Honda CBR 400 or VFR 400

[andyboy359]

Hello I am looking to do my A2 test and then get a bigger bike. I am looking to get a 400, not a 600 because I think it will be too much power for me on a 600. (I like speed....)

The bikes I am looking at are the VFRs and the CBRs but which is better? Also what dose NC stand for (e.g. CBR nc25 ect)

Personally I like both just a much as the other

Also if you have any info about both the bikes I would love to know!

Thanks Andrew
____________________
andrew dunne

[Conzar]

Depends what you want in a bike.
There both sporty bikes, where as the VFR is a V4 and the CBR is a IL4.
Try to ride both and compare how the ride feels to you.
____________________
Current ride: ZX6R 636 ------- Previous:KTM EXC 450 Supermoto --- ZX6R B1H --Hornet 600--CBR 600--SV650
11:05:35 Rob Fzs: i just wanna own an rd350 valve before they send us to war with durkadurkastan

[Tbag]

Personally, Out of those two, I would get the VFR.. Just because its different.

The 'NC' is just the model designation, For example, My CB400sf is an 'NC31', Later ones were 'NC36'

HTH

[Teflon-Mike]

Most of the 400's out there are 20+ years old now, and most were 'unofficial' grey imports, for which parts supply can be 'patchy' at best, while the bikes themselves, were the 'budget' alternative to 600's for younger riders, so they NOW tend to be either teen-age dream revival toys, or run into the ground shoe-string racers.

As a week-end toy, IF you can live with one, they may have some purpose, but for the most part, they are a mine field best avoided.

Either way, they make more power that you can have on an A2 (which doesn't exist yet?!) / A-33bhp restrict, so 400, 600 or 500, it would have to be restricted.

So, does it make much odds?

Personally, I'd be looking at one of the 'twins', GS500 for low cost every-day running; SV650 for something newer sportier. ER5 for as good nick long term bargain; GPz500s for low rent sporty; Ducati M600 for a bit of exotic twin...

All of which would also need restricting too.... but two post, less hassle to do it, and they'd be less 'clipped' by it.
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[ThoughtContro...]

Early VFRs were NC21 and NC24. The 24 introduced the single sided swing arm. Parts may be much harder to get hold of for both.

Later VFRs are NC30. Expensive and likely a future classic.


Early CBRs are NC23, later are NC29. There's also a CBR400 Aero, which often appears ultra cheap, but parts availability will likely be akin to looking for rocking horse dung.

RVF is NC35. Less common and expensive. USD forks.

These are all 20 year old bikes. A lot of them will have been ragged to death by young riders as their first bike or even on the track. Be very careful when buying, lest you buy a money pit. I believe Robby slags NC24s off rotten, having once fallen in this pit.

Also make sure you have a good sit the bikes before you buy one. If you're tall you may find it a bit cramped.

The only thing that might put me off a CBR600 is insurance if I was young. Or if I was an anti-popularity snob. Someone commented that the CBR600 was the clitoris bike, because "Every cunt's got one". Just because the 600 makes 100hp, it doesn't mean you have to use it all. It's all in the wrist
____________________
Prize cunt
--
"In a world of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

[Joncrete Cungle]

https://www.400greybike.com/ is your oyster. Parts are still readily available on ebay, 400 greybike, wemoto, David Silver spares, cmnsl and Rick Oliver for the 400's. Yes some of them have been badly screwed, dropped, crashed and poorly maintained.

Take your time and look at plenty of bikes, don't rush in to buying the first one you see. The NC30 and NC35 are selling for good money these days. However with some luck and patience you can still pick up one in reasonable condition for a fair price. If you can take someone who knows motorbikes with you I would reccomend you do that when looking. If you are lucky someone from 400Greybike might be close enough to go and look with you.

Yes you do need to keep on top of the maintenance and due to their age you will probably need to refresh / replace components that might still be OK on a newer 500/600.

It is no coincidence that out of all the bikes I have owned, the Honda 400 still has its place next to my 600 in the garage.

[Slacker24seve...]

I have an NC29 and it's a nice little bike. They are physically very small though; long journeys are not a lot of fun. They are friendly and forgiving but not as easy to work on as a 600 and parts are more scarce.

If I had a full, unrestricted licence Id be after one of the usual suspects; a 600 naked (HORNET!!!), CBR600F or Thundercat for the sporty option or a 500 commuter for the boring, economical option. Don't get me wrong, the 400s are lovely bikes but they are too small, too shagged and too old.
____________________
Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[Moxey]

Getting straight to the issue of VFR vs CBR, many points already mentioned from what I've skim read, just some extras.

