Shame the ancientness of the tech shows them up a little these days- a VFR400RR is heavier than most modern 600s, and though the chassis's great the suspension's not up to modern spec either. My benchmark's pretty high but I've never been that impressed by their handling, especially since so many of them are totally ****ed. I reckon my mate's RVF had the original fork oil in it when I opened them up.
Incredibly pretty though. And it's good fun to ride a bike with limitations like these, especially since 600s are so stupidly fast now but the legend's outgrown the reality tbh, not helped by bike journos with midlife crises.
But, imagine what they could do in the 400 class now… 150 kilos and an engine you can use without instantly losing your licence, modern forks frame and tyres… Oh yes.