellow body work I have a 91 here needing paint and it has power coated gray wheels with candy red power coated calipers After I finish my 90 I think your bike has me convinced the 91 is going to be either yellow or RC30 colors Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted January 31 FYI for FB members: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/214486799262024/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaxSwell 894 Report post Posted January 31 11 hours ago, UpArrrow said: 13,000 miles on it and I'm the third owner. Owners manual, service manual, tool kit, original retail sales paperwork and buyers check stub are in hand. Paid for but need to arrange transit to my home 6 hours away. It's been so well cared for, I'll be a steward of it rather than an owner. I'm just smitten with it. All of these 5th gen left the factory with black painted wheels, no? I'm wondering what process the original owner used to strip them. That is one fabulous example of the best gen. Having owned two of the Y2K machines, I can testify that they make one 30 years younger and 205% sexier. You've been warned. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted January 31 If it will lower me to a 20 BMI it was a bargain at twice the price 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mello dude 450 Report post Posted February 1 Scoop that one up! (Although it's yellow)😉 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skids 531 Report post Posted February 1 Great find, enjoy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenbrough 1 Report post Posted February 1 I bought mine with twice as many miles and have loved every minute of owning it. Mine has the black wheels, never thought about stripping them... I added gel pad, cramp buster and risers and for my height I am putting a windshield wing... Will get a matching corbin seat and then figure out what I want next... these are awesome motorcycles! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doug5551 1 Report post Posted February 4 My 2000 has 90k miles and looks a wee bit different...;-) Hope you enjoy.... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cat0020 36 Report post Posted February 6 Nice find. Y2K VFR should have black OEM wheels, but silver wheels looks just fine. I picked up my 00 VFR w/13k miles on odo back in 2016 under $3K, now it has over 19k miles, in need of new tires, chain/sprockets. Looks like the previous owner might have lowered the front end by pulling the fork legs up in the triple tree. High mount Staintune exhaust looks sharp, does it also have 98-99 headers? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted February 7 10 hours ago, cat0020 said: Nice find. Y2K VFR should have black OEM wheels, but silver wheels looks just fine. I picked up my 00 VFR w/13k miles on odo back in 2016 under $3K, now it has over 19k miles, in need of new tires, chain/sprockets. Looks like the previous owner might have lowered the front end by pulling the fork legs up in the triple tree. High mount Staintune exhaust looks sharp, does it also have 98-99 headers? Hmmm. Interesting observations. If the front has been lowered I won't want to try a max speed run I guess, based on what I've read about high speed stability. I"ll take and post another pic to better show that area. I've no idea how to tell if headers are original ????? Bike is here now. $225 to get it hauled up here in a covered trailer by a guy that hauls bikes in the Western US for a living. Well worth it. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gig 130 Report post Posted February 7 If the front end was lowered it isn't much, it will be fine at speed. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted February 7 My boot tips barely touch the ground on this bike. I've got to do something to get a bit lower. I'm unwilling to use a lowering link or invest $$$$$ into a shock set up so that leaves shaving the seat as my option. I don't need to ride this bike more than 1 hr per sitting so comfort isn't paramount. There is a factory seat in nice condition listed locally - $80 is sellers bottom dollar. I could keep it as an unmolested backup in case I decide to move the bike due to fit issue. Grab it, or are these a dime a dozen? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
9C1 10 Report post Posted February 7 Nice bike - I've got a yellow VFR as well. If you were so inclined, I'd be glad to make you an offer for that yellow rear seat cowl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
comradeQuestion 1 Report post Posted February 7 $80 sounds like a pretty decent price for a good condition factory seat. I've seen them for less, but not much more than that. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaxSwell 894 Report post Posted February 7 If you are ever near Minneapolis, MN look me up. I have several extra. You can have one for free. I've packaged one for delivery and they are a pain in the neck pack. Plus shipping was around $50 to Buffalo NY. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted February 7 2 hours ago, 9C1 said: Nice bike - I've got a yellow VFR as well. If you were so inclined, I'd be glad to make you an offer for that yellow rear seat cowl. Going to keep the gang together in case I move it on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted February 7 1 hour ago, MaxSwell said: If you are ever near Minneapolis, MN look me up. I have several extra. You can have one for free. I've packaged one for delivery and they are a pain in the neck pack. Plus shipping was around $50 to Buffalo NY. Yeah now that UPS is emphasizing pkg size vs weight it would be very spendy to ship one. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UpArrrow 9 Report post Posted February 8 Well cool news I met up with the seller and bought the OEM seat. On getting home I found that someone had already peeled the rider section and shaved it exactly as I needed, and did a very neat job of it. Saved myself the trouble of buying an electric knife! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MaxSwell 894 Report post Posted February 8 14 hours ago, UpArrrow said: Well cool news I met up with the seller and bought the OEM seat. On getting home I found that someone had already peeled the rider section and shaved it exactly as I needed, and did a very neat job of it. Saved myself the trouble of buying an electric knife! Congrats! That is great news. Unexpected Made To Fit. It can be quite problematic when your feet are not firmly planted when stopped. I can just flat foot the machine at a standstill; but my foot has ended up in low spots that have caused near- and complete tip-overs. Now you should be able ride with much more confidence. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
