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VFR Two up?

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Feb 28, 2003
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I see quite a few of you ride VFRs and I may be in the market for a new bike with two up abilities. What are your opinions of the VFR for this purpose? I figure it has plenty of power but I am concerned over passenger comfort. I started to think about the VFR because it would be a great bike for one person with out a sacrifice in performance when not riding two up and I know there is tremendous aftermarket support.

Gary
 
Kinda depends on how big/heavy you and your pillion are? My wife and I have done a 250 mile trip on mine. We are about 300lbs combined.

It was okay. I think it actually has more legroom than my Sprint did.
 
Howdy Gary,

Brian is correct, your combined weight is important. However, a lot of that can be overcome with better suspension, particularly the rear shock. My combined weight is probably around 330 lbs when riding with my wife. Even with a GIVI topcase on the back of the bike, with stock suspension, we have had some seriously fun and "spirited" rides ;-)

Will you be able to notice the extra weight of the passenger? Heck yeah! Does it really matter? Not if you ride accordingly. Realize the bike won't slow as fast under engine braking or regular braking. It will take a little more throttle to lift the bike out of a lean. Wheelies are easier ;-) Although that might garner you a smack in the back of the head :shock:

For weekend touring, the bike is fine. I don't know if I would want to go two up for really long trips. I have much more fun when my wife is on her own bike. But we both really enjoy riding two up on occasion. The bike has plenty of power as long as you are in the right gear. You have to remember that the motor in this bike is designed to make its power in higher RPMs. So you won't be able to lug around in fourth gear at 2000 RPM and expect to be able to whack the throttle and take off instantly. But if you are up around 6000 RPM... :twisted:

Keep in mind all of my comments are based on my experience with the 98-01 model VFR. I've never ridden any of the other generations of the VFR two up. As far as room is concerned, we never feel cramped. I am 5'10" and she is 5'5". With the GIVI bag as a backrest, she kicks back like a Harley Queen hehe.

If you are planning on some serious long distance touring, get your wife to learn to ride and get her a bike. You'll both have more fun. This is true even if you are talking about Goldwings. Although, there are those people that have no interest in riding their own bike and are perfectly content to sit on the back for hours on end, hard to believe :-?

Adios,
 
My wife and I have not seen 300 pounds much less our shoe laces in ten years. Our combined weight is 440 pounds including the shoelaces.Is that too much for my 01 vfr with 326 miles.What about the givi for a back rest she is 5'9". Will the Sargeant two piece with back rest fit with theGivi on?Thanks for any input. God bless america
 
If you have the Sargent backrest, you will likely have trouble mounting the GIVI. They both want to use the mount points on the subframe where the passenger grab rails mount. However, if you have the GIVI topcase, you reall don't need the Sargent backrest. Your passenger can simply use the GIVI bag. They sell pads for some of the cases intending for you to use it as a backrest. Personally, I think it is wasted money for the pad. I have had numerous passengers on the bike and none of them thought the pad necessary. They were happy without it.

I think the size of the rider and passenger might become a problem before the weight. The issue being how well you fit together on the seat between the tank and the tailbag. Also, how well do the passenger pegs work for the passenger. You won't be slammin folks at the drag strip, but you should be fine running on the road ;-)

Of course, if you are really worried about power and such, get the new Yam FJR 1300 :twisted:

Adios,
 
Thanks for the input. You addressed one of my biggest concerns of comfort .

We are settting her up for MSF classes soon so she can decide solo or two up. I am in no big hurry but figure I can start looking for ideas and asking for opinions since they are cheaper than buying the wrong bike.

Thanks again for your help.

By the way, that was my post up top but I forgot to login at work when I posted.
 
Hey Gary,

We had an 01 blue SV650S and loved it. It was Beth's bike, but I stole it from her every chance I got so I could ride it. The bike is such a hoot to ride! But now she has the blue VFR and loves that even more ;-) Fortunately, she is 5'5" and has long enough legs that she can manage the VFR comfortably riding solo. I don't know that I would trust her two up though. If it did start tipping, I don't think she'd have the strength to hold up me and the bike and I can't reach from the back seat to the ground. However, she does fine with GIVI luggage loaded to the hilt!

Sometimes I really miss the SV :-( We could not afford that many bikes though, hehe.

How tall is your wife?

Adios,
 
My wife and I have done several two up rides that lasted 2 to 3 hours and we were both resonably comfortable doing so. Like Scott (I think) said though, I wouldn't wanna do a really long trip on it. It's a '96 VFR..btw.

