SpookyDriver

My 8th gen had similar stumbling issues after I installed an Arrow exhaust. Luckily, I already had a Power Commander on order and it fixed the issue completely once I had the correct map loaded. Actually, it's even smoother than the factory tuning with the OEM exhaust now. Not the least expensive fix, but it worked for me.

I'm also in the "range matters" category. I rarely calculate my fuel efficiency unless I'm on a timed ride, like some of the IBA challenges. However, there are parts of Texas where I've had a few occasions when I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the next fuel stop (and more than once, I didn't.) I often carry a 1/2 gal MSR bottle in my tail bag just for that reason when I'm riding one of my smaller bikes, including the VFR. Luckily, I haven't needed to use it on any of my rides...yet.

When I bought my new/old-stock 2014 VFR last year, I told the dealer I wanted new tires since the original Dunlops had date codes from late 2013 and I didn't trust 7yr old tires, even if they had no miles on them. Since they didn't have the Pirellis I normally preferred on sport(ish) bikes, they installed a set of Roadsmart 4s from their inventory. I wasn't terribly impressed with the feel of the front tire under cornering/hard braking as it always felt nervous, as if it was searching for traction. Also I found them to be quite unpredictable in the wet. After about 500 miles of experimenting with different tire pressures to alleviate is issues, I tossed them in favor of Pirelli Diablo Rosso. I'd been using Pirelli tires for over 30 years and was always happy with them. (I realize the Roadsmarts are more of a touring tire than a sporty tire, so the comparison isn't really apples to apples in that regard.) However, since we're on the subject of tires, I've recently switched from Pirelli to Continental on the VFR. A few weekends ago, I got a last minute invite for some track time with the VFR and my old 916 track bike, but my local dealer wasn't able to get new sets of Pirellis in time for me to make the trip. Since I didn't have time to wait, he recommended the Conti Sport Attack 4s from his available inventory. I was a little apprehensive about using new/untested gear on the track, but beggars can't be choosers and I bought a few sets to get through the weekend and (maybe) the rest of the summer. My ex-wife and I rode our 2014 VFR's while her brother drove his truck to haul our track bikes and gear. She had just installed a new set of Pirellis the previous week, but she picked up some of the Continentals for the ride home and for her track bike (ZX-7R). I have to say that I'm very impressed. Incredibly smooth and stable at high speeds, excellent grip when cornering and braking and very predicable when you reach the limits. At max lean angles, they were much more communicative than the Pirellis, which surprised me since I never had any complaints about the Diablos in that regard. As a result, I was able to push harder and brake later in the corners with more confidence. However, the most impressive aspect was lifespan. I was able to ride 300 fairly-fast paced miles to the track, a few hours of moderately aggressive track time and 300 miles back home on one set of the Sport Attacks...although they didn't have very many miles left in them and I replaced them the next day. The rear Pirelli on her VFR was toast before the lunch break on the 2nd morning and the front was cupping pretty badly, so she switched to the Continentals and parked the VFR until we rode home this evening. We've been tracking the Ducati and Kawasaki for almost 20 years and in the past, our Pirellis were typically only good for 1 full day on the track before they were trashed. But this weekend, I didn't need to replace the rear Continental on my Ducati until after lunch on the 2nd day. I should say I steer the 916 with the throttle a lot...not because it's faster (it's not), but it's more fun. More impressively, she was able to get through both days with the same set on her Kawasaki. The cords are just barely showing on her rear tire, though. She hasn't gotten two full days out of a set of track tires since she traded her old Honda Hawk for the ZX-7 back in the late 90s. Granted, we're both in our 50s and probably not quite as aggressive as we used to be, but we both went through two sets of Pirellis at the same track a couple of months prior, so I think it was a good comparison test. Of course, we didn't ride the VFRs as hard as our other bikes since they really aren't suited for the track and we didn't want to risk crashing our daily bikes, but the same compliments apply to the tire performance. For now, we'll both be sticking with the Continentals for road and track duty. We realize there are better tires for track use, but we both have several bikes and prefer to keep our spare inventory as simple as possible. Using the same tires for track and street just makes things more efficient for us...plus, we aren't trying to set lap records at our ages. Back to the street, I've put roughly 2500 miles on the new tires in a mix of commuting, touring and "sporty" riding and they are holding up extremely well from the centers to the edges. Summer is quite warm here (southeast Texas) and our roads are notorious for eating up bike tires when the asphalt temps get over 140-150F (60-65C) from late May to late September, but I'm guessing I'll easily get 4k miles out of the rear and maybe 4.5k - 5k out of the front in typical street riding, which is something I've never accomplished since buying my first VFR750 as a teenager in the mid-80s. Generally, I'm showing cords on the rear by 3k miles on these bikes with maybe another 500-700 miles on the fronts. (My ADV bike tires generally last quite a bit longer on pavement due to the difference in riding styles.) Overall, I'm extremely happy with the Continentals. I wholeheartedly recommend them for any rider who wants a tire that you can drive across the country and thoroughly enjoy any curves you encounter along the way with extreme confidence.

