I picked up my VFR last weekend, a trip home and some pictures.

[Jason F.]

Well my 96 Bandit has served me well but I was ready for a change and something fuel injected. With a limited income and limited amount of cash saved up in the play fund I was not actively looking but a deal feel in my lap and I jumped on it.

Friday night I jumped on a Greyhound bus at midnight (never again) with my gear and took a 300 mile ride up the road to Cincinnati. Got in around 6am and the seller was kind enough to pick me up at the terminal. Looked over the bike and the seller hopped on one of his other bikes and lead me on a nice 20 or so mile test ride. After a quick trip to the bank to get the title notarized and I was on the way home.

The first 80 or so miles was sunny, clear, but rough. The road was nothing but expansion joints and I had been awake over 24 hours so my tolerance for getting bounced around was getting short. Finally the road smoothed but the rain came in. It was actually not bad and I did not even bother putting on my rain gear since my primary gear is highly water resistant. It was actually nice and cooling really. I did the last 190 miles non stop with no breaks which is a longer stretch than I have been able to make on the Bandit. So far I am very happy.

So may I present my new to me 1998 VFR 800 in all its single sided swing arm, V4, fuel injected, gear driven cam glory.












Now to drop the pegs an inch or so, raise the bars and inch or so (I am 6'2"), and mount up the Givi bags. Have a SS1000 scheduled for the end of September.

[Justin]

Congrats on the new bike. Can't go wrong on a VFR - especially for that price!

[XLR8]

Nice  

I like the no squids on Deals Gap sticker.

[M.Brane]

 Welcome to the VFR family!  

 So far the best 3 mods I've done are suspension, gearing, and exhaust in that order. 2 for the performance, and 1 just for the sound.

[veefer800canuck]

Congrats, that bike looks minty fresh.


Get yourself over to VFRd and pick up a set of BLS peg lowering blocks.

One of the best mods I've done for comfort!

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/34097-bls-footpeg-block-install/

[Jason F.]

Nice  

I like the no squids on Deals Gap sticker.

I have the previous owner to thank for that one but yeah it is great. I may get a chance to take it for a few passes through Deal's Gap in a month or two.

[scottzilla]

That is super clean for a '98.

[motormike]

Nice ride, nice price.  I was following the thread in the Marketplace forum.

[hovmaven]

Nice  

I like the no squids on Deals Gap sticker.

I noticed the thin blue line. . ..    

Great purchase.  

Stay safe.  


On the SS1K, RAM makes a ball mount that fits my sixth gen gas tank bolts perfectly.  Powerlet makes a steering stem mount that fits the 6th Gen perfectly, too.  Maybe that will work on your fifth gen?  If you haven't found it already, try the vfrdiscussion site for some good advice.  

[sammyseaman]

Friday night I jumped on a Greyhound bus at midnight (never again)

 

  Riding the bus sucks  

Congrats   and curious, as a past owner of a '96 Bandit and have ridden a couple VFR's I'm interested in your your thoughts on the two.

[Jason F.]

  Riding the bus sucks  

Congrats   and curious, as a past owner of a '96 Bandit and have ridden a couple VFR's I'm interested in your your thoughts on the two.

Yes the old Greyhound does in fact suck. Unfortunately the ticket was only $55 and a plane ticket was $600. I had just put my wife's car in the shop and did not have an easy way to have her drive me up.

Well so far the VFR is faster, sounds so much better, is smoother, is more planted in the corners, and is not a cold natured bitch in the mornings. I think room is very similar although the VFR has a bit more aggressive riding position. I sit just a bit more upright on the Bandit but for some reason it does not seem as comfortable as the VFR. I had a Corbin on both bikes and currently have a Spencer Gel seat on the Bandit. I have done some 600+ mile days on the Bandit but I was only getting 125 to 150 miles before I really needed to get off and stretch. I was able to do a 190 mile run with no issues on the VFR. I think with a bit of adjustment/modification for personal fit the VFR will be far better for Long Distance riding.

Even with progressive springs and heavier fork oil I got a ton of nose dive under braking on the Bandit. The rear shock was absolute junk on it and I replaced it with a GSXR 1000 rear shock that was far superior. The Bandit did soak up the bumps better but I have not gotten to play with any adjustments on the VFR yet. It seems harsh right now on larger bumps but That could be adjustment or I might need to respring things for my weight.

