Faults:

The fork seals are starting to leak.

The rear disk must be made out of recycled aluminum downspouts. Very soft with deep grooves.

General Comments:

There are certain unmeasurables that combine to create the essence of a motorcycle.

This bike has character beyond the sum of its individual attributes.

Tourqey motor with good throttle response.

Predictable handling.

It begs for stiffer fork springs and dual disks up front.

Limited choices on aftermarket pipes.

Doesn't lend itself to performance modification, it is what it is. I generally tend to think that's a good thing.

Faults:

I bought my VX800 new May 1st 1990, and I have yet to find anything wrong with the bike.

General Comments:

I very satisfied with the handling. I replaced the seat with a Corbin seat at about 1000 miles, and a windshield for more comfort.

Faults:

Headlamp went out at 12,000 miles.

Replaced the front and rear brake pads at 13,500 miles.

Replaced the shock absorbers at 13,500 miles.

General Comments:

I bought the VX800 in April of this year. As I write this, it is May.

Since buying the bike I've done all the service work myself (oil change, etc.).

Shortly after buying the bike I blew a shock. That's hardly surprising given that the shocks were 15 years old. I bought a replacement set of Hagons for $190 (including shipping to my door).

The brake pads were severely worn, so I picked up a set of EBC HH (sintered metal) pads for $67 (delivered).

The bike came with Metzler ME-Z4 tires, which I'm happy with in terms of performance, but the longevity of the tires leaves something to be desired. They were practically new when I bought the bike, but right now the tires are getting close to needing to be replaced. I'm not sure what make and model I'll use as replacements.

All in all, I'm very happy with the VX800. When I was shopping for a motorcycle, I was looking for a good all-around bike, something that I could use for a commuter, use on a long trip, and have some fun in the twisties. The VX has fitted the bill on all those counts.

Since the VX800 wasn't very popular when it was new, it's actually very reasonably priced on the used market. I bought mine for $1,800 (US) and I figure I have put another $400 into it. Not bad when one looks at the price of new bikes.

I've seen reviews where people complained about fork dive on hard braking, but I haven't had that problem. However, I don't believe that the front springs are stock. The caps atop the fork tubes show tool marks, and I believe some previous owner may have put in progressive springs.

The bike gets 47 mpg (avg) with me on it (and I'm not a small fellow).

Acceleration is good, but nothing like one would see from a sport bike. It certainly out-accelerates most cruisers I've seen. I have a friend who rides a 1500 Kawasaki Vulcan. He took a spin on my bike and came back with a big grin on his face, claiming that if he were to buy a bike that accelerated like my VX800, he'd wind up killing himself on it.

Roll-on performance is excellent. Twist the wrist and you're gone. I love that.