Remember all those bar-riser tweaks owners tried on their VFRs? Did you really just want a bolt upright seating position with that sweet V4 purring beneath you? The VFR800X Crossrunner has been available in Europe for a few years, and it is getting significant updates for 2015. No, it isn’t coming here.
Five more horsepower from the 800cc V4 yields a claimed 106 at the crank. The “VTEC” feature remains, bringing all 16 valves into play at higher revs. The bike also gets a new swingarm and rear subframe, as well as an additional 1″ of travel for both the front and rear suspension.
New styling, lighting and adjustable ignition modes allowing reduced power for slippery conditions are also present. Let us know if Honda should offer this model in the U.S. market.
Yes, bring it to the USA. The style is awesome…looks like a smaller Ducati Multistrada, and the dash is incredible…perhaps better than the 2015 BMW lineup dash boards. It would very competitive with the new Suzuki vstrom sand Kawasaki Versys bikes.
Honda already did build me a dream VFX. I bought a 2014 VFR and it’s a huge improvement on the 2000 I have (still have for track days). Sweet, sexy and lithe but comfy. how many companies can pull that off?
Honda sells 10M+ bikes a year. People should be cheering them they take a chance and build weird stuff now and again. Shows a sense a humor unlike most expert website commenters!
Let me add I am 69 and started with an RD 350.
Do not mean to stray too far off topic, but I am inseam challenged and I struggle to find bikes that I can flat foot at a stop light. I have owned several HDs for that reason. I would love to own more modern designs but they are too top heavy for me to handle comfortably. Give me a bike with some “snap” that has a seat height of 28 inches and weighs 350 – 400 pounds and I will buy it. Until then, I am relegated to “cruisers,”
Not to impugn your riding skills, but are you, for some reason, unable to put just one foot down when you are stopping? As a former instructor, plopping both feet down is one of the most common poor riding habits made by cruiser riders. Or, maybe most of them never learned the proper technique.
Let me add. I am 65 and ride a Honda ST1100 – 700 pounds and I am not long legged.
I was about to make some kind of clever statement about the RC46 block being 16 years old and the equivalent of an old boot, but then reminded myself that the Suzuki SV650 and TL1000 blocks are still alive and kicking, along with the Ducati 2V and Triumph 1050 blocks (which are derived from the original 900). Seems like the tweaking of old tech is par for the course in the motorcycle industry. This could be considered either a good or a bad thing, I guess.
re: “Seems like the tweaking of old tech is par for the course in the motorcycle industry.”
engine’s cost money (BIG money) and this is niche business. yeah, i used to think it was old too, but then i realized, it was just another one of those engines that Honda gave us WAAAY ahead of it’s time and WAAAY before our moto-IQ’s were developed enough to even know what we had.
a V4…? geez, the fact that such a thing can even still be bought new in the austerity era of motorcycling is a minor miracle. some things for example CAN’T be bought new in any context… see entry for the GDC RC51/SP2 motor.
“WAAAY ahead of it’s time”- that’s what Honda has always been.
That’s what they used to be. Now their product tend to be a either a decade behind or in a parallel universe somewhere. Virtually nothing in between, at least not stateside.
Most Americans ride Harleys. I don’t think we are in any position to tell Honda they are a decade behind. They probably feel they need to go back more than a decade to make something that will appeal to Americans. Just look at what Polaris is doing.
Haha! True! But Honda is also going after other market segments. I know a lot of Harley riders that also have adventure bikes and / or sport bikes in their garages parked next to the Harleys. They get their Americana-flavored retro jollies from the Harley. Same can be said for a lot of other people I know that have a relatively mild / old-school type bike as bike #1. They are often looking for the complete opposite in bike #2. At least that is the case with most of the guys I know.
One thing with a bike like this is that being a four cylinder bike, power delivery is quite smooth. While it could be argued how dirt worthy many large Trailies are or how often they are put to that task, a smooth engine with exceptional fueling can make plodding along at low speed more pleasurable than a giant twin with giant power pulses.
re: “a smooth engine with exceptional fueling can make plodding along at low speed more pleasurable than a giant twin with giant power pulses.”
see, Norgey gets it.
so lets see, if this ISN’T the VFR of your dreams, then. What is? List your ten items that would make this bike “The bike of your dreams”. That, should be so easy. Tell us.
I dare you…
I’ll take that dare but you won’t like it or agree with me:
1. no beak- silly, ugly
2. no fairing- I’d rather have a lighter quick release plexi fairing of my choice with better coverage that I can remove when I like. Like when it’s hot or I’m just riding around town.
3. Panigale-style frame – less weight and you can have an attractive gas tank instead of the usual “wedge and hump” you get from the perimeter frame and you’d be better able to see the attractive engine.
4. centerstand
5. chain drive – lighter, gearing changes, no torque reaction, less lash, easier to fix on the road.
6. no digital dash – these are now considered to be a joke in the auto world, digital tachs are especially lame.
7. no VTEC
8. smallish attractive light weight aluminum luggage rack
9. hidden hard bag mounts like the R1200RT and R have
10. lower passenger footpeg mounts – my wife and I have had some great adventures together and she’s 5’8″
11. no hideous plastic taillight/licence plate mount – I’d take a chrome or stainless fender any day
12. no plastic crap on the radiator or psuedo “skid plate”
13. quality rank badging instead of decals
I’ll take a shot.
1. 900 – 1000 cc. with VFR 1200 architecture (enough power, less engine heat).
2. No vtec.
3. Low, compact exhaust.
4. Shaft drive.
5. KTM quality long-travel suspension.
6. Analogue tach, centerstand, cruise control, heated grips, ABS, TC.
7. More upright posture, handlebars, high quality seat.
8. Durable plastics / no beak.
9. The usual accessories including a top case with passenger cushion.
10.Airbag (just kidding), 530 lbs. or so with close to 6 gal. of gas.
Yes, I am willing to pay $$$. I don’t know if anyone else would want one or how many they would sell. Don’t care. I would buy one today. One of my rides is a 94 VFR which I really like but it has it’s limitations, update above ticks the boxes for me.
American Honda thinks this will not sell? I give up (on Honda)
Honda used to be the innovator, but now their whole product line, cars, bikes, are like Buicks, maybe they would sell well in China.
Lol look at the numbers, they sell well everywhere
I will never..never..NEVER…EVERRRRR…..own a bike with a beak. (except maybe a GS)…
BUT BEYOND THAT…….
Well, it’s less ugly at least.
After 124 comments, John nails it in six words.
