Waiting for my 2014 Interceptor delivery from east'ish coast.

I'm a former 1984 700 Interceptor owner and finally getting back on the V-Four platform in just a few days : )
I've owned motorcycles on and off road most of my life and at age 63, this may be my last bike. Been looking for a clean VFR since December 2021. After giving up on finding one with uber-low miles (and not dropped in the garage) in California I decided to go the Uship route which opened up a new world of availability. I found one last week and the seller agreed to work with me on an out of state purchase.

I attached a pic of the bike before it shipped out this morning. More after I receive it in few days here in Long Beach, CA.

Will be riding PCH again soon through Seal, Sunset and Huntington Beach! My wife loves my new bike choice because my last bike was a 89 Yamaha FZR400 and it was no good for two-up. I am super excited about this new bike. I've never owned any bike newer than my 92' CBR600, So fuel injection and all the high tech is very exciting!

Glad to join as a new member of this dedicated forum, which I have browsed for years actually : )

 

Congrats! Have a great summer.

 

Hi SubyRS and welcome to the MadHouse

I hope you find the 8th Gen VFR provides many years of faultfree riding.

If you managed to snag the matching luggage you will find the backrest on the top box doubles up as a comfy back-rest for the pillion, and the panniers can accomodate plenty of gear for a long weekend trip, and will keep your gear secure and dry regardless of the weather.

Once the VFR arrives post up some photos and I suspect you may find Long and OOtv get in touch as it looks like they are LA neighbours, and may be up for a meet up for a ride.



Have fun



SkiMad

 

Hi all. The (my) bike has 2800 miles on it and all the original OEM parts included. Previous rider swapped the muffler and foot pegs out to suit him. I'll be going back all OEM, especially since I need to get it California inspected at AAA for the DMV paperwork. I will be selling off the Coffman's muffler and the Knight Design lower foot pegs as soon as I put the respective OEM parts back on.

When I started looking I was trying to find a 96-97 VFR750 (my favorite years), then 98-2001 VFR800, then 2002-2004 VFR800, then 2013 VFR1200 (black). Each seemed like a good bike choice until I sat on a 2010 VFR1200 at a dealer and knew it was not my style. All the older gen VFR's would all need parts that are so hard to find now. So this last gen VFR just kind of grew on me and I began to really like the styling. The cockpit is beautiful to look at : ) I almost prefer the rear seat with its "Wing" style grab rails to the solo cover. It looks sooo Jet !

 

Congratulations SubyRS with your 8gen purchase. I have the pillion grab handles installed and find them very handy, they are a good grabbing point when man handling the bike, as well as hanging your helmet on. Also makes for an easy setup between pillion and solo riding. I generally have the cowl fitted as this allows for greater storage space under seat than with the pillion seat fitted.
The 8gen should be a super reliable bike as all the Electrical issues that plagued previous models have been sorted on the 8gen. It has excellent fuel economy, equals very good tank range. Looks like you've purchased the standard model, still a great bike, hope it brings you much riding pleasure - After 90,000k,s my 8gen runs flawlessly, best of the four VFRs I've had.
Good Luck with it.

 

It would seem as we get older our tastes in motorcycles only improves. Also 63 and loving my red 8th gen. I’m sure you will not be disappointed SubyRS, these bikes are so well put together.
And fancy meeting you here Grum

 

Wednesday 5-4-22 and my Interceptor is due to be delivered today. My new Pitbull stand is ready and waiting for the new stallion in the garage. The seller shipped the OEM parts to me ahead of the bike which was really appreciated : ) In all, my out of state purchase using an escrow company and shipping company has gone very smoothly, with the only hold up being my own bank with the initial wire transfer. I may end up ordering the parts for the OEM center stand eventually, for quick and stable parking away from home. Only a few more hours! My wife is excited to get back on for a ride to the Lookout in Lake Elsinore again. It's been three years without a motorcyle....couldn't take it any longer LOL. Cheers : )

 

Congrats on your new bike. I got my 2014 deluxe used from a dealer with 2600 mines too, back in Dec 2014. I was 70 when I got mine. I still have my original 1983 VF750. Two mods I made that life a lot more enjoyable for me were a set of Knight Design foot pegs that were 1” lower and a set of 1.25” bar risers by Motopumps (a member on here). That made the riding position almost the same as the 750. Great bike, still gets a lot complimentary comments. I spent 7 years in the LA area and know those roads well. Now I am in the Bay Area, just got back from a short ride.

 

Yes, I am pretty sure this bike will be my last bike that will take me into retirement. It was delivered on time yesterday and I spent three hours with it starting the cleaning and revert back to stock process. The OEM tool kit is missing which explains why the chain appears to have never been adjusted since new 8 years ago. About 4" of slack in the chain! Hopefully I can get the chain adjusted somehow without the spanner wrench. I'll have to improvise something until I can order the OEM tool kit. This is my only single sided swingarm bike ever so I'm happy with how easy the chain adjust procedure is.... once I get the tool LOL. I am taking seats and panels off to inspect everything and do maintenance. I don't think the oil and filter has ever been changed. Rear wheel coming off to clean up the undercarriage like new, then put the OEM muffler back on. Battery will need checking since it's 8 years old.

 

Very cool. Glad it arrived safe. Enjoy your Summer!

 

My VFR is now registered in CA, adjusted and cleaned up like new. About $200 spent on stripped, buggered, modified or missing fasteners mostly. Still waiting on some non-critical parts to come in from Honda. The rear master brake cylinder was not even bolted to the footrest bracket, so there was no rear brake or even brake light since it was triggered on already. Everything previous 2 owners touched was butchered basically. Chinese oil filter was leaking everywhere. But it's all 100% back to OEM fresh and new now after about 20 hours labor over the last few days, so I am very happy with my choice. Still want new tires though so that will be my next job once I get a Pitbull front fork stand. Pic is of me cinching up for first ride out of the garage. On the road again......

 

Great. It's amazing how fast previous owners can knock a bike down a few levels.

So that pic is right before you put on boots, gloves and a jacket?

 

Nooooo..p.. not yet. Just the gloves. Never ever without gloves. It was a warm day. My cat got fur all over my jacket. My feet wanted to get familiar with the controls. I didn't have a note from my wife. Last but not least, I was way too excited because I love this VFR. Don't tell my wife, but I've hugged the thing a couple of times already.

 

Which lame excuse is it?

This makes zero sense. You want to get familiar with your controls in something you don't (hopefully) normally ride in? Your shoestring loops will eventually get familiar with your shifter or brake pedal right as your trying to put your foot down.

No clue what this refers to.

But I am glad you're loving your VFR. Just try and make sure you can continue.


Full disclosure: I do sometimes ride in heavy jeans, but with leather boots, gloves, jacket and a full face (of course).

 

It was all in jest and I ride with tennis shoes, gloves and short sleeves all the time here in SoCal. Always in jeans, never in shorts as many riders do around here. I put my Icon jacket on when going on longer runs which to me is anything over five miles. This has always worked for me whether I'm right side up or sliding along the asphalt at 60 mph in my blue jeans on Ortega Hwy 79. I accept that we all have different preferences based on our life experiences, while sharing the same common interest. : )

I've been without a bike for three years so it's been a real exciting trip for me getting this new VFR. I sold my "other" baby, a 1989 FZR400 after turning it into a restored jewel over a ten year period. (see pic)

The day my VFR was delivered became an even more special occasion for me, because on the trailer loaded with my bike, was the bike that started it all for me back in 1977. Of the only two bikes left on the trailer left to be delivered, one was my new baby, the other was a 1973 Honda XL250. It was unbelievable to see this bike again and all the memories of me and my friends going on rides right out of high school. I was so excited that the driver thought I forgot about my new bike!

 

If I flip a coin 50 times and it comes up heads every time, what are the chances it will come up heads on the 51st flip?

I'm just bustin' balls. You do you.

My cardiologist doesn't like my meat and alcohol intake, so there's that.

Also...

Fuckin' nice FZR400. Very nice job. I'm glad I've had a few chances to ride one. But I don't think I would have sold one.

And what a tie-in on that XL. Kinda fuckin' weird.

 

Congrats on the new ride, I have had my 2014 model from 2017(new from dealer) and just love it.
Did you want to get rid of the Lowering Pegs? Wonder what freight would be to Australia??

Enjoy the ride.

 

Hi Pete, I sold the lowering pegs within the first week on ebay. The previous owner was 6'-5". I'm 5'-10", so back to all OEM is perfect for me. The issue I saw with the lowering pegs was that the brake foot pedal also had to be lowered, which involved cutting the brake master cylinder pushrod threads off over 1/2". Otherwise he couldn't get the brake pedal to be comfortable with the lowered pegs. To restore it, I had to buy and install a new pushrod into the master cylinder. The shifter lever was easily rotated back to it's stock position.

 

2800 miles and 4" of chain slack ?? something doesn't match there !

 

Thanks SubyRS, I have read mixed reports about lever adjustment.. I guess personal preference is the decider.
Take care