First impressions, 1994 RF400.

[kneescraper]

Well I've done around 250kms on my 1994 Suzuki RF400 r, I thought I would share my impressions of the motorcycle.

At first glimpse of the blue RF400, you notice how large it looks. From its bulging tank to its oversized wide J-lo impersonating rear end. Mount the motorcycle and you soon realize its not as big as first thought. However the bars are in perfect position in conjunction with the seat high...foot pegs are near perfect....leaving the brake and gear lever in a less than desirable position, but I've come to live with that. Switch gear is in perfect position, easy to reach and use, dials are also very easy to read...idiot lights are mounted above the dials which seem to catch your eye more than the normal lights below dials setup.

Turn key one click to the right, hit the start button and she fires right up, choke only needs to be used for a second...then the engine settles at 1,500rpm and idles. The engine in my motorcycle sounds tight and strong, not rattles or misses. Once the engine has had a min or two for the oil to warm up I give it a few blips of the throttle....yep, this engines tight. revs settle back down to idle in no time. Out on the road the engine is smooth, clutch is light and gearbox is super super smooth. Very good power for a 400cc....of course the power being up in the rev range. However still good power down low for town riding.

Out in the twistys the bike comes to life, I never ever thought the bike would handle this well...however the ground clearance is not so good, the muffler seems to enjoy touching that hard black surface. With a few adjustments to the suspension this bike would be able to hang onto a CBR400rr no problems. Engines power is very useable in the twistys...no need to slam it down gears...this baby will pull from 5,000rpm to 13,000rpm no problems...even up hills. If ya wanna live life in the fast line, keep the Suzi up near 9,000rpm..this is when the vc kicks in which a strange but erotic crack. Brakes....well what more can I say than...AWESOME. Suspension is of low standards compared to, say a R6..but you don't pay the same price tag either. Chassis is good, real good..no problems there.

Stats...
The bike is very light, you notice this around town. Moving in and out of parks and dodging crazy cagers is no problem, very chuckeble. Petrol usage is high, mind you my bike is running rich...I was lucky to get 130kms out of a 17ltr tank. I will update the petrol side of things once the carbs have been looked at.

All and all the RF400 is a great bike, very underestimated. For its price its up there on the want list. After doing 200+kms the only pain I had was my right wrist, which had a slight numbness to it. Perfect bike for a newbie coming from a 250cc or a oldie coming back to riding. Don't be fooled by its humble looks or that fact its not as popular as a CBR or ZXR...these RFs rock.

[Colapop]

You've got some of the best biking roads in the country to enjoy up there. You better bloody stay two wheels on the tarmac! RF's do rock though!

[kneescraper]

As you can see by the third picture, I was really enjoying the ride...cant wait to see what my new tyre will look like once I get a better feel for what the bike can and can not do.

[Madness]

It looked like that by the time Jim2 got to Masterton!

[SPman]

Ah - I see you've got the Vtec model. They are basically the same size as the RF600. The front end is soft, but, if you wind them up, they go OK.

[nudemetalz]

Good impressions Kneescraper. I concur with everything you've said.

Just one thing to add here, a BIG, HUGE thank you to Jim2 for delivering the mighty beasty.

[kneescraper]

It looked like that by the time Jim2 got to Masterton!

When I got it I thought he had been riding in a straight line (j/k). Jim2 has about 25 years more experence than I too

Yeah, thanks Jim2...I've been so busy riding the thing, that I havent even said thanks....Thanks Jim, your a top bloke.

Oh and thanks to NM for dealing with a prat like myself....

[kneescraper]

Ah - I see you've got the Vtec model. They are basically the same size as the RF600. The front end is soft, but, if you wind them up, they go OK.

Yep, Ive wound mine fully up...feels a lot better IMHO. Just a quick but probably stupid thought...can different Suzuki forks be fitted with ease...say a late-ish model GSXR600 or something?

[riffer]

Your best bet is to fit some heavier springs and go up a bit in the fork oil weight...

and just ride the damn thing.

You'll get around the limitations of the bike easier that way.

To be honest, most bikes are better than their riders anyway.

Glad you like the RF.

[Toast]

130kms out of a 17L tank? A 600hp, 2 tonne Mercedes gets that kinda mileage...get that thing looked at asap. Is the exhaust extremely sooty?

When I first got my CBR, it was putting out 85hp and using a 15L tank in 3 soft sessions at Pukekohe...fuel mapping got it out to 112hp and much better economy. Def worth the $$ to get that sorted.

EDIT: My bike was a pretty extreme example of shit fuelling and was almost un-rideable. I'd be surprised if yours is just poor fuelling.

[kneescraper]

My bike does have a sooty exhaust, I'm pretty sure its over fueling, maybe once I find a online manual for the bike I will adjust the fuel mixture screw. Most bikes are 3 turns out aren't they? On start up it does blow alittle black smoke but settles.

Im not to worried as Im enjoying riding it....I cant stay off the dam thing!