Need input on the mods made to this 92 VFR

[The Philosopher]

Hi Everyone. This site rocks. I met Seattle today to sit on his bike. Super nice guy. Really like the gen 3 size. Anyways Seattle told me that there was a silver VFR on craigslist but I haven't seen the ad. Well today the ad popped up and I'm about to give the guy a call. Before I do, I need to understand all these mods that was done to bike. I myself was really looking for a complete stock bike. My concern with a heavily modded bike is depending on who did the mod, something may have gotten screwed up or performance may degrade. Anyways see the ad description at the following link and let me know what these mods are suppose to do and if there are any concerns with the mods. I know silver wasn't a stock color in 92, is this a concern as well? I'm a complete noob so I don't know what these mods are for. Thanks.

1992 Honda VFR 750 - Dodge Viper Silver

[mello dude]

Hi Everyone. This site rocks. I met Seattle today to sit on his bike. Super nice guy. Really like the gen 3 size. Anyways Seattle told me that there was a silver VFR on craigslist but I haven't seen the ad. Well today the ad popped up and I'm about to give the guy a call. Before I do, I need to understand all these mods that was done to bike. I myself was really looking for a complete stock bike. My concern with a heavily modded bike is depending on who did the mod, something may have gotten screwed up or performance may degrade. Anyways see the ad description at the following link and let me know what these mods are suppose to do and if there are any concerns with the mods. I know silver wasn't a stock color in 92, is this a concern as well? I'm a complete noob so I don't know what these mods are for. Thanks.

1992 Honda VFR 750 - Dodge Viper Silver

I looked at the ad for you..... All the things listed are highly desireable modifications. Upgraded suspension and shock are very much a plus. The pipe is somewhat a personal taste item - if you dont like it, ask if he has the stock pipe. The only question I would have is who installed the shift kit. This is a desireable item too, but takes some mechanical smarts to install correctly. Guess I should add, none of the mods are detrimental to the reliability of the bike.

Bottom line? If I was in a the market for a 3rd gen, I would definately take a hard look. The bike looks like a good example, and if it runs,shifts rides fine, consider it.

MD

[stoshmonster]

+1 on the Silver '92VFR. Make sure to ask if the guy installed a jet kit to go along with that Yosh pipe. The pipe by itself won't gain you much in terms of power output. The quick shift kit return spring is slightly stronger than stock. It offers just a bit more resistance at the shift lever,but it makes for a smoother,more positive,shorter throw gearshift. Thumbs up on all the listed mods done to this bike. Wish there was a better picture though. Give the bike a good once over before you decide anything,and ask lots of questions. Good Luck Philosopher.

[The Philosopher]

With all these mods, do you get the impression that this bike was raced with? From my research, I was told to stay away from raced bikes.

[mello dude]

With all these mods, do you get the impression that this bike was raced with? From my research, I was told to stay away from raced bikes.

That list of mods is fairly standard for a lot of VFR nuts, myself included. We are a unique bunch and probably keep our vfrs longer than the pure sport bike crowd. So we dont mine doing some upgrades for our own pleasure. Mostly our bikes are used for longer distance sporty rides, but I would imagine some of us do an occasional track day.

Typically the weak spots in VFRs are the suspension and the stock shifter is a tick sloppy and the 3rd gen owner addressed that. At 41k miles, I dont think the bike would be raced. Also if somebody is thinking racing, most likely they would pick up a CBR.

I dont see anything that knocks it off the list. I would still go look at the bike and talk to the owner. Is he a gearhead guy? Lots of car and bike toys? That would be a plus.

Is this your first bike?

MD

[The Philosopher]

That list of mods is fairly standard for a lot of VFR nuts, myself included. We are a unique bunch and probably keep our vfrs longer than the pure sport bike crowd. So we dont mine doing some upgrades for our own pleasure. Mostly our bikes are used for longer distance sporty rides, but I would imagine some of us do an occasional track day.

Typically the weak spots in VFRs are the suspension and the stock shifter is a tick sloppy and the 3rd gen owner addressed that. At 41k miles, I dont think the bike would be raced. Also if somebody is thinking racing, most likely they would pick up a CBR.

I dont see anything that knocks it off the list. I would still go look at the bike and talk to the owner. Is he a gearhead guy? Lots of car and bike toys? That would be a plus.

Is this your first bike?

MD

Yes this is a first for me. I'll take the advice and look at the bike anyways. One more thing, what's the purpose of the adjustable suspension? Would this be a benefit to a shorter person in lowering the bike height?

[Seattle]

There ya go...

I told ya that add was floating around. As for the quick shift kit, I forgot to tell you that I added that option to my bike as well. It makes shifting the bike much smoother I'm glad I did it. Good luck when you look at it.

[mello dude]

Yes this is a first for me. I'll take the advice and look at the bike anyways. One more thing, what's the purpose of the adjustable suspension? Would this be a benefit to a shorter person in lowering the bike height?

Motorcycles being relatively light vehicles are more sensitive to the riders weight and riding style - compared to a car. Think how different a bike would act with a 250 lb rider vs a 170 lb rider with no adjustment to the suspension. If it was tuned for one, the other wouldnt be a happy camper on the way bike felt.

