VFR800 vs NC700 vs Car + other bike. Wall of Text Warning!

[c_dug]

Given my Divvy 900 has proved less reliable than would be desirable and now appears to have developed a case of terminal gearbox-shits (to be confirmed when I have a moment to break out the spanners) I am weighing up the replacement options.

It's no secret that I am a destroyer of all things two wheeled. The divvy is my 7th bike in 9 years and not a single one has left me in a ridable condition, I'm determined to have something that'll last me a little better! For that reason I'm hoping to stray away from my usual 10+ year old £1000 bikes. I've never bought a bike made in this millennium, and never one on less than 28,000 miles, and given I tend to stick at least 12,000 miles on them a year they don't last long!

I'm upping my budget to something between £2,000-£4,000 and my hope is to be able to use something for a year or two and it not to lose all of it's value. The things I need in a bike are for it to be a good commuter and for it to be capable of taking myself and my OH plus a decent amount of luggage on a journey. Ideally the bike will have 3 piece hard luggage fitted when I buy it.

Also in an ideal world the bike won't bore the shit out of me when I get a nice sunny day, or a chance to ride on the continent or the odd sunny weekend day free.

I've boiled my choices for my next bike down to an NC700 or VFR800 but I'm open to reasonable suggestions, no FireBlade please

Given the NC700's MPG figures and relatively cheap running costs it's a serious contender, but it's wimpy engine performance worries me. I'm concerned that it'll struggle to put a smile on my face when I get a chance to open it up, and that when I load it up with three boxes full of luggage and a pillion on the back it will be sluggish compared to my divvy 900.

If I look at the top end of my budget I can pick up a very low mileage NC700 from about 2012 or a little bit older and higher mileage VFR.

The third option which I've literally just considered while typing the previous paragraph would be to sink about 2k into getting myself into a car (£1k for lessons plus car and £1k for insurance), then opening up my choice of two wheelers up to around about £2000 but without the need to do everything.

What options would you consider in my shoes? I hate the idea of paying £1000 for car insurance, but actually now I've typed this all out it almost seems logical, tell me I'm crazy!? Maybe I could get a FireBlade if I did
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Polarbear]

A Deauville will be more exciting than a NC700.

a VFR out of those 2 choices as I really cannot see how a 50hp bike can comfortably carry 2 people & 3 piece hard luggage.

One reason I veered away from GoldWings for touring was that I would have the throttle pinned and be shouting 'COME ON' a la Clarkson as my compatriots on Blackbirds, VFR's 1250 Bandits etc. used to disappear into the sunset. And that had well over double the NC700 hp.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[ScaredyCat]

[c_dug]

Fair enough, not owned a bike of that sort of power since around 2008 or so, probably forgotten quite what it's like with a bit of weight on it! Given two of my best friends appear to be buying Street Triples in the next couple of weeks maybe the nc700 would be quite outclassed!

To be honest I've spent a few days puzzling over the choice without considering that four wheels is even an option, if I'm going to commit to the £4k figure then it seems the most sensible option, even if it does mean all but burning a whole grand on insurance!

Sooooo... Fun commuter for 2k, without the need to worry about luggage or pillion capabilities, not quite enough to join the striple club Bloody car insurance!
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[stevo as b4]

TBH dude, the car makes comparatively little sense, seeing as you need to pay out a biggish chunk to get licensed up, and that then you'd automatically be stung for a relatively evil premium to insure one.

You never did mention what your commute is like for car use vs the bike?
i.e are you one of those that the car would add no more time to your daily commute than you'd take going by bike?
Or would it be a silly inner city style non starter and take 1.5-2x as long to get to work in a cage compared to biking it?

I think for an annual mileage of about 13'000miles+ then you have a couple of options bike wise.

1, Buy a clean tidy second hand sports tourer that has a reasonable balance of sports vs touring and fun vs sensible hack attributes. The VFR800 is probably one of the best examples of being all round useful yet interesting.

I might be talking crap, but I cannot see how if you ran a VFR with nicely sorted and set up suspension, and sticky tyres, that it would feel terribly boring compared to a Fireblade? You could hussle a VFR, even track day one, and still find it capable enough to keep up with less confident riders on 1000cc 180bhp machinery?

