That's a great service record! And I have no problems believing it.

thanks for the comment!

thanks for the comment Eddie. I see no reason why your VFR couldn't do another 50,000 miles quite easily. For a while I was active on the VFR Discussion forum and got to know a few different owners of the Gen. 6 model. I never heard of anyone having an engine failure. The bike has the known issues of the stator, regulator/rectifier. If you take care of those and do route maintenance it should run a very long time. I sold mine in May 2016, but I'd be curious how long it would keep running. I recently read of a guy who had 400,000 miles on his V-Strom, so why couldn't the VFR? I only sold it because my riding style changed.

No problem, thanks for the comment! I enjoy helping others out...the VFR has a special place for me. Outstanding bike.

The Sargent seat is totally worth it, if you could swing it. Great bike, congrats on having two!

Thank you my friend. The VFR800 is a great bike. You should have many good years with it still.

Yes, I can say pretty confidently that you are in for a long-term relationship with the VFR. Just watch the stator and rectifier/regulator and you are good to go. Thanks for the comment!

Congratulations! You should have it for a very long time. It's a perfect bike!

Im in the market for one too, dream bike and suit Aus well with all the highways here

thank you Mapex. It really is a great bike.

AdventureswithMe Thanks for the video/overview. Question, how did you determine if the stator or rectifier was faulty/failed ? Did you just replace both just to be safe? Thanks! -John

It is a great bike! Thanks!

you won't regret buying that bike!

My buddy switched the stock exhaust on his VFR and it sounded like a small block Chevy at the drag strip.

Valen Sinclair ha ha, thanks, yeah, I have a tendency to want to keep some parts of a motorcycle completely stock. Lol

Well, I sold it in 2016. I don't know if it's still running or not. If it was taken care of, I'm sure it is!

AdventureswithMe oh okay I’m looking to get a VFR800 or CBR600F4i as my first bike

Thanks Larry!

thanks for the comment Daniel. The VFR is pretty much a perfect motorcycle, isn't it? It was a bike I had aspired to own for years and when I got one it lived up to every bit of the reputation. Enjoy your bike!

AdventureswithMe definitely bike perfection

Congratulations! You're in for many years of great riding. Enjoy it! And thanks for the comment.

That's a great deal on a great bike Christopher! You should have a lot of fun with it. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks Glenn! Yes, there are not too many dissatisfied VFR owners. You've got impressive miles on your bike. I predict many more trouble free miles.

Appreciate it!

You should really be fine with it. Mine was just getting broken in at 50,000. I did keep up with the oil changes pretty religiously though.

Thanks for the comment!

That's a great bike. Much luck with it.

Nice! I bought mine new in 1995; I've now got 125,000 miles on it. Relatively trouble free aside from 4 rectifiers and a starter clutch.

Roman Val nice. I have a 1994 vfr750 with 82,000 miles. Few issues but still great running bike. Upgraded rectifier. Clutch starting to slip under full throttle. Still sounds great.

Thanks Brian, that's an awesome trick. I'm surprised I never heard that one in my 10+ years of VFR ownership.

The little tabs on the bottom won't line up on the opposite side so it's probably not exactly Honda safety approved. But some after market and even factory stuff don't have them anyway. Grind them off to sit flush again. Or like I did just leave them for an extra 1/8th inch or so lift. It also allows the angle to be changed to fit the wrists of human riders. As long as they're tight and you keep an eye on it it's fine. I learned it from an 1100xx guy who switched to the vfr bars.

When I added the Helibars my stock VFR bars were snatched up on eBay by a CBR1100XX rider. Good ingenuity.

Thanks for watching and commenting!

thanks. Getting that bike changed my life and we had many amazing trips together. I did sell it a few months ago, but it was time. Thanks for the comment!

