6th Generation Honda VFR 800 VTEC Interceptor, The Best Used Bike to Buy? 

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VTEC is pretty cool, Thanks for Liking & Subscribing!

*vtec

Similarly I was 12 in 92’ when a certain Nighthawk 750 came out and I loved it!! All my buddies were pining over the CBRs and I loved the standard look so much! So now I own a 92’ Honda Nighthawk 750 that I adore and have modded to look like the RC 42s like they got everywhere but U.S. The Interceptor has long been my OTHER favorite and my next bike for sure!!

​@@RodRidesWrenchesvtec is and eco thing, it's like lag without the turbo and this generation of vtec is the worst full stop...

@@EZ-D-FIANT ah...no.

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Thanks for the feedback & view! There are a number of VFR videos plus other bikes on the channel I hope you will check them out.

Good choice! Thanks for Liking & Subscribing! Check out 6th gen vs 5th gen video if you haven't got to it yet...

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So, did you?

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Thanks!

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Do you ride these bikes?

@@willscott6928 Yes I've had both, prefer the 5th gen, 98-99 bikes without cat converter or 02 sensors are the best.

Disagree... gear driven cam overrated...Vtech is a hoot and 6th gen looks waaay better....under seat exhaust much cleaner lines.

@@steveo4141 Vtech is a totally unnecessary gimmick. Riding one of these things hard in the mountains with that Vtech kicking in and out unexpectedly will be very tiring. The earlier non Vtech models were better to live with. Still a pretty vanilla ride though.

@@DennisMerwood-xk8wp disagree....never had issues with it jumping in and out.... all depends on gearing/ throttle handling etc.... been riding a 2005 Vtech for the last 7yrs...no problems...really like the bike....35yrs riding experience.

Vielen Dank

All I say is valve maintenace... DIY at 5th gen or mortage your house on 6+th Gens...think about it

@@guntherstangl3036 Wow!

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Mine was £750 with MOT

I found 2006 in my neighborhood for $2000 US....going to see it tomorrow and hopefully take it home!

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Just picked up a red '03 myself last Friday with just under 20k miles on it. Gonna do a couple of fixups on it and get rid of some sputtering and rattling and looking forward to taking it EVERYWHERE.

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Thank you Laz 88! I will have more bike reviews in the coming months. Don't forget to check out my Tech videos, another two are posted this week on the channel.

@@RodRidesWrenches As a full time motorcycle mechanic I wince when one of these shows up at our shop. They are a nightmare to wrench on! Just taking the fairing off will try your patience. Probably the most difficult bike to work on that you could buy. And for a backyard mechanic - forget it!

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Its one expensive service every 16,000 miles. For the joy my vtec viffer brings I'm glad I have it.

From what I've seen they don't need done very rarely out of spec,but take ypur chances bag a cheap bike as prices are low because of that cost tbh.

You should find yourself a VFR1200F... All the power but much easier to ride at slow speeds since it does not carry the weight high like the Blackbird IMO. I am on the hunt for a Blackbird now to make a more accurate comparison, its been decades since I rode one.

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I have the same opinion, it is hard to let the 6th gen go...

@@RodRidesWrenches so true. Ride safe

Spot on, 5th gen really is the best overall, regardless of personal taste. If you've ever thrown a control rod due to a busted timing chain, you'll know why ppl love the 5s. The chain on my mint '82 V45 Magna blew when I was going 100kph. The entire bike jumped about 6 inches and a control rod punched a hole in the engine wall. Ever watched that guy.. Will it Blend? Ya, sounded like steel parts in a blender. Geared cams, all the way.

I agree as owner of an 01 5th Gen. It's design is timeless and I really love the headlights on it. The gear driven whine is just an extra perk as well. Although what I like most about the 6th Gen is the look of the stock mufflers and the fact that it has vtec. The headlight however make it look like some sort of bug, and I'm gonna say a grasshopper. 5th Gen all the way for me!

I will take my 5th gen. Passed on a lot of 6th gens with lower kms. Like the looks and the single exhaust not four right under the seat. VFRs are plenty hot in the summer without the underseat exhaust!

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Why would you want to toss a highly engineered OEM exhaust then have to muck around with its breathing? In riding for over 40 years, I always thought it was just a wank to cut the weight (road racing heroes) but understood if it was mainly for looks. I've worked in acoustics for 25 of those 40 years and used to do defect testing on bikes with loud pipes. Don't start me on the bullshit of "Loud bikes save lives"!

