The plan was to ride mine to visit friends and family, plus weekend trips to nowhere,
but currently I can’t get it running appropriately so I just sit on it and make bike noises... the thought of touring fast.
I needed soemthjng that could tour with camping gear, and if it ran well it would do that great. I wanted to be able to drag pegs too because sport riding is fun! But I can’t keep it below 225*F so I don’t want to ride it when it’s hot out.
But I can’t keep it below 225*F so I don’t want to ride it when it’s hot out.
Ouch. Low speed running thru my neighborhood commuting, I often see 210, but never up to 225, and it's hot out down here as well. I assume you've posted asking where to look for a solution? I wish I had one to offer ...
I have two VFRs and each has a purpose for me. My 6 Gen is primarily my commuter/tourer. I use it to go to jobsites when I’m called out to commission systems and I use it for long touring rides. For the most part I’m solo on it but it is the bike my wife like to ride with me on as it is more suited for her (top box with a back rest pad). Some of the mods I did were for comfort, I.e. Heli-bars, Sargent seat, MRA windscreen, and I also had the suspension modified by DMr with commuting/touring as my targeted riding type.
My 5 Gen I built it to be my “play” bike and i use it more for canyons and track time. Yeah, I could have and many say I should have, bought a CBR but I’ve never really been a CBR fan (for similar reasons stated above). Ironically, I got my 6 Gen first and when I had the opportunity to ride it more spirited, I wanted another VFR just just for fun. That’s when I decided to get the 5 Gen and dedicate it as my fun bike. In an other Irony up until a few months ago, my 6 Gen had more mods than the 5 Gen but that has now been remedied! Both bikes are now pretty equal with exhaust, suspension and tuning nods.
Although I have done many canyon rides and even track days in my 6 Gen, I try to leave it for my intended purpose of its use but it’s not a hard set rule as it is a fun bike and like mentioned by others, comfortable enough to ride all day! With that said, I did take it to the track this past weekend and almost killed it! Not because I almost crashed but my water pump began to leak. I won’t hijack this thread but can tell you that the temp gauge was flashing 255F! When I looked down at the dash on the front straight.
Sport touring, I guess. I don't eat a ton of highway miles, just to-from the canyons/mountains. It's more of a sport bike to me then, with the option to throw hard bags on and tour if needed.
2 hours ago, carlgustav
Ouch. Low speed running thru my neighborhood commuting, I often see 210, but never up to 225, and it's hot out down here as well. I assume you've posted asking where to look for a solution? I wish I had one to offer ...
ACE
As long as everything is in working order (tstat, fans, temp switch, the like,) the solution is to turn your temp display to ambient temp, and ride. 250F is overheat by Honda.
I bought my Gen 6 just because I’ve always wanted one, I didn’t really have a plan for it. After a 200 mike ride this weekend I’m not sure I want it for anything more than weekend riding. I have a Versys 650 LT that is substantially more comfortable, has much better range and better handling that I will use for touring.
Having just wrote all that I’m really enjoying my Interceptor and very happy with the purchase.
Basically my grocery getter.. LOL well I have. But I use the Viffer if its nice and it works out for just about anything if the weather and timing works out to use it. But i'm more incline to use it for those spirited mountain runs. and if and when I can get a week to do this, it's a great adventure exploring the back country roads.
I had a Versys 650 too and you are crazy to say it handles better than a VFR!
but glad you are enjoying it. It’s nice to have two bikes in the garage.
Don't think I'm crazy, from my experience the Gen 6 VFR is heavier and slower to turn into a corner and not as planted once it's over. It's also more sluggish when changing lanes or transitioning. I'm not saying it's bad at those things, it's a comparative statement. I had a test ride on a Gen 8 VFR and found that to be more planted and a bit more responsive than the my Gen 6. For what it's worth I have a Gen 3 Versys though I don't think that there is a major difference in handling characteristics between those models.
I'm on my 2nd VFR800. The first one was a 2001 5th Gen I rode for sport & sport-touring. I did a lot more of the latter because I had tons of vacation time. For true sport-touring (searching for twisty fun roads far from home), the VFR800 was the perfect tool--small and nimble enough to be fun in the twisties, yet big enough to carry reasonable luggage while providing very good wind & weather protection.
