Opinions on VFR for a first bike

A friend of mine wants to get a bike.

Yes... I told him to take the MSF.

Which he is definitely going to do... he is already saying that he's going to take the intermediate class and the experienced class in the future too.

Yes... I told him to buy small and used and save lots of money for gear.

He's really into the looks of the VFR 800 though.

He wants to buy brand new... yes... I told him that's a mistake.

Any thoughts on it for a first bike.

The last VFR I rode was a friends 750 back in 98 or so.

He will more then likely drop it .....
But then again he may not ..........

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Originally posted by beet
He will more then likely drop it .....
But then again he may not ..........

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This is why I'm trying to find a used bike as my first bike. That way, if I drop it, I won't be as mad as dropping a brand new bike.

I don't know, I'm not TOO concerned about how my bike looks or how 'dumb' I look on a smaller/beginner bike - I just want to be able to ride it well, then worry about that later.

Didn't they used to make a small VFR? VFR250? Way back in the day? Hmm... Guess I'll go Google that.

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Originally posted by beet
He will more then likely drop it .....
But then again he may not ..........

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he's not a moron... and I have explained to him about dropping a bike, but he would prefer new versus used and unknown maintenance and history.

Here's my take, and I have a VFR.

I don't think any modern sportbike 600 or larger is a good first bike. The VFR is on par performance wise with something like a YZF, ZZR, ect., which are considered more mild than race reps. However, it's still a bike that'll scoot you to 60 in low 3's, and the 1/4 mile in low-mid 11's. Not THAT much different from a RR. When I went from my Katana 600 to the VFR, it was a very noticeable jump in power, and more so throttle response, since it's FI.

However, he's probably not going to accidentally wheelie it or slide the rear tire. It's a heavy bike(but still very quick). Which is another reason it's not a good first bike. At 500lbs, it's not going to be easy for a beginner to learn slow corners. Even with my first bike, a Ninja 250, pulling out on the street taking that slow turn was intimidating for me.

He should learn on something light and more forgiving, like an EX500 or GS500, put some miles under his belt, then get a VFR. They'll always be there. Am I saying the VFR is a death wish? No, but he's got more to lose by starting bigger, and more to gain by starting smaller.

In my opinion, "unknown maintinance history" is a lousy reason to not buy used... it's just the lazy man's excuse for not doing his research on what to look for in a used bike. There's so many used bikes out there in good condition and you save SOOOO much money buying used instead of new it's friggin rediculous. Not only do you save at least a couple grand off the MSRP but you don't have to pay for full insurance coverage. Not to mention the fact that most Japanese bikes are bulletproof.

^ +1.

If he was that picky he can have a mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection.

There's so many extremely low-mileage used bikes out there. Tons of people go buy new bikes only to find out it's not for them, and turn around to sell their bike.

I don't want to get into the new versus used debate... trust me... I'm all about buying used bikes and researching them... and getting a good deal. Look at the bikes I ride... I don't need brand spanking new.

I've ridden a VFR750 and it seemed pretty tame. I didn't put a whole lot of miles on it, but it seemed like a good riding position and maneuverable enough for a 750 cc bike.

The guy who owned it... it was his first bike and he did well on it.

I'm not familiar with the newer VTEC version though.

I just looked up some specs on the 750's...not much different from the new ones. 100-105 hp, 460lbs dry.

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Originally posted by LuvDog
Any thoughts on it for a first bike.

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This is still the question, right? :poke:

*I* think the VFR is a GREAT first bike for the right person...

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Originally posted by Stoneman
This is still the question, right? :poke:

*I* think the VFR is a GREAT first bike for the right person...

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"it" being a BRAND NEW vfr :poke: :D

I'm w/ Jay... it's a great bike... but whether or not he gets new or used comes down to whether or not having a BRAND NEW bike is really worth 2-3 THOUSAND dollars to him... PLUS depreciation... 3-5 grand after all is said & done, just for peace of mind? :dunno: IMO, that's a LOT of money.

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Originally posted by Stoneman
This is still the question, right? :poke:

*I* think the VFR is a GREAT first bike for the right person...

