Honda VFR 400
JALM Rovers
Greetings, Bart
myst...@mindspring.com
JALM Rovers wrote in message ...
>I want to buy my first "sport"bike, is a Honda VFR 400 a good choice!
If you can find a clean one, absolutely.
Jeff
Duncan Bayne
- Awesome, awesome midrange pull (good top end too)
- Very confidence inspiring, compliant suspension
- Slightly spongy brakes
- Whine from gear drive
- Radiator cap jumped ship turning bike into water/coolant fountain at speed
That said, I consider the NC30 to be one of the best 400cc sportsbikes ever
created. The three faults above could be handled by braided brake lines,
tolerance, and regular tightening in that order. Also worth considering
would be the NC30s successor, the NC35. To look at, it's a scaled-down
RC45. Both the NC30 and NC35 have been reported by motorcycle journalists
as having poor ground clearance on the track; seeing as I was on the road,
on someone elses bike, I certainly didn't notice it.
If you don't mind less friendly handling, consider an FZR400. I have owned
one, and ridden a couple over the years. They aren't as forgiving, but in
good condition have razor-sharp handling and a motor that goes ballistic at
8000RPM. They do lack a bit in terms of mid-range however.
The Kawasaki ZX-4 is also a good bet. Solid, a little bit ponderous
compared to the FZR and VFR, but boy do they move. A good one puts out a
little under 60HP on a dyno, not bad for a bike thats 10 years old. A local
rider had one; the bastard could out-drag my FZR.
My personal recommendation is to be wary of the GSX-R400. While I have
never owned one myself, I do know that they are down on power (particularly
in the midrange) on the other sports 400s. Mind you, they do compensate by
awesome handling and braking. They look awesome too.
The CBR400 would be a good bet as well. Not as confidence-inspiring (or
trick-looking) as an NC30, but powerful and smooth. Like the NC30, gear
driven cams mean no aggro from Hondas notoriously unreliable camchains (to
be fair, none of their *current* models seem to have problems).
Just remember though, advice from other people is just that, *advice*. Your
style, skill and experience (not to mention budget) will decide which bike
is best for you.
Cya,
Duncan
---------------
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This message is personal, and in no way related to the affairs of Massey
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gen...@my-deja.com
owned. Round town it's awsome and country lanes are just a delight,
brilliant keeping up with gsxr and cbr that seem to have to brake so
much earlier!! Take it out on the motorway though and it's a different
story, had mine fractionly of the clock once. I just borrowed a fzr600
and instantly felt the power difference, it would have seriously left
mine standing.
Admittedly the nc24 suites my purposes perfectly and is cheaper to
insure than the bigger bikes.
If you do buy one, the worst thing on them it seems is the electrics.
The rectifier/regulator is very likely to blow on you which leads to
the battery going, followed by (if you are as unlucky as me!) the
cdi/ignition thingy.
Also they make a real strange whine at low revs which you can hear way
to much.
Good luck in whatever you choose.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Duncan Bayne
Honda sportsbikes? I ask because a friend had a VTR250 die in exactly the
same way.
Cya,
Duncan Bayne
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gen...@my-deja.com
NC24 is very keen on blowing reg/rec units. I am currently of the road
for the 2nd time due to this. Thankfully though it's not summer(?)
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