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2014 VFR 800 - My first impressions


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Well, after a long search for an 8th gen VFR in white I finally have one.

Its pretty well in mint condition.

19,000kms, 2014 VFR

Newish Michelin Road 5s

Full toolkit and manuals and it came with Honda OEM luggage which I probably will not use. ( If someone is looking for white Honda side luggage send me a PM)

Gave a full detail and cleaned the chain and lube yesterday

Oil / filter changed and brake fluid flush done at dealer.

She's in tip top shape.

Didn't expect the bike to feel much different than my 6th gen RWB  but it does. More responsive and flickable.

Feels more compact due to radiators at front now. I want to be more aggressive with it in the twisties due to lack of width compared to 6th gen LOL.

Brakes are superior and low end grunt is noticeable.

Basically I luv it.

The fact that I do not have to worry about a stator or RR is a big deal to me.

To me the bike sounds different and in a better way than my 6th. I have the stock pipe too.

Styling wise, while it won't replace my beloved RWB it is more modern looking and in the pearl white what can I say.

Its good to back in the pilots seat.

 

Ride safe everyone. Enjoy the pics.

 

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The 8G is completely different than the 6G....so YOU SHOULD notice a difference...

 

 

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Congrats.

She's a beaut! That white in the sunlight is nearly blinding. Fabulous.

 

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Nice photos and a sparkling bike. 8gen is a great bike, look after it and it will look after you. Many happy and safe miles ahead.:fing02:

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They are a great bike. I can relate to the narrower feeling with the radiators at the front.IMG_4714.thumb.jpeg.c8468f583ff489145b708692a90d48b2.jpegIMG_4715.thumb.jpeg.049af8a556caa9a1b2f7a729c41c32df.jpeg

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Great bike! I got mine 2014 in March and love it! It's a heavy bike that is still pretty nimble in the twisties. Perfect ergonomics and just the right amount of rider aids. Enjoy!

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Thanks everyone.

Looking forward to finding out everything about the 8th gen in the next year..

There are a lot of members here who are an invaluable source of info and that's why I'm here.

Ride safe.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/1/2021 at 6:04 PM, VFR80025th said:

Ride safe everyone. Enjoy the pics.

 

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Great photos! Liked your comparison too. I also have a 6th gen and today have a 2015/8th, am looking forward to comparing the 2. The 6th gen is going tho...i think?? Cant see the need to keep a spare vfr, although i appreciate they are different. I read on here someone posted "The 6th Gen is the best of all of them"  Is this true, or a personal opinion?

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4 minutes ago, Bluehawk said:

Great photos! Liked your comparison too. I also have a 6th gen and today have a 2015/8th, am looking forward to comparing the 2. The 6th gen is going tho...i think?? Cant see the need to keep a spare vfr, although i appreciate they are different. I read on here someone posted "The 6th Gen is the best of all of them"  Is this true, or a personal opinion?

After three 6gens which were all fantastic bikes. The 8gen is by far a much better bike for soooo many reasons.

Enjoy it.:fing02:

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2 minutes ago, Grum said:

After three 6gens which were all fantastic bikes. The 8gen is by far a much better bike for soooo many reasons.

Enjoy it.:fing02:

The voice of experience!! :cool:  Confirms i've made the right choice. It does feel smoother with less vibration and i like that, the 6th gen seems to be harsh and less refined. I'm not knowledgeable on the mechanics of the 2, but you've had 3, so can testify to the the 'better' gen. Thnx.

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59 minutes ago, Bluehawk said:

The voice of experience!! :cool:  Confirms i've made the right choice. It does feel smoother with less vibration and i like that, the 6th gen seems to be harsh and less refined. I'm not knowledgeable on the mechanics of the 2, but you've had 3, so can testify to the the 'better' gen. Thnx.

 

Hi Bluehawk.

Have a look at this thread. Someone challenged me to list the differences and improvements of the 8gen over the 6gen. You'll find the list buried in the first page of  this thread.

 

 

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15 hours ago, Grum said:

 

Hi Bluehawk.

Have a look at this thread. Someone challenged me to list the differences and improvements of the 8gen over the 6gen. You'll find the list buried in the first page of  this thread.

 

 

Grum,

 

In your list one of the items is that the stator is force oil cooled.  Are they any known retrofit possibilities for that to 6th gens?  If it's something to do with a change in the block casting for an oil passage then the only way to do that would be to swap an 8th motor to a 6th - not likely for most owners.  But if a bolt on, 6g owners might find that a desirable mod. 

 

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Tricky question Cogswell. The crankcases between 6 and 8gen are different. On the 8gen lower crankcase section has an oil orifice to transfer oil into the alternator cover and to the back of the stator. Also the 8gen crankcase will accommodate the three gear position switches the 6gen doesn't have.

No easy mod as far as I can see!

Refer the 6 and 8 gen oil schematic and oil transfer orifice pic.

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1 hour ago, Grum said:

Tricky question Cogswell. The crankcases between 6 and 8gen are different. On the 8gen lower crankcase section has an oil orifice to transfer oil into the alternator cover and to the back of the stator. Also the 8gen crankcase will accommodate the three gear position switches the 6gen doesn't have.

No easy mod as far as I can see!