+hedlundk my first real bike was a 1979 cb750 10 year limited commemorative. found it in a barn. 3000 on the clock. put 50000 on it and it never let me down. it was the best bike for making friends. if you got pulled over the cop would see what it was and go on and on about his dad, uncle, grandparent, or friend who had one and tell me story's and then try to buy it. it was perfect. I miss it dearly but it was time. the vfr is what I want know. just saving up tell I can buy outright.

forrest That's an awesome bike. I wouldn've asked you about it too. I had a similar experience to relate. I did a 24 hour rally on the bike in 2005 and at about 2am I was up in Bangor, Maine to snag a state capitol bonus. I was gassing up and a state trooper walked up to me. I was worried that somehow he knew about the extra-legal speeds I had been carrying, but he just asked me about the bike. Fun memories. You should be able to find some good deals out there on the VFR. The 6th generation never had the love of the enthusiasts I thought it should. There were always leftovers available.

Thanks for the feedback. The basic design of the V-4 is the same...a 5th generation should hit 110,000 miles, no problem. My proper maintenance was an oil and filter change every 5,000 miles (Shell Rotella T 15w-40) and occasionally flushing the fluids and cleaning the K&N air filter. No valve adjustments I should add I sold the bike right after I did the video. I wasn't riding it much over the last few years. My interests turned from sport-touring to adventure riding. Good luck with your own VFR adventure!

You should be good for a long time. That's a good price.

thanks for the comment!

Thank you!

+Albert Tran Thank you!

They are great bikes. You should have your bike for a long long time too Ryan!

ha, ha, not hardly! It just takes someone to ride these bikes. Most people don't ride them as much or keep them as long.

thanks for sharing that James. I felt similarly about my VFR and kept it for years because I didn't really see a viable replacement. But in the last few years I strongly believe that the current brand of big ADV bikes can hold their own with the VFR for sport touring. I've had my Super Tenere two seasons and it does everything my VFR did, if not better. But you won't go wrong with a 5th or 6th generation VFR either. Thanks for the comment!

There only 2 options in the current market to replace a VFR, a newer VFR but is not much the improvement, and the Kawasaki h2 sx (at least in personal preferences are these two only)

thanks for the comment and sharing the experience. Based on what my VFR was like you should fully expect to ride it forever! I sold my VFR a few months ago and no real regrets after 13 years and 110,000 miles together. For the style of riding I did at the time it was fantastic. Many happy kilometers to you!

right with you just got a 98 32k mile 5th Gen it's got the feel it will out last me to build quality

Thanks!

thanks, yes, that's pretty good mileage for a snow belt state. That's more than I've been able to get in. Thanks for the comment!

I love the white. Good luck.

+Mark Kitchell White is the nicest you can get man! I'm also looking for a used one and I'm probably going to paint my white! :D Good luck on the road!

Thank you! Pretty easy on this bike.

+hedlundk This is one of the most beautiful bike ever .Especially in red . Keep it up and greatings from Bulgaria.

Yeah, that's a testament to both the bike AND the rider. Well done.

Thank you Jeremy!

Thank you!

I run it in my VFR with no problems. I use the full syn. It shifts very smooth and no clutch issues.

The VFR800 is a solid bike. I wouldn't even say it gives up much character to the BMW. And the reliability and cost of ownership are strong considerations.

Agreed. Once i sort out recall defects on my 02 r1150r. want to replace with vfr 800 interceptor. it is a better "BMW" than a real one. Fine, well, balanced machine for sure! My friend bought original 83 750 brand new and put 250k on it! Sold it and new owner reported no problems other than routine service. I am not sure red or white! Thank you very much for response!

fred nouvertne you're welcome. You brought up an excellent point about longevity. I'll add comfort. The VFR800 is a sport-touring bike you can ride all day long, day after day.

fred nouvertne just a little unsolicited input if you're still considering. The newer 800s are nice don't get me wrong. And leftover stock is selling for about half the original list price so they're a great deal. But they're just weak compared to the 09 and older models. Also lots more mods if you choose to upgrade. The older bikes are a little less money and can still be found with super low miles. Or if you prefer new and leaving it stock the 1200s are not much more even better build quality and about the most bike you can get for the money.

