1998 Honda VTR1000F
Summary:
A Beautiful Disposabike
Faults:
Compression lost in both cylinders @ 47,000 miles, despite oil changes every 3K with Honda SP4 synthetic oil and adult-ridden. The cylinders were basically worn egg-shaped--electroplated bores drilled directly into the (aluminum) top half of the crankcase. (Disposa-bike.)
Despite meticulous maintenance, it was burning nearly a quart of oil every 3,000 miles toward the end.
Cam-chain tensioners needed replacement at ~30,000 miles.
Regulator/rectifier toasted @~30,000 miles.
Hydraulic clutch with slave cylinder mounted on the engine cooked the DOT4 to a dark color and had to be flushed at least every other oil change.
Even with braided stainless-steel brake lines, these brakes were weak. But using the engine-braking helps here.
General Comments:
Fun, bike, fast bike, BEAUTIFUL bike, but ultimately flawed.
This bike is very noisy, due to a cam chain on each side of the bike, with absolutely no noise-dampening material in the crankcase, nor fairing.
A wheelie-machine due to the rearward weight distribution, but it also handles pretty funky (some say poorly) compared with typical I-4 bike.
Terrible mileage, even if you go by the optimistic tripmeter/odometer.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 30th March, 2008