Well, earlier this week I sold my '87 VFR700 to a friend. Loved that bike, but just couldn't get comfortable on it. I've been thinking about getting into a newer VFR for a while....something fuel injected and perhaps with luggage. Found one and went to pick it up yesterday....
Yellow certainly wan't my first choice, but it's growing on me. Definitely different. It's one of those love/hate colors.
She has about 14k miles on her and in pretty good shape. There are some scrapes/scratches here and there, but nothing that I can't either fix of live with. The corbin bags are kinda neat, although, I have taken them off for the time being so that I can do a thorough cleaning of the bike. I'm thinking about painting them black at some point.....the yellow is off ever so slightly and they are both scraped up on the sides from running into things apparently. I think satin black on the bags might tone the yellow down a bit? That can wait til later, though.
Anyway, just wanted to share. Can't wait for warmer weather!
I like yellow, and your's looks fine...... I like the looks of the beetle-bags, had a pair on my '99 ..... getting them on/off is not the easiest, but comes with the tight fit that makes them look good.
I put 100k on the '99 , so you've got a lot of miles to go.......
I painted the holes in the spokes of some car wheels once with flat black wheel enamel, because the store did not have gloss black in stock.
Of course when I clear-coated the wheels, the flat now looks glossy.
Thanks guys. Yeah, i'm very excited. Can't wait to get out on the road for a shakedown. Has to be a bit warmer than 20 degrees F for me to get out on the bike, though. :smile: This past fall I did a group ride through Southern Indiana on the VFR700 and after several hours of riding, I was in major pain.....I just didn't fit on that bike. It was a combination of the crappy stock seat and the peg height that just wasn't working for me. That started my search. This new bike seems to fit better.
You will find this entertaining.....when I got home, I started going over the bike and checking over things. I was going nuts trying to figure out where the damn oil dipstick was! Haha. Figured that mystery out after downloading a shop manual.
Today I stopped by the Honda dealer and ordered some touchup paint. The bike had a minor mishap on the right side at some point, scraping the lower fairing....and there are just small chips and scratches here and there to tend to, but overall it looks good.
I will likely keep the bags for now and maybe put them back on in the Spring. I'm sure they will come in handy just for running around town and carrying stuff. While they are kind of a pain to take off/put on, it's just a matter of three bolts on each bag. Will hold off on painting them for now until I can make a decision.
I'm missing the solo seat cowl.....anybody have one laying around?
Hey there, Indyfour.....Nice looking bike (and nice low miles too)! I was originally looking for a yellow 2000, but ended up going with a red 98 instead in october. I had an 06 previously and love the 98 just as much, except for the lack of good looking hard cases. So i am extremely jealous of your Beetle bags. I'll probably end up going with some soft bags for the 98.....
I used to live in the Indy/carmel/noblesville area (I tend to move around alot) until last year when I moved to Lafayette for a new job. What side of indy are you on? We should try to get some of the VFRs in the area together for some rides this summer. I know there are some more around. I'll be passing through indy at least a couple weekends a month on my way to Southern Indiana on my searches for curves :)
indianagenius, on 12 February 2012 - 10:30 AM, said:
I am also looking for a nice 5th Gen and live in SE Indiana. How much did you pay for the Y2K and where did you find it?
IG
There have been a few on Indy Craigslist recently. I had my heart set on a red '99 up in Zionsville. It was low miles as well and pristine....the guy wanted a few hundred $ more than I wanted to spend, but the condition was so nice that I was ready to jump on it. Contacted him and he said he wasn't sure if he wanted to sell it. :rolleyes: In the end, he decided not to and pulled his ad. So, I searched some more. There was/is another one here in Indy on the South side....a '98. Looks to be in decent shape but needs tires soon and has higher miles.....close to 50k. He wants $3k. A bit high I think.
I went to central OH to find this yellow one and paid $3400. A bit more than I wanted, but the mileage was low and the guy knew the previous owner and knew the bike since '02. The hard bags were what sealed the deal....even if I didn't want to keep them, I'd be able to sell them I figured and get some $$ back.
Hey there, Indyfour.....Nice looking bike (and nice low miles too)! I was originally looking for a yellow 2000, but ended up going with a red 98 instead in october. I had an 06 previously and love the 98 just as much, except for the lack of good looking hard cases. So i am extremely jealous of your Beetle bags. I'll probably end up going with some soft bags for the 98.....
