Love The Bike, Yada Yada-you've Heard It Before

Hey all, I posted last Fall expressing interest the a VFR, offering to swap a ride on my Speed Triple for a chance to ride someone's bike. Well I ended up getting a leftover rwb 07' in November, and after solely using as a commuter weapon for @ 2500 miles I have to say I love the bike. Plenty of torque below v-tec range and a blast to rev up and carve the corners with. Luckily the majority of my commute is on back-country roads, with a couple of beautiful s curves with no blind corners, and I am impressed at the bike's cornering prowess-very planted front end. I have heated jacket and gloves and am toasty warm, thanks to the electrical capacity of the bike. So far bike is stock except fenda extenda, rear hugger, and tightwad's vfrness. Once I've sold my other bikes, I'll be adding aftermarket pipes, although I really like the v-four growl in stock form. I particularly like the transmission of the VFR-what a joy to row up and down through the gears. As has been said many times, the bike is just such a complete package. That's all I got, thanks for all the people who've contribute help with maintenance questions, etc.

[image: View Post]motomike, on Jan 27 2009, 01:34 PM, said:

I'll be adding aftermarket pipes, although I really like the v-four growl in stock form.
Aftermarket pipes are a great add-on to consider. The looks and sound coming from pipes such as Leo Vince and Staintune (to name a few) give the bike an unmistakable sound. Glad you like your VFR! :beer:

great stuff, those VTEC engines are addictive .. Certainly makes my boring daily commute more exciting. The thing that stikes me about the 6th gen is how smooooth they are too.

Post a pic when you get chance :fing02:

[image: View Post]motomike, on Jan 27 2009, 02:34 PM, said:

I particularly like the transmission of the VFR-what a joy to row up and down through the gears.

If you like the transmission now, try it with the FactoryPro shift star and roller bearing detent lever/spring.

BIG improvement!

Glad to hear you're loving your VFR, and I agree it's a great, complete package. I've only had a couple bikes but this one is perfect for me. :)

Glad to have you with us. I do not own a 6th gen but have rode one and they are a GRRRREAT bike. I own a 4th gen and LOVE it! (try one sometime)
Enjoy your new ride. and yes post some pictures.

Travis

Thanks for the replies, welcomes, and advice! :cool:

Welcome again Mike and congrats on the RWB VFR. :biggrin:

It is nice to hear such praises for VFR from a rider that switched from a Speed Triple.

Could you please compare them a little? Because as weird as it may sound, I'm torn between those 2 bikes for my next purchase.
I love the looks and potential fun of Speed Triple is so attractive. But I think a VFR would be a more sensible choice for longer rides, as long as I wouldn't lose too much in the fun department.

How does VFR feel compared to Speed Triple, in terms of handling, especially in tight twisty roads? What about comfort? Is heaviness compared to Speed Triple a problem?
I have too many questions, I know :)

But unfortunately I don't have opportunity to test ride them, so your insights are really important to me..

[image: View Post]Paranoid, on Jan 30 2009, 03:19 AM, said:

It is nice to hear such praises for VFR from a rider that switched from a Speed Triple.

Could you please compare them a little? Because as weird as it may sound, I'm torn between those 2 bikes for my next purchase.
I love the looks and potential fun of Speed Triple is so attractive. But I think a VFR would be a more sensible choice for longer rides, as long as I wouldn't lose too much in the fun department.

How does VFR feel compared to Speed Triple, in terms of handling, especially in tight twisty roads? What about comfort? Is heaviness compared to Speed Triple a problem?
I have too many questions, I know :)

But unfortunately I don't have opportunity to test ride them, so your insights are really important to me..


Paranoid: Both are great bikes. I've had the Speed 3 for a year and about 5000 miles. When I bought it the dealer threw in the Arrow low mount aftermarket exhaust, and re-mapped the fuel injection for a richer tune. It has about 120 hp and 70 ft/lbs of torque max. To me it is a very visceral bike. the suspension is firm and the ride is rough over uneven pavement.
The speed 3, for me has more "fun" packed in per mile ridden, vs the vfr, but at the expense of comfort. My commute went from 25 mile round trip to 50 miles round trip, and I rode the Speed triple all last Summer on the longer commute just fine. When the weather became colder and wetter (and it was darker going to and coming from work), I wanted something with abs, more comfy suspension, better weather protection, and a higher capacity alternator for electric gear, and better lighting-The VFR was it for me. The speed 3 and VFR both corner very well-with the Speed 3 turning in quicker than the VFR, and VFR having a more confident "planted" front end feel in the curves vs the Speed 3. The Speed 3 with aftermarket exhaust weighs about 460# vs over 500# for the vfr. , so of course the Speed 3 is and feels lighter especially when moving at slow speeds, but honestly the extra weight of the vfr is only noticeable to me when moving around the garage.

Speed 3: must have "mid grade" fuel; gets @ 38-42 mpg. Fun , fun, fun-easy to get caught up in stop light drag races, etc. Noisy and stinky with aftermarket exhaust and richer tune, Transmission clunky compared to the VFR. Zero weather protection, but quieter air around helmet than VFR. Handling, cornering, etc great-like the VFR-highly rider dependent. Easier to service with no plastic to remove. It has been reliable, although I did have to replace a fork seal and battery @ 2000 miles. Some people have had problems with the 1050 engines burning oil. Not mine so far. Very linear power delivery. I feel the overall build quality is a step down from the VFR. The best for last-Amazing torque-70 ft/lbs from 3000 rpms to red line-a very satisfying engine.

VFR: Happily burns regular unlead. 38-42 mpg. More rpms to play with- I love passing someone and looking down and realizing I still have 3000 rpms to play with. Not stinky (rich smell) and too quiet with stock exhaust, but still a great sounding (to me) engine. I will replace exhaust pipes but leave the cat. to keep emissions down, but unleash the music when I've sold some bikes. Still pretty dang fun to rev up and blast around on. I like the v-tec, as gives the engine a unique feel. I constantly go in and out of v-tec to feel the extra hit of power and watch the rpms climb faster. Very confident cornering, just not as fast to turn in as the naked, stubby speed 3. I feel more confident in the long term reliability of the VFR to take the every day pounding of my commute. If I stay off the speed 3, the below v-tec torque feels pretty good. The gear box is worlds better than the Speed 3.

Remember most of this is my subjective opinion, so see if you can score a test ride at a Triumph dealer as most do offer them.
Good luck and try to get test rides on both. All bikes are a compromise; there is no one ultimate bike, etc, etc.