Not all that impressed. Handling is good, but as far as the rest of it goes, not really an improvement from the 3rd gen I have now. Bigger, bulkier, and that Vtech crap you can keep. :blink: I'll take my good ol fashion linear power curve thankyouverymuch.
Glad I got to ride one...I was really considering a RWB anniversary. Love the looks of the RWB, but that's about it. I'll be keeping my 93 for quite some time I think.
[image: View Post]1LuckyDude, on Jan 18 2009, 11:43 PM, said:
Not all that impressed. Handling is good, but as far as the rest of it goes, not really an improvement from the 3rd gen I have now. Bigger, bulkier, and that Vtech crap you can keep. :blink: I'll take my good ol fashion linear power curve thankyouverymuch.
Glad I got to ride one...I was really considering a RWB anniversary. Love the looks of the RWB, but that's about it. I'll be keeping my 93 for quite some time I think.
Can you elaborate a little more? Did you really feel the VTEC kick in? Bigger...Bulkier ??? hmmm... I have a 3rd Gen too and I can't imagine anything bigger and bulkier ?? that wouldn't be good...
Can you elaborate a little more? Did you really feel the VTEC kick in? Bigger...Bulkier ??? hmmm... I have a 3rd Gen too and I can't imagine anything bigger and bulkier ?? that wouldn't be good...
[/quote]
sure. Yes, you can feel it switch over. Solenoid clicks and intake sounds completely different. Too gimmicky for me. I rode a 2003 when they came out and was not all that impressed then. I was hoping they had done something to better it. They didn't IMO. Yours may vary, you just have to give it a go and see what you think. I think it's just Honda showing off what they can do. Not needed IMO...otherwise, you'd have other manufacturers copying it in some form or other. The 6th gen is physically a bigger bike in almost every way. Taller, wider...although once under way it pretty much goes away. But if size and bulk is a concern, the parking lots and slow speeds will be an issue.
You'll either love the VTEC or hate it. I have both a 3rd Gen and a stock 6th Gen. The VTEC is definately noticeable and if you hammer the throttle at about 6500 you can easily bring the front wheel way up (so I've heard ;) ) The 3rd Gen is sweet with the Yosh pipe and the gear driven cams but doesn't have the same punch as the VTEC. I love the smoothness of the 3rd Gen but love the aggresive growl that the VTEC brings. I appreciate them both for what they are. The new Pilot Powers make the 3rd Gen very nimble and quick.
I love my 02 6th gen..............what colour was the bike you tried? The silver ones are the lightest,and the fastest, and have the best ride............if it wasn't silver then may I suggest you try a silver one first before making any snap judgements.
[image: View Post]Centralontrider, on Jan 19 2009, 11:22 AM, said:
I love my 02 6th gen..............what colour was the bike you tried? The silver ones are the lightest,and the fastest, and have the best ride............if it wasn't silver then may I suggest you try a silver one first before making any snap judgements.
:fing02: :fing02: :fing02: :fing02:
Not exactly sure about the bigger and parking lot thing either... I can turn circles on my VFR all the way to the stop in parking lots... and not fall over due to it being "big" Try a Harley THATS bigger.
The VTEC is fine as long as your not ham fisted throttle cranker...do a nice progresive application and you only hear the changeover and can barely feel it... CRACK it open like a 16 year old and you feel and hear it... WHich can be fun too :cool: especially if you time it so you are RIGHT next to a car when you pass.... :goofy:
I do know my buddy with his 636 was surprised at how fast the VFR was :fing02:
The 3gen is either 6 lbs heavier or 13 lbs lighter. Real world, I'd call 'em about the same depending if the one gallon larger tank of the vtec is full or not.
Where is VTech Al when you need him? Eric? Ok, I'll say it for him. I LOVE MY VTEC. Love it so much there wasn't a doubt in my mind what the new bike would be after I killed the 02.
I just think that the older VFR purists can't get past their whining gears and stuff like that.