For maintenance and work the CBR is marginally easier to work on in terms of the engine layout (IL4), the V4 config can be a bit of a tit to work on (haven't worked on a NC 30 but on the older VF NC 13).

But I believe the VFR was officially imported for short while so spares 'may' be more commonplace.

They are both pretty good handling bikes, not too much power to kill yourself when de-restricted and in restricted guise the CBR still produces a fairly tame linear stretch of power they are also relatively low weight (for a newb not so much in the class of supersports they're fairly old hack and heavy), can't comment too much on the VFR's for riding only had a little go of the older NC 13 which is very likely a long way off the NC 30/35 and it was compared to my NC 23.

Think Binge has ridden both so if he see's this might have more to contribute.

I had my 400 as a 2nd bike to my commuter and was intending to utilise if for track and weekend blasts but the charm of the 90's sportbike and fairly low power soon wore off and after browsing ebay for 'what if' maintenance and repair that might need to be undertaken I was put off by prices compared to better performing 600's.

If you plan on using one as your sole bike be careful the riding position is not friendly to everyone, fairly lousey for pillions, bit of a target for thieves (easy as fook to hotwire and sport image), fuel economy is good though and if you get an unmolested bike they can be very reliable (main weaknesses are electrical reg/rec) but some spares can be a bitch to get hold of, say something breaks you could be off the road for a week or two waiting for replacement parts.

Have you considered the naked Honda 400's? CB-1 NC 27 (T0MMY is selling his on here I believe) or CB 400 SF, both grey imports as well I believe but more forgiving riding position, less to smash in a drop and easier maintenance.

Also 500 twins if you want to be boring (I know I do, all good having a nice bike in the garage you can't fucking ride until new reg/rec arrives then you change your tune and a bike that is just easy to live with and you can actually ride YES ACTUALLY RIDE! takes priority )
____________________
Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 91 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[jasond]

I bought a CBR 400 (NC29, or Gullarm as they're referred to) as my first big bike. Yeah, after half an hour my back's killing me. They're compact so if you're tall, go have a sit on some before buying. Puts a smile on my face everytime I get on it though. Don't regret buying it.
____________________
1st bike Suzuki EN 125-2 (to break me in) Current bike Honda CBR 400 RR

[andyboy359]

Thanks to everyone that has commented!

Looking though it seems like they have their good points but also a few more bad points (Parts being hard to find) also they being compact maybe be a bit of a pain (I'm 6ft inches) so think I will defiantly have to have a sit on a few first

I will also looking into the SVs, GS, Ducati M600 and the rest
I would like something with a fair bit of power (but not so much that just a little twist could turn my week from good to bad) But TBH I "rode" a 900 fireblade the other day... (when I say rode I mean it was one of the wheelie things at bike shows ) and it had the power but not some much as I thought it might kick as me... dont really know how much power I expected

I will try and see if I can have a try on a 600 (on private land) then i will probs want a 600
I think before I buy anything I will have to do ALOT of looking around and trying out

Thanks everyone Andrew.
____________________
andrew dunne

[pixie522]

I have a CBR400 nc29. It was my first big bike after passing my test, If i'm honest I bought it because they are such handsome looking bikes.
I have enjoyed it but if I'm honest it really isn't the most comfortable riding position. (i'm a girl and 5"4).
I would consider going for a 600 though because I have recently bought a ZZR600 d1 , yes its old but I was lucky to find one in really good nick.

I was surprised to find that I felt more confident on a bigger bike too!

[_Iain_]

The NC bit refers to the age of the bike, kinda like mk1, mk2, mk3 etc.

I'd got it into my head that a 500 twin was gay, slow, wouldnt keep me happy, that i wanted to go fast etc. Wanted a bandit, or a pointy SV650.

I then found myself skint after passing test so went and bought what i could with the £500 i had availible to me.

https://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o574/_Iain_/5f2cc992.jpg

A H reg GS500E with a very very noisy exhaust system that'd been in a few crashes. However, it had an MOT, and tax. It sounded like a real bike, and was told "Just take it realy realy easy till we get on the motorway and then wind it all the way on in third." Was instantly sold on the idea that although it was a slow bike, five times the power i had on the YBR was more than enough for the time being.

