Thinking of buying a VFR

Discussion in 'New Riders' started by wibadger, May 28, 2016.

  1. wibadger

    wibadger New Member

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    Hi everyone... I'm coming off a 2012 Kawasaki ZX6R (street and track), and interested in exploring the many capabilities of the viffer. I will be taking a look at a 2001 VFR today (in Madison, WI) that the owner is asking $2500 for. She's logged 77k miles thus far, and considering that my previous bikes ('07 SV650S, included) have a combined mileage of ~25k miles, what would I be looking for in the Honda? Things that I should look for when inspecting the bike? Is this a fair amount to pay? The pictures posted online look nice.

    Things I am excited about getting into the VFR world (feel free to bust my bubble)...
    1. V-4 engine
    2. Less-complaining girlfriend passenger
    3. Single-sided swingarm (aesthetics)
    4. Long-distance touring ease
    5. Potential track days

    I am 6' tall, and I hope to not get cramped on the bike, and (foolishly, even) hope to find some of that sportbike 'perch' feel on the VFR.

    Thank you in advance for your patience.
     
  2. wibadger

    wibadger New Member

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  3. wibadger

    wibadger New Member

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    Mandatory picture included

    [​IMG]
     
  4. RVFR

    RVFR Member

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    Na, don't get a VFR they're boring as all get out, not to mention they are a fickled machine. SMH what was I thinking........................................:)
     
  5. wibadger

    wibadger New Member

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  6. Sniper

    Sniper New Member

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    That's a cheap price, but that's also a lot of miles. I've heard these things go a long time, but there a lot of them with a whole lot less miles. My 01 had 4160 miles a month ago. It has over 5300 already.

    If you're coming from a ZX6R, the Interceptor will look and feel big and heavy. Mine is referred to as "The Big Red Pig". Do what you can with the Suspention that you have. Upgrade if you can. Tires are important. Put hi quality tires on. It won't be long before you're slinging that Interceptor around like its your job.

    I'm from southern Indiana. My bike came from Wisconsin, also.

    Buy girlfriend a 250 Ninja.
     
  7. Lint

    Lint Member

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    [video]https://youtu.be/ZXsQAXx_ao0[/video]
     
  8. Big_Panda

    Big_Panda New Member

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    Ill burst the comfortable for the girlfriend bubble. Even with a super expensive Corbin with a backrest for her, my wife wont do more than a 30 min putt into the closest canyon to our house. Everyone is different though. Just buy a V star for the wife to ride on the back of! Everything else is on point. I wouldnt trade my VFR for anything other than anoher VFR, and maybe not even then.
     
  9. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Get a test ride b4 you hand over cash, listening for mysterious noises, tranny issues, worn out bits and feeling the weight. At that mileage alot of small pieces might need replacement. Will you be doing your own work ??

    Maybe i'm over-cautious, but i'd want to do a hot compression test and see over 160 psi on all cylinders before buying.

    If the bike was abused or poorly maintained you might need to replace alot of things.

    If you find problems, I'd advise you to find a '94-'97 VFR with half that mileage or less for the same price, and you'd have a simpler, lighter bike.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
  10. Terry Smith

    Terry Smith Member

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    I own a 1999 VFR (practically the same as 2001), also a 1997 VTR1000 and recently a 1992 ST1100. All of these bikes have quite high mileage and needed similar things doing due to age:
    Cooling hoses/thermostats
    Cush drive rubbers
    Steering head bearings
    Corrosion related stuff (electrical connectors, paint damage to forks)
    If you are doing the work yourself, none of this is especially expensive. The VFR motor is well engineered so should be fine, the clutch plates may need to be swapped out but again no biggie. The FI systems seem generally to be fine, occasional reports of blocked injectors crop-up, and the cold-start system (2000 onwards) can get blockages in the water pipes that lead to crazy hot idle speeds.

    Then there's the suspension. I haven't ridden a modern 600, but I'm sure you have been enjoying stiff USD forks and many damping adjustments. The VFR at that age/mileage will be very different and you should budget to replace the shock ($430) and fork springs/cartridges ($250). With that done, the VFR is a pretty good handler. Many of us have bought suspension products from Daugherty Motorsports for this purpose.

    With regard to comfort, compared to the ZXR it will feel like a Goldwing, but you can make it more comfy with Helibars and lowered footpegs, which could be swapped out for track days. Funnily enough, after hopping off my ST1100 the VFR feels like (I imagine) a Ducati 916 feels, cramped, harsh but fun to thrash...

    You will find the V4 engine very different to an inline, at low revs the V4 is pretty lumpy (strangely worse than my VTR) and doesn't like much under 4k rpm under load due to the firing order, but they do rev out very freely and smoothly (and make a good noise doing so!). I'm a bit biased of course.
     
  11. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    Head on over there and spend an entire day tearing the bike apart to run a compression check on a $2500 machine with 77K miles on the clock, after convincing the owner to let you do it in the first place. If you think you have to run a compression check, should prolly just move on to something else. With that amount of mileage and the usual maintenance that people actually perform, I'd say walk away from the potential problems now.
     
  12. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    C'mon, Bunky, that work would take less than 2 hours, wunnit ?
     
  13. wibadger

    wibadger New Member

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    Thank you everyone for the responses... this was exactly the type of insight that I was looking for. After much deliberation, I have decided to keep looking.
    I really appreciate the feedback!
     
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