@@simpletonballsack Agree totally it’s ridiculous that loud pipes save lives; totally disagree that lighter pipes (especially up high) then tuning to taste doesn’t improve the ride. Aside from the empirically verifiable there’s also the aesthetic and emotive, albeit, that’s totally subjective. But, for many, the subjective matters too.

@@UncleWally3 Hi Wally, see that's the thing. As a physicist, my interest is piqued at "empirically verifiable" but is then deflated when you're applying it to "improving the ride". Hard to imagine something more subjective. I can imagine a decent weight saving allowing a 60 degree left to 60 degree right transition to be performed a few miliseconds quicker, or enabling a microsecond quicker response in electronic suspension, but for the average Joe on the streets, I've never seen evidence of measurable improvement. Never felt the slightest difference myself while riding. At the risk of an "I have a mate" story, I have a mate who swapped out the twin system on his GSX1400 for an Akrapovic single system and took off 10 kg.. He joked that it "Improved the ride" on a bike well over 200kg, but man did it look and sound great, which was the whole point.

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What replacement rectifier did you choose? This seems a common problem, just taking ownership in a couple of weeks 2003 24k miles fingers crossed!

Sounds like a keeper!

11/km a liter! You know there are more throttle positions than WIDE OPEN. Seriously? Thanks for Posting!

to me the gear driven cam whine is like the triple whistle, I dont like it at all. Its like when a bit of plastic is flapping with the bike rpm, I dont like the idea of it. That being said if i owned a fith gen id probably groq to love it. to each their own

@hisride one thing they are known for is reliability and they make more power than the 6th gen which I find a bit weird

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Right on thanks for the feedback & view!

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It's a Chinese replacement kit

Hi Arnie, well the CB1300S was 100HP and weighs 575 pounds. The 6th Gen VFR is 107 or 108HP depending on the resource and weighs 481 pounds... The V-4 is going to be substantially smoother than an in-line and the fuel economy on the 6th Gen VFR is very good, if you care about such things these days. I know which way I would go 👍🏍

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I'm dealing with the same issue I'm 52 years old and my Kawasaki zx7 ninja is fun to ride but after about 30 minutes I'm in pain I think I'm going to buy a vfr 800 just for the comfort

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You are partly correct but don't confuse variable valve timing VVT or VTEC for Honda cars which use the same low RPM cam lift. This video will do a better job of explaining but in essence at lower RPM one of the two intake valves are barely moving at all. Above 6400/6800RPM both valves open and yes the duration is longer. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WYDP5egLMOU.html

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MotoCNC out of the UK moto-cnc.com used their stuff including both VFR800's! High Quality good prices.

@@RodRidesWrenches Thanks a million, kind Sir😉

Hi Robert, Funny I just purchased a Honda VFR1200F and it is in transit to me now. I will have more comparison in the coming months, that said we are in the midst of a 30cm snow fall today... Compared to your FZ6, I am sure you're going to find the VFR800 has longer legs on the highway, what I mean is it is easier to ride distance. If what you like about the V4 is torque and lack of vibration then you will find the same in the 800. It is no where near the powerhouse of the 1200 but is a lot of fun and without things like a slipper clutch on the VFR800 you can find yourself working harder when riding aggressively. The bike you found is low mileage and is priced correctly for the market. It should go up $500 - $1000 in April if it is nice. Check the tires for the money you're spending they should still have at least a season on them and not cupped with a flat spot.

Hi Bjorn See this link for the parts you need. These are not bad replacement fairings. ebay.us/BufANp

@@RodRidesWrenches Thank you, Sir 😎 Stay safe, bud👍

@@RodRidesWrenches One more thing, buddy, if I may; are those replacement feirings on your bike? Thanks, Bjørn😉

@@bjrniversen9008 Yes they are, same as the link I sent you.

Add a tour pack with backrest and I guarantee you'll always get lucky! Seriously, stay away from the 650, you'll want to upgrade after the first two up trip or when you think you're going to pass two semi-trailers in a row on a two lane and realize you can't. Ride Safe!

