Hi all, been a long time since I've visited here. Like the new site
After being robbed of my 04 VFR8 by an Evil Murderous Kangaroo about 2 years ago, I've been riding about on my Daytona (yes, ok, life's tough, lol) trying to decide what to do. I am right at the point that even though I love the Daytona, it isn't the bike that suits me and how I want to ride.
So I'm looking at selling up and switching back to VFR. Love to keep both again, but the Boss has other ideas, and to be honest I can't store both under cover. I am perfectly happy to go out and find a 6th gen again, but I wondered what the general opinion are about 8th gen, now that they have been out for several years. I have ridden one but found little to mark it out as different from the 6th gen, some gadgets and styling choices not withstanding.
Are there any consistent problems with the 8th gen? I'm well aware of most of the 6th gen (which to be honest I never really suffered with in 161,000km) quibbles, but a quick read through the forums here doesn't seem to highlight any with the newer bike. I'm thinking of things like the VTEC stutter, or the pair gains thing.
I have a very short list of bikes at the moment, the 6th and 8th gen VFR8 and the Ninja 1000 has just slipped into the running as well. Any thoughts.
What am I looking for? Something a little less highly strung than the Daytona, though to be honest she's very easy to live with - but my riding is mostly commuting on highways and larger roads (not city centre). Something that is a better mile eater, something that I can fit more luggage to. I've tried trackdays and hated it, I prefer exploring new roads and directions, not 500 times up and down the same road just pushing the limits. ADV and Nakeds are not being considered.
Love my 8 gen, a lot more relaxed than my street triple. I tested the ninja and it's a good bike except I found the screen noisy in any position, rear brake weak, and very buzzy over 7000 revs, loved the rest of it. Gen 8 ticked alll the boxes for me and came with the fabulous luggage.
Check out this guys 6th gen for sale here. http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/6103807190.html This is the way i would love to have mine set up. I have the same year but would trade for this one without any second thoughts.
I currently have both an 08 Vtec and 15 VFR800X Crossrunner which is the same engine as the new F-model. I'm surprised you see little difference between the 2 as I think they are quite distinct engines; the new engine is smoother, better low down, more torque and an almost unnoticeable Vtec kick, even when compared to my super smooth 08. Linked brakes have gone and it has TC also. The new engine feels to me like the best compromise between the older Fi engine (pre-Vtec) and the Vtec>
If I had enough money for either, I know which I would choose (and did).
The 08 is for sale. Best of luck with your decision and search. :beer:
I really like my 8th gen (see link to my 8th gen VFR motovlog in my sig below) but I've never ridden a previous generation so I have no basis to compare it to prior generations. FWIW, motorcycle.com said in their review of the 8th gen that it was "better than ever", link: http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/honda/2014-honda-interceptor-review-first-ride.html
I'm noticing a lot of cross-pollination on this forum recently between the Daytona and the 8th gen VFR. Tredmkv just traded his Daytona for a VFR and ragtop bought a Daytona after his VFR got stolen - see their threads linked below:
Definitely go for the 8th gen. It is a better bike all around, and you can probably find a brand new one for the same price as a used 6th gen! (in the US, some are selling for just over half the original MSRP price).
I went from a 6th gen to the 8th gen with no regrets.
I now have over 18k miles on the 8th gen with zero problems.
I really like my 8th gen. Plus they look a little smaller in size compared to the 6th gen. Also you can get leftovers super cheap. Another thing to consider is insurance . The Ninja 1000 is quite a bit more than the vfr. Also lacks the v4 character which is what I wanted.
I've had two 675s and loved them to pieces. I swapped my 09 Vtec for 14 800FE and it's up there as a favourite bike with the 675s. The handling is all round better on the FE and the acceleration is smoother.
So which would I have out of the 3 models. FE without a doubt. Great bike and miles better than the Vtec. All it takes is a test ride to make your own mind up.
Ok, first test ride, a 2016 VFR800F. This bike only had 40km on it so it was tight. The seating position seemed really upright, but having not ridden a VFR in two years and having just stepped off the Daytona, that's kinda expected. Everything seems kinda the same as my recollection of my 04 pretty much. I like the LED headlights, but apart from that, it is (my opinion) the same bike, only a little uglier...
So no real surprises.
It's not a sure thing at this stage. I'm quite taken by the Ninja so plan to test it in the next couple of weeks. I also thought to try a MT09 Tracer and a Tiger Sport, though they are somewhat a little more longer in the suspension than I was originally thinking.
In the end, the option is still to see if I can pick up a 6th gen with topbox/panniers and go from there.
No "consistent problems" with the 8th gen. I consider it the best gen. yet having owned both the 5th and sixth gen. The 8th gen. does need a slip-on though. The factory muffler is a heavy, restrictive monster. VTEC transition is much improved but that never bothered me anyway. Get one and use non-ethanol gas in it for significant power increase. All VFR's tend to respond much better to real gasoline.
