The Ultimate Vfr

The new VFR is growing on me and I would move heaven and earth to buy one, if it had just a few more things. I want a 120 hp, gear driven motor with a gp style exhaust to show off the rear wheel and keep the weight down, like the CBR's. A fully-adjustable suspension, with an inverted front fork, in the current 8th Generation package. I guy can dream. Is there anything else that I'm missing?

:schla15:  snore..............

:goofy:

The new VFR is growing on me and I would move heaven and earth to buy one, if it had just a few more things. I want a 120 hp, gear driven motor with a gp style exhaust to show off the rear wheel and keep the weight down, like the CBR's. A fully-adjustable suspension, with an inverted front fork, in the current 8th Generation package. I guy can dream. Is there anything else that I'm missing?

Sounds like a winner

Why USD forks on a sports tourer? What do they bring that is so special that they're worth the extra cos you can guarantee that any manufacturer will add a premium to a price because of them.

Genuine question. I realise they're a must on race bikes, and for street cred I guess you must have them on the latest fashion sports bikes, but a ST?

Lost  my train  of  thought ..

What is the obsession with the whole gear driven cams thing? I mean really, what practical advantage would gear driven cams have over modern chain driven ones...?

What is the obsession with the whole gear driven cams thing? I mean really, what practical advantage would gear driven cams have over modern chain driven ones...?

Nothing's wrong with a modern chain driven valvetrain..........if only Honda can ever figure out how to finally design a CCT that will stay silent. Heck, pretty much all my dad's bikes (except for his Goldwings which had a dry belt valve drive with idler wheels) in the 70's had their CCTs make a racket after a few thousand miles.... why it still happens today with their bikes is ridiculous.....

Ride the bike that Honda sells ya.

Or go all Frankenstein on it.

Your call. :beer:

Seem to me like ur asking for an Aprilia RSV4 :D
I honestly dont see the obsession with USD/inverted forks. If u have a good set of 3 way fully adjustable convetional forks, you're good to go.
Before my '00 5th VFR, i had an '06 CBR600RR with fully adjustable USD forks and buddy of mine had an '04 CBR600RR which had fully adjustablr coventional forks and i could swear they're both just as good.
As fork gear driven cams vs chain and CCT, i havent owned a honda bike with a chain driven cams that didnt meed CCT replaced quite often and never did well without an aftermarket manual tensioner, maybe they just need to throw a manual tensioner in new honda bikes and save us both the hassle, time and money :/

What is the obsession with the whole gear driven cams thing? I mean really, what practical advantage would gear driven cams have over modern chain driven ones...?

Gear driven cams allow more precise valve timing control then chain driven cams....


And they sound so much cooler than a rattling chain!

Why?

cos they are beautiful!!!!

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[image: duesenberg-w-24-gears.jpg]

Why?

cos they are beautiful!!!!

[image: duesenberg-w-24-gears.jpg]

MOTHER OF GEARS!!!!

Gears, gears, gears, ,,,,, they're beautiful, sounds awesome, no maintenance. never had chain driven cam bikes that didn't whine and needed CCT change too soon

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Why USD forks on a sports tourer? What do they bring that is so special that they're worth the extra cos you can guarantee that any manufacturer will add a premium to a price because of them.
 
Genuine question. I realise they're a must on race bikes, and for street cred I guess you must have them on the latest fashion sports bikes, but a ST?

Because they give you a more precise handling bike and better tyre wear by flexing less particularly when you're carrying extra weight such as luggage and pillions. The reduced flexing also aids braking performance during hard braking manoeuvres where the ABS might cut in. It's a bit of a myth that USDs are all about razor sharp handling for race bikes, they are but they offer other advantages too IME and IMHO. Flame away VFRers...

Those gears look awesome...wow

Duesenberg......  :beer:

Why?

[image: duesenberg-w-24-gears.jpg]

It's a hidden Mickey Mouse engine!!!

I'd like shaft drive and enough hose/cable length to put some UJM style high bars on. Oh, and an electric windscreen would be nice.

I'd like shaft drive and enough hose/cable length to put some UJM style high bars on. Oh, and an electric windscreen would be nice.

might as well get ST1300 or an FJR1300 ? :comp13:

We want a cup holder Honda!!......A cup holder........Really we do!! :rolleyes:

I'd like shaft drive and enough hose/cable length to put some UJM style high bars on. Oh, and an electric windscreen would be nice.

.......that's what she said ;) ............

Lost  my train  of  thought ..

Is  that  the front  of  her  or  the  back  of  her,  hard  to  tell  ..

Because they give you a more precise handling bike and better tyre wear by flexing less particularly when you're carrying extra weight such as luggage and pillions. 