You guys act like VTec is a huge hickup that when it engages the bike will just spontaneously combust.
I think honda just did it for Emissions and newer bikes are coming out extremely lean because of emissions too.
I think that bashing the 6th gen is dumb cause I sat on one and it feels a lot like my 4th gen but I feel like I am sitting more ontop of the bike on the 6th gen then in the bike on the 4th gen.
I love my 4th Gen but the 6th Gen I don't think is a bad bike by any means. I think the bashing is just the purists not having their whiney gears more then it is anything. I have a D&D exhaust on mine with its whining gears its great it reminds me of a supercharged V8 at idle.
It's about time something like this showed up to past the couple of months left before spring :lurk:
I think overall the 5th gens have the best motor, but the 6th gens are more fun and you don't realise how much you REALLY miss that VTEC surge/sound untill you go for something different, I'd take either one of them anyday, although for that walking away and looking over your shulder at the bike thing.. the 6th gen wins hands down, oh then theres the brakes, dash, handling, build (won rider power survey for BEST build-quality, 5th gen came 3rd) and everything else... blah blah :laugh:
It has been a very long time since I rode a brand new 3rd generation VFR on a test ride at a dealership. My memory might be just a little clouded. But, as I remember it, they were not a better bike in any way than the 6th Gen that I currently own.
The 25th anniversary is hot-cammed (rumored to be in the 134-190+ hp range depending on altitude and temp) and has upside down forks hidden within the conventional forks for far superior handling..... I know, I own one so I am not biased!!!
[image: View Post]GGray, on Jan 19 2009, 11:42 AM, said:
Not exactly sure about the bigger and parking lot thing either... I can turn circles on my VFR all the way to the stop in parking lots... and not fall over due to it being "big" Try a Harley THATS bigger.
The VTEC is fine as long as your not ham fisted throttle cranker...do a nice progresive application and you only hear the changeover and can barely feel it... CRACK it open like a 16 year old and you feel and hear it... WHich can be fun too :cool: especially if you time it so you are RIGHT next to a car when you pass.... :goofy:
I do know my buddy with his 636 was surprised at how fast the VFR was :fing02:
Your bud must have his 636 geared for wheelies, cause they are much lighter and have about 10 hp on the VFR! That being said, I've surprised a 600 rider in the twisties myself! But that's got nothing to do with speed.
I doubt I could turn inside the radius of a Motor Officer on a Road King (or whatever it is they ride) with my VFR.
Unlike some, I love all VFR's (& bikes) and don't need to get into that "mines bigger" or "hate change" attitude some here tend to have. In general because this is a VFR site and Not a this or that gen site, we tend to frown on people bashing any VFR, let alone having it come from another VFRD member. :dry:
Hell we don't even like bashing of any m/c's here, even HD's.
An intelligent VFR owner is a true Motorcycle Enthusiast that appreciates all motorcycles and everything about the sport and does not have to put down another bike to feel better about theirs. Too bad were all not that way! ;p
Just from my perspective, when I reentered motorcycling in 99 the first bike I bought was a Pearl White 93 and I loved that bike and put a quick 10k miles on it. One day I had a chance to swap with a guy on a 98 VFR and wow, it felt lighter, quicker, better in every way. Within a month I had a 00 sitting in the garage, I loved this bike too and clocked over 15k miles on it when I had a chance to pick up a 02 VFR. I felt instantly more confident on the 02 and have racked up a trouble free (in general) 66k + miles on it.
I still have a fifth gen and wish I still had the 93 because I loved each one for their uniqueness but w/o loosing what the VFR has always been known for, being a great all around bike.
[image: View Post]1LuckyDude, on Jan 18 2009, 10:43 PM, said:
Bigger, bulkier, and that Vtech crap you can keep.
I wasn't having any trouble keeping the RWB on the tail of an 848 and an R6 yesterday up in the mountains, even though it is bigger, bulkier and has that Vtech (sic) crap. :biggrin: Every bike has its good and bad. Glad your '93 does the trick for you. That's the great thing about motorcycling. There's something out there for everyone.
When I bought my used '02 a couple years ago, I compared it against a 3rd gen. Both bikes rode exceptionally. For the extra thousand bucks, however, I obtained a bike with 40,000 less miles to go with the "gadgetry." Gotta take new over old any day, IMHO.
Not too sure about how they compare handling-wise, but the 6th definitely stopped far better.
I will say, I really like my ABS setup probably wouldn't buy a bike without it anymore (unless it's a Desmo and simply not offered ;)). That ABS alone was worth the upgrade to my '94. I commute every day, rain or shine.
A few years back I was helping with a magazine test of like 12 bikes and over the course of a few days the VFR became my absolute favorite bike. Not only did it feel right I could just plain ride it fast. Fast forward a few years and I had to have a RWB. All those bikes back to back was a cool opportunity to see how the VFR fit in. I simply use the VTECH as a RPM gauge that means keep above that engage point and ride!
[image: View Post]Birdman, on Jan 19 2009, 02:30 PM, said:
Not too sure about how they compare handling-wise.....
Ok, enough VTEC talk, that horse is long dead, let's talk suspension.
I'm considering suspension mods on my '00 vs. buying a 6th gen. I understand that the OEM suspension on a 6th gen is far better than that of a 5th gen.
All things being equal (that includes motors too!) will modded 5th gen suspension (929 shock & progressive springs and new valves for the forks) give me a ride similar/equal to/better than the 6th gen ride? (I'm sure it's not better but, you tell me?)
hahhaha.....uh-ho here we go....that which we aren't supposed to do. The "mines better than yours" thing.
dont forget what we are about here....a common bond with the VFR in all shapes and sizes !
For info...I have a 94' I like it..but there are things I dont like about it (not what you would call "pretty" is it ) - years ago I had a VF400, liked it a lot....but stupid brakes and a maintenance nightmare . My mate had a (5th gen ?)year 2000, I rode it and liked that too..... very much, but there were also things I didn't like about it.
6th gen?..never ridden one...and it's not a looker either....but I'm SURE I would find lots to like about it.
One thing we can be almost certain of though is that over the years the breed is almost certain to improve dynamically, whether we like it or not.
Enjoy the difference.
[image: View Post]MachineBuilder, on Jan 19 2009, 01:49 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Birdman, on Jan 19 2009, 02:30 PM, said:
Not too sure about how they compare handling-wise.....
Ok, enough VTEC talk, that horse is long dead, let's talk suspension.
I'm considering suspension mods on my '00 vs. buying a 6th gen. I understand that the OEM suspension on a 6th gen is far better than that of a 5th gen.
All things being equal (that includes motors too!) will modded 5th gen suspension (929 shock & progressive springs and new valves for the forks) give me a ride similar/equal to/better than the 6th gen ride? (I'm sure it's not better but, you tell me?)
For sure a suspension upgrade will improve any VFR (or bike for that matter). Our VFR's under sprung and over dampened stock suspension is amazingly good for a wide range of weights until you start pushing it some. Just changing spring rates to your weight is a huge improvement let alone moving to good stuff like Ohlins or Penske.
The only thing you can not get is the bigger (stiffer 43mm vs 41mm) forks, more rigid frame, more forward biased linked brakes and longer wheelbase of the stock 6th gen chassis. You can frankenviffer any bike though.
I certainly would not worry about upgrading from the excellent 5th gen if your willing to upgrade the stock suspension. :cool:
[image: View Post]Centralontrider, on Jan 19 2009, 10:22 AM, said:
I love my 02 6th gen..............what colour was the bike you tried? The silver ones are the lightest,and the fastest, and have the best ride............if it wasn't silver then may I suggest you try a silver one first before making any snap judgements.
You know...THAT is what the problem was...this was a charcoal one. :biggrin:
[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on Jan 19 2009, 10:32 AM, said:
Ridden many two-strokes?
