Honda VFR 800 thoughts

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Sorry, no close in shots.... If you are still interested in the spring PM me and I'll snap a few for you, the bike is in deep storage right now!!!! Like Lickety said though it wasn't a very difficult mod.... took longer for the paint to dry than anything else!
 
No rush, I'm not taking delivery until next spring.

172Driver said:
Sorry, no close in shots.... If you are still interested in the spring PM me and I'll snap a few for you, the bike is in deep storage right now!!!! Like Lickety said though it wasn't a very difficult mod.... took longer for the paint to dry than anything else!
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I have a 650R currently which has a 31" seat height and I feel totally comfortable on, but the VFR 800 is a little higher at 31.7". A .7" inch increase in height isn't a lot, but it got me curious about possibly lowering it. I'm no giant and have a 29 inch inseam.

Just wondering if anyone here did the lowering mod to the triangular bracket? http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/10853-lower-a-gen-5-for-free/

Oh and lowering the front end: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/29516-how-to-guide-raise-forks-lower-triple/
 
RodneyBR said:
I have a 650R currently which has a 31" seat height and I feel totally comfortable on, but the VFR 800 is a little higher at 31.7". A .7" inch increase in height isn't a lot, but it got me curious about possibly lowering it. I'm no giant and have a 29 inch inseam.

Just wondering if anyone here did the lowering mod to the triangular bracket? http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/10853-lower-a-gen-5-for-free/

Oh and lowering the front end: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/29516-how-to-guide-raise-forks-lower-triple/
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my friend lowered his, made it easier to scrape hard parts in the corners
 
The seat is probably wider making it harder to reach. You'll get used to it very fast though. Make sure sag is set up properly.
 
The best thing I ever did to my VFR 800 was buy a Sprint ST 1050 instead.

;)
 
Oh, I liked it OK. But the Sprint looks better, is stronger, is smoother and provides better wind protection. To name a few things. A lot of people, myself included, think that the 1050 triple is one of the best road motors ever designed. They're both about the same weight.

Word of caution: get a 2007+ Sprint if you want one, they fixed a lot of little niggly issues since the 2005 I had. I wouldn't have sold it had these issues been addressed in that model year. 2007 saw a recall for brake calipers, so make sure it had the work done if it's a 2007 you find. Prior to 2007 you will have spongy brakes - the pistons "stick" and Triumph took years to acknowledge it. 2008+ models come with the upgraded calipers.

sprint-ferry1.jpg
 
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WOW... That's a beautiful bike Shaman :) Now you have me looking again. LOL

Shaman said:
Oh, I liked it OK. But the Sprint looks better, is stronger, is smoother and provides better wind protection. To name a few things. A lot of people, myself included, think that the 1050 triple is one of the best road motors ever designed. They're both about the same weight.

Word of caution: get a 2007+ Sprint if you want one, they fixed a lot of little niggly issues since the 2005 I had. I wouldn't have sold it had these issues been addressed in that model year. 2007 saw a recall for brake calipers, so make sure it had the work done if it's a 2007 you find. Prior to 2007 you will have spongy brakes - the pistons "stick" and Triumph took years to acknowledge it. 2008+ models come with the upgraded calipers.

sprint-ferry1.jpg
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I went for a ride with friends this summer - one was borrowing an '02+ VFR, and the other had a 2002 or 2003? Sprint ST with the 955i engine.

The bikes were pretty much equal on the road, got the exact same gas mileage, handled the corners on Terra Nova and Big Chute road as well, and did about as well when we opened things up on Highway 400 North :D.

I stayed close to them on my Bandit 600 with crap tires, but that's another matter :p. They were going at 8/10's, the Sprint had new tires and the VFR was borrowed.

While Shaman's tried both and apparently prefers the Sprint, I'd lean towards a VFR as a used purchase because of...

-Parts availability - My buddy with the older Sprint has spent time in the shop waiting for parts... the TPS sensor went and it took a week or more to get parts for it.
-There's more used VFR's out there, and they have an excellent reputation for long life.
-Easier to find new - or used - luggage racks, windscreens, aftermarket seats, etc.

However, sounds like you can't go wrong either way.
 
I think that bike has luggage though... they started selling the bikes complete with luggage in 2007. You can see the luggage rail right by the rear fender. That's not a bad deal. And allow me to retort briefly on Triumph parts availability: one week for any manufacturer is not out of place, but on the subject of reliability, how many VFRs have I seen stranded or in the shop for charging system problems...

...and also, the 955ci version has most of the bottom end snap of the 1050 but none of the mid and high end shove. Mine had a big shove right around 9,000 RPM that made it a lot of fun and everywhere else it had a torque curve more like a table. You could run it right down to 2000 RPM. Not to mention that it makes about 20hp more than the VFR.