No "consistent problems" with the 8th gen. I consider it the best gen. yet having owned both the 5th and sixth gen. The 8th gen. does need a slip-on though. The factory muffler is a heavy, restrictive monster. VTEC transition is much improved but that never bothered me anyway. Get one and use non-ethanol gas in it for significant power increase. All VFR's tend to respond much better to real gasoline.
Need is relative. Lots of folks are OK with the stock can.
The Akrapovič is a nice swap, has the right stickers so no worries about noise nazis (an issue in the some places in the 'States, not sure about Down Under), is actually peddled by Honda themselves in some countries as an OEM upgrade, looks very nice, sounds good too without being asshole-loud, saves a bunch of weight, gives you a bit more power and smooths out the VTEC dip a bit more. Well worth the extra coin IMHO.
The ethanol remark reminds me, this summer I'm gonna do a real mileage test for E10 versus straight-up gasoline. Probably around mid/late June. Stay tuned...
Need is relative. Lots of folks are OK with the stock can.
The Akrapovič is a nice swap, has the right stickers so no worries about noise nazis (an issue in the some places in the 'States, not sure about Down Under), is actually peddled by Honda themselves in some countries as an OEM upgrade, looks very nice, sounds good too without being asshole-loud, saves a bunch of weight, gives you a bit more power and smooths out the VTEC dip a bit more. Well worth the extra coin IMHO.
The ethanol remark reminds me, this summer I'm gonna do a real mileage test for E10 versus straight-up gasoline. Probably around mid/late June. Stay tuned...
What's wrong with "asshole-loud"? 😃 Actually, see my new thread on this subject here:
Need is relative. Lots of folks are OK with the stock can.
The Akrapovič is a nice swap, has the right stickers so no worries about noise nazis (an issue in the some places in the 'States, not sure about Down Under), is actually peddled by Honda themselves in some countries as an OEM upgrade, looks very nice, sounds good too without being asshole-loud, saves a bunch of weight, gives you a bit more power and smooths out the VTEC dip a bit more. Well worth the extra coin IMHO.
The ethanol remark reminds me, this summer I'm gonna do a real mileage test for E10 versus straight-up gasoline. Probably around mid/late June. Stay tuned...
Why do you have have a pattern and obvious need to consistently come back with niggling little contradictory remarks on other people's posts? Enough is enough. Are you right all the time? Me thinks not. Other people are entitled to their opinions and they are just as worthy as your opinions. Not everyone likes Akrapovic or they would not have competition. How does that make you feel? Get it.
Bent Why do you have have a pattern and obvious need to consistently come back with niggling little contradictory remarks on other people's posts? Enough is enough. Are you right all the time? Me thinks not. Other people are entitled to their opinions and they are just as worthy as your opinions. Not everyone likes Akrapovic or they would not have competition. How does that make you feel? Get it.
Yea what he said, while Akrapovic make very high quality exhausts they're very expensive compared to others
If y'all want to hear "asshole-loud," come to south Louisiana and wait until a pickup truck passes, anything from a ratty Ford Ranger to a brand-new, $70k Denali.
Why do you have have a pattern and obvious need to consistently come back with niggling little contradictory remarks on other people's posts? Enough is enough. Are you right all the time? Me thinks not. Other people are entitled to their opinions and they are just as worthy as your opinions. Not everyone likes Akrapovic or they would not have competition. How does that make you feel? Get it.
You wrote "The 8th gen. does need a slip-on though."
I wrote that need is relative. Actually I meant to write subjective. Need implies that something is required, obligatory, crucial, essential. For the purposes of the motorcycle's operation and usability, a slip-on is hardly a dire necessity and for most people it amounts to nothing more than a desire.
I suggested the Akro because it is a nice can, light, well-engineered (read, doesn't sacrifice power in one place to gain it in another, not to mention doing a better job of smoothing the VTEC dip) and has the added benefit of still being street legal in most places, so you get the benefits of a slip-on without becoming public enemy number one. I know a few people with Akro's hardware and they've been quite happy with it. I always recommend it, have recommended it for prior models, and will probably continue to recommend it as long as their quality holds up. At the same time I am not denying others their personal preferences.
Aside of typing an unintended but still sufficiently descriptive adjective, there's nothing wrong with what I wrote. It was not an attack. It certainly was not anything that should get your panties all wadded up. I'm as entitled to my opinion as you are to yours. If you don't like my opinion, just skip past my posts. If you can't deal with people challenging your notions, well then maybe online forums aren't the place for you.
In the end, the option is still to see if I can pick up a 6th gen with topbox/panniers and go from there.
If your after a bike with a top box and panniers, you'd better stop looking at the Ninja then. it can't have both together OEM.