I spent some time on my buddies FJR1300 this passed weekend and I have to say ...."I love this bike". Handles as good as my VFR in the twisties with more power and a significant increase comfort. Plus, that electric windscreen is the shiznit! :mrgreen:
 
Tourmeister said:
Of course, if you are really worried about power and such, get the new Yam FJR 1300 :twisted:

Adios,

A friend of mine up here has an FJR. A female friend of his (5'1"), who has ridden pillion with him on a few diff bikes doesn't like it. She says there is a lot of buffeting and that her tailbone hurts after a short while. She also reports that she is more cramped by the rider than the pillion seat on the Sprint. She admits it is more comfy than his TL1000S, though. :-D

The Sprint is a decent 2-up ride, except that the stock seat is absolute crap after 10k miles, IMHO. My wife and I did a trip last May up to Bull Shoals Lake, AR. 500 miles each way and a 250 mile day of pure twisty roads in the middle. The Sprint was okay and has so much torque that I never noticed the extra weight, except in the corners I had to adjust. I think the stock Sprint suspension is a little soft and not as good as a VFR. We were fine until the ride home, when serious, I-need-to-stop-every-50-miles butt-burn kicked in. :moon:

Someday in my future a goldwing awaits me--maybe a 2015 or 2020 model, and my wife will ride back there in luxurious splendor with the dvd player going, the a/c on, and partaking from the wet-bar. :chug:
 
My wife is about 5'6". My thinking, if she wants her own bike, is to let her have the SV and get myself something else. The only problem is that she wants a cruiser and not a sport type bike.

The FJR is the bike everybody is wanting but availability is limited. I have heard a couple stories of price inflation also. At this point I will probably look for something used just to test the waters and find out her preference. Only time will tell.

Does anybody have any opinions or experience with the Bandit 1200 or Connie for two up riding?
 
What to get the wife?

Howdy,

My wife is about 5'6". My thinking, if she wants her own bike, is to let her have the SV and get myself something else. The only problem is that she wants a cruiser and not a sport type bike.

Tell your wife to visit this section of my personal website. Here she can see the progession of bikes my wife went through before getting the VFR. Cruisers are pretty to look at and can be fun for short ride. But in general, the riding posture is very fatiguing and hard on your lower back. I cannot tell you how many guys I have met recently that spent years on cruisers and for some off reason bought something like a VFR and they were totally blown away by the handling and comfort. Most of them sold the cruisers and kept the sportbike. :dude:

Unless she is into the whole "look" and attitude thing so commonly associated with cruisers, I'd try to gently sway her towards either a standard style (Bandit, ZRX-1100, FZ1, etc...) or an actual sport bike. At 5'6" she should be able to put the feet down without too much trouble on just about any modern sportbike or standard. However, for a first bike, she might be more comfortable with the low seat of a cruiser. Maybe you could get a cheap used one for her to learn and build up confidence and then sell it later. The SV would be an awesome bike for her!! And then you can get something else :wink:

Having a wife that rides is great fun. The only drawback is that any time I think I need some accessory, I get the, "won't I need one too?" Gets expensive :roll:

Adios,
 
Man, Htown

I feel ya :bigokay: , I am in the same boat. I am looking at a new ride, between the Sprint, VFR and Futura, and if my wife wants to start riding the hope is she will want to keep the SV (that way I can be like Scott and scam a ride every now and then). Only problem is that she really likes cruisers more :brainsnap .

I am hoping that after she takes the MSF course and gets a chance to ride the SV around a little she will decide thats what she wants, if not I dont know what I am going to do :tears:

Good luck, hope it works out.
 
You will find that the VFR800 will be transformed by fitting a one tooth smaller front sprocket (17 to 16)
This makes it very suitable for carrying a pillion & luggage, and as Tourmiester has said a standard Give topbox will give the pillion a nice backrest and as a consequence more room for you both (they do not have to sit as close to you)

This mod is the cheapest upgrade that you can make ($15.00 ish!) and as I said will "Transform the Bike" (even better solo)
The same chain length is used and the speedo will be a tad more accurate (Pre-Mod indicated 70mph is actually 67ish!, Post-Mod is 72ish)

My wife & I rode to the south of France this year with a very heavy Givi topbox!
Route National roads all the way (very fast & twisty) and on the way back we had to travel the length of France through some real nasty weather!
This is what the VFR was made for, and I was glad I was riding one in those conditions as the bike lapped it up ( Bit like the Turks while yours backs are turned) :-) sneaky buggers!

FJR ......big fellow that will not do what the VFR does, do not sell well here & you can have one tomorrow!

Brian
 
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