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Honda VTR 1000 discussion forum:RE: Rob |
| RE: Rob |
| john in florida said 2004-10-10 20:40 |
| I´ve owned a red vtr1000 for three years (27k miles) and still love the bike. V-twins, at least for me, have more of a true motorcycle rumbling sound as opposed to the high pitched, frantic whine one hears from many other bikes. This bike with aftermarket pipes will even make a Harley guy turn his head. In stock form, it´s a nice low pitched unobtrusive rumble that reminds you it´s a v-twin but won´t wake up the neighbors. Riding a bike with such a broad torque curve is a joy. It feels like a locomotive that hustles. Cornering is what this bike does best and you will be greatly rewarded with an instant projection out of a corner by merely twisting the throttle. No excessive gear shifting. In the straights; its plenty fast but won´t keep up with the 1000cc I-4 sport bikes. Those bikes just have too much horsepower that v-twins cannot produce. Still, it´s a 105 horsepower bike with a top speed of 150 mph and is massive overkill already when regarding street riding. It´ll outrun most bikes and all cars out there. nuff said. The primary complaint by VTR owners is a simple one: range. This bike gets mediocre mileage (about 33-35 mpg) coupled with a small tank (usable 3.7 gallons) translates into a gas stop about every 110 miles. I don´t think it´s a problem because after about 1-2 hours, I need a break and there are gas stations about everywhere now days. Large over square v-twins (RC-51, TL1000(r), etc) are all notorious for low mileage. As for reliability: Apart from routine maintenance, I´ve only had to replace a battery and of course, tires. There´s some mention of cam chain tensioner problems but after talking to several mechanics, this is not a unique problem to sport bikes. If you look at a used bike and hear a pinging sound (especially after high rpms) emanating from the engine; look elsewhere. V-twins do emit ticking noises so confuse that with a problem; it´s normal. I also should note that superhawks have very large carburators and oversquare engines which translate into quirky idling. Most of the time; it´s smooth and fine but every now and then, depending on the temperature, it´ll stall. Not a frequent event but it does happen. This bike definitely benefits from a warm-up before riding. Basically, it´s a Honda with some character. As for buying a used VTR, I should note that the owners are somewhat older (30s or so) and more mature about riding their bikes so finding a used one in excellent shape shouldn´t be a problem. Also, this bike is super popular in Europe but hasn´t really caught on here in the US. As a result, you can find one that´s quite inexpensive and in excellent condition. I hope this helps and good luck, John |
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