2, Buy a shaft driven more touring biased bike like say an FJR1300 or Pan Euro, or GTR1400 etc? The shaft drive would be pretty nice to have for practicality alone. And if you did go big one the engine size instead of a possibly wheezy underpowered NC700, then chain drives wouldn't last 5min without lots of care and attention. I certainely wouldn't want a chain drive GTR1400 for example.

The other option is to buy similar old and cheap machinery like your old XJ900's and run them into the ground. You could probably get 2running bikes with a bit of life left in them for your budget and possibly even stockpile a fair few commonly needed spares to keep one or both running and not leave you unridable when something breaks or wears out? I guess this is courier style mentality, and would rely one you wanting to spend plenty of your spare time fixing and spannering your machines so that they keep you on the road.

Finally this could be a totally stupid idea, but if the bike is true commuting work horse and needs to be reliable but not necessarily interesting or used for fun, then have you considered using your £4 towards finance on a brand new frugal commuter machine or something that's pretty good value on 0% APR like maybe some current Suzuki's might be?

If you went car route, I don't see £4k as getting you that far if you need to pay for insurance and licensing etc first. Then having no bike and say a £2k budget for a second hand economical car, I don't think you'd get much that is either decent, or reliable for 13k a year or both.

[.....]

I commute on a Deauville. It cost me well under £2k, does 65mpg, shaft drive. It's never going to be brilliant fun to ride but it's not as bad as people make out and as a commuter I can't fault it. I've looked at other bikes to replace it, including the NC700/750 but always come back to thinking the Deauville is the better bike - half the price, big fairing, shaft drive and built in luggage.

[bamt]

Plan c.

Spend a couple of hundred pounds on a second hand engine/gearbox for the Divvy, get it back on the road, and get a second bike for weekend fun and spare. I've found it really useful that Mrs Bamt got a big girl's license and a bike, as it means I always have a useable spare and don't have to resort to a cage.


Edit: This one has free click & collect delivery to your local Argos. It's almost worth buying one just for the amusement when you go to pick it up.

[c_dug]

I've done car lessons in the past, I know I can reasonably expect to pass my test for less than £300, in all likelihood less than £200. Theory is completed and in date. The way I see it I'll have to go down the four wheels route one day and the initial first year insurance hit is inevitable, I've passed the usual age related "insurance drops after twenty-something" without any significant reductions, prospective quotes show that no claims bonus is what will really make the difference.

On the bike front, whether I bother with a car or not the VFR would be way more than enough bike for what I need, the FireBlade comments are mostly tongue in cheek. Actually if I do go down the car route I might look at a VFR750 anyway, I've always liked the way they look.

I've considered the engine change route, and the stockpile of spares route, the issue being the lack of space to do work on the bike (Lots of tools, no garage!). In all honesty I've sort of lost the buzz with the Divvy too though I'm a big fan of the shaft drive, but it just isn't fun enough. As mentioned with regards to the NC700, you can have fun on any bike, but that doesn't make it a fun bike.

My commute is 22 miles each way straight through the dead centre of London, the options are Bike or Tube, and like hell am I spending two hours a day in a sardine tin!

So Whatever happens, NC700 is struck off the list, too wimpy. Might consider an R1100S if I don't go down the car route, £4k will pick up a nice condition one.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[ADSrox0r]

I'll not harp on about the VFR but be prepared for dogshit mpg if you're city commuting with one.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[Nemo]

Have you considered a sprint gt?
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Previously owned: Kawasaki KH125, Suzuki GP125, Suzuki GX 125, Honda CB125 TDC '83, Honda ntv 600, Kawasaki ER5, Kawasaki ZZR600, Aprilia RSV 1000 Mille
Now own: Ducati 848 evo

[weasley]

Fazer 1000?
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[c_dug]

Sprint and Fazer 1000 are both on the radar
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[stevo as b4]

I'd be waiting a few more years till I moved well out of the smoke then than buy a car now! You could still do the test etc if you really wanted to, and or it would help you at work or to do other jobs etc.