Refer the 6 and 8 gen oil schematic and oil transfer orifice pic.

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Thank you sir.  It's plain as day in the schematic.  That's doesn't seem likely in the future of any 6th gen owners. 

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On 8/7/2021 at 2:53 AM, Grum said:

 

 

Yeah, what a great read...(i'm sad enough to save that to a file!). Here's a man with faaar too much time on his hands - and we're pleased you do!

Great picture too :)  The water is like many of the streets here with flash floods - drains unable to cope, some roads are totally flooded. It all = no biking!

Questions in your list [to prove i did read it. lol]:

- Stator is forced oil cooled. What's a stator? I've forgotten.

- R/R what is this?

and...Beware the Fuel Tank breather hose!! - Why? What about it? Location or getting kinked, or blocked, etc.

 

Oh, well........an ad is now out for my Candy Red 6th Gen..  😞

 

Cheers

Bh

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7 hours ago, Bluehawk said:

Questions in your list [to prove i did read it. lol]:

- Stator is forced oil cooled. What's a stator? I've forgotten.

- R/R what is this?

and...Beware the Fuel Tank breather hose!! - Why? What about it? Location or getting kinked, or blocked, etc.

 

You can always debate as to which is the Best VFR ever built. However, I reckon the 8gen will (if it hasn't already done so) prove to be the most reliable VFR ever built.:wheel:

 

Stator = The stationary copper windings of your Alternator for your charging system. The 8gen has forced oil cooling to dissipate the heat it generates. 5th and 6gen stators were common for burning out, mostly in the same section of winding that didn't get any oil flow over it. The type of R/R hanging off the stator also didn't help.

Bottom picture is what a dead 6gen stator looks like. Affectionately know as a Crispy Critter! Yuk.

 

R/R = Regulator Rectifier. The Stator AC voltage output feeds this. It converts it to DC and regulates the voltage to around 13.5 to 14.5vdc, to both charge your battery and supply power to all the electrical services.

 

Breather Hose = 8gen specific issue. At the base of tank there is a small diameter hose about 12 inches or so long which then joins a larger hose. When raising the tank to the maintenance position it pulls the small hose up through a lot of clutter. When lowering the tank you Must take up the slack by pulling on the small to large hose joiner otherwise you will kink and blockoff the small hose, potentially causing tank damage because of large vacuum (normal fuel pump action) or pressure (bike sitting in hot sun) that can build up. Refer attached link.

 

Cheers. And enjoy your newish 8gen. :beer:

 

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On 8/9/2021 at 11:52 PM, Grum said:

 

You can always debate as to which is the Best VFR ever built. However, I reckon the 8gen will (if it hasn't already done so) prove to be the most reliable VFR ever built.:wheel:

Stator

R/R 

Breather Hose

 

 

AMAAAZING! What happened to simple alternator, battery, starter motor of years ago. So complex. I thought it was just a petrol lid for keeping the fuel in! Shows how little i know! haha. Thanks v much. I'm sure it helps others too. I have printed this out and put in my file... This is mainly one of the reasons i have ridden hondas for years, cos i don't have to fart about learning the hard tech stuff. I can just start it and just get on with the joys of riding. Not that i dont want/and never wanted to learn, just never had time to devote to 'beyond the norm' maintenance. Take my blackbird for example..(here he goes again ..) i wash it, put fuel in it, check oil, tyres (not tires) and ride the beast. Thats it! Such joy :) Hoping this 8th gen will be similar. PLUS, Love all the hidden extras it has "alter the tail light illumination" and "mileage countdown" and "average mpg" "heated grips with 5 settings", "quickshifter" blah blah blah... whhaaat?! Didn't know it had all these fab features. Great! no wonder you like it so much. Changing my avatar now.. Thnx G catch ya later..:fing02:

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11 hours ago, Bluehawk said:

PLUS, Love all the hidden extras it has "alter the tail light illumination"

Hey Bluehawk. What ya talkin about here? No such function! :wacko:

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15 minutes ago, Grum said:

Hey Bluehawk. What ya talkin about here? No such function! :wacko:

If you hit it hard enough with a pipe, technically that "alters the illumination"....

 

Not a new feature though 🙂

 

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13 hours ago, Grum said:

Hey Bluehawk. What ya talkin about here? No such function! :wacko:

Well G, i'm glad you asked :1:  Will this be a first? Can i actually know something about a vfr that you don't??! Stop Press!  I know that i come on here when i'm asleep and haven't the foggiest wot i'm twittering on about, but i surely can't have imagined this rather odd information piece?1  You know i'm browsing the Manual [uk version, of course], well on the Grey pages, p29, says "Display Settings, Backlight Brightness Adjustment pres and hold buttons A & B, then next screen press B button to scroll thru menu", then on p31 it reads" you CAN adjust the brightness of your backlight...to 5 different settings!  All without using TheStumper's pipe method above.  I have yet to go check out mine.

Have i got you on this? :cool::woohoo:

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13 hours ago, thestumper said:

If you hit it hard enough with a pipe, technically that "alters the illumination"....

 

Not a new feature though 🙂

 

Are you with me it's not a new feature or are you referring to the pipe method not being a new feature? haha.

See my reply to Grum on this, just posted...

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