It’s less ugly than Suzuki’s Big Bird look-alike ADV bike, that for sure.
What I see is yet another in the long line of new Honda motorcycles with a certain future of low sales, yet 10-15 years later ending up being highly desirable by the few that liked it new, but did not have the money to buy …..or…. another Honda must have for collectors of low production unit count “cult” bikes to be purchased decades later
What is it with Honda over the the last 3 decades with bikes introduced years or even decades late to a market segment…….or oddball offerings like the DN-01 that should have never made it past the concept stage.
Is there any accountability at Honda for those in marketing that cite high projected market demand for these Honda models that constantly end up as sales failures …..or Honda upper management that approved the funding?
>>>>>>
“Is Honda Building the VFR of Your Dreams” indeed sums up the low expectations many of us now have for Honda. A VFR of our dreams……can anyone define just how small this market segment is?
The real question remains……. when will …….”Honda ever build the bikes of our dreams for more than just one or a few market segments”
Honda motorcycles has lost their way…….Soichiro Honda, you are indeed missed.
I saw quite a few of the previous model during my last trip to Europe. Maybe it sells pretty well?
I agree it is pretty amazing that a company like Honda has managed to miss some pretty big boats. Retro-bike craze? Missed it. Premium adventure bike craze? In full swing here, and no offerings from Honda.
The crazy thing is that they actually have bikes that fit those niches available in other markets. I would assume they just feel that North American sales aren’t significant enough to go through the expense of importing the bikes, but then they offer up something like the NM4 that kills that theory dead.
I believe in the American market Honda has seen what all the other manufacturers have seen.. Cruisers sell, everything else sits on the showroom floor. Every once in awhile they will intro something to see if a NEW market base might be emerging, DN01, NM4, some wild looking scooter, but the American market is a tough one. Still Honda sells more motorcycles here and worldwide than any other manufacturer. They must be doing SOMETHING right.
In the rest of the world, cruisers do not sell, and they are much more receptive to new stuff.
re: “Honda has seen what all the other manufacturers have seen.. Cruisers sell, everything else sits on the showroom floor.”
BMW, KTM, Ducati, and Triumph all thank them for their support. 4 fruit baskets out of Europe have just been scheduled for pickup by DHL. destination…?
TOKYO.
re: “Honda sells more motorcycles here and worldwide than any other manufacturer.”
(SCENE)
domestic franchisees sitting in a room.
(CLAPBOARD SOUND, “ACTION” DIRECTOR YELLS OFF CAMERA)
swiftly the collective turn and look at each other with furrowed brows and quizzical faces.
Cruisers sell very well here, I agree, but Honda has some pretty interesting bikes in that segment like the F6B and the Valkyrie which will probably both be pretty low volume sellers. I have seen quite a few of the CB500Xs and NC700X’s around here which aren’t exactly stellar bikes in terms of performance. I am not sure why they they feel their big adventure bikes, which seem quite nice IMO, would not sell well here unless their marketing guys evaluated and determined that the price points they need to hit are just too close to the European stuff that they just don’t think they could get a large enough share of the pie to bother trying to take a bite.
Pretty low yes, but here in the midwest I have seen more F6 Bs running around than I have seen Diavels, Hyabusas, Zx14s..or CBR 1000s for that matter. See more Harleys than anything else, but secondly I see all the Harley Clones..VTXs, Boulevards, N omad type bikes and a slew of that 650 Yamaha V twins. After that comes the 600 sport bikes.
Never seen an FZ09, have seen 2 Indians this summer, 1 Victory Vision, couple 2 or 3 Can Am Spiders, very few ADV bikes, a few scooters…mostly cruisers.
re: “their marketing guys evaluated and determined that the price points they need to hit are just too close to the European stuff”
P45 the lot…!
if they can’t figure out that both they’re USP and competitive advantage is the fact they are the only one’s producing a V4 multi in the segment…? (not 1 but 2) then they ought not be working at Honda.
they clearly don’t know the company’s history, present, or future and they should be afforded the opportunity to put their skills to better use elsewhere.
“they clearly don’t know the company’s history, present, or future”
I honestly do feel that is the problem. They really have lost sight. And I think the problem is at the top of the pyramid, so it is unlikely they are going to go elsewhere. I love a V4, and I also think it is a great differentiator that is rare enough that it would be effective in all segments I would think.
re: “They really have lost sight. And I think the problem is at the top of the pyramid.”
yes, the cluster is definitely high atop Mt. Midoriyama. but guess what (and this is really going to bake your noodle) i don’t think they’ve lost sight, well not INTENTIONALLY anyway. i think this is actually a BY-PRODUCT of their corporate philosophy. yes, their command and control and how they think it best to manage their “intellectual capital”.
(what do you mean Norm…?)
well, what i mean is Honda are known for rotating it’s engineers/personnel throughout it’s divisions aren’t they..? the end game being the creation of well rounded individuals. another term for this might be “cross training”.
while this certainly works at meeting this specific mission, that is not say it doesn’t have it’s PITFALLS. the flipside of this coin (and every coin has one if you choose to look for it) is it creates what’s known as “Brain Drain” (see entry for the cosmic law of no free lunch). what you end up with is a bunch of “jack of all trades” with nobody a MASTER of anything.
moving a talented engineer with YEARS of experience in a specific discipline on to a different assignment within your organization, is really no different than that person QUITTING and losing their expertise to a rival company because say… you weren’t smart enough to pay him (or her) their worth.
another scenario is having someone with 20+ years reach their retirement, and nobody ever thought… gee, maybe we ought to have began head hunting a suitable replacement for this individual 5 and 10 years ago.
(hello… mcfly…!?!?)
that’s a FUKK-TON of knowledge, skill, and “historical perspective” walking out your door. reacting to this by throwing an FNG into the position is nothing more than “warm body resourcing”. i mean the guy’s USELESS relative to his predecessor isn’t he…?
if one study’s Honda Moto close enough, you can simultaneous see moments of “BRILLIANCE”…! strangely moving in lock step with moments of “WTF”…? this indicates to me, while YES you have talented people, you also have a lot of internal “dysfunction” (the D word) where the “right hand” basically knows F@#CKALL about what the “left hand” is doing…? or has DONE. Lord knows I’ve seen this movie.
