Is The Honda VFR 750 and VFR 800 The Most Reliable Motorcycle Ever Built?

This is an excert from part 2 to the first Bombproof bikes video and features the Honda VFR750 and VFR800.
the first video concentrated more on ease of maintenance whereas this one looks at long term reliability with value for money as the main focus. So they also link in with the bargain bikes of the 80s and Bargain bikes of the 90s video's here
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[@ronvalente65]

I had a 97 vfr 750 in red, was totally standard and the best bike iv'e ever had, I bought it at 3000 miles and it was just like new, I kept it for 5 years it was a total dream to ride and sold it to a guy down south, as far as I know he still hjas it! magnificent bike.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@nigel274]

I owned a silver 98 vfr800 in 2004...only the rectifier let me down. Sold in 2019 ..still looked brand new. Now got a vfr1200f....and still got my license 😊. A fast underrated tourer. Should have found space for the 800 though...wish hadnt sold

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@erebus_nyx4294]

Ah yes the vfr 1200 what a beautiful motorcycle! I wish to be my next motorcycle!

[@keltanforrest1875]

Currently own a ‘98 VFR800! It’s a great bike, the week after I bought it I rode 2000 miles to Colorado!

[@barebonesmc]

enjoy it mate 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@shaunhardie6077]

I've got an '02 800 VTec and love it to bits, awesome allrounder, 😎👍.

[@barebonesmc]

there is more in the main video linked in the description 🙂Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@davidrochow9382]

I've got the first VF 750 (Magna) the one with that's meant to have the problems and , besides from the fuel tank being too small I couldn't be happier. Being an American import ( I'm in Australia) back in 2011 it only has about 50,000 Klms which I have added about 19,000 of in the last 4 years on the motor so it's still a fairly low mileage bike , you've got to love the Americans and their low mileage bikes,.

[@barebonesmc]

great bikes,i featured the whole VF family here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWXRYZyCbtKIjZo 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@plap.]

that tandem run was a great little neck n neck race

[@barebonesmc]

glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel and the website, let me know what you think. hope youll climb aboard. We do have a great bunch as subscribers and i can thoroughly recomend reading some of the comments too, some funny and most informative too. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

I had a 1990 VFR750L in black. Beautiful bike, sounded great. Did 85k miles on it and it never let me down. Sold it to buy an FJ1200, another fabulous bike.

[@barebonesmc]

great bikes,i featured the FJ11 here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWXRYZyCbtKIjZo 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Great video. I also enjoyed reading your article on your website.

[@barebonesmc]

Thanks for your support mate 🙂 the feedback does help me and i do appreciate it

[@beachboy4106]

Went from Wales to South of France with my girlfriend pillion and 10 mates. Did 1000 miles in two days, on a VRF 750 FL got my knee down in the Alps, bike was fantastic had the time of our lives.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@nycmaverick]

I owned the VFR 800 with factory hard bags the sound of this engine was magnificent.

[@barebonesmc]

I can imagine 🙂

[@cbrboy76]

I bought a great example about 6 months ago, 1996 model, 50k on the clock 2 owners from new FSH, it rides like its just come out the showroom. The build quality of honda's of this era are staggering.

[@barebonesmc]

there is more in the main video linked in the description 🙂Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@nm-ge4tb]

🙏🙏Yep owned a couple back in the day , one heavy lady but yep ticked all the boxes best all round bike ever

[@barebonesmc]

glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel and the website, let me know what you think. hope youll climb aboard. We do have a great bunch as subscribers and i can thoroughly recomend reading some of the comments too, some funny and most informative too. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@erebus_nyx4294]

Hello everyone! After owning a vfr 800 vtec 2003 i have to say they are beautiful sounding bikes! A little heavy until you start rolling then they hide their weight pretty well! I really enjoy her! I would like some more horsepower stock to be honest... Stay safe everyone and Ride Free!

