pritch
19th February 2010, 10:54
It seems that there must have been few new bikes about which as much has been written as the Honda VFR1200. This is partly the fault of Honda who a year or so ago seemed to announce a new V4, then only produced a stylised model. Journalists, who had been expecting a real bike, were disappointed and said so. The initial comments in consequence were overwhelmingly negative.
Then there were the “leaked” test photos. All sorts of people commented negatively about the looks. To be fair the bike did look ummm different. Honda had been testing the bike against the BMW K1300S, perhaps BMW uglies are contagious?
Honda has since made their design and testing staff available for interviews and these interviews are available from various sources. It seems though that most of those commenting on the Internet haven't read the interviews, they've only read each others' comments. The blind leading the blind?
Honda say the new VFR does not replace any existing Honda model. The VFR 800 will continue.
Honda have an international testing team, the team reports direct to the Board of Honda on all models over 250cc. Neither accountants nor engineers get to “improve” the reports before the board see them. It was rumoured that the team had rejected the replacement for the Blackbird. Dave Hancock, the British member of the team, in comments printed in BIKE magazine says that nearly four years ago they were indeed testing a replacement for the Blackbird. The new bike wasn't a sufficient improvement over the existing bike and it just ran out of time. “Factories gear for production three years in advance.”
The new VFR is not a replacement for the Blackbird.
In most western countries the average age of motorcyclists is climbing. Yosuke Hasegawa, head of the Honda design team, used to race bikes even winning a Japanese amateur championship. He has owned a succession of supersports bikes, but at forty years of age he wanted a bike with a good level of performance but more comfort than afforded by a sports bike. Honda don't think he is alone, the average big bike buyer is now in the mid forties. They hope that the bike will appeal to large numbers of such riders, enough for it to create its own market?
The VFR is eventually to be offered with “dual clutch transmission” and “cylinder shutdown technology” but these are still being developed back in Japan.
Both Hancock and Hasegawa refer to the possibility of other V4 models to come, there is a vague reference to a sports bike but, “I can't say at the minute”, and “ I don't have a project I can tell you about”, respectively seem tantalisingly inscrutable.
Most V4 engines have cylinders 1 & 3 pointing forward with 2 & 4 pointing back. The new VFR has the outside cylinders 1 & 4 pointing forward with 2 &3 pointing to the rear. This results in an engine wide at the front, but narrow at the back where it needs to be, between the riders knees. Possibly this idea derives from the RC211V which had three cylinders forward and two back for the same reason.
The seat is low, and is narrow at the front which permits me to plant both feet flat on the ground. The VFR800 seat, being wider at the front, did not. You do have to be careful not to kick the passenger grab handles as you swing the leg over the higher pillion perch however.
The initial impression is that the cockpit doesn't seem much larger than the VFR800, but that's partly due to cunning use of colour. The cockpit is black but the coloured fairing extends unnoticed perhaps 20mm or so further either side.
The controls are all in the normal place, with one exception. The indicator switch is a little lower on the grip than usual and it is all too easy to operate the horn instead of the indicator. Once you have embarrassed yourself though you tend to make the necessary adjustment with the thumb.
Once moving, the bike is nimble, the steering is quick and precise. The suspension is surprisingly plush but there is no immediately apparent downside to this. It may be possible to induce a wallow in extreme use but at the speeds I was doing there was no problem. At one point on the ride there is a bend with some serious corrugations. Bikes with harsh suspension can be moved off line by these ripples. On my bike they can be felt but don't affect the handling. Others, Cadillac plush, float over the bumps. On the VFR the ripples are only barely perceptible leading me to rate the suspension as nearer the “touring” end of the spectrum.
On my way out of town I used a road with some nice curves, as I approached the first of these I realised I was going a bit quicker than desired so I shut the throttle. Nothing much happened, V fours don't have the engine braking of the V twin to which I'm currently accustomed. This induced a lunge at the brake lever which produced a satisfying response. The VFR has linked brakes and ABS, none of which is intrusive. Sadly perhaps, the ABS on the VFR is not the new system to be found on the CBR.
The exhaust note is very muted, it develops a deeper tone when the engine is under load but remains too quiet for my taste. An excessively noisy exhaust is tiring on a trip, but the Honda is so quiet there is no hint of the speed the bike is traveling at. This coupled with the fact that the screen did a very effective job of directing the air over my shoulders means that some of the usual sensations of speed are entirely absent. A close eye needs to be kept on the speedo because the VFR effortlessly wafts along at the sort of speeds that can result in an enforced walk home.
The instrumentation is clear and comprehensive, it tells you almost everything you could want to know. Almost.
Riding through traffic on the way back to the shop the engine cooling fan operated repeatedly, the temperature gauge read mid range, the air temp read 29c. I couldn't find a way to get an accurate engine temperature reading. RTFM?
The tank holds 18.5 litres, a bit light for a “sports tourer”, the VFR800 holds 22L. Honda say this was intended to give the bike a tank range of 300 kilometres. Anecdotal evidence, and my experience, suggest that 300K seems optimistic. Perhaps when the “cylinder shutdown” technology arrives?
So would I buy a VFR1200? Hell yes! There is just the one reservation, my forties are well behind me, Im in my mid sixties and the VFR could be a big lump to manouver in and out of the shed. That aside, I'd order the optional Honda panniers and then the next thing would be to visit the Interislander website.
