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

That is the seat cowl that I saw. I'd love to see that painted red or blue and installed on a 1200. I bet it would look great.

 

The 1200 after a Guhl flash is great, but I do like the VFR800Fi of 2000 better.
It's lighter and handles better.
However, I'm not disappointed with the 1200 after Don tinkered with it.
My problem is that Honda is targeting the wrong crowd with it.

The VFR1200 is a racer with suitcases after the flash, sure it's a bit heavy, but it kicks serious butt!
Any VFR is a racer, only Honda themselves turn them into crap.

WHY HONDA? WHY?

 

The seat cowl looks pretty cool, but until you see it on the bike, it's hard to tell how it will look. I'm wondering if it will look "too aftermarket."

 

I've seen this photo before. To make these changes practical, Honda could have reworked the fairing behind the seat, and just changed the pipe to this more standard shape. I'm not sure if the re-work of the fairing would have involved changing the attachment points? I think it would have, since the current silver piece near the back attaches quite low, and more toward the center of the bike. Only the top attachment would have been usable. Perhaps that's why a restructuring of the bodywork wasn't seen as plausible.

 

The KTM wil leave tread marks all over the VFR. And with a more intelligent throttle mgmt system.

IMHO, Yamaha is the new Honda, and Euro-bikes are leading the technology advances.

 

"And who is Honda-San?"
....sounds like a page out of Honda's version of the Bourne Supremacy!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soichiro_Honda

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics#San

That's who "Honda-San" is...

 

I agree with that. Yamaha quality, fit and finish, and overall thoughtfulness appears to be way up. I'm not sure I'd say that they aren't technology leaders like the Europeans either. The electronics on the R1M, and Yamaha's actual [Moto GP] racebike seem pretty advanced.

 

Which KTM model would that be? There's three adventure bikes now, with barely a difference in cc displacement. I was a little baffled when I saw the three models at the show.

 

Still, I cannot say that the FJR appeals to me in the same way that the VFR does. It's really so much more "tourer" than "sport." It's that instant feeling you get when you look at it. It's not bad, but I can't imagine it looks that good without the bags.

...and the Ninja 1000 leans to far the other way .... into space!! Just kidding. It's much more sport oriented. I think the VFR is a nice balance, really.

 

For the VFR, I give Honda an "A" for trying. For the Ninja 1000, what did Kawasaki actually try to do there? They borrowed the engine from somewhere, they got cheap plastics and stickers from somewhere, and they threw on some bag mounts? I can't see sport touring history looking too kindly on Kawasaki for that bike.

AND BY THE WAY....DO WE REALLY NEED ANOTHER INLINE FOUR IN ANYTHING? HASN'T THAT ENGINE CONFIGURATION BEEN BEAT TO DEATH BY NOW??

 

Hi just a few comments regarding the vfr1200. At present I have four vfrs from 1990 to the present 1200f. The 1200 is a bike I have ridden through the Highlands of Scotland and the West of Ireland with ease. No wrist problems etc. beauty is in the eye of the beholder of the design of the fairings (the way they slide on and off and the richness of the paint ooze quality. Mine is the 2012 revised model which I bought from a guy who had only done 580 miles and I saved £4000. The bike had all the cases, heated grips and centre stand. I have since changed the 31l top case to a 45l and use a dry bag rather than cases as I travel on ferries quite a bit. The bike does a true 186 miles on a tank for me and I may buy another bike but will not part with this one. It will remain with my other vfrs. The variety of comments on the forum shows the diversity of views and I am pleased that the 1200 remains on the honda uk 2015 web site as a current model. It has flaws but it's strengths over shadow the negatives greatly in my opinion. Regards to all. Jak

 

That is easy to clear up.. Honda is Honda. "San" is an honorific.

I see someone else has educated you on the word slab. I could suggest for that aftermarket cowl that it could be painted but that would be far too obvious and would require some amount of work other than typing and hitting send.. Then there is the quick fix using shelf paper or glue and pop bottle diamonds.

The Bourne Supremacy both in book and film can be enjoyed from the same recliner that most of your comments seem to come from. Kindle or Netflix streaming have both versions and with very little homework IMO, we could find regurgitations of your expertise even in far flung versions of motorcycle lore found on harleydood sites. How's that for fantasy?

 

They sure are! I don't know how to type on a laptop and ride my VFR at the same time. Do you?

....oh yeah....add four feet of snow on the ground to that....hmmm

 

Well put. Takes a Brit to put it all in perspective! Seems like far too many people care about how it looks, like it's an article of clothing or something. Well, it's not just all a fashion show, right Badbilly?

 

That is absolutely true. A bike is no different than a car. I don't know many people who just go with the first thing that comes along. They want something that they can identify with. They want something that is an extension of them self - whether it be looks or performance. It that wasn't important, we'd all be riding mopeds.

 

Well, then I guess I identify with a company that likes to experiment with new technology, and try to move the motorcycle world into the future.
This is exactly the difference between the VFR and the Ninja 1000. The Ninja 1000 is just using a bunch of existing technology. At the most, it represents the refinement of motorcycling. The VFR represents moving (or trying to move) motorcycling to a new plane. Whether they did or not, the ideas are there. And considering they put the new engine in the Crosstourer (UK), I suspect you'll see a lot more people going for this repackaged VFR. Even the frame is the same. It's just re-worked body work and different suspension for crying out loud.

 

Geez, I've been on the site since Friday, and I've hardly posted anything in the last two years. Now I'm an armchair bandit. Got ya....

 

So where are these "extensions" to be found? Tell us more.