Which midweight faired sports tourer? (Buying in 2 weeks!)

[Bikenomad]

Hi All,

Not sure if I should be starting a new thread or continue on someone else's similar post, so please excuse the noob error.

Background: Been riding for ~20 years in India (!) but moved to the UK recently so had to redo my licence after 12 months of being here (of course). And been saving up for aaages.

So long story short - need to get me a ride asap! Looking to get a midweight (600-800 cc) sports tourer within the next 2 weeks (!) - ideally amongst the following:

- Ninja 650 (love it!)
- VFR 800 (love and WANT it!)
- Yamaha Tracer 700 (ooh so delish!)
- BMW F750 GS Sport (waiting to test ride next weekend)

I'm a bit vertically challenged (5'6") and while I have some experience of the upright sports tourers such as Deauville and Tracer 7, I feel more comfortable with getting both my feet nearly planted, and looove the low slung looks of the Ninja and the VFR.

So - couple of questions:

Which bike among the above would you recommend?

I'm leaning towards the VFR 800, and a couple of used ones have caught my eye: 2002 VFR800 FI vs a 2018 shiny silver one - what would you recommend?

For comparison:

2002 VFR800 FI (the 5th gen VFR): 30k miles, Delkevic exhaust, Power Commander PC5, Givi panniers + topbox, for £2800

2018 VFR800: 14k miles, Black Widow exhaust, for £6500

Any suggestions welcome, TIA!
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---Bikenomad---
VFR800F, Royal Enfield Classic 500, Ninja 125

[stinkwheel]

An '02 VFR800 is the last of the gear driven cam models. All downhill from there.

However, it IS nearly 20 years old so expect to need to freshen it up a bit. Springs, new shock, overhaul brakes etc.

30k miles is nothing to those motors.

Make sure the LCD display is working.

£2800 seems on the pricey side...
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Bikenomad]

[virus]

where abouts are you located? I know of a good condition 5th gen vfr800 going for just under 2k. 45k on the clocks so just about run in for that motor
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own: 81 xs1100g...
owned: 85 rat CG (sold), 91 GS500e (stolen), 84 gsx400f (scrapped), 81 z250 (siezed, siezed, scrapped), 83 cb250rs (sold), 84 gpz750r ratfighter (killed) 84gpz400 (sold), '80 cb650 ratfighter (wrote off) 95gsx6/12f ratfighter (killed) 91 xj900 (sold)
stinkwheel Well I just had my hands up a pigs fanny. Which makes your concerns pale into insignificance.

[stinkwheel]

[Bikenomad]

[Bikenomad]

[Evil Hans]

[ThunderGuts]

I have no experience of earlier VFRs, but have a 2019 VFR800X (basically the VFR800F on stilts). Absolutely love it. I can easily flat foot it with a bit of knee bend at 5'10". The VFR800F is lower.

VFRs are heavy, but for touring and general duties are ace. Does the one you've seen come with hard cases? Often they are included in a sale with no apparent impact on price, but to buy afterwards can be costly. Worth seeking a deal with them included (if you're planning to tour). Cost over £700 new which is farcical for what they are.
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TG.

[Bikenomad]

[ThunderGuts]

[virus]

[Bikenomad]

[virus]

[ThatDippyTwat]

VFR - no brainer.

[UncleFester]

If you do get an early one and the clocks are still working, check that the plastic cover piece is in place underneath the headlight area at the bottom of the clock cowl - that missing is what allows crud to get up behind the clocks.

If the clocks are misbehaving it's not a complete disaster.

https://vfrworld.com/threads/5th-gen-clock-pcb-repair-w-pics.53437/

Clocks track repair ( i also did it one the one i had) is not complicated as this is pretty simple wiring.
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2017 Z1000SX

[Bikenomad]

[Zen Dog]

[ThunderGuts]

[to v or not to v]

[kgm]

Of note, the Ninja650 / ER6F isn't in the same league as the VFR. The only thing it does better is fuel economy, everything else the VFR steams ahead.

I had an ER6 for 3 years of daily riding, the VFR that replaced it was so much better.

I concur about the brake lines. I was looking at doing mine and the cost of new ones is mental. The only two things I don't like about the VFR are parts costs (Nearly £400 for two front disks, at full price) and the difficulty of working on it. The jobs aren't hard but everything is awkward to access.

[Bikenomad]

[ThunderGuts]

Very nice. When the VTEC kicks in . . .
____________________
TG.

[Bikenomad]

[Pete.]