I’ve always had an appreciation of motorcycles, but not for the typical reason. Sure, the speed per dollar is insane and the feeling of freedom is unparalleled, but it was always about the hardware. It is the closest most of us will get to own a race derived engine in our lives, and with a very reasonable pricetag and maintenance interval. The art of a properly motorsport derived engine is one of my favorites to observe and exercise, and when the opportunity presented itself, I took the plunge.

At the time, my RX-8 was still very hurt with yet another engine failure. In the fallout of graduating college, which included a new city, new job, new living situation, and all of the other minute changes, I needed a new thing to fixate on. The RX-8 was snowballing in scope rapidly, and I knew I needed something to get outside and enjoy the nice summer weather to not go insane.

Given my parking situation with the room I was renting, another car was not in the physical or financial budget, which left me on two wheels. My previous hog, a 1986 Honda Elite 250, was stolen from me about 5 weeks before I graduated college. I had ridden that for about a year and had enough confidence in my abilities and right wrist restraint to get a larger, more powerful motorcycle. Which lead to the search.

Entirely due to the friends I was around, the motorcycle that stuck out in my head the hardest was the 5th generation of the Honda VFR800Fi Interceptor. Two of the homies Henry and Sterling both owned them in the years leading up to my purchase, and the restrained lines and the unrestrained sound was enough to get me hooked. A V4 with gear driven cams and no VTEC (so it still chopped hard), mounted in an aluminum frame that blended sporty performance and touring comfort exceptionally well. It was the only bike I was really interested in other than the MC22 Honda CBR250RR, known for it’s 20,000RPM redline. As those were more than double the cost of a RC46 VFR800, never sold in the US, and objectively worse for my stature and riding intentions, it was quickly eliminated, and the search for a VFR of my own began.

I quickly found one in Portland. 1999 VFR800, 32,000 miles, rebuilt title (with no frame damage and no real evidence, still never found any other than repaired plastics), and good running gear. Newish tires and oil, Scorpion slip on, and otherwise fairly unchanged other than some smoked cosmetics. Thankfully the originals were included in the sale, which I swapped back on the first day.

After many jokes that I would quickly perish by my friends, I towed it home, giddy with my new purchase and an apatite for a new flavor of transportation. And I rode it. A lot.

The first year was when I piled the most miles onto it, as it was my only toy, and thus my sole means of fun transportation. While utterly pointless to ride the 2 miles to work (miss that commute now), I still did it frequently. I rode along the shores of Lake Washington from end to end just as an after work activity, and those times I still do cherish the most. While I wasn’t the most comfortable yet, it was still those nights chasing sunsets that were the most standout.

Other than a rear tire that had the misfortune of picking a finishing nail in my driveway (one of my roommates at the time was a carpenter), it never requested anything from me. It went away from the winter in one piece, and I looked forward to it’s return.

The next summer I rode it more. Slightly fewer miles than the summer prior, but just as many good memories. It was not off to a great start by immediately dropping it the day I pulled it out for spring (fell over in my driveway, no real damage sustained other than a bent clutch lever), but past that incident, it had another problem free summer. This time my commute was far longer and far more miserable (lots of time spent at stoplights boiling in the sun in all black gear). However, I was spending a hell of a lot more time in downtown Seattle due to my relationship at the time, and I couldn’t ask for a better vehicle for that task. Free parking, everywhere. It was great.

It went away for winter, and this time, I decided it needed a refresh. It was due for a thorough going-thru when I got it, and more miles hadn’t done it any favors. The most notable issue was the valve clearance was audibly looser than the spec called for, resulting in a very prevalent valvetrain, and not in the sewing machine way.

I performed what I believe to be an aggressive but necessary major service. A do-it-once, do-it-right. Valve adjustment, almost every exterior engine gasket, plugs, leakdown test, cooling system, and a bunch of rubber components and hardware that were either aged out or missing. The incredibly complex braking system was bled, the clutches and plates deglazed and clamped by new OEM springs, and the fuel pump replaced and the fuel hat serviced out of pure age. I’ve included the Google Photos album for some additional documentation as I don’t need to clog up this post. In all, including fresh fluids, it was approximately $1500 in mostly OEM parts. Painful at the time, but it was very worth it in the end. Seeing that bike come together mechanically and cosmetically over the course of a few diligent weekends was worth the expense.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FzHtMZPd5xbDxATJ6

The first real ride the next year was even more worth it. It was perfect. It felt faster and more responsive (mostly due to me, the monkey behind the bars, losing 40lbs), but it certainly had a more crisp response than before. Ironically enough, after all that work and FINALLY getting my motorcycle endorsement (don’t snitch), I rode it the least of all of the summers. It was a combination of factors, mainly around the fact that 1. it was hot as balls that summer, and 2. I had a bunch of other vehicles to drive to work and for pleasure. As this was post RX-8 sale, I had my Miata and IS300 which were far more pleasant in traffic as they both had roofs and AC.

This didn’t mean it didn’t get ridden. Memories were still made, and it came in incredibly clutch when I had to bomb to Bellingham for a funeral service for a dear family friend (RIP Rob) on a day where there was a traffic jam the entire way from multiple accidents.

The last ride of the bike that year was to it’s home for the winter. And it was beyond spectacular. Easily the most fun, belligerent, and confident ride I had ever had, on a spectacular day. As I write this, the bugs are still on my visor from that day.

But, as this is not a catch up, and more of a sendoff, I have to address why this post exists in the first place.

As of the time of writing, I have just been cleared for being out of a sling and returning to normal life after breaking my collarbone. It was my first bone breakage, and at this age, my first real contention with the biomechanical durability of the adult male structure. While a minimally impactful breakage (I healed really quick), it did make, and left plenty of time off for, reconsideration of my relation to recreational risk and the impact it can have on short term and long term physical abilities. I am blessed to have a job and life that does not strictly depend on my body, but this experience multiplied my appreciation for being able bodied, similar to how appreciative one feels of normal life while having the flu.

What this had lead to, after discussing it with others and some internal reflection, is one of the first times I have decided to finish a chapter in my life on a high note. I am fundamentally under no pressure (socially/financially/physically) to sell this bike, however, it has become internally important to me to continue to maintain and improve my health, and the risk now calculates to #NUM!. I’ve known people that have gotten very hurt, and a few killed on two wheels, and I’ve decided I don’t want to join them.

I told myself that at the birth of my first child, I would drain the fluids out of my VFR, and keep it as a garage ornament for visual stimulation until said child (hopefully children) are out of the house. Turns out this day is coming a little sooner than expected.

If you are interested in this bike, or have questions about anything you’ve seen in this post, feel free to reach out. Happy to despence the knowledge I’ve gained in my ownership. I’ll come back and mark this as sold when it sells. I’m going to miss it immensely, but I know its time to move on.

Until next time.