Thinking Of Buying A 96' Vfr As My First Bike.

Anyway, I started riding in the dirt at age 14 and on the road at age 16. I am probably the last guy who has any insight whatsoever on beginning riding as an adult. Be smart! You CAN be smart on a 4th Gen VFR. That's about all I can offer.

I will 7th Tightwad and the VFRness.  As for suspension, I don't think you'll even notice it was designed for a 150 pound rider, so that can wait.  But it should be on the to do list in about a year.

Asking if its a good first bike . . . I've always said a motorcycle is like giving a 17 y/o a Corvette, it can unlock your inner idiot.  So how idiotic are you?  I was fairly idiotic, and promptly crashed my first bike at speed.  You will have a 150 mph bike under you. If you have some discipline, you might drop it but parking lot speeds are embarrassing, triple digits are deadly.  Double digits can be deadly.

I predict (me and my crystal ball over here) that if you buy a 250ish, you'll enjoy it, but you will be limited to how far you want to ride.  At 70 mph, you'll be close to the 100 top speed, and you'll he happy to use it as a short commuter.  The VFR will beg to go on longer rides, and IF YOUR SMART, you'll have a blast  ATGATT.  Only two fingers on the front brake.  READ.  Twist of the Wrist and The Pace.  ATGATT.  It's important enough to mention twice.

For thought, I rode a Ninja 650 and it was stupid easy to ride slow.  Less and cheaper plastic to break.  Plan on dropping your first bike,  It you don't, super.  When you do, you thought you would eventually anyways.  If you'll be devastated because she rolled over on you, find a naked or endure bike.  In AZ, I think an endure would be pretty awesome.  But don't let me scare you away from the VFR.  If your cautious and relatively athletic, there are far worse bikes than this as a first.

Disclaimer: my first real bike was a FZR400.  Pretty small and light, but didn't hit it's power band until 12k rpm.  I wasn't skilled enough to really enjoy this bike,  After I had that for about I year, I sold it and bought a 3rd gen VFR.  She still exceeds my skill level, but she is a delightful companion that I can ride up to Monterey, and enjoy the canyons on the way.

Good morning!

Had to do a bit of math in the morning, converting to metric...

120kg is one hefty load for the oem suspension, so ask your friend if the front and rear springs were upgraded.

( :offtopic:  120kg at 1,85meter tall would be considered a too heavy load on your body in in the Netherlands :goofy:  )

So size wise/strength wise you will be able to handle the bike, So do invest in learning the technique of handling and braking, that is even more important

Did I already mention to get a bicycle? :goofy:

For that is one thing I just realised....  any dutch person will have been riding bicycles from the age of 5 or so. so when it comes to learning to ride a motorcylce, the physics of cornering (and knowing how much a fall hurts..) in engrained in the brain. for all I know it is in our genes by now....

If you are smitten with the 4th gen (I was/am), do not haggle for every last $, he is your colleague and you consider him a friend.

Cheers  :beer:

With veefer. At your weight, you are going to need to get bigger springs, especially once you add on the weight of the gear. The OEM suspension was designed for a japanese guy who weighed 150 sopping wet. 

I might still look at a dual sport, 400-650cc. The thumpers have plenty of torque all over. But $1700 is a fair price if everything is running and in order. Not like you would have kept the stock anchor exhaust anyways.

You should learn to ride on the street the same way I did, on a 2 stroke KX125 LOL!!   I'm sure some profanities were spewed by the police when they saw me turn off the road onto a heavily wooded trail to never be seen again for that day.

Rollin

Obviously, he's gonna buy the bike (or one like it).  In other contexts, this phenomenon is known as "beer goggles"... :wink:

But is it objectively a "good idea" to buy a 4th-gen VFR as a first bike?  Not really.  As has been mentioned, it's a fairly top-heavy bike, so it will catch out the inexperienced--almost guaranteed.

It also may be very discouraging for a new rider when his "new" bike's electrical gremlins rear their ugly little heads--which is a near certainty on a 4th-gen unless someone has already addressed all of the potential issues.  People often don't...which is one reason why they sell their 4th gens!  We've seen this very scenario (newbie buys somebody's headache) play out numerous times right here on this forum.  Hard to watch...but certainly harder to experience first hand!