Didn't think so... :rolleyes:
What the heck does a smoker got to do with this? When's the last time you've even SEEN a stink-wheel on the road? And yes, I have, but you seem to know me better than I do. :rolleyes:
[image: View Post]CBR_Rod, on Jan 19 2009, 11:41 AM, said:
The 25th anniversary is hot-cammed (rumored to be in the 134-190+ hp range depending on altitude and temp) and has upside down forks hidden within the conventional forks for far superior handling..... I know, I own one so I am not biased!!!
That settles it...I am heading over there tomorrow to get the one on the floor then. ;p
[image: View Post]VF1000R, on Jan 19 2009, 12:59 PM, said:
[image: View Post]1LuckyDude, on Jan 18 2009, 10:43 PM, said:
Bigger, bulkier, and that Vtech crap you can keep.
I wasn't having any trouble keeping the RWB on the tail of an 848 and an R6 yesterday up in the mountains, even though it is bigger, bulkier and has that Vtech (sic) crap. :biggrin: Every bike has its good and bad. Glad your '93 does the trick for you. That's the great thing about motorcycling. There's something out there for everyone.
Dirk
I've smoked far better bikes on an SV....it usually isn't about the bike. :fing02:
Now, with all that aside....my ride was a simple observation on my part...not bashing. You nancy boys need to get some thicker skin and get over it already. :rolleyes: I love just about any bike (owned all 4 major brands over the years). Given the choice though, I would not opt for the vtec version. It felt MUCH larger than my 93, and when they are sitting next to each other, you can see how much bigger it is. See pic below and you make the call.
Equal riders, completely stock 3rd gen/6th gen bikes, the 6th gen should be better/faster. BUT, when does THAT ever happen? :warranty:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j304/dragrex/blackandwhiteVFRs002.jpg
5th and 6th gens will NEVER perform as well as a 4th gen no matter what you or some whacko engineers come up with. Period. Without NACA involved, it is simply an engineering impossibilty for any contraption to excel in any way beyond the '97 VFR. I am closing this topic to further posts at this time. Thank you for your input............ :mad: Hey, now my TOPIC CLOSED button doesn't work..... MEDIC!!!, I need my NACA pill in a hurry. Glycerin isn't helping me, I need my NACA pill people! Where is the siezure icon? Happy '09.
Many of us like the "largeness/bigness of the 6th Gen". I owned an SV650 before the VFR. At 6'-2+" and 265#, I looked and felt like a fat monkey humping a coconut. The VFR fits me much better.
[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on Jan 19 2009, 06:15 PM, said:
Many of us like the "largeness/bigness of the 6th Gen". I owned an SV650 before the VFR. At 6'-2+" and 265#, I looked and felt like a fat monkey humping a coconut. The VFR fits me much better.
strictly speaking in terms of outward appearance, a 3rd gen. VFR looks incredibly dated nowadays. the 6th gen., IMHO, still has relatively fresh looks even though the design has been around since '02. looks count for a lot if you ask me.
[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on Jan 19 2009, 02:11 PM, said:
I think VTEC is Mother Honda's way of telling you you're going too slow. If VTEC hasn't kicked in, you aren't riding it.
I always shift at 6500 RPM. DOWN! :biggrin:
OMG. at least something funny comes from the absolutely useless thread.
do people call you 'pete the coconut humping monkey'? this is totally hilarious.
i'll have to file this one away for later use. great post! silly topic.
if you don't like it - don't buy/ride one. pretty simple really.
i'm not a fan of many bikes - so...
surprisingly i didn't buy a harley, victory or some of the other sportbikes.
comparing a bike made in '93 to a current one is like comparing apples to kiwis. not even in the same game, let alone, league.
[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on Jan 19 2009, 10:15 PM, said:
Many of us like the "largeness/bigness of the 6th Gen". I owned an SV650 before the VFR. At 6'-2+" and 265#, I looked and felt like a fat monkey humping a coconut. The VFR fits me much better.