I'm surprised by that. The sub frame seems overbuilt to me. They must have been carrying very heavy loads

5'8" with a 30" inseam. I can easily flatfoot the bike.

Thanks for your reply! Let's see what happens.

Hi, I sold the bike right before I made the video. I'm not sure what happened to it. I bet it would still be going strong if I had it. There weren't any hints of issues.

Thanks for the reply, I’m running a US import in the UK (must have been a Diplomats bike or US serviceman) with 43K. Had one when new previously and this one feels just as tight without the first gear clunk. Other than my 99 Africa Twin the VFR is the only bike I need....ever.

That's very cool.

if it had shaft i would want no other bike , even though i dont like a single thing about how it looks

I think with hard bags it would be a great courier bike. I did no other maintenance other than oil changes and a coolant flush once or twice. It just runs and runs and runs.

i have a fazer 600 02 never let me down in 40,000 miles , and a cbr 600 f3 with high bars but seat and footpeg position bit of a pain , (i have tons of parts for these as i rented them out for trackdays so it made sense but with high bars but its just not comfortable , just home after 350 miles on 02 deauville in cold and rain , i really cant fault the deauville they are a joke in the biking world , but really did 4 hours at 80 mph in pissing rain , not a bother to it , and i know chains dont take that much maintenance but you can lube a chain with grease from nasa , itll be washed off in a day of rain , i used my vtr 1000 (again high bars) but fuck that , about 42 dollars gas for one day in work lol ,,, its got cobwebs now ,

You should have many happy years with it Feo!

@@AdventuresWithMe00 I hope i do as well.. ride safe..😎

Hi Pastor, I think the pre-2002 VFRs had gear driven cams. People lamented the change over because the noise was different and more refined. I believe the 2002-up VFRs had chain driven cams. I never adjusted the cam chain tensioners. I know some Honda products have issues with them, but mine did not make any noise so Ieft them alone. I'm more of a do-it-myself person and the VFR engine is very complex. That scared me away from doing much preventative maintenance. Thanks for the question and comment!

The move to a cheaper chain driven cam system and the weight is what puts me off the post 1998-2001 VFRs. But your experience days a lot for the 2002 model and your attention to the cheapest and most important component that should always be changed regularly on any bike. I still prefer the 2001 engine though, and not for the sound it makes. Mechanically it's a no brainer of an idea. The cams are literally driven directly by straight cut gears. You can't get a more reliable system. Chains require tensioners. Tensioners can break. Manufacturers tend to allow accountants to meddle in decisions such as these. There's a reliable rumour that Honda lost money on the early VFRs with a view to regaining their reputation for reliability. Gear driven cams had a lot to do with that. Those are the bikes to buy. I've got two CB-1s, and two more as project bikes. I chose the model because the NC23 engine also has gear driven cams. The only downsides are that you have to remove the cams to adjust the valves, and it's possible the oil gets churned up and broken down more by the great drive. I'm considering an early VFR for a project.

Yes, the light came on. The Honda has an excellent warning system from the factory. You just need a sheet to decode the sequence of flashes in the engine light. In both cases I had some advance warning of the problem. Spare Reg/Rec. is a good idea though I got many years of use from each one. Thanks for the compliment.

Quite a few people have asked about the valve inspection. I took the bike to my dealership at about 16,000 to get them checked/adjusted ($500 service). I had my suspicions that they never did the work so I never took the bike back for value inspections. The bike continued to run well when I sold it not long after I made this video.

@@AdventuresWithMe00 Thanks a lot.

I think it would be fine for you. I am a 30" inseam and I could flat foot the bike. Since you are an experienced rider I wouldn't worry about it. You'll feel confident pretty quickly. I came to the bike off an old GS450. It was quite a difference. The ride home felt strange, but I quickly warmed to the bike and it soon felt very comfortable to me. Good luck with the decision. Thanks for the compliment too! Appreciate it!

