HONDA VFR800 (1998-2001) Review

A truly reliable and fun machine, not the most exciting ride out there, but for £1,500 it’s about as good as you can get. I use it for commuting and it does exactly what I ask of it. With a Delkevic exhaust it sounds great, especially higher up the rev range.

4.5 would be a better rating as it ain't perfect (what is?), and it's not the best at anything. Glorious, elastic, flexible engine.Even after 10k miles (I bought it at 19k about 18 months ago) I never get tired of that hard knuckle of midrange that starts around 6k and only tails off just before the rev limiter. And the sound? Oh my. With full stainless system with carbon end can, it starts as a lovely lumpy tickover, to a general burbly loveliness when doddering about, to a hard, even, purposeful moan. Just wish it had the adjustability and quality of my old CBR600F's suspension, and was a bit less lardy, and a bit less serious. The CBR was a rock at any speed, despite being lighter. You can tour on it, but I haven't, and it hasn't made me want to. I'm 41, and after 60-70 miles my legs are complaining to the point where I'm taking my feet off the pegs and stretching them out, but that's probably just me. Main problem with it is that it's nigh on 20 years old, and after so much searching I can't find anything to replace it. I think it's exceedingly handsome from any angle, and even with the miles and the age, its detail is a testament to the the fact that when Honda built it, they were not trying to balance the books to a tiny price. I still I ride it every day in all weathers and all seasons, and there is no visible corrosion anywhere, save for a bit of aluminium whitening on some barely visible areas.

While tending more to sport than touring per se, this bike does a wonderful job of both. Raised the bars slightly to achieve a more upright position. Helps alot on longer hauls. Why Honda chose to adopt VTEC and drop gear driven cams is frankly incomprehensible. The 2001 was the last of their fifth Gen VFR'S, and is the best bike they've ever made in this man's opinion.

The sound.Lovely off beat burble. Scorpion end can fitted, OE was a bit flat. Downside is those linked brakes,work perfectly but in long term ownership they require the dedication of an amphetamine fed cat to change fluid and bleed properly. Just far too complicated a system for long term/high mile use.

Finest Sport-Touring bike ever conceived. It's V45 based motor is excellent. Would I recommend? A friend reported finding a low mileage, excellent condition example for sale at an astounding price; I told him run-not-walk to buy it.

comfortable, powerfull enough, excellent sound with aftermarket can, brilliant brakes when bled correctly, good vision at night and decent tank range also handling very good.

I've had all types of bikes ranging from sports, big sports touring, modern retro etc but keep coming back to the old faithful 5th generation and best model Honda VFR made.

does everything well enough. smooth, quiet, yet great V4 hum as the rpms rides. i have three givi bags and a custom windscreen. two HIDs, and two HPLEDs. Handles very well in wet and windy weather. Styling is still appealing. i have had it since 2003. i road test bikes, but this is still the only one in my garage. I do get 49 mpg on regular. AMSOIL makes it run smooth. Worst feature: center stand hard to get on when you have givi bags with stuff in them.

Never had a problem, performs well in every category

Been riding 40+ years, the 5th Gen VFR is the best all-around motorcycle I've ever owned or ridden. I've nothing negative to say about it.

Where else can you find a bike capable of 140 mph, 50 mpg, and a 250 mile range? There is a reason for all the five star ratings, the 5th gen VFRs are that good. I put 70,000 miles on two 5th gens in 66 months. My 98 had 117,000 miles on the odo when I sold it last year, and was running strong. I sold it to get a low mile Y2K bike for $2,400. These bikes run great, don't burn oil even at high mileage, and are solid, all around motorcycles. I am 6' tall with a 32 inch inseam, and have logged several 13 hour/500 mile days on the stock seat. Leg position gets a little cramped after 3 or 4 hours in the saddle, but by that time I'm ready for a pit stop anyway. If the ergonomics fit you, the 5th gen VFR is hard to beat.

Excellent all rounder that is top quality and engineered to last. If the VFR800 were a fine wine the 5th gen from 98 to 02 would be the vintage years. Look at the quality and standard of engineering. Get a good unmolested, well cared for bike and get better rate of return than you will get in a bank account.

fantastic bike which sums up this bike altogether

Best sports tourer ever........

Used all year round but does have a few gremlins such as the electrics can let you down on high mileage bikes.

Phenomenal overall bike. I doubt I will part with her easily.

Perfect!!! :-)

Never had less than 52mpg! So have no idea what they did to get 38 mpg....must have had a fuel leak.

