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So, I sold the Tiger about 3 weeks ago with all intents on buying a 2013 Ninja 650. I had my heart set on it... but there was a dull sense in the back of my head that I would be making a HUGE downgrade. 104hp to 70hp is a big jump, and the reason I got the Tiger in the first place (other than the price) was the power; the smooth, seamless, triple-powered torque. Well, as luck (hopefully) would have it... An opportunity came up via consistent e-bay searching and pain-in-the-ass second guessing myself that a 2006' VFR800 should pop into view, for considerably less than a brand new Ninja 650.
So. I bought it.
This thing is CLEAN. I don't mean... wow, it looks great for a 7 year-old bike... no. I mean it looks like it just came off the showroom floor in 06'. Not one single spec of rust, dirt, marring, hack tool marks, wiring botches... nothing. I found only 1 scratch on the ENTIRE bike and it's so miniscule you can't see it unless you're about six inches away.
I couldn't believe the condition. Not to mention the fact that it only had a little over 6000 miles on it. So whoever owned it put less than 1000 miles a year on it, and NEVER rode it in the rain or left it outside... EVER.
It has a ProGrip tank pad and new Continentals on it too.
The best part... it's white with red decals... the same color scheme I wanted the Ninja in.
I was able to pick it up from Pembroke, NH yesterday and drive it home before the weather turned. Sure it was 33 degrees out, but I didn't care. I hadn't been on a bike since before October due to getting married/honeymoon/job change... etc, etc... It felt GREAT to be out! This thing is like an Acura TL on 2 wheels... smooth, nice rumble, Vtec transition is VERY smooth... the thing sounds like a demon when you rip it open under and overpass. The controls were in a weird configuration, but I adjusted those when I got home. I've pulled the grab-rails off the back and adjusted the suspension so far while it's been in the garage. I can hopefully get out next week to get it inspected and troll around on it for a while. But that hour ride home had me falling in love with her.
The power delivery is completely different than the tiger... it's very polite under 7k, almost 'wimpy' but with good torque. Then you hit the 7k mark and it turns into a rocket. Feels a lot like a power-band... and with a 12000rpm redline, that's a lot of RPM to play with. Psyched. F*ck snow.