Honda VTR1000

I purchased one of these second hand in March this year and have been delighted with my choice of this super all-rounder ever since. It's comfy to ride, it sounds great (although aftermarket cans make it sound better), handling is good, and can pull away well in higher gears. I spent most of the last few years blasting around on a Fireblade. And short blasts they were too. Anytime longer than an hour on a Blade is painful for your backside. The Firestorm is perfect for me. It's an excellent compromise for anyone into bikes that doesn't quite have the necessary funds to splash out on a Ducati ... more

I used to own a Honda VTR1000. It was a great bike. People with ducatis sneared at it and say that it is too soft and forgiving. But I have ridden a lot of bikes and none have beaten this one for fear inducing acceleration. Too be honest, I got a little scared to ride it, because as soon as I pulled away I change from the mild mannered Internet bore into a public annoyance. I sold it recently, as the engine revved into the distance I could almost feel my heart shattering into a thousand pieces. It was a great machine. Also it was extremely reliable, never a single problem the entire time I had ... more

My black Honda VTR-1000 Firestorm is my second motorcycle. My first was a (relatively) mild-mannered Kawasaki ER-5, in the opinion of many, a perfect "beginner's" machine. I was about to buy a Suzuki SV650S, but Motorcycle City Greenford were doing a fantastic deal on pre-registered VTRs. I picked up mine for £5500 - a truly amazing price at the time, considering my bike, as it turned out, wasn't even pre-registered! At first, I thought I'd made a big mistake. Like many, I bought my bike off the back of magazine reviews and without a road test. It's irritating that getting a test-ride of a new ... more

My GT650S dropped a valve so my employer kindly lend me a second hand VTR off the floor. I rode it for about two weeks. What a pleasant bike. Pleasant in every category. Power delivery was very smooth... almost to smooth, I tend crave a bit of top end rush. Acceleration was pretty good and due to the smooth power delivery I felt no need to take the revs far beyond 9000rpm. Low end torque made this bike tops for long controllable wheelies and finding you’re way through busy city traffic. Handling was stable, nothing to complain about here although front forks would have respond better if they ... more

Owned one for three years, bought it new in '97 when they first hit the dealers. Superb motor, really easy to ride but deceptively fast. Often found myself doing at least 20-30mph more than I thought I was doing. A few niggles: forks need some serious attention although new springs (I used WP) can help tremendously, problem is that they suffer from hydraulic lock if you hit a bump under hard braking, this has the front tyre skipping about all over the place. Only major niggle out of the way, now for the minor ones: badly needs a clock so simple solution, fit a Sigma bicycle speedo. Two ... more