Years sold: 1990-1997
MSRP new: $6998 (1990) to $9299 (1997)
Blue Book retail value: $1790 (1990) to $2510 (1997)
Basic specs: A 748cc, dohc V-Four with an aluminum frame and single-sided swingarm. Its 100 claimed horsepower propelled the 515-pound, fully faired (but saddlebag-less) sport-tourer to an 11.46-second quarter-mile time at 119.04 mph and a top speed of 148 mph.
Why it won: You’re looking at the 1990 model of one of the finest all-around motorcycles ever built—a proclamation made by practically every motorcycling publication on the planet and further evidenced by the ’90-to-’97 iteration of the VFR winning a CW Ten Best award every year of its existence.
But wait; there’s more. The original VFR750F—a similar bike produced from ’86 through ’89 with slightly different styling and a conventional swingarm—won in its inaugural year. And a later version, the 781cc VFR800 sold from 1998 to 2009, took home Ten Best honors in ’98, ’99 and 2002.
As with all of this series of VFRs, the ’90-’97 750s were acclaimed for their exceptional versatility. As racetrack stars and backroad bombers, they were almost a match for the pure sportbikes of the era but much easier and more comfortable to ride. For everything else, including sport-touring, daily commuting, weekend excursions and just plain fun riding, they were virtually faultless. Toss in the soulful sound of their 180-degree V-Four engines and some of the most beautifully integrated styling ever seen, and it’s easy to understand why these bikes are modern legends.
From the 1990 Ten Best Story: “The VFR isn’t the fastest in its displacement category, and it won’t set the quickest lap times around the nearest racecourse. What it will do, with its balance, poise and deftness, is give its rider the best all-around motorcycle in the business.”
Useful resources: VFR riders are among the most fanatical of Japanese motorcycle owners. As such, they tend to know their bikes exceptionally well and give them lots of TLC. As a result, you’re much more likely to find a used VFR in great shape—even one that’s 20 years old or more—than is the case with most other bikes.
You can learn just about everything you wanted or needed to know about these landmark Honda V-Fours on the Internet by typing “Honda VFR750” or just “Honda VFR” into your browser. You’ll find forums (such as vfrworld.com or vfrdiscussion.com), tech tips, all kinds of of accessories and VFRs for sale.
