faire

2014 Interceptor VFR800, red, stolen from Seattle-Tacoma International airport motorcycle parking area on or around Sunday Oct 13, 2014. U-lock on front wheel was cut. Distinguishing features: small dent on fuel tank; extra high raised seat, Givi Maxia black top case, Delkevic exhaust, handlebar risers, RAM phone mount, wheels have edge reflector strip. Northface jacket and Shark carbon helmet were in the Maxia case. Please keep an eye out guys. Thanks

Thanks for all the info everyone. Sorry this post is a random dump of my scattered thoughts, but here goes... Local dealer didn't have solo cowl installed, so that's something to track down. It replaces the rear seat completely, right? Can't blame Honda for the VFR front forks not being raceworthy, no matter what they do it's hard to be a sport-tourer and please everyone when laden weight might range from a svelt 50kg sportrider to over 150kg with luggage. Despite some critics describing the VFR as "soft", I find it has way more front end manners than all the expensive liter+ adventure bikes that are being marketed so hard these days. For those who care, it's on us to make the mods to optimize the ride for our specific needs. A call to Daugherty might happen further down the line for the forks no matter what. Thanks for pointing out the DLX has adjustability. That sounds quite nice when loading up for a trip, that might be the decider to go DLX. Speaking of mods, some things are just given. Heavy Honda exhaust is one of the first things to go. I will almost certainly ditch the center stand as well. Got a work stand at home, no sense carrying around the weight. I'm leaning toward Coffman's because of weight/size and ease of baffle mods. People say the $$$ Arrow or $$$ TBR or $$$ Akro may sound better but are they 200% better? Maybe Delkevic is the best tradeoff. Youtube videos I've seen thus far are close to worthless in helping a person decide. People: You may love your portable phones and GoPros for video recording, but please realize that the sound from those ultraportable electronic things SUCK. I have had very good luck with my existing Givi cases. I am leaning toward attempting a custom refit of my old Wingrack to the new VFR to allow the use of my current side cases or any other Givi version with the flat back mounting. If that fails, then yes, Givi currently only recommends V35 side cases for the 8th gen VFR -- much cheaper than OEM Honda sidecases unless you guys know of a good bargain out there. Sometimes living in provincial pacific northwest is just plain depressing. Prices in central states & east coast are $1000 less than advertised here, and then the local dealers here tack on another $800+ in unadvertised setup fees. Grrrrrr. Makes me want to look at importing a Canadian model. RVFR, sorry but white is just not the color. My old '92 has enough wear and tear that the dealer isn't willing to give me hardly anything for it. I will probably end up selling it for pennies next spring. I plan to ride it all winter as always. GatorGreg - you really know how to accessorize your VFR! :-)

Hello all, I could use your expert guidance! The time has come, I think I'm finally going to replace my current trusty steed, a 3rd gen 1992 VFR750. She still runs well but plenty of cosmetic wear and it's time to pass it on to a beginner rider. After doing all the research to identify the next best motorcycle made since then ... I've decided that the 8th generation VFR800 is the one to buy. To be honest, I was surprised at how little Honda has changed the VFR in 25 years. All in all that's not a bad thing. I am not interested in 200 more cc's and 50 more hp or anything like that. But like everyone, I wish Honda would put some effort into weight reduction. Anyway, now I have the big dilemma of whether to get a basic model or the DLX. I am told the DLX offers 4 things: antilock brakes, traction control, heated grips, self cancelling turn signals. My usage would include plenty of commuting in the city and weekend trips, mostly year round on everything from wet roads to high desert canyons. From a 25+ year rider who isn't accustomed to the DLX features, are these really worth the extra dough? Warm hands are nice but aren't the heated grips an easy to install kit? I like the idea of antilocks but i can't see the need for traction control at all. Haven't had the chance to test ride the Deluxe model yet and unfortunately it sounds like ordering one means commiting to buy one. Local dealer has a 2014 basic model on the floor for $8k (plus all the fees and taxes and stuff). I inquired about a DLX model and was told they could get one, and the price would be about $10k plus fees/tax/etc, to be verified. Seems like cycletrader has a few scattered around the nation for $1k or so less, though I infer some of these might be demo models with milage and some light wear. Or is my local dealer too expensive? Couple more questions: - is the solo seat cowl standard equipment? - is the centerstand standard equipment? - has anyone fitted legacy Givi Monokey side cases (flat back like E21 and E360)? My VFR750 currently has a Givi Wingrack & good condition hard cases that are fantastic. Would anything stop me from transferring the old Givi kit over? I know the side case & pannier rack design has changed from what I see on the Givi site, but how hard could it be to just form my own adapter fit kit to the Wingrack? Anyone recommend other options? Pix for your viewing pleasure: OLD / NEW glamour shots. The more things change, the more the VFR stays the same! Thanks for all your insights!