Yes, they were replaced by the dealer with stock parts. I don't know if there are better upgrades on the secondary market or not.

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. I think it could be a good bike for you to start on. I'm 5'8" and the bike fit me very well. I was able to flatfoot it. The power of the 800 is pretty good, but not overwhelming. You won't accidently wheelie the bike, in other words. It's a very gradual power delivery that's easy to control and very smooth. The only caution I would have is that the bike has a lot of plastic and as a first bike you are likely to drop it at some point. It may be hard to find replacement plastic for a 20 year old bike. Good luck with the purchase!

Hi, no, I didn't have the value checks done. That question has been asked a lot. I took it to the dealer for the initial check, paid $500, and wasn't sure they did anything. I never noticed any issues with the way the bike ran so I never took it back in. Chain tensioners were not changed either as I didn't hear any noise from them either. That said, I never took the bike to redline and was pretty gentle with it.

Hard to say...I haven't looked at the sport-touring segment in a while. The two bikes that immediately come to mind are the Ninja 1000 with bags and BMW F800GT. I replaced mine with a Yamaha Super Tenere and I feel it's as good of a sport touring bike as the VFR.

1 issue with a fuse Lacy, maybe around 2006. The bike was hard to start and it was traced to the fuse under the seat. It turns out there was a recall on that wiring and it was replaced. No further problems ever. You might be able to check to see if the recall on that fuse was done on your bike. Thanks for the comment and compliment! Enjoy the VFR!

I would suspect that is the cam chain tensioner and something that can be addressed. It's not an unusual thing to need adjusting. I would check at the VFR Discussion web board and see if other's agree with that as well. I ended up selling the VFR not long after I made the video...I think the mileage was about 112,000.

It's not a bad choice. I found the power to be manageable and easy to modulate. The downside would be that most people drop their first bike (maybe more than once) and the damage could get expensive. Personally I would get something smaller, without body work first...

Thanks for the comment! I had no concerns about the timing chain. I never even had issues with the cam chain tensioner, which seems to be something that lets go on other bikes. I would just keep riding your VFR until it doesn't sound/act right.

@@AdventuresWithMe00 thanks a lot for the feedback, ride safe ride fun

That's the #1 question I've gotten. I took the bike in to the dealer at 16,000 miles for a valve check. I've adjusted valves on a couple of other bikes but when I looked at the service manual I knew that the VFR was beyond my capacity. When I got the bike back it ran the same, which made me question whether the dealership even did the work or not. (My buddy had an experience with another local Honda dealer where he proved that they did not do the valve adjustment he took his ST1300 in for.) I never saw the need to take the bike in for valve adjustment again. Even at 110,000 miles it ran perfectly and idled well. My friends who rode it said it felt like it was still crisp and smooth. I will add that I never ran the motor up to redline and kept up on the oil changes and didn't beat on it. If the riding was more severe I might have considered trying to get the valves adjusted again. So did I just get lucky and dodge a bullet or is it normal for a VFR engine to go 100,000 miles without adjusting the valves? I think we need more data from other owners. Thanks for the question.

My 2002 vtec did 95k miles without any valve checks/adjustments! The one thing you haven't mentioned are the camchain tensioners, I had 4 new ones in mine and it seems to be Honda's achilles heel yet you didn't mention them?

Thanks for the comment and congrats on the purchase. That bike should last you a very long time! Yes, I have noticed the ABS come on and pulsate during emergency braking. It works! I only had it come on a handful of times over the years though. Yes, those are BMW handgrips. I can't remember which model...they seemed to be pretty universal. They fit perfect and were very comfortable.