Adding a PC has made a noticeable improvement on all my FI bikes since the manufacturers always tune the fuel/air ratio very lean to meet emissions regulations. Increasing airflow with intake and/or exhaust mods only exacerbates the issue and a PC allows you or your tuner to compensate for the difference. Of course, you can achieve the same results with chip tuning, but I prefer to use the PC since it's easier to revert back to stock if you sell the bike later. On the VFR, the PC uncorked 3.9hp and 4.2tq while smoothing out the power delivery all the way through the powerband. Adding the Arrow and retuning added an additional 4.7hp and 4.1tq according to my tuner's dyno. The power increase is noticeable, but the difference in throttle response and power delivery is what I enjoy most.

Definitely a no to both questions. As stated above, sounds like you need a brake service ASAP. Dragging brakes can lead to overheating and brake failure. Might as well do the rear brakes, as well.

I took advantage of a rainy day (to be followed by many more if the forecast is correct) to install a new Hyperpro shock/spring on my "new" 2014 VFR. Tomorrow, I'll install new fork springs and oil. Hopefully these upgrades will be better suited for my height/weight and I'll be done with mods for this bike.

My primary issue with the QS is remembering I have it. After 40+ years of riding without one, the muscle memory is strong and I grab the lever without thinking about it. Occasionally, I'll remember it's down there and I have no complaints with the operation or size of the pedal (size 15 boots may help there.) Even at low revs shifting up from 1st to 2nd, it's smooth with very positive engagement. At high revs, the feel of the upshift reminds me of using the paddles for the PDK in my car...which is a good thing, IMO. But 99% of the time, my brain is hardwired to reach for the clutch lever when I shift and it's a tough habit to break, especially since none of my other bikes have a quick-shifter and I ride them all pretty frequently. Something about old dogs and new tricks...

A few months ago, I found this new, old-stock 2014 VFR at a nearby Honda dealer. It was still in the shipping crate and offered at a very hefty discount from the original MSRP, so I brought it home. Since I'm a tall guy, I installed risers and lowered pegs. I also added an Arrow exhaust and Power Commander V. I have ordered a new shock/spring and will have the forks rebuilt later this summer to accommodate my weight. I recently did a 1k mile trip with it and the suspension was my only real complaint. It's a great daily bike and fits nicely between my track bikes and dual-sports. I'm pretty happy with it, especially considering the price. I know there are quite a few of these bikes languishing around dealer warehouses in the US, so there are bargains to be had if you can find one.

I know these types of rides are pretty boring to read about, but thought I'd post it up here in case any other IBA riders are around. I used to be pretty active in the Ironbutt Association, but I took a break from the long trips after my kids were born. If you're not familiar, the Saddlesore 1K is an entry-level certificate offered by the IBA. It's a documented 1000 mile trip completed within 24 hours. You use a map of your route and fuel receipts to verify the time and location of your stops to get your certificate from IBA. There are no benefits other than the satisfaction of the ride, but it's a fun challenge and I have now completed 8 of them over the years, mostly on BMW and Triumph adventure bikes and one on my old Blackbird XX. I recently acquired a new, old stock 2014 VFR800 that had been sitting in a crate at the dealership for over 6 years. I was looking for a "purely pavement" sport-tourer since I've primarily been riding adv bikes for the past 15ish years and I missed having a quicker, sportier bike in the garage. The VFR was a bit smaller than the liter bikes I was browsing, but the price was too good to ignore. After sorting out the ergonomics to fit my 50 year old knees and back (Helibars and BLS peg lowering blocks,) I set off at 6am Tuesday morning from my house in Crockett, Texas with the rapidly brightening sky to my back. I had planned my loop to keep the sun at my back in the morning and evenings, which makes a long ride like this much more pleasant. My route would take me north and west to Abilene, then south through Uvalde to Corpus Christi until I turned to go back north and east to College Station and then east to end at my original fuel stop near my home. I mostly kept to state highways and tried to avoid interstates as much as I could. Using a Valentine 1 Gen2 integrated with JBV1 and Waze on my phone helped me keep track of weather, speed traps and traffic along the way. Other than the lowered pegs, raised clip-ons and new tires (the original OEM tires were hard as a rock after sitting in storage for so many years), the bike is a stock non-Deluxe model with the OEM quickshifter. I'm 6'4", 220lbs with a 36" inseam, so the bike is a bit cramped for me...at least compared to my other bikes. Overall, the ergos felt similar to my '01 Blackbird if my memory serves me right. But I still had no real discomfort during the 2-3 hours between fuel stops and a quick walk around the parking lot worked out the kinks in my rebuilt knees. The bike performed flawlessly on the long slab of highway. I ended up with an official 1015.4 miles in 17hrs and 32 minutes. Overall, I burned 29.3 gallons of 93oct for a final result of 34.6 miles per gallon. My moving average was 63.5 miles per hour since I stopped for a total of 92 minutes for fuel, food and water. Weather was mostly in the 60s/70s and I rode through some light rain for a couple of hours. The Conti Sport Attack tires that the dealer installed at purchase were fantastic in the wet. I'd never used these tires before, so I had no idea what to expect, but they gripped very well under heavy braking and in some of the twisty roads I chose in the Texas hill country. I didn't push the bike very hard in the corners for reasons I'll explain later. The engine and transmission really impressed me on this bike. Having never used a quickshifter before, I constantly forgot it was installed. 40+ years of grabbing a clutch lever has burned that habit into my muscle memory. Still, the bike was happy to bang off the rev limiter or just sit in 6th gear at 75-80mph for hours at a time. The clutch is one of the best I've used in a quite a while and gear changes had just the right amount of "notchiness" for lack of a better term. Very positive mechanical feel as each cog slipped into place. My big BMW and Triumphs feel a bit sloppy in comparison, even if they work just as well. The front brake was very easy to modulate and has great feel at the limit. The rear brake was very grabby, but that may be to the lack of feel I get with my giant clown feet. I finally decided to just forget it was there most of the time unless I was sitting at a stop light/sign. I'll see about adjusting it a bit later. However, I'll definitely need to address the suspension pretty quickly. It's far too softly sprung at both ends for a guy of my size and weight. On smooth highway, it's not an issue, but broken pavement really upsets the front end and tight roads really overwhelm the shock and forks if I push it. I messed with the preload and rebound damping as much as the OEM bits would allow, but I'll start looking for upgrades later this week and see what I can find. Once I get that issue solved, the Interceptor will be pretty close to perfect for days when I don't feel like wrestling with the big bikes.

