hi welcome back to use bike reviews I’m your host Peter munchies a day here on the show we aim to look at bikes from the past three decades that have somewhat fallen out of the spotlight but we think they’re interesting enough to bring back into it now if you’re a Honda motorcycle fan you’re probably very aware of the rare and very exciting Honda rc30 this bike packed a ton of technology for the time gear driven cams v4 engine single-sided swingarm and sleek-looking bodywork made  r6 fairings  it a sight to be seen that bike was followed by the Honda RC 45 it had a lot of the same features but a little updated styling and power now because these bikes are extremely rare they also are extremely expensive if you don’t have that sort of cash but you want that sort of quality and interesting Honda motorcycle design there is an option out there on the used market and it can be had cheaper than you think just take a look over here the bike we have today is the Honda VFR 750 from 1993 and you’d be surprised how similar
it is to these exotic machines let’s just start with some of the elemental similarities twin spar aluminum frame check single sided swingarm with exotic looking gates but wheel it’s there growling engine note with a whining overtone from the gear-driven definitely now I didn’t mean to lead you astray comparing this bike to an RC 30 an RC 45 those bikes are very much endurance motorcycles the lightweight highly powerful and they’re just great around a track this bike though it’s great on a highway it’s a little bit heavier at 500 pounds or more and the engine puts out about 102 horsepower while it’s still adequate it’s not exactly a power wheelie machine the fairings on this thing probably weigh as much as a normal super sport bike today now as many Honda owners find the all-out performance of the motorcycle is such a small part of the ownership experience know what they’re more interested in is the Swiss watch grade reliability and the rolls-royce smooth style ride you may be surprised to find that this bike has nearly 50,000 miles on the clock good luck Ducati this bike starts like it’s brand new every time it accelerates like a modern motorcycle with miles that are similar to what you find in a four-wheel vehicle now to the Honda faithful 50,000 miles won’t sound all that absurd in fact it’s not uncommon to see these machines with double that amount this bike was meant to be ridden yet ridden with reserve the engine produces more than adequate power but the soft suspension is more suited to imperfect roads it’s a gentleman sporting machine this particular period was in many an enthusiast pinion the pinnacle of Honda build quality in design there is not one fastener connector or bracket that was engineered to wear out every input you make whether sliding the turn signal switch or clicking up and down through the gears on the 6-speed transmission provides you with reassuring smooth while design is highly opinionated topic yamaha r1 fairings   it would be a strong argument this bike has aged well if you’re used to riding bikes that are about 300 pounds or 400 pounds when you throw a leg over this beast you start to really feel the weight it’s about 500 some pounds and when you’re moving it around in the garage you’re going to be doing a lot of grunting it’s a workout in itself however it’s important to note again that this isn’t the full-on motorcycle like
the RC 30 no this is a sport touring motorcycle so on the highway this weight actually helps you when you’re up against a large vehicle like a semi or you experience a crosswind the extra weight will actually dampen these sort of actions which is really quite nice the fairings provide a great amount of protection from the elements when moving at speed the handlebars are mounted so that a sporting position is maintained yet comfort is still priority the standard seat is well padded although many owners will switch to an aftermarket unit for added comfort if you’re planning on writing to up for any long journey I would suggest investing in an uprated rear shock as the standard one is soft and under sprung even for a single rider on the maintenance front there really isn’t much to do aside from your typical fluid changes these engines hold the valve tolerances among the best in the world so high mileage bikes without intensive servicing are not uncommon if going to look at one of these try to get the rear wheel up off the ground to inspect the rear hub bearing by grabbing the wheel and feeling for any side-to-side play also check the charging voltage while the bike is at idle low voltage will likely require a rectifier replacement the bearings on these bikes are intricate and becoming more fragile time finding a bike without any damage or cracks will be difficult keep in mind that sourcing good condition replacement panels will be near impossible as you cannot buy them new anymore repairing panels is an option but will require great skill as there are many interlocking tabs as the saying goes by the nicest example  motorcycle fairings   you can afford expect to pay about $1,500 for a rough and running example all the way up to $4,500 for a museum-quality bike Honda VF RS are some of the best motorcycle bargains available it’s been said that whatever the asking price of a VFR is is truly worth four times as much there is no denying the build quality or reliability of these fine Honda motorcycles while many of its characteristic design elements are passed down from its high-strung race bred brothers the BFRs planned use was of much more practical origins it’s a machine that will always be a good companion no matter what you ask