(example)
what’s a young engineer fresh out of university (who’s REAL interest is designing CARS and could give a rats about motorbikes) gonna know about Honda’s V4 heritage…? yet this is the guy upper management puts in charge of say the Crossrunner and Crosstourer projects…?
sure, what he creates is technically proficient (without question), but the only thing he and his team know about the BIG PICTURE (in the context of Honda motorbikes) is what they read (past tense) in the employee manual at orientation 3 years ago…?
and God forbid should the person directly above all of them NOT have this BIG PICTURE INFO either, well little details like what their market position is end up NOT getting passed on to sales.
now a 20 year rider and 10 year veteran of 2-wheelers would certainly chime in with this info, however (comma)
Q: how can he do that when he’s been shuffled off to the states (Greensboro) to do QC on the assembly line of the HondaJet…?
A: he can’t. Elvis is no longer in the building.
re: “I saw quite a few of the previous model during my last trip to Europe. Maybe it sells pretty well?”
ladies and gentlemen, we call him… “Number 2”.
re: “I would assume they just feel that North American sales aren’t significant enough to go through the expense of importing the bikes, but then they offer up something like the NM4 that kills that theory dead.”
and the warmed over VFR, ie. the same friggin’ motorbike…! unbelievable innit…?
The general issue the motorcycle industry deals with these days…other than financial decline…is we have reached the other side of the “bell curve” and other forms of risk management….are becoming defunct sorry to say
far fewer young folk are exposed to or develop the motorcycle bug and thus we dont get the models that might appeal to us that have older more developed tastes…..
Other issues are for a huge manufacture like Honda…they must envision selling a huge amounts of units for a certain model to justify tooling up a production run in terms of costs…hence the success of smaller manufactures like KTM..Ducati..Triumph..etc….might only need to sell 10,000 units or less for profitability
I understand Honda for reaching out testing the waters here as the bike it already in other markets….
Smaller bikes are good sellers and a cross adventure bike might sell too…Especially with the Honda name on the tank
But they are just testing the waters…..
No doubt the cruisers are the core market in North America
Lose the VTEC and put a 19″ front wheel on it and then we’re getting somewhere.
I would buy it even if it cost $12K. It looks like a better, more interesting design than the too bland VFR.
re: “I would buy it even if it cost $12K.”
good, therein lies the beauty. as mentioned before, this is all recycled kit. it’s surely amortized cost (and don’t call me shirley) so could be offered at a VERY attractive price point and be a real money maker targeting the Adventure category.
Honda hasn’t had many master strokes as of late, but this one is sheer GENIUS. while I’m not too jazzed on the updates using the new VFR kit (see wheels, black anodized forks, headlight, etc as i liked the 1st version better) many might actually want the increased ride height.
everybody WINS right…? WRONG.
see, this what i mean about “Honda weirdness”. they have a product here that on paper ticks all the boxes, but then they (HONDA) go and do something to block (dare i say sabotage) the product’s success…? in this case NOT importing it to the states. (WTF)
it’s counterintuitive and frustrating. you can bet your arse this would NEVER happen on car side. NEVER in a million years. not with the cash that’s involved. not only that, a pattern of this behaviour has been established such that one can only conclude that it’s not happening accidental like…? it’s DELIBERATE.
there is someone (or someones, plural) higher up the food chain who are making these choices and they need to be removed. fire them…? relocate them to a different division…? send them off to the Russian front…? i don’t care what you do with ’em…? just get them the hell out of there…
YESTERDAY…!!!
it’s gross mismanagement.
I agree. Adventure bike mania has been in full-swing for a while now. And Honda already has the products to fill the niche here. While a (very) few people pine away about what the new VFR isn’t, there are a lot of people buying Triumphs, BMWs and Yamahas that might be buying this bike instead.
re: “there are a lot of people buying Triumphs, BMWs and Yamahas that might be buying this bike instead.”
“papered up” and pockets bulging, ironically many drive right past their local Honda dealer on their way to these other brands where they promptly leave their money behind.
why…?
’cause that little voice in their head is saying, “NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG…!!!” (police officer gestures with flashlight)
and ya know what, that little voice is right, there ISN’T anything to see here.
“many drive right past their local Honda dealer on their way to these other brands where they promptly leave their money behind”
I know. I am one of them. And the shame of it is that I would actually rather buy a Honda than a European bike. But like you said. Nothing to see… for a very long time now. The last time I stopped at a Honda dealership was to test ride the CB1100: one the greatest disappointments I’ve experienced. A great bike, but completely lacking in the type attitude a CB750 brought to the market.
I guess I am just more into the “IN YO FACE BEE-YACH” era of Honda’s history than the “nicest people” era.
The number that Triumph, Ducati and BMW call “a lot” might not be attractive enough to either take the margin hit of selling this at a competitive price out of Italy or tooling up to build elsewhere. Remember the CB1000?
The wordy story about 20 year veterans doesn’t hold water. That assumes that the replacements are untalented (they’re not) rookies (they’re not) who aren’t interested in motos (they are).
As has already been pointed out, Honda is worldwide #1 despite not trying to go head to head with boutique brands in the US. Our market is comparitively insignificant and out egos can’t handle it.
re: “That assumes that the replacements are untalented (they’re not) rookies (they’re not) who aren’t interested in motos (they are).”
oops, somebody read but didn’t comprehend.
re: “interested in motos (they are)”.
good…
that means they have at least 50% of it’s going to take for them to be successful in the niche business of motorcycling.
It’s just what I would get if it were to be sold on this side of the pond… My 2000 VFR is getting harder and harder to ride longer distances and I’ve been looking at adventure style for some time now. I just find them at 1200cc and 600 + lbs to be to much for this 5’7″ rider. Did I fail to mention how tall they are? I haven’t given up my gear driving VFR because I can’t find anything that I like better… It fits my road riding perfectly and is easy to live with on the road. Has pretty good pull down low as it is. I’d love to try a vtec model and this would probably be just the model. Longer suspension travel for the rougher road surfaces and more comfortable upright seating position… I’m all in Honda. Send me one to New England please…
I’m clueless to understand the advantage of the Production style gear driven cams. Tell me…
noise. straight cut gears emit a whine adding character. it’s same thing as ducatisti being on about dry clutches and the “knock” of Desmo.
‘I’m clueless to understand the advantage of the Production style gear driven cams. Tell me…’
1.: character (see Norm’s reply)
2.: If you ever had a first-gen SRAD or any other bike with a f*&#ed up timing chain tensioner you’d understand.
3.: V-TEC VFR’s have chain driven cams. The last one of the geared stuff is the first-gen 800 with fuel injection.
