BMW F800 ST vs VFR800 VTEC

[Irezumi]

Anyone owned either of these long term? Does the BMW have enough power up to 80-ish and for overtakes? What needs checking when looking at second hand in particular?

What's the VFR like in terms of the VTEC (have ridden pre VTEC before), is it possible to service at home as I normally do all work myself? Anything in particular that causes problems apart from reg-rec?

Finding more and more I want to carry stuff so panniers and top box and my current bike isn't too comfortable over long distances hence the sensible change.

Thanks for any help.

[ThunderGuts]

Can't comment on the BMW although I'd imagine it has "enough" power but the viffer is still 25% more powerful.

The viffer is reasonably home friendly in that it's pretty reliable, but the valve clearance checks are a royal PITA as their frequency I think is 16k miles on that model (I stand to be corrected) and because of the engine layout it requires a lot of dismantling.

That said, I'd choose on the VFR out of that pair all day long (I have a newer VFR, although the engine has only been mildly reworked over the years, hence why it got killed off by the latest EUROX emissions regs).
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TG.

[Zen Dog]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

i test rode that bmw and it was the worst bike i've ever been on - and i've ridden some sh1te

boring, gutless, vibey, crud
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Irezumi]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[PotatoHead202...]

Apart from the charging issues (can be sorted and possibly already has been) I'd choose the VFR every fucking day of the week. You'll get a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH higher build, component and paint standard over the BMW.
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Suzuki V Strom 1050XT, Honda CBF500 ABS,

[kgm]

I used a 2012 vfr 800X for commuting, touring and hooning over 4 years. It's was reliable engine wise, never a bother. With regard to valve checks it is DIYable, but it is time consuming so you need a good place to do it. You need a special tool which is basically a little insert for the VTEC valves and isn't hard to get. I just paid to have it done by a trustworthy independent because I couldn't be arsed devoting the time.

Other than normal consumables the only issues I had were a front brake disk that was showing cracks, fork seals and the chain adjuster mechanism in the rear hub seized necessitating dismantling, cleaning and reassembly. All easy to sort and I never had charging or battery issues. That bike was used regularly in horrible weather and rose conditions and tbh it helps up much better than any other bike I've had. The brake disks were expensive though! I also powder coated the exhaust heat shield beside the foot peg as those rot quickly.

Only sold it recently because my opportunity to ride longer rides has reduced and I fancy a lightweight hooligan tool instead. There isn't much that makes a better all rounder IMO. Do consider the crossrunner variant as they can be had cheap and are better suited to daily use by virtue of the riding position (at least to me). The gen 2 is the better to have (I had the gen 1)

[Irezumi]

[kgm]

[ThunderGuts]

Mk1 crossrunner isn't pretty which is why it didn't sell particularly well; you might get a bargain vs the 800F. Second gen 800X are much better all round, but are a lot pricier; out since 2015 so unlikely to be in budget.

I'd look at either a gen1 800X or an older (late 2000s) 800F.
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TG.

[Zen Dog]

Triumph Sprint ST's are in budget. And that 1050 engine is a peach.
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Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, 2011 CBF125 Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[Irezumi]

[Zen Dog]

[ThunderGuts]

[Irezumi]