When I transitioned over to my 6th Gen my riding changed to mostly sport riding and commuting with only a yearly sport-tour. Two trips if I'm lucky enough to have the time. So my current VFR is 75% commuting, 20% sport riding, 5% sport-touring. I'm generally happy with my VFR for what I use it for. And she is beautiful. However, since I also have a CBR600rr for sport riding, I'm constantly reminded how much heavier and slower the VFR800 is. So every time I feel frisky & playful (which is most of the time) I always bring the CBR. And when I'm on the VFR, I wish I had the CBR. Except when when I'm covering hundreds of miles a day then I'm thankful for the VFR! When I'm commuting or sport-riding I always wish I was riding the CBR.
I've come to the conclusion that the amount of love (or lack of) for my VFR800 really depends on state of mind, and where I'm going. I'm generally impatient and always at the verge of being frisky when I'm riding. That's probably why I gravitate towards much sportier, faster bikes. I still love my VFR800 and there really are few bikes that provides or exceeds what the VFR brings to the table.
Since Honda doesn't want to bring us a 450 lbs. VFR800 with 105-110 rwhp., I might have to convert a sport bike into a "VFR-like" machine. Someone recently told me a GSXR750 (God help me!) with Helibars and lowered footpegs comes close to the ideal hybrid. Mmmmm......
Mostly touring, long distance. I just got back from a 6 day 2100 mile jaunt to the south, First day 600 miles then a bit shorter for the remainder. I have done a 740 mile day when I picked the bike up in eastern Iowa and headed west. About 5800 total before I hit Maine again. I was running Bridgestone S-20's when I bought it but when the S-21's came out I spooned them on, so when the bags come off, I can turn it on. Not a CBR or Gixxer, but not an embarrassment in the twistys either. I've put 32K since I bought it 5 years ago, and I work out of the country 6 months a year. Love my 4th gen.
Teeing up a softball, here I think! I bought this knowing I can only get one bike, and there is no other bike that can do it all; possible exception is a Triumph Sprint.
This year I've done an Ironbutt from Wichita to Kingman, AZ, and an about to do my 2nd track day. Zero disappointment in either. I put no fewer than 10k miles a year. It looks great and feels great. Living in the midwestern US, the heart of Harley country, when asked why I ride this instead of a Harley, I say, because MATH....It costs a quarter as much as a Harley, goes twice as fast, using a third the gas...No. Freaking. Brainer. Can I name any one bike that can beat the VFR in any one thing? Of course. May just be me, but can I name one other bike that can do it all? Um, no.
It's my commuter, I'd say 95% of my riding is backwards and forwards along the same roads 5 days a week. Occasional detour to the shops on my way home.
I did a little bit of commuter riding when I first got my VFR, but I started to feel like associating riding with work was spoiling the riding! That doesn't say much for my enthusiasm about my job, does it?
I do some sport touring and some sport riding... really though, I go after the same kind of roads either way. Sometimes there's a tailbag on the bike...
Do a 50mile round trip commute to work 3 -4 days a week on A- Dual Carriageway roads and motorway, usually at or above speed limit and occasional weekend jaunts; if its dry!
Did think I would be doing long hauls but my bike buddy changed jobs and seems to be working 8 days a week!!
...there is no other bike that can do it all; possible exception is a Triumph Sprint.
May just be me, but can I name one other bike that can do it all? Um, no.
I came so close to buying a Triumph Sprint ST a few years ago and was searching for both when I found an Interceptor I liked. Having said that I think the BMW F800GT and the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 are in the same neighborhood for comparative sport touring bikes.
Teeing up a softball, here I think! I bought this knowing I can only get one bike, and there is no other bike that can do it all; possible exception is a Triumph Sprint.
This year I've done an Ironbutt from Wichita to Kingman, AZ, and an about to do my 2nd track day. Zero disappointment in either. I put no fewer than 10k miles a year. It looks great and feels great. Living in the midwestern US, the heart of Harley country, when asked why I ride this instead of a Harley, I say, because MATH....It costs a quarter as much as a Harley, goes twice as fast, using a third the gas...No. Freaking. Brainer. Can I name any one bike that can beat the VFR in any one thing? Of course. May just be me, but can I name one other bike that can do it all? Um, no.
