Learning to ride:
1990s, somewhere in a wood with my friends aged about 15. I know nothing about motorbikes. I know my Dad had them in the 1960s and my parents hate the idea of me having one. I am presented with a battered "chicken chaser", which is what we Brits call a step-through framed motorbike such as the Honda C90, and off I go. My first motorbike ride. A few rides on other bikes follow in fields and down farm tracks as many teenage boys do.
2008, on the Greek island of Crete with my fiance Faye. I'm sure you can ride a quad bike with a UK driving license and I'm determined to try. I notice the various 50-250cc Chinese made "sports quads" with their flashy chrome wheels. Not what I'm looking for. We go for a walk and I find a place with a proper quad - Japanese made, selectable hi/lo gears & 4wd, 380cc, knobbly tyres, luggage racks both ends. Perfect. We explore the local mountains and coast for the next couple of days before replacing the quad with a Suzuki Vitara for venturing further afield , but a fire has been lit in my mind.
June 2013, Ko Phagnan island, Thailand, with friends. "Let's get some peds guys!" I haven't ridden a motorcycle for at least 15 years. "OK let's do it!". Half an hour later we have 5 Honda Click 125i scooters lined up. This will be fine - I used to do a lot of mountain biking, the brakes are the same and there aren't any gears. It's an amazing feeling flying down the coast road at sunset with your friends and we are all laughing and smiling. Fuel has been added to the fire.
September 2013, work, England. "I'm selling 4 bikes if you're still looking for something Rob". I look through the pictures. A Kawasaki sports tourer- ugly. A big 660cc single cylinder enduro bike - not my thing. A Ducati 900ss - beautiful but fragile. Then I see the XBR500, a 1989 single cylinder 500 in excellent order. "That's kind of cool, how much?"... "make me an offer"... I do a bit of research, I go to view, 1.5 lac changes hands and it's mine - the only issue is, no license! So in the garage it goes.
October 2013, England, sat on a Kawasaki 125cc trail bike in the rain. What am I doing here man? It's cold and water is running down my collar and into a gap between my legs. Oh well, my compulsory basic training is passed. Now I can ride a 125cc with L plates. Lucky me. I return the following week for my big bike acclimatisation - a day riding a big bike on the road & the first step in learning to ride something powerful. The bike is a Ducati Monster 696. I love it.
November 2013, Marrakesh, Morocco, alone. I'm on a quad again, on top of a hill in the foothills of the Atlas mountains in the sunshine. Maybe I'm having an early midlife crisis, but I must finish the license.
December 2013, England - motorcycle theory test passed, but the weather is awful, it's no time to be attempting the practical tests. Work is not much fun. I've been there 9 years and it's time for a change. I resign 3 months later, register my own company, and land a contract in London.
October 2014. England - big bike training and tests. The bike is a Yamaha XJ6, a 600cc 4 cylinder naked. It lacks the character of the Ducati, but the engine is more tractable at low rpm and the steering lock is better. First test - this is the difficult one, low speed handling moves followed by a higher speed swerve and emergency stop. Put a foot down, you fail. Lock a brake, you fail. Don't achieve at least 50kph through the speed trap for the higher speed tests, you fail. I pass, no exception points. The next test the following week is a road ride. I pass, no exception points. Finally, I'm a biker.
Choosing & buying:
October 2014: I realise straight away that the XBR has its limitations as a practical bike on UK roads, and I decide to get something else to complement it, nothing expensive I will worry about breaking. Something comfortable with a bit of weather protection. In general, when somebody over 25 comes straight into bikes at the top of the license chain, they buy a 600cc naked bike with about 60-70bhp. Bikes like the smaller Monsters, Bandit 600, Hornet 600 etc... This is the advice from all the magazines. An experienced rider I know said to me "those bikes are what everybody is told to buy, so they are expensive for what you get, and they were built to a price too. A bike only goes as fast as you twist your right hand, you're a big strong guy and sensible - you'd be fine with a larger bike and you'd get more for your money". He convinced me quite easily...
The options in the UK market in the £2500 (2.5 lac) budget are endless. I consider a big upright bike first.
I look at a Triumph Tiger 955i but decide it is simply too large.
I look at the Honda Transalp but decide it is too slow
I consider a sportbike such as the CBR919rr, but decide I want more comfort and less crazy power.
I spot a VFR for sale locally and go to view. It seems perfect, I immediately gel with the bike, but this one is too expensive.
A week later I'm at a house 50 miles away with 2 lacs in my pocket. The seller bought the bike to ride with his sons. Now he's 65 he doesn't want to ride any more. The bike hasn't been used for a few years and has only done 19,000 miles (about 30,000km) but has been run regularly. Once he decided to sell it, he had it serviced and tested, and rode it a little for old times sake. Money changes hands, a quick call to the insurance company, and I'm off.
The 1998-2002 VFR800 is seen by many as the definitive sports tourer. Honda still sell VFR800s today for around 10 lacs. They look almost the same as the 98-02 model, and have almost identical weight and power, people still buy them, and journalists still praise them.
