VFR1200 - Non haters thread

I've read, and I believe even Richard posted something about it being in the low $20k bracket for the NZ dollar, which if my calcification works right that's approximately around $17K USD give or take a couple grand for mods.

 

my local honda dealer has them on their website

 

I can't wait to see it in person and I hope the price is manageable. I like the shaft drive and I like the new fairing system. Looks like easy oil changes with that easy to remove lower cowl.

 

Have you requested a price yet?

 

DN-01...Is surgical castration another option?

 

I think this bike is going to be gorgeous when seen in person. I understand and accept the direction of this new VFR1200F. I would love to own one provided I can afford it. (...that unfederated capitalism will kill you in the end however...)

Let's hope that Honda has more tricks up their sleeves and also introduces a VFR1000R ? Or a new Magna V1200C ? That would be suwweeeeet!!!!!

I still, and always will, love my 3rd Gen. That little V4 750 has never let me down in terms of torque and fun.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
(...note my 3rd Gen has stranded my ass twice due to the infamous RR issue but I have since fixed and have forgiven)

 

I too can't wait to see it. If when it's time to change bikes, Being a Honda guy, I'm gonna give it a chance. Between the 1200 beemer & Yam fjr. If I go the more hooligan side, I really dig Duc Streetfighter. I gotta sasy, the sneak peek pic in the black, the gen 7 looks hot.

 

i liked it as soon as i saw it.
If the price is realistic next year I'll be in the market for one.

 

I like it, but I hate admitting I like it because it means I'm getting older. However, from the pics it does look like a cylon from the front. I'm going to wait for the reviews, but if it costs much over $13-14k, the press is going to laugh at it. But I can't trust mag reviews because they always dis the VFR any way. But they don't understand the bike enough to review it right anyway. Well Motorcyclist was always good in the past. But take that Canadian article, the guy said it was sportier than an ST1300. Well no shit Sherlock. See, he doesn't get it. But that price he quoted was Canadian, remember that. The biggest impression I got from those photos was how close it is in size to all the other VFRs. I know the wheel base is 3" longer, and it's like 6" longer over all, but it's basically the same size and weight only almost 2X as powerful! And with a dual clutch tranny that means no more getting banged in the back of the helmet by the other person when riding aggressively. My biggest concern with shaft-drive was that it might be obvious and the drive lash issues. This system is hidden and works. I can live with that. Also, finally it gets bigger brakes. But I know that's only because of the upped ponies. Honda never seemed to get that if you load a bike down with a bunch of weight, it needs bigger brakes to deal with it. Brake size was based on horsepower apparently.

As far you non-US folks wonder what us "yanks" are going on about, it's pretty simple. After almost a decate of being a VFR owner and on forums and such, the US is a unique market that doesn't buy any VFRs. The VFR is much more suited to the European mind set, culture, use of motorcycles, and riding culture. They VFR was the best selling bike in the UK (or was it just England) for a week a few years back. That would never, never, never, never, ever happen here in the US. The market is much less practically orientated. The '98 VFR800F beat the R1 for bike of the year in Motorcyclist magizine I think. I don't think the sale ever recovered. I don't know if you will find one US podcaster that thinks the VFR is a cool bike and worth any ones time or money. In order the the VFR to be successful here it need to be a slightly more comfortable CBR1000RR, with optional luggage and heated grips. Our press would then like it a little bit and people would buy it because it had the look of being fast. Another way of looking at is that there isn't much middle ground when it come to sprot vs touring camps here in the US. Touring folks look at the VFR as an almost comfy racebike, which is useless to them, and Sport guys look at it as a small gold wing, which they wouldn't be caught riding. Actually that's not true. They don't even know what a VFR is. And then they read an article where it was 2 secs slower than a GSX-R on a track and it becomes a joke to them. Little do they know they probably could ride a VFR 4 seconds faster around a track than they could a GSX-R because they have no skills, but that's another story. Another example is the CBR1100XX blackbird. US riders thought it was cool because it had stupid amounts of power and went really fast. They never for one second noticed that the reason it was so big was because it was comfortable as well. It was all about the speed over here. the Hyabusa is the same way, and it got the same reaction. no one noticed it might make a good GT bike. It was just about how fast it was. The VFR is aimed to replace the XX. It'll be interesting to see the reactions. But I suspect it's just not sporty enough. Basically, the VFR is built for Europeans because they are ones who buy it, and we get mad because we get given a bike we don't want.
Rant over.
Rich

 

I, too. need to see and ride it and am concerned about the likely price. I like the specs though and as many dieters know: SPEED makes weight disappear faster than anything! I know there are some really good riders on this board and a talented rider can ride anything well.

