Yet another new 07 owner

[nogoodpig]

My ST2 has been as reliable as could be for 28K miles, only regular maintenance. I've ridden it all over the western US, in all kinds of weather, it has never given me a lick of trouble. The ST4s, that's a little different story, pretty reliable except for failing to start about two or three times a year. Oh yeah, and a blown fork seal.
I'm sure I'll love the VFR, but the Ducs are special machines.
Now if my roomate would just get rid of that fat-ass Harley taking up all that space...!
L Smith

[Lux]

I got the other stock exhaust I bought so it's gutt time tomorrow! The thing is BRAND NEW. I think I'm really lucky to have found this exhaust for so cheap.

[nogoodpig]

Lux,
I hope you'll keep us up to speed on this mod. I'm very curious how it goes. Maybe I'll start looking for some stock cans.
Leo Smith

[Lux]

Originally Posted by nogoodpig

Lux,
I hope you'll keep us up to speed on this mod. I'm very curious how it goes. Maybe I'll start looking for some stock cans.
Leo Smith

Ok, so it wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. I cut the end caps off and expected the baffle inserts to slide out, well, that didn’t happen. I cut far enough behind the welds so it wasn’t stuck on the cut side. After struggling with it for about an hour, I decided to cut a section off the side so I could extract them that way. That worked and I discovered why they wouldn’t come out. There are stainless wool gaskets around the base of the baffle inserts that got welded to the outer pipe during manufacturing. There are additional heat shielding that is welded on and those welds penetrated into the steel wool gasket around the baffles. My exhaust is over at the welder right now so I hope to get it back soon. The only bummer is, where I had to make the additional cuts, I think they may be visible so I might paint the exhaust depending on how crappy it looks. We’ll see………..

[Lux]

Ok, the welder did a great job and I picked up my exhaust on the way home from work. It took me about an hour to swap out my original with my gutted exhaust and it was time for a test ride.

I was really worried that it would be too loud but at start up, it wasn't nearly as loud as I expected (a good thing). It does sound VERY good though. I've also heard some people describe the sound of a gutted exhaust as "tinny" but I don't think it sounds that way at all. It's a deep throaty tone that does sound a bit V8ish at idle and at low RPM. When you get up in RPM, the sound seems to get quieter but still good and it sounds like a MotoGP bike . I must admit, my initial impression was that it was still too quiet. However, riding around for a few minutes, I now think it's PERFECT. I have an Akrapovic system on my CBR and it's way louder than my gutted VFR exhaust. I'm not worried about getting harrassed by cops at all.

For me, this mod was just something to get me by until I could afford an aftermarket system, but now, forget that! I have no intention of getting an aftermarket system anymore. For anyone that's thinking of gutting their exhaust but have reservations, I HIGHLY recommend doing it. It's totally worth it. Total cost including welding was $155 bucks and I still have my original system. BTW, the extra cutting I had to do is not visible so it looks completely stock which I like.

[nogoodpig]

Thanks Lux,
I think I'll start seeking a pair of stock cans.
Leo Smith

[Lux]

You won't regret it!

[nogoodpig]

They don't seem to be plentiful, it may take some time to find some that are affordable. Oh well, there are plenty of other mods to be done.
Leo Smith

[chazzman]

Originally Posted by sorka

Um, how do you figure?

Lets run the numbers.

Cheapest new out of state 07s having been going on ebay for $6900 from several midwest and east coast dealers. This is pretty much the lowest price you see.

Add ABS, and this jumps to about $7900 on ebay. Add RWB and that adds another $400 or so leaving RWB ABS 07s on ebay for the lowest price I've seen yet at about $8300.

On top of that, those dealers are all adding a the setup fee of about $400 to $600. Let's take the lowest. Now you're up to $8700.

Now before considering transportation or shipping, how much is that once you register it in CA?

It's about $9600 after DMV sales tax, license, and title.

So assuming he could have gotten the brand new ABS RWB 07 into the state for no shipping costs, his deal would have been as good as the one he got out the door at a local dealer.

However, in his case, he save the shipping and a two way ticket or the one way ticket and having to drive it at least 1500 miles home as that is the closest dealer selling for those prices.

Now let's throw in some additional facts:

Every one of those dealers requires that you're there in person which means flying out. None of them would sell over the phone.

Secondly, even though all 07 VFRs have the same emissions, the out state ones don't actually have the CA sticker which means you have to put 7500 miles on the bike before you can register it.

Why do I know all of this? Because I've spent the last 2 months trying to buy the very same bike out of state and have finally given up and will do it in CA.

Given that the OP got it for only $9600 OTD, that says to me that CA dealers are coming down in price again. Two months ago when I called all of the southern CA dealers, I couldn't have touched that price. Remember, the OP got it for $9600 Out The Door. The price before setup and all the taxes was much lower.

Right on the money and a great post. Why do some people always try and beat others down with negative comments when they have already made a purchase they are happy with.

[chazzman]

Originally Posted by Lux

Ok, so I bought a new 07 VFR. I was going to buy it out of state and ride it back but after all things considered, it wouldn’t have been a huge savings so I got one local to me.

So first, a little about my riding history, I’ve only been riding for about 5 years but I have and had a variety of bikes. The reason I chose the VFR is because I wanted something that I could ride for long distances yet was sporty enough to still have “sportbike” fun (I get tired if I ride the CBR more than 250-300 miles in a day) and I didn’t want anything bigger like the ST or FJR.

I got the RWB with ABS for $9,699 OTD which is a pretty good price for SoCal and it was still in the crate when I went to the dealer. I almost bought the non-ABS, but because I would be taking this bike on long trips (unfamiliar roads), I opted for the extra safety. So far, I only have 500 miles on it but I thought I’d share my thoughts so far.

The comfort is just what I was looking for. Sure there are more comfortable bikes out there like the ST and FJR but the VFR features a nice compromise between a relaxed riding position and a sport position. I’ve ridden bikes that are more upright and for me, it makes for an awkward feel when riding spiritedly. I’ve only done 300 miles in one day on the VFR but I wasn’t tired at all. Basically, I wanted a comfortable sport bike and I think I got what I wanted.

The engine is fairly smooth but the fueling could be better. It surges a bit below 5k RPM and there’s a flat spot around the 4K – 5k RPM range so I think I’ll get a PCV for it down the road. Power is decent considering the weight of the bike and the displacement. The suspension is weird; it’s feels too soft in low speed reaction but too stiff in high speed reaction. So it wallows a bit on undulating roads yet if you hit a bump (like a lane reflector), the forks send the shock though the whole bike. Turn in is a bit slow but once in a turn, the bike tracks nicely and requires very little bar input to hold a line (feels pretty neutral). I took it to a local canyon (Palomar Mountain) and it did pretty well in the tight turns but it did drag the pegs easier than I would have liked.

I don’t like the exhaust sound, not because it’s quiet but because it sounds a bit like a scooter. I guess I’m used to my CBR exhaust (Akrapovic). I’ve been reading about aftermarket exhaust as well as gutting the stock exhaust so I’ll definitely be doing one of those soon.

Overall, I’m very happy with the VFR. It’s delivering what I want out of it and the little things that I don’t like can be resolved pretty easily.
BTW, anyone that lives in SoCal with a gutted exhaust? I’ve heard some on youtube but it’s just not the same as hearing it in person.

Welcome and thanks for your honest opinion on the VFR. You have a great bike at a great price!

[CandyRedRC46]

+1
yeah telling someone that they got ripped off after after the fact is one of the shitiest things that you can say to someone.