[@nm-ge4tb]

how do the v-teec was one thirsty girl@@erebus_nyx4294

[@barebonesmc]

thanks for the comment. there is more in the main video linked in the description 🙂Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@MrMiclud]

As CBF 1000 FA (sc64) owner i'm still patiently waiting for your video about this machine. Don't get me wrong. I like my bike a lot. I know it is a good machine, and there is no reason for receiving the confirmation of those facts from anyone. I just appreciate your knowledge and your wideo style a lot. Thus would love to hear your opinion about this bike.

[@barebonesmc]

All the CBF 1000's are pretty bombproof and great bikes to ride, they will find their place in time, but suome videos do take a lot of planning and there is always something i miss too. I will get there, just getting back into the swing as i had some time awayonly problem i know of to be honest is stator windings issue 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@TriumphBeezaman]

I had the first two models, when i first got one it was quite a revelation how it sat at 120 with ease when I'd been used to bikes that would weave at that speed. Took a test ride on a CBR1000f but couldn't be swayed into swapping as it seemed characterless in comparison. Took a test on a V Tec 800 many years later but it didn't seem the same at all.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story, and yes, they are different, but both equally good i would say, each slightly better but in different ways :-) 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@squigmcguigan8965]

Everything you say is true. The best motorcycle engine ever built. The best models were the J/K. All later models had less power & more weight. Back in the 80,s/90,s Breaker would charge upto 1k for fzr,gpz,gsxr engines. Where they could hardly give the Vfr engines. As there was no demand. One London despatch rider got 300.000 miles from his Vfr750. In very harsh conditions.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@seanhammon6639]

Gorgeous design. You can't fault Honda's engineering.

[@barebonesmc]

Sometimes they do just get it right lol 🙂Cheers for watching and for the comment mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@phillarsson8253]

Great engineers for sure. Mind you: they overlooked one detail on the '89 CBF1100 (to name one). Had one of those in the workshop on which the starter motor failed. It was weird to discover that it was driven to the crank through a chain. This chain had snapped on that perticular bike and there was no other option than to open up the complete engine in order to be able to take the broken chain out and replace it. The Honda dealer where I used to get my parts from for all the Honda's I worked on, could do no other than to confirm this necessarity of taking the whole engine apart to get complete access. Still: Honda's have always been my favourite Japanese brand to work on in terms of reliabilaty and being maintenance friendly, next would be Suzuki, then Kawasaki and definitely(!!) last in line: Yamaha.

[@mavisbeeswax8136]

I prefer Yamaha, but I have a VFR750 Fl currently... my first Yamie was a two-stroke😅. The one take away is A GOOD YAMAHA MAKES YPU HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS FROM YOUR 750 pounds. Needless to say I would never buy a crappie Ducati 😅

[@barebonesmc]

Have to say, I do think Yamaha have shone out at times, and built some stunning bikes. re the Ducati, if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, Not my favourites, but they have their place 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@g-sailing4427]

At 30 seconds in I was like ‘that’s the same as mine’.. then I realised it actually is my bike 😂

[@barebonesmc]

lol, i get videos from all over mate, if you have one up send me a link and ill put the link in :-) i do try and credit people in general but some do get missed, sorry

[@g-sailing4427]

@@barebonesmcno it’s not my video must’ve been a previous owner!

[@barebonesmc]

enjoy it mate 🙂Cheers for watching. have a great weekend 🙂

[@BikenutGB]

I had the 1995 VFR750S and the engine was a peach although a little underpowered for two up riding I thought. The only issue I had was the reg/rec unit constantly burning out. I tried about 8 different units from different models before I finally found one that worked and it wasn't a Honda one.. That's also the time you realise just how heavy this bike is when you have to push it. In the end she had to go for a more powerful bike the ZZR1200 which as never let me down after 10 years of owning it.

[@lorditsprobingtime6668]

Why do they keep stopping making ranges of bikes that become really popular is just beyond me. That seems a very sweet ride.