Care to quantify that? Better tyre wear with USD forks, how does that work? The inverse is theoretically possible with the more flexible a fork & chassis is the less transient stresses placed on the tyre. But a measurable difference? No. Tyres are way more flexible than either RWU or USD forks. Tyres are the first element of the front suspension with sidewall flex (especially in corners) dealing with surface harshness before its passed to the fork. Tyres have to be flexible to work, with the contact patch flattening against the road surface to increase the footprint then returning to the round as the wheel rolls on. There is a theoretical argument that a less stiff fork reduces chatter at very high lean angles. This is why MotoGP bikes have top triple clamps machined to allow enough lateral flex that the uber stiff race USD forks have taken away.  Chatter rapidly increases front tyre wear & kills grip, but we are talking slick shod race bikes here. Not ST bikes with road tyres.  

The reduced flexing also aids braking performance during hard braking manoeuvres where the ABS might cut in.

How? As above theoretically the more flexible a fork is the lower the transient peaks experienced by the tyre so the less likely it is to lock over surface irregularities. Thats the theory at least, but in real life? We are talking road bikes on road tyres here not MotoGP bikes with carbon/carbon brakes pulling up from 320km/h at Mugello. Do you have any hard science in the difference flex under maximum braking on road-bikes with road tyres between USD & RWU forks? Time for some metrics Royston. (VFR800 vs VFR1200 would be a good place to start.) My 2 cents worth? Not enough difference to measure, let alone effect feel or performance.

It's a bit of a myth that USDs are all about razor sharp handling for race bikes, they are but they offer other advantages too IME and IMHO. 

Coffee shop appeal is a consideration & if the lack of USD forks is a purchase inhibitor for you then its a real issue for you, irrespective of the views of others.  But at least have a level of self awareness that this heightened prejudice, even before riding the bike, is a matter of taste & stop justifying it with faux science.

Faux science???..... Coffee shop appeal...... really????

Not talking to newbe riders/VFR owners here you know....... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I'd like shaft drive and enough hose/cable length to put some UJM style high bars on. Oh, and an electric windscreen would be nice.

might as well get ST1300 or an FJR1300 ? :comp13:

Knock 200 pounds off and I would. Again.

Faux science???..... Coffee shop appeal...... really????

Not talking to newbe riders/VFR owners here you know....... :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

+1

I'd like shaft drive and enough hose/cable length to put some UJM style high bars on. Oh, and an electric windscreen would be nice.

might as well get ST1300 or an FJR1300 ? :comp13:

Knock 200 pounds off and I would. Again.

they don't actually feel that heavy, specially the fjr, feels light, quick and nimble of the line. but I suspect the extra weight would be exhausting to maneuver around stop/go traffic, commuting or everyday riding though

Nice gears Dutchy. I especially like the first one. Looks like an MC Escher gear set. :happy:

Ah... You know your classics.!!!! :-)

What is the obsession with the whole gear driven cams thing? I mean really, what practical advantage would gear driven cams have over modern chain driven ones...?

Nothing's wrong with a modern chain driven valvetrain..........if only Honda can ever figure out how to finally design a CCT that will stay silent. Heck, pretty much all my dad's bikes (except for his Goldwings which had a dry belt valve drive with idler wheels) in the 70's had their CCTs make a racket after a few thousand miles.... why it still happens today with their bikes is ridiculous.....

Eggs Zachary! Honda should just say, "Y'know, we're really crap at camchain tensioners - let's buy them from Suzuki, or work out how to make a quieter gear-driven cam system!"
I've had 7 or 8 Hondas, and the only ones I didn't have CCT problems with were three: a two-stroke, and two VFRs with gear-driven cams.

As for USD forks - I don't care! My customised Showa/Ohlins/Racetech front forks and Elka/Ohlins rear shock are good enough for me. :491:

USD forks are cool, yes, but normal forks has still plenty to give. There is radial brake callippers! The brakes get top ratings, and the engine power is just enought for most I think. But why do you have to remove the passenger seat and grabb rails to mount the passenger seat cover? Thats a bit unpractical I think.

You dont have to remove the grab handles to install the rear seat cowl, but in my opinion the handles are impractical and got in the way of the cargo net that I use, so I took them off. 

i thought the point of USD forks to reduce unsprung weight by having the lighter stanchions at the bottom , and to improve the strength and rigidity of the assembly by having the strong large-diameter "sliders" clamped in
the yokes.

But on the off chance I blow a fork seal id much rather have a "standard" fork leaking rather then a USD pissing all its oil onto the front wheel/brake disk area.

Warning, be careful what you wish for!! I have what sounds like the ultimate "VFR" in my garage, It has upside down forks, an extra circa 50 hp, circa 50 lbs lighter and handles like no other, but I prefer my Honda for long rides

Well, USD forks look sexier, so that's one thing.  :wink:

Gear-driven vs. chain-driven cams...I'd rather have gears, but this is a pretty minor thing in the big picture.  One of my CCTs has been clacking for quite awhile now.  Yes, it's annoying, but since I wear earplugs most of the time anyway I don't even notice it much.  (By the way, using a different oil can make a small difference.)

I've not ridden one yet, but from what I've read the 8th gen. is definitely a step up from the 6th.  And I love my 6th gen, so that's not just bias talking.  Is the 8th gen. the ultimate VFR?  No.  Most of us would like the things already mentioned earlier in this thread, but at least Honda put some real improvements into the new bike - some of which we've been asking for since the late '90s.