Parts and servicing

Service schedule

8000-mile basic intervals include an oil and filter change, idle-speed check and a raft of visual inspections including steering-head bearing adjustment. The main 16k service adds an air filter change and a valve-clearance and spark-plug check. Spark plugs are changed at 32,000 miles. Clutch and brake fluid is changed every two years and coolant every three (though we wouldn’t leave it that long for either). We’d add suspension and head-bearing greasing to the 16k service for peace of mind. The VFR’S easy enough for the home mechanic, though you have to take off a lot of bodywork just to change the oil and filter. As with all Honda’s V-fours over the years, valve-clearance checks are fiddly and time-consuming due to limited access and you need special tools.

New and used parts prices

Service bits aren’t too bad, at £36.32 for an air filter, £16 for an oil filter, and £47.47 for a pair of front brake pads. A chain and sprocket kit is £200 (though if you order the parts separately it’s £530, for some reason). But some parts are seriously pricey — there are two radiators, at £515 each, and if you get a stone through the headlight, it’ll cost £1145.27 to replace it. A new clockset, too, is over a grand.

The aftermarket can take the sting out of everyday running costs. For example Wemoto list batteries from £38, wheel-bearing kits from £9, brake pads from £21 a pair and oil and air filters from £5.28 and £22.99 respectively.

Used parts are in short supply but we’ve seen screens from £40, body panels and silencers from £100 and engine covers from about £160.