:eek-new: Bought my 2002 VFR800 back at the end of Dec, only test rode it on a gravel road, seemed ok. Today i rode it 6 miles to the shop to get a new front tire and inspection. Most terrifying ride i ever had on a bike! The thing really didn't want to go anywheres but straight, to change course the bars had to be pressured into moving. (Reminds me of the old Honda ATCs, remember them?) Now i know that most of this is due to the bald and cupped front tire, but will some of this behavior remain with a new Michelin Road Pilot 4? I can remember how well my 1984 VF750R handled on the highway, smooth and precise with nary a hint of resistance, the bike just wanted to turn! Lazy esses were effortless and natural. Today, i would not have attempted such a thing above 20mph. Just weird! I'm hoping the tire is the whole problem. Any ideas?
My experience with the PR4, including running them on the track, is that they actually make the bike eager to tip into the turn. Effortless on my 6th Gen. I would seriously advise tho to have your bike checked out and get your suspension set up for your weight, or in my case, as close as it can be. When I bought my VFR in Vegas the tires were very low on air and that made it scary to lean in. I aired them up and that helped a lot, but after buying it, I left the guy's house and went straight to a tire shop and bought new rubber. Obviously that helped immensely.
Yes I do, I used to race them in the So Cal desert! Had 2 Honda ATC250R's and they were a blast, should had never sold them! Good luck with your steering issue, most likely the tire, but check the steering head bearings just to be sure. Cheers
Very low air pressure will make the tire very hard to turn, but I'd also take a look at the steering head bearings. You didn't say how many miles but they tend to get bad around 30,000 miles. Yours could be really bad with a serious detent in the straight ahead position. Also if the steering head bearings are too tight the bike will not want to turn easily.
OOTV Yeah, they were something else. I had one too, raced it a bit. Mine was a 1983 ATC250R. Quite fast, and not nearly as unsafe as Barbara Walters and 20/20 made them out to be. I should have my VFR back tomorrow with the new rubber, can't wait! Temps here are getting into the upper 40's. I'll have to go to the threads on leather jackets and other apparel for your ideas about that, i wanna be safe.
