Leftover 2014 VFR 800 with 1km

[VFR80025th]

HI, a leftover 2014 vfr 800 has popped up for sale.

My question:

With a brand new bike that is 6 yrs old what fluids need to be changed.

Does breakin oil stay in or out?

Coolant?

Brake and clutch fluid?

What fluid should go or stay?

Tires? Over 5 yrs old.

It is not at a dealer oddly at some used car shop in an industrial area.

I was told it was stored indoors from a Honda dealer gone out of business.

Thxs

 

[Dutchy]

All fluids need to be changed, check for possible dry rot of hoses.

If the bike gas been stored "wheels on the ground", budget for a new set. I would still run them though....

 

Ask for the VIN # and give Honda Canada a call. 😎

[Sweeper]

I agree, change all of the fluids and put on new tires. If it has truly been inside, you could cheat on the tires for a bit. My bike had almost new five year old tires when I got it. I rode it for the weekend and it was like riding on wood. 

[Sparkie]

It hasn't popped up for sale.  They have been trying to sell it for over 6 years and nobody bought it.  It is a great bike, but will need all fluids changed and it's time for new tires and maybe more.  Don't pay more than half of the original retail price!  If you go check it out and drop a low but fair price, they might say no, but will call you back within a day to accept your low offer.  Nobody else is going to buy it anytime soon.

[VFR80025th]

They r asking $9000 canadian around $6500 US give or take.

[boOZZIE]

Less a 1000 for the maintenance you'll have to do 

[TimC]

9 hours ago, VFR80025th said:

They r asking $9000 canadian around $6500 US give or take.

Seems like a pretty good price for a new 8th gen, IMO, but like boOzzIE said, add $1,000 for the needed maintenance.  You might be able to scrub the tires in so they're salvageable, but I would count on replacing them pretty much right away.  Replace all the fluids, check all the hoses and seals for cracks, check all the electrical connections for corrosion, etc.  Still, if you do that and it's $1,000 Canadian, you've basically got a brand new bike for $7,500.  Also, insuring a 5-year-old VFR has to be cheaper than insuring a much newer one, so you could count that as a win.  😉 

[Sherl]

I am pretty positive that you need to change the tires no matter what. For a car you can do whatever you want, it would hydroplane very often but for motorcycle lot of physics depend on those two contact points/surface. You could get lucky and make a deal from the seller including replacement tires else just try them for yourselves. When I had such a situation I was extremely careful on corners.

[Tiutis]

I would not worry about the tires. If it was stored inside and mostly on the center stand; ride on. Those OEM will wear off in 4k and you can but your favorite tire.

[MadDogMcQ]

REALLY : take it from someone with 45 riding experience - DUMP THE TIRES!!! They'll be hard and inflexible.

[KYVFR800]

I bought a leftover 2014 in May 2019. It was sitting in a crate in Honda’s warehouse and auctioned off to a dealer. No fluids until purchased. However, though tires looked fine, they clearly did not do well over the five year storage period. Short version, felt like they flat spotted, made it quite uncomfortable to ride. This was my third vfr (1995 &2002), so I was pretty sure how it should feel when riding a smooth road. Ultimately had to buy new tires, Honda wouldn’t help, well worth the money to swap out. Wish I had just done it months earlier. If you haven’t purchased or settled on a price, I would recommend planning for this expense/negotiate it into your offer. It is a great bike, happy with the purchase.  I do mss the higher finish of the aluminum frame and the gear driven camshafts of the earlier years,  but otherwise a nice step up from the prior years and it should last as long as I care to keep riding. 

[Philois1984]

5 hours ago, MadDogMcQ said:

REALLY : take it from someone with 45 riding experience - DUMP THE TIRES!!! They'll be hard and inflexible.

Totally agree, not worth the the risk. Also why personally I had no problem with the OEM tyres, I am in the minority as many members of this forum have not been impressed with them. I am currently running Michelin Road 5s and am very happy with them, they have received a lot of good reviews, excellent in the wet.