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Yes the question is whether or not the VFR would be ok for a first bike... the question of new versus used is not.

the vfr is a big fairly heavy bike

if your friend is 6'2 and a rugged dude it's prolly an ok first bike, if he's 5'0 and only weighs 115, he's goin to drop it just trying to get off and get the kickstand down

After 200 miles on my first bike, an old CB400, I moved up to a H-D, so I can say with confidence, even though I didn't have any mishaps, starting with a heavy bike early is not a good idea!
I see two potential problems with the VFR being his first. One, it's relatively heavy (500+ wet), and as was said before, would not be the best choice as he learns low speed handling. Two, at least with the 5th Gen's (98-01), the on/off throttle response is reeeal touchy. I'm not sure if it was addressed in the curent gen. Combine that with the first concern, and the chance of a low speed tip over goes up. Other than that, it's a solid machine, has linked brakes (and optional ABS) which may be helpful in a panic situation, and it's the best motorcycle ever made...:D

I wonder why this question always pops up, since most who ask it ignore the advice and get whatever they're asking about anyway.

:dunno:

it's a sweet bike with around 4k worth of plastic. i am sure he'll be fine on it...try and find him some frame sliders with it..chances are he will drop it...

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Originally posted by 97BladeRider
I wonder why this question always pops up, since most who ask it ignore the advice and get whatever they're asking about anyway.

:dunno:

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They ask because they want people to say ya that bike is great for a newb. THe thing is it is hard to say whats good for who. There are people that will do just fine on a big bike as their first where as there are others that will implant their 250 into a tree. Its all about the respect you have for the power of the bike and knowing how skilled you actually are rather then think you are.

Everytime I go to a bike shop it never fails. I always see some young kid humping the Hayabusa or the zx-14 or the gsxr1000. They always say when I get my liscense this is what Im getting. I just shake my head and think about all the spare parts that will be avalible on ebay about a week after they get the bike.

the dearer kid told me thats a lot of bike ....
I laugh on him ...

I'm not asking the question so people will tell me how great it is for a beginner.

I've suggested other bikes and used bikes to this guy. He's got respect for the potential issues of a new bike and he's got an understanding of being a new rider.

He's concerned with the weight.

As well as how well it's "balanced" ... we all know that some bikes are better at low speed manuevers than others.

Mostly, he was curious about the throttle response. Especially with the VTEC and how that alters the everything.

Yes... in the end the person always chooses what they want... but at least we can give them some experienced information.

i think he'll be fine with it

If he wrecks it then say told ya so .....

Tell him hes a big boy, if he wants to ruin $1,000 worth of plastic the first time he tips it over in the driveway, well, thats a big boy decision.

I am not sure linked brakes would help build good braking skills early on? I have never ridden a bike with linked brakes so can't comment in depth on that.

How is the power deliver of the VFR? I have heard that it needs to be spun to start pulling, not sure if this is the case and if so how it would affect rideability for a new rider.

I say 1 year old SV650S for around $4500 and a set of Givi hard bags would do him about right :D

The linked brakes: I don't even notice them. Wouldn't hinder learning braking skills.

Throttle response: I found it to be touchy after moving from a Katana 600. It took me a while to get used to it, much more responsive. I've ridden FI race reps, but not in a long time, so I can't compare it to them. Once in a while I still accidentally "lurch" the bike from just putting a little too much weight on the throttle. t

Balanced? Well it's a very well balanced bike in terms of cornering and handling, but low speed manuevers? Um...like said many times, 500 lbs, then add a relatively high center of gravity. Easy to do the math on that one.

I don't think it has to be really spun to start pulling. It's still an 800 with some torque. Every bike is different in terms of this anyway.

The VFR has an extremely LOW center of gravity for it's size & weight, that's why it handles as well as it does. The riding position is what makes it a bit difficult to handle at low speed but that's no different then other sportbikes with clip-ons. Take a look at a picture of one torn down sometime.. other then the gas tank & the underseat exhaust it carries it's weight very low.

That said I think it's a bad bike to start on, especially new.. the throttle response is very fast, faster then a 600cc race rep IMO at low RPM ranges where a beginner is going to be riding.. saying you need to spin it up is not really right.. the V-4 is more like a twin with a bigger dose of top-end hit. Even though it is not a liter bike and doesn't make massive torque the torque curve is flatter then almost anything else out there. The top end hit on a 600cc bike is more of a "surprise" but the VFR has more "sneaky speed".

Linked brakes = no big deal. It's basically like a regular bike that refuses to lock the rear wheel and stops much faster if you don't use the front brake lever. If your goal is to race it will hold you back though I guess.. you'll never learn how to manage the brakes yourself.

Cost to fix if crashed = big deal.. there is lots of very expensive parts on the VFR and the bike is generally harder to take apart and fix then a race rep since it's designed to be a bit more "finished" and doesn't need to be torn down quickly at the track. The VFR really shares more with the ST1300 and Gold Wing in that respect.