Has anybody had one or had any riding experiences on one? What are your opinions of the bike?

I've only been riding for a year, and cant decide on my next bike. Was thinking about CBR 600 FX, but now i'm not sure.

Do anyone know of any Firestorm links?

Cheers,

Steve:)

ive had one for coming up on 5 years - had a cbr6 before and manic 2 strokes before that. I got the vtr mainly because i was doing a lot of two up scratching and wanted something that could cope with both of us on the bike.

The engine is stunning - with pipe & filter and a good set up mine is making 110bhp & 75 ft/lb, more that a 996. The torque plateau starts at 3250 and runs all the way to 9000. Its comfy, reliable and (with belly pan, cans & repsol paint job) stands out from the crowd.

Two big downsides though - the killer is fuel consumption & tank range. 30 mpg and you're lucky if you see 100 miles. Unbelievably crap, although the newer model have a large tank (all the big twins have ****e mpg though, its just the vtr has a tiny tank.

Secondly, the suspension is budget. Stock suspension is no good whatsoever - you've two options: for £100 or so you can stick a 5mm spacer under the seat to raise the back and turn the rear shock down to minimum and get the forks revalved and lower them 5mm through the yoke. This is now as good as my old cbr600fn.

Next step is replace the rear shock (ohlins in my case) and get decent springs in the forks. Once thats done the bike handles like a dream.

It, as usual, depends on what you're really after. If you're going to tour and commute i'd have a look at a vfr800 first. If you're never two up, a 600 will probably fit the bill. The vtr has its two flaws, but apart from that its a fine bike, and you can pick them up so cheap now that maybe spending the cash to put them right is ok.

the killer is fuel consumption & tank range. 30 mpg and you're lucky if you see 100 miles. Unbelievably crap, although the newer model have a large tank (all the big twins have ****e mpg though, its just the vtr has a tiny tank.I noticed that when I test rode the SP1 too!! Shocking!!!

Another cheap but good option is a Thunderace. You should be able to pick one up new for under £6k these days and the bike is fab!! It's not the lightest sports/sports-tourer but it handles really well, is very compliant, has loads of power and torque, fantastic brakes, a large seat and very decent fuel consuption (my worst ever was 38mpg whilst absolutely thrashing it round the Isle of Man :D:D:D:D).

Could do a lot worse!!! The VFR800 is also a very good choice, depending on what kind of bike you are after.

Matt :)

flame suit on----> i owned one for a grand total of 1 month & despised the bike. fuel range is non existent, & what starts out as a minor gripe is unbelievably annoying as specially as i was commuting it, the suspension is lethaly unbelievably soft, forks bottoming out dangerously on bad surfaced roads, rear setup squirming especially under any load in conering speed, performance in a striaght line was asthmatically dreadful, specially if you are used to fours, no point getting one & spending money (throwing good money after bad) on getting all the things done you would need to do to make the bike bearable, may as well go out & buy a decent four stroke, if you do buy one please get a really long test on one from the dealer 1st, quite good lookig machine though.
& the motor dooes deliver lots of torquey pull in "certain" rev ranges & they are cheap.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2db37b3127cce9d84b0cd179c0000003610
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2db37b3127cce9d84b0b696d70000003610

Firestorms are ace :)

I've had a 1998 'R' and now have a 2000 'W'. Prior to the Firestorms I had CBR600s. I didn't test ride the Firestorm and must admit I initially regretted trading the CBR in for it. It did take me a few months to get used to it - they definitely grow on you.

As mentioned above, they are heavy on petrol and the fuel range is very poor. On Isle Of Man trips I'm getting around 80 miles to the tank before the warning light comes on. Typically in the UK I get 100 - 120 miles before the light comes on.

Mine is on stock suspension and I find it ok - I've adjusted it from standard to settings detailed in MCN a few years back - this makes a big difference. The bike seems ideally suited to the roads I use - Dales / Lakes etc. Standard tyres Michelin Macadam / Dunlop 204 are not brilliant - I always run mine on Bridgestone 010 - Rears last me around 2500 miles and fronts around 3500.

I must admit I'm tempted with the new Suzuki SV1000. The Firestorm has undergone only minor changes since its 1997 launch and must be due a major revamp soon.

Just received my insurance renewal for the Firestorm - £250 fire and theft - bargain :)

More info on Firestorms here: http://www.vtr1000.org/

Cheers,

Ian.

yep - depends what you want

As for performance in a straight line being asthmatic, the bike makes the same power as a 600 four, only it starts at 3500 rather than 8500. As i said above, mine makes 110 at the back wheel with over 75 ft/lb - more than any of the standard 916 type things of the time. I dont think they're particularly gutless - mine makes more power than I can really use, apart from bolt upright.

They definalty make the power in a very differant manner, no where near as much "power band and take off". I guess its the same feeling as when I went from my 50bhp power valve to my 83bhp cbr600 - the cbr felt lifeless in comparison just because there wasnt the "on off" sensation of the 2 stroke. There's no denying that the 4 stroke was faster though.

Take a looonnnnggggg test drive.

Interesting thread. Maybe Met had something wrong with his bike? Straight line perfomance on the ones I've had has been excellent. From a standing start its never far behind mates bikes (R1s, GSXRs etc.) Not noticed any flat spots (unlike the CBRs I had) - my first one gave 100BHP at the back wheel and my second one feels quicker for some reason. Acceleration does tend to tail off at 110+. I tried a CBR6 again after a year on the Storm and wouldn't go back. Some people don't like twins - definitely an aquired taste.

Try test driving one and let us know what you think. Having said that if I'd only ridden one for a day I'd still be riding a four...

Cheers,

Ian.

I've ridden 100's if not 000's of bikes and would put the storm in the top 20.

They are a cery well put together bike and with a few ods and can be on a par with many amore well known bike. I'ts major weeknes is the fuel consumption and tank size, you put a decent set of race open pipes on and the 2000 fireblade front end on ine and you'll have a bike that on track will stay with 916's and be on better odds to get it home without breaking.

If your considering it as a first time bike then you will be fine it's very friendly and well planted except the front is a tad soft when pushed harder. Avoid the SP1 / SP2 as 1st timers as these tend to be a more frantic machine.


dazza

P.S. you wanna learn to wheelie this is an ideal machine up uP UP....