[ducnut]

4 hours ago, KYVFR800 said:

I bought a leftover 2014 in May 2019. It was sitting in a crate in Honda’s warehouse and auctioned off to a dealer. No fluids until purchased. However, though tires looked fine, they clearly did not do well over the five year storage period. Short version, felt like they flat spotted, made it quite uncomfortable to ride. This was my third vfr (1995 &2002), so I was pretty sure how it should feel when riding a smooth road. Ultimately had to buy new tires, Honda wouldn’t help, well worth the money to swap out. Wish I had just done it months earlier. If you haven’t purchased or settled on a price, I would recommend planning for this expense/negotiate it into your offer. It is a great bike, happy with the purchase.  I do mss the higher finish of the aluminum frame and the gear driven camshafts of the earlier years,  but otherwise a nice step up from the prior years and it should last as long as I care to keep riding. 

They ship with all fluids, except gasoline. 

[Grum]

I'd also want to know the state of the battery? Would they be fitting a brand new one for you or is it the original which could well be on it last legs? Or totally stuffed, meaning a new battery.

And yes Absolutley at least flush Brake and Clutch fluid, it's a very simple job on an 8gen.

[TimC]

As a rider who's in the market for a bike right now, and who is looking mostly at used bikes, including some that are several years old, these tire, fluid, and battery questions should be asked of pretty much every bike, not just new leftovers.  One huge reason people sell their bikes is they're not riding them enough to make it worth keeping them.  If that's the case, how much have they been riding since new tires were last installed, or the fluids changed, or the battery replaced?

 

Example:  I checked out a 2012 bike with 6,700 miles on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure the tires were original, and the rear was clearly squared off.  I'm factoring replacement costs in when I'm shopping.  We should all do that.

 

Note:  It's probably a different story with a real enthusiast who is either replacing a current bike or selling one from the fleet.  Folks like that tend to get more use out of their bikes and keep them up.

[KYVFR800]

18 hours ago, ducnut said:

They ship with all fluids, except gasoline. 

Wow, I can’t believe a dealer wasn’t 100% truthful with me. At least I did get all fluids except coolant changed at the first service. Guess I’ll plan on moving up servicing the coolant to sooner rather than later. I will say the ride from the tires was shockingly bad. I really thought the suspension or something was messed up. It felt like hanging on to a pogo stick even when the pavement was very smooth. Finally bit the bullet and put on new tires and it was night and day. If I ever wind up in a similar situation considering a new leftover, especially one 4-5 years old, will definitely plan on tires. 

[ducnut]

3 hours ago, KYVFR800 said:

Wow, I can’t believe a dealer wasn’t 100% truthful with me. At least I did get all fluids except coolant changed at the first service. Guess I’ll plan on moving up servicing the coolant to sooner rather than later. I will say the ride from the tires was shockingly bad. I really thought the suspension or something was messed up. It felt like hanging on to a pogo stick even when the pavement was very smooth. Finally bit the bullet and put on new tires and it was night and day. If I ever wind up in a similar situation considering a new leftover, especially one 4-5 years old, will definitely plan on tires. 

I’ve pulled a couple thousand Hondas and other brands from their crates. I got nothing to lie about, I assure you. Your selling dealer, on the other hand..... 🤔

[KYVFR800]

9 hours ago, ducnut said:

I’ve pulled a couple thousand Hondas and other brands from their crates. I got nothing to lie about, I assure you. Your selling dealer, on the other hand..... 🤔

Ducnut, I absolutely wasn't implying you were lying!

[ducnut]

6 hours ago, KYVFR800 said:

Ducnut, I absolutely wasn't implying you were lying!

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as if you were. I didn’t word that quite right. I’m sorry, man. 

[PetePower]

I scored a new 2014 in 2017, actually 3 years ago on 15/7/20. Did oi,l coolant, brake, clutch, new battery. Tyres weren't bad and were punctured early on.

Hope you get a great deal.