But buying a car where you are to me sounds far less sensible than getting hooked on class A drugs!

I can see your point about not having the space to have a hoard of old bike spares and a workshop to keep your workhorse on the road.

The R1100RS does sound like a great idea though, and I would think the riding position is similar to a VFR, but maybe even just a bit more sporty? The shaft drive is a nice feature to have for your annual mileage and useage too.

The thing that puts me off VFR's for a high mileage bike is working on them. And on a pre-injection model things like balancing the carbs, or working on the carbs might be a nightmare. Not to mention all the stripping down required to do servicing and especially valve clearance checks etc.

[defblade]

I'd say get your car test passed as it's always going to be useful.

Then buy the cheapest, most knackered example of the car that you can get insured on the cheapest, after running every compare-the-quotes ever (some big cars are reckoned to be cheaper than corsas etc). Park it on the drive insured but SORNed for at least a year to clock up some no claims.

Then, as suggested above, get a spare engine/gearbox and fix the Divvy for now - at least you could trade it in for something if it's working.



If all that fails, how about a Sprint ST? Most come with luggage
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp

[c_dug]

Cheapest car and insurance combo I've found so far is an old Fiat Panda, more likely to look down the fiesta route though. I've tried a massive selection for quotes, including non typical first cars, but the only thing anywhere near as cheap is a brand new Corsa, and like hell am I buying one of those!

The plan for when the rain stops is to check out what I can on the divvy, I can get to the gear selector fork and a few other bits and pieces without dropping the engine.

Even if I get it back on the road I reckon I'll sell it in the near future so still interested in the above comments on replacements.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[ADSrox0r]

[cdlxxvi]

[Slacker24seve...]

[Andy S]

I had a FI (pre vtech) VFR 800 and loved that bike SO much.
I put 56,000 miles on it in 4 years and it never skipped a beat.
I commute 12,000 miles a year on a mix of motorways and inner city, and averaged about 45 to the gallon from it.

Other than regular servicing it asked for nothing from me.
I had the valve clearances checked on schedule but they were always within tolerance.
I always ran with Bridgestone Battlaxs and they lasted very well even with a lot of upright commuter riding.

It was more than capable on a Sunday blast too!


When the mileage hit 60,000 is sold it on for £1800.

Added a bit to it and last year bought a 2001 Honda Blackbird, FSH, 18,000 miles, luggage etc etc for £2800.

Other than the MPG being a little less, the blackbird is pleasing me as much as the vfr. Amazing bike.

[el_oso]

I'll come out on the CBR125 if you get the NC. I'll still have move fun though. Had it cruising at 75mph today.

I don't get why you are so set on getting a car? You both work in the city so don't need it for the commute. Your shopping gets delivered. When you go out you'll be drinking so will get a cab or bus anyway. The girls are still young enough that public transport is still fucking amazing.

If I wasn't going to fix the divvy, I'd be looking at a sprint st, not just because we'll all have a triumph.
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Duke 390
Previous: '05 XR125L | '96 XJ600S Diversion |'05 Suzuki GSXR1000 | '05 Honda CBR125-R | '97 YZF 600R Thundercat | '11 Honda CBR250
Car: Jeep Wrangler 4.0L

[Wonko The Sane]

[nelmo]

[ferrisio]

I did my DAS on an NC750 and I thought it was great, a little small for me maybe but had grunt low down and felt well put together. I'd happily have one if I saw one go cheap.
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BMW R1100R

[JoeDougieDoug...]

I have an NC700X - I think its a great bike, owned it since March and i've covered just shy of 3000 miles so far, it's never missed a beat. It's not going to thrill you in the corners or take your breath away with speed but you can still throw it around nicely.

https://i.imgur.com/eH4BC2h.jpg
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CBT Passed - 22 / 10 / 11 >> Theory Passed - 16 / 02 / 2012 >> Mod 1 Passed - 07 / 03 / 2012 >> Mod 2 Passed - 18 / 05 / 2012.

[Northern Monkey]

I have an nc750x. It's terminally dull. I ride my msx in preference 90% of the time
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Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk