• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Honda VFR800 for a commuter?

What temperature did you see? Nominal highway temperature for my gen5 is about 170f but it will go to 220f very quickly when stopped.
 
afm199 said:
Nope. Not the first several generations. I've seen Reggie Pridmore fly on one. I have ridden mine two at Streets of Willow ( with suspension valved and sprung two up) and it handles quite well. Also, two up, the linked brakes are amazing.
Click to expand...


Not saying it can't fly at the track but it's harder to fly because it's heavier than say a CBR.
 
guycole said:
What temperature did you see? Nominal highway temperature for my gen5 is about 170f but it will go to 220f very quickly when stopped.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I saw 220F fairly regularly on my 2000 VFR when hot and in traffic. Once I learned what modern cars actually run at, I stopped worrying about it. I never saw 235F no matter how hot outside. This assumes fans are working and radiator cap is holding specified pressure. The radiator cap business bears watching. They do wear out.

220F for coolant, given recent metallurgy, seals, and synthetic lubricants, doesn't appear to be a problem.
 


I know you're looking at the newer VFR but my 5th gen ticked over 100k miles a few weeks ago.

Only problem its had was that the charging system kinda failed needed a new stator and a reg/rect but they lasted to about 97k miles. Otherwise oil/chains/tires has been mostly what it has needed.
 
I commuted on my VFR 165 miles a day for 2 years then switched to an FZ-07. The FZ-07 has a smaller tank but way better gas mileage and sooo much easier and more comfortable splitting lanes in stopped traffic.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Since the bike is heavy, how is it during slow-speed commuting?
Click to expand...

Well.... I wouldn't want to compare it to a Grom.

Seriously, the VFR -- as a road bike -- never seemed all that heavy to me. I found mine pretty well balanced and very forgiving at normal street speeds.
 
WWWobble said:
My Gen 5 never overheated in traffic. I define too hot as venting coolant, which it never did in the 85,000 miles I owned it.

Many of the VFRs that claimed overheating to that extent, had radiator caps that were not holding adequate pressure.

Having said this, I think central radiator VFRs cool better, and I sure do agree with you that Reg Pridmore could get a VFR around a track solo or two up pretty, pretty darn quickly. :laughing
Click to expand...

I define too hot as billowing waves of engine heat that completely overwhelm the rider. The VFR does that.

I've seen 235 on a hot day riding up a grade at low speeds. The radiator cap is a really good tip I have got to look into that.
 
I know exactly what that is like.

I had a 2015 Diavel with side radiators that would grill you when at a stoplight.

Luckily I have other bikes for hot weather.
 
cruzian3 said:
I commuted on my VFR 165 miles a day for 2 years then switched to an FZ-07. The FZ-07 has a smaller tank but way better gas mileage and sooo much easier and more comfortable splitting lanes in stopped traffic.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if I were to get a dedicated commuter bike an FZ-07 or an SV650 would be top of my list. Pretty good mpg, reliable as hell, but...they have no soul. So, there's a trade off. :laughing
 
Krooklyn said:
Yeah, if I were to get a dedicated commuter bike an FZ-07 or an SV650 would be top of my list. Pretty good mpg, reliable as hell, but...they have no soul. So, there's a trade off. :laughing
Click to expand...

I don't think either bike is souless... Both bikes are torquey as hell and a lot of fun. I had an sv650s, so the sv with the quarter fairing. Would make a rock solid commuter. The vfr is very much just a larger, heavier, but faster sv650s. Maybe a touch less comfortable than the vfr, but not a big deal over commute distances.
 
VFR makes a good commuter. Fairly Narrow, great weather protection, easy slow speed handling.
 
mrzuzzo said:
Naked bikes are not really great for winter commuting IMO.
Click to expand...

Depends on your commute. If you're spending 90% of your time filtering at 25 MPH, naked bikes are going to be lighter and narrower than faired bikes, and the latter won't provide any substantial advantage.

But if you're spending a significant amount of time at 45+ MPH, than sure, a faired bike will be better.
 
For me, a commuter needs shaft drive. No hassle and always reliable.

They're big bikes, but I'd look at an ST1100/1300 or an FJR1300. Good low mileage examples can be found pretty inexpensively.
 
ST Guy said:
For me, a commuter needs shaft drive. No hassle and always reliable.

They're big bikes, but I'd look at an ST1100/1300 or an FJR1300. Good low mileage examples can be found pretty inexpensively.
Click to expand...

You could just setup a Scottoiler vs going full-on shaft drive. I did that on my RVF because I was just too lazy to keep lubing the chain. It works very well and has increased my chain's lifespan significantly.
 
295566 said:
Depends on your commute. If you're spending 90% of your time filtering at 25 MPH, naked bikes are going to be lighter and narrower than faired bikes, and the latter won't provide any substantial advantage.

But if you're spending a significant amount of time at 45+ MPH, than sure, a faired bike will be better.
Click to expand...

Agreed. In the morning, with less traffic, I wished I had a faired bike with a little more power. But on the way home, while splitting through the bridge, 880, and 580, I was always glad to riding the FZ-07. It's where that bike really shines.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top