[@barebonesmc]

some of their decisions do just seem a bit daft at times

[@TheTestride]

The vfr800 shown is cam chain vtec. The gear driven cams are truly bulletproof on the earlier version

[@barebonesmc]

yep, in the main video linked in description it talks about both and i didnt differentiate very well sorry

[@seanthomas2906]

Brilliant

[@barebonesmc]

no one can argue about the fact they are a real riders bike 🙂 happy new year mate

[@Yamaprilia]

Erm... its not a sports bike. Its a tourer with looks of a sports bike. Thats what made it so popular. I got one too 😊

[@barebonesmc]

id say it started as much more of a sportsbike, but yep, as is the way with most of us, it got middle age spread and then just got fatter i guess lol

[@andyrawlings5369]

Big vfr fan myself a well built bike great v4 engine mine are a 88 fj model and a 94 fr model and the big brother vfr 1200f had vtec model but prefer the gear driven cam engine the vfr runs for ever both my 750 models have well 50k on them both are minters and keepers tuff call which is the better bike the 5th gen 800 or 4th gen 750 i often ride my dads 800 5th gen and try to compare but its down to your own choice. Weak points are the charging system hard wire the plugs from the stator and wire rectifer direct to battery fit a good rectifer you will have no more problems and exhaust system rots fit a stainless steal one i do all own maintence hgv mechanic myself . Pound for pound the vfr 750/800 has to be one of the best second hand value bikes to buy even when you check vavle clearances they never need doing and very rare the carbs get out off balance and they dont look dated either just wish honda would bring out another model 1000cc gear driven cams and about 150 bhp it would sell like hot cakes.

[@barebonesmc]

Great story 🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@user-iz6lz8tc2r]

Zx9r, not as reliable, but as a sport tourer, hard to beat..

[@barebonesmc]

great bikes,i featured them here kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHPFl2Oue5yHmLc 🙂 Cheers for watching mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@daveoneshot5681]

My '96 with 70 thousand miles still runs better than me, I feed myself chicken soup, the bike gets Valvoline 20 - 50.

[@barebonesmc]

🙂Cheers for adding your bit mate. Ride Free 🙂

[@henrydegan6204]

Good bikes, no doubt. But chain drive disqualifies it for being the best

[@barebonesmc]

if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂

[@paulscountry456]

The 800 might do eighty hp at the wheel.

[@barebonesmc]

i use manufacturers quoted figures for this, yes we know they are often inflated and yes, all bikes will loose 10-15% from crank to wheel, but that applies across all bikes. the reality, is it is still more power than most people can use and more than powerful enough to take your licence away if ridden properly

[@mickeymouse4897]

You show a 4th Gen 750, then comment on it. You show a 6th Gen 800, then comment on it. Skipped the 5th Gen 800 entirely, which is in fact the finest VFR ever built by Honda. Have you no shame man? 6th Gen is a pile of crap.

[@barebonesmc]

the comments were about the progression of the range more than individual models, and it is part of the longer video linked in description. I dont go into every model variant, and theres plenty who would disagree re the 6th gen, we all have our opinions, and i try and respect the fact others wont always agree with me. we all have our favourites

[@choppergirl]

At 8,000 bucks for a 20 year old design, you might as well buy a new car.

[@barebonesmc]

Jeez are they that much over there? having said that, they will probably last longer than most modern cars, and certainly longer than a Tesla battery 🙂

[@choppergirl]

@@barebonesmc Yep, $8000 used prices in USD for a 10 year old bike. 15 year old $6000... 20 year old $4000 (maybe?) Think I'll pass. A motorcycle is 0% reliable when you can't afford it. Sticking with my 1982 CM450 I got for $800

[@barebonesmc]

@@choppergirl wow, it would be the complete opposite here, £3-4K for a ten year old one, and maybe even less if you were lucky, but you would pay a fortune for a series 1 (I have seen mint ones go for big money) There's no need to change if you like what you have either, just enjoy it