Adventuremagnet  Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
|---|
I had a Firestorm about 7 years ago. I am (was) in the market for another sporty road bike and the Firestorm kept cropping up in my mind as the bike to have. Odd as I really didn't like the last one much...
So... I have another one.
Cagiva Elefant|Jeep Cherokee
[ This message was edited by: Adventuremagnet on 29/05/2009 14:03 ] | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
Adventuremagnet Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
|---|
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
Adventuremagnet Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
|---|
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
Adventuremagnet Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
|---|
An inch doesn't sound much, but it makes a big difference. Ground clearance is reduced by about 1/2" (or less) with the large hero blobs in place, but they unscrew, or you could cut/file them back. I'll live with the sparks if I get them.
Cagiva Elefant|Jeep Cherokee
[ This message was edited by: Adventuremagnet on 29/05/2009 14:08 ] | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
vtrman  Joined: Dec 18, 2008
Posts: 34
From: Nottingham, UK
| |
|---|
I had a VTR as well, directly before the FZ-1. That's how I became "VTR man"
It was a great bike, plenty comfy enough for me, but a fuel range of only 90-100 miles was awful for touring. Mine was a 97/98 "R" reg, with the 16L tank.
[ This message was edited by: vtrman on 08/07/2009 10:24 ] | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
vtrman Joined: Dec 18, 2008
Posts: 34
From: Nottingham, UK
| |
|---|
I even did a little track session on it.
It had a slightly "grabby" clutch. If you tried to get a quick getaway off the line, it would sometimes make a graunching sound and pop an unexepected wheelie. To get safe quick acceleration from a standing start, you had to mke sure the clutch was fully out before giving it a handful.
[ This message was edited by: vtrman on 08/07/2009 10:28 ] | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
vtrman Joined: Dec 18, 2008
Posts: 34
From: Nottingham, UK
| |
|---|
It was the first bike I ever bought new.
I owned this 1998 Honda VTR1000 Firestorm from new. It was immaculate, had a wonderful torquey engine and as far as I'm concerned was plenty fast enough and handled well enough for me in all situations.
The only downside was, it wasn't brilliant for touring! I used it around the UK, and always took it to the TT races, and it's taken me out to the French Alps as well. It's comfy enough for the long haul, it will cruise at whatever speed takes my fancy, I've got soft luggage which fits it well enough - but.....
It's horrendous on fuel consumption!
I only got 25-30mpg which is pretty poor. It's a problem - not just the expense, but with a small tank (16L I think), the poor range is a real worry in France, where petrol stations can be 40-50 miles apart, and virtually all of them are shut on Sundays. The petrol stations on motorways remain open, but if they are 40 miles apart I can easily overshoot one, and my fuel warning light has been known to come on after just 80 miles. I need fuel every 90-100 miles on the VTR.
A bit of a pain really, so I didn't use it anymore on the Alps trips, even though it's a storming bike once up on those mountain passes!
Perhaps I'll fit a larger capacity tank, then start touring on it again.
Perhaps I won't. I traded it in on 28th June 04 against a new Fazer 1000 from Granby Motors. I loved my Firestorm, but it just couldn't cut it as a tourer, particularly if I'm responsible for others on a tour. I cannot afford to run out of petrol as Tour Leader!
[ This message was edited by: vtrman on 08/07/2009 10:31 ] | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
Adventuremagnet Joined: Jul 01, 2008
Posts: 466 | |
|---|
On 2009-07-08 10:28, vtrman wrote:
It had a slightly "grabby" clutch. If you tried to get a quick getaway off the line, it would sometimes make a graunching sound and pop an unexepected wheelie.
My last one did that. The current one doesn't.
Apparently uprated clutch springs will sort the problem on bikes that do it. | |
| |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
