Thinking of buying a 2002 VFR800 v-tec

[Audigier]

Hello, Im from Mexico and i have spotted a vfr800 i'd like to buy, i dont know maintenance records since it was bought from an importer. the bike has 41k miles, i was told the v-tec is a PITA, and no good mechanics around here to work on it, even the local honda dealer doesn't have a qualified mechanic to work on big bikes, all they sell is pizza delivery 125-150cc bikes.

I dont plan on keeping this bike for a long time, its cheap because the seller needs the money for family issues, and my idea is to buy it and sell it to make profit out of it, in the meantime i want to enjoy it for some time. I wont do long distance trips just ride it around town and every other weekend have short trips with my friends to towns nearby, some 1 hour rides on the highway, i know ill have to get used to the riding position of the vfr coming from a goldwing but i just want to try it.

What has me thinking is the v-tec service that someone told me it was very expensive. next time i contact the seller ill ask if he has done the v-tec service. when i contacted him he said the bike is running good and has been well maintained but you know oil changes and that easy stuff..

[2RR2NV]

yes, the Vtec maintenance is NOT cheap. when mine came up at 16k, it would have been over $600, but since i had the Dealer maintenance plan, it was free (so to speak). the thing is, i'd buy another Vtec VFR again. we loved that bike.

evidently, those models had Voltage Regulator problems and wiring harness issues... so watch out. i never had issues with mine, but i think i was lucky.

[veefer800canuck]

One of our members over at VFRd has over 80,000 MILES on his Vtec and has never checked the valves. Ever.

Still running strong..... and he doesn't baby it either. Just regular oil changes.

[Audigier]

there is a 2000 bmw r1100rt and the price is almost the same.

What do you think about that bike? i think the riding position will be better and closer to what the goldwing is. which bike is faster? the bmw being two cylinder does it have more torque than the vfr v4?

[Tyrroneous]

If you're not going to keep the VFR long, I'd say go ahead and get it.  I waited until 32000 miles to do my first valve inspection (I did have a few valves slightly out of spec).  It is time consuming but not impossible to do.  

The RT will have more torque, more comfort, more weight and be somewhat less sporty than the VFR.  My vote, VFR.  

[sagerat]

I had an '02 Viffer and it is one of two bikes that I regret to this day selling.  Other was an '04 GS.

Between a Viffer and an RT, go Viffer, especially if you are concerned about maintenance intervals.  Viffer: valves every 16K; BMW RT valves every 6K, major service every 12K.

Viffer has slightly more sporting riding position; both bikes will go fast enough to cause puckering and/or loss of license.  The Honda will get there quicker.  V4 is less vibey than a boxer.

[kebrider]

I have owned 2 Vtec and 3 gear drive VFRs. I have ridden with the VFR guy that has now 98K on his VFR with unadjusted valves and when someone says he doesn't baby it they are understating how the bike is ridden. Tough tough engines that must be sprayed with some secret anti-wear coating because not only do they not wear out, they don't need much adjustment along the way.

I quit taking my Vtecs apart to adjust valves because the last one I assisted with was on a 175,000+ mile Vtec that had spit a spark plug. After repairing the plug threads we checked the valves, they had never been adjusted, and they were all in spec. Engine looked perfect inside, even the cam chain adjusters were stock.

Stupidly overbuilt engine that is wrapped in a competent comfortable chassis. I dropped the pegs and raised the rear on my 07 and the thing is all day comfortable and entertaining as hell to ride. For me the VFR checks as many boxes as any other bike out there. I have a Tiger 800 (roadie) and a Versys also so I get to compare often. The sleeper of the bunch is the Versys. All day comfy with the right mods and just a crazy fun bike around Deals Gap area but that is for another forum.

KEB

[salparadise]

I bought an '03 VFR800 because it was available, affordable and I needed a ride after a scooter ran wide and totaled my K12RS. I thought the VFR would be ok until I decided what to do next. Well, what I decided was that I'm keeping it indefinitely. It is an extremely fun and well balanced machine. It's both a canyon carver and a tourer, and good at both. All you need is an aftermarket seat (or air hawk) and a set of Pilot Roads on it and you're set.

Here's the way I look at the valve check issue... a dealer valve check cost 15% of what I have invested in the bike. Pay for three valve checks and you've paid half again the cost of the bike. I had a ST1100, also a V4, and I checked the valves religiously (myself). The whole time I owned it, 85k miles, it was never out of spec, never even changed, and it's hard to find anyone who ever actually adjusted the valves on these engines. It's just not rational to pay that kind of money when the overwhelming odds are that it will never need adjusting and will give you hundreds of thousands of maintenance free miles. If not, take that valve check money you saved and pop a new engine in it. This valve check stuff is nothing more than a way for dealers to separate OCD types from thousands of their dollars.