Chaps ...
Just back from the 12000 mile service and this was in the showroom. Just had to show you if you or anyone you know has been thinking about getting one then here it is !
60 plate £8795 3443 miles August last year ... don't think it has even got wet .. this is mint with cases and top box. I rode one 18 months ago and they are a lovely lovely bike.
There may be cheaper ones out there but just wanted you all to see it ! Not on commission ! Alfs Motorcyles are in Google ....
(http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/NigelCooper/photo-30.jpg)
wrong colour..... :rolleyes: Smarty wants a Blue one..... to match her leathers :mfr_lol:
also no traction control or improved ECU on the older one, tis one of the reasons they are so cheap
... you don't want to know how much it cost.. after she went through the accessory cataloge :eek:
Illegal tax disk?
Kawasaki Autorama also have one for sale in the same colour
TBH it doesn't appeal to me, but then I've never ridden one.......its extremely unlikey that I would ever buy a Honda, apart from one of their lawnmowers, which I do own :embarrassed:
http://www.kawasaki-autorama.com/kawasaki-Locator.aspx
they are growing on me , but not grown
Nice bike, great engine, lousy tank range.
If they can sort the range (bigger tank capacity) I'd definitely consider it :yes:
After my last Honda I told them, and anyone else who cared to listen, that I would NEVER buy another, and even if over time I had mellowed a bit, and was prepared to forgive and forget, it most certainly would not be to buy one of those hideous looking blobs. :nono:
Quote from: 100milesaway on April 17, 2012, 05:58:45 PM
After my last Honda I told them, and anyone else who cared to listen, that I would NEVER buy another, and even if over time I had mellowed a bit, and was prepared to forgive and forget, it most certainly would not be, to buy one of those hideous looking blobs. :nono:
:mfr_lol: :mfr_lol: :mfr_lol:
Quote from: 100milesaway on April 17, 2012, 05:58:45 PM
After my last Honda I told them, and anyone else who cared to listen, that I would NEVER buy another, and even if over time I had mellowed a bit, and was prepared to forgive and forget, it most certainly would not be, to buy one of those hideous looking blobs. :nono:
not at all bitter then :rolleyes:
Had One Never Did Again
i bet Hondas bearings and discs last longer
:agree:
Nah, the Honda just decided to be unstable in high winds. I had quite a few :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: moments I can tell you
Only did 2k in the year I had the bike. Not enough mileage to see if there would be any other issues. Loved it at first, grew to hate it.
Quote from: Kwikasfuki on April 17, 2012, 10:34:45 PM
Nah, the Honda just decided to be unstable in high winds. I had quite a few :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: :shit: moments I can tell you
Only did 2k in the year I had the bike. Not enough mileage to see if there would be any other issues. Loved it at first, grew to hate it.
What model Asif?
Quote from: Mogster on April 17, 2012, 07:54:19 PM
not at all bitter then :rolleyes:
No not really. I had 57 plate CBF1000, and from brand new I rode it about 300 yards, and then took it back. Riding in a straight line the handlebars were crancked over to the right, it was like riding one of those comedy circus bikes. Honda had known about that problem for 2 years, which was incorrect assembly of the yokes, and had chose to do nothing about it. I had to threaten Honda with legal action before they reacted. So after my 300 yards old bike came back to me, steering nice and straight, I thought I'll go for a spin, to be greated by a horrible clonking noise from the rear shock. It turned out that the top bolt fastening the shock had all but fallen out, I dread to think what would have happened if it had. So by now It's done 42 miles and is back at the dealers again. On its return, I noticed paint falling off the fairing, then the the footrest rubbers fell off, then when we were due to set off on our holidays, it refused to start. Various electrical components later including a battery, and more no start problems, I had reached my wits end, and it was GONE. So am I bitter ? ye just a bit Honda build quality bah humbug :sad:
For me the first visual impression of any bike is ALL important, I have rarely bought a bike which wasn't visually attractive (except the GS :embarrassed:)
So when I first clapped eyes on the VFR 1200 I immediately thought "my god but that's an ugly bugger" and for a "touring" bike the pillion seat/arrangement looks more like a sports bike. I still think its one of the most unnatractive bikes on the market, and I think I'm right in saying that it hasn't exactly been a roaring sales success for Honda, I wonder why ?