About the only problem I am aware off with the 8th gen over the 6th is the heavier clutch. For what ever reason, Honda put a smaller slave cylinder in the Hydraulic clutch on the 8th which means a heavier clutch. May or may not be an issue depending on your hand strength.
Personally for me, the only problem I have with my 2016 8th gen is that I can't ride it enough. :P
I echo what others have said, and although I have the VFR800X, it shares many commonalities with the 800FE as well as the same engine. I've ridden 5th & 6th Gen VFR's for over 200,000 miles and the new 800 knocks the socks off both previous models.
But that's just my opinion (along with a few others).
I have just bought the 2017 model, I had a 2015 and a 2009 model. In my opinion the new vfr feels lighter than the older Vtec, noticeably, slimmer profile and not having those exhausts under the sest I think transform the bikes handling and I loved the look of those undersest pipes but I think it has improved the handling ditching them. I also think the slimmer profile ot the front by moving the to a front radiator has helped the feel of the bike and in my opinion really improved the look of the bike. Difficult to think it's ugly over the older one, I also love the newer pipe on the 2017, sounds deeper and looks better. However if you want a loud pipe then that's probably still required. I put bar risers on mine and I love the feel of the bike, I even prefer it over my 15 model but I think that is because I am more comfortable with the bar risers and the exhaust note is just that bit better.
They are all brilliant and its it's easy to be biased but this is my own honest thoughts, I thought they had refined the 2014 model and sorted out the Vtec to be perfect and probably built the bike they maybe should have in 2002, but that's no disrespect to the older Vtec. I still Loved mine but I always thought it's handing was a bit heavy though I never really noticed anything major against the Vtec then, maybe mines was better, I know they improved it in 2006. All I would say is it is transparent now except for the lovely noise.
I love the new vfr, but I love all vfr's I also owned the 1200 for 3 years, another great bike, brilliant shaft drive and engine but it's not quite got the sports side that the smaller bike offers. I think the VFR800 is just one of the best road bikes you will ever ride, not silly in the power stakes, the newer model handles brilliantly in the corners and the power delivers smooth controllable power, lovely.
Lighter, slimmer, typical Honda superb build quality, GREAT looks, excellent fuel economy (generally getting over 400k's before re-fuelling), runs happily on standard Unleaded 91ron, OEM Paniers and fittment to bike Brilliant, nice handling, general servicing is easy, single swing arm makes for simple chain adjustment never mis-aligning front and rear sprockets, centre stand great, wouldn't have a bike without one. ABS, Traction control and five stage heated grips, nice new instrumentation, silky smooth positive gearbox, excellent LED Headlights, great reliability and durability etc,etc,etc.................. Gotta be one of the BEST Sports/Tourer ever built, great bang for your buck!
It also appears the days of Reg/Rect and Stator failures may be a thing of the past with its fancy new microprocessor controlled Reg/Rect device.
Oh YES, and as always, that beautiful 90deg Vee 4 engine and sound, just music to my ears!
My only small criticism is I personally find the suspension a little harsh no matter what the setting.
Lighter, slimmer, typical Honda superb build quality, GREAT looks, excellent fuel economy (generally getting over 400k's before re-fuelling), runs happily on standard Unleaded 91ron, OEM Paniers and fittment to bike Brilliant, nice handling, general servicing is easy, single swing arm makes for simple chain adjustment never mis-aligning front and rear sprockets, centre stand great, wouldn't have a bike without one. ABS, Traction control and five stage heated grips, nice new instrumentation, silky smooth positive gearbox, excellent LED Headlights, great reliability and durability etc,etc,etc.................. Gotta be one of the BEST Sports/Tourer ever built, great bang for your buck!
It also appears the days of Reg/Rect and Stator failures may be a thing of the past with its fancy new microprocessor controlled Reg/Rect device.
Oh YES, and as always, that beautiful 90deg Vee 4 engine and sound, just music to my ears!
My only small criticism is I personally find the suspension a little harsh no matter what the setting.
Cheers.
Grum.
All the things I should have said, absolutely bang on.
Thanks for all the positive comments everyone. Since writing this I have tried the Ninja 1000. I did like it, it felt a lot smoother than the VFR. However as Audible points out, you can't have the topbox and panniers at the same time. However, the main problem I found was that the seat was quite sore, even after about 10 mins and I still felt a bit sore 30mins AFTER I hopped off. And this was the 2017, which apparently has a more comfortable seat.
Realistically the VFR is still top dog. My budget will not stretch to a brand new one, but there is a good selection of 8th and 6th gen second hand to keep a look out for. I will try for the 8th gen.
However, I still want to try at least one of the Tiger Sport, MT09 Tracer or even the VFR800X before I decide.
End of thread · 33 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 3 Jul 2017
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