Hello fellow veefers! I wanted to post how much I enjoy reading this site. I check daily for any new posts since my 2007 vfr 800 is my very first bike. I know as I have heard from others that I should have started out with a smaller bike but I fell in love with this cycle and no other cycle met the all around requirements that I was looking for. The more I read and researched the more I wanted it. The clincher was when I stumbled onto this site and read how much other owners absolutely obsessed over it. So I perused ebay and motorcycle.com and could not find one that was close to me. I live in Leawood, KS a small burb of KC. I was about to pull the trigger on an 07 rwb in North Carolina and I checked craigslist one last time and found and 07 rwb with heli bars and stock side bags for $6,600 with 2,900 miles on it. It was only 30 mins south of me so I went to look at it the next day.
Here is the real kicker, I did not have my license yet so I could not test ride. I had the owner start it and watched and listened to him ride it down the street. It sounded sweet and paid him the down payment and the next day(may of 2012) met him at my bank to transfer the title and the rest of the funds. I trusted this guy as he was a motorcycle fanatic and could tell he kept all of his machines in immaculate condition. His reason for selling it was that he has a bad back and could only ride it for no more than 30 mins at a time before his back hurt. His regular ride is a Goldwing but wanted something sportier and faster so he found this but just could not get comfortable enough on it. His loss, my gain.
So the next step was to wait and take the MSF course in three weeks and the class could not come any faster. In the mean time, I went to the local cycle dealership and bought the safety gear(helmet, jacket and gloves). Took the course and was amazed that they kicked some people out since they just could not handle the cycle. I am glad they have this course. This course should be required for every beginner. I learned so much more than I expected and frankly has made me a better driver. I plan on taking the second course in the next couple of months for the intermediate rider. I know I am no where near the level of riding time compared to the members on here but the more instruction I get the better I feel on the road. Anyway, sorry to ramble on but wanted to share my experiences so far with this site and looking to meet up with some of you guys this Sept in AR.
Welcome to the club! I learned on a brand new 700cc Nighthawk S. Approached it like you, starting with the MSF course. Keep aware of your surroundings, respect the bike, don't ride beyond your limits, and you'll be fine.
- You did the right thing with the MSF course. If you keep an open mind that you can always learn skills to get better, you should be fine. Become a sponge.
You are at the right place for all things VFR as you have discovered. I applaud your willingness to take a second intermediate rider course. I would encourage you not to stop there.
I learned to ride at age 46 in 2007. I learned on a smallish Kawi 500 Ltd, a standard. Next I rode a cruiser Kawi 900 for a year. Still relatively inexperienced, I fell across a 2004 VFR and purchased it upon first test ride. The next thing I did completely changed my riding, totally changed my understanding of cornering, and multiplied my enjoyment of motorcycling a hundred fold. I took a series of on-track professional instruction courses at the local track in Spokane put on by a local ex-racer and his coaches. That coupled with a few track days has given me the confidence and skill to operate a performance oriented motorcycle with safety and incredible amounts of fun. Welcome to the addiction!
Guys thanks for the welcomes and the advice. Just realized I described my bike as a rwb, should be rb...still trying to catch onto the slang on this site. A little background info: Married and a father of two kids: boy- 7 y/o and girl 10 y/o. Bought the bike last year when I was 42. Lots of reasons to ride as safe as possible. Have known more bicycle riders that have died throughout my life than motorcyclists. Best friend from grade school started riding at 14 and continues to this day on a Kaw zx6 I believe.
Raced road bicycles, rode across Oklahoma and Colorado. Experienced Mountain bicyclist and probably took way more risk riding on very technical trails in my younger years before kids.
Any way 2thdr, I noticed you live in Yukon, I grew up in Tulsa and went to OU. If i ever ride my vfr down there, I'll let you know.
" I checked craigslist one last time and found and 07 rwb with heli bars and stock side bags for $6,600 with 2,900 miles on it."
Welcome and fantastic find! I rode for about 7 years before the Air Force forced me to take the basic rider course. I didn't think there was anything to learn - boy was I wrong. Make sure you take the experienced rider course too after you get use to the VFR. Finding your VFR with the bags is a huge plus as those things don't come cheap. - and if you're going to be on this site, you better get use to a gentle ribbing from people every now and then....
LIKE THIS! --- You don't have an '07 rwb as stated. You have the much more favored and clearly more attractive red!
Mailman, your absolutely right, that's what's makes this site great about the ribbing. These posts are very entertaining to read, breaks up the day in the office when I read these posts!
2thdr- I've been looking into track days in Topeka. Probably next year after I get some more time and riding courses in.
Personally, for me, I don't know if I can make this happen until May, but at SOME point this year, I'm going up there.
Glad to hear you're wanting to come to the Hog Tie in AR, that ride was a BLAST last year. Just remember, while they're not the most technical roads in the nation (just ask the guys out east), they are a LOT of fun. You're more than welcome to come, just make sure you find a group that you're comfortable with and that has a pace you'll enjoy. There will be lots of opportunity there to work on some skills (and have a few beers and some laughs if so inclined), but riding within your limits is the key to enjoying any event.
Welcome to VFRD!
End of thread · 10 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 31 Jul 2013