CAVEAT: see what your insurance company thinks about the Sprint first. They'll do at least 165mph flat out and coverage ranges from quite good to ridiculously expensive depending on company.

sprint-ferry2.jpg
 
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I know what you're saying Rodney, but from what I gather, the VFR and Sprint are much more 'premium', and comfortable, bikes than the FZ8. They both would've cost a lot more than $9k new.

I know that earlier this year, the K-W Honda dealer had an '09 leftover VFR800 for $11,500? You could call and ask.

All this said, I think buying a good-condition $5000 '04 VFR (in a sweet color) is a pretty good deal.

To kit it out, expect to spend $1500-2000 for a windscreen, luggage, a windscreen and a better seat to be fully happy.

There are used VFR's out there with all this done and included, but the mileage tends to reflect this too as they actually used their bikes...

The Triumph is kitted out a bit more for touring, which could bring the price more in line.

But then again, is that what you want? I think you'd want to change the VFR's seat, but if you don't tour, why bother with the rest?

I haven't tried either bike, but I have read reviews and talked to owners. Most reviews call them about even or closely-matched, although my friend does really like his ST. The '07-on ST will cost a lot more than your $5000 VFR.
 
Shaman - VFR's do have charging issues for sure, but there are known fixes where it's done once and for all. That, and the cost of valve adjustments for '02-on bikes, are all you'll find wrong with them.

There is a guy selling his '98 Sprint with 120,000 kms on it for $2000, saying the engine's done. I have seen VFR's do more mileage than that, and heard stories of guys pulling apart the bike at 90,000 kms for a rebuild and saying nothing's wrong. (We need to find a 'Consumer Reports' for bike reliability...)

You are a racer and I would imagine and aggressive rider, so I understand you'd appreciate the 20hp difference. In the land of HTA 172, is it that big of a deal? I rarely hear people complain about the VFR's pep.

I don't doubt the Sprint is a better bike. Is it $3k better?

I'm not trying to be a dick in discussing this. Once I get past 30 and get a few more riding years, I'd like one of these bikes.
 
honduhmatic said:
I haven't tried either bike, but I have read reviews and talked to owners. Most reviews call them about even or closely-matched, although my friend does really like his ST. The '07-on ST will cost a lot more than your $5000 VFR.
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Most reviews would be wrong. On butt-dyno they are pretty similar because the Sprint's torque delivery is very flat (not to be confused with weak) whereas the VFR definitely has a "come to life" point around 7,000 rpm (with or without "VTEC") where it starts to give some pull. I outweighed my late friend Jim by probably 80 pounds when we last compared his 2006 to my 2005 Sprint and the Triumph walked away big time when there was enough open road to make a difference. In fact, another friend of mine (Joe) and I lined up with his XX and we were dead even to about 250 when he started walking away slowly (on a closed test track, etc. etc.) I also outweighed Joe by about the same.

Maybe I had a strong one. Some people said so at the time.
 
Yea, I'm gonna be hard pressed to find a better bike for $5. I'm so looking forward to riding it and I plan on riding it LOTS when I first get it. The dealer is offering a 30 days warranty, so I'd like to find any issue within that time period.

honduhmatic said:
I know what you're saying Rodney, but from what I gather, the VFR and Sprint are much more 'premium', and comfortable, bikes than the FZ8. They both would've cost a lot more than $9k new.

I know that earlier this year, the K-W Honda dealer had an '09 leftover VFR800 for $11,500? You could call and ask.

All this said, I think buying a good-condition $5000 '04 VFR (in a sweet color) is a pretty good deal.

To kit it out, expect to spend $1500-2000 for a windscreen, luggage, a windscreen and a better seat to be fully happy.

There are used VFR's out there with all this done and included, but the mileage tends to reflect this too as they actually used their bikes...

The Triumph is kitted out a bit more for touring, which could bring the price more in line.

But then again, is that what you want? I think you'd want to change the VFR's seat, but if you don't tour, why bother with the rest?

I haven't tried either bike, but I have read reviews and talked to owners. Most reviews call them about even or closely-matched, although my friend does really like his ST. The '07-on ST will cost a lot more than your $5000 VFR.
Click to expand...
 
Shaman said:
I outweighed my late friend Jim by probably 80 pounds when we last compared his 2006 to my 2005 Sprint and the Triumph walked away big time when there was enough open road to make a difference.
Click to expand...

In HTA 172-land, this is a consideration...

But yes, it sounds like that Triumph is a pretty quick bike.

Glad you enjoyed yours.
 
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