No, not me, I celebrated my 21st for the THIRD time last year. No, a small but important birthday slipped by me unnoticed a couple of weeks ago, my bike turned 21! As can be seen from the compliance plate, it was complianced here in Australia in November 1995. Now, given that it would have already been built, shipped to Australia by boat and waited around a bit in Customs, it’s fair to say that it’s probably a bit older than that, I’m guessing a couple of months older at least. But, there it is, a minor milestone.
On Saturday afternoon while heading down to the speeedway at Nowra, the odometer turned over 140000kms and I have no reason to believe that this isn’t genuine. So the bike hasn’t had a hard life by any means, averaging about 7000kms per year. Subtract the two years that the bike spent sitting still under a bike cover at the previous owner’s place and it’s still a lightly used machine.
So why is it that the 21st for his bike is important? Well, to start with, it’s an anniversary that I am probably lucky to be celebrating. After giving the game away after my big “off” in 2010 you would never have convinced me that I would be back riding again, ever. I sold all my stuff and said, “That’s it.” but motorcycling has a way of getting under your skin and it did with me. Despite my misgivings and my wife’s justified fears, I got back on the horse and started again.
It’s vastly different now. I no longer undertake the long distance tours I used to and my almost-daily trips to the Pie Shop are a thing of the past but the thrill and excitement are still there. These days I am a vastly more careful and watchful rider than I was then (though assuming from that that I was tear-away before the accident is simply not so). But I am slower and more aware and, as a consequence, I enjoy the ride even more in some respects than I did before. Perhaps because I realise how easily it can all be taken away, I cherish the experience more than I ever did.
As most lifers know, I love my VFRs so it was always going to be another VFR when I started back riding again. My first one was a red one back in 2002 and there have been 5 more since then (including The Yellow Submarine which was an 800). All except TYS have been 4th Gens, the 1994-1997 750cc model and I see no reason to change. From time to time I play the “What would you buy if you had plenty of money?” game in my head but I come back to the 750. When I was active on my local motorcycle forum and the time came to buy a newer bike I always copped it from the young blokes who suggested that I should try something different, better. My answer was that I had been riding for nearly 40 years (at that stage), had tried LOTS of different bikes and that the VFR suited me and my type of riding best. Well, guess what? It still does.
So, why DO I love my VFRs? Well, mainly because they are the best all-round bike around. It’s no coincidence that the 750 won the Bike of the Year prize 3 years running in the USA. It’s the Swiss Army Bike. It does everything and it does it brilliantly. Equally home commuting, going to the shops, scratching with the “boys” or doing 700km days out on the highway, it has even filled a very effective role as a track day bike by many owners over the years. The riding position is sporty enough to satisfy but not so that you look like you’re committing an unnatural act with a monkey. The seat is smooth and comfortable, allowing long distances in the saddle as well as being a suitable pillion perch and allowing for sliding around on if you’re one of the “hang off and drag the knee” fiends. The suspension is well-matched to the bike and is simple to adjust. The fuelling is BRILLIANT. Old skool carburettors still deliver a smoother transition and don’t have the engine mapping issues that more modern, FI VFR engines seem to be forever manifesting. Speaking of fuel, consumption is great; I start looking for a servo when the oddo hits 350km and I have (admittedly very carefully) stretched it out to 411kms when I misjudged my fuel stop strategy. Oh, and a 21litre tank helps a lot.
The bike still looks stylish. The combination of the big NACA duct in the side panels and the Ferrari Testarossa “fins” makes its styling distinctive and it still looks pretty up-to-date. Having said that, the front-on appearance is now showing its age a little; an acquaintance has fitted CBR600 panels and it looks great.
The bike is simple and unsophisticated (though it was the height of fashion in its day and the price tag reflected that, $15000 in 1995) The Single Sided Swingarm makes wheel changing AND chain adjustment a breeze (as well as still looking “trick”) and the fact that it has a centrestand also is a big “plus”. The brakes are more than effective for a bike its size and weight and, while it doesn’t have all the electronic doo-dads, I don’t miss any of them.
Of course there are downsides. These are mostly related to age. The front suspension has “conventional” forks that only allow for pre-load adjustment. The rear suspension allows for both pre-load and damping adjustment but, to be honest, despite interminable time spent fiddling with it, it doesn’t seem to make any difference. This is because the rear shock is known to be only truly effective for the first 20000kms or so after which it’s sacked. Most owners will have undertaken at least one rebuild of the shock by this stage, and some more but it doesn’t really achieve a great deal. Serious owners replace the rear shock with an after-market one (Wilbers is favoured) or, if they can’t afford the $800 or so for that, they fit a spring/shock unit from a 929 Honda Fireblade which is an almost “bolt-in” replacement. Serious owners also upgrade the front suspension by fitting a late-model CBR600 Honda front end or, if the budget is flush, a Yamaha R1 set. Both of these conversions are complex but well worth the time and money or so I have been told. (the whole process is still cheaper than trying to buy another bike). Body panels are still available new from Honda but they are fearsomely expensive so the best way around that is not to crash. Having said that, the legendary Honda build quality means that, if the bike is looked after, it will retain all the advantages it had when new for extended periods of time. A seat overhaul is both necessary and appreciated once the bike hits the 100k.
Advantages? I’m sure someone is thinking, why hasn’t he mentioned the engine? Well, you see, I was leaving the best to last. The 748cc DOHC 4 valve per cylinder V4 is a gem. Half a V8, it behaves and sounds just like that. But it has another advantage and that is the gear-driven overhead camshafts. Pass one, or have one pass you and you can’t help but notice the distinctive “whine” of the gears meshing together as they take the drive from the crankshaft to the cams. The sound is INTOXICATING and I know of many VFR owners who WON’T upgrade to the newer models simply because they no longer have the gear driven cams. And get it up around 10 grand on the tacho, (it’s yellow-lined at 11500) and the sound becomes the stuff of dreams. The cam drive was expensive to make and contributed significantly to the retail cost of the bike (along with the SSS and other “goodies”) but it is the bike’s distinctive and, for many aficionados, the sound IS what a VFR is all about.
If, for some reason, I had to replace my bike tomorrow, it most assuredly would be with another 4th Gen. And it’s not difficult. Three years ago my present bike set me back $1600 unregistered!
So, happy birthday, RedIII, and thanks for all the fun.