A pal of mine has a Honda Fireblade which he bought new in 2010, when the paint fell off the exhaust system he was told that it was a problem that only applied to machines within a certain chassis range, and that his machine was outside that range !....Honda insisted that they wouldn't fix the problem as his bike was outside their parameters, and anyway it was normal wear and tear.
He's NOT the kind of guy to take that for an answer, and so he rang them and rang them and e-mailed them over and over again until they admitted that it wasn't due to normal wear and tear (he's now done a massive 3000 miles only on the bike BTW :shocked:)
They eventually, begrudgingly replaced the exhaust system..
He's now looking at a Kawasaki SX1000 :yes:
mmm Honda what can i say ....... Love em ,love em , love em , specially the Vfr and even more so my 1997 Vfr750 fv in my opinion the last of the great VFRs ,and one of best bikes built in last 25yrs,(or more) in the 14 years i owned it ,its given me far less problems than the Gtr has and if i had to get rid of one of the bikes the Gtr would go in a heart beat , i prob my own on this but my blinkers are off where this bike is concerned. any way enough of a rant it to early in morning.
Quote from: slane on April 18, 2012, 08:35:19 AM
mmm Honda what can i say ....... Love em ,love em , love em , specially the Vfr and even more so my 1997 Vfr750 fv in my opinion the last of the great VFRs ,and one of best bikes built in last 25yrs,(or more) in the 14 years i owned it ,its given me far less problems than the Gtr has and if i had to get rid of one of the bikes the Gtr would go in a heart beat , i prob my own on this but my blinkers are off where this bike is concerned. any way enough of a rant it to early in morning.
Steve, I don't think that you are being unreasonable with your comments, which are based on your own personal experiences.
However your VFR was built 15 years ago at a time when bikes were built up to a quality not down to a price, as they are today.
We live in a 'chuck away' society nowadays
Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn.. :mfr_lol:
I had a long chat a couple of years ago at the BSB award dinner with the UK sales manager for Yamaha, he was on our table, and I mentioned various problems with bikes i had ridden in the past, and he although he did hold his hand up to some problems he also laid a lot of the blame on the doorstep of the dealer.
It seems that the dealers are supposed to check the bikes over prior to assembley to ensure there are no problems, especierly corrosion that have occured during tranist.... this it seems, for a lot of 'em is too much trouble, also problems occur when the bikes are assembled poorly, well we know that one.
Every bike has it's problems, take the GS i had, in 5 months of ownership, 3 replacement fuel gauge sensors, aparently these don't work for long :hammer: also the gearbox seals went and i had difficulty engaging first from rest, i'd have to get it moving before it would go in... this was btw a new bike.
Smarty has got the VFR not on it's looks and not on any rubbish written by jurnos, but how it feels to ride and the fact it satisfieds the need she has for a bike..... a comfortable, fast bike, that is stable, not to heavy, will handle enough luggage for one person for a two week tour, but can then remove the luggage and go on track days...
It was the only one that answered all the questions.
she loved the GTR but it does have it's limits, which is why i have 2 bikes, one fer touring one fer hooning.
what about the Kawasaki 1000 sx i hear you cry... ridden it, and it feels like a green version of her bandit, poor chassis and cheap suspension pakage, that and the fact it looks ridiculous with the hard luggage on and you can't have a top box and the side pods.
There are problems with all bikes nowadays as they are built to a budget, on the the whole the dealers employee poorly trained spanner monkeys and most of 'em could care less about your bike,
I'm not one of these people who are blind to the brand, i do my research, wiegh up the pros and cons and go on test rides, but even then you can STILL get it wrong........ my GS for example.... hatefull nasty piece of german crap.
Interesting stuff chaps ... especially about the build quality not being what it used to be .... I had a CB125, a CX500.. the plastic pigs ... a VFR800 ( pre V Tec ) and then a CB1300 ... and I couldn't fault any of them .. the build quality and paint finish was very good indeed, but clearly that is no longer the case, which is a shame ... My VFR did 36000 commuting miles in 6 years and never missed a beat .. when I came to sell it the buyer walked into my garage took one look and said " I'll have it " ! It looked like it had just come out the crate ... yes down to me keeping it clean but also the original standard of finish which just shone through.
