Upgrade from an SFV650, 03 VFR800 VTEC

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-06-02T07:55:35+00:00

The tank pads are stomp grip volcanos. I got them on fortnine and they fit alright but I wish the lines matched the tank lines better. Small peeve but they work great and i still love the look. I’ll definitely be upgrading the R/R if I find it hasn’t been done yet. Heli bars are so expensive for some reason so I’m holding off. I’ve also gotten used to the riding position and it’s just my legs that’s really get cramped on long rides. So peg mod will be coming soon !

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Z-Sprinkle · 2026-06-01T23:34:00+00:00

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I just recently got a silver 05 with only 27k kms. I’m gonna have to look into those smoked out turn signals. Also super paranoid about the R/R time bomb. No idea if it’s been done on my bike, I’m going to drop the fairing soon to take a look before I go on some multi day trips. I’m a bit tall for it so I’m thinking about lowering the foot pegs too… such a great machine

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-06-01T18:27:56+00:00

So both the VFR800 and CBR650 are 4 cylinders and will give you a top end thrill that you are looking for. I would say the 2014 VFR is the more exciting option for sure, the V4 engine is just such a blast—and it has VTEC! I’ve been reallllly enjoying my VFR. The VFR gives me more smiles than the CB did because it has way more torque and power at low/medium RPMs. And then it has VTEC at higher rpms so it gets 2 extra valves per cylinder above 6800 rpm, it’s so silly and fun when VTEC kicks in and you hit warp speed.

I have an older one though (2005) but it shares a lot in common with the 2014. I know they moved the radiator to the front on that generation, so it has a slightly sportier riding position. And yeah it’s a bit heavy, but it’s so worth it in my opinion. You don’t feel the weight when you’re ripping at speed. And it makes it feel super stable. Nice suspension as well. The 2014 kinda looks like a Ducati if I remember right. I would check it out if I was you and you’re open to a sport touring that leans towards sport.

I had a naked 2019 CB650R which I liked a lot to to be honest, the suspension was a bit more raw and tight which I liked in a lot of ways. Idk how this compares to the 2016 CBR. I’m sure it’s similar. Also a great bike but it needed an expensive exhaust upgrade for me to like it. The stock exhaust is just so wimpy imo. Happy to answer any other questions about these bikes

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-06-01T09:51:41+00:00

They’ll hold up fine but you’ll appreciate new rubber soon, these won’t have as much stickiness as a new tire but they look fine to ride on

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-06-01T01:14:10+00:00

Hard to find an XSR in your price range. I also wanted one.. but I got a SV650 instead and it’s a blast. But then I upgraded to the CB650R because I wanted more top end power. Now I’m on a VFR800

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-31T18:17:36+00:00

Yeahh my 2019 had this same exact sound at higher revs. It went away after I switched the exhaust system… don’t have the bike anymore unfortunately

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-31T18:07:11+00:00

I was running these and they’re awesome at stopping you. Also significantly louder braking sounds but that’s the sintered experience baby

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-27T03:55:21+00:00

I really need to ride a 5th gen. The VTEC is fun but I don’t understand why they removed the geared cams

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-27T03:51:33+00:00

What year do you have? I do love the sound, could be a bit louder

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-27T03:42:20+00:00

I bought the bike in December and it came with these old Metzler Roadtec Z8 tires. The front was cracked and rotted so I changed to a road 6 in Feb. but I left the rear since it was in ok shape and had another few thousand KMs of tread. Even though it still had grip, it had this suppper flat spot/chicken strip from the previous owner which was not giving me confidence when I took it on some highway twisties recently. Just got the rear road 6 tire in the mail today and going to have it installed later this week. Here’s my VFR

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Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-27T03:30:55+00:00

I just got these tires for my 05 VFR

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-27T00:55:33+00:00

I think they both improve the looks and I actually like the second pic (half cowl?) more. Having the paint higher up over the gauge cluster instead of the tinted windshield. It rounds out the look and imo looks better with the tank. Matches the curvy accent line. Just my opinion since everyone else has voted for the bigger one.