[image: View Post]Baileyrock, on Jan 19 2009, 01:14 PM, said:
An intelligent VFR owner is a true Motorcycle Enthusiast that appreciates all motorcycles and everything about the sport and does not have to put down another bike to feel better about theirs. Too bad were all not that way! ;p
Can we make an exception for that stupid DN-01? All the R&D that went into that overblown scooter could have gone into a refit for the VFR line
[image: View Post]Pete McCrary, on Jan 19 2009, 04:15 PM, said:
Many of us like the "largeness/bigness of the 6th Gen". I owned an SV650 before the VFR. At 6'-2+" and 265#, I looked and felt like a fat monkey humping a coconut. The VFR fits me much better.
Yes Pete, the larger, bigger boned new vfr would fit you better. :biggrin:
[image: View Post]CBR_Rod, on Jan 19 2009, 04:19 PM, said:
The 6th gen just looks more manly, and really, that's what it's all about.
If that is what you need to ride it...you might want to check into the Harley store this weekend. I hear they have nothing BUT manly bikes.
[image: View Post]KeystoneVFR, on Jan 19 2009, 04:57 PM, said:
strictly speaking in terms of outward appearance, a 3rd gen. VFR looks incredibly dated nowadays. the 6th gen., IMHO, still has relatively fresh looks even though the design has been around since '02. looks count for a lot if you ask me.
Incredibly dated? :blink: Sure it does, next to the here today, gone tomorrow styling of race reps these days.
[quote name='superfunkomatic' date='Jan 19 2009, 05:43 PM' post='582302']
if you don't like it - don't buy/ride one. pretty simple really.
i'm not a fan of many bikes - so...
surprisingly i didn't buy a harley, victory or some of the other sportbikes.
comparing a bike made in '93 to a current one is like comparing apples to kiwis. not even in the same game, let alone, league.
Hmmm...I rode one, didn't like and simply posted my observations...sorry I didn't check with the vtec police on this one. It was not a comparision between a 93, just a revelation that I will keep my 93 and not add a 6th gen. I love how folks read between the lines and just type whatever. :rolleyes:
And for the record, a MODERATER put the vtec bashing thread in my title. I don't appreciate it and it should be removed. That is NOT what this was about and thanks for turning it into a bashing thread.
Hey, if I had a 93 I'd ride it like nobody else because that's what happens when we get attached to a bike we enjoy.
The more miles and years we ride it the better it gets. I've seen this on another bike I ride and compared to the
newer versions my old one may seem....dated. Whatever! The old gal still rocks! Just for the record I'm in the
6 gen camp but if and when "please" Honda builds a bigger, badder VFR I'll probably still defend my ol 03.
I've ridden 4th, 5th and I own a 6th gen VFR. VTEC is really not a big deal, my bike never had a surging problem and all of the versions I have ridden had one thing in common size wise. They all feel much like a 600 to ride. No complaints about any of them. None of them were the equal of my YZF 750R but then again the YZF was not the equal of the VFR either...All of them are good./ To talk about the difference between the 5th gen and the 6th gen IMHO is really splitting hairs.
The one thing I can say with 100% certainty is my 6th gen is the best motorcycle I have ever owned...and I have owned a few over the years.
If Honda would keep the bike largely as is but with the following changes; make it a 900 with 20-25 more horsepower and 15-20 lbs more torgue and then add adjustable erogonomics it would be nearly perfect in evey respect.
[image: View Post]motorman, on Jan 19 2009, 04:41 PM, said:
Hey, if I had a 93 I'd ride it like nobody else because that's what happens when we get attached to a bike we enjoy.
The more miles and years we ride it the better it gets. I've seen this on another bike I ride and compared to the
newer versions my old one may seem....dated. Whatever! The old gal still rocks! Just for the record I'm in the
6 gen camp but if and when "please" Honda builds a bigger, badder VFR I'll probably still defend my ol 03.
