Quotewell, I for one havent been able to get 2000 miles out of a set yet. In fact, the set on the bike now has 600 miles and they're toast, at least for any hard riding.

I would venture a guess that those aren't 600 road miles? doing some trackdays? I have never gotten less than 4000 miles out of a set of road tires. aside from track use there is no reason to be getting 600 miles a set unless you are running the wrong psi.

Quotetry $800 for the valve service. I seem to recall this number from when my friend having his bike...might be off a bit (but still a considerable number)

the number I've heard is anywhere between $600-$700, which is no doubt high, but the triumph triple adj. runs between $400-$500 depending on the shop, so that ain't much better.

QuoteMy friend was riding in the canyons with it, not hard riding but hard enough 2 up to really make the vtec known and upset the bike mid corner when it kicked in. There's no doubt the vfr can be a good canyon tool, as can many bikes but for moderate canyon carving the vtec is right in the meat of where one would ride, around 7000rpm.

I have never owned a vtec, but I have had a good amount of experience riding a buddies 04, and I just really never noticed the vtec upsetting the handling mid turn or any other time. the only thing my buddy told me is that if it kicks in during a wheelie it can be a bit unerving. other than that I would say that the handling is pretty rock solid. very good feedback from the front, and it always felt stable even over rougher tarmac, even with the kick of the vtec. It might be possible that with the bike being 2up, there wasn't enough weight towards the front end, and when the vtec kicked in it just made it feel even lighter towards the front, this would certainly give a feeling of being disconected.

Well, I'd probably get a Pre-VTEC model anyways, even though I'd like one with ABS. I do enough panic stops every day that I'd kind of like the peace of mind.

I've been getting quoted at 400-500 on the valve adjustments for the non-vtec. I'd have to ask about the VTEC one. Either way, reports seem to indicate that I'd only need one or two a year, and any maintainiance I have done is tax-deductable (as is the cost of the bike, w00t)... so *shrug*

Really, my only concern is tire life.... and more because of the inconvenience of having my bike in the shop for a few hours while they toss tires on it, than the cost of the tires. Sport touring buns arent as expensive as DOT legal race rubber, and I'm making enough that the expense shouldnt be too bad.

As for the 600RR, heh. Yeah, I want one, but I cant see spending 30 hours a week on one.

As far as tires are concerned, a vfr should't be any worse on rubber than any other larger displacement bike. My advice would be to just stick with touring or sport touring rubber, race tires don't offer any grip advantage on the road, since they are designed to give optimal grip at a higher temperature than street tires. Race rubber is not designed to go through heat cycles like road tires, they are meant to operate at higher temperatures for extended periods. ST tires will usually give better grip at a lower temperature, so they warm to an optimal temp much faster than a race tire. Using race tires for street use is usually just wasted money. Good luck with whatever bike you pick, can't really go wrong with a vfr in my opinion.

Heh, I'd never use race tires on the street.

My primary riding buddy has a piped and jetted Bandit 1200 making about 115hp at the wheel. Hefty bike, similar in size to the VFR. He rides the wheels off of it, uses Metzler Roadtecs, and gets 6-8k miles out of a set of tires.

Seems like a decent setup to me.

Quote from: gs2svI would venture a guess that those aren't 600 road miles? doing some trackdays? I have never gotten less than 4000 miles out of a set of road tires.

er, that would be 600 TRACK ONLY miles...guess its pretty good, except for the wheel spin coming out of a few turns (since the right side is almost bald)...not bad for a street tire-I run Pilot Powers.

On the street, before I started to do any trackdays I was getting about 2000-2500 miles out of a set. My riding, however, consists exclusively of canyons, ridden pretty hard, and the psi of the tires is low like I would use on the track, for that reason. I'm sure I could get more mileage out of a set but I run them the way I do for peace of mind. Still, at $300 a pop, installed, its something I have to consider in my budget...

this is me yesterday, at Streets of Willow (Willow Springs Int'l Raceway).


first session, first time ever on this track, and I was hounded by that supermotard (and my buddy on his motard) all day...

