Old man MarJay, that Old Man MarJay...

[MarJay]

As some of you know I've got a job in the old London Town, and being a Basingstoke resident I realised I needed a way to commute that wouldn't result in me going insane. I do occasionally take the train, but I've found that bike commuting works well.

Only downside is my Street Triple is a little too nice and a little too desirable to thieves for my commuting needs, so I thought about what kind of bike I should buy. I came up with this:

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/vfr_small.jpg

Cost £1600 with panniers and top box. Needs a bit of TLC, the head bearings clunk like a clunky thing but it rides well and is comfortable for distance. I got very wet collecting it from Peterborough today, so I know it will handle the commute OK. Whether I will on the other hand remains to be seen!

It's not really an exciting bike, the power delivery is flat, the handling is neutral but it does keep the weather off, and it's comfy. I'm pretty happy with it!
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[BenR]

One of my all time favourite bikes if for the sound alone. Good buy for 1600 ponds.
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Current bikes: suzuki RG125UN wolf. Yamaha MT-07

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I've never been a fan of the tank bra but apart from that, rated a cool bargain.

[ThatDippyTwat]

I like them well enough - though I prefer the 750, The sound, especially with a nice can, is lovely.

I'll second doubts about the tank bra - what's it hiding?
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[MarJay]

I had a glance underneath the tank bra and all seems well. It does mean I can get a baglux tank bag in future.

There are so many good points at shed money that I can overlook a few quirks.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MarJay]

I had a glance underneath the tank bra and all seems well. It does mean I can get a baglux tank bag in future.

There are so many good points at shed money that I can overlook a few quirks.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[TaffyTDM]

What year is it? Is your london town commute london enough to get spanked with ULEZ contributions?

[recman]

Good choice, both with the work hack and to keep the Street out of the lions den.
The new edition looks quite tidy, doesn't look to have been launched down the road on its side anyway.

[Polarbear]

Good choice

Those front indicators are pretty horrific though
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[dydey90]

[kramdra]

Low miles?
Vfr's would be good commuters but I imagine maintence takes a lot more effort, and reduced access inside the frame.6 pot brakes are they abs?
Does the can need to come off to get the rear wheel out?

[ThatDippyTwat]

[woo]

MarJay if your coming into London where the congestion charge starts your going to be hit with the stupid charge daily cos any bikes from 2006 and older get hit with the charge.....meh.
it seems all bikes from 2007 are exempt
the charge starts from 8th April 2019 which is kinda just round the corner
plus they want to expand this charge
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ulez-where-and-when

Some bikes are exempt but i dont think yours is

This stupid charge has prevented me from getting my dream bike again (GSXR 1000 k5/k6) but ah

Khan's groups policy...........meh!!!!!!!!!
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Elen sila lummen omentielvo!

[MarJay]

It’s a 2000. The ULEZ starts to the east of where I’m going. It will expand in 2020 in which case I’ll buy a Z1000SX.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[MarJay]

[ThatDippyTwat]

[ADSrox0r]

City riding the V4 guzzles fuel, other than that they are what they are. Still revered as one of the greatest all rounders ever made and with all that Honda over-engineering they put into their 'masterpiece' they just go forever.

Just make sure the electrics are sorted, upgrade the r/r to a mosfet sharpish if it hasn't already been done. Fit a voltmeter for good measure, SOP for all VFR owners. Keep an eye on the thermostat too, they get stuck all too frequently. Other than that, meh, it'll serve you like a faithful old dog till its dying day (which WILL be a long, long...long way away)
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[kramdra]

[dydey90]

[ADSrox0r]

[MarJay]

First commute today.

Thoughts:

The head bearings really are f*cked. I also noticed the bars weren't inline with the front wheel. A slackening of the bottom yoke and then pushing the front of the bike into a wall seems to have done the trick. Suspension seems to damp OK and be soft enough for little 'ol me without adjustment, which is rare. The forks are smooth and not pitted, and not leaking.

I didn't even notice the comfort. That's how comfortable it is. I was pretty much in agony on the ST3 with a rucksack after an hour. obviously the top box helps.

Even though the head bearings are shot, the handling is still neutral and it does what I ask of it. With the top box loaded it has a shimmy between 35 and 40mph, especially when cutting the throttle. Nothing scary, just a bit of a warning.

I wound on the throttle a bit this afternoon. It can go, but it's not eye popping acceleration. It sits nicely on the motorway at 70mph and doesn't even break a sweat. At 90mph it starts to tell you it's going quick which is good. It's not as dull at that speed as my TT600 was. It could probably do with a quarter turn throttle to make it more fun, but as it's a commuter I shan't bother. The gearbox doesn't seem to make a huge amount of difference to acceleration. The change itself is always positive and easy to do clutchlessly up the box.

Wind protection is good. I thought it wasn't great at first but then I remember how much buffet I get on the naked Street Triple.

It turns tighter than the ST3 at low speeds, enabling more gap potential in heavy traffic.


The fuel gauge was on two bars, then suddenly on the final bar flashing. This scared me enough to leave the motorway to get fuel this afternoon. Anybody know how long it should go on reserve? Does it have one further warning before dying?

Discovered the engine temperature mode. The bike warms up VERY quickly but stays at a stable 79 degrees centigrade, even in stop start traffic.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[stinkwheel]

Have you tried wringing its neck yet? Can be rewarding. More is more.

I bet that exhaust can weighs more than the rest of the bike.

They can and will get really hot in traffic but the radiators are large enough to cope. The right hand side of the frame just below your knee gets really hot in summer riding.
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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.

[MarJay]

[FretGrinder]

Inb4 I've replaced 3 reg/rec's this month.
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Yamaha MT-09

ಠ_ಠ