Strongly considering a 5th gen

Discussion in 'New Riders' started by DSA, Jul 4, 2019.

  1. DSA

    DSA New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Hi,

    I live in the SF Bay Area, and currently ride a 93 CBR1000F. Love the bike, but for some obscure reason I want another one. I seem to have a thing for older hondas, and the VFR seems like a perfect candidate.
    While there doesn't seem to be a bad one, the 5th gen is the one I want most. I know that VFR reliability is legendary, so no issues on that front. But how difficult is it to find parts? Specifically consumables like brake rotors, pads, sprockets, etc? This can get to be an issue with my Hurricane.

    Any other thoughts or suggestions as keep trawling Craigslist? Grateful for any suggestions!

    Thanks,
    DSA
     
    Pm10 likes this.
  2. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

    Country:
    Australia
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2013
    Messages:
    1,176
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Location:
    Old Toongabbie, Australia
    Map
    You can’t really go wrong with a 5G as long as you pick one that’s been looked after.
    Parts are still easy to find as they sold so many of them. Good fairing parts are a bit harder to find in good condition, but that is the same for any 20+ year old bike.
    High kilometers also don’t seem to bother them.
    And by the way, red ones are faster.
     
  3. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

    Country:
    Romania
    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2006
    Messages:
    4,127
    Likes Received:
    318
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Southwest Ohio
    Map
    I'm a 5th gen addict and really just about any part you need is available through Partzilla...
     
  4. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2011
    Messages:
    6,479
    Likes Received:
    949
    Trophy Points:
    143
    Location:
    Anaheim, Ca.
    The few items I am finding going the way of the Dodo are some of the linked braking components, PCV, Delay valve and on some model years, the Stator. When I replaced my Stator, I had to buy one from a different model year, although it matched physically, the connector was different but that was not a big deal as I ended up soldering these leads to the RR.

    I’m sure there are going to be a few other items going away but there doesn’t seem to be a short supply of used parts available online. In fact a few folks here on the forum have sold me some stuff when I was rebuilding my 01 after my low side accident. Unfortunately, some bikes have had unrepairable accidents and therefore usually means parting it out, which is fortunate for some of us.

    I would not hesitate grabbing a 5 Gen, especially if you can find a gem.
     
  5. DSA

    DSA New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Thanks for the info, seems I should generally be safe as far as parts go. Fairings...yeah, that's always going to be a hassle, but that's fine. Extra incentive to not drop it, as if we needed one!
    Speaking of colors: here in the states, the only gen 5 colors made were red and yellow (year 2000), right? Yellow looks alright, but red is gorgeous, at least going off pics.
    And finally: I've read that R/Rs tend to fail on these bikes - it this the case? Should I look for one with an aftermarket one/replace mine as soon as I get it?
     
  6. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2011
    Messages:
    6,479
    Likes Received:
    949
    Trophy Points:
    143
    Location:
    Anaheim, Ca.
    So, yes, the RR is known to be an issue, as I myself went through it on both my 01 and 09. That being said, go to www.roadstercycle.com and grab the Fa020AA or the SH 847. On the website Jack gives you pointers on which to grab and why.

    As for best color, yeah, Red seems to be the one you’ll find the most of and the only year yellow was available was the 2000.
     
  7. DSA

    DSA New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    perfect. problems aren't problems when they're well-documented and fixable :)

    How do valve clearances work on this bike? I'm hoping screw and locknut...
     
  8. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2017
    Messages:
    1,116
    Likes Received:
    315
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Location:
    Western Lower Peninsula, Michigan
    Map
    Nope, Shim and Bucket. No lock nut to come loose. Typically not needing any adjustment. But when you do, a bit of working knowage of math is helpful.
     
  9. DSA

    DSA New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    thanks! may the craigslist search continue...
     
