VFR 800 or ???

Hello all,

After 6 years it is time to move on from my 1992 CBR 900, just not comfy enough for me and the wife. I have narrowed my list to a couple machines one being the VFR. Other I am considering are the cbr1000xx possibly v-strom 1000 and I have a line on a nice 04 Ducati ST4S.

I really like the Duc but the thought of $1000 valve adjustmets has me scared. What is the typical cost of a valve adjustment for the VTEC Vfr's? My first machine was a vf500f interceptor and I absolutely loved that bike. I know of the typical electrical gremlins with the hondas (chasing one now in the CBR) but looking for some advice from those that own a VFR. How do you find it for 2-up riding, fuel economy, power etc.

I am 6'-1" 195 lbs, wife is 5'-4" 105lbs. (she better not read this). Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Go with the 1000cc V-Strom.

Carry on ~

 

Howdy neighbor,
I'm a 5th gen rider and love mine. Valves are easier to work on than the 6th gen, I've got 40 000km with no adjustment yet and probably won't. If it shows signs of needing it, I'll tackle it myself. I've heard the dealer in our area wants $1000 to do a 6 gen,and I wouldn't trust them to change the oil.
My wife and I are about the same size and the bike handles us quite comfortably for short trips, she doesn't ride very often or far. If you want to do real 2 up touring for days then this isn't the bike. For solo trips its perfect.

Fuel mileage isn't great, 40-45mpg, but who cares it's a bike. You'll notice a decrease in power coming from the CBR but not that bad. Consider looking for a good 5th gen ,slightly cheaper and gear driven cams, with no v tec.
Send a pm if you want to take a look at mine. Good luck, and I hope to see another vfr on the roads.
Just did a quick search and found this.http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/oakville-halton-region/great-condition-honda-vfr-800-valves-65000/1015659678?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

 

Valve checks are every 16,000 miles but most here go at least 30,000 between them. Done by a dealer, you're looking at less than $1k but not a lot less.

 

Vstrom are damn nice bikes. If two up is going to be a regular thing, and you're tall, get a vstrom.

 

I have a 6th Gen and it does very good for two up for us. I am 5'7" and about 165 pounds. My girlfriend is about 5'2" and about 110 pounds. We just spent 3 days last month in the NC mountains on it and it did very good. She really had no complaints at all with her passenger comfort and the bike handles the weight just fine. My only complaint really is pressure on my wrist. I am actually looking into swapping my bars out for something taller, (just have not decided on what yet).

I have been riding street bikes and dirt bikes since I was a kid and I guess since I grew up on dirt bikes, I always like the way something that sits you more up right and feels more like a dirt bike feels to me. I have also considered an adventure bike because of that but I think I am going to try taller bars first because my VFR does so well for me and my passenger.

 

I have a 5th gen and I'm 6'-1" (175 lbs) and the wife is about 5-7 (125 lbs) and we find the 2000 VFR800 to have more than enough power for the both of us. The fuel economy even with both of us on board is fairly decent and we are both quite comfortable. The two of us have done many 500 km rides on my old 97 VFR750 and I never really found myself wanting for more power. If your coming from a 900cc you may find the VFR not quite as powerful as you may like but that is hard to say. If you can find a nice CBR1100xx Blackbird, then I can well imagine that you will both be very comfortable, you'd have more than enough power and the reliability of a Honda to boot.