5th Generation (up to 2001): People used to like these models a lot because they had the gear driven cams, so it was a audio thing. Same engine though. Single sided swingarm. Pretty similar bike except for the VTEC 6th Generation (2002 & up): the knocks on the bike were the weight, complexity and the VTEC engagement. That's all true, but it's subjective as to how much these things detract from the bike. For me the smoothness, comfort, power and reliability overshadowed all of that. Outstanding bike. I'm not sure which bike you would call the next generation. There was the VF1200 and then the rebadged Interceptor 800.

Yes, I did. I had to sand off a bunch of width on the main part of the unit because it was interferring too much with the grip. Even then there was too much friction between the Vista Cruise and the throttle. The return spring did not really work well. I ended up taking it off and putting on a Go Cruise. For $20 it works just as well and installs in seconds. Thanks for the question.

That's also what I would see Mike. In stop and go traffic I would see spikes up towards 230F (110C). The fans would run and cool it down. The only time I ever got concerned was some prolonged high speed riding in the desert of Nevada. It was running at 238F (114C). The bike seemed fine even though I was worried. I never had it overheat once. It seems counter-intuitive...you should be worried when it gets that high, but the VFR just seemed to handle it fine.

Thanks for the very quick reply! I'm toying with the VTR1000 fan blade swap trick, to switch the "draw" fan of the stock setup to the "blow" fan of the VTR. Heard that at virtually any forward movement, it's a great improvement as the fan isn't fighting the natural direction of airflow, as it does stock. I'll touch base again and let you know how it went if I give it a go!

thanks Mike. I haven't heard of that mod. Anything to cool the VFR down would be a good idea!

@@LifeguardVegas I'm curious. Did you try that trick of switching fan blades? did it work?

@@peter.knupffer Hello Peter! Never did try, just resigned myself to it running a little hot. Also ended up buying a massive Triumph Rocket 3 Roadster, so the VFR may sadly be on the market come spring. Boo.

Hi, I had posted elsewhere here that I paid the dealer at 16,000 miles to do the valve adjustment. I wasn't sure they performed the work so I never did another valve adjustment. The bike continued to run fine so I didn't worry about it.

Interesting...I've never heard of that.

It worked for me so, for the sake of a bit of soldering ,it may be worth it.

It's hard to go wrong at that price Ken. It sounds like the owner made some thoughtful modifications to it. It doesn't sound abused or mickey moused. The mileage is low and the 5th generation VFRs have great reputations too. You should be able to get a lot of miles out of that bike. Good deal.

That's very low mileage David, congratulations! The first time the rectifier went out on this VFR was at about 31,000 miles, after 3 years of ownership. It went out again at 99,800 miles, 7 years after the 1st time. Not a horrible record. It fails suddenly, no warning. When the rectifier goes you'll get a light on the dash. The first time it failed it left me stranded and I needed to get the bike towed. Given the miles on your bike I would probably let it go for a while.

Don't waste your money on valve adjustment.

@@steveo4141 yeah that's what I have always thought. Never did a valve on any of 9 bikes I owned. But why do u think it don't need adjustment? To me as long as there is no change of sound between low, mid and high rpm at idle and as long as there is no backfiring or hard to start then I don't think of valves. What about u? What's ur point?

@@Amr11959 I have a 2005 it's maintained by Honda.... technician that looks after it said don't bother. He rides one himself and looks after several others one which has 300,000k and another with 180,000km ... I'm not going to worry about it...install a Volmeter (datel makes a good lil one) ...Soundblaster horn ( tucks in behind upper left fairing)...gets all the attention you need when you need it...keep an eye on subharness connections ( large white connector can slowly burnout) you'll notice a subtle burning plastic smell occasionally when yer parking yer bike - don't ignore it. Sargent seat = huge diff ...other than that regular oil changes...don't waste 1000$ on valve adjustment... Honda did a brilliant job building these motors.

Just used regular. Entire time. No knocks. I believe that is what is recommended in the owners manual.

