Honda VFR 800 or Yamaha FJR 1300 or Honda VTR 1000

I am selling my old 03 Yamaha YZF 600R and looking to get a replacement/upgrade bike. I also currently own a 2005 VFR that I am keeping to use for touring or as a daily rider/commuter bike. I am looking at the following bikes: a 2006 VFR, a 2007 Yamaha FJR 1300, and a 2005 Honda VTR as a replacement for the 03 Yamaha YZF 600R I am selling. The Yamaha FJR looks really good, and I am curious if anyone here has owned one and their opinion of the bike. I am also considering an 2005 Honda VTR which also looks great. If I end up choosing the Yamaha FJR then that will be the bike I do my long distance touring on and my 05 VFR will end up being the daily rider/commuter bike. If I end up with the 05 Honda VTR then my 2005 Honda VFR will be my long distance touring bike, but I will need to invest in some hard bags, and a few other mods for touring. Any opinions or suggestions would be appreciated. I like having two bikes in case one of them is in the shop, and I also enjoy having a fun bike I can use for spirted runs with friends and occasional trackdays. BTW the Yamaha FJR 1300 is an AE version.

 

I find my 99 VFR to be an incredibly fun bike, which is partly why I couldn't pull the trigger on a 2012 v strom 650 adventure when I test rode one. Super comfortable and great on gas, but just wasn't as fun as the VFR. Its hard to beat the feeling you get from the V four. I have a set of givi cases, heli-bars, and a sargent seat on the VFR and it makes for a great commuter and good sport tourer, with an emphasis on sport. On a recent trip to the tail of the dragon with some friends I found the 575 mile highway ride getting there to be pretty brutal but once on the roads around the dragon the bike was sublime. My two buddies rode a BMW K1200GT and a Honda ST1300. They were much more comfortable piling on the miles but couldn't keep up in the super twisty stuff. That being said they can both still hustle pretty good for big bikes. I can't speak for the K1200GT as I've never ridden it but the friend says it makes alot of power, handles very well and is reasonably comfortable(mind you, the europeans have a more aggressive idea of sport touring) but he said the transmission was terrible. It would shift poorly and crunch very loudly in the first three gears. I have ridden the ST1300 and I would like to add one to my garage, so I can recommend one. Very reliable, the motor has more torque than a freight train, and the bike is unbelievably smooth and comfortable. It does take a bit of heft to change directions quickly for switchback corners and it gives up some cornering clearance to improve leg room, but it makes an incredibly good touring bike and is deceptively fast due to the smoothness of the counterbalanced 1300cc v four.

 

I have had an FJR 1300, prior to my 2004 VFR and after my 98 VFR. World of difference from a YZF 600. Overkill for commuting, at least to me. Great for longer distance rides and handles the fun stuff remarkably well.

 

Just curious - if you are keeping your 2005 VFR why consider an identical 2006 VFR?

 

I love my VFR 5th gen but this bikes hates city traffic specially in hot days.Temp sours 220 and above very quickly due to gear driven engine.
If you are thinking VFR as a city commuter I'll say look elsewhere.
VTR would be my choice
Lots of grunt and twin music.

 

Buddy of mine had an FJR. He loved it for long distance, but preferred his VFR for more daily riding. Now he has an FZ1 that he likes for daily riding, but still kept the VFR.

Jose