The entire Honda Corporations seems to be managed now by pompous people who disregard customer likes and dislikes at the expense of success. The Acura beak returns year after year regardless of complaints from the press and the growing number of ex-customers. The Civic continues to decay away it’s once stronghold in the marketplace instead of returning to what it’s formerly loyal base desires.
I agree with others that the fifth generation, gear driven camshaft version is the most beloved and would be popular in a modernized liter version. Slightly higher bars and lowered pegs than the fifth generation checks the ergonomic boxes. There is no need to put it on stilts and give it a beak. There is no need to add VTEC and extra clutches, just ABS and traction control. Give it about 140 HP over a wide RPM range and watch it become one of the best loved Hondas in history.
Of all the bike niches there are, I see fewer dedicated sport-touring models than anything else. I’d wager the bike featured in this article would outsell the Interceptor 4:1. I suspect it handles nearly as well on smooth pavement, better on rough pavement, has better ergos for most riders, is more comfortable for a passenger and would be cheaper to insure.
Posing isn’t the only reason adventure bikes are popular.
re: “the bike featured in this article would outsell the Interceptor 4:1”
4:0.
perceived or real, thanks to the VTEC hiccup, new Interceptor’s are deader than… well… DEAD.
who buys new, when used is ACTUALLY WHAT YOU WANT…?
http://tinyurl.com/losbq2a
I just had a quick look and sales of the Civic seem pretty darn good.http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/search/label/Compact%20Car%20Sales?max-results=5
Did you miss the first sentence of your link? Sales plunged 14% since last year.
No I didn’t miss that but so did others. Some up and comers really took a dive. My point is that I have read people touting Honda’s fall, or even death, but the numbers don’t support those well-wishes.
I’m not all ga-ga about Honda’s current product lines but I happen to own several Hondas currently and a number over the years. I don’t run the company so can’t say what future plans lay ahead but while some of their more current products haven’t found as broad appeal as they would have liked they as a company are doing well.
a) I don’t see anyone in the press calling this an “adventure” bike so I’m not really getting all the butthurt posts about the press “pushing” adventure bikes.
b) Fantastic motor, comfortable riding position, a bit more suspension travel, Honda build quality… what’s not to like?
I see this as a nice replacement for my high mileage Multistrada, except with a better motor and lower cost of ownership
U lost me at fantastic motor.
You’ve never owned a V4 Honda, have you? It’s the smoothest sweetest engine in motorcycling.
I needs about fifty more horsepower and some electronic Ohlins suspension before I’ll give up my Multi.
My Multistada was my favorite bike of all time. However, I would probably rather ride this if it meant $5k stayed in my checking account.
Only the market will dictate if we need another big trailie….I suspect we wont see it here
On the subject of VTEC….its not the right terminology..they are in effect only closing off one intake valve via changing inverted tappet oil pressure and allow it to override the cam lobe so you have in essence a two valve motor and its associated strength in intake signal ie throttle response….and the full compliment of valves chimes in at 7 or 8000 revs…….its a single step not variable
Ive ridden a few ..its a nice motor but I really dont notice the step at all…..maybe thats a good thing…..could be when your on the boil your over 7 grand already?
I think the mags embellished the feature and perceived the abruptness from looking at the dyno chart…which does look like quite a step to be fair
Bigger was the change when they sanitized the motor away from the 360 crank which I loved and the gear drive cams as well…..but the whole VFR took a sport/touring direction by then
Expensive motors to make…..two of everything and tricky to package as well
curious if Honda will commit to more V4’s for pure sportbikes in the future……unless its for homologation I suspect they wont due to expense
Um it IS VTEC, just first-gen version of the technology essentially – no matter how they say it’s “improved” or whatnot.
My take is the media take on it is you now can’t feel the step, but once the bike is gone and they talk about it past-tense, it will be pointed out how bad it still was.
“My take on it is”, is so true. So few have actually ridden the bike, or any version of the VTEC, that all everyone wants to talk about it how bad it is, when they have never experienced it, ever. Now if the article was about some 2 stroke with a hit, in its midrange, all the little wannabees would fall over themselves claiming how cool it is. But, someone, somewhere, didn’t like it, and now that VTEC equipped engine is forever deemed evil. And all the little sheeples fall into line, with hate for something they have never ridden, ‘oh so smart in their little world of know it all, and post their warnings of doom. So sad.
I tought the problem with the VTEC were being exagerated.
But doing a search of the of a dyno run confirm the sudden spike, I guess I’ll not be nice if that happens in the middle of a bumpy close curve…..
Guess Honda did a gazzillinon of the engines and now they are fitting them everywhere….
TimC
Valve timing electronic control…..VTEC was developed on Honda automobiles and used three different cam lobes and rocker arms per valve…. each cam lobe offering a separate valve timing event…..at three separate RRM junctures….variable yes
Using the VTEC moniker for the VFR800 is pretentiously incorrect as it does not offer any valve timing event change at all… at any RPM……its only switching to 2 valves to 4 valves to optimize intake signal at low rpm….there is no variable timing or duration event
“Trailie?” As in “Trailbike?” Or “Adventure tourer?”
No, sorry. No more off-road worthy than a Buick.
Check out the cost of a valve adjustment.
curious (assuming it IS a problem) has any enterprising individual looked into what it would take to simply DEACTIVATE the pseudo VTEC from these engines.
simple affair…? million dollar top end makeover (think when HRC went pneumatic)…? or something in between…?
since it’s not a genuine VVT system, how hard could it be to “undo” what they have “done”…?
I recall reading years ago when I was considering buying a VFR that you can feed 12v to the solenoid that activates the two other valves to have it run 4-valve all the time. However, the owner experimenting with it said that the intake and combustion chamber must really be designed for two valve operation at lower RPMs as fueling and timing changes abound could not make the bike run well below 6000 rpms. He gave up trying to make it work and just ran the VTEC.
I’ve ridden an ’06 and found the transition no more abrupt that a sporty bike getting on the cam sometimes and couldn’t tell at all other times. Maybe the prior years had the hiccup problem? Regardless, it certainly does seem like technology for technology’s sake in the case of pseudo-VTEC and does add considerable time / money to a valve check and adjustment, and the engine felt exactly like what I would expect a a mildly sporty 800cc to feel like.
Since Honda didn’t bring this bike to the US originally I bought a Tiger 800XC and have never looked back. Honda needs to take a look at what the US market really wants.
The american market as a whole? There are barely 2 people on this board that agree to what the right combo of features of any bike should be. How can they possibly make thousands of customers happy. They take their shot..some are happy, some are not.
That comment makes sense, and sums up pretty much all the criticism nit-picking the VTEC, chain cam drive, beak, etc. good call mickey.
Doubt it since they wont bring out the Transalp, I really doubt they would bring this stateside
Sure they should bring it. The market is right for it now. It should be a far more entertaining bike than the current NC670X twin they’ve given us. Don’t think VVT is the best choice for this bike though. That engine, beautiful though it is in the VFR, just maybe too smooth, refined, and unnoticeable to conjure up the proper ‘rugged’ adventurer mindset during the morning commute. Bevel gear would sound and feel better in this bike. That said, I like it.
I’ve heard that the Triumph Tiger 800 is more or less the same bike with a great triple engine and no VTEC. That being said, I like this bike. I’m not a huge fan of the VTEC motor because I feel it lacks character. It felt more like an inline on my test rides. The new Valkyrie impressed me much more motor wise. Now THAT is a motor. Smooth and powerful. – I like the looks of this bike. It’s a Honda. I would enjoy riding it. It looks comfortable. – Here in the U.S. we are still not buying bikes enough to meet real demand. I almost never see anyone commuting to and from Boston, just masses of cars. Seems like the Honda CBR500s are selling well.
Nice but like most bikes today I can’t tell one from another without a brochure in hand. I wonder if you de-badged and painted them all the same color if most of us could tell one brand from another. Doubt it. Maybe by beak length.
Ichiban needs to build the ultimate ADV bike.
I would just like to find any VFR 800 or 1200 that I cold test ride at any Honda dealer in my area, let alone wish for European models making it to these shores. Honda dealers in the Pgh. area leave a lot to be desired. Had Hondas for years but replace my ST 1100 with an R1200 RT as I could not find or test ride an ST 1300 in the area at the time so will probably replace RT with something other than a Honda. No test ride, no purchase!
I test rode both. The 1200 has bars that are too far from the rider and too low at the same time so my hands got cramped quickly. The 800 was nice but with too much very noisy wind blast right on my windscreen and it felt like it had flat spots in the power unlike my old 96 VFR 750.
This is a bike I’d have to see in person to judge it further. I’m not in the market currently but this is interesting. Maybe take that wanted European vacation I’ve been thinking about? 🙂
Do it MG… Riding in Europe is awesome..awesome scenery, awesome roads, awesome motorcycles. If Europe was located where Canada is, I would go there at least once a month to ride. Unfortunately it costs big bucks to enjoy the European experience even once in your life.( but worth it)
re: “it costs big bucks to enjoy the European experience even once in your life.”
have a “valuing mentality” and spend it on the things you enjoy…? or spend it on your casket…? there is no 3rd option. that’s my mantra.
“I ain’t here for a long time, I’m here for a good time” – George Strait
That’s it, the heck with the casket, I’m ordering that new Fox Creek leather jacket this afternoon?
And I did! Thanks for the kick Norm, been wanting to do that for a long time. Shipping today woohoo!
Go on, treat yourself.
You never heard of Vanson – or you didn’t have 10 years to break it in?
Well, I’m European. The Austrian and Slowenian Alps are about 4 hours drive from where I live.
I own 6 bikes, one of them is a mint ’92 VFR750F to stay on the subject.
Am I lucky then? 🙂
Anyone who lives 4 hours from the Alps and has six bikes is lucky. You bastard. 🙂
That beak is not nearly big enough
Reading the comments so far, I wonder if those that seem hate the VTEC, have ever ridden the bike? My old RG500 had a kick mid range, and I loved it. My ’08 VFR800 seems to only change its intake noise about 7k, and one can hardly sense the power change, with earplugs I have to watch the tack to know when I should look for the “deadly powersurge”, so many are afraid of. Then, so often, that same person is eager to proclaim how heavy, overweight bikes are so ungainly? I can only see that they are spec sheet buyers, and have no clue as to what really makes a good bike, and doubt they have much experience with motorcycles in general. Children.
There is nothing wrong with variable valve timing. It has been done very well in many car engines. But it does not seem to be executed with the VFR.
Joe,nice point until you got to the name calling. Since you have one, what’s the payoff for the complexity? I certainly understand variable valve timing in a car if your seeking high mpg, but in a 800cc motorcycle I don’t get it. Does your bike get unusually high mpg for it’s engine size? Mpg isn’t a factor for me when I buy a bike. If not MPG, what’s the benefit for the complexity?
I’ve ridden my friend’s non-VTEC 97 VFR750 and it seems like a great engine. If I remember correctly the V4 layout was Soichiro’s favorite.
VTEC is not solely a mpg booster, in fact there are engines that get great mileage without variable valve timing. What its main intent is though is to broaden the effective power band of an engine. Valve lift and timing for lower rpm and those for higher rpm. It helps high output engines retain some better power characteristics down low where they may have fallen on their face otherwise.
That’s odd, I don’t remember my friend’s VFR750 as having torque issues but I haven’t taken it for long rides because of the riding position and I haven’t ridden the VTEC 800 for comparison either. It seems like one of those Honda “it’s there because we can” sales features that adds complexity, weight, and price without much benefit.
Not only is VTEC not an mpg booster with the VFR, it also does nothing to improve the low-rpm powerband. VTEC VFRs achieve no greater fuel mileage or low-end power/torque than non-VTEC VFRs. The first generation VTECs were actually a bit annoying to ride due to the VTEC kicking in too abruptly. No, it wasn’t on the order of the v-boost of a V-Max kicking in mid-corner, but it was definitely there, and it certainly wasn’t a good thing. More importantly, it served no beneficial purpose. When all sixteen valves kicked in all you had was a return to the same power as the non-VTEC motor, minus the signature sound and feel of the gear-driven cams. Honda touted VTEC as a means of achieving greater power down low, as if the motor running on only eight valves was suddenly akin to a v-twin, but it never worked out that way on the road, much less on any dyno. Instead, all it achieved was a relatively flaccid low-end followed by a somewhat irksome transition to eight-valve operation, with no increase in power anywhere vs the non-VTEC motor.
The bottom line is no one ever preferred the VTEC version. Absolutely no one. It was an inexplicable answer to a question no VFR rider ever asked.
To Joe B’s point, I wonder whether he’s guilty of his own accusation. Specifically, has he ever ridden a non-VTEC VFR? Making my living throughout the 2000s as a Honda dealer and having owned two non-VTEC VFRs, I’ve ridden both versions extensively. Along with virtually every motojournalist and every person on every VFR forum, I greatly preferred the non-VTEC while fairly loathing what Honda did to the bike beginning in 2002. Ever since then, fans of the VFR have been screaming the same basic message; a message which Honda has steadfastly ignored: “Dump the VTEC, bring back the gear-driven cams, and give the thing class-competitve power!” Most people seem to want a bump to 1000ccs, but in the same basic package as the ’98-2001 model, as opposed to the overly large, complex, and expensive VFR1200.
Why Honda chose one of their two most iconic, beloved models (along with the Gold Wing) to force-feed us needless technology such as VTEC and automatic transmissions is beyond me. All I know is that in doing so, and in steadfastly refusing to listen to their loyal customer base, they essentially killed the VFR. It went from being the BMW 3 Series of motorcycling, a perennial Top Ten Best award winner, to an also-ran and, shortly thereafter, to an early grave. Now they’re trying to resurrect it using the same wrong formula, to a decidedly lukewarm reception. The bike remains too expensive, too complex, and too overmatched for its own good. Like the VFR1200, it’s destined to gather dust on Honda showrooms everywhere.
This isn’t rocket science here. Listen to your buyers, Honda. Where the VFR is concerned, they speak as one voice.
Would be interesting to hear the “official” word as to why VTEC was used on this bike. It’s not the same system as used on cars of course but I’d find it interesting, from and engineering aspect, why Honda chose this over standard valve actuation. A marketing ploy? Perhaps, but Honda hasn’t seen fit to employ something on other models? Testing the waters? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Honda’s perspective.
MGNorge, it was always all about emissions, as are most of those types of technologies when applied to motorcycles. Rarely is it truly about performance.
But as emissions are a universal issue and saying this “VTEC” was developed for that reason alone wouldn’t we most likely see it in other motors also?
spec sheet buyers, or children?
I rode old and new (rode not owned), VTEC isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just unnecessary complexity. A less stressed, larger engine, would get the same mileage, same or better torque, and be easier to maintain. I would rather see gear drive cams come back in trade for VTEC. I don’t have a good local Honda dealer nearby, I might as well have Ducati, MV, MG as I’m gonna have to be my own island anyway. I already have too many bikes, I’m not gonna add or delete for this one. I DO wanna ride one though. Might regret the ride rather than own as I did with the old 800. You wait/hope the next model comes closer to your ideal than the current.
I like it…
Don’t understand who this bike’s trying to be. A bike that tries to fill too many niches isn’t going to be great at any of them. No, not for me, thanks.
It’s a comfortable sportbike. What we used to call a “standard” back in the 70s and 80s. These ones perform heaps better than they did back in the day. It is great to see riders finally realize that you don’t need chiropractor coupons to enjoy riding a motorcycle.
sitting on a VFR is NOT like a standard.
The VFR has wanna-be sportbike ergos = fail
There is no try…just do
Honda should bring that ugly sumbeach here. They’ll probably sell 5 or 6 of ’em.
What is wrong with Honda these days? They seem to have abandoned innovation and are focused on regurgitating the same old stuff disguised at something new. The now almost ancient VFR 800 engine is past it’s used by date. 5 extra hp? Yeh right. It is still way down on power compared to modern similarly sized engines – 675 triples from Triumph and MV and Ducati 821cc v-twin for example. No, we don’t want another regurgitated iteration of the existing bike. All we ever wanted was an up-to-date new model VFR, not the overweight and ugly VFR1200 but a slightly lighter version of the old VFR, perhaps 1000cc with respectable power and modern design. It’s pretty obvious really!
In Australia they’ve even regurgitated a “new” version of the old VFR800. See http://www.mcnews.com.au/honda-vfr800f-updated-for-2014/
Comment on that web page sums it up best with; “Same bike under new skin – This is marketing speak for “we can’t afford to develop real new VFR because the 1200 sucks and nobody is buying it, so we’ll re-skin the old engine with some new electrical doo-dads”. It’s great that they finally added ABS and TCS to the bike, but it’s basically a VFR800X motor and tune. And the “listening to the owners” bit is garbage. If they were ACTUALLY listening, they would know that all anybody wanted as a 1000cc VFR with a 180 degree crank. Instead they gave us the VFR1200 with bizarre styling and a boring motor, which – surprise, surprise – nobody bought. And now they’re in a financial hole, trying to dig out by keeping the old bike but making it look like a new bike.
Currently owning both ’08 VFR800, and ’12 VFR1200, (and others) its easy to see you have no clue as to what you are talking about.
It’s your right to like luxurious paint on porky and bland motorcycles… that does not mean others don’t know what a good, fun bike is… 😉
maybe not everyone is looking for just “good & fun”. Maybe they want more. The VFR1200 was heavily criticized when it came out, because it wasn’t a Marquez replica. What it is, is more like a V65 Sabre, with modern upgrades. If 150 hp isn’t good or fun enough for you, what do your ride now?
I tend to equate fun with low weight and engine character, two things that Honda clearly does not strive for.
I have had plenty of big HP bikes (ZZR 1100 Ninja, CBR 1100 XX, R1, GSX-R 1000… and I still have an RC8R for the track), so it’s not like I do not know that it also provides its own kind of fun. But for the road riding I love, twisties, give me light and fun everyday!
I ride KTMs now, because they provide me with what I look for in a motorcycle. My main bike is an SMT 990, but if I am gonna ride locally, I tend to take my little Duke 390. It’s just a hoot on the little mountain roads. I might upgrade to a Duke 690 since it’s almost the same weight (10 kg difference only) but has 25 more hp.
Yes, the VFR1200 that “sucks and nobody is buying” is actually quite a good bike. Sales figures don’t always relate to the virtues that a product holds. If they did it sure would make buying decisions easy wouldn’t it? You could just see what what’s trending and plunk your money down and hope for the best. Nice.
You might check Honda’s financials again. While they went conservative during the long downturn it is just that which helps them spring back.
If Aprilias Tuono 1000 cc v4 can put out around 155 hp (at the back wheel) the VFR 800 should be getting around 0.8 x 155 = 124hp. 106hp at the crank these days is a pretty lame effort!
Two completely different goals, those two bikes. Peak HP was never the VFR engine’s purpose. Broad, easy to use power is and the bike has been legendary for it.
The Aprilia also apprantly gets fewer than 30mpg out of a one-liter engine moving a sub 500lb vehicle. It’s all about priorities.
re: “Tuono 1000 cc v4”
21st century race motor.
re: “the VFR 800”
20th century race motor.
zing
I think it performs pretty well to other comparable engines with similar missions. The Yamaha triple may be top gun in the category in no small part due to few extra cc’s, but the Honda V4 measures up well against the Ducati, Triumph and BMW mills of similar displacement.
