Honda VFR 1200 - looks like it's gone for good!

Well, maybe it's not really news to anyone, but the Toronto Motorcycle Show last week pretty much tells the story. There's no VFR 1200 in the lineup for 2015. I see the US hasn't had a new model since 2013. So that's it! The great motorcycle that we were all waiting for and dreaming about has come and gone in pretty much the blink of an eye. Four years of mediocre sales and...poof...gone like the wind! I'm quite surprised that sales were so low, but I suspect the price tag and the general appearance of the bike were the two main complaints by would-be purchasers...at least this is what I seem to garner from all of the threads out there.
What a shame. This bike has such a nice strong engine, and such a nice, strong linear pull when you twist the throttle. And the ergonomics worked extremely well for me - I never ever felt wrist pain, and I never ever felt too hunched over. It seemed to me like the riding position was just right. I really like my 1200, because it offers me the opportunity for long distance touring without all of the weight and size of most tourers and sport tourers. Take the BMW's, for example. Even the 1300 looks big and hulky next to my VFR, and it just looks clumsy. And that's a sports tourer. Take the Kawasaki Concourse - not bad, but also more "tourish" in size and look than the VFR. I guess for me, since I didn't want to commit to pure touring or pure sporting, the VFR offered an exceptional blend of both worlds. Perhaps others are more solid in their convictions, and will get right into one or the other, but the VFR appealed to me - do everything with one amazing ride!
I wonder how the VFR1200 will go down in history. Will it be a bike that becomes a collector's classic in 20 or 30 years? Will it be desired, or looked upon as a flop? I just don't know, but I'm really sad to see it gone. I need a hug. :cower:

 

I just wonder if the V-four 1200 will reincarnate itself in another bike. It's just too good of a motor to not build anymore. Wayyyy too good.

 

Just to put it straight, I'm not really sure about the nonsense I hear about the bike either. I've heard someone say that it has "no soul." Well, that's just the opposite of what I thought when I rode it. In fact, the reason I bought it is that I distinctly remembered its ride qualities from the Honda Ride Program that came through - it was hard to forget how much low end torque it had, and how well it absorbed bumps and potholes in the road. At the time, I remembered three distinct rides - my own VFR 800, the CBR 1000 that I tested, and the VFR 1200. All were different. The CBR was nice, but it was just a worry that I would over-throttle it. It did, however, handle beautifully. It was as if I was a part of the bike. The 1200 was different - throaty, confident, and comfortable (whereas I couldn't see myself on the CBR for long). My 800 was still good, and I felt like I had rock solid control - like I could ride it backwards. But the acceleration of the 1200 was stronger than the 800, but not as strong as the CBR. Something was just right about it.

 

There can be only one VFR. Honda, for their own reasons, decided to go back to the 800 for their VFR. Maybe in the not too distant future, the 1200cc will come bakc under another badge.

 

I'm curious to know if any 1200 riders actually switched back to the new 800? I have not heard much about it. I'm sure there must be a comparison of the new 800 on the site with the sixth generation...

 

I have no experience of either bike, but on the face of it that would be a step backwards which I wouldn't imagine too many would take. The only reason I could think of would be age, in which case most riders would opt for something smaller than the 800 or even something different like a cruiser.

 

I wonder what the dudes that bought Honda Runes switched to?

What will be interesting is to kind of watch the retail dealers to see if the prices for both new and used goes up.

Mine is now 15K. First come, first serviced..

 

Whoa, there's got to be a little tongue-in-cheek in that comment, isn't there? What VFR are you riding? Must be covered in rhinestones....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kAU3B9Pi_U

 

To be honest, to the OP, I think you are speaking from a biased point of view. For example, the K1300 S is lighter than the VFR1200 and has more horsepower. I'm not saying it's a better bike (it's much more expensive, and handles like shit), but I think you might be overlooking the 1200's shortcomings.

Personally, I would never buy one. It's too damn heavy. Given the loss in usable power that comes with weight, a VFR800 with a power commander and aftermarket exhaust is probably only nominally less grunty than the 1200. I think Honda made a solid bike with the 1200, but one that suffered from two massive failings: it failed to appeal to the diehard VFR people like myself, and it failed to appeal to the overall sport touring crowd buying things like Ducati and Triumpy s/t, K1300, etc. I also think, and a lot of people agree with me, that the bike is just plain ugly. So for my part, I say - good riddance. Hopefully Honda will give us a sub 500 pound VFR with traction control and 140 horses now that the 1200 is out of the way.

 

Assuming it's me you're talking about, how is my opinion "nonsense" just because it doesn't agree with your own? Power and torque are not what I'm talking about, sound and feel are. It has neither the sound I expected nor the throttle response I hoped for.

In my opinion, the VFR1200 sounds like a single cylinder quad, has jerky and non-responsive fuelling (prior to a $400 ECU flash, at least) and is, for me, not very much fun to ride, nor is itas comfortable as I had expected it to be. I hoped it would be a jack of all trades, sport and touring, and in my eyes, it is neither.

My R1 can ride circles around the VFR, and isn't much less comfortable, again IMO. If I had to sell one today, it would be the VFR without question.

