My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

General Biker Banter
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

This is going to sound stupid but I can remember the first time I saw a VTR1000 on the street and I can remember the sound it made.

The first time I saw one in the flesh was at Laguna Seca for world superbike in the late 90's - I loved it immediately - I loved that it was a sport bike but not and was disappointed when it was discontinued after only a few years.

Through the years I came within reach of a VTR a few times but it just never worked out. One time I passed up on a near perfect VTR for an SV1000 with 1200 miles on it.

I actually lost sleep over it.

The SV was very meh but it was probably good that got that out of my system as I wouldn't have ended up with my Speed Triple that may be the last bike I have before I croak.

A little about me - I have been riding for 25 years. At one point I was a decent desert racer on a KTM525 but had a kid who is 4 now and have a kid due next week as well so not a lot of racing going on.
I currently own 7 bikes (Triumph Speed Triple, VTR1000, KTM525, Honda XR650L, Honda XR70R, Honda CB400F, Razor MX350 which Im not sure if counts or not but it has two wheels and a motor so...)
I'm better in the dirt but not a big slouch on the street.
I had an 1150GSA for 95k miles and loved it. The wife and I camped off of it for months and we loved that bike!

ok I digress -

Long story longer, I inherited a near show room 1999 ZX6R that only had ~4K miles on it. The while I-4 sportbike thing has never been my thing but I was doing a 100 mile commute a few times a month so it was nice to have a bike that was good at speed and (relatively) easy on gas.

I never liked the bike, which is to say there was nothing wrong with it... I Just never liked it.

I was lookin at CL the other day and there was a guy on there with a "CBR Honda" looking to trade for a ZX6R. The pics were clearly of a VTR so I emailed him and he drove an hour to see the Kawi. He was INTO the ZX6 and wanted to trade immediately.

The pics he sent of the VTR made it look pretty good but there were warning signs immediately - a bent lever.

:?

Ok long story longer, he showed up the other day and we did test rides.

Over all the VTR felt solid but not very well looked after.

23k on the clock

The Good:
- motor is strong
- tires are good
- everything seems to work
- started easily with no smoke
- even if its been set down, the plastics dont seem to be scuffed and the tank seems ok (maybe it was replaced?)
- Jardine High pipes

The Bad:
- It looks like it has been at least set down on both sides but not crashed
- both levers are bent
- shifter is bent
- stupid custom paint
- its clearly been in the sun as the front fender is faded and the reservoirs are a bit faded
- it leaks a little bit of coolant (not from the water pump...or at least I think so)
- Jardine high pipes
- Tags are two years out of date

The bottom line is that i didn't like the Kawi and I had tried to sell it and I let my romantic side finally get the best of me as I have wanted one of these literally since they came out when I was in high school.

...so I traded the Kawi for the Honda which was probably a bad deal for me, but I wanted to take a chance on this bike.

The seller gave me cash to pay for the title transfer.
I also got the seller to agree to pay for any issues I have with the bike related to the coolant leak, signed on the bill of sale.

....so theoretically I'm covered but we will see where that gets me in the long run. Since the leak stopped relatively quickly, Im hoping its just a bad hose or something.

Here are the pics from the seller

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
Wicky
Posts: 7895
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:43 pm
Location: Colchester Essex
Contact:

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Wicky »

Take the fairings off and look on the inside for repairs. Take the levers off and heat up with a blow torch and bend back to normal - though I would replace as last thing I would want is them to break while out on the hoof.

And contact Mark Krieger for a pair of VTR manual tensioners.
It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

ImageVTR Firestorm and other bikes t-shirts
User avatar
alanfjones1411
Posts: 2789
Joined: Thu May 21, 2015 3:33 pm
Location: watford

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by alanfjones1411 »

Sort the bike out. You will not regret it. The most under rated bike Honda has ever made imo,you'll love it. :thumbup: :thumbup:
SO WHEN DOES THIS OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER KICK IN
grumpyfrog
Posts: 1545
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:22 pm
Location: Tayside

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by grumpyfrog »

Blah, that's not too bad at all, anyone who has seen mine knows what a bike looks like that has been down the road. At least the casings look to be unharmed.
It's an upgrade opportunity, won't be long till your hooked.

Welcome to the madhouse by the way.
Don't hassle me
I'll get there at some time
User avatar
Kev L
Posts: 11209
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 9:57 pm
Location: Hertford, England

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Kev L »

First job assess it, decide if you're keeping it, if yes jump on the manual CCT's as Wicky said. Once you sort that you can have fun with the rest of the upgrades. Nice looking F3 :thumbup:
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero
F3, 954 USD front, K Tech springs, Braced swinger, Penske shock, Six spoke Mockesini wheels, Harris rearsets, QaT, Flywheel diet!, A&L stacks, stick coils, K&N, FP Ti jets, lashings of Ti & CF
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

Wicky wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:33 pm Take the fairings off and look on the inside for repairs. Take the levers off and heat up with a blow torch and bend back to normal - though I would replace as last thing I would want is them to break while out on the hoof.

And contact Mark Krieger for a pair of VTR manual tensioners.
I dont even want to fool around with stock levers.

Image

I actually already installed these:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/WjW3nS]Image
[url=https://flic.kr/p/WjW3nS]

Its amazing what 10 minutes of work and $40 in new levers can do...
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

grumpyfrog wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 6:50 pm Blah, that's not too bad at all, anyone who has seen mine knows what a bike looks like that has been down the road. At least the casings look to be unharmed.
It's an upgrade opportunity, won't be long till your hooked.

Welcome to the madhouse by the way.
Oh, I'm hooked. This bike has been on my radar for a VERY long time. To be able to see it in my garage every day gives me some goosebumps for sure.

I have a Speed Triple and a VTR - a couple of fantastic sportbikes...
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
Solarboy
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:12 pm
Location: Ramsey Essex

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Solarboy »

Nice to hear another biker who appreciates the fine art of a VTR. They defiantly have a look and sounds that's so unique it spawned all us crazy fools! Good luck with the bike.
If we don't learn from our mistakes we are destin to repeat them
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
KermitLeFrog
Posts: 1634
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:44 pm
Location: Hexham

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by KermitLeFrog »

As crappy custom paint jobs go that's positively restrained. You should see some of the horrors on here....
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered" (George Best, RIP)
User avatar
Solarboy
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:12 pm
Location: Ramsey Essex

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Solarboy »

The wooden one was the best!
If we don't learn from our mistakes we are destin to repeat them
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

KermitLeFrog wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:33 pm As crappy custom paint jobs go that's positively restrained. You should see some of the horrors on here....
:lol:


Solarboy wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:35 pm The wooden one was the best!

Im not sure I even want to know
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
Solarboy
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:12 pm
Location: Ramsey Essex

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Solarboy »

Not sure if it's a trick of the camera but what's that below the rear light between the cans?
If we don't learn from our mistakes we are destin to repeat them
User avatar
eatpasta
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by eatpasta »

Solarboy wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:39 pm Not sure if it's a trick of the camera but what's that below the rear light between the cans?
License plate?

:think:

it does have some kind of strange fender eliminator box in the tail
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T. S. Eliot
User avatar
Solarboy
Posts: 262
Joined: Sun Apr 09, 2017 10:12 pm
Location: Ramsey Essex

Re: My first VTR and How I May Have Made a Big Mistake...

Post by Solarboy »

Yea it looks like something sticking out where the licence plate would be. Can you take a pic?
If we don't learn from our mistakes we are destin to repeat them
Post Reply