That's a great question. I don't have the definitive answer, but I can share my experience. When I bought the bike I was hardcore about having the dealer do all the scheduled maintenance. It got expensive quickly, but the kicker was the valve adjustment at 16,000 miles. It was about a $500 job and I really wasn't convinced that the dealer did the work. As you mention, it's a very complicated job on a 16V engine. I had another friend who took his ST1300 to another local Honda dealer that discovered that they did not do the (paid for) valve adjustment either. That was a tipping point for me. I never took the VFR in for a valve adjustment after that and I started doing all the regular maintenance myself. The bike continued to run fine and friends that rode it told me it felt strong. I didn't run the engine up to redline or beat on it, so I rationalized that I didn't need the valve adjustment. I've done valve adjustments on other bikes and I've found that you have to make some clearance adjustments early in the bike's life and then the engine settles in and doesn't change very much.

Totis K. my dealer charged me 1100.00 for a valve adjustment and maintenance go through at 12000. it really hurt.not many mechanics know about the bed nevertheless want to attempt it because on the whole day it will take to get it done. that was my on beef was the expense of valves adjust. mine is a 2014 8th Gen. did not notice any difference in power or smoothness. next time I will ask for all old parts back.hard to find a honest bike shop in my area. love the bike though .

Wow, that's a lot of money. I do hope that the dealer did indeed do the valve adjustment. I believe there is a video on youtube showing how to do the valve adjustment on the Generation 6 VFR. It's extremely complicated, which turned me off from doing it. I also feel it increases the chances that a mechanic won't want to tackle it either. I doubt they get many of them to work/practice on. If you have questions about whether the mechanic did it, I would ask what the tolerances were for each valve and which ones were out of spec. You could also examine your heads and see if it looked like there was some work done in there. I don't want to paint all dealers like this: it was just my experience.

I concure with AdventureswithMe- At 8K my valve clearances were 'loose' (the gaps were slightly wider then normal), but the dealer mechanic assured me that was not a bad thing.. So I waited until 16K to have it adjusted, got a massive bill for it (they had to take a lot of things off to get to the heads) and so I never had it adjusted after that. My 1995 VFR now has 125K miles and still runs fine. Ah well, at least it's not a Ducati Desmo valve- They need to be adjusted every 6K :)

no, no, no. Didn't service or replace any of those.

thanks for the comment and sorry for the delay in getting back to you. When I bought the bike my only experience was on a 1982 Suzuki GS450. It was a bit intimidating with the greater size, power and plastics. But I was very careful and had several thousand miles experience under my belt. I didn't drop it. I think you can be okay on it. If you get a used one, even better. I would just accept going in that you are going to drop the bike.

Alright, thanks for the feedback. I purchased one on Monday and have loved it so far.

Congratulations! You're going to love it!

I had problems with my harness...it had a recall not long after I bought it. I later friend 2 rectifier/stators and my buddy with the same 02 VFR did the same. Known weakness on the VFR. But once you replace them they are good for tens of thousands of miles. I did not have any cam chain issues at all.

AdventureswithMe thanks for reply , no I have a different problem sir , I changed the cam chain and set the timing back . But now the front cylinders are miss firing . I double checked the timing it’s perfect . I don’t know how to diagnose the issue , the plugs are good , I am hoping ecU is not gone wrong , I am planning to clean up all the relays ... can you suggest me and approach? I am really worried I love my vfr a lot .

@@automotomahi without a doubt timing is wrong, had the same issue holding valves slightly open creating low compression. Align the timing marks, rotate the engine a revolution and check, then rotate again and recheck, then do it again and recheck, I think I went against the correct direction of rotation or something but it was definitely not correct, hope you get sorted

No, never did replace the tensioners. They never got noisy.

reclifier is done use the one from Yama R1

sounds like the Rectifier. You should get a light on the dash too.

Agreed Andy! Great, reliable bike!

I sold it in 2016. It was still a great bike at the time.

