(Feb 2001 - May 2003) Riding Position
My initial thoughts on the riding position were that I felt a little cramped about my long arms and legs. I think it's because of the more forward position of the pegs on the VFR as opposed to the ST4. If you want the detailed explanation for that then read on... I assume that having the pegs just slightly more forward than I was used to on the ST4, causes my legs to straighten slightly, and in doing so, extend, the problem being, there's no room to extend because the pegs are no further from the seat (height wise) and therefore I feel more cramped (does this make any sense?). Originally I found I was definitely more upright on this bike, and felt like I was sitting behind the screen, like on the FJ or ZX9, rather than over the top of it like on the Ducati (which I prefer). I wish the VFR had adjustable ride height, that would make things a little easier. The addition of a 2-3mm shim at the top of the rear shock helped to tilt the bike a little more towards my preference, however it caused handling issues that I was not comfortable with. Personally, I didn't like the instability it created, or the way it affected the handling in a straight line. For this reason I removed it again. Other people might find that the addition helps the turn in or whatever. Maybe it was a combination of the shim, suspension settings and tyres, I don't know, but I wasn't going to chase my tail for the sake of the shim. The bike handles well without it and I've learnt to live with the seat height, so I'm just going to leave it at that.
Pillion Comfort
Lisa's done quite a few klms on the back of the VFR. When our shifts line up she commutes with me to the city since we both work in the same office. She's done several day rides of 500klms or so, and a couple of thousand klms south to Phillip Island in April 2001, and she seems to like it. She tells me that she's got a little more room for her legs, so it doesn't affect her knees after long periods as much as the ST4 did. She also seems to prefer the position of the grab rails on Zoe (which are off to the side) over the handle on Sophie (which was at the rear). She doesn't find the high rise pipe to be a problem either, in any way, shape, or form, so anyone who's worried about that can rest easy. The annoying thing she's picked up on is that she can't slide off the seat like she could on the Duc, which makes dismounting a little more difficult, but I'd say it's probably more beneficial during the acceleration and braking of actual riding, because she's not sliding all over the place if I get aggressive in traffic. The other thing is that the VFR seat is literally harder on the butt than the ST4 seat so the result is a little bit of a sore behind after 6 hours in the saddle.
Sound
I miss the booming sound of the Omrae's on the twin, but I'm slowly getting used to the V4 instead, particularly above 5,500rpm where she really starts to wind up. I still think she's too quiet though, even with the Arrow high rise oval brushed alloy pipe I put on straight after buying it. But this is just me, any normal person would think that this was a perfect level of noise from a motor like this, and the Arrow does have a sensational note. I just like to wake up the next suburb and set off alarms when I come home from work at 5am, most people don't :-)
Tyres & Handling
I like Michelin Pilot Sports. The stock tyres (BT57's) were useless, and I loved Pilots on the ST4 as well. I tried a Bridgestone 010 on the front but I don't like it, they seem to scallop way too early, and don't feel anywhere near as solidly planted as the Pilots to me personally. So I'm going back to the Michelins which just inspire total confidence all on surfaces at all speeds, and they're great in the wet too. On advice from my mechanic, I've gone to 10W fork oil in the front. I've replaced the steering head bearings with the tapered variety. God knows why they don't just put them in as standard. I have my front preload set with one ring worth showing on the front (or about 3mm) and at position five of seven on the rear. After getting the front end right, I had to do some modification to the rear as the bike felt totally different at each end. Slowing down the rebound by about 1/4 of a turn helped bring the rear down to the same speed as the front, and the bike now has a much plusher ride over bumps, but at the same time holds a line beautifully in the tight stuff. I still maintain pressures of 37psi front / 43psi rear (one above standard).
Rear Cowling/Grab Rails
The rear grab handles and seat cowling situation is a bit of a hassle. Not that I've ever owned a bike with a rear cowling before, but I think it should be a much easier exercise to put it on and take it off. Don't get me wrong, it's reasonably easy, but it would be easier if you didn't have to stuff around with the grab handles as well. The other part of this which got me puzzled was the fact that you need the tools to attach or detach the cowling, but you can't get to the tools in the tool kit under the seat when the cover is on because you can't take the seat off. What's up with that Honda??!!
Fuel Economy
This really isn't something I've ever worried about, I just fill the tank and ride, and when it needs filling again I fill it, but given that in the last few years petrol has gotten to three and a half times what it was when I was younger, I figure it might be worth noting because some of you might be interested in it. Me, I'll still fill the tank and ride whenever I damn well feel like it, and fuel prices aren't going to get in the way of that, so I can't be real specific here, but out of a full tank of fuel, I tend to get about 250-300klms. I ride smooth, without brakes most of the time, and most of the time, the engine's above 5,500rpm, so that gives you a rough idea. I've never been wanting for a 'servo' (petrol/gas station), put it that way, but it's not as economic as I'd like it to be.
The Scottoiler, the Touring Kit and the Dual Injector
I've had a Scottoiler on a few of my bikes, I think they're great if you've got somewhere to mount them, and they just make life so much easier. Without a Scottoiler, the chain lube is just one extra thing to carry around in the tank bag with you everywhere.
As for the High Capacity Reservoir, well mounting the thing on an Australian model with our little NSW plates isn't the neatest of accomplishments, they are built for those bloody great big square UK plates after all, but it didn't come up too bad, and the beauty is that I haven't adjusted the chain, or refilled the reservoir for months now. In fact at the time of writing this the indicator on the HCR still shows very near to the top after about 7,000klms, so I'm expecting to see over 20,000klms out of one filling of the HCR. $89 well spent I reckon.
The installation of the Dual Injector however, came with a few problems on the VFR. Mounting the thing was almost impossible because the bits that were provided didn't have it siting correctly in alignment with the sprocket and chain. After some major modifications and bits from the hardware store, I got it to mount pretty well in the right spot, but the chain still kept biting the injector nibs and ripping them off. After replacing them several times and readjusting the position over and over again, I eventually gave up and went back to the original set-up. The original one sided injector works well anyway and it really wasn't worth the $54 to try the Dual Injector that's for sure, I don't know why I bothered really.
Ventura Rack/Pipe/Cowling Fitment (A WARNING)
I asked for the Ventura rack as part of the package with my bike when I bought it and the dealer added it, but something which was not brought to my attention when they fitted said rack (which it should have been), is that there a few different types of racks for a VFR. The reason being, that some high rise pipes, due to the way they mount to the bike, interfere with the rack (or visa-versa, which ever way you want to look at it). Therefore, Ventura produce a specific rack system for those people that want to put a high rise pipe on their bike. Now since I was given the underrunning rack system when I purchased my bike, I was very concerned that I was going to have to fork out for another one (or get into an argument with the dealer over it) when I wanted to fit a high rise pipe on the bike. However, it turns out that the Arrow pipe that I fitted, doesn't interfere because it mounts off the same point as the stock muffler (on the foot peg bracket) and sits in a position which doesn't cause a problem for the brackets, making me a very happy man :-)
The other issue of interference with a Ventura rack involves the rear seat cowling which can't be used with the upper mounted system systems because it uses the grab rail mounting points to attach.
I was lucky because I managed to get a combination of rack, pipe and cowling which all work together without interference, but let this be a word of warning, check out the fitment of both the pipe, the rack and the cowling before purchasing anything, and make sure that you've got a combination which will work together because you could waste hundreds of dollars otherwise. And don't let anyone tell you that one will or won't work with the other without checking for yourself. I've had people tell me all sorts of stories that were incorrect. Take the bits and fit them up first if you have too, or at least take some measurements. I hope this makes sense and saves a few of you from making a mistake.
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