TimC

Congrats on your VF500! I wish you the best in fixing it up! 🙂

I never felt like I needed a gear indicator on my 6th gen. Using my speed, rpms, and just the general sound of the engine, I could usually tell what gear I was in, especially at highway speeds. But when I bought my current BMW, which did not include a tachometer, I had a very difficult time telling what gear I was in. It didn't help that 6th gear is kind of short, so once I was on the interstate I kept trying to upshift to a non-existent 7th gear. Later on, I added the OEM tachometer, which includes a gear indicator on its small LCD screen. I like having it, but I wouldn't say it's a must-have.

I hate to say it, but $11,500 for a new bike really isn't bad at all. Not when a new I'm not saying it isn't a lot of money, but comparatively, $11K is reasonable for a nice brand new bike, especially Italian, and laden with features.

Congrats, @St. Stephen!! 🙂

What a terrific journey! Thanks for sharing the story, photos, and links here! 🙂

Congrats on your 5th gen. and welcome from steamy northern Ohio! 😆 I hope you'll post a couple photos of your VFR here. Seeing pix of these fantastic machines never gets old!

Looks great! 👍 The thing I miss most about my VFR is the factory hard bags. I don't do a lot of trips, but those bags were a godsend for sport touring. I have struggled with what luggage to buy for my current bike, as I don't love any of the options. I'm close to making a decision now, but it has taken me a long time to get to this point. Kudos to you for making your own setup for your 5th gen. since there wasn't anything you liked on the market. 🙂

Congrats on your 6th gen, welcome from Ohio, and good luck getting the bike sorted!

Great photos. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 I've been fortunate to ride amazing roads in that region several times, including during the VFRD spring ride a few times. I was hoping to get there again this summer, but it probably won't happen. Maybe next year!

Welcome from Ohio! 🙂

Welcome from Ohio, USA! Thanks for posting that great introduction! 👍 I keep thinking someday I'll buy a 5th generation VFR, even if it's something that needs some work. It wouldn't be my only motorcycle, so I could afford to take my time with it. While I loved my 6th gen, I'd only need the VFR for fun days and not trips and tours, so it could stay mostly unmodified. Maybe. 😉

Congratulations on that beautiful 5th gen. and welcome to the forum! 🙂

I have very similar feelings. I did an overnight trip this weekend to SE Ohio, home of most of the best twisty roads in the state. It has been a while since I did any real sport-riding, and rather than push it, I rode more conservatively than usual. I think as I get older I'm less willing to risk it all just to go 5-10% faster. I'm not racing, after all. Just looking to go reasonably quick and to ride as smoothly as possible, practicing good technique into, through, and out of corners.

Agree on the ergonomics of the Aprilia. Upper body forward lean is sporty but okay. But the footpegs are in a very sportbike-like position. Way too high for this old man, lol. Also, I don't know if things have radically improved, but when the Aprilia 660s starting coming out, I was hearing rumors of quality issues and lack of parts availability.

I know looks are subjective, but to me the new screen looks better. It looks sleeker and more befitting a sporty bike. 🙂

Sorry to hear about the failure. Heckuva way to start your riding season. 😞 The battery in my BMW is dying. (I've already bought the replacement, just need time to install it, as it's a real pain to get to on my bike.) I'm thankful to have a voltmeter built into one of the gauges - though I added that gauge, because the bike didn't come with a tachometer, and that gauge includes the LCD where the voltmeter and other information are shown. Having dealt with an electrical issue or two with my old VFR, I don't think I'd ever want a bike without a voltmeter now, whether it's built in or I add one myself. I hope you can get everything sorted and be back on the road quickly!

If anyone asks, "Why aren't there any nice 5th gen. VFRs left for sale in Canada?" I think we know the answer: @maxredline is hoarding them! 😆 Just kidding. Congrats on your latest VFR!

Glad to hear the event went well and everyone had safe rides! Thanks for posting the great video! 👍 I wish I'd been able to attend in the last couple years. A busy life has kept me from riding much over the last year, but I'm hoping to do more this year, including a couple trips.

I no longer own a VFR, but when I did I used a K&N filter for the last 8-10 years of my ownership of it.

Welcome to the forum! @Dutchy is kidding around a bit, because there is another forum for the VFR similar to the language in your thread title. But he's right, too -- this one rocks. 😉

The bike looks good and those are some very nice (and usually desirable) modifications. I agree with @afinepoint on the maintenance items. If the seller has records, great, but if not -- and maybe even if they do -- replace the fluids anyway. The ad says cruise control, but I think they meant throttle lock. I don't think anyone has said it yet, but on 6th gens, ABS bikes had gold brake calipers, and standard brake bikes had dark grey/black calipers. Of course, ABS bikes would also have a front wheel sensor, too. So this bike has the standard brakes. Don't let that be a deal-killer. I'd wanted ABS when I was shopping for a VFR, but got a bike without it. Thankfully, I never needed it to save me. 🙂 Please let us know how this turns out!

Welcome to the forum from Ohio, USA! I can't help, but want to wish you luck in sorting out the issues. 🙂

Congrats on that great looking 6th gen. and welcome to the forum from Ohio! 🙂

I have a Hepco & Becker rear luggage rack on my BMW, and have considered adding one of their top boxes for trips. They're spendy but I would love to have waterproof and lockable storage available for long days and trips.

Congratulations on your VFR and welcome to the forum! 🙂