Is it a '93 or an '03? I'll split the diff, I have a '98. Had it for nearly 10 years, and I agree. Love it. Never selling it. :cool:
That said, since September I'm also loving an Italian bike with half the cylinders, and about 200 more cc's.
Tuono is Italian for thunder. :beer: :blush:
Good thing bikes can't get jealous. There is room in my heart for many bikes.
More than I can afford or garage or maintain. I'm jealous of Jay Leno there. :biggrin:
[image: View Post]MachineBuilder, on Jan 19 2009, 02:49 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Birdman, on Jan 19 2009, 02:30 PM, said:
Not too sure about how they compare handling-wise.....
Ok, enough VTEC talk, that horse is long dead, let's talk suspension.
I'm considering suspension mods on my '00 vs. buying a 6th gen. I understand that the OEM suspension on a 6th gen is far better than that of a 5th gen.
All things being equal (that includes motors too!) will modded 5th gen suspension (929 shock & progressive springs and new valves for the forks) give me a ride similar/equal to/better than the 6th gen ride? (I'm sure it's not better but, you tell me?)
The 6th stock suspension is better than the 5ths, but since I knew I liked the 5th engine better I bought one. Yeah the stock boingers on the 5th generally suck, but I knew I was to get on the upgrade train. Rip out the linked brakes, upgrade the fork, add a Penske shock in the rear. For me the finished upgraded bike is far better than a stocker 6th. ( Just personal taste - the 6th is a fine ride)
[image: View Post]1LuckyDude, on Jan 19 2009, 06:40 PM, said:
And for the record, a MODERATER put the vtec bashing thread in my title. I don't appreciate it and it should be removed. That is NOT what this was about and thanks for turning it into a bashing thread.
Sorry, that would be. Sometimes I have a short trigger and call it how I see it. ;p
removed
There sure seems to be lots of drama about vtec. When I was researching it almost scared me away. Then I decided to finally pull the trigger and get a VFR andI was disappointed that vtec wasn't more pronounced. I remember thinking...."this is what everyone is bitching about?"
It's a non issue. I don't even notice it. And the bike is nicely weighted to be an excellent ST mount. Perfect. If I wanted a track bike I would have kept my GSX-R1000. :)
[image: View Post]Baileyrock, on Jan 19 2009, 07:56 PM, said:
[image: View Post]1LuckyDude, on Jan 19 2009, 06:40 PM, said:
And for the record, a MODERATER put the vtec bashing thread in my title. I don't appreciate it and it should be removed. That is NOT what this was about and thanks for turning it into a bashing thread.
Sorry, that would be. Sometimes I have a short trigger and call it how I see it. ;p
removed
Ok, that explains it. When I read 1LuckyDude's post, I didn't read it as bashing, just his observations. But the "bashing" in the thread title threw me off. Like I said earlier, there's a bike for everybody. I like all the VF/VFR sportbikes, myself, and I'll have one of each at some point. Unlike Skuuter, I never sell bikes. :biggrin:
[image: View Post]XLR8, on Jan 19 2009, 09:01 PM, said:
...Then I decided to finally pull the trigger and get a VFR and I was disappointed that vtec wasn't more pronounced. I remember thinking...."this is what everyone is bitching about?"
:laugh:
VTEC is a non-issue for me, too. Trust me, all you doubters, 6th gen's and their VTEC transitions get better as you put more miles on the bikes. I have a PCIII and O2 eliminators (and ~30k mi.) on my '04 and "it's like buttah" most of the time. Granted, the PCIII cost a few hundred clams, but how many bikes are perfect out of the box anyway? Many new bikes need some tweaking IMO, and performance-wise this was all my 6th gen. needed to be pretty much perfect.
I must have written this a dozen times, but it's still true: VTEC may be an unnecessary complication Honda added but overall the 6th gen. is one fine bike. I've yet to ride any other gen. of VFR so I can't compare them, but I bet they're all great! ;)
End of thread · 58 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 12 Apr 2010