The 98-02 engine is based on the all conquering RC45 superbike racer - a 782cc V4 with gear driven cams and injection. After this model, the engines adopted Vtec instead of the geared cams, and lost a certain something - a bit like the Bullet going to UCE but without any of the benefits! In the 98-99 VFR, before cat pipes, the engine makes 108bhp at 10,800rpm. Everything on this bike is high spec and well made. The brakes are linked, the forks are fully adjustable, and it has a digital dash and an alloy single sided swingarm.
First ride:
After the XJ6 it feels big and solid. I ride home carefully. The hydraulic clutch is light and the gear shifts are precise. The engine throbs away - it pulls cleanly from about 2500rpm with the V4 rumbling away as only V engines can. At 4500rpm it wakes up and starts to snarl. I stop at 6000rpm for the first couple of hours. Eventually on a quiet road I decide it's time to see what it will do. I drop it into 2nd and open the throttle. 6000rpm arrives quickly and the acceleration gets urgent. At 7000rpm the engine note changes. A V4 has very good primary and secondary balance, and when it hits it's stride, it starts to sing like a straight 6. By 8500rpm the singing has become a soulful wail and the acceleration is vicious, the front wheel goes light and lifts a fraction. I am hanging on for dear life and my heart is racing, the 11,000rpm redline arrives and I hit 3rd. The rev drop is straight onto the peak of the torque curve and the wall of acceleration continues, I hit 4th and shut off. It's all over in a couple of seconds but I'm doing 175kph
Impressions after nearly 2 years riding:
I've ridden faster bikes since, but the VFR is a fabulous and fast road bike - it has a flat torque curve and the gearing is perfect. On the road, quick riding mainly happens between 2nd and 4th. Outright sports bikes are much taller geared, and their engines often do everything at the top end. A guy posted a video on the Honda Owners forum showing how a VFR will out-accelerate a Fireblade in throttle-roll tests, and thats its strength, power is there everywhere above 4000rpm, no flat spots or bogging down. In the corners it is sure-footed but you can feel the weight. Ride an outright sports bike flat out and it is faster, but the VFR is flexible and composed ridden quickly. The real ace in the hole is the riding position. The seat is comfortable and can also take a passenger in comfort. The clip-on bars are high enough that you don't end up with sore wrists - this neutral riding position also makes it much easier to ride in heavy traffic, but you can get your toes on the pegs and your knee down on the fast roads too. I don't wear sliders so my knee stays off the floor, but I've had the peg feeler and my toe sliders down, so I know if I stuck my knee out I'd be dragging it! Mine has a touring screen fitted and is a relaxed high speed cruiser. I've covered 1600km in a weekend on it without any aches or pains. I don't think it would be a great bike on Indian roads as the engine and side pod radiators give off plenty of heat, and even with the fan running it can get a little warm.
Fuel:
The tank range is OK but not superb. I typically achieve around 250-300km between filling, this can fall to 180km in exceptional circumstances of hard use. The km/l is around 15 in general use. When riding at only max 100kph with my fiance on her 125cc with no hard acceleration it can rise to 20
Lurking on the driveway waiting for a ride
The XBR is cosseted. It only comes out in the sunshine. The VFR is used and abused. This picture was taken after a full day of polishing both bikes. I machine polished the wheels on the VFR which took ages.
At the top of Kirkstone Pass in the English Lake District - clouds and rain did not dull the day. The VFR is heavily loaded with a weeks worth of clothing and a spare jacket. I use a large sports bag with the clothes inside a plastic sack for waterproofing, held to the bike with bungees and a luggage net. I'd like some colour coded Honda panniers but I haven't found any for sale yet.
I have put about 11,000km on the bike since buying it. I've used it for getting to work, touring, sports bike ride outs, and days out with Faye on the back - the VFR can do it all.
Maintenance & repairs:
From a maintenance perspective it has required brake pads, fork seals, and a clutch kit on top of the usual service. I have also replaced the chain & sprockets and fitted a set of Michelin Pilot Road 4 tyres, which are excellent. This one's a keeper for the time being and I don't mind spending a bit on her. The exhaust broke early in my ownership so I welded it up. This winter I hope to get the wheels powder coated, overhaul the suspension and change the exhaust system.
Thoughts on the bike in summary...
Good:
Build quality is second to none
Centre stand is a very good thing to have in practical terms, you are not afraid to park the bike in public bays as it would be very hard to knock over
The gearbox is fantastic - no false neutrals, perfect ratios and a slick shift. I can up shift without the clutch at the redline with only a tiny lift of the throttle
The engine sounds amazing and has a very usable power band
The ergonomics are perfect for me, I can ride all day
It can play sports bike, tourer, or commuter with aplomb
It is a proper 2 seat bike with comfort for the passenger
The mirrors are excellent & so is the headlight - small bonuses that make a big difference to a bike that gets used in heavy traffic and at night.
Bad:
The rear shock is the bit Honda scrimped on - it is only adjustable for pre-load, and this must be done with a C-spanner which is awkward
I cannot find any colour matched luggage
I would be even happier if the engine just had a little bit more go at the top end now... There is no 'redline rush' like a 750 sport bike. You can rebuild these engines to about 830cc with 130bhp but that is an expensive exercise and defeats the object of a cheap bike.
There is no gear indicator - this would be useful in heavy traffic