Improving Honda VFR800 Ride Comfort with a Puig Screen Install & VFR 800 Bar Risers | 03

Improving Honda VFR800 Ride Comfort with a Puig Screen Install & VFR 800 Bar Risers | 03
In this episode I change a couple of things that are intended to make my VFR 800 more comfortable and explain a little about why I am not sure if they are needed..
Here's what I used in this video:
VFR800 PUIG Dark Smoke Racing Screen: ebay.us/dJZLnY
VFR800 Bar Risers: ebay.us/wysv3r
There are a couple of things that nearly everybody does to their VFR800 to improve the comfort. To be honest it is a pretty comfortable bike to start off with, so it might be the perception of the owner and what bike they had before. There always seems to be comment about the wind buffeting from the screen, and once you are looking for it you do notice it. The other very common modification is bar risers to lift the handgrips by around an inch.
The screen is the easiest one I have ever changed. It is held on by hooks at the front then one screw on each side with a cover over each side with another screw. So undoing 4 screws and it is off, and it is just as easy to put back on. I looked at other KZbinrs that have VFR’s and the screen of choice seems to be the one made by PUIG. I originally wanted a light smoke one, but couldn’t find any available. The dark smoke one that I eventually bought was probably a better choice, and fits in with the look of the bike really well.
It does change the way that the wind blast hits you, but I still don’t think it puts it high enough to make a big difference. I have noticed that other riders have gone for this screen, and then have put an extender to raise it further. I never really notice the wind blast as a big issue on other bikes, so I have started to wonder if it is more of a case of once it is in your mind you notice it more. I also thought about riders that also swap onto the VFR from adventure bikes, or ride both, who might notice the wind more. Overall it is probably an improvement but I am tempted to put the original screen back on for a while to see.
The bar risers are also very easy to fit, and once again I am not sure whether they are needed or not. I came to this bike after selling my ‘90s Fireblade so the bars already seemed very comfortable. I do suspect they ease the pressure on your lower back a little bit, but possibly being that little more sat up makes the wind from the screen a little more noticeable. I may just see what the bike is like without them again later in the year, but then again I may not :)
Both modifications are quite cheap, and I do think make a difference to the bike. Whether they are essential or not I’m not sure.
For more helpful how-to guides and restoration project logs, visit our blog: www.spannerrash.com/
As an Amazon Associate, Ebay Partner and Awin Affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Some of our links are affiliate links, and if you decide to purchase things through them, we earn a small commission. It costs you nothing but helps us to keep the content coming. Thanks for your support!
#vfr800 #hondavfr800

[@IanBurnside-t2w]

Nice review as you are obviously passionate about the VFR800. Just a note though - All the 800's are fuel injected (Fi) and have single sided swing arms! It was the 750's that were carbed with earlier versions having traditional swing arms. 2001 onwards they made the 800 with the VTEC and dumped the gear driven cams. I have a 2000 model in blue with low miles and has won me over. Now the best bike i ever owned (28+)

[@SPANNERRASH]

Great info and they are a great bike. I have had a couple of the earlier bikes. 25 years ago I had one of the first ones, a VF750F, that had the problem with the cams originally. Then around 15 years ago or so I had one of the next generation ones, the VF750FG. Only problem I had with either was a puncture, but I didn't have either for more than a year. It is a really good bike, but I can't say the best I have ever owned, 30+, but I may have rose tinted glasses. It is really great in person, great to ride, great reliability, but not one that lives in my imagination when I am away from the bike. I don't know why, maybe its me! Maybe when it has gone, it will elevate in my memory :)

[@cabovermike]

Vfr screen looks nice, black goes well with the silver, maybe those bar risers are doing more harm than good with the new screen, maybe should have tested wind issues with the original bar height, or just adopt a racing crouch !, you got lucky with the performance boost after the service, the only time I ever really noticed a performance gain was on my 95 Yamaha yzf 750r, dyno jetted it and picked up good 10 bhp if I remember rightly, and a nice carbon race pipe capped it off, after a while the emulsion tubes caused fueling issues, so I gave to well known dyno man and tuner RLR used to tune McGuiness TT bikes, it was like a completely different bike when I got it back, around 125 bhp to, emulsion tubes on yzf were a big issue when they were worn,.

[@SPANNERRASH]

I have wondered if the raised bars exacerbates the wind over the screen. I will probably give it a try later in they year. The performance gain was all at the lower end of the rev range. Before the new plugs and service it felt rough below 5000, now it runs clean from 2.5k revs.

[@peterhousley]

Vfr mirror extenders also useful low cost improvement.

[@SPANNERRASH]

You need to look at my comments about the mirrors on my Cafe Racer :) The mirrors on the VFR are panoramic!

[@vsparky6967]

Moto content cool to see!

[@SPANNERRASH]

Thanks

[@CB750K]

What is this space-age technology you're riding here? Compared to my old CB this thing is a star fighter. ...and just look at all of those brakes! I've only owned 1 "modern" bike -- an 82' K100. It was crazy. Love the shape of the new windscreen. Great lines.

[@SPANNERRASH]

You're right it does look space age! You could get used to it. As much as I like it and it is a great bike, it doesn't stir the sould like an old un!

[@casaamaril]

I am curious to hear your experience with the Moto CNC bar raisers after you have tried them for some time. On the subject of the windshield, I have been using the MRA Vario Touring adjustable windshield on my VFR for some time now and am very happy with it. You might want to give it a try.

[@SPANNERRASH]

You might get to see a video about this soon. I am thinking of going back to a standard screen and then maybe removing the bar risers to see if I notice the difference. I have already swapped the screen from my PUIG one, so I might take the risers off as well in a little while. Trouble is the weather here in England has been so poor I really get consecutive riding days, to do proper comparisons. Thanks for the tip on the other screen, I will take a look at it.

[@EpicAdamMotovlogs]

Good video. I just bought a gen 5 vfr800 & I think I'm getting bar risers and possibly a new screen. Do the bar risers affect handling in a negative way?

[@SPANNERRASH]

Not that I have noticed. I think they work well, but don't make a dramatic difference.

[@leeyo5494]

hey dude, please can you tell me where the cheapest places are to buy some body metal to do repair work on the sills and archs etc thank you

[@SPANNERRASH]

Seems an odd one of our videos to ask this one, but.. If you can't find a metal stockist on Google, then look at garages that repair HGVs, or specifically do bodywork repair, frequently they will sell on some metal.

[@OldBettymk2fiesta]

I’m having a nightmare with my vfr. Iv tried 2 different screens, 3 different helmets, bar risers, and 3 different styles of ear plugs and really struggling with wind noise. That much I’m starting to not enjoy riding at the mo

[@SPANNERRASH]

I've just re-fitted the standard screen to see if the replacement screen really made any difference. I'm not really convinced that it is any worse than most other bikes, obviously I will have to buy a couple more to see ;)

[@chrismurphy4724]

Try the MRA vario screen - it worked for me after trying a number of others...

[@hulkhogan9450]

Have you a link to the MRA Vario screen you got?