The new VFR is indeed a funny looking "blob" but I quite like that ... light and quick, very quick and as Smarty knows it has all that she needs for a couple of weeks away. I didn't buy one only because I fancied a change and had already fallen in love with the Gtr ..... :laugh:
Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn..
Ahhh im feeling a bit more composed now , not quite as grumpy as i was , me and mornings have never got on very well :innocent: :mfr_lol:
I must confess I do like the new Honda Crosstourer though
Quote from: Kwikasfuki on April 18, 2012, 01:27:43 PM
I must confess I do like the new Honda Crosstourer though
ah but could you own a bike that is mostly known as the Honda 'Crossdresser' :oops:
Perhaps Honda are embracing the wider more diverse community within the biking world ! :laugh: :laugh:
My Honda hatred is all aimed at the CB750F2.
I bought one brand new in 1983 based on a recommendation in BIKE.
I didn't test ride it (more fool me!) and after 2 months of torture I chopped it in on a new Z1300/6.
Torture??
It was comfy enough, fast enough, handled adequately, the fairing was OK, build quality was good,..... but it was totally and completely SOUL-LESS! It was so unbelievably bland that it might as well have been a car.
Now the Z1300 was more comfy, smooth as silk, had gobs of torque at all rpm, and boy was it quick (for the era).
But it didn't handle very well, the fairing was non-existent (I fitted a Krauser), it GUZZLED fuel (22Mpg), and scared me silly at least once per day. It had character in gobs and oodles.
How many CB750F2s do ya see at classic bike shows?
How many Z1300s?
Only bikes with character survive. The rest just rust into oblivion.
In the many years since then I have ridden a fair few Hondas.
Most I found to be bland but competent.
Only a few had any real character, like the Superdreams, the GL1100/1200, VFR750/800 and the Blackbird.
Ah... the CB's.....I had 2 CB900's, went everywhere on 'em and did everything, back in an age where bikes where simple and so were the owners,
Did my first South of france trip on me CB 900 ... we camped, my now ex -wife used to fall asleep on the back :sleep1: , we nearly got arrested, we did get lost and it was the best trip ever. :biker3:
Quote from: Mogster on April 18, 2012, 02:50:49 PM
ah but could you own a bike that is mostly known as the Honda 'Crossdresser' :oops:
I beleive it has an AC/DC electric system :rolleyes:
Quote from: olde coney on April 18, 2012, 08:44:31 AM
Steve, I don't think that you are being unreasonable with your comments, which are based on your own personal experiences.
However your VFR was built 15 years ago at a time when bikes were built up to a quality not down to a price, as they are today.
We live in a 'chuck away' society nowadays
Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn.. :mfr_lol:
Some good points there Roger. 15 years ago I would think that all Japanese bikes were built in Japan and they built there reputation on build quality, reliability,and value for money. Todays bikes (even Triumph) could have been built anywhere in the world. My CBF was built in Italy, and the quality of that build was truly shocking. And I honestly dont believe that Hondas are any better, or worse than any other Japanese or european manufacturer at this moment in time :smiley:
What a sad reflection isn't it ?
As you say the bikes of today could be built anywhere in the world and that in itself would take away any national pride that you would have for building a machine that could have only come from ONE place and that was, for example, the HONDA factory where you work .. so if the bike build is shite then the world will think you and the company are shite ... that never used to happen but now clearly it does and when workers and or the company don't care then its all too late ..... :sad: :sad:
Quote from: Rusty on April 18, 2012, 08:06:06 PM
when workers and or the company don't care then its all too late ..... :sad: :sad:
That'll be British leyland then ... and later the Rover group.... :hammer:
Quote from: Mogster on April 18, 2012, 08:26:39 PM
That'll be British leyland then ... and later the Rover group.... :hammer:
And guess who bought a rover 1month before they went bump :oops: :hammer:
come on rusty,why would any of the gtr owner's want 2nd best,after all we have GTR'S :mfr_lol: