2014 Honda VFR800 OR Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS (not the 'R' Ninja). | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

2014 Honda VFR800 OR Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS (not the 'R' Ninja).

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With the VFR 25 lbs heavier, with 25 less hp and 25 less ft/lbs torque, & $500 more, there is no comparison on paper. For those who say how much power do you need - once you ride the N1000 and experience the midrange power and torque, I say that I "need" that much. It's an absolute blast to ride. I prefer the more upright riding position, and the adjustable wind screen makes a huge difference for either cooling down in the summer or long distance comfort in cooler temps.

The downside of the N1000 is insurance. It is more expensive than the Z1000 because Kawi puts a prefix on the names of their faired bikes that makes insurance companies think they're all supersports. Depending on your relationship with your company, they will negotiate if they want to keep you. The other downside is re-sale value. In Europe, they are a top selling bike, but in North America, their neither a typical touring bike or a full on sport bike, so they don't hold their value well. The upgrades to 2014, especially the integrated bag, make it a better bike. Best bet is to look for a 2014 at the end of the season or spring next year and see how far down you can get them. Other downsides are that the rear end isn't designed to carry 3 bags, and the passenger seat is small and the pegs are high, so passenger comfort isn't that great.

I have no actual experience with the VFR800, but given the stats, I'm not even interested.
 
Find a used Tuono. Most reliable bike I've ever owned after 7 seasons, you can track it, and it's just plain enjoyable to ride every time I get on it. VFRs to me are ... boring. The Ninja is actually a pretty nice bike overall, if I've got to choose from these two, that's the one I'd choose... it has far more performance than the VFR and despite the fact that I really like V4 engines, the VFR engine is pretty unresponsive IMHO. Or, find a 2008/9 Sprint ST 1050, which is also an excellent bike.
 
Say what? My insurance is about $700 a year for full coverage. And I still think I'm right... this isn't about brand, this is about the amount of enjoyment you get out of riding. If Suzuki or Honda made something as enjoyable I'd be talking about that instead. And as I keep pointing out, I own four Suzukis and two Kawasakis right now... Aprilia is still a minority in my garage.
 
Shaman said:
Say what? My insurance is about $700 a year for full coverage.
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Been through this. I'm likely older than you, perfect driving record, most companies would not insure, the two remaining were equal in price with any >1000CC supersports bike, and above 2 grand, without comp.

I like to know how you insure a >1000cc 125hp super sports bike that costs $15K for $700 (wait..is this 1992?).

Regardless, the Tuono is no where near what the OP is looking for. The Caponord is much closer.
 
Sure, I suppose the Caponord is. But I have had no trouble with insuring the Tuono and it's about the same price as my GSX-R 750 was. Not sure why I keep comprehensive on it at its age and milage, really, something to look into in the spring I suppose. Also, I have two 3-point infractions on my record... thankfully one is about to disappear off it, the other won't until late 2015. :(
 
Bobo said:
There are other factors to consider other than price and horsepower when purchasing a motorcycle.Build quality,refinement and resale value immediately come to mind.Really how much horsepower can you really use on public highways in this day and age.I had a 99 and 2001 VCR800 and the fit and finnish on it was definitely superior to any of the Japanese manufacturers at that time.When I went to sell them my phone rang off the hook and both we're bought by the first guy that came to look at them. It's kind of like the guy that buys a Vette over the Porsche because it's cheaper and has more horsepower.I'd take a Porsche (or maybe an Acura NSX would be a better example) Any day of the week over a Vette.
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Have you seen a Ninja 1000 in person? The fit and finish is pretty damn good on it IMHO. And the problem is that both of these bikes are "Corvettes", and Honda is asking Porsche money.
 
Shaman said:
Sure, I suppose the Caponord is. But I have had no trouble with insuring the Tuono and it's about the same price as my GSX-R 750 was. Not sure why I keep comprehensive on it at its age and milage, really, something to look into in the spring I suppose. Also, I have two 3-point infractions on my record... thankfully one is about to disappear off it, the other won't until late 2015. :(
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I met a guy a couple years ago just after the latest version of the Tuono came out. He fell in love and bought one, only to find the only insurance he could get was $5,000. Then again, his record was not spotless. As much as I was intrigued by the bike, that story moved it out of my list.
 
CafeRay said:
Been through this. I'm likely older than you, perfect driving record, most companies would not insure, the two remaining were equal in price with any >1000CC supersports bike, and above 2 grand, without comp.

I like to know how you insure a >1000cc 125hp super sports bike that costs $15K for $700 (wait..is this 1992?).

