'76 CB750F - Fix it or...

[roosterk0031]

The guy showed up today riding again, I recommended to him a while back to check the rear shock pressure, he dropped it to 7 psi and feels much better about it and it said rides better too.

If you want to keep a single bike house, how about a VFR800, single sided swing arm makes it almost as good as shaft drive. Riding position probably not much different the the F4i, I rode a F4i briefly and thought it would be OK for all day rides, only vfr I've ridden is a mid 90s 750 and a 83v45 interceptor I owned for a summer.

Searched for a late 90's vfr but couldn't find the right deal and got a 01 FZ1 instead. Should have stopped trying to find a better bike and just held on to that one, put about 26,000 miles on it in a 3 years.

Another buddy had a DL1000 & DL650 he and his son rode to Alaska and back if you want to lean a little more to the adventure side of touring.

[jkv357]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

If you want to keep a single bike house, how about a VFR800, single sided swing arm makes it almost as good as shaft drive. Riding position probably not much different the the F4i, I rode a F4i briefly and thought it would be OK for all day rides, only vfr I've ridden is a mid 90s 750 and a 83v45 interceptor I owned for a summer.

Another buddy had a DL1000 & DL650 he and his son rode to Alaska and back if you want to lean a little more to the adventure side of touring.

My oldest son has a '98 VFR800 and loves it. Went from WI to CA and back last summer solo. Did some 800+ mi days.

If I wanted to do more long haul I'd go with a DL650 V-Strom, as I do really like my naked SV650.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by jkv357

My oldest son has a '98 VFR800 and loves it. Went from WI to CA and back last summer solo. Did some 800+ mi days.

My dad still has his '99 VFR800, bought back in 2002(?) With around 20,000 miles, now up to 92,389 miles (I checked). It has a scottoiler, sargent seat, Ohlins rear suspension, bar risers, full two brothers exhaust, lowered pegs, GPS and phone holders/chargers, and a luggage rack that will hold top and side cases. I believe he also got the VFRness after the stator failed right around 90,000 miles.

The '98-'01 VFR 800s are an amazing bang for the buck. A great all around motorcycle. You should be able to find plenty of examples sub $3000. I got my '98 with 40,000 miles for only $2100, and it had better bodywork than my dad's bike! (He promptly asked me to switch the bodywork, so he could have the pretty bike. I obliged.)


Problems he had with it: Rear suspension failure, Stator failure, proabably a few regulator rectumfrier failures, random clutch pressure loss after storing for a while(leaking somewhere?).

The engine/transmission on the VFR 800s are great, but the electrical system is not the most reliable. I believe the VFRness solves many potential problems associated with it though.

I got a '98 VFR 800 with around 40,000 miles on it before I got my CBR 250R. Only rode it a few thousand miles in that time. I don't remember trying to hypermile it much, but I got mid 40s MPG, with a best of 47.4 MPG. My dad has hit a best of 50 MPG on his 800.

Some quirks/things to know:
The VFR 800s of this generation don't do a great job at regulating temperature. Usual operating temp is 176 degrees F , but they would regularly pass 220F in traffic, mine has passed 240. Mine has also dropped down to 150F in the rain at highway speeds.

The V4 engine is pretty rumbly at low rpms, it is hard to tell if you are lugging it, but generally avoid accelerating any amount below 3000 RPM in 6th gear, keeping above 2000 in gears 4+ is a good idea. There is a weird fueling transition at right about 2200 RPM, most riders would probably never notice it, but if you cruise around there often, you will notice it.

Full throttle in 1st gear will result in power wheelies/rolling burnouts depending on traction of surface.

Originally Posted by jkv357

If I wanted to do more long haul I'd go with a DL650 V-Strom, as I do really like my naked SV650.

There is an SV650 cam swap mod going around the DL650 forums, maybe you could flip that around for better MPG and low end power. With the extra VFR 800 now sold, as well as a non functioning mini trail 50, we now have room for another bike! So my little brother is looking at SV 650's, S and SF. We will probably(I HOPE!) have one by the end of the weekend. He is resistant to fuel economy mods, like the cam swap, but i'll bet I will be able to pull down some serious numbers with it.

Would you believe I have never ridden a V-twin motorcycle before? Airbox video coming soon....(whenever we get the bike)

[JSH]

There are three 70's CB750's listed on Portland Craig's List. Priced at: $3500, $6000, $6000. Personally I'd sell it and get something more modern.

If you only do a couple of week long trips a year you could look at Eaglerider. They have a club membership that gives you 1 rental per month for $30 per month. Rental credits roll over for up to 18 months so you can same them up for a longer trip. It is a nice option to fly in and rent a bike.

I'm on my second year of membership. The Portland Eaglerider location is great. I've rented a Harley Softtail, Triumph Tiger 800, BMW R1200GS, and Indian Scout from them.

If you are interested I have a code that gets us each an extra rental credit when you sign up.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by roosterk0031

T
If you want to keep a single bike house, how about a VFR800, single sided swing arm makes it almost as good as shaft drive. Riding position probably not much different the the F4i, I rode a F4i briefly and thought it would be OK for all day rides, only vfr I've ridden is a mid 90s 750 and a 83v45 interceptor I owned for a summer.

Searched for a late 90's vfr but couldn't find the right deal and got a 01 FZ1 instead.

No need for a single bike. I've practically got unlimited places to put vehicles. Longest ride I've done on the F4i was about 6 hours, and it's not too bad if my body has been conditioned by enough saddle time. I hadn't really considered just riding the F4i since it doesn't have panniers, but it shouldn't be too difficult to mount some. The other thing is the gearing is way too short for comfortable highway cruising.

If I got a dedicated touring bike, I'd want all the bells and whistles. Fuel injection is a must on all bikes for me. I'd like cruise, ABS, and traction control if I buy something newer.

My friend has a 2002 VFR800. Haven't ridden it yet, but I'm sure I will soon.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Even though I can't deny the historical value of a "sete galo" as they're known in my country, seems like you'd be better off selling it and take something newer, more comfortable and most likely also more reliable for longer trips.