Peak HP is just one number, and it’s not very meaningful if you want to understand how much power a bike makes. You have to look at how much power a bike makes across the entire rev range. Sure, you could get the VFR to make 124 HP, but that would be at the expense of losing lots of power at low revs (where you actually want it on the street). Having little power at low revs sort of makes some sense for a track-oriented bike, but makes no sense at all for a sport tourer.
Put that engine in a ctx style cruiser and it will be the new magnum. I just want my feet to touch the ground again.
Nice bike but would rather have a 450 or 500cc dirt version dual sport that you could actually take off road.
Bring it, planning on a new bike next March, this would be it if available
Sure, bring it on over! Please leave the goofy “styling” and the VTEC in Europe though. Of the two, I could live with the VTEC but not the styling.If this is an “adventure” bike then so is my 82 CB900F which I was recently riding two-up on fire roads to Max Patch,NC and back. It has no beak so that was probably foolish. That engine with long travel suspension, good ergos,good two-up seat and good brakes with non-polarizing styling would be awesome.
I don’t understand why there isn’t a worldwide emissions standard by now.
yes, they should. . .
If they brought it to the U.S.A, at a reasonable price point < 10k and offered accessories again at a reasonable price I for sure would be interested,
Re: “Remember all those bar-riser tweaks owners tried on their VFRs?”
I do.
re: “Did you really just want a bolt upright seating position with that sweet V4 purring beneath you?”
I did.
re: “The VFR800X Crossrunner has been available in Europe for a few years”
Don’t remind me.
Bolt upright, no, I didn’t want that, but I did add Heli-bars for a more upright position, and I was glad I did.
This seems like the perfect time to bring up the FJR-09!!!
No VTEC complexities
No Tallish Suspension – who are they kidding, most of us are not going off road.
No Beak
SPORT-touring styling
Yamaha Triple
No beak- no deal.
Not a fan of beaks, but I’d probably put one in the stable if they sent them over.
Agree about the whole ‘beak’ thing that seems to define an ‘adventure’ bike. Just a silly styling cue.
That said, I’d take one if made available. Love the V-4!
Why does Honda and even some of the moto-press continue to tout the VFR’s VTEC as something a rider should actually value? It’s an emissions work-around—nothing more, nothing less. It adds zero performance, and all Honda’s attempts at smoothing its delivery would easily be remedied simply by ditching it completely. The previous generation 1998-2001 version of that same V4 was universally praised, and no one ever requested a sudden hit of power that really isn’t; it’s just the restoration of power back to its original level. Before the VTEC cuts in, the motor makes less power than it should. Check out any of a million dyno runs. The VTEC accomplishes nothing a rider would ever want, while the previous motor was an absolute jewel of smooth, linear rideability.
And give us back our gear-driven cams! Minus that signature tone/feel, these later iterations scarcely deserve to sport the ‘VFR’ badge.
Now, my dream VFR? 1000cc’s, boasting 125 rwhp and 75 lbs of linear torque; gear-driven cams; higher, closer bars; no more than 500 lbs fully fueled; standard hard bags, ABS, centerstand, gear-position indicator, ambient temps gauge, and heated grips; a pricetag not to exceed @13,499. Basically, a much better-looking Honda V4 version of the Ninja 1000.
I’ve got that…it’s called Triumph 1050 ST.
Not quite, but fairly close, yep.
“Gear indicator”, yep that’s what it really needs. Dumb.
Love the gear indicator on my CB 1100 and on the BMW R1200R I rented in Europe, and on my 75 Suzuki GT750 back in 75. I think it’s a nice feature. rather have it than self canceling turn signals or heated grips personally, but rather have all 3 plus cruise control.
joe b, what’s the downside of having a gear-position indicator? It’s a simple, cheap, innocuous addition to an electronic display.
I would purchase this dream VFR ASAP
I had a ’99 VFR that I loved for an hour or two a day. Not a big fan of adventure styling but I like this. Just slap on some hard bags!
Honda USA ought to wise up and import this bike. I had a 1999 VFR 800 that I loved… for about 2 hours. Heli bars and a Corbin seat helped but the knee bend was unfixable. This bike looks like the answer, IF they have fixed the VTEC Surge. It doesn’t look like a Metrosexual Magnet either, like a lot of recent Honda offerings.
It’s the SAME knee bend. They simply put a new top front on the same VFR!
Doesn’t look like it, by comparing photos the pegs are about 30-40mm lower – and about the same further forward…
I like the rest of the country (?), want a 1000 plus or minus, no VTEC, no linked brakes (I know, done already), hard bags. I also like the underseat exhaust, but I’m probably in the minority. I’m looking for an 01(pre VTEC) or earlier 800 that is low miles. One will show up someday, before Honda makes a VFR like it’s old one that I rode and should’ve bought.
NICE BIKE! Ok the beak is kinda hokey, but a shaft driven, beakless bike like that for the 5′ 10 and under crowd. With factory bags would be awesome.
nice bike,but Hondas prices keep me away.Take a lesson from Yamaha and make it affordable to the average person.
re: “Hondas prices keep me away”
for everybody else, it’s those bodies of water called…
THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ATLANTIC OCEANS.
No, they’re not building the VFR of my dreams for Europe or anyplace else. I don’t dream of beaks, and I don’t have pretensions of circling the globe in a dopey Aerostich suit. I’m sick to death of “adventure” bikes, especially Honda’s concept of adventure bikes. I’ll give them credit though, they’ve managed to make their offerings in this segment far more tepid than those of any other manufacturer, and that’s no simple feat.
The VFR I want is reasonably priced, 1000cc, and has no half-baked, VTEC-like gimmicks. Imagine the current VFR, sans VTEC, with more power and torque everywhere. Like a Ninja 1000, but much VFR-ier. And give it a kick-ass red white and blue paint job like the VFR’s of old (or the 2006 anniversary VFR for that matter). That’s what I want, but I know they’ll never give it to me.
“That’s what I want, but I know they’ll never give it to me.”
You lost them at “reasonably priced”. They know you mean “cheap!” 🙂
Agree 100%! No one is going off road on these things just stop it. Honda don’t give us a VFR 800 that weights more than the already heavy for its size Ninja 1000 and give it MUCH LESS HP!? What I want is a SPORT tourer with Supersport components, comfortable ergs, and some nice detachable bags. The Ninja 1000 gets the closest but still much heavier than the Supersport but Im still probably going to buy one when they make a grown up color. I don’t like the neon green or blue.
