5th Gen vs 6th Gen Buying Decision

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by Arbee Bee, Feb 18, 2020.

  1. Arbee Bee

    Arbee Bee New Member

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    Hi folks! Noobie here..
    I am deciding between a 5th gen and a 6th gen. The 6th gen is a good deal but will need a cam chain tensioner. It also has35k more miles than the 5th gen I'm looking at. The 5th gen is turnkey and needs nothing -- all services are current, newer tires, brakes, etc. However, it is a $1000 more than the 6th gen. I know all about the advantages of the gear driven cams on the 5th and the mixed cheers/jeers of the VTEC on the 6th. At this point, my buying decision is about justifying the cost of the 6th gen service. Is it worth spending the money on it or should I pay more for a lower mileage and turnkey 5th gen. Thoughts and opinions please...
     
  2. Norse

    Norse New Member

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    If all the Gen6 needs is a new CCT, it's not really worth worrying about. Manual CCTs (yes, you absolutely want a manual CCT) costs in the area of $50,- and you can easily change them yourself. It's about as easy as any maintenance job gets.

    IMHO, the Gen5 is still a better bike and would be my choice, but if you prefer the Gen6, get that one and do the work yourself.
    If you absolutely don't want to do the very easy job yourself, any halfway competent mechanic should be able to do it in no time, so it's not going to be an expensive job.
     
  3. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    I'm going to agree with Norse... the CCT isn't really a worry but if it needs other service already done on the Gen5, then is the difference all that great........ I would prefer the Gen5 also, there is no down side (if you perceive VTEC to be one).
     
  4. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    Get the 5th gen. Miles on a VFR mean nothing. Change ALL of the fluids. I would prefer the gear driven cams and lack of VTEC. Just another opinion.
     
  5. Arbee Bee

    Arbee Bee New Member

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    This is awesome! Thanks for all the replies and your candid opinions. The seller of 5th Gen just made the deal even sweeter after his wife beat some sense into him -- the price difference is now only $700! I like the angular look of the 6th gen and how it shows off the single sided swingarm. VTEC is a neglible factor for me. Even though the 5th gen is bone stock, the gear driven cam is an advantage. Looks like I'm leaning towards the 5th gen.
     
  6. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    I'm liking it! My Gen5 has an upswept exhaust, shows off the wheel just fine.... caution, if you want bags on it you'll have to get creative.
     
  7. Arbee Bee

    Arbee Bee New Member

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    Nahh...no bags needed. I don't plan on touring with the bike. This will mainly be a commuter bike and I can tolerate a small tail bag or a backpack. Do you have pics of your bike? Which exhaust did you go with? I'm guessing the install is straightforward.
     
  8. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Owning both generation VFRs (01 & 09) I can say that either bike you'd be happy with but I will say that between the two, the 5 Gen would likely be the better decision here...
     
  9. Arbee Bee

    Arbee Bee New Member

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    Here's the pic of the 5th gen bike -- 01414_dSkv38c9UuD_1200x900.jpg

    I'm partial to the Ventura tail bag system but that's the beauty I'm looking at.
     
  10. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    Mine had the pipe already installed by the PO, I don't have the original. It looks to be an older Two Brothers can, it's really the mid-pipe that determines it's position...... sorry don't have good pics but this will give you an idea..... I've seen pics of others similar....

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Cogswell

    Cogswell New Member

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    I have both. Besides factory bags, ABS on a 6th gen could be another differentiator if that makes any difference to you (you didn't mention if this one has it). At about 30,000 miles, my 6th has some tight valves, the timing marks don't line up precisely (timing chains becoming elongated) and like the one you're looking at, the CCT's could stand to be replaced. If you adjust the VTEC valves, the cheapest I've found the replacement buckets for is $32 each - so it can run in to some money if you go all in on the valve train. However, it runs fine, pulls fine and could probably go a long time as is. The 6th gen is more picky about fueling - a Power Commander or similar was a must for mine to smooth it out. My 5th gen suffers none of those ills. Also, 6th gens seem to eat stators, while the R/R on my 5th gen was pathetic - it didn't last long. The latter is an easy fix - just be sure to check the charging voltage. If I didn't care about luggage or ABS I would go for the 5th gen - great bikes for not much money.
     
  12. courtvfr

    courtvfr New Member

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    I have ridden both quite a bit. I will always love my 98 VFR. And if it broke, I would try and get the best condition Gen 5 I can find. The only thing I prefer on my friends VTEC is that the suspension doesn't feel worn out (but I'm swapping those out as we speak). The VTEC is a gimmick, brought in for pollution controls imo. The power curves of both bikes are similar enough that head to head I don't think there'd be any difference. Gear driven cams on 5th gen sound gorgeous, and it's easier to bolt on a new exhaust.

    I will say from my 69k 1998 model though, the front oil cooler pipes rotted and I had to find spares on ebay (this can affect both bikes but depends if it was ridden all year or had any protection coating etc). The dash on my 98 had problems, rusted circuits that I had to correct by soldering some wire to bridge the gaps, super easy. The RR needed replacing, and the connector block in the harness melted and one was corroded (could happen on either model with age). My friend VTEC makes a popping sound with the flapper at low revs, very annoying, but I heard it's normal. My flapper has stopped working it seems so doesn't bother me. I will say hers even though the same miles, has a much stiffer harder feeling gear selector, mine feels a lot smoother. Both gear boxes are fine apart from mine jumping into neutral occasionally. I also replaced my clutch slave as it was all gunked up, I found a CB one on ebay that was much newer that was a direct fit.

    All I would like is to have ABS (the jap police bike VFR Gen 5 had this, no idea why it wasn't offered to the market!).
    Also I would say having less miles doesn't mean anything, I think I'm glad my bike has been ridden it's whole life as far as I can tell. The previous owner used it for a daily Oxford-London commute all year and I have used it since but a 10 mile commute. Being ridden means that maintenance shows up quicker and gets replaced, rather than letting it sit dissued and seals will dry up. Since owning mine I've used ACF50 yearly to protect rust areas, and corrosion block grease on bolt heads around the brakes, when I took it for the MOT which has always passed, the guy was impressed at the condition of it.
     
  13. Arbee Bee

    Arbee Bee New Member

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    Thanks everyone! Great insights! Now I wish I can scrape more funds elsewhere and get both! Thanks again!
     
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  14. OOTV

    OOTV Insider

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    Now you're talking!
     
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