 

Looks like the CB1100 is gone also.

 

Great idea! I will do a comparison of the economics of rhinestones vs. cubic zirconia.

 

Hey, sorry iamzombie, wasn't referring to your comments specifically!

 

But oh yes, I'd love to own an R1!! Out of all of the 1000's at the show, the quality and the desirability factors rated the highest for me on the R1M

 

Hey Tyarosevich, your comments are well-stated, but not unanticipated:
1. Heaviness - Even though it's heavier than the previous 800, it's still much much quicker. Having owned both, I can attest to this. The weight means nothing once you are riding (unless you get to some REAL tight stuff, I suppose). I guess you could compare it with the power commander, but don't forget, you can add one of those to the 1200 as well, to increase the power/torque gap between the two again.
2. Failing to appeal to the die hard fans - well, I'm a die hard fan, and I bought one. So maybe we can segment the die hard fans into two groups: 1) those that are true to the VFR no matter what (maybe to a point of a fault?), and 2) those who like the bike, but like other bikes almost as much and are willing to jump ship and try something else.
3. Failing to appeal to the sport touring crowd - well, perhaps, and this is where I am different. The Triumph doesn't look that good, and it certainly doesn't have the power in the triple, so I'd never go for it. The Ducati Multistrada looks like the strangest thing on two wheels to me, and I definitely do not want the reliability and maintenance issues with something that homely. The K1300 may be a viable choice, but, if it handles like a dog terd, I don't see how it's of any interest to me.
4. The Honda is ugly. Two points:
I) It's not ugly overall. Camera angles for magazine photos are typically done at very standard heights. With the change in the windscreen design for better wind protection and better aerodynamics, that camera angle just doesn't work for this bike any more, and it's also not working for any other bikes that have now COPIED this design (CBR 1000, and even the new R1 has a similarly shaped windscreen).
ii) The rear pipe is ugly. It had to be a unique design due to the engine design/cylinder configuration. Go aftermarket.
iii) IT EXUDES A QUALITY THAT I DO NOT SEE IN MANY JAPANESE BIKES. This is very evident. At the Toronto Motorcycle Show this past weekend, I was really disappointed in the look and feel of most of the Japanese makers, with the exception of many Yamahas, and the Honda ATV's. Kawasaki and Suzuki - you might as well write them off. Everything looks like it's straight off the boat from Thailand, and I don't see the quality. I don't even see the quality in the new Kawasaki H2 and H2R, but I'll defer judgement on that, as I may have been sleighted by the rest of the junky looking stuff all around me.
iv) I can sacrifice looks for quality, and I strongly feel that I got quality, plus a look that isn't so cookie-cutter, like the Z1000.
v) This bike was made in Japan. More and more, bike production is being moved to southeast Asia, and it's obvious that the big Japanese markets are big manufacturers there.
vi) If it's ugly now, wait ten years, and everyone will want one. Thirty years ago, bikes that were different, or ahead of their time, didn't sell so well, and now, many are classics and highly desired. Can we name them?

 

Tyarosevich,
As for hoping for a sub-500 pound bike with traction control, I just don't see that happening. If you take the direction that Honda has gone with the VFR series, switching to that style of bike would require a radical change in thinking at head office. I'm sorry to say that I just don't see that as being in the cards (spit on me if I'm wrong). To me, the game is to move to scooter platform bikes for comfort cruising for the older crowd, and to move to 500cc or less bikes for the younger crowd.
The appeal just isn't there for me with Honda anymore, and the VFR1200 represents the last of the good Japanese built bikes, sort-of. The Gold Wings still look good, but the rest of the line is .... waning.

 

No worries, I'm just the only guy I see saying they're not huge fans of the 1200 because of the lack of passion In any event, everyone is entitled to their opinion, I wish I liked the VFR more than I do... TBH I need to put more kms on it before I give up on it, I might have put 500km on it between when I bought it in late October and when winter descended upon manitoba

If I wasn't getting old the R1 would be all I needed

 

The first test ride, sold me on the 1200. I know my dealer very good so he let me take it for the day. I was.able to give the bike a thorough ride. When I finally brought it back,I told him sold. I find my dct an amazing machine. Since then I've added a few parts,pipe,bars,heated grips,ecu reflash,windsheild. It is now an excellent bike. Handles,accelerates very strong,brakes are A-1, and I personally love the looks. I also like the fact that it is unique that you don't seem them everywhere. It makes me smile every ride.

 

The main problem I see with the 1200 is that for the price, the competition comes with the hard cases. Personally I think it was a huge mistake for Honda to not include them at no additional cost. As far as the looks go, I like everything about it except for the rear. I have not seen a good fender eliminator out there and there is no seat cowl - unlike every other VFR before it. The rear just looks unfinished to me. Lastly, about having no soul, that is totally personal opinion. You can find that stated about any bike in existence.

 

That's a great list for parts that I could add to my bike. I was thinking about switching tires to Pilot Road 2's, as I've heard they really help with the handling. Mine is not the DCT, but I wish I had gotten that one, as I think it would be a lot of fun to paddle shift. What color?