I liked my Bandit and it served me very well. I liked that it was very docile for the most part but had more than enough power to ride comfortably. I could grab as much throttle as I wanted even in corners and not unsettle the bike. It was however getting long in the tooth and just a bit outdated. The VFR is only two years newer but seems many years ahead in terms of refinement. Feels like it will be much easier to ride fast on the VFR once I am used to it and the extra power.

[ConPilot1]

Beautiful man. good luck with it.

 I always liked the looks of the VFR and the folks who have them have nothing but good to say about the bike.

they look like a blast.

[Dan]

Nice bike, a mate of mine has one just like that and he goes very well on it.

[Rogue]

Congratulations!  

I can't believe how your bike has remained nearly stock after all these years.  It even has the original rear fender!  Oh and look at that stock exhaust!  Please whatever you do, don't change it!  So many VFR's have had their tails chopped off and their beautiful stainless steel can junked that having one that is stock is almost a novelty.  Don't change anything!

That is a very fine example of an excellent bike.

[ANZAC]

What Rogue said +1000

Keep her stock if you can  

Always love the sound of the gear driven VFR's  

[steve.ski]

Take Rogue's advice. I've looked into a stock uncut fender to replace mine (previous owner hacked it) and they are rare in used form and really expensive new...

Enjoy. Suspension, risers and mirror extensions are all you need to have a good sport touring mount!

Cheers!

[Jason F.]

Yeah it will be staying mostly stock. I have modified bikes in the past with mixed results. I have become a fan of stock exhausts because no matter how nice it sounds when you first put it on a few months later when you are in the middle of a 500+ mile day the drone will drive you batty. I will probably put some bar risers on and some drop pegs for ergonomics. I already have the stock seat and a nice Corbin. I will probably add some side case racks for my Givi E35s and maybe a touring screen for wind buffeting. All of that is easily reversible and only for ergonomics and touring capabilities. Ok I guess if it comes down to it I might re-spring it for my weight and the weight of luggage.  

[steve.ski]

I'm 6'4" and run Heli bars on my 2000. They are the dog's balls man, much easier on the wrists. I've never tried the peg lowering blocks but everyone raves about them. My seat is stock, sheepskin pad from AMS is great and extends the seat/peg ergos well enough for me.

[M.Brane]

 I still have my stock pipe. It's in the garage wrapped up in a towel. If I ever do a track day at Laguna Seca it will be reinstalled, but other than that it'll stay where it is. I also feel no need for bar risers or peg lowerers. I am 6"1 210lbs 46 yrs. I've put  about 25K on the viffer in the last 1.5 years including a few 400 mile days.

 

[Jason F.]

 I still have my stock pipe. It's in the garage wrapped up in a towel. If I ever do a track day at Laguna Seca it will be reinstalled, but other than that it'll stay where it is. I also feel no need for bar risers or peg lowerers. I am 6"1 210lbs 46 yrs. I've put  about 25K on the viffer in the last 1.5 years including a few 400 mile days.

 

That is the beauty of having wrenches in your garage. You can apply them to your bike or not, your choice.  

At a bit over 6'2" with bad knees from high school and college sports I need some leg room. 400 miles is a Sunday lunch run, I have a few 1000 mile days planned so the ability to be comfortable for hours 12 to 18 in the saddle are important.

[CosmicCowboy]

If I just hadn't had to fork out for some home repairs, I might have been racing you to this bike.  

[TheWarrior17]

Very nice ride. That VFR looks like its in very good condition   very nice find! Enjoy the bike, the 98 VFR is an awesome motorcycle.

-Mike

[M.Brane]

400 miles is a Sunday lunch run

 Not on many of the roads I frequent. You'd be lucky to go half that far by dinnertime. I sometimes think I should be on an XR instead.  

 I'm also one of those oddballs that likes the stock VFR seat.

 The GF's VFR has Heli Bars, and a Double Bubble on it. When I ride it it seems smaller than my bike, and I find the more upright riding position less comfortable. The taller screen also drives me nuts. Too much buffeting.

[tigertom1965]

I am 6"1 210lbs 46 yrs.

and NW of La La Land!

Sounds more like you live in Lilliput.  

At 6"1 I just don't see how you would get your feet down. at 210 lbs and 6"1 tall you must be made of lead or gold. No other way to be that heavy and that short at the same time.

 

[M.Brane]

 Glad you found such joy in a simple typo. Wish I was that easily entertained!