Not quite. The biggest weight difference came from the exhaust. On the 3rd generation, the 4-into-1 manifold weighed a ton. You can swap out a 3rd generation exaust in its entirety with one from a 4th generation VFR to drop a lot of weight. ...and of course, one can always lose the stock Honda cans for something much lighter. Remember, the 3rd generation did not come with a center stand as standard, so there's some variability in weight claims.

If you need a spare front wheel for your '93 (fixed rotors), I'll sell you the old front wheel from my 1992 for postage plus enough to cover a pizza & brewski. It's identical to your 1993 except it's a dark grey color, ready for the paint of your choice. I replaced the whole front end of mine with the forks, wheel, and brakes from a 1996. Easy swap between the 3rd and 4th generation if you do everything all at once. Funny, people look at my bike and think there's something unique about it, but they never identify that the wheels are different colors.

Why are you going back to a carbeurated bike? I don't see what you'd be gaining by going to an older model. Q - Are the shocks and forks easy to upgrade? A - Yes, plenty of info on the interwebs about swapping newer forks. Several great companies will upgrade your stock forks (RaceTec), or swap to other stock combinations if you prefer. If you're dialing in the suspension for just you, then just tune the ones you already have. Q - Any way to bore them out to get a bit of extra power with some extra displacement? A - Yes, you can bore out any 750. DynamoHumm in Quebec used to do it for a great bargain, but I believe they moved on to more common bikes when Honda stopped selling many VFRs. Q - other than the usual reg/ rectifier issues, anything else to look for? I found a 20k mile bike that looks very clean and lovingly cared for. Even the bodywork is in fantastic shape. A - Nope, it's a VFR. carry a spare reg/rec and ride. If you are swapping out forks, then consider upgrading your headset bearing. Some of us like a stiffer shifter spring. Drop 10+ pounds with a lighter exhaust. Most everything else is personal preference. Install a wheel hugger and chop off all the dangly bits from under the rear fairing. Install higher output headlamps. Replace the old rubber with some brand new skins. You know the drill... - faire You could always install studded tires on one of them!

What street rider wouldn't even consider buying a new VFR??? It's not like this poll commits you. Perhaps there are many subtleties in the new VFR that people just don't see, that won't be appreciated by reading a spec sheet online. Honda is clearly adding a lot of value to the street rider while keeping the VFR far removed from the track machine that some old timers still want it to be. Let me tell you why I would seriously consider replacing my current VFR750 for a new 8th gen VFR (yeah, that's right, I ride a 750. With the mods I've made to my machine, I haven't been tempted to replace it by ANY motorcycle, including the later VFR800s, until now): 1) No question this one will outperform all prior 700-800cc VFR generations out of the box -- not in shocking power, but all the other ways that impact real world riding experience. 2) LED lighting might be a rather significant improvement. Up here in the great white north, days are short during the wet riding season. 3) How about those new brakes, not linked, ABS standard! That's better than we've seen in a long time from Honda. 4) It'll be a durable beast. While the usual whiners are complaining about the VFR not offering >150hp and at least a liter displacement, I LOVE the all-day driveability of the 800. There's nothing stopping the racers from modifying to their hearts' content or buying the VFR1200. Re-using the 6th generation VFR800 parts that worked well is a recipe for success, not a point to complain about. I prefer reliability over peak HP bragging rights, and solid components to fragile look-fast bits. 5) Check out all the great suspension mods & ergonomic tweaks Honda finally implemented! Heated grips! It will be easier than ever to dial in the VFR without tearing down shocks and replacing springs! 6) The bodywork is classy and understated, while being much more attractive than Shamu. The new VFR800 reminds me of a nice mixture of the classic 5th generation VFR with a little bit of Ducati 900 thrown in -- a rather clean, complete fairing. Honda finally got around to providing a handsome, sleek machine for the understated mature rider. *LOVE* the new wheel design, too. To those who keep saying it's "boring", I think it's up to the individual owner to tack on all the "look at me" accessories he wants. Most of those "cutting edge" designs age rather quickly, and I like to ride my bikes for a decade or more. 7) Exhaust goes back to a simpler, lighter design that's easier/cheaper to replace. But since the chassis carries over much from the prior gen, it should be very easy for aftermarket companies to offer underseat exhaust to those who like a hot bum. Best of both worlds! 8) finally: Honda ought to have learned its lesson after the horrible sales of the VFR1200. One can be sure that the new VFR will be priced more aggressively. I am optimistic that for most riders who don't haul a passenger regularly, the new VFR800F will be a superb value. It's not like there are that many well-built middleweight V4 bikes to choose from, and this is the only one of the last 15 years that tempts me at all.

... Krylon to the rescue! I personally think silver would clash with the many champagne colored accents. Red looks classy ... just like the majority of the 4th & 5th gen VFRs. Anything but faded yellow.