Regardless, the Tuono is no where near what the OP is looking for. The Caponord is much closer.
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He probably registered it in Yellowknife
 
Face said:
I met a guy a couple years ago just after the latest version of the Tuono came out. He fell in love and bought one, only to find the only insurance he could get was $5,000. Then again, his record was not spotless. As much as I was intrigued by the bike, that story moved it out of my list.
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I just don't know what to say, it was cheaper to insure than my 4yo GSXR 1000 by a lot, when I brought it home, brand new. And IIRC I didn't have comp. on the 1000.
 
I'd love to see a 30lb lighter vfr with 1000 cc, inverted front forks, multiple levels of traction control, a more upright seating position and all the rest of the bells & whistles it already has. That would be a no brainer for me if it had a competative price.

Who does Honda's customer surveys and panel sessions? They seem to have missed the mark.
 
DemonPig said:
Insurance should be exactly the same.
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If only that were true... I've called a bunch of companies trying to get the best rates and none of them distinguish between sport touring and SS bikes. They see a bike with fairings and call it a sport bike and costs the same amount to insure the Ninja 1000 as the ZX10R. The Z1000 is classified as a standard and therefore much cheaper to insure. At least that has been my experience, if you know of a company that will insure the Ninja 1000 and not classify it as a sport bike let me know, I really want this bike but the high insurance cost is preventing me from getting it.
 
Haha, same thing here. Spoke to one insurance co. I told them its a sport touring. They just said its a sport bike, lol
 
danp said:
If only that were true... I've called a bunch of companies trying to get the best rates and none of them distinguish between sport touring and SS bikes. They see a bike with fairings and call it a sport bike and costs the same amount to insure the Ninja 1000 as the ZX10R. The Z1000 is classified as a standard and therefore much cheaper to insure. At least that has been my experience, if you know of a company that will insure the Ninja 1000 and not classify it as a sport bike let me know, I really want this bike but the high insurance cost is preventing me from getting it.
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Some insurance companies know **** all about bikes ... It's pretty sad. When I was with Jevco they quoted me regular on Ninja 1000. However, it's Intact now so I hear things are different.
Did you try TD?
 
BigEvilDoer said:
I remember a certain forum member blasting the Dragon (knee down all over the place) and Cherohala on his VFR1200. Put on an exhaust, fuel controller, bypass the throttle limiter (in first and second gear) and you've got a beast that pulls incredibly hard.

The VFR1200 is super comfy as it is. Could ride it all day long without issue.

Too bad the valve check is supposed to be crazy expensive due to lots of billable labour and VTEC parts.
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Yeah but then again, every single type and model of a motorcycle has been brought down there and knees were dragged. ;) Everyone's seen the Goldwing video I think.
Comfy I believe for VFR1200. Weight is scary though and range disappointing for a big tourer. Plastics I won't comment on. Some like them.
The major issue was that Honda tried to replace VFR800 with it but who did they consult exactly? They totally missed the target.
 
I'd take the N1000 over the VFR. I've had my eye on it as well and the recent updated version is a great package. I was just on the '14 model 2 weeks ago actually.
 
DemonPig said:
Some insurance companies know **** all about bikes ... It's pretty sad. When I was with Jevco they quoted me regular on Ninja 1000. However, it's Intact now so I hear things are different.
Did you try TD?
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TBH there is no reason that the Ninja 1000 should be insured as anything other than a sport bike... Of course that goes for the Z1000 as well. Not saying I'm not happy for owners that are dodging the surcharge
 
danp said:
If only that were true... I've called a bunch of companies trying to get the best rates and none of them distinguish between sport touring and SS bikes. They see a bike with fairings and call it a sport bike and costs the same amount to insure the Ninja 1000 as the ZX10R. The Z1000 is classified as a standard and therefore much cheaper to insure. At least that has been my experience, if you know of a company that will insure the Ninja 1000 and not classify it as a sport bike let me know, I really want this bike but the high insurance cost is preventing me from getting it.
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Have you been with your company for a while & do you have a good relationship with them? If so, negotiate. Mine gave me a fair quote on the Z1000, but said of the Ninja 1000 "I don't know much about motorcycles, but that is a supersport and we don't insure supersports", Lol. It took me a week, but when they realized what a pain in the ***** I can be, and that they could loose all my business, they made a "special exception". Then again, they did use any excuse to bump my rate on the N1K after, but its coming down again. Its a horrid industry! We may win small battles, but they always win the war. I suspect that getting a reasonable quote on the Ninja 1000 just shopping around would be quite difficult.
 
TwistedKestrel said:
TBH there is no reason that the Ninja 1000 should be insured as anything other than a sport bike... Of course that goes for the Z1000 as well. Not saying I'm not happy for owners that are dodging the surcharge
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Yes there is, actuarial data by the insurance industry showing that the Z1000 or sport-tourers like that have a significantly lower crash rate than super sports bikes of the same power.

They understand risk and stats in this industry -they scoop all the best math grads out of Universities.
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