I used to live in the Indy/carmel/noblesville area (I tend to move around alot) until last year when I moved to Lafayette for a new job. What side of indy are you on? We should try to get some of the VFRs in the area together for some rides this summer. I know there are some more around. I'll be passing through indy at least a couple weekends a month on my way to Southern Indiana on my searches for curves :)
Hey there Higgin. I live on the near-East side of Indy (Irvington area) but work up in Westfield. I'm always up for a ride. Don't really know any VFR owners as I'm more into the vintage bike scene. I got this VFR as more of a long distance/highway bike.....my other ride is a '74 CB550. I have done group rides with some of the local folks from the SOHC4.net forum....most of which have modern rides as well, but no VFRs that I know of.
Yeah, always up for a ride. Let's get rid of this cold first and lets hook up for some S. Indiana twisties.
Don't worry the yellow will grow on you. It's the rarest of the VFRs. At least that sounds cool when you say it. I've had mine for almost 4 years and have put just under 43,000 worry-free miles on it. I'm approaching 62,000. Really look at the 5th gen part of this forum. There are a few things that will need to be tended to on the bike, but after that, it should be a solid ride. It's comfortable and fast and just puts a smile on your face when you're riding.
Don't worry the yellow will grow on you. It's the rarest of the VFRs. At least that sounds cool when you say it. I've had mine for almost 4 years and have put just under 43,000 worry-free miles on it. I'm approaching 62,000. Really look at the 5th gen part of this forum. There are a few things that will need to be tended to on the bike, but after that, it should be a solid ride. It's comfortable and fast and just puts a smile on your face when you're riding.
Have fun,
YellowFuzz
Good to hear.....yeah I keep hearing about how these bikes are pretty bullet proof. My old CB is pushing 40 yrs old.....says lots for Honda quality.
I'm on my way out to garage to get to work on the VFR today.....on the to-do list for today is change clutch and brake fluids and change the coolant. Fun times.
Well, today I drained and replaced the coolant, replaced and bled the clutch fluid, and topped off the battery with some distilled water. Will have to do the brakes another day.
So do you think the clutch fluid change was overdue? geesh....and this is diluted down from bleeding the new fluid. :rolleyes:
Hey, I downloaded the Honda shop manual, but don't have a regular owners manual that I know of...unless it's hiding somewhere. Where would I look to find the tool kit? I looked around under the seat and didn't see any obvious place where it would hide.
Hi - nice 5th gen. - While your checking things you might as well do the quick electric system check. Your bike is around the mileage when things go "boom". 5th gen electrics werent that well designed.
-Do a voltage at the battery with a multimeter - idle, 5000rpm to check output and the R/R.
- Quick check stator resistance across the pins, should be less than 1 ohm.
-Check each pin to ground, should be infinity.
-And then, stator pin to pin, alternating current 17ish volts at idle, climbing up to 60 + at revs. A to B, B to C, C to A.
-- Oh yeah, do a battery load test, first and use fully charged battery for your tests.
Also - look at all the connections for corrosion.....
The toolkit on my 98 is right under the seat, pretty much right in the middle, in a little pouch. If you didn't see it when you took the seat off, you are either blind or its missing :happy: :happy:
And $3400 for that bike with the beetle bags seems like a very very good deal to me, assuming everything is in decent working order. I believe those bags typically go for $6-700 here in the VFRD classifieds. So nice find! Makes me wish I would of waited a few months so that I could of snatched it up, lol.
Well it appears that the Toolkit is MIA. Oh well, guess I'll put that on the search list. Are there any model-specific tools in there that I need or will a generic tool kit do?
I spent the entire evening changing the brake fluid. What a huge PITA. These connected brakes sure make it a prolonged task. Everything came out fine. Brake fluid change was way overdue.
Interestingly, it appears that my linked/connected brakes are not functioning properly. Lever stops only the front wheel....pedal stops only the back wheel. All the parts appear to be stock. Is there a specific component in the system that would be the culprit? Everything bled like it should for what it's worth. I've never had a bike with linked/connected brakes, so it's not something I'll miss I suppose.
As I go through the bike, I am making a list of missing connectors and parts needed. Add brake pads to the list....they're about done. :rolleyes:
Well it appears that the Toolkit is MIA. Oh well, guess I'll put that on the search list. Are there any model-specific tools in there that I need or will a generic tool kit do?
About the only thing you will miss is the pin spanner thingy to adjust the chain - other than that, about everthing else can be handled with any mechanics tools.
Search for "2000 VFR owner's manual" on Google and you should find a link to a pdf from Italy I think. That's the best I've found. If you find a USA model online (for free) let us know. If you can't find the download, PM me and I'll send it to you.
End of thread · 30 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 30 Jul 2012
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/indyboy03/IMAG0569.jpg){kind=link}
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/indyboy03/IMAG0577.jpg){kind=link}