need advice on a 97 VFR for sale?

I am new to the the VFR, but not to the sportbikes or the V-4... I currently own a 1986 Yamaha V-Max and love that V-4 engine.... it's not that I am selling the V-Max, but it is more of a one dimentional bike... I also have a 1997 TL1000S... fun bike, but twitchy fuel injection down in the low range... I have had inline 4's in the past, but prefer the character and sounds of the v-twin and v-4 engines...

I am 41 years-old and am interested in getting a VFR.... I have never ridden one, but like the more upright riding position... I know of a 97 that is mostly stock except a two bros dual shotgun exhaust.... It has 8000 miles on it and is supposed to be in excellent condition... what would be a reasonable price to offer for it? should I have any concerns on that year, since I don't know the seller personally? I was also considering a new leftover 06 VFR...

Any advice would be appreciated....

 

Thats a hot one, Wow only 8k huh? where's it at I want another one. LOL
as far as price, could be any ones game. Mine is mint with 32k and I wouldn't let it go for less that $5K. I saw a really nice 96 a couple weeks back, he was asking 3800 with a tad over 10k on it was a little ruff around the edges still she ran and sounded sweet. so you could steal it for say $3-32 or might have to bow down for $4500 which IMO is still good for what your getting as thats the last year of the 4th generation so it really come down to what the owner knows what he has. IMO this was the best one made, as it's a bit more sporty.. Ok, let the flaming begin LOL

 

Thanks RVFR,
Do you know anything about that dual shotgun style two brothers exhaust?

 

Other than its rare. expensive at the time was one to make it look like the super bikes ala RC45 system, more looks than anything else, if that's what it has, nothing wrong with that at all, other than a small weight penalty. But not very many of them around.

 

the owner claims it's near mint... I have not seen it in person... and what his idea of mint may not be mine... His asking price is $4500, but thats not a firm price...

 

Things to look for and ask. but first where is this? like what part of the country? this gives me a small idea what to expect. Is it a one owner? if so he'll know where it was kept?
Chain, even thou low miles the O-Rings get hard and brittle. this will be a replacement sooner than you'd think.
Tires get the same way. while looking at the tires look at how far over the lien angle is/was, if not much then you can bet she wasn't rode hard
Look in the tank for rust. ask when it was last ran with any distance, say more than 20-30 miles?
Battery, how old?
look at fork seals, again they get brittle look for seaping
along those lines check the brakes. if it's been in a heated or at the least in a nice garage things won't be to bad, if it's been outside say a tool shed, car port look for rust on and under everything. Take a look at the exhaust header in front, that'll tell you if she was ran in the rain much. Check all faring tabs for fitment and alinement's
Take the seat off and look under there for just how dirty it is thats a place not many go, and while there check and see if the tool kit is still there, while I'm thinking about this, ask where the rear cowl is if it's not on too.
I know I've missed a few things but those come to mind right off the bat. For $4500 it needs to be like showroom and it could be with that amount of miles. he must know what he has. Feel free to ask for more help, we're around, good luck, you've found a good one.

 

4500 for a 97? Man that thing better be perfect, and even then i wouldnt give him that. I'd give 3000, 3500 tops. As for the Shotgun exhaust, i think they are fugly and why have an exhaust that covers up one of the coolest features of a VFR? (I know you didnt do it, im just saying it as a general statement)

Anyways you can't go wrong with a 4g; they are the best VFR generation...

 

RVFR,

From the pictures I've seen, it looks mint, but I am not able to zoom in on it...
The bike is in New Jersey... Garage kept... most likely it is... otherwise it would be stolen... claims he has owned it since 2002... new battery... tires 3 years old with 1200 mi on them... the cowl is on in the picture... claims he only uses it for recreation, no track days or commuting...

 

oh, Im figuring upper $3's if it's truely mint ...maybee $4 if it looks like it came out of a crate...

 

Jersey Hmm yea needs to have been in a garage then. There ya go take 4 gs in cash and throw out 3800 for starters if it first it looks pretty good, then hear it run. touch it look it over like you know what your doing, taking note again on the tires, ask when the last oil change was. look at the faring tabs and look at the lower chin faring for scuffs. Check horn, blinkers, headlights hi beam tail lights. Just make sure your happy by what you see. look for scratches on the tank that might have been made from a tank bag. etc. Yea the exhaust is extreme to some. still not a lousy cheap item as in like DnD, oops did I say that. Might also look over the wind screen look for scratches or if it's even stock and see if he has the owners manual, those for some reason get lost. other wise trust yourself $3800 is a deal for a real clean low mile one. $4000 is what I'd expect $4500 is no surprise either. and as noted great bike for the money, very hard to go wrong.

 

Always check the steering stop tab on the frame, it'll be dented if its had a hard front ender... they can't hide it!:yo:

 

I went to see the 97 VFR in person, It's in my garage now... It did wind up costing me 4 large though.... I tried beating him down on the price, but he knew he had me on the hook, from the time he seen the smile on my face after the test ride:smile:

 

looks damn good man. wish my 96 was half that clean. good luck with it.

 

Good job, was wondering what became of that deal. Great to hear you landed her, you won't be disappointed, nice find there

 

Rock on!

I have a 97 with the shotgun exhaust too! Don't expect any real power gain, they just look and sound good.

I think you got a good price too. Oddley, mine came from Jersey too! Must be the Jersey people liked the shot gun exhaust LOL!

Welcome!

BZ

 

BZ,

The shotgun exhaust does seem to be rare... I only know of the two of us that have them on our VFR's....

 

I know Two Brother made it for the TL1000 too. I found a couple sets in some overstock exhaust wharehouse for $650.00 for the VFR. That's not cheap for something that does not do much. That was about a year ago.

But they do look sweet and damn they sound good.

At the end of this season I have to send my cans back to Two Brothers to be repacked.

I was the only person interested in the VFR I bought, at least that's what the guy I got it from told me. Most of the people who responded to the e-bay add attacked how the shotgun covers the rear wheel. Nobody was bidding on the bike. Hell, the shotgun exhaust was one of the things that attracted me to the bike, outside of it was in my price range.

Glad you are aboard and enjoy your VFR!

BZ

 

I have seen the devil shotguns on R1's and CBR's.... Speaking of TL1000... I've got a 97, but it doesn't have the shotgun style.... it's on ebay, due to the purchse of the VFR....

 

I just bought a '97 with 7200 miles on it. It's also in very good condition, and completely stock except for a Zero Gravity windshield. I paid $3K for it, which I think was a pretty good price. That was back in January, though. $4500 is complete BS. You could buy a 5th Gen for that.

If you do pick up this VFR, be weary of the regulator/rectifier issue. It seems to be a particular problem with these older, low-milage VFRs. I'm going through it myself. I'm going to install a volt meter and a R/R from a '00 Yamaha R1. Do yourself a favor and bring a voltage meter when you look at the bike. If it's idling at 12.5V or less, you've got a problem with the charging system.

I specifically asked the guy who sold me my VFR if there were any charging system problems and he said "nope." So either he lied or he just didn't know. I wish I had brought a volt meter. Without one, you're pretty much trusting someone who wants your money.

 

I did look at a few 5th and 6th gen bikes that claimed to be in excellent condition but were not... I paid $4000 for it... which I still believe is high, but the bike looks and rides like new... the seller was an older guy, not some young kid and had all the documents for service, to include the original owners sales receipt... I've put on a few hundread miles and no problems...