+Molonlabe0311 I read when I bought the bike that other motorcycles owners were using Rotella T with great success. This is from the Wikipedia page: "Though marketed as an engine oil for diesel trucks, Rotella oil has found popularity with motorcyclists as well. The lack of "friction modifiers" in Rotella means they do not interfere with wet clutch operations. This is called a "shared sump" design, which is unlike automobiles which maintain separate oil reservoirs - one for the engine and one for the transmission. Used oil analysis (UOA) reports on BobIsTheOilGuy.com have shown wear metals levels comparable to oils marketed as motorcycle-specific." I've never heard of anyone having a problem using it and my own experience has backed that up after about 150,000 motorcycle miles with it.

I run Rotella T6 in my 2000 VFR. Just hit 50.000 miles. No engine or clutch problems at all. Been running the T6 for about 25K now.

I use it in all my bikes. Congrats on the 50,000 mark. That's very impressive.

That seems like a personal choice. I sold my VFR 5 years ago and don't really regret it. I had it more than 10 years and 100,000 miles so I had plenty of time on it. I enjoy the new bike also. The VFR did some things better than the replacement, but the new bike does somethings better than the VFR too.

@@AdventuresWithMe00 and what is the new bike?

wow, that's amazing. Congratulations! I get so many questions about valve adjustment. Do you do it?

@@AdventuresWithMe00 no haven't done it ,just got staff replaced like alternator ,clutch and of corse always oil and filters ,and also it's modified .:)

You’d be fine. I am only 5’8” and could easily flat foot it.

I had the bike into the Honda dealer at 16,000 miles for a check. I didn't take it in at all after that.

Wow, so the rumors about this engine are true. Thank you :-)

I did not do them. I took the bike to the dealer for the 12 or 24,000 mile adjustment. When the bike came back I had a suspicion that they never did the procedure (it's very complex). I never brought the bike back and it continued to run strong as long as I had it.

@@AdventuresWithMe00 Thank you for the time to reply. The issue with valve check is that no one can ever be sure, unless they start doing what the police is doing a walk all day long with a camera attached to the uniform. IF the technician would be forced to record their job, I would tell you I would probably be happy to pay for the service, specially for this bike. But until then I will keep without doing it, unless is a simple task like on my 2014 R1200 GSA. I saw a video of aguy doing the calculations of the buckets and shims etc etc and it was really complicated. anyways Thank you again. I am not sure how long I will keep this VFR. not because I don't like the bike, but other reasons.

I sold the bike not long after this video. I don’t know what became of it.

There are some additional comments below, but I didn't get the valves adjusted. I took it in once, early in the bike's life, but I wasn't convinced the dealer ever did anything so I never took it back.

Great question. I took it to the dealer once at 16,000 miles to do the valve adjustment. I didn't notice any difference and I wasn't quite sure the dealership even did the work. It's a very complicated job on the 16 valve engine. I never took it back. It runs just as good today. I don't ever hit redline with it either.

Was thinking of buying one but the $1000 job was putting me off buying thanks a lot can buy with confidence

+Les Cass I think that's a good choice...if it runs good then I would let that decide it. For me the valve adjustments have been a non-issue. With my KLR, I did adjust the valves. I adjusted 1/4 valves at 12,000 miles. At 30,000 miles the settings were exactly the same and I don't expect much change in the future.

there was a question about that earlier that turned into a disucssion. I took the bike in for a 16,000 mile valve adjustment, but I had serious questions about whether the dealer ever did the work. I never had it done again.