Quote from: EisenfaustWell, I'd probably get a Pre-VTEC model anyways,

I've been getting quoted at 400-500 on the valve adjustments for the non-vtec. I'd have to ask about the VTEC one. Either way, reports seem to indicate that I'd only need one or two a year, and any maintainiance I have done is tax-deductable (as is the cost of the bike, w00t)... so *shrug*

Really, my only concern is tire life....

Go for the gear driven cams - they sound so good .  I ride a '97VFR750 and for a bike you can ride all day whilst touring, go for a quick spurt up the local mountain or a peak hour traffic putt putt it is a good choice.  With a nice sport exhaust the V4 is my baby Chevy.  Only thing I would love is if they would shed 30kg - the GS feels like a bicycle in comparison, you really need to set the Viffer up for corners whilst the GS is more forgiving.

As for servicing I do that all myself nowdays -  not much harder than servicing the GS, and the valves only need checking every 24,000kms.  For tyres I use the sport-touring type like Bridgestone 020 or Michie Pilot Roads and get 10-12k kms from a set (do the occasional trackday as well).  The other thing I like is the build quality of the bike - compared to other makes its age the bike really shows the higher quality of its components and build.

Now my dad rides a BMW GS1100 and a mate the newer GS1200 and these bikes are fun in the twisties - great for hounding a R1 or GSXR1000 as long as there are no long straights.  Pity they don't have much bike 'sex' appeal else I would seriously consider getting one.

Cheers
Conrad

Quote from: pantabloAltruism111 wrote:
... new 2005 Honda 600RR for size. It will hit 70+ in second gear. HEHE 4 more gears to go! I love my new bike. But this damn Florida weather is going to keep it in the garage for the next couple of months.!

Quote from: pantablopantablo wrote:

uh, you should try shifting later...I get 75mph in FIRST on my '04 RR, at redline, and it was still pulling. I hit 105 in second, also at redline. In n neither case did I get to the rev limiter though.!

I would but I have only had the bike for 2 weeks now. I dont want to push my luck! But thanks I do look forward to the day when I will be doing that!

uh, this was on a closed course (track) of course... :lol:

Quote from: pantablouh, this was on a closed course (track) of course... :lol:

Much safer that way I suppose. No cops too!  

I truly do miss my VFR, such a well made bike, a joy to ride, lots of power, and a great sound...

Quote from: vfrocketI truly do miss my VFR, such a well made bike, a joy to ride, lots of power, and a great sound...

Why did you get rid of it?

Quote from: pantablofirst session, first time ever on this track, and I was hounded by that supermotard (and my buddy on his motard) all day...

Someone brought a DRZ400SM to the PR day - that thing was cooking.  I was considering one as my commuter, but the seat was way, way, way too tall.

lost my job, had to get rid of some debts....

Quote from: Roadstergal

Quote from: pantablofirst session, first time ever on this track, and I was hounded by that supermotard (and my buddy on his motard) all day...

Someone brought a DRZ400SM to the PR day - that thing was cooking.  I was considering one as my commuter, but the seat was way, way, way too tall.

he was riding a dr650 converted to SM with 17" wheels, etc. He and his buddy on an R6 were TOURING, having ridden 200 or so miles THAT NIGHT to get to the track, then finishing the ride with about 1600 miles total when they got home, riding home from the track...crazy.

this link goes to his video as he's chasing my buddy riding his xr650 honda, also converted to SM. he lowsides at the end but was unharmed. even picked up the bike from the dirt, got back on and kept riding on the track...

http://southbayriders.com/forums/showthread.php?p=205104

Supermotos can be DAMNED fast around a track when theyre ridden by someone who knows what they're doing.

Id consider one, if it werent for the size/comfort issue. Heh.