Yourself if you are close in weight of the current 3rd gen owner - you should be fine for the moment. Also if need be, there are ways to lower the 3rd gen if you want.

Dumb questions - have you taken the MSF riding course? If not do it asap! Dont try to wing it. Also do a search on this site for newbie riders. There is tons of great advice. Please do your homework there too!

--Seattle --- can you help this guy out?

MD

[Seattle]

If he buys the bike I'll hook him up with Barry Wrestle's information. Not sure if you know who that is but he's very well known around these parts and tunes suspensions really cheap.

+1 on the MSF class. I took it and was surprised that there was so much information that I wasn't aware of.

[The Philosopher]

I did the MSF about 3 months ago and researched motorcycles for about 9 months. Thanks for all the info.

[The Philosopher]

+1 on the Silver '92VFR. Make sure to ask if the guy installed a jet kit to go along with that Yosh pipe. The pipe by itself won't gain you much in terms of power output. The quick shift kit return spring is slightly stronger than stock. It offers just a bit more resistance at the shift lever,but it makes for a smoother,more positive,shorter throw gearshift. Thumbs up on all the listed mods done to this bike. Wish there was a better picture though. Give the bike a good once over before you decide anything,and ask lots of questions. Good Luck Philosopher.

I spoke with the bike owner last night. He said the bike had a stage 3 jet kit installed with a two brothers exhaust when he purchased it. I'm not sure why he changed the pipe afterwards. Will have to ask next time. Anyhow, I did a little research on jet kits and from what I read, they are suppose to provide a smooth acceleration for the bike. Is this the jist of it? I've also read that the jet must be tuned correctly for the system to operate correctly and that this is where jet kits can be troublesome? Should I be concerned about this? What should I look for in a test ride in evaluating to make sure the jet kits is working properly? Hesistation, I guess?

[mello dude]

I spoke with the bike owner last night. He said the bike had a stage 3 jet kit installed with a two brothers exhaust when he purchased it. I'm not sure why he changed the pipe afterwards. Will have to ask next time. Anyhow, I did a little research on jet kits and from what I read, they are suppose to provide a smooth acceleration for the bike. Is this the jist of it? I've also read that the jet must be tuned correctly for the system to operate correctly and that this is where jet kits can be troublesome? Should I be concerned about this? What should I look for in a test ride in evaluating to make sure the jet kits is working properly? Hesistation, I guess?

Letsee Phil --- Pipes are a personal taste item, so changing from one brand to another is no big deal. The jet kit shouldnt be a big deal if the bike runs fine. I can tell your not much of a gearhead, do you have a friend who is? I would say where your at is - go look at the bike and bring a gearhead friend to help. Youve done all your research, so now you have to decide if you are gonna jump in the pool.

BTW - who will do the maitenence on the bike if you buy it?

MD

[RVFR]

^ all very good advise, let us know how it goes.

[The Philosopher]

Letsee Phil --- Pipes are a personal taste item, so changing from one brand to another is no big deal. The jet kit shouldnt be a big deal if the bike runs fine. I can tell your not much of a gearhead, do you have a friend who is? I would say where your at is - go look at the bike and bring a gearhead friend to help. Youve done all your research, so now you have to decide if you are gonna jump in the pool.

BTW - who will do the maitenence on the bike if you buy it?

MD

What's more embarassing is that of all my friends, I'm the most "gearheaded". I know very little about bikes. I had to look up how a carburator work this morning just so I can understand the idea behind putting a jet kit on. I'm an Electrical Engineer by trade and therefore will tend to want to do all the maintenance myself after hours of googling on the internet on how to do them of course. I've read several info on the internet on what to look for when looking/test riding used bikes, which doesn't offer much to go by. Basically, my approach is do more research before looking at the bike, then go see the thing. If it looks like it's in good condition, start and ride fine. I'm buying it. I would be willing to take any advice that fellow board members are willing to offer in this
department?

EDIT: I'm probably going to spend some $$ to have a bike dealer look the thing over as I don't know what I'm looking at.

[mello dude]

What's more embarassing is that of all my friends, I'm the most "gearheaded". I know very little about bikes. I had to look up how a carburator work this morning just so I can understand the idea behind putting a jet kit on. I'm an Electrical Engineer by trade and therefore will tend to want to do all the maintenance myself after hours of googling on the internet on how to do them of course. I've read several info on the internet on what to look for when looking/test riding used bikes, which doesn't offer much to go by. Basically, my approach is do more research before looking at the bike, then go see the thing. If it looks like it's in good condition, start and ride fine. I'm buying it. I would be willing to take any advice that fellow board members are willing to offer in this department?

Oooooohh - your an engineer?! Now I get it!
Ok - I R 1 2, albeit mechanical.

MD

[The Philosopher]

I have another question about this bike. When I spoke with the owner, he had the original cut and replaced with a yosh pipe from a previous VFR. Can you just do that? Don't you have to tweak the jet's for the new pipe?