Thanks to Craig at Energy Honda for an enjoyable couple of hours. A most fortuitous few hours of sunshine between periods of rain.
Then there were the “leaked” test photos. All sorts of people commented negatively about the looks. To be fair the bike did look ummm different. Honda had been testing the bike against the BMW K1300S, perhaps BMW uglies are contagious?
Honda has since made their design and testing staff available for interviews and these interviews are available from various sources. It seems though that most of those commenting on the Internet haven't read the interviews, they've only read each others' comments. The blind leading the blind?
Honda say the new VFR does not replace any existing Honda model. The VFR 800 will continue.
Honda have an international testing team, the team reports direct to the Board of Honda on all models over 250cc. Neither accountants nor engineers get to “improve” the reports before the board see them. It was rumoured that the team had rejected the replacement for the Blackbird. Dave Hancock, the British member of the team, in comments printed in BIKE magazine says that nearly four years ago they were indeed testing a replacement for the Blackbird. The new bike wasn't a sufficient improvement over the existing bike and it just ran out of time. “Factories gear for production three years in advance.”
The new VFR is not a replacement for the Blackbird.
In most western countries the average age of motorcyclists is climbing. Yosuke Hasegawa, head of the Honda design team, used to race bikes even winning a Japanese amateur championship. He has owned a succession of supersports bikes, but at forty years of age he wanted a bike with a good level of performance but more comfort than afforded by a sports bike. Honda don't think he is alone, the average big bike buyer is now in the mid forties. They hope that the bike will appeal to large numbers of such riders, enough for it to create its own market?
The VFR is eventually to be offered with “dual clutch transmission” and “cylinder shutdown technology” but these are still being developed back in Japan.
Both Hancock and Hasegawa refer to the possibility of other V4 models to come, there is a vague reference to a sports bike but, “I can't say at the minute”, and “ I don't have a project I can tell you about”, respectively seem tantalisingly inscrutable.
Most V4 engines have cylinders 1 & 3 pointing forward with 2 & 4 pointing back. The new VFR has the outside cylinders 1 & 4 pointing forward with 2 &3 pointing to the rear. This results in an engine wide at the front, but narrow at the back where it needs to be, between the riders knees. Possibly this idea derives from the RC211V which had three cylinders forward and two back for the same reason.
The seat is low, and is narrow at the front which permits me to plant both feet flat on the ground. The VFR800 seat, being wider at the front, did not. You do have to be careful not to kick the passenger grab handles as you swing the leg over the higher pillion perch however.
The initial impression is that the cockpit doesn't seem much larger than the VFR800, but that's partly due to cunning use of colour. The cockpit is black but the coloured fairing extends unnoticed perhaps 20mm or so further either side.
The controls are all in the normal place, with one exception. The indicator switch is a little lower on the grip than usual and it is all too easy to operate the horn instead of the indicator. Once you have embarrassed yourself though you tend to make the necessary adjustment with the thumb.
Once moving, the bike is nimble, the steering is quick and precise. The suspension is surprisingly plush but there is no immediately apparent downside to this. It may be possible to induce a wallow in extreme use but at the speeds I was doing there was no problem. At one point on the ride there is a bend with some serious corrugations. Bikes with harsh suspension can be moved off line by these ripples. On my bike they can be felt but don't affect the handling. Others, Cadillac plush, float over the bumps. On the VFR the ripples are only barely perceptible leading me to rate the suspension as nearer the “touring” end of the spectrum.
On my way out of town I used a road with some nice curves, as I approached the first of these I realised I was going a bit quicker than desired so I shut the throttle. Nothing much happened, V fours don't have the engine braking of the V twin to which I'm currently accustomed. This induced a lunge at the brake lever which produced a satisfying response. The VFR has linked brakes and ABS, none of which is intrusive. Sadly perhaps, the ABS on the VFR is not the new system to be found on the CBR.
The exhaust note is very muted, it develops a deeper tone when the engine is under load but remains too quiet for my taste. An excessively noisy exhaust is tiring on a trip, but the Honda is so quiet there is no hint of the speed the bike is traveling at. This coupled with the fact that the screen did a very effective job of directing the air over my shoulders means that some of the usual sensations of speed are entirely absent. A close eye needs to be kept on the speedo because the VFR effortlessly wafts along at the sort of speeds that can result in an enforced walk home.
The instrumentation is clear and comprehensive, it tells you almost everything you could want to know. Almost.
Riding through traffic on the way back to the shop the engine cooling fan operated repeatedly, the temperature gauge read mid range, the air temp read 29c. I couldn't find a way to get an accurate engine temperature reading. RTFM?
The tank holds 18.5 litres, a bit light for a “sports tourer”, the VFR800 holds 22L. Honda say this was intended to give the bike a tank range of 300 kilometres. Anecdotal evidence, and my experience, suggest that 300K seems optimistic. Perhaps when the “cylinder shutdown” technology arrives?
So would I buy a VFR1200? Hell yes! There is just the one reservation, my forties are well behind me, Im in my mid sixties and the VFR could be a big lump to manouver in and out of the shed. That aside, I'd order the optional Honda panniers and then the next thing would be to visit the Interislander website.
Thanks to Craig at Energy Honda for an enjoyable couple of hours. A most fortuitous few hours of sunshine between periods of rain.