2014 Middleweight Shootout - Make Mine A Vfr

I still like the VFR even though the Kawi Ninja 1000 is tempting. The VFR is still more fun on the twisties.

http://www.motorcycl...g-Shootout.aspx

it seems to me, having read that a few days ago, that the riders involved are not your average VFR rider. That Kawasaki is capable but in bad taste.

I reckon that once have been riding -and enjoying- a V4, going "back" to a i-4 would be difficult.

My brother (ST1100) rode a new Ninja 1000 for 2 days en found the engine very/too buzzy, silly fast and ergonomics horrible (esp the wind buffeting)

Can't compare them. Very different. Too different. I could describe just how different they are but, as the saying goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say....."

I neglected to mention, there is a flaw with the comparison in that the Kaw was fitted with aftermarket PR4's while the VFR still had the OEM 222's. So no validity to the braking test and ride quality comments.

I neglected to mention, there is a flaw with the comparison in that the Kaw was fitted with aftermarket PR4's while the VFR still had the OEM 222's. So no validity to the braking test and ride quality comments.

Good  catch  !!

I'm biased toward VFRs, but I'll stick my two cents in anyway...

Of course the Ninja 1000 is going to have a stronger engine than the VFR -- it has more than 20% higher displacement than the VFR!  Duh.  I love how they kept harping on it, too.  Jeez.  It might be nice not to have to keep the revs up and still have good power in the twisties, but for me part of the fun of sportriding is in fact keeping the revs up.  To me this is not a drawback to the VFR800.

Personally, I want to love how my motorcycle looks, and while the Kaw. is decent looking, it simply does not compare to the VFR.  It's like Kaw. has gone out of their way to make the front of their sportbikes insect-like.  It just looks weird to me.

Looks aside, the engine buzz from the Kaw. would probably be the deal-killer for me.  They've battled buzzy engines on the Z1000 since they started making them.  It's no surprise to me the Ninja 1k would suffer from the same thing.

As for ergonomics, many people mod their bikes with bar-risers and lower foot pegs.  But maybe the writers have never heard of that...  :sad:

I read in the comments that they couldn't get a BMW F800GT for the test.  I wish they had tried harder to get one, even if it was a privately owned bike.

I'm biased toward VFRs, but I'll stick my two cents in anyway...

Of course the Ninja 1000 is going to have a stronger engine than the VFR -- it has more than 20% higher displacement than the VFR!  Duh.  I love how they kept harping on it, too.  Jeez.  It might be nice not to have to keep the revs up and still have good power in the twisties, but for me part of the fun of sportriding is in fact keeping the revs up.  To me this is not a drawback to the VFR800.

Personally, I want to love how my motorcycle looks, and while the Kaw. is decent looking, it simply does not compare to the VFR.  It's like Kaw. has gone out of their way to make the front of their sportbikes insect-like.  It just looks weird to me.

Looks aside, the engine buzz from the Kaw. would probably be the deal-killer for me.  They've battled buzzy engines on the Z1000 since they started making them.  It's no surprise to me the Ninja 1k would suffer from the same thing.

As for ergonomics, many people mod their bikes with bar-risers and lower foot pegs.  But maybe the writers have never heard of that...  :sad:

I read in the comments that they couldn't get a BMW F800GT for the test.  I wish they had tried harder to get one, even if it was a privately owned bike.

+1 Well said. Personally, the idea of a 1,000 cc bikes scare me. V4 800 just right; not too hot, not too cold. And oooooh those GDCs and V4 roar at 8,500 rpm! Not much compares.

For me, small-sized, the ergonomics are perfect. I've tried Heli Bars and lowered pegs; not nearly the feeling of control in the twisties compared to stock. Honda engineers got that part just right also.

And we do belong to a cult: V4 motorcycles are not an every-other mc sighting. We've drunk the cool-aid and nothing else compares. IMHO.  :wheel: