Just bought a '97 VFR750F, First Impressions

First, the money shot:


I always wanted to get a VF/VFR since I started riding a couple years ago. When I was shopping for my first bike I very nearly bought a V30 and a VF700, but someone always beat me to the punch. So while I was looking for a second bike and this one came up for sale in great condition, I scooped it up as fast as I could.

The previous owner took meticulous care of the bike - receipts for everything, OEM replacement parts, repainted the fairings, fluids, chain, tires, etc. He learned to ride on it, and I'm not sure how he managed that ESPECIALLY since both the gear shifter and rear brake lever were bent all the way in to the side of the frame and tweaked 20 degrees up in the air. I could barely reach them on the test ride, but it somehow didn't bother him at all for 3 years! First thing I fixed when I got it home.

My first impression: Holy ship, this is a lot of bike. Weight and power aside, I just didn't realize the size from the photos. Compared to my old bike ('89 Yamaha Radian 600), everything about this bike is "more". The turn-in is more seemless, the bike feels more planted, yet more compliant, the brakes are firmer, the transmission is smoother, the clutch is more direct, the torque is, well, EVERYWHERE, even the mirrors are better.

Accelerating onto the open road it's odd how smoothly it accelerates to 50+ MPH. Perhaps because of the weight and torque, there is nothing abrupt about the way the bike launches. Rather than "accelerate" it's more like the bike "swells" to 55 MPH. I'm sure the height of the bike and the fact I'm used to not having fairings has an effect, but the sense of speed also seems far less.

Contrary to the effortless acceleration, I have to agree with what others have said about the brakes. They definitely have enough power to stop you, but the lever effort is just too high for it to be easy - and the bike already has EBC pads on it.

So here is what I'm loving, and what I'm not.

PRO:

• That sound. The bike has a Delkevic exhaust and it puts Beethoven to shame.
• That power. Between the meaty torque curve, free-revving nature of the engine, and the smooth gearbox, I might struggle to retain my license.
• That style. Hit or miss for some, but I'm nostalgic for that style you can only get from Japan in the 90's.
• The dashboard. It sounds dumb, but I really like having a full dashboard. An analog tach and speedo is what God intended. The fuel gauge and digital clock make me feel spoiled. Combined with all of the other indicator lights, I feel less like I'm riding and more like I'm operating a piece of cutting edge technology.
• The mirrors. Again, something small, but I can finally see what's behind me instead of my elbows.
• The handling. Compared to the clapped out cruiser I used to ride, this might as well be a super sport. Turn-in is heavy, but oh so smooth. And the bike feels so settled regardless of the road conditions. It totally laughs in the face of railroad crossings.
• The remote idle adjustment screw. The idle is really stable on the VFR, so it's unnecessary, but it feels like such a luxury compared to my last bike which desperately needed one.

WHY, HONDA, WHY?:

• The brakes. They are soooo close to being good, but the lever is just a bit too firm. I might consider buying some VTR1000 fork lowers and swapping F4i brakes on the bike over the Winter, but I'm not sure that would make much of an improvement.
• The turn radius. There is not a lot of room before the clip-ons run into the bars. Don't notice it on the road, but I need to do a 7 point turn to get in and out of my garage. And for some reason the windscreen knocks the high beams on when I steer all the way to the right.
• The H4-But-Not-H4 headlight bulbs. Just why, Honda, why? I ended up modifying the housing yesterday to accept normal pattern H4 bulbs because I did not want to deal with such a dumb issue again.
• The helmet lock that doesn't do anything. There is a huge gap between the hook and the lock body - it won't even hold my helmet, let alone stop someone from stealing it. What were they thinking?

Overall I'm loving the bike! It's got 40,000 miles on it now, and I'm hoping to double that.

 

Sounds like your hooked, welcome and enjoy the ride.


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