Sorry fellas - totally forgot to reply.
Yes, precious cargo indeed but Molly had been pestering me for ages to go for a spin on the bike.
Henners - agree with what you're saying, in fact back in 2003 I owned another red VFR8 and it nearly put me off motorcycling altogether. Now, I just seem to have clicked with it - strange how time (and older bones!) tends to alter one's view of things. But yes, I really like the VFR - it's a wonderfully capable bit of kit - but perhaps not a bike I take a long lingering look at before closing the garage door. Saying that, my 1150GS wasn't but I loved that.