VFR400

[Cellary]

I'm looking to buy a VFR400 but can only get an imported one, are the parts difficult to get if something goes wrong with the engine or anything like That?

[dibblecorse]

They were all imported, are you looking at the NC29 or 30?

Some bits are getting harder to come by, but they have a following and a few companies out there fabricating bits ,,,,

Great bikes, my 1st was an NC30

[Hugo a Gogo]

NC29 was a CBR 400

VFR400 was 21,24,30,and 35
30 was imported officially as well as grey market

[Cellary]

Hugo a Gogo said:

NC29 was a CBR 400

VFR400 was 21,24,30,and 35
30 was imported officially as well as grey market

I'm looking at an NC30 I don't want to spend all that money and something break and I can't get the part any more

[Hugo a Gogo]

I don't know of any differences between grey import and official nc30s, there may be some limiter built into speedo on the grey, Japan had a limit of about 200kmh at some point. Nc35 shares most parts too. Either way, they were one of the most common grey imports, so parts shouldn't be a problem, any more than any other 20-30 yr old bike

[spanky3]

There are some differences between UK spec and import, jetting for example but the chance of you picking up a UK model are so remote you may as well forget they exist. Despite visual similarities the NC35 is significantly different and parts for them attract a premium. Some parts are shared but far from all. David Silver Spares sell most bits and there's a healthy second hand market.. see if the 400greybike forum is still going. The only bits you'll struggle with are cosmetics/plastics - Chinese pattern parts exist but quality is variable to say the least. Note the nc30 uses an unusual 18" rear wheel so only a few tyres are available - NC35 had a 17" but you can imagine what they sell for,,,

[orangefzr]

Great little bikes but eat spark plugs if left for any notable time, I found the ngk one's don't last very long, the denso iridium ones are much less prone to fail, the restrictor in the imports can be overcome by a plug in box next to the ecu/cdi and speedo drive convertor can be had which changes the drive so the kph clocks read mph, but this also makes the odometer to count miles rather than km's, not sure if the speedo drive convertor alone would de restrict but by changing the drive the needle would need to hit 180 mph so I suspect it would. Another top mod is fitting higher wattage headlight bulbs to replace the obsolete originals BUT you must modify the bulbs to make them fit and you also need to put a relay in because the high beam switch melts with the higher wattage. Bridgestone 090's are the tyre of choice on the 18" rear
As previously said by a previous poster 400 greybike is the place to be for any nc30 knowledge and Rick Oliver is a great bloke for trick parts for all things nc

Edited by orangefzr on Friday 16th March 22:26

Edited by orangefzr on Friday 16th March 22:28

[Walter Sobchak]

I had an NC35, still miss it now, great little bikes, although don’t think I’d want to pay what they go for now, would be an MC28 for that kind of money!.

[yajeed]

Not sure about parts, but I rode one back in the day. Lovely little bikes, the engine was so much more torquey than the zx400r I had at the time.

[darkyoung1000]

They're not too bad to get the parts for, although apparently the choke cables are getting hard to find.
I've had no real other problems in tracking bits down fortunately. That included sump (snapped sump plug), rear shock, radiator and hoses and a few other bits and pieces.

They're a lot of fun, and despite having access to a ZX6 that probably weighs less and has twice the power, I still know which one I prefer!