  10. Darth Vader

    Darth Vader New Member

    Country:
    United Kingdom
    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2015
    Messages:
    311
    Likes Received:
    53
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    melton mowbray
    Map
    The noise of the engine is enough to make you want to buy one.
    The best bike ive ever owned and cant see myself replacing it any time soon.
    Get one you wont regret it
     
  11. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

    Country:
    Australia
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2013
    Messages:
    1,176
    Likes Received:
    385
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Location:
    Old Toongabbie, Australia
    Map
    There are many opinions on the valve adjustment.
    I've done mine twice, first time at 60,000km and three valves needed adjustment badly, the rest were just touch ups.
    Second time at 100,000km, one valve was really bad, two others needed adjustment.
    I now have 132,000km and will be doing it again soon before any long trips as the noise in the top end has slightly changed from what I'm used to.
    Doing the valves is a bit of a pain, but it's not that bad, gear driven cams makes life a lot easier as you don't have cam chains to make the job worse.
    As for colours, there was a university study done a while back about 5G VFR owners.
    Here in Oz we had three colours, red, yellow and silver.
    Yellow owners were old, covered high kilometers but tended to still be on the original tyres because they ride like grandpas. They also seem to pee their pants a lot.
    Silver owners are also old, but rode the bikes home and have displayed them since without ever using them again, they also talk a lot about what a great bike they are.
    Red owners cover all ages, but tend to be better looking, can ride better, modify their bikes a lot and can speak in sentences.
    Let us know what colour you buy ;)
     
    VFRIRL, RllwJoe and mello dude like this.
  12. DSA

    DSA New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    16
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    3
    It is done!
    Y2K (needless to say, as it is yellow and I'm in the states). 15,000 miles on the odometer; previous owner used it sparingly but took it for a spin periodically. Some general thoughts:
    - It's running a 2bros C-series titanium exhaust. It sounds great, but it's high mount which means I can't use the soft bags it came with (previous owner didn't use them either). The stock exhaust also came with the bike - I'll need to swap it in and see if sound > bags.
    - It has bar risers and a corbin seat, both of which I'm a fan of.
    - Aftermarket windshield, but thankfully it came with the stock one too. Can't wait to switch it out...I love the look of the stock fairing/windshield. Started trying, but those windshield screws strip absurdly easily. I'll try again in the daylight.
    - It is buttery smooth until abput 5.5k rpm, after which I do feel some vibes, mostly through the seat. Nothing disruptive, and one doesn't typically cruise at such rpm, but is this normal?
    - It idles kind of high - about 2k rpm at 150F, but seemed to drop down to 1500 rpm at around 180F. Is this normal? I only rode it for about 25 minutes because...
    - ...The tires on it are from 2003. I'm basically not going to ride it anymore until I can get a new set on it. Open to tire suggestions; I'm running Dunlops Q3s on my CBR1000f, and love them. Will see if they make any for this wheel size.
    - R/R is stock. That needs to be fixed, which I'll do.
    - It needs a general refresh: brake pads, brake fluid, clutch fluid, chain tension, throttle cable free play adjustment. All of this I can do, but things like brake bleed will probably require a manual (my CBR1000f, also in the pic, has linked brakes and they're a pain to bleed).

    This is quite the laundry list of things to do, but the engine and transmission work great, which is what I was a lot more concerned with. The plastics are in perfect condition too. It's interesting to compare it to the CBR1000f (its a 1993). Being old Hondas, they feel the same in all the right ways (smooth, nice build quality, linear throttle response), but then so different as well (that v4 sounds like nothing else, and the VFR just feels so much lighter though a lot less powerful.)

    Thanks again for all the good advice I received prior to the purchase, and look forward to being a part of this community!
     

    Attached Files:

    VFRIRL likes this.
  13. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2017
    Messages:
    1,116
    Likes Received:
    315
    Trophy Points:
    128
    Location:
    Western Lower Peninsula, Michigan
    Map
    Welcome to fifth gen ownership! I like your combination of rides.
     
  14. pdx650

    pdx650 New Member

    Country:
    United States
    Joined:
    May 26, 2014
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Location:
    Portland, Or
    Map
    Dsa, congratulations and welcome to the Interceptor family. I mean, c’mon, even the name ‘Interceptor’ sounds cool. I’m a proud owner of a red ‘98 vfr. Love it, but I, too, will have to replace my r/r.

    Edit: DSA, Do you realize how sought after those pillion grab handles are worth? I hear they are rare and you should NOT leave them on your ride if you park your bike other than home!! Good luck.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2020
Related Topics

Share This Page