new rider

I am a new rider I took the MSC and want to know if a VFR 800 is a sane pick as a first bike. I have a very experienced friend to ride with that has offer to sell me a bike from his stable. He is not pushing it, just offering, I will hopefully get on it soon but feel a little intimidated by the bike and m lack of experience. thoughts?

 

I assume from your post that you nave never ridden bikes before? Although a lot of things (age/height/weight/strength) come into play, a VFR is probably not the best first bike, as you are bound to drop it a couple of times before you learn to ride properly. Read the "you dropped it how many times?" thread to see how many of us seem to be still learning! Just my opinion (I'm sure many would disagree) but a smaller naked bike would probably be your best bet.

 

I agree with Bryan. Anything is possible and anyone can learn to ride on one VFR, but given the fact that these bikes loved to be in the horizontal position, learning to ride on one may delay the skills necessary to be a safe/r rider. I recommend a ninja 300 or a CBR 300 if you like the sport bike look. Or a small displacement cruiser if you like those.

 

The VFR800 is a great bike, don't know what year your friend has, but the 2002 and on were a bit cantankerous under 3000 rpm unless it has a Power Commander. Not the best for a beginning rider. I bought a 2003 after not riding for 20 years, and I almost lost it a couple times in low speed turns due to roughness. I am 6' and 220 lbs, and still was a bit hard to control at very low speeds, once rolling, it's was great bike. Get something smaller, that matches your size and weight, and cheap to fix (not a lot of expensive plastic fairings). Learn to ride, and above all else learn, understand and practice counter steering until it becomes second nature. If your friend has a gem of a VFR800, then make a deal with him to buy it a little later.

 

As with anything there are exceptions, member VFRMann bought 95 VFR and picked up on riding like no ones business! He's one of the best natural ability riders I've met but that's not to say that he should have bought the VFR as his first bike. Any bike with body panels is probably not the best bike to start riding on.

One of the best first bikes IMO is a dual sport, they are light, nimble, have little to no body panels and can be taken off road, which is one of the best places to ride to improve your skills. Two other things about dual sports, they have plenty of ground clearance and are much easier to right back up if you drop it (I speak from experience). One of the draw backs is that the usually have a tall seat height, so if you're vertically challenged it might not work out too well, especially coming to stops.

Good luck on finding something but remember don't let others pressure you into getting something you're not comfortable with. You have to ride it, so make sure you're good with your choice.

Cheers

 

Hello, my first motorcycle was and is an 02 VFR 800 abs. I had considered a smaller bike for my first but am glad I went with the VFR, its a nice bike easy to ride and very comfy accelerations good and ive yet to top out on speed 227kmh the fastest ive had but couldve easily kept climbing but as a beginner rider slowed down as i was on the highway approaching traffic fast. I can take my bike out for longer rides and enjoy the comfort, as well go the store for some groceries as the touring bags are so convient. That being said I would not get a VFR without the touring bags. That being said I wanted a sport tourer an I think the 6th gen is one of the best looking tourers out there and with Honda reliability it was a no brainer for me. I definately dont regret making the VFR my first bike.

 

Welcome Hannarexic, sounds like you have the bike sussed and are enjoying it, which is always good to hear ...... where's the mandatory photo?

 

Maybe if the OP is aboot 4'5" and has a 22" endseam, the bike may be too big for him (her?) otherwise this person might be the next Alexis Tornado.

 

Or sow 2....doh

 

All good advise there on all levels. Bottom line. We haven't a clue to your ability to ride right off the bat so.. hell yea the VFR makes a great starter bike. Pick your poison carefully, there are a few versions to chose from, But, any one of them may bite you in the ass.

 

Hello and welcome to DSW and Hannarexic:welcome:

Bryan and others have covered most of the issues to consider but the truth is you are person best placed to decide if a VFR is the right choice for you.

