Or, “Laziness Is Expensive.”
A whole winter went by, and I didn’t work on the Bandit. It had been acting up last September, as if it were running on three cylinders between 4k and 8k rpms. I had spent a few days then trying to track down the problem, but ended up just putting the big Suzuki away in the garage when my work sent me out of town for a few weeks. This winter was cold, and so was my garage, so I was not motivated to get any work done until the chill subsides. It has yet to warm up, but with our annual Deal’s Gap trip coming up in April, I was getting antsy about having a reliable bike for the trip. So, in lieu of working on the Bandit in a cold garage, I just bought another bike.
After a quick loan approval from my credit union and a trip to East Coast Honda in Bensalem, PA, I was pumped to pick up something very different than the Bandit. After enjoying a few long leisurely days touring around PA last summer, I had been considering a Suzuki DL650 V-Strom for its fuel efficiency and ability to handle broken asphalt and gravel roads. Apparently, V-Strom owners really love their bikes, because there are no used ones to be had in these parts. My decision came down to a 2002 Suzuki SV650 or a 1999 Honda VFR800i.
The SV was the naked kind, with upright handlebars and no excessive plastic, much like the Bandit. The idea was to make the SV a canyon carver and track bike, while the old Bandit could be set up more for touring. The VFR is a beautiful bike, with more soul than any other modern Honda (which isn’t saying much, really), and like V-Strom owners, VFR owners tend to keep them forever, which does say a lot.
I really had to decide what role I wanted the Bandit to play in order to decide what type of “new” bike to get. The Bandit fits every role very well with just a few modifications, but I’ve been leery about it’s long-distance reliability, especially since it’s a rebuild from two totaled bikes. For a touring bike, I prefer at least an upper fairing, to keep the wind and occasional rain at bay. Fitting the S-fairing back onto the Bandit would require not only the front sub-frame, but also a new wiring harness (or some creative splicing) to affix the S-model lights/gauges to the N-model frame’s electrical system. The VFR, on the other hand, has been touted as the best sport-touring bike ever made, and the Bandit is just fine as it is for day-tripping and local hooliganism. I was leaning towards the VFR, but several of my riding buddies are really into the track days, and I was inclined to find the right track tool, like an SV650, with which to join them this year.
After two days of deliberating, I returned to East Coast Honda, planning on starting up both the SV and VFR and see which one speaks to me more. Well, someone else made things easier for me by buying the SV earlier that day. I had the salesman, Aaron, roll the VFR outside and crank it up for me. That characteristic cam gear whine, and the slight V-4 rumble sang to me like a chorus of angels. It was enough for me to overlook some slight damage to the upper fairing, obviously from a low-speed tip-over. The next day, I was riding my “new” VFR home to the stable, where my Bandit is still in need of some TLC.
It still runs like it’s down a cylinder. There’s no more popping through the exhaust, but the weather is much cooler now, too, so unburned fuel may not be inclined to ignite in the exhaust pipe as easily. It reminds me fully of when my old Bandit would get soaked in a downpour, and the rainwater would seep into one of the spark plug boots and short out that cylinder’s ignition.