Was anyone a little scared of their VFR when they first got it?

Initially when i got my VF i was a little nerved given the last bike i rode was a 125 enduro bike several years ago i fully respect my Interceptor and realise between it and the CB750 i also own i will be quite content with the two bikes. But after ridng my VF for about a week i was less worried about the bike being too much and was more worried about keeping it and myself intact while riding in the city.

 

After a 14 year break from road bikes, started back with a ZZR250 but pretty soon found it too underpowered after only a few months so traded it in on a SV650S.

The little SV was fantastic bike that was fun to ride, light to chuck around and plenty of easy to control power even on a wet commute, unfortunately it also killed my neck and wrists after only 250 miles when greater distances beckoned.

After 9 months of SVS fun and carefully trying to relearn some lost roadcraft in the process bought my first VFR a Gen 6 new in early Jan '04, like the SV found the VFR surprisingly easy to ride and only more powerful in the higher Rev's and much more comfortable, the bonding was instant. :smile:

 

I went from an in-line 4 600cc Suzuki Bandit to the 05 VFR. It was a significant jump in hp's but I now find when I go back to that old bike I am much LESS confident on it and much MORE confident on the VFR. More power means more power available to ride out of trouble. On the weight and intimidation factor... go "zen"... be "one with the bike" and ride within your limitations.

Have fun. Like many on this site, my opinion (and many motorcycle journalists for many years running) is the VFR is the best all-round street bike out there. Congratulations on joining the pack!

 

Everyone has already said most of the important stuff. The other thing is to relax and not to worry about what others are thinking of your riding. (Like, if you need to take an extra second when the light turns green, then do it, and screw those behind you.) Better that than not being prepared because you feel pressured by other drivers, etc. (At least that's one thing that worked for me when I was new to riding.) Basically, focus on your technique and don't worry about what others might be thinking.

 

That's exactly what's bugging me! I'm used to my Hawk... I can crank on that thing actually have FUN in city traffic. On the VFR, it's a much more lumbering a deliberate process. Of course, I only rode the thing 50 miles before the sub-zero temperatures hit my area.

Thanks for all the input, guys! Now I'm just waiting for the next warm day so I can take this thing out and get to know it! January SUCKS!!!

 

:biggrin: Everything is relative. Not so long ago, a 4th generation was as strong as a factory superbike.

Be wise and you'll love it!

 

In my younger days I migrated from a Honda CX400 - which was about as heavy, if not heavier than the VFR700

Bold move, because i had numerous accidents on the 400 - it was a heavy bike, shaft drive. It had a terrible power to weight ratio. Good tourer but.

I had a reasonably major accident on the 400, no broken bones just knocked out and lost skin off knuckles. Everyone thought i was mad and would kill myself on the new VFR700 I bought.

But it handled so much better, it was way safer to ride and could stop on a dime. Better power to weight. Now and again power can get you out of trouble. I bonded with it straight away.

Ive never fallen off either VFR.

Compared to a blackbird, a VFR is a lightweight nimble machine.

Dont worry, you will get used to it, once you spend a few hours in the seat and get some ride fitness over the next few weeks.

 

Holy crap Hopsterman, I've never been down riding off and on since 1984 - if I went down even a couple times I'd look for a new hobby - life's too short as it is.

 

Oh wow! That was my first thought when I boarded my red '02 VFR800 for the first ride. It's my second bike, the first being a Ninja 500. It took about 30 minutes into the ride home after purchase to relax and enjoy the machine, and "the bonding" happened. Corner after corner, up and down hills on the 3 hour trip home and I felt so at home on it. The weight and power combination are perfect for a guy my size: 6 feet tall, 205 lbs, fairly new rider. I am SO stoked for riding this spring.

You've got a terrific machine. Ride like you mean it.

 

Emon07, I can relate - after moving from large cruisers/tourers to the Viffer, I began to throw the Wing around like it was a much smaller bike. I'm pretty sure it was my hot-dogging that caused the questionable tranny (would miss shifts, pop out of second occasionally) to finally give up :frown: ! While the Wing will out-torque the little VFR (c'mon, give it up for the flat six!!), I like the smoothness and quietness of both bikes at freeway speeds - I FEEL the engine more than I can hear it!:tongue:

 

I can also say ive never fallen off sober

 

Zerosum:

I went from a 1980 Kawasaki KZ440 to a 1993 VFR.

The first time I really rolled on the trottle, it scared me LOL! But, as everyone has said, if you respect the bike and its capabilities you will grow into it.
BZ

 

Interesting how perspective can be. When I first rode my VFR and the VTEC kicked in I thought "this I like". I have riden other bikes which I thought were just too much for me but I felt right at home on the VFR within a few minutes of getting on. That is not to say I was going to give it all it had but it just felt right to me. As time goes on it just seems to get better too.