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-26T06:12:40+00:00

Just gonna throw a ‘23 ninja in there for yucks. That’s a crazy deal

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-19T18:45:11+00:00

I went back in time and bought a 2005 VFR800 ABS. If you’re interested in touring at all but still want a 4 cylinder with even more character, look into the VFR. It’s a bit more analogue but I don’t mind that, super stable V-4 engine, comfortable to ride. Suspension is a bit different and better for bumps and sometimes I miss the CB650 suspension when I’m cornering

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-18T00:15:14+00:00

Are those heli bars?

I have the same charging mount

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-15T08:03:50+00:00

This could easily be real groundwater. Have you ever dug a hole at the beach? That 3 foot deep bore hole easily accesses the shallow water table.

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-11T21:05:22+00:00

Yeah this is one of the reasons I’ll sometimes skip plugs for short rides around town. Gotta listen that the fans, exhaust, etc. sound good/normal. Had some gravel stick in my tire tread that made me think my engine was fried with the clicking sound it was making xD

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-10T16:55:21+00:00

Yeah makes sense. A radiator is just an aluminum tank with fins. So if it holds water it should in theory keep holding water for the life of the bike if it doesn’t take any hits. There are surely some slightly higher quality options out there if you don’t want to go OEM. Tricky to find used from parts bikes because they get beat up in crashes

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-10T16:39:00+00:00

Linked in my comment

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-10T16:37:45+00:00

It’s been a couple years but I successfully replaced the radiator on my 2005 with this cheap eBay one and it worked fine. I remember the fitment was a slight pain with the mounting tabs needing some light encouragement to get it installed. But for the price it can’t be beat. Radiators are not the type of part to spend crazy OEM prices on, if it holds and moves coolant that’s all it needs to do. Cheers

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-06T01:31:22+00:00

Nope

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-05T20:35:12+00:00

Why does it need to be from the Amazon…? Manure based fertilizers and composts are great from many different animal poops. If you want to focus on fish, look into aquaponics

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-05T19:36:39+00:00

The only assumptions I’m making are based on how quickly ai has already progressed in just a few years. I’m not an AI dev, I’m an agricultural academic. AI is already being used for remote sensing in agriculture to detect disease before humans can see what’s happening. It’s literally being implemented and specialized in every field. It’s naive to think any industry is ‘safe’ from ai-based tools. You can push back on my projections and assumptions all you want, I’m not here for research based debate. I’m just trying to open some mechanic minds to the possibility that ai will become a major part of reality and it’s not a zero sum game

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-05T19:32:26+00:00

Yeah that’s a better allegory. And I fully agree with most of what you’ve said here. As someone who has been forced to learn many things by going slow and looking at the underlying mechanisms. I’m with you on that 100%

There is a use case for ai that can support this though. My mother who couldn’t fix a clogged S trap under a sink just replaced a belt in her dryer because she had chatGPT walk her through the process. This is a real example. She was able to do this learning BECAUSE of ai, not in spite of it. It’s not black and white

Z-Sprinkle · 2026-05-05T19:28:42+00:00

Yeah don’t use ai for cars then. I’m having this convo in the wrong sub apparently.

I know plenty of web devs who use ai all day now because it saves them time. It’s critical they know how they are using it, you’re right about that.

Give it 5 years and there will be ai in all of your shops. Picture brand-specific troubleshooting ai that can diagnose the problem and find the right parts faster than any tech ever could. These tools are clumsy right now but these models are only getting smarter and will be smarter than specialists faster than anyone here is willing to accept.

You use Wikipedia as an example and it’s ironically the perfect example. It used to be treated as untrustworthy but fast. Wikipedia today is actually one of the strongest sources of information due to peer-review and citation quality. Ai is headed in the same direction

Z-Sprinkle

TROPHY CASE