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.