@@RodRidesWrenches 😂 Hard to not take you up on that suggestion now! Any other bikes I should be considering for that all-rounder 1up/2up, daily & weekender? And how will this really fair as a city centre commuter? 77kg here (12st)

@@iamdansimons Nothing else that is really like the VFR, Triumph Sprint is a great sport, sport tour but I would not recommend for a first bike, BMW F800ST is a good bike since it also has some fairing and great suspension & brakes but is 25% down on power but also makes torque where you need it, down low on the RPM. You can usually pick these up at a decent price. There is really not much else out there with a full fairing with this versatility. Good Luck, let me know how it goes!

They can be a struggle. They are far from perfect, most professionals won't install them because they take a lot of time, some modification and ingenuity. I am installing what I consider to be the worst set yet on my FZ6R this weekend. Try combining the painted parts with your black plastic parts to get to a finished product that works well.

So having spent 10hrs installing a difficult set and refreshing my memory here is the recommendations; loosen the frame stay and fairing mounts, you will need to adjustment to get he fairings on. You can tighten them after. You may find that some posts that go into rubber grommets on the fairing, just don't work and need to be relocated or just ignored/broken off. You will have to drill out all the fairing holes so I use a stepped drill bit to make this go a little faster but be careful, you do not want to go too big. When mounting the side fairings start on the lower part of the engine them move to the nose fittings then back to the top of the side fairing keeping everything a bit loose until all the fittings are in. you will have to push on the fairings and stretch them to get alignment. Transferring rubber grommets with aluminum inserts from your old fairings takes time but is worth it. After running the bike hot and letting it cool repeated a few times the ABS will relax and form to a better shape that will make removal and replacement easier.

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The 800cc VFR was discontinued by honda after 2009. They came back with what is referred to as the 7th generation, VFR1200 in 2010. This is a 5cyl engine. The 4cyl 800cc bike returned in 2014 as the 8th generation Honda VFR.

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Interesting. Would you care to explain why you believe that, and especially why you think that the CBR600RR is as good in terms of touring, as it is in terms of sporty riding and commuting? Isn't this video what this is about? Owning just one bike for all purposes. Because when I think about a 1500 mi tour, the cbr600RR would be way down on my list, with all the other sports bikes.

@@mementomori4972 a race ready bike is absolutely one hundred percent NOT something I'd want to ride for more than an hour. VFR all day. Allll day.

You are correct, just compression. Thanks for Commenting, Ride Safe!

@@RodRidesWrenches Nope, just preload.

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Difficult to say... I think the improvements to the frame will improve handling, the dash out of the Civic/DN-01 (Do Not Own One) are subjective. The basic engine and suspension, although some minor changes and improvements are pretty much the same. Engine changes revolve around emissions, heat and further taming the VTEC, something I am not a fan of. When I find one at a good price I will let you know head to head, right now I am working with my 7th Generation VFR, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kF0ysNRWGmE.html Thanks for Posting!

but an opportunity for you to learn how to service it!

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Having owned an F4i, the VFR is heavier but significantly smoother. Any V4 is easier to ride than an inline, it naturally produces more torque, has less vibration and is the best MC engine design from any manufacturer. The VFR has better components than the CBR because, as you would expect, it was more money when new. The VFR800 is a great in-between from the 600 to a liter bike. Thanks for the question and the View!

@@RodRidesWrenches Does the extra weight on the vfr matters that much on the twisties against the f4? And i would guess the vfr weight would make the bike more conforme and stable on long straight roads? Also does the vfr have really more down low torque than the f4?

@@rassanelasso9558 In order; I.M.O. NO the VFR weight difference (100lbs) is not an issue, it corners very well, drop the yokes 1 cm down the fork tubes and it is all the sport bike you need going fast in the twisties. POSSIBLY, the wheel base is longer the engine is smoother, I also found the seating position more comfortable. Definitely more stable at high speeds. Low speed cornering may feel better on the F4i because of the steeper rake, on a track or pulling wheelies this is helpful. The VFR is not a wheelie puller. The V4 - 800 vs. an inline 600? YES it does. Both will rev out till your eyes water but a V4 always has more low end torque than an inline, especially with 181cc more displacement. The inline has to use a counter weight to prevent it from coming apart at high RPM, I believe the F4 uses a uniquely balanced crank other engines use a balance shaft. Obviously you're comparing because you are purchasing one of these, you know my opinion on which I would own but Good Luck! and don't forget to check out the channel for more videos on a number of different bikes and maintenance.

@@RodRidesWrenchesI thank you for your feedback. Ride safe. Btw your video comparing the 5th and 6th is very cool. 🤙🏻

Better late than never... Thanks for the feedback & view!