First VFR Ride VFR800 2007

I bought a VFR800 2007 with 4300 miles on it. It delivered Thursday, got my temp registration Friday, and took it for an FCF (Functional Check Flight) on Sat (involves ops checks of how it handles, calibration of turning/lean/accel, etc.). Took it for an actual ride today, covering 100 miles of freeway and local roads.

As a person who rode mostly smaller bikes in larger cities for the past 40 years and someone who just came off of a Kawasaki Ninja sportsbike, the VFR feels like a nice, comfortable luxury "sedan"

It feels very light for its weight, very responsive, as long as you give it a good twist of the wrist. Not as nimble, not as quick as a sports bike, I couldn't do a wheelie in 2nd gear (not that I was trying, but it didn't have the pull to do it). However, it felt, overall, like a quality bike that can really be a long term keeper.

Overall, I'm happy with it's understated performance. My one complaint is the surge at 6K rpm. I know that's when the other valves of the VTEC kick in, but, as a person trained to be "at one" with the bike, this surge has startled/unsettled me every time I experience it. I guess it's something to get used to....

 

Hi Daydreamer

It looks like the welcome party failed to spot your arrival on the forum so I guess its time for an official welcome greeting!:welcome:

When you get a chance please swing by the "introductions" section of the forum and say hello to the rest of the folks. I know you have only just got your hands on your VFR, but the folks on here really like photos so please make sure to post up a picture or two of your bike or you face merciless raggin until you do!

:focus:

As for the vtec rush - think of it this way - for the price of one bike you get two. Keep the revs below the 6k threshold and the bike will cruise all day at 80mph gently sipping fuel - making it one of the best long distance mile munching machines. However when the need arises, just drop a gear or two, crank the revs up and you instantly have a different beast with ample power to go storming past snarled up traffic in a blink - giving you the best of both worlds - so take your time and you will end up with a big grin once you get used to its Jekyl and Hyde character.

My 2006 is fast approaching 100k and runs perfectly, as long as you remember the oil and filter changes these bikes seem to go on and on. Sadly VFRs electrical gremlins from bought in components appears to be the real weakness in these bikes, so owning a multi-meter, and better still fitting a basic voltmeter on the bike is a good way to keep an eye on things. If (or when) the RR goes south just get a replacement from roadstercycle.com and you should be good to go.

Take care - ATGATT




SkiMad

 

skimad4x4 ,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'm looking forward to at least a few good years with this bike and hope to learn from the pros at this forum.

Will drop by the intro section at next opportunity.

Just ordered some side saddlebags and a tool kit from cheapcycle.com.

Thanks for the heads up on the R/R...I'll do a bit of research around the forum...I'm guessing there's already plenty of talk on it that I'll need to learn. I buy bikes to ride, not to mod, so while I'll do the oil/filter and normal maintenance, I'm not great at the rest of the stuff and really don't want to spend time on it unless I have to...but it appears that I'll have to with the R/R...

Anyway, getting ready to go to work this morning, will take the VFR...

 

Congrats on your new ride ... you may not be into doing mods but I think you'll find from reading here that the electrical ones are sort of a must, for peace of mind anyway ... also, these bikes run very hot, you may want to consider a simple override fan switch mod to allow kicking on the fan before reaching the ~220deg 'auto' kick on point, if commuting a lot.

ACE

 

:welcome: to the madness :wave:
Congratulation on your new to you VFR
The VFR will bring you many years of happiness without braking your bank account :thumb:
Ride safe and ATGATT

 

Thanks, all. Many things I like about this bike and some things I'll have to get used to....
Coming out of the parking lot from work, I went up quick to 3rd gear, then car in front decided to do a fast stop, so I downshifted and dumped the speed to the rear wheels...guess what? No slipper clutch! I thought it would be standard on all modern bikes, so I didn't bother to look for it in the specs....fortunately, I was slow enough that the fish-tailing was recoverable. I'll adjust my riding habits to accommodate this...I wonder what else? Hmmm....

 

Welcome. .......thats scary.
Guess just relax and slow down a tad.....get used to everything she has to offer. She's like a new girlfriend
Good luck...ATGATT

 

You shouldn't be worrying about downshifting during an emergency stop, just pull the front brake and hold the bike up. Also, since you didn't read the specs, this bike has linked brakes, which by context should tell you the front brake actuates the back, and vice versa.

Slipper clutch on a sport tourer, really? Lol

 

Yea...my fault for not reading the specs closely.
As for slipper clutch on a "sports tourer" - I have an Acura RL, which is an understated luxury sedan by the same company....it has shifting paddles and SH-AWD...so, yes, I had taken for granted that a bike made by the same company would have what is, to me, a safety feature similar to electronic traction control on cars. Again, not blaming them, totally on me for making silly assumptions and I'll live with it...at least until/unless I discover too many more compromises...

I do like the way the rear tires can be removed, though...ingenious compared to the lengths I have to go to on the Ninjas...now let's hope the front sprocket doesn't require a 6 foot lever arm to get off like my Ninja did lol....

Something else I'm starting to enjoy --- on the freeways, I don't have to use tractor-trailers for windbreaks during strong crosswinds...she's really steady...

As for this being like a "new girlfriend"....it certainly is a more mature gal than the hard & fast ones I'm used to....but I do have a good feeling about it...

Thanks, all....

 

MILF...

 

MILF...or Cougar? I guess it depends on your perspective... ;-)

 

Modern 7 year old bike.......how do ya like the linked brakes?

 

I haven't noticed much difference, because I usually rely on the front brakes and downshifting with my previous bikes....similar effect.

A bit cold to be riding lately...I did get in a couple of weeks in Dec and a couple of days in Jan....unfortunately now my driveway is iced up...

Maybe time to move....

 

Cali..all year riding oot here....you say no mods, so now that you've had her fer a bit....any farkles yet? No lying now

 

What part of CT? I'm around Milford. Usually ride to work but this weather just to cold.

 

Nope...not that it's perfection, but nothing I can't live with so far. Last time I had it out, when I let go of the handlebar going downhill, it started to shake/flutter. Solution: Don't let go of handlebar....suspect I need to rebalance the front tires....

 

I'm up near Sturbridge, off exit 72 in Union. I saw a red VFR800 that looked alot like mine on I-84 a few months ago....was that you?

 

Welcome to the world of VFRs. Just some insight on VFRS. It is the product of a race bike that won championships. The call letters stand for V Four Racing. Though not considered RR or RaceReady. The reference to them as a sport tourer did not come till later. Know your Vffers. Sure they fluctuate from model to model. But I would say that your model is the beginning of the years of it leaning to the more touring side. The VTEC was in full force, though it was released in the last half of the previous model. The first 800 was the sportiest in my opinion, though it needs some freeing up of performance. And in my opinion your model was a good combination of sharp engineering and sport performance. And about those slipper clutches... no wet clutch should ever be a slippery one. :vtr2: