Re: VFR vs. Sprint (again)

[Eric Sheley <eric@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Rich,

>Hello all..  I'm new to the list, currently contemplating between the VFR
>Interceptor and the Sprint ST.  Can anyone help me out? I realize that you
>are all a *bit* biased, but here goes:

What ? ST owners biased ? surely you jest .... ;-)

I know that there a couple of ex VFR riders on the list - hopefully you'll
get some replies from some of them. Here are some of my thoughts - just
remember that it has been a while since I spent a lot of time on a Honda
(although I did sit on my '63 90 a couple of days ago..).

>Sprint pro's: ENGINE! styling, brakes, torque, unique, SS brake lines,
>wheels are nicer

agree with everything here, although I must say that I never noticed the
wheels...

>Sprint con's: low rpm limit, fit-and-finish, build quality, gauge cluster,
>price

low rpm limit : have not found this to be a problem - it took a little
getting used to on full roll ons as it is so smooth, you have a hard time
believing that you are already at the rev limit, but once you get the feel
of it you don't even notice it. Most of my time is not spent at redline
anyway - all I care about is being able to out accelerate the VFR and it
does that .......

Fit-and-finish / build quality : I'll go ahead and lump them together and
admit right off that bat that the VFR which has been refined over many
years of service will win here. Not to say that I have a problem at all
with the quality or fit - I find them perfectly acceptable. The day I start
measuring the spacing of panels with respect to the frame is the day I turn
in my motorcycle endorsement .....

Gauge cluster : Layout is nice - I do sometimes get glare / reflection off
the speedo - but the nicely laid out tach makes up for it. The speedo label
is a little cluttered - not sure how to clean it up, but improvement could
be made here.


Price : was not a deciding factor for me or most that I have spoken with. I
would really question someone reasoning if they picked the ST as the winner
on all levels and then picked the VFR (or any other bike) instead because
it was $1000 less. It will take more than $1000 on the back side to make
the bike what you wanted in the first place. Please don't get me wrong - I
am not attempting to imply that price is not important, but rather that
price is hard to use as a comparison point unless you are comparing two
identical purchases - did that make any sense ? Its been a long day.

>VFR pro's: Honda reliability, everything just as it should be (gauges,
>controls, etc), tail-end styling, headlights, solo cowl std., $1000 cheaper

I'm not qualified to speak on these (unless none of the ex-Honda owners
speak up and then I'll play expert ;-) except to say on a couple items: the
lights on the ST are great and I'm sure your local dealer will toss in a
solo cowl as standard (just to make your pro list a little shorter....)

>VFR con's: torque (vs. the ST), the rest of the bodywork styling, fuel
>mileage, lotsa-people-ride-hondas, don't really like the wheels
>
>The whole thing with Hard bags isn't a big deal to me, as I've never needed
>them anyway.

that has been a big seller for a lot of people. Once I added them to my
last Sprint, I don't know if I could ever go back to not having them again.

>I also plan on an under seat exhaust for either bike, as well as the
>appropriate ECU tuning.

Black Widow is in the process of developing a new underseat exhaust for the
ST. They will keep the list updated on the progress. The unit currently
available for the T5 series is well liked by the people that own them, so I
would assume the same would hold true for the ST version. The benefit on
the ST is that the underseat area has been cleaned up over what was found
on the 509/595 and the relays and water bottle have been moved to the
outside of the frame. Hopefully this will translate to a price drop on the
ST model pipe, but if not at least it will make installation much easier.

>I'm going for rides soon.  I'm sure that will be the ultimate deciding
>factor, but I'd like to have outside input.  I am quite possibly the most
>anal-retentive buyer in history...    :P

Make sure to ride the VFR first - once you get on the Sprint, you may never
want to get off ... ;-)

I'm sure your decision won't be an easy one, but regardless of your choice,
you will end up with a bike that you can enjoy. Hopefully some of the VFR
crossovers will come forward with a post and can give their experiences and
feelings between the two.

Hope my responses weren't too biased - Its tough for me not to let a little
show through on a bike that I am so happy with. 

One more little line before I wrap up - I was in a dealer close to me a
couple of weeks ago and we were doing the Honda / Triumph comparison. He is
a Honda dealer that just picked up the Triumph line in the last few months.
Anyway, we got around to the VFR vs ST and his words were "if I was laying
out my own hard earned cash, the ST would get my dollars any day of the
week".....  Got to love that ....

If you come up with any other questions, let us know and please keep us
updated on your progress.

- - Eric


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