Suzuki V-Strom 650 can do it all.
Hence the popularity of the middle-weight ADV bikes. These are today's "VFR".
There is the Yamaha FJ09 and now called the Tracer.
Agree - when you throw ADV riding into the mix, the bike that tops the list there is the Triumph Tiger 800 - about as fast as the VFR (in the right hands), and opens up all the unimproved roads the VFR can't go on. I have a brother in Wichita that got a VStrom for that reason - had ridden all the straight roads he could on his Valkyrie, and thought, as he rode past all the jeep trails outside of town - I need a bike that'll take me down THOSE roads! VStrom did the trick, and we even did a trip to the Dragon - me on my VFR, him on his VStrom, and both had a blast...
Nothing wrong with the VStrom. I still think Honda dropped the ball not releasing the VFR800X over here. Then again, I already converted my VFR to conventional bars, so I suppose I could just buy a second set of wheels and the right tires and be happy...
Recreational mountain twisty riding only. I never ride in any city's limits that I can avoid. I can ride back county roads in the 325 miles to W. NC mountains with only 4 miles of interstate and only through tiny towns. I won't ride near cages, thus only remote county road riding. The mountains start at the bottom of my driveway.
True but they are slow unlike the VFR. I really wish we got a Versys or Vstrom 800 2 or 3 cyl that would be ideal.
Ah well...."slow" compared to a VFR800 yes. There is of course the VStrom 1000 if you're power hungry.
I actually recently test rode the VStrom 650. It actually felt a lot like the VFR800. Similar midrange power. Similar low end too. I didn't fully test its top end power though, and I'm quite sure it won't keep up with the VFR800. However, the VStrom 650 weighs a lot less than my 6th Gen VFR at 475 lbs. wet. And that's probably why it felt like it had similar power at low and midrange. I also think the "lower" weight compared to the bigger adventure bikes is an advantage when off pavement. I wouldn't take the VStrom in anything more than a smooth fire road though. It only has 7" of wheel travel and not that much ground clearance. Still, it will go places the VFR won't dare!
If dry and between 60-90F, commute 10miles in a downtown environment, with a laptop in my tank bag. Take a mountain twisties detour home, and on weekends.
20% Touring, 80 Commuting, dodging bullets in really tight streets, so filtering is a pain.
I was also wondering if I'm on the overkill side using Honda's 90's Technical marvel and sportouring flagship to just go to work. YES it's quite impressive to ride into garage at work with its baritone warble. Yes I got a coveted spot indoors at work beacause "this is a collectable, don't let it sit out in the rain", <that's my excuse and it worked.
Hot? Ohyah, so I installed a manual switch to get the fan on whenever needed.
So, yeah, maybe overkill? Would you do differently? Can't see myself riding a 250cc anything. But maybe an electric one day.
Have a picture, it's raining out now.
Also, these lady cops kinda keep things cool in some areas lol.
I've owned five fifth gens. Two KIA by hooved forest rats. A 2000 bought as a backup and sold the next year in favor of a low-mileage 2001. One I rode off the road in AR (Advanced Riding Courses at local track ID'd and corrected riding errors) and my current rider, another '01. I've used them for everyday transportation (groceries, brew), local fun riding, annual track ARCs, sport riding and long-distance touring (just came back from 2+ weeks out to the left coast and back.) ~3500 mi.
I realize that the last post was a while ago, but I'd like to talk about how I use my 6th gen. During my riding season from April through October, I'll commute a few days a week, go on rides with friends on the weekends, usually less than 200 miles. I try to have at least one touring trip per year of at least 1500 miles. Over the past 9 riding seasons, that's worked out to about 40,000 miles of riding. I've been to 12 states in the mid-section of the USA with North Dakota and Minnesota on the North, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on the South, Michigan on the East, and Wyoming and Colorado on the West.
End of thread · 35 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 22 Feb 2019