That's the craziest question I've gotten, ha ha. Only kidding. It's an interesting swap. I get where you are coming from. The Tenere is a big, heavy bike. It's not easy to push it around or make tight turns with it. The VFR is also a big, heavy bike. Mine was pushing 500 pounds with the bags and gear. That was one of the knocks against it when it came out. I'm a big fan of the VFR as proven by the 110,000 miles and 13 years of ownership, but I'll admit the Tenere is better. (I have the updated 2014 version, which is supposedly smoother than the first Gen model.) Where the VFR excels is with the smoothness and the handling. The Tenere is just as good IMO. It will flick into corners and rail the twisty roads very well. As good as the VFR. Then you get the added benefit of the upright riding position and the potential to ride dirt roads. I have no regrets about selling my VFR. The Tenere does everything it did and more. But if you don't live in an area where there are dirt roads I can see the attraction of going with the VFR. You can find them used for $3,000 or so now. Thanks for the question...it's an interesting one I hadn't considered.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, the 2014 Teneres are a lot more refined. I have ridden both back to back, and the 2014 is much smoother. I really can't knock the Tenere. It's done everything I have ever needed it to do without fuss. I literally just got back from a 250 mile ride to go see a 2015 VFR Interceptor at a dealer one state over. Took rough backroads there, and hit the interstate at 90mph nonstop on the way home. Maybe I'm just bored and want something different....I dunno. I have a DR650 for the short or really rough stuff, but I certainly can't have 3 bikes. It's pushing it with two! LOL It's really good to hear your take on it. I appreciate the advice!

I see your situation. If you already have a DR650 you've got some overlap with the Tenere. I had the KLR650 and considered whether to keep it or not, but ultimately decided that I wouldn't ride it enough because I usually took it on well groomed gravel roads. The Tenere was fine for that. What did you think of the Interceptor? I guess it comes down to the riding style you prefer.

I just got to sit on the new Interceptor, no test ride. The new Interceptor is more "sport" oriented than the 6th Gen (2007) that I got to ride and really liked. Of the two, I think the 6th gen is more comfortable out of the box. I'm 5' 8" and 145 pounds (I'm a little guy on the Tenere! lol) The new one is skinny! It seems very narrow compared to the 6th gen, which isn't bad. I'm a tech at a Yamaha dealership, so I get to ride a lot of different stuff, and I'm hard to impress due to that. I've rode a bunch of sportbikes, and they really aren't my thing (uncomfortable, peaky powerband, etc..). I had a 2008 FZ6 (upright position, 1/4 fairing, real handlebars) for a while and really liked it other than the extremely peaky engine. But the 6th gen VFR was totally different, and I was very impressed with it. Also had pipes on it, and it sounded amazing. This is how I ended up with a Tenere, I got to ride one after doing service work haha My "touring" trips look like they are going to be shorter and shorter from now on, so I'm just feeling like the Tenere is becoming overkill, and I could have more fun with what I get to do on something a little "sportier" (even if the Tenere handles just as good). Hell I'd just like to have a bike that sounds good for once! Still up in the air..... Thanks again for your insight.

Good luck with the decision. Seems like heads/tails, you win! The VFR will certainly do all those things you are looking for. Hey, one question: as a Yamaha tech, do you have any insight on whether the WR250R is coming back for 2018? There's a lot of talk online that Yamaha is discontinuing the bike.

Exactly...that '02 looked great with the wheel exposed like that. I hope you enjoy your VFR!

Never mind, I see someone asked previously. Thanks.

I recently bought a 2014 for pretty reasonable money, only 1590 miles on it at the time of purchase. I have always wanted to put 100,000 miles on a bike, I intend to do it with this one. Thanks for the info about your VFR experiences.

You're welcome. When I first started riding 25 years ago Motorcyclist had an article profiling several motorcycles that had over 100,000 miles on them. I was in awe. It's a lot easier to do in 2016, but it's still worthwhile to do it. Enjoy that VFR.

I had the fork oil replaced once early when I was following the recommended service chart. I never noticed a difference. I didn't change it again. Same with the shock. I never had a noticeable loss in performance so I never touched it. I'm sure if I jumped on a new bike it would feel very different. It's kind of like the frog in the pot of water analogy. Bike always felt pretty good.

+hedlundk so does that mean in over 110k miles you've never greased/replaced head, swing arm & suspension linkage bearings?

+HORNET6 yes, exactly. Honda build quality

+hedlundk or you got away with it.

Nope, Honda reliability.

No, I sold the VFR in 2016.