Advice on a 1990 VFR400 as a everyday commuter bike?

[triptronix]

I am interested in a 1990 VFR400 with 20, 500km on it. The dealer forwarded me a youtube link of the bike, startup, idle, walk around etc. I was wondering if anyone can tell if something is wrong with it just by the way it is idling

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qB1V3BlNY8[/youtube]

Thanks again

[CRM]

erm - whats wrong with the idle ? sounds ok to me, its also clearly cold when he is revving it.
looks actually clean considering its got an aftermarket bodykit on it. seen far worse.
link - how much ?

[Neosophist]

As above, sounds fine at idle.

You need to remember your potentially buying a 22 year old bike to use everyday.

They are a good reliable bike but at that age many things may need replacing, especially to ensure everyday reliablitliy so can turn out to be quite expesnive.

How long is your commute?

[triptronix]

Thanks for the responses. My commute each day is approximately 40kms each working day (4 or 5 days a week) 50kms on the weekend max. Neosophist, you used to own a ZX400r as well as a VFR400? Which one was more reliable? I am also interested in a 1993 ZX400r

Let me know thanks

[Neosophist]

Thanks for the responses. My commute each day is approximately 40kms each working day (4 or 5 days a week) 50kms on the weekend max. Neosophist, you used to own a ZX400r as well as a VFR400? Which one was more reliable? I am also interested in a 1993 ZX400r

Let me know thanks

I'm not sure how to answer that question but I will try.

I think they are both very very reliable and well built bikes, after a good sorting out and getting familiar with each bike I never had a single breakdown or issue whilst riding.

I would urge you to ride both before making a purchase, for commuting and probably over-all I prefer the ZXR400. The bike feels bigger and roomier, its easy to work on, fun to ride and they are plentiful and cheaper to buy, 17" front and back makes tyre choices lots more varied.

NC30 is known for its good build and the V4 engine is nice and toruqey, it doesnt have the overal scream of the I4 but doesnt hang about either.

However, they both have weak points and both have a certain bad reputation amongst some owners, a sort of sterotype if you will.

NC30's are known for a weak reg-rec, it will die easily with an aging or poorly kept battery which can lead to unusual breakdowns.

ZXR400's are cam-chain driven (as most bikes are) and need to be serviced at proper intervals else they will break down.

Here is what really matters.

They are both old... you can get a much newer ZXR (they were made until about 2002) but even that isnt a guarantee that a 10 year old (minimum) bike is in good condition (it does usually help though)

Get the best maintained bike you can afford, not a bodged up job, they cost money to keep going.

Some people say the ZXR has crappy cam chains and bad head-gaskets (mainly stated by people who are arguing about the size of their 400's penis and never had one) but providing you service it and change when its due theres no issues with them.

Some people say the NC30's electrical system is crap, but they have a 10 year old battery and dont care for the abttery by keeping it fully charged which overloads the reg/rec and kills it.

They are both old bikes, so even if you do buy a superbly maintained one there is still a chance something will wear out / break and need replacing.

So long as you are confidendt in maintiaing the bike and give it a full check and service / sort out before you commute on it then you should be fine with either bike.

[CMSMJ1]

If I wanted a 400 to commute on I would get a Bros or a jellymould 600..

[Davez29]

I commute on my 29 no problem, 50km.. but it would be nice to have wider upright bars sometimes.. The commute your doing distance wise is nothing, depending on roads/traffic I suppose, but if its 50km, I would be looking to around 30 minutes on my roads, so not too long if your cramped up.

[iDemonix]

Me loves the sound of gear driven cams in the morning :)

Looks pretty tidy to be fair, what's the price?

[Neosophist]

I think youll get used to whatever your riding over time, which is why it is important to choose one.

My choice was made out of the given options and the fact I had both at the same time so could choose which to ride.

If your throwing other bikes into the mix, then for the same or maybe less money than youll pay for a decent 30 or zxr400 id get a newish cbr600f.

[hawk2993]

I have an '95 RVF400 here in Sydney, when I first bought it, it kept breaking down as whoever owned it previously obviously didn't care for it, it caused months of pain for me, but once fixed up, it's just been a joy to ride, and yes, I ride almost everyday as I don't have a car. The cramped position isn't an issue for me once I got used to it and I can now ride for hours without much pain, the only problem is if you're in traffic and the bike gets red hot.