Then i crashed it, and being styled a bit dull, it's pretty easy to make it look like something totally different for a minimal amount of money. Had a lot of positive feedback on it, i've been asked "what is it??" by a few people. The amount of mods you can do to them for peanuts is incredible. It cost me less than £100 to swap the rear end out for a wide wheel (including the tyre)

https://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o574/_Iain_/45bb4e4f.jpg

Ended up looking like above. Still fiddling with it, and i'll probbably keep it till restrictions up as its just a laugh. Something different. It's also very cheap to insure, tax, and run in general. Theres always millions being broken for spares on ebay, parts are very cheap & theres even a full fairing version if the sportsbike look is your thing, but a big bike is a lot easier to crash than a little one as i found out. I realy do rate em.

Why a GS and not a CB500 or an ER5? Insurance. The CB was over a grand, the ER5 came in just over £850, and the GS at sub £300. CB's supposed to be the pick of the three

Have a read through the project thread before you count em out.

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=249630&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
____________________
Please be aware that the above post may be full of complete nonsense.
Riding: '07 KTM Duke II, Baotian BT49QT-20 Driving: '88 Volvo 340

[andyboy359]

That GS500E is AWESOME! made me really want one but wouldnt mind seeing the full fairing one! thats some nice work you done on that if i mod mine i would have to mod it red and black (my colours since my 50cc and didnt think about it till my mate said about it )

Yeah my main reason for wanting a cbr/vfr was because of how sexy they looked... but the compact part is going to be a bitch so will have a look at other bikes

need something cheap to tax insure and run... a bit like the GS500E or a bandit (on insurance that is not sure about the reset )
____________________
andrew dunne

[dungbug]

On an A2 licence with the additional of keeping an eye on insurance costs the GS500 makes sense (or ER5/CB500). Whatever you get will need the restriction so why fork out for something sporty when you'll not get the full potential out of the bike (?) Probably best to get something like the GS which will alow you to build up 2 years NCB (hopefully ) & more importantly, 2 years riding experience. You can then remove the restriction and gain some more horses or move the GS on & get that 'sporty' bike. Best of luck with your tests gent
____________________
CBT: Pass 25/06/2011 Theory Test: Pass12/06/2012 Mod 1: Fail 08/07/2012
Mod 1 Retest: Pass 15/0702012 Mod 2: Pass 03/08/2012
Suzuki GN125 (Sold) ~ Current bike: Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat

[andyboy359]

Well I have 2 years no clams atm so the more the better

Was a GTs the other day (big bike store) and sat on some sporty bikes and it feels horrible to me too small! haha THEN a VFR pulled up... I started talking to the guy who owned it and he let me sit on it... Terrible! to small to compact you guys where right :L so sat on a Honda cb 600 hornet.... LOVED IT! insurance for a 1998 model is about 500-700 so i am quite happy with that like you guys said its just how far i will pull back the throttle and i wont be taking out the restrictions like most people :L

But this there anything i should look out for with the CB600s? like faults or something?

Thanks all
____________________
andrew dunne

[dungbug]

The general opinion for the CB is a descent all-rounder which will last and last (& then some ). CB is said to be better than the GS/ER too.
Smart move getting up close to some bikes, best way is to have a sit and a close look at them imo.
____________________
CBT: Pass 25/06/2011 Theory Test: Pass12/06/2012 Mod 1: Fail 08/07/2012
Mod 1 Retest: Pass 15/0702012 Mod 2: Pass 03/08/2012
Suzuki GN125 (Sold) ~ Current bike: Yamaha YZF 600R Thundercat

[binge]

Not read the entire post, but;

I suppose I can say I was fortunate to own both the bikes you are comparing.

Comparison between the Honda CBR400 NC29 (Gull Arm), and the VFR400 NC30.

I would say, for a fast road bike, to really learn how to ride on, the CBR wins hands down.
I just got on with it so much better than I did with the VFR.

Tyre choice is easier with the CBR too, as you can just up the rear to a 160/60, and change the front to a 120/70. Then you can buy all sorts of track/road tyres.

Same cant be said about the VFR, as it runs a spunky 18" rear wheel.


Speed, sound, and handling. Again, I think the CBR was easily better.
Felt so much more planted on the road, IMO, it was faster too.
And the V4, just sounds arse. A screaming IL4, 400cc with a 16.5k redline is awesome!

Not to mention, they are cheaper to buy, and repair. Because unlike VFR owners, CBR owners dont think their 20+ year old 400cc cheap alternative to a 600, is worth 2 arms and a left bollock.
They are priced reasonably.


My CBR;

https://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/126/67d6ceafc4d7391bd3c2caf9720aafc2/l.jpg


And my VFR;

https://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/30/c37daacd13f2ffa39caf68862022c9d1/l.jpg

[Slacker24seve...]

[andyboy359]

How can you see when theCamchain tensioners are going??

[Slacker24seve...]

[andyboy359]