Looking for Hayabusa input

I spoke to a sales guy at one of the local dealerships.
They have a 2006 VFR800 with over 21K miles that he said he would let me take out for a couple of hours without any charge, hopefully nothing goes wrong with the bike. Assuming the weather is ok on Saturday I will take it out :)
 
Went and drove a 2006 VFR

I went and drove a 2006 VFR, Black/Gray, ABS. I really liked a lot about the bike. I drove it for about two hours, no charge. I even tried to give the sales guy $20, but he said no thank you. I did fill it up with gas though :)

I did not flip the odometer so I don't exactly how far I went but I would guess about 110-120 miles. I did a little city ridging before getting to a mostly two lane state roads and then about 50 miles on the interstate.

I really like the looks of the VFR.

I thought it handled very well.

Decent acceleration, although it did not seem to pull as strong as the FZ1. When the VTEC engages the other two cylinders it wasn't all that smooth but I could live with it. Personally the acceleration on the VFR is more linear to me until the VTEC kicks in, I prefer the linear acceleration.

When I stopped for gas, I tried putting the bike up on the center stand. I found it much more difficult than my 2008 FZ1 was to pop up on the center stand. It seems that the distance between the handlebars and the back seat grab bars is longer. I got it up but certainly not as easy.

It seemed that keeping the VFR at the speed limit was a challenge, frequently I looked down to find I was going say 20+ over the speed limit. I did not try to find the top end of the range of the bike but lets just say it comfortably goes to and over three digits.

I liked the suspension on the VFR more than the FZ1. The VFR absorbed bumps road imperfections better I thought.

The riding position (and this bike already had risers on it) was not terrible but I found it too sporty/aggressive for my liking. After a couple of hours, my wrists were starting to feel it. The VFR is significantly more aggressive than that FZ1, so I like the FZ1 posture better. I found this to be the deal breaker, so I won't be getting a VFR. I admit I was disappointed. I thought there was a good chance I was going to be getting a VFR. Sorry, I did not even think about taking pictures. After I got back to the dealership and got off the bike, I took a long walk around the bike and tried to convince myself that this was the bike to get but the ergonomics I had just experienced said, no. When I handed Lance the keys he said to me:

Man, that did not take very long, did you get any tickets (he knew where I was going and the route I was taking)? No tickets I said (grinning).
Its a nice bike but its too sporty huh?.....yes, you took the words right out of my mouth. He used to be a Honda sales rep, very nice guy and knows his stuff.



My conclusion is that if the VFR is too aggressive for me, then I think a Hayabusa would be also, don't you think? Thanks for all of your input.
 
Last edited:
Well at least you got to really try out the VFR before making the mistake of buying it and not liking it. I have never been on a 'Busa, but from the pictures it seems like you will be leaned over like you were on the VFR so probably wont work either. I guess I missed the reason you sold the FZ1, but maybe something like an FJR 1300 or a Concours 1400 would be better for you...
 
NJFZ1 said:
I guess I missed the reason you sold the FZ1, but maybe something like an FJR 1300 or a Concours 1400 would be better for you...
Click to expand...

I got the FZ1 for a steal, 2008 with only 1706 miles for $4300. The bike also came with a bike cover, carbon fiber helmet and leather gloves. I thought what the heck, I can buy the bike, try it out and if I don't love it, I can sell it. I did put a ZG Sport Touring windshield on it and I liked that better than stock. I think the FZ1 is a great bike, but I want to get a sport tourer like I had before.
 
One input I neglected to write yesterday is that I found standing at a stop on the VFR much more comfortable than I did my FZ1. I did not have to even think about putting my feet in front of or behind the pegs. I know there has been another thread on this topic.
 
Having put 35K+ miles on an '08 C14 abs, I recently traded it in on the '09 fz1. The c14 is a great long distance bike. I don't know about commuting on it. It's too heavy/big to really ride in the city much, unless your commute is all interstate. In stock form, the c14 is a dog. After an exhaust, power commander, and pulling the secondary plates, the bike finally wakes up. Looks wise, it's like a bloated cow. The fz1 is more nimble, and easier to ride. The jury is still out on how well it will handle 500+ mi days.

For the amount of riding the OP will be doing, I'd stick with something cheaper than a full blown sport tourer.

A hyabusa would make a great tourer, but again, not sure how well of a commuter bike it will be.
 
What is a guy to do? The FZ1 was so much lighter than the FJR but the FJR is better on longer trips. It would be nice to have the luxury of two bikes but I just don't see that happening. Is there a bike between the FZ1 and the sports tourers?
 
Why mess with success

cos_fz1 said:
What is a guy to do? The FZ1 was so much lighter than the FJR but the FJR is better on longer trips. It would be nice to have the luxury of two bikes but I just don't see that happening. Is there a bike between the FZ1 and the sports tourers?
Click to expand...

The FJR did not feel heavy to me when I rode one. It was very nicely balanced and hid it's weight well. If you like the FJR and it did what you are looking for then get it. If I was going to get a dedicated touring bike, or could only have 1 bike(that I was buying now) there is no doubt in my mind, it would be the FJR. They are the best looking bike in thier class and have a lot of SPORT in them. Also super comfortable for 1 or 2. What not to like? The Concours looks a bit too "tupperware" and the ST although very refined is too "touring", maybe when I'm old.
 
Well, I have an 08 Busa and I loved everything about it except I am not tall enough to make it comfortable! I am trying to sell it so that I don't have two bikes when I PCS.

If I were 5'8" or taller, I would never get rid of it as the powerband on it is incredibly predictable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top