After having a VFR800 for 16 years - What's Next?! | GTAMotorcycle.com

After having a VFR800 for 16 years - What's Next?!

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newt_101

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Today after 16 years and hundreds of thousands of kilometers later, I sold my 1999 Honda VFR800 Interceptor.
It was extremely reliable, comfortable for long-distance riding, sounded great, and did everything I asked of it.

The question now is what bike to get...

Seeing as I don't plan on taking long road trips anymore (keeping things to 250km/day max), and riding mostly in the city, I've been looking at the naked bikes.

Yamaha FZ07 (it's supposed to be better than the FZ09? but seeing as it's new I can only buy new ones - not sure I want to pay the premium cost)
Yamaha FZ09 (heard there's a bit of a throttle thing going on with this one and not sure I need the extra power)
Honda CB1000R (not sure if I need something this big - if only Honda made something a bit smaller that still looked good)

Any thoughts?
Reliability, easy maintenance and fun to drive would be top requirements.
 
My thoughts are that you should pick bikes based on positive attributes, not negative ones. How about BMW or KTM?
 
newt_101 said:
Today after 16 years and hundreds of thousands of kilometers later, I sold my 1999 Honda VFR800 Interceptor.
It was extremely reliable, comfortable for long-distance riding, sounded great, and did everything I asked of it.

The question now is what bike to get...

Seeing as I don't plan on taking long road trips anymore (keeping things to 250km/day max), and riding mostly in the city, I've been looking at the naked bikes.

Yamaha FZ07 (it's supposed to be better than the FZ09? but seeing as it's new I can only buy new ones - not sure I want to pay the premium cost)
Yamaha FZ09 (heard there's a bit of a throttle thing going on with this one and not sure I need the extra power)
Honda CB1000R (not sure if I need something this big - if only Honda made something a bit smaller that still looked good)

Any thoughts?
Reliability, easy maintenance and fun to drive would be top requirements.
Click to expand...

Budget?
 
inreb said:
My thoughts are that you should pick bikes based on positive attributes, not negative ones. How about BMW or KTM?
Click to expand...

I don't find KTMs to be too reliable IMO and BMWs are out of my price range.
The bikes I mentioned are all bikes I like, just nitpicking with the negatives I mentioned.
 
Btw after 16 years on a VFR800, you should really get something totally different next. Buy a 1k supersport and give that a whirl for one season :)
 
mmmnaked said:
Well its settled then....

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?189663-FS-2012-Speed-Triple-9000
Click to expand...

I LOVE Triumphs but I need the reliability of the Japanese. Speed/Street Triples are gorgeous bikes.

mmmnaked said:
Btw after 16 years on a VFR800, you should really get something totally different next. Buy a 1k supersport and give that a whirl for one season :)
Click to expand...

You know... other than one track day I was more of a urban warrior than a racer. Plus I don't like the fact that my fairings got a bunch of dings on them.

abkdt41 said:
Why not buy another vfr?
Click to expand...
After having one for so long, I want something different. Plus my needs for riding are different now in my 30s than in my 20s.
 
If you enjoyed 16 years on a VFR, there is a strong argument to be made for getting a new one or a gently used one and keep on enjoying. If it's a change you seek and you like naked bikes, the new generation Z1000 is tops IMO.
 
newt_101 said:
I LOVE Triumphs but I need the reliability of the Japanese. Speed/Street Triples are gorgeous bikes.
Click to expand...

Where's this reliability stuff coming from regarding Triumph and KTM? Both manufacturers make solid bikes. How current is your information? Im wondering if you're potentially leaning on old generalizations still attached to non-Japanese bikes... especially the likes of Ducati, KTM, Triumph, etc.
 
If you want a naked bike and like Honda and don't want to spend too much, look at the Honda nc/nx 700 or 750. We have a 2012 nc700 and when wifey and I aren't on our cruisers we rip around on it. Super cheap to maintain and operate. Not trilling to ride like your others on the wish list but if I had to narrow 3 bikes down to 1 I'd keep the nc 700.
 
The FZ-09 throttle has been fixed. Fun bike but not a comfy as a VFR. For the price you can upgrade the suspension but it's only a very good bike if you don't don't long tours. Around the city or to the cottage. Not sure if it's worth waring for a newer version though.
 
newt_101 said:
I LOVE Triumphs but I need the reliability of the Japanese. Speed/Street Triples are gorgeous bikes.



You know... other than one track day I was more of a urban warrior than a racer. Plus I don't like the fact that my fairings got a bunch of dings on them.


After having one for so long, I want something different. Plus my needs for riding are different now in my 30s than in my 20s.
Click to expand...


You wont go wrong with one of the Speed/Street Triples... preferably the older round light versions :)
 
newt_101 said:
Reliability, easy maintenance and fun to drive would be top requirements.
Click to expand...

Reliability - how do you expect to judge this fairly??? (I hope you are not going by the forums/Internet)
Easy maintenance - there's not many bikes which you cannot do easily oil change on or lube your chain. What else you are planning to do by yourself?
Fun to ride - only you can judge what that means to you. Take the bikes you like on paper and have a budget for and demo them out if possible.

Rule number 1, don't listen much what people here will tell you .... LOL ... these threads usually end up as a shouting match with zero benefit to the original poster. They come up all the time.
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