If you are short and light - then its probably not a brilliant choice as your first large bike because there is a pretty good chance it will be lying on its side within a few weeks of you owning it - most likely as a result of a very low speed tip-over and if you believe in Murphys law one of your friends will be on hand to video the whole thing and ensure it is on Facebook in a few seconds. Doh! Conversely if you are 6'6"+ and weigh in at 80kg plus then maybe you will be able to get on fine with a 240Kg+ bike as your first bike.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/44298-You-dropped-it-how-many-time!

Ideally before deciding on any bike, try not to let your emotions dictate the choice (apart possibly from buying a Ducati). You need to think about what it is you intend to use it for, then look at bikes which suit that task If you do not really need a long range sport tourer just yet, then before moving to a VFR, maybe spend a year riding a light but quick naked bike - like a street triple - which will be a whole lot easier to keep upright, will provide a lot of fun and allow you to develop your riding skills. So if/when you do decide to buy a VFR it won't be quite such a challenge.

Take Care ATGATT



SkiMad

 

As a novice I have fresh experience to feedback on "Is the VFR800 okay for a novice?" When I started I was most concerned about two major skills: Manual shifting and counter steering.

If one is not proficient with shifting, I think that learning both of these at the same time could be overwhelming on the VFR800. For complete motorcycle novices I totally agree with the advice of getting a small bike, (and not a race replica) as a first bike, aka a 250/400/500. It only takes a season or two to get proficient and then you can sell that bike and recoup much of your cost.

I drove stick shifts for a couple of decades so when I found out how the motorcycle works, I had no problems. I think for someone highly experienced with shifting, go for this bike. Realize you still must put a great deal of effort up front into practicing steering, hitting obstacles like driveways and train tracks at right angles, and understanding then getting over object fixation as quickly as possible.

If you are about to choose this bike then just take a second look at everyone's warnings about falling over. It happens a lot and the cost is very high if you want to repair the fairings. Realize that the "naked bike" design was originally invented by a bunch of young people, buying race replicas, crashing them, and not replacing the fairings due to the cost.

 

You'll be far better off starting on something smaller and lighter imo. A VFR is best as a bike you graduate to after doing a year or so on a something smaller. I'm very glad i did that !:eagerness:

 

And of course dirt bike experience is always a plus

 

I always find myself agreeing with duccmann- learning on the dirt before or during is a great advantage. Being able to deal with limited traction/ adhesion is a fundamental of motorcycling. Being comfortable when your bike loses traction and knowing what to do when it does is a big deal. We keep a Kawi 150 dirt bike around and teach everyone on that.

 

God will get you for even thinking that!

 

My first motorcycle was a 1985 Suzuki Katana GS750S ... that said, prior to that I had been riding dirt bikes (competitively and recreational) for years as a youth ... 80cc, 125cc, and 250cc

While the VFR800 is a gentle bike in many ways, it's size and weight don't make it the best 'first bike' if you have no prior experience on motorized 2-wheels.

As others have mentioned, find something in the sub-500cc range to get started on and learn the ropes with. The new CBR300 is an incredibly affordable yet sporty looking option to start on.

 

Just think how pissed off the OP is going to be when he maybe eventually gets a VFR and he reflects on the shitty advice from the peanut gallery on what is good for him based on almost no information.

 

Almost no information = go with the safest / most conservative response.

If someone has prior experience with motorized 2-wheels - then I say go for it. Don't have prior experience on 2-wheels and hand clutch? Then I don't recommend anything above a 500cc.

Years ago, my mother had never ridden a motorized bike ever - stuck on an 80cc dirt bike and instructed her. She was comfortable then panicked and kept twisting the throttle harder instead of letting it go and pulling in the clutch even with us telling her.

End result? Broken nose and wrecked dirt bike from wrapping it around a tree on the other side of the property.

I wouldn't want to be responsible for that or worse if someone has no prior experience.

 

Or you can just (wo)man up and do like Michelle Rodriguez did and buy a Ducati Diavel and ride to your hearts content!

[video=youtube;n890noHPftM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n890noHPftM[/video]