:applause!:
I, also, have HAD IT with the ADV craze pushed by all the moto journos. I am sick to death of stupid-high seat heights caused by the stupid overextended street-tuned suspensions and the stupid-high COG that this creates (because we all know that most ADV bikes trip over themselves once in real dirt); the a$$inine 19 & 21-inch “semi-offroad” front tires that limit on-street feel and traction; the ugly beak fairings that also offer limited protection versus standard designs (and don’t say otherwise, as this is why “hand guards” on ADV bikes exist – do sporttourers have hand guards??!); the boxy and clumsy luggage; the dirt pretensions that can’t meet up with the reality of their curb weights, etc. etc. etc.
I hope the industry (and moto journos) choke on all this ADV cr#p that they are pushing down our throats.
Tell us what you really think. 😉
I figure if you don’t like adventure bikes, don’t buy one. The fact remains that there are a ton of buyers for this type of bike and the manufacturers know it. I don’t know how ‘typical’ I am but I started on a dirt bike, progressed to road racing and later sport touring. A need to retain my license, along with many friends that have adventure bikes have caused me to stick my toe in the AdvTour pool. With an older VStrom 1000, I have taken my wife to places the bike shouldn’t probably be. Still trying to impress the girl of my dreams I ‘spose ;-). In any event, I haven’t seen the ultimate adventure tour bike yet. I would love to see a low – mid 400 lb. bike with 100+ HP, Ohlins top drawer suspension – long travel and fully adjustable. radial mounted 4 piston calipers, and available accessories to go from Jekyl to Hyde when required.
btw, this blog’s obsession AGAINST ‘the beak’ makes my face laugh. Ride through mud with high clay content with your low-mount fender and the beak starts to look pretty good. When you’re riding the bike… having fun, you can’t even see the fender. /practicality.n.functionality.off
“Ride through mud with high clay content with your low-mount fender and the beak starts to look pretty good.”
Except nearly all the beak bikes also have a low-mount fender. At least you can take them off, I suppose.
re: “In any event, I haven’t seen the ultimate adventure tour bike yet.”
no worries, just surf the Honda UK site.
http://tinyurl.com/pv2mbb4
it’s known as the Highlander T. it’s a V4 and pretty much the M.O.A.B…
ie. Mother Of (all) Adventure Bikes.
that’s effectively the ultimate A.B.
the only way I can see that being beated is if BMW took the 6 inline and decided to put in in the chassis and suspensions of the 1200 GS….
but with higher suspensions please, I have a statement to do!
re: “if BMW took the 6 inline and decided to put in in the chassis and suspensions of the 1200 GS”
YIKES…!!! LOL
well that’s just nonsense…
The Boss Hoss V8 would obviously be better – unless of course they could make one with the V-10 from the Dodge Tomohawk!!!!
#hyperbole
Don’t forget to add lightness if you want an ADV Bike
i have done that on an older vstrom 1000 thru the everglades in Floria, comfortable ride there and back, and a definite adventure off the road….still for 3500 bucks, who can argue
hmm its not just this blog, people either love or hate the beak. it does nothing and looks stupid. but designers seem to think it says adventure bike. if i was at all into the class, id buy an 1290 Adventure just in spite!
Haha. Some strong feelings there! I like adventure bikes. Always have, always will. I ride mine to Starbucks… before the long interstate ride… that leads to some super twisty roads… that take me to the ohv trails… that take me miles from pavement and civilization. Two-up or solo. Loaded down, or elemental.
There are other bike genres better suited for each of those tasks, but none better suited for all of them.
well said …
I would just like it if the major manufacturers would offer a decent street-oriented bike with ergos that fit tall folks. Current designs are fine if you are slightly under 6′ but if you are over 6′ don’t want to get cramped up on a day-long ride then the dual-sports frames are (currently) the only game in town. The real game changer would be to have adjustable ergos that fit EVERYONE well. Every auto and truck seems to have figured this out. Even bicycle manufacturers have it nailed down.
I, on the other hand, will likely not own a non “adv” bike ever again. When I bought my first Honda Transalp, it was an absolute epiphany. All previous bikes were cramped torture devices by comparison. If I were short I would possibly feel like “adv” bikes were just a fad, but I am not. To me, they are the only bikes apparently designed for taller people. and yes, I ride my vstrom down dirt roads, easy trails and , when the ground is dry, some more difficult trails
re: “I’ll give them credit though, they’ve managed to…”
…keep this and the Crosstourer out the showrooms of every franchisee in NORTH AMERICA.
the vfr800 engine… the engine that keeps giving…..
Release the krakens of gear driven cams comments….. (not sure in who’s voice)
re: “not sure in who’s voice” (?)
A: Albus Dumbledore.
I wish this bike came to the USA. Before my two V-Stroms I had a VFR 800. Even with Heli bars and a Sargent seat it was less comfy after 3 hours than a stock V-Strom partly due to knee bend. I’d like to see Honda offer this 800 adventure bike. Let’s face it even on the street adventure bikes absorb pot holes, offer a cushy ride, and comfy ergos for all day comfort. Dirt roads are lots of fun. But why not offer USD forks?
any bike will deal with a pot hole, in my 30+ years of riding ive never said, “oh my god a pot hole, wish i had better suspension!!!” (that said even with my 525 and LC4, i never aimed for them…) and any bike will deal with a dirt road, TKCs transform any motorcycle and make it more fun. i cant blame the motor companies for creating a niche and pummeling us with it, but its over rated, highly!
Never ridden a Harley Sportster have you? Or most any Harley with two inches of suspension. You tend to avoid anything but perfectly flat surfaces..avoid pot holes, speed bumps, curbs, dead squirrels in the road
sure but i dont even think about them as they have gone out of the way to make suspension as limited as possible! even they would survive a pothole though
1st off sorry stratkat, went to hit reply and fat fingers hit report post ( too dang close together) and your post disappeared,
I’ve owned a 1986 VF500, a 1986 VFR750, a 1990 VFR750, and a 1999 VFR800, and I really loved Honda’s V4 motor. When I turned 55, I migrated toward the adventure touring bikes for the more upright riding position. It’s been a disappointment that Honda didn’t bring the VFR800X Crossrunner stateside. I love the new VFR800, but now that I’m 65, it’s out of the question even with the less cramped ergonomics.
If Honda could see their way clear to bring the Crossrunner to the US, I’d be one of the first in line. I do wish they’d go back to the gear driven cams. What a great sound!
please bring this bike to california ~!