I recently (May '97) traded in my Blue 1997 Yamaha YZF600R for a brand-spankin' new Red 1998 Honda VTR1000F #1937. I think I made the correct choice. So far, the only negative to owning a VTR is the semi-permanant grim on my face after a ride. : )
Here's the story behind the bike...
Having already decided that my two month old 1997 YZF600R was not the bike for me, I went to my dealer to do some test-rides. As I was eager to get on a new bike and get back to riding, I went down the first day he had a VTR ready to ride. He also had a used 1996 CBR900RR and the used 1996 ZX-9R that I had a deposit on available for test-rides; this was going to be the day. I parked my YZF for the last time and started my test-rides.
First I drove the ZX-9R: great bike. Little heavier than I'd like, but only about 30 more pounds that my YZF with the horsepower and stability to make up for it.
Next was the VTR: WOW, how different. From the sound of the engine to the (relatively) skinny tank, this was no regular inline-4. I rode it around for a bit, thinking that this was the coolest bike I've ever been on. It was rather unexpected: I had every intention of buying the ZX-9R after test-riding it before, and figured I'd try the VTR just to make sure I wasn't going to make another mistake. Well, I doubt the ZX-9R would have been a mistake, but the VTR is a perfect fit for me. A definite keeper. I do miss some inline-4 characteristics, though, like the high-pitched whine and top-end rush so my next bike will have to be an inline-4 to balance out the torquey V-twin of the VTR. (Maybe by the time the lighter '98 ZX-9R comes out, I'll be ready to buy another.)
I rode the CBR, just in case, and thought it would undoubtly be a lot of fun, but that it would also be too impractical for my only street bike as I do some (sport)touring and occasionally ride my women around too.
Well, the VTR cost me an additional $3k more when it was all said and done, making it the most expensive option, but after 523+ miles, I can safely say that it was the best option. : )
One of the modifications to customize my bike has been to trim the rear fender in order to clean up the rear view. I got the instructions from the SuperHawk Mailing List and made them into a page on my site. Here's a side-view picture of the trimmed fender.
Finally, the US gets something other than red...
If you like this site and want to know more about the man behind it, check out http://www.geocities.com/crapito/.
