Help with VFR need

I've got an '01 you can come sit on/check out... possibly take for a spin. I don't know how it compares to the earlier VFR's, but to me it's kind of a turd... heavy steering, long wheelbase... just not what I'm used to.

Bring one of your bikes and we'll switch and go for a short ride...

Edit: Bring the CBR 250! Holy shit I really wanna check that thing out.

 

This afternoon is no good... I'm open Thursday after 5pm, though. Or pretty much any time this weekend.

 

Zoji, be sure to write up your review of the vfr. I'm finding myself in need of a more practical commuter bike during the winter months (hard cases, top case, etc).

Galenernest, be sure to write up a review of the cbr 250 as well!

 

G6 VFR owner here...Love it.

That is all...

(but i am 6'7'' 300 and dont fit at all on crotch rockets...)

 

G6 is a nice bike, but I just don't understand how the thing can weigh over 500lbs.

 

It weighs over 500 lbs? I can lift the back tire off the ground like a dirt bike and the damn thing is like a feather in the corners. In fact i rode a 2006 cbr1000 for a bit and couldnt wait to get back on the viffer!

I mean if you drop ur bike often i can see why u want the lightest bike possible....go gixer

 

Triumph sprint? Lol 2c

 

For a commuting bike it was probably a good choice.

I, too, fell in love with the sound and the V4 torque, And mine ended up looking really pretty sharp, sounding great and handling OK....but it was too friggin heavy. I had mine for about a year and I sort of got used to the weight, but it was always a concern. Taking it off the center stand? Scary. Riding it down my gravel drive? No fun. Trying to bump start it? Forget that.

I mean, really really heavy. It once fell over off the side stand, sinking it's foot into the dirt in my yard, and I had to erect a lift of scaffold and use a come-a-long to winch it upright because no one was around to help me lift it back onto the wheels. If I had been in the middle of Nevada or somewhere, I could have maybe managed to get that thing off the ground, but at serious risk to my back or possible rupture.

Riding it in the twistys, it was actually OK, but again, the weight of it sucked. It would keep up OK with sport bikes due to the wide torque band and OK brakes but 500lbs +.... Also, the stock-ish suspension really is poor for other than freeway or big highway riding. Mine had an Ohlins rear and that helped, but the forks were awful despite being well maintained. The linked braking sysetm...once I got used to it, that was pretty handy for a lazy rider on the street, I guess, but scary on gravel.

Pretty comfortable for long rides...except the wallowing, clunking front end was irritating.

I got onto my S.O.s F2 for a spin, and that was it. I went back to a sport bike as fast as I could sell the VFR. Think "Heavy"...that was what I took away from my time on the VFR.
Don Hanson

 

Compared to what? A full dresser Harley? :scratchea

This. I am thinking of selling my VFR after having put only about 1000 miles on it. I just don't like it. It's too heavy, it steers slow, its brakes are mediocre (well, it might just feel that way because it's such a porky bike)... etc.

Sure, it makes a great commuter/distance bike. It is comfortable. It's just not for me. I miss the razor sharp handling of a sportbike. The viffer just feels like a turd in the twisties.. lol.

 

Sounds like a few people dont know how to use body language to toss around a VFR, great bikes, great handling, good breaks aside from the linked crap. You cant just sit on a vfr and expect to haul ass like a supersport, you uave to tell it how to behave. But i also switch from a heavier 89 kat 1100 which is also a heavy beast that rewuires body english to corner well.

 

I've got a 97 VFR. When I got it, my riding ability went up. It was such an improvement over my Katana 600. Bought it brand new. Kept up most of the time with my buddies TL 1000 on road trips, unless he really wanted to leave me. I still have it with 50,200 miles on it. Love the V4 sound and it still pulls strong up to red line. Put a Staintune pipe on it and that really helped with the sound and look, the way it curves up and tucks away from hiding the tire. I also have a 954, which I love. It's definitely sharper handling and faster, but I still enjoy the VFR and use it for commuting. I found it easy to throw into the corners when on long road trips. Dragged pegs all the time and on hot summer days, heard the motor changing pitch in corners as the tire was fighting for traction. Good times.

 

U guys must be tiny people if the weight is that big of a deal...I love gravel on my Viffer! 2nd gear fishtales are awesome!!!!

Seriously, i can man handle my viffer no prob, but i am pretty big...

 

I absolutely LOVE my VFR, I get a lot of compliments on it, and last month I did 2 roadtrips equal to 2200 miles. Try that on a little sportbike! Look, the VFR was never meant to be a true sportbike, nor a true cruiser but by golly it does both VERY well and that engine torque is fantastic off the line compared to an inline 4 out on the streets (I'm 1 tooth lower in front). Look, VFR's are meant to be comfortable sportbikes with snap, not race bikes. OP, VFR's aren't for everyone, but they get a lot of respect for what they are and what they do. My desire is to have a strong, sporty bike for long distance touring.

 

Yep, I can too at 210 lbs. However, Gnarly 928 is close to 70 and probably not as strong as he once was- with all due respect to him.

 

You got that right...getting older does suck.. You Big Boys, the VFR might be a decent fit for you guys...if you have the body weight to handle a 500+lb motorcycle and enjoy doing so, the VFR is one of the best.

I managed mine just fine once moving, it was very heavy to work with otherwise, for a normal size guy at 180lbs.

Underway, that mass doesn't suddenly go away. To ride a VFR well means to be deliberate with it. 'Bossy'..They respond ok..in fact amazingly well, given the mass of them if you are a total bully, very decisive, with your input......but I always felt a bit like a side car jockey on mine.....after selecting and committing to a line in a corner I'd climb around on the bike to help make it stick and to keep the chassis off the ground...there wasn't much 'adjusting' your line....you don't change direction easily with 500lbs... I have seen them ridden well at the track, too.

On the other hand, you can really relax on a VFR. Nothing you do as the rider seems to faze it much on the highway. You can squirm and wiggle around, talk on you cell phone, ride in 50+ mph gusty side winds or start from a stop in 4th gear and not even notice.

When I sold mine I took it to the airport to meet the buyer, who flew in to ride it home to Maryland. He loaded on two tail bags, a tank bag and a HUGE gym bag tied on top of all that and took off for home...(he was a BIG BOY, 200+lbs, too) He emailed me a week later and said he'd enjoyed his ride home, no problemo...

As others have said, as a sport/touring bike they do work very well indeed. And they are 'bomb-proof' dependable. Mine came to me very abused with 77k miles on it. It will probably go another 77k miles without a whimper...
Don Hanson

 

Zoji, I hope someone let's you take one out. I have ridden them for years and have two of them. One old school and a Gen6. Like them both for different reasons.

It's true they are not a racer, but for those who think they are dogs... Let a carpenter show you how to use a hammer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVqQnRrvask

 

Don, very well said on everything! On my last road trip (granted I was loaded down) we went out to NE Oregon and hit our favorite twisties and I really noticed the difference between how flickable my 300+ Husky is and how much input I need to give the VFR. Bossy and deliberate are good descriptors for the input needed in the twisties. I had an almost brand new front tire at the beginning of the year and shredded the sides to completely bald after that last roadtrip and I attribute that in part to my completely stock suspension, and needing to manhandle it.

 

Using body weight as an excuse for not being able to handle a bike is sad. I weigh in at around 170, and i can toss around my 6th gen just fine. A friend pf mine weighs about 160ish and can toss his 5th gen around like nothing too. Learn to ride.