Decided to order a set of the BLS blocks after almost dumping the bike when my boot got hung up on the Knight's pegs. Until the BLS blocks arrive and I can reattach the OEM pegs, I've wrapped the Knight's with gaffers tape to keep the "teeth" from grabbing the treads on my riding boots. Looks like crap, but it will do the job for a few days.

I feel the same way. I've had dozens of supersport, sport-touring and adventure bikes in the last 40 years and my 2014 VFR is the worst I've owned from an aural standpoint. The OEM exhaust's tone is too high-pitched. I bought an Akrapovic slip-on and the tone was perfect (smooth/deep rumble), but the volume was far too loud for my taste, especially at start-up and idle. I sold it and bought an Arrow slip-on but but it was even louder. I have Arrow mufflers on my Ducati and two of my Triumphs, but they only altered the tone without drastically increasing the volume, so I was surprised at how they sounded on the VFR. Granted, I've never owned or been around any generation of VFR until I bought my 8th gen, so I can't compare it to any previous models. For now, I've resigned myself to keeping the stock muffler on the bike, even though it's ugly, heavy, and sounds like an angry sewing machine. At least I can hear my intercom and I don't wake the neighbors when I'm leaving the house. On the road, I just turn up the music a little louder and ignore the exhaust. If the Akrapovic had the same decibel level as the OEM exhaust, it would be perfect for me.

Oh, I wish I had known about this option before I bought the Knight Design pegs. I got them installed this weekend and adjusted the pedal/shifter to accommodate the lower position and I'm pretty happy overall, but I wish I'd been able to retain the stock pegs as I I prefer the way they feel. The Knights pegs have an aggressive texture that really grabs my boots and makes it a bit more difficult to slide my foot back and forth. I'll give it a couple of weeks to see if I get used to it, but if not I'll be in touch. Regardless, I'm glad to know there are other options available. Thanks for chiming in!

That sounds perfect. Thank you!

Yes. I've made sure the seat is as high as possible. But with a 38" inseam, it's still not quite enough. I think another 1" - 1.5" of legroom would be just enough to be comfortable without resorting to seat mods. The latter have always required me to get risers for the clip-ons, so I prefer to lower my feet rather than raise my butt.

I recently found a "new, old-stock" 2014 VFR800 at a local Honda dealership and brought it home. I love everything about the bike except for the peg height since my 50yr old knees aren't quite as flexible as they used to be. I've found several different varieties of lowered pegs for the 8th gen bikes, but I was curious about how well they integrate with the brake pedal. I have the quick shifter and it seems to have enough adjustability to accommodate the change, but the brake pedal looks problematic to me as it appears that a lowered peg would place the pedal high enough to interfere with my boots. (I wear size 15 boots, so I'm aware I'm a bit out of the norm when it comes to foot room on the pegs.) If you have lowered pegs on your 8th gen VFR, did you have to do any mods to the brake pedal or is it a non-issue? Thanks in advance for any info.