It's still a good bike.

Perfect!

A relatively light and compact sports tourer with a glorious v4 engine. The riding position is a oerfect compromise between long distance comfort and short blast sporty crouch. I admit that I've neglected maintenance on mine for two years as its getting long in the tooth, has a high milage and is getting a bit tatty to look at; the bike has coped perectly well and hasn't (yet) complained. (Reg/rec issues mentioned below have nothing to do with servicing).

Had a 750 vfr many years ago pleased with it.Now in my seventies and feel 800vfr a little crampted.Could do with lower footrests and higher bars.

After many years of only buying the latest machines,this bike has opened my eyes to the wonderfully rich world of older machines.the last two bikes i owned were a 2008 mt03 and a 2012 fz1n. The Vfr is way more practical than the fz1 and I genuinely don't notice the reduced displacement at all and nearly as much fun as the mt03 (itself a seriously underated machine which I still sometimes miss). The overriding impression on the Vfr is one of pure quality with a truly sublime engine.I had to replace the reg/rec after 1300 miles of ownership (no surprises there) but other than that (and 4000 miles later) it has run sweetly and trouble free. The sound is exquisite (fuel can and snorkel removed); the control are creamy smooth and the riding position is perfect. And I think it looks really stunning (red). Mines in good nick but as soon as I'm able I'm gna treat her to a full respray and bring her back to showroom condition. A truly magnificent motorcycle.

This bike epitomises what bikes should be like. No nonsense, pure fan in any road (or track), either solo or two up with full travelig paraphernalia. Great engine, great brakes, great chassis, buit quality out of this world, could do with a better shock. Mine is 14 Y.O. and still looks like new.

I had a 2001 model I did 39,000k on it. The exhaust rotted away at 30k and was one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had to do. The valve clearances were hard to do. As for the riding the fuel economy was poor and the range limited the rear shock needs uprating if you carry a passenger and luggage. The regulator rectifier let me down on a country lane at 1am on the isle of man. I de linked the brakes but it did not really work well after that the calipers need changing if you do. After 39k I failed to see the point it was not as well built as it should be, the chain needs carefull adjustment if it is to last mine had a scott oiler. I brought a 2003 fazer 600 and that did everything the VFR800 could but was cheaper to run easier to maintain had better brakes more comfortable and the performance is not far behind. As for the VTECH VFR800 that's a ridiculous waste of cash. My advice buy a Blackbird or a z750

I bought a 1998 model in 2009. It was not my first choice of bike to return me to biking after a very long break. It was bought at a bar-b-q at a friends and I fell in love with the look of it. After renewing the exhaust system, getting hold of a Fuel end can off e-bay, putting some bar risers and an MRA touring screen on it, I cannot think of any reason why I would want to go out and buy any other bike. I would not want to go any faster, would not want to accelerate any quicker and I think you would be hard pushed to find anything more reliable. I have not rode the latest R1 or GTR 1400 because this bike does everything and more I could possible want from it. I love the way it looks, love the sound, great headlights, beautiful at motorway speeds and easy around town. I still look in showrooms and other bikes at bike meets due to my passion for all bikes but I am so glad that I get on my VFR to ride back home. Perhaps one I ill get something newer but I know the VFR wil always be my favourite.

We'll thats what it said in a Mag review I read back in 2000 which sold me on my '99 50th Anniversary which I purchased in '05 with 2000miles after totalling my previous '03 VFR Vtec. 32000 mainly fun Sport touring miles on must say besides replacing the original SH579A11 R/R with Honda Upgraded SH689DA R/R in '08 has been 100% reliable. Good points brilliant Sound both from GDCs and Arrow end can enjoyed both through twisties and city commuting, great tank range, comfort for up to 750mile days, competent handling everywhere enough to stay with sainly ridden Superbikes especially good on iffy surfaced unknown back roads. Absolute contentment after 6 years with the expectation I'll remain contented for another Six. Negatives only the thought it may not last me forever which only surfaces in my minds background whenever a mate trades their Gixer/blade in on yet another new model.