 

I love it. I couldn't believe all the hate that was and is being thrown at it after just some online pictures. I have three bikes and not one of them is perfect but I believe my 2007 VFR comes closer than any other. I think once the road testing and the praise starts coming in people will then change there minds about it. I do have one fear and that is the price, they seem to be aiming at the BMW so I assume it will be priced the same. That is to much for me, I used to laugh at the 20K for a harley, since I could get a better bike for less than half that. Now days the metrics are getting closer and closer to that price point. If it is priced right I will trade my '07 in, but I'm not very optimistic.

 

I'm thinking that if you would go back to those early days of yesteryear and take a look at the worldwide and US motorcycle press on VFR's about the same vintage as your 91, one would not have to quote George Santayana on history again.

Might you have one or two personal favorites in the motorcycle press that do know something about bikes that you could recommend?

IMO, shaft drives are obvious especially when the chain is hard to find. IMO the comment about shaft jacking is something one must really experience to comment on rather than speculate on. If indeed it was this huge problem BMW sales would have tanked from the get-go until the shaft drive was revised with the air/oil cooled twins and K bikes. Consider BMW's have been around since c 1923.. Consider too that popular lore has somehow made it fact that shaft jacking is some random occurance that happens when one least expects it. Total BS.. The we got yer Moto-Guzzis and if we look closely several other shaft driven bikes that somehow seem to not have this "problem."

...and how bout them Cheesehead Canucks? Can't trust those suckers for a minute. They buy VFRs I think just to piss us off.

 

Oh My! Just read that "scoop" report on riding the new bike. I am looking for my scoop and my tinfoil hat before the world changes before my very eyes.

I especially liked the part about second gear. I may need a thorazine.. Whew!

 

I have to say im bi-curious towards the '1200 at the moment, though i can definitely say I wont be able to afford one till the 8th gen comes out...

What is interesting is that when the BMW r1200s came out all the (old) beemer farts complained that it had gone too sporty. Same with the FZ1 update a year or two ago. Though i cant back up sales figures in any way of either of the bikes after their updates I guess my point is that there is always going to be an unhappy original fanbase element with a change of direction, but new customers.

I guess what I really wanted was a VFR1200R, not F, or T, or ST.....

 

Let the ride reports pour in!!!

BZ

 

If I was old enough to remember it I'd probably know more what you are talking about. I was 14 when the my VFR was made. People, older than I, and one or 2 article I have read from those day say pretty favorable things.

I miss Mitch Boehm. He was one of the few guys American Honda let ride their RC51 race bike when it first came out, and he got the VFR and other bikes, and knew how to review them. But that's just my personal opinion. Other than that I have no clue. The past few years I have been working on my degree and I let all of my mag subscriptions drop. I used to get Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, and Cycle World. I used to cringe when Sport rider got a VFR to test.

I'm not completely sure what shaft jack is but from reviews I have read they just could be a little abrupt on/off feeling, like a maladjusted chain. And it is dorky looking. BMWs for a long time have been dorky looking, but now they are getting cool. I have seen very few BMWs on the road in my travels around the country, and I have never seen a Moto-Guzzi on the road.

Ahh, I don't know about that. I live in Maine and most Canadians are pretty cool. Just that journalist. He made one comparison the the VFR800? I just feel it was a really poorly done review. I was really excited to read it, and now I wish I could take my "hit" away from the site. The pics were really good though. I got more info from them than I did the article.

Rich

 

+1 :thumbsup: on the fairings! Maybe some Dzus fittings, too?

 

The writer of the article just posted this:

"'Odd that the reviewer compares the VFR1200F to the K1300GT but omits mention of its real rival, the K1300S.'

The BMW K1300S is closer in specs, pricing and targeted market to the ZX-14 and Hyabusa. The VFR is aimed more at the sport-touring rider, like the bikes mentioned in the story.

Costa."

I still think he's wrong. Even the Honda rep at the Cali launch said this is more of a XX replacement . I'll find middle ground and say it's between the 2 groups mentioned.
Rich

 

Nice explanation, think the main difference here and popularity is the Sports bike riding group view the the VFR breed as an acceptable tourer keeping sports bike capability and the touring group see it as an acceptable Sports bike and not losing out much comfort over distance, the cbr1100xx also shared this space.

The new VFR1200 blending the previous VFRs inherent strengths and character with Superblackbird power appears to have nailed it. :thumbsup: