I just got a new bike!!!
Well, not really, but it feels like it. This is my 1994 Honda VFR750, back on the road yesterday after over a year in the garage. I've owned it since I bought it new on Tuesday, May 24, 1994. Yes, I remember the day well. It was four days after I finished grad school (at RPI, in Troy, NY), and I spent much of that week on the phone, calling dealers, banks, and insurance agents back in Wisconsin instead of studying for final exams!
The VFR has been over the Golden Gate in California (ridden across the country from Atlanta) and up to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan. It's been ridden over mountain passes in Colorado when there was still snow on the ground, through tornado warning winds with driving rain in Tennessee, and through pelting hail in Wisconsin. It's been ridden the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon, and all the great roads off Skyline Drive in California. It's been around.
I've written about my VFR before...
- The acquisition of a very fine ride - August 12, 2010
- The VFR is BACK ... kind of - July 30, 2012
- Irrational Attachments, Motorcycle Edition - February 7, 2016
Why out of action for over a year? Broken plastic. Honda does a lot of things really well, but designing plastic is NOT one of them. The rear plastic on this bike is very flimsy, with thin mounting tabs that break easily. It looks good, but under the skin it's very fragile.
The plastic had been rattling for years, with various repairs attempted. It already felt like a crappy Pontiac Grand Am from the 80s, just a loose connection of parts flying together in close formation. When the tab holding the left rear turn signal housing broke, in addition to all the other cracks in the rear plastic, that was the last straw. The turn signal simply would not stay in place. It got to the point where it would fall out and hang by the wires. Reaching behind me at every opportunity to grab it and gently put it back in place was not sustainable.
Other than the plastic, the bike has been mechanically wonderful. In fact, it's better than new in some ways. It has a much larger and newer regulator/rectifier (one of the weak links on this bike). More importantly, it has massively upgraded suspension (stiffer springs, better fork damping, aftermarket Penske shock), all done by Traxxion Dynamics--can't recommend them more highly.
The reason it took a year is because getting parts wasn't easy. They don't make OEM parts anymore for my VFR. Several times I ordered parts, shown as available online, only to receive an e-mail saying, sorry, we don't have that in stock anymore. I had a few searches set up on eBay, but they took a lot of time before the parts showed up for sale.
I also got lucky through an old contact on the VFR e-mail list. He had a previous generation ('90-'93) VFR. That generation had the same rear lights as mine ('94-'97) but didn't have the integrated turn signals. The "turn signal" lenses on his bike were red and they were used to extend the brake light, and his bike had separate turn signal stalks (the standard ugly Honda signals of the era). It was a popular mod back in the day to remove the rear turn signal stalks, order the amber lenses from the '94-'97 VFRs, and rewire the turn signal wiring to those bulbs. Here is a picture of the '90-'93 VFR with the ugly turn signals.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/aB4AAOSwpo9fhGjE/s-l1600.jpg
Long story short, this guy had saved the original red lenses, in perfect condition, from decades ago. So I guess my turn signals are red now, not amber, oh well. That was the final puzzle piece that recently fell in place.
So the old VFR is back! Not perfect, lots of scars. But it still flies, and it is *smooth*. It's like getting a new bike!
People have asked me over the years why I don't just get rid of the VFR and buy a new bike. I've thought about it, and I will at some point. But not yet. It's still a great bike. This old article helps explain why:
https://www.cycleworld.com/2011/09/21/honda-vfr750f-best-used-bikes/
I actually hoped Honda would improve the VFR over the years, because I'd like to buy another 90-degree V-four (in addition to the VFR, I also owned a 1985 Honda V65 Sabre, which had a beast of an engine). If you don't know, the 90-degree V-four is the world's most perfect engine (my opinion). Sounds great, feels great, perfect primary balance. It's the smoothest engine I've ever had the pleasure of riding--solidly mounted to the frame, no counterbalancers needed, no rubber on the footpegs, nothing. And then there is the sound of the gear-driven cams, glorious. I have never owned an inline four motorcycle, nor a parallel twin. Only 90-degree V-fours and V-twins.
Sadly, Honda never did improve the VFR. With the exception of the '98 and '99 VFR800 (fuel injected and slightly larger engine), Honda has actually made the VFR *worse*! Yes, they added linked brakes (more weight and complexity). They added VTEC (harder to do valve adjustments, bump in the power band) for NO GAIN. Why, Honda, why? And they eliminated the gear-driven cams. Over three decades, Honda has gone backwards.
This article sums up the VFR generations pretty well:
https://motofomo.com/honda-vfr-generations/
The final lines of this site say:
But if you put up with minor annoyances (and all motorcycles have them), the VFR800 8th gen [2014-2017] is a lot of motorcycle for the money. I have thought of replacing it but I’d need to double what I paid for it to get similar enjoyability.
That's exactly how I feel, except it's just as true with my '94 (4th gen) VFR.
At some point I'll get another bike. Maybe a Triumph Speed Triple or Street Triple. Maybe a CB1000R. Maybe a dual sport (far too many options to list). Maybe an electric bike. But not yet. :)
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In the background of some pictures, you can see my '04 SV 650 (also with Traxxion suspension!) and my '95 Acura Integra. Both owned since I bought them new. I like to think I've made some great purchases over the years.