As the review says, this is the best version of the VFR and the RC45 derived V4 gives this bike some soul! And lovely strong strong torque through the rev-range. Handling is very decent for a heavy(ish) bike and the linked brakes are up to the job. I bought mine 99' model earlier in 2010 and have already added 8'000 miles having toured through Ireland, the UK and Europe, the bike has been a complete joy. All-day comfort, good instruments and not such a stretch to the bars making a good first sportsbike as well as a decent tourer. The only problem i've experienced with the bike is a blown rectifier which ruined the battery. Luckily i was close to home as the bike completely died! So make sure you check this if looking at a pre-2000 model as the rectifiers are made of chocolate. These bikes are becoming pretty cheap now and parts are not a problem. High miles aren't an issue with these bikes either. Buy a clean one, fit a decent exhaust and look after it. You won't regret it! :)

Of all the bikes I have owned this stands out as a brilliant machine. I own a '98 VFR800 and it still gets regular use even though I also have an '05 FZS1000 in my garage. The V4 engine is like no other and an absolute joy to ride. The fact that the bike carries a bit of extra weight compared to a full-on sportsbike gives it an advantage both in terms of road holding and comfort. Despite being 11 years old mine is still used for touring and this year covered over 2000 miles in two weeks of riding around Spain. A lot of bikes get a lot of hype and this is one of the few machines about which it is all true! Other bikes will come and go but this will always have a place in my garage.

A fantastic bike for long distance commuting on motorways and cross country for a bit of fun. This is my first big bike and I am really happy with it.

I had an evening swap from my Yamaha FZ6 fazer to a VFR800. Riding position takes a bit of getting used to after the wide handlebars on my FZ, and it's a while since I've leaned on the bars as well so that was a bit odd. Also, that one's done 34k, not too much for a VFR but I think they've been hard miles so it feels a bit tired, but still rampant. So, what are the plusses? Well, it goes like a scalded cat. My god, the torque is fabulous. It snaps away from lights, really, like it's trying to get away from me. It is super comfortable, especially for a "sports" riding position. The noise, well, what can I say about the harmonising of the gear cams and the V4 burble. Do you know what? It reminds me of the V8 cars I've driven - Rover V8, BMW X5, Bentley Arnage - it sounds like them and, strangely, it feels like them too. It's so smooth. The instrument panel is very good, scary how high the numbers go on the MPH bit. Maneuvrability is surpisingly good for such a big, heavy machine, but then Honda's have always impressed me with their ergonomics. What are the minuses? Well, the main ones have to be that it is a smidge high. I didn't have any problems with it, but if it were mine I'd fit a new rear shock and lower it by 15 or 20mm. The engine braking is REALLY noticable. After an inline-4 it is shocking how it snaps you forward when you let off the throttle. I do miss the big whack of power that comes in on my FZ6 around 6k though. All the oomph lives up the dusty end of the rev counter and I did think that the VFR had all of it's party tricks at the lower end of the rev counter. I have to confess (and I know you'll not be too harsh on me when I say this) that the VFR did make me behave a bit like a hooligan. I found my self gunning for gaps I'd not attempt in the FZ as that whack of low-end torque really makes you feel nimble and I rode in a much more positive way. There was no need for the constant dancing on the gears. I really, really want to try one of the newer VFR800s now to see what they are like with variable valves. I'd also like to see what a fresh one feels like. What's more I can really see my self moving up to one of these towards the end of the summer.

This is my first bike and so I can't speak yet with years of experience, however, if you're looking for a bike (like I was) that handles like a dream, eats motorway miles, has a great level of performance, is comfortable and is good on insurance too - then the VFR800i is the one for you! ..I read tons of reviews about the VFR800i before buying and after finding the 'one' I made the leap of faith.. no regrets! If you have found 'the one', then don't hesitate. Have fun and be safe!

35,000 miles and the only non wear and tear problem was a broken LCD circuit board, which cost about £200 to fix. The linked brakes were a bit crap, but braided hoses sorted this out. It does 180 miles to the tank, and is comfy for the pillion as well. The wife has done over 10000 miles. What can I say - It's more reliable than any car I've owned, and sounds better too. The only other thing it really neeeds is a remote adjustable pre-load for the rear suspension if you plan to tour with luggage and/or pillion.

Wanna keep up with the Blades (only .2 sec slower to sixty if you can keep the front down...) Fancy a relaxed semi-touring riding position which isnn't cranking your neck all day? Don't want to spend half your life refuelling? (180-200 mile tank range). Fancy a forgiving ride that won't try to chuck you off every time you overcook the breaking into corners? Desire something even the Mrs. doesn't mind riding pillion on for a few hundred miles? (Saves leaving your ear plugs in!) This is the Bike... It will do anything, good communter, scratching, touring, fun on the lanes, loves the big sweeping corners, anything... (OK I'll draw the line a MX!) Awesome Bike, older pre-Vtecs getting cheap now, find a low miler and your laughing... Enjoy :o)