I'd also add that, while the VFR750 can certainly do run-around-town duty, that's not its strength.  There are other bikes that will do a better job at that.  Get a VFR if you want to get your motor runnin', head out on the highway, lookin' for adventure and whatever comes your way... :cool:

Ciao,

Thanks again guys,

Even though it may seem like I was jet-set on buying a VFR, if its not a good bike to learn on or it has known problems, then no matter the price its not for me.

I have been doing some more reserch, and although I started my reserch at 2500cc range, I think for my weight and so that I do not out grow something to quickly a 300cc+ would be better for me.

I now Have my eye on a new CBR500R or a Ninja 300 ... Both seem like a perfect balances between learner and super sport.

Thoughts?

The CBR has ABS, a great plus in my book. Not just for a learner.

Thanks again guys,

Even though it may seem like I was jet-set on buying a VFR, if its not a good bike to learn on or it has known problems, then no matter the price its not for me.

I have been doing some more reserch, and although I started my reserch at 2500cc range, I think for my weight and so that I do not out grow something to quickly a 300cc+ would be better for me.

I now Have my eye on a new CBR500R or a Ninja 300 ... Both seem like a perfect balances between learner and super sport.

Thoughts?

 Don't buy a new bike. There are plenty of used bikes to be had, and the previous owners have already taken the depreciation hit for you.

 I'm 6' 210, and I started on a ZX600A. It was pretty much perfect IMHO. That old bike taught me a lot about how to be smooth. I then moved to a very top-heavy, and low-end-torquey litre bike which I lowsided, and totaled. I then got the VFR which was the bike I wanted originally. I am thankful that I had the experience of the other bikes because now I know what to do with the VFR, and I didn't have to destroy one to get there.

 As for the commute anything under 10 miles one way is going to be very hard on any vehicle. Either drive something you don't care about or ride a bicycle. The latter will be better for your overall health, and your wallet.

A used 250 cc to a 500 cc starter bike is the way to go. I don't recommend a 600 Supersport, but I am a huge fan of the Suzuki 650 v-twin, which has more torque. The naked Suzuki 650- not the SV650S, which has an extreme riding position. But the smaller Ninja is a great bike, too. I think you are making a good decision. You can get in and get out on a used small bike without any financial loss. And these smaller lightweight bikes are much easier to ride for the MSF course and your endorsement.

i stand by my original statement..

 get the vfr. 

 take off the body..

 add some frame sliders and a round head light..

 put a 1000 or 2 miles on it..

if you still like it. and haven't dropped it in the last 800 miles. put the body on and love it for life,

you already know how to ride .ssheeeshh

 you just have to get used to the the bike on the road. :cool:

gll429 is right, take the body panels off and see how you find it. Or just go ahead and throw some frame sliders on to it. You can get them from R&G and they'll protect it pretty well along with a set of levers that can bend back if you drop them, they're available on ebay for peanuts from China and the quality is decent.

The VFR engine is pretty powerful for someone's first bike so do take it easy. I learned to ride on a 125 for a year because that teaches you a lot about keeping the speed up and spotting every opportunity and every danger very quickly. That all makes for a more enjoyable experience on the bigger bikes cos if you can do well on the small ones then the big ones ain't gonna be a problem!

Did he buy the bike yet? It's three weeks since original post...

One thing to consider - motorcycles are not 'economical.'  If you look at prices of them vs. a car even a hundred years ago they never really were. A Prius carrying four people and luggage gets better mileage. VFRs are class 14 in insurance (up there). If you want economy get a bicycle or CRF230L or a Corolla or the same vintage as the used VFR. If you want to learn to ride and go out on weekends and build skills and meet people and have fun get the VFR (and some riding gear) - but be mentally prepared to drop/dent/fold/spindle/mutilate it. It's kinda inevitable.

I agree and disagree on the economy issue...

THe way I see it is that a Prius would get better mileage but the VFR, for relatively similar mileage, has the performance of a Porsche or Ferrari, quite literally. 

 It's not just about mileage. There are many other expenses involved in motorcycling that eclipse any money saved on fuel consumption. If my commute was straight, and boring I'd just drive my truck at 15MPG, and save money in the long run while sipping my coffee, and listening to the stereo safe in my cage.