2500km cross-country on Honda's VFR800

2500km cross-country on Honda's VFR800
May 13, 2003
By Dave Abrahams
Original Article: http://motoring.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=759&fArticleId=232290

When IOL originally reviewed the Honda VFR800 V-Tec in February 2002 our time with the test bike was limited and we concentrated on throwing Honda's big V-four at the horizon, scarcely stopping to draw breath – I didn't even take time to photograph it and we used Honda's own publicity shots for the article.

Feeling that we had possibly done Honda's technological flagship something of an injustice, when we needed a fast tourer for the 2500km trip to Phakisa and back to cover the recent SA motorcycle GP I saw it as an opportunity to get to know the VFR800 really well, out on the long, long highways of the big country we live in.

Mekor Cape Town kindly obliged with a demo VFR800 and well before dawn on a chilly Wednesday morning I threw my luggage into the back of the Killarney marshals' bakkie and set off into the sunrise, cruising at around 130km/h until we got well clear of the urban sprawl.

After the first stop at Worcester, around 130km from Cape Town, we picked up the pace a little; the weather remained bitterly cold all day and I soon discovered one of the Honda's little foibles. Like most of Soichiro's children it's over-cooled and takes longer than expected to get back up to operating temperature after even a short stop.

When the engine is cold the V-Tec mechanism won't work; whether or not this is deliberate (to protect the cold motor from being worked hard) I don't know, but it lops the top 20% off the power curve, leaving you with a very flat 781cc street bike until it has warmed up properly.

Only once was I caught out by this, when trying to overtake a long truck just after our coffee-break at Laingsburg, but it's something VFR owners should bear in mind.

Once hot to trot, the Honda's "Jekyll and Hyde" powerband returns; just under 7000rpm (152km/h in top, if you must know) the second inlet valve in each cylinder suddenly starts working, the air box lets rip with a brassy howl and the bike leaps forward, making overtaking a joy and a pleasure.

On the test bike, however, the changeover was marked by a momentary hesitation that felt almost like a misfire before the power returned in full measure. At first it was alarming; 65km from the nearest phone is not the best place for a bike to get temperamental.

Once I was convinced that the bike wasn't actually going to stop it was disconcerting - I don't watch the rev-counter when I'm cruising fast in open country and it usually caught me unawares. Although it didn't upset the chassis even in the middle of a corner it unsettled me a little. After a few hours I got used to it and eventually it became just an irritant.

Please remember, though, that this is not a purpose-built tourer; it's a sports bike capable of very long rides. In its full-tilt sporting persona the VFR's pronounced power band is an essential – and very exciting - part of the riding experience, and if you stay inside the speed limits while riding cross-country you'll never even know it's there.

Droning along the Karoo's interminable straights and swinging through the long, shallow bends, I was able to assess the Honda's credentials as a pure tourer. Firstly, the screen is too low; it directs the full force of the slip-stream straight into the rider's face and sometimes causes buffeting.

While I don't like full-dress barn door fairings, which are prone to forming a really unpleasant vortex behind the rider's head that can give taller riders a blinding headache within a couple of hours, I would have preferred a screen with a slight kick-up at the trailing edge. They're available from most aftermarket suppliers and would be a good idea if you plan to use your VFR for seriously long rides.

The seat position is close to ideal for fast cruising, leaning just forward of the vertical and balancing the rider on the wind; I found that although it is possible and quite comfortable to ride with the feet on the rear foot-pegs, this position places too much weight on the rider's hands and soon becomes cramped, proof that the Honda engineers got the ergonomics right first time.

The wide, flat seat gives you plenty of space for moving around to relieve the dreaded Numb Bum Syndrome and usually the fuel stops came up before I was forced to stop at the roadside just for a stretch and the slight high-frequency buzzing that comes through the 'bars and foot-pegs scarcely qualifies as vibration; I didn't find it at all tiring throughout the ride.



Thirsty work:

Fuel stops arrived a little more often than expected, despite the bike's generous 22-litre tank; the VFR returned an average fuel consumption of 6.8 litres/100km over the whole trip, which is the heaviest in its class – the 955cc Triumph RS, with more torque and a marginally better top end, will get 5.4 at around the same cruising speed.

SA's great plains offer the dedicated velociphile many opportunities to hang on the cables; this VFR, which was well run-in when I got it, achieved a best effort of 228km/h at 10 200rpm, just under the power peak but well short of the redline at 12 750, over the longest top-end run I've ever enjoyed.

That's exactly the same as that of the original test unit a year before.

What was perhaps more telling was that Honda's all-rounder achieved measurably better fuel efficiency on the trip up than on the return leg, when average speeds were seriously curtailed by bad weather. The latest version of the big V-four is clearly tuned to work at its most efficient when spinning freely.

The last leg of the journey to Welkom was completed in darkness on unlit roads; the Honda's four headlights provided a good spread of vision with reasonably well-defined cut-off on dipped beam. Having arrived, after a whole day spent in the saddle, I dropped my luggage at the hostel and jumped back on the bike to go out for something to eat!

For the next four days the VFR served as a commuter workhorse, taking me to the Phakisa race-track and back every day, as well as down to State Street for the country's wildest street party.

A thankful of fuel was more than enough for nearly a week's round-towning and the bike impressed by its ability to start first time, every time, despite living outdoors and getting covered in heavy dew every night.



In the wet

With the excitement of the GP over, it was time to head home. The return trip went well until we ran into a cold front just after Beaufort West, about 500km from home. For the next 200km I rode through some of the heaviest rain I've ever encountered, so much so that at one time I was forced to stop because I simply couldn't see the road.

Overtaking the inevitable trucks was even worse because of the impenetrable curtain of spray they threw up and I sat behind a slow-moving many-wheeler at about 70km/h for more than half an hour, in the process losing touch with the support vehicle.

During this waterlogged excursion, the Honda remained as surefooted as a mountain goat, without any squirming around or sudden changes of attitude; in part this is due to its chunky dry weight of 213kg, pushing the tyres through the layer of water and firmly on to the road, but also because of the chassis' superb balance.

The sports fairing gives absolutely no rain protection (it would be surprising if it did) and my hands in particular got very cold in their sodden gloves but it kept off the worst of the icy wind and made riding in sodden clothing survivable even if it wasn't fun.

I rode out from under the rain near Laingsburg, having ridden right through a strong cold front; it's amazing just how localised weather phenomena can be. As soon as I could see where I was going I picked up the pace again despite the wet road, which is a stunning tribute to the confidence I had gained in the VFR's roadholding – but it was heart-warming to find the bakkie waiting for me there, affording me a chance to grab a hot coffee and some dry(er) clothes.

The rest of the trip was something of an anti-climax after making it through the monsoon; both our ETA and the bike's overall fuel consumption were thrown way out by several hours of slow riding and it took till well after dark – plus an unplanned fuel stop – to reach Cape Town.

But when I hauled it out the next day to clean it up for the photos, the Honda started first touch on the button and it proved easier to wash and polish than most fully-faired bikes, with fewer nooks and crannys to catch unwary fingers in the well-planned and executed body panels.

And that's the overall impression I got from living with the VFR800 across the country – one of infinite attention to detail and competence demanding respect in almost everything a road bike can be called upon to do.

More than ever, Honda's techno-dazzle flagship has earned its place amongst the world's great all-rounders.

Thanks to Brandon Theron at Mekor for the loan of the demo bike. A new VFR800 costs R115 400.

Original Article: http://motoring.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=759&fArticleId=232290