Hi Im new to Hondas actually new to bikes all together... Im looking for a good starter bike and a few people have pointed out the VFR as a great starter. First a little about me. Im 6'5" tall 255#'s I dont want a cruiser I dont need the fastest thing in the world (my Lightning serves as my speed fix) I would prefer a used bike. Now then I have found a used 05 at a local shop. It's really nice and is silver metallic. My only concerns is that it has a small ding on the gas tank (no biggie really) but the bike has 24k miles. Is this a no no? Should I keep looking or is this mileage ok? The bike is $5999.00 but I think I can talk em down a little. Does this sound fair? I looked on KBB but they dont adjust for mileage. The going price was almost 8k. Anything else I should know or look into? Thanks!! Anthony
First of all, whoever said the VFR makes a great starter bikes need to be kicked in the head. The VFR is about as far from a starter bike as it gets. A Suzuki SV650 (no fairing) is a starter bike. A Honda 599 is a starter bike. A Ducati Monster 620 is a starter bike. A Suzuki GS500 is a starter bike. A Kawasaki Ninja 250/500 would make an OK starter bike but they have fairings on them and that gets pricy when crash time rolls around. Anything used with no fairing is a starter bike. A starter bike is anything you can afford to crash and get rid of. The VFR is a big, heavy, 100hp machine. While some of the super sports have over 150hp, 100 is more than enough to wrap you around a telephone pole in a hurry. A full set of plastics for a VFR is in the neighborhood of $1500 to replace. I've heard of VFR's going over the 100000 mile mark with out taking the engine apart so I don't think the mileage is a concern. My advice to you, having 19 years of safe riding behind me, would be: 1. Buy a cheap used naked bike. Spend no more than $3000. You're a big guy, look for say a 2000 SV650, preferably one you can verify the maintenance history of. You should be able to get one of those for less than $3000. 2. Used said bike to take every MSF course you can find in your area. I've taken 8 over the last 14 years and loved taking every one. 3. Get at least a year of CRASH FREE riding under your belt then start looking for something new. The next gen VFR is supposed to be out this December. KC-10 FE out...
