(My) VFR1200F

Although I read somewhere that the additional half a litre is a bit misleading. Allegedly Honda also increased the size of the fuel pump which sits within the tank at the same time. Which eats up most of the additional half litre capacity meaning the additional fuel in the tank between the earlier and later bikes is negligible.

And I read it on the internet so it must be true!

Had a bit of a play around with the suspension settings again today whilst looking at a 1050XT and 1290 SA.

Annoyingly got it to a point where it steers much better but the roads around Sussex were so fking awful you get punished by the bumps.

Nitron Shock and K Tech fork internals for reference.

Yeah I'm no suspension wizard but have a vague understanding of what to set it to. They really were something else. Lots of cones stuck into absolutely enormous craters.

It wasn't bad by any means - vastly better than the OEM V Strom suspension I test rode - I just couldn't get the nice medium that enabled brilliant cornering but absorbing the worst bumps.

Just could have done with more adjustability, I think this is the issue. When I was slower and pushing myself less I didn't appreciate the adjustability range of the different shocks. Now I could tell it needed more rebound but less compression at times - something I can't do on the R1 shock or OEM fork adjusters.

Have to say this is the only bike I will genuinely be sad to see go. I think it's been the most reliable vehicle I or anyone else I've known have owned. Not once has it EVER failed to start or get me home (1 punctured rear tyre as an exceptipon). Oh, how I wish they had made an updated Crosstourer.....

Pretty much instantly.

The leant forward but slightly up position (from the Helibars) like a contorted bench press absolutely kills the middle of my back after multiple 150+ mile days. It's to the point of taking Ibuprofen at each stop and still taking it for some days after. It's the position rather than muscle issue as I do work out and am pretty strong. I don't get any pain on my CBF500. Also, due to the poorly healed boxers fracture in my right knuckle holding a constant throttle is also murder on my hand.

Also, I overcooked it once or twice on a tour last year in a corner (pushing myself a bit too much when overtired/cold) and it scared me quite a bit. I avoided an off but could feel the brakes having a terrible time of it and dragging me well into the other lane. As a result I want that added safety blanket of cornering ABS/IMU. I know you're not supposed to rely on it but it makes me feel a lot better knowing it's giving me a bit of an edge if needed.

I'd always adamantly been against an ADV styled bike but the test ride the other day made me realise how much easier it was to ride overall and how much more comfortable it was for me. Bit depressing that I'll never be able to justify a Superbike to myself and realistically, I'm not a fast rider. The old 500 makes up for half my riding miles and doesn't feel lacking until 90+(I've kept up with much bigger bikes on longer runs and really enjoy thrashing the hell out of it with a chance of keeping my licence), and 106hp really isn't bad (and almost twice that of the 500).

The VFR has been my favourite ever bike and the best Sports Tourer I've owned but it's just not for me anymore.

I do…

The bolts were seized which made getting the old hugger a right old pain in the backside.

A pretty cool overnight micro tour was enjoyed on Friday, one that had been planned since October — a tour of Ariel motors — perhaps you recall my February sojourn to reccy the destination; starting nice and early at 7am, panniers loaded and pre-load jack up five clicks, accordingly, as due to a shift in plans, I needed to leave Somerset early on Saturday in order to fly to Bilbao at 9.20am from Gatwick…



in Farnham, we took a route composed of almost entirely back roads to get to Yeovil. It was like being back in time, so nice travelling through the countryside and on roads with an absence of punitive monitoring tech, that makes motoring so cumbersome on today’s major roads.



as you’d expect on a ride with a small like minded crew of bikers, there were some giggles on the way, beginning with the ‘King’s Somborne Ford’



into which the ride leader on a GS gallantly waded, only for the wading to become submerging as we looked on in astonishment as to how deep it was possible to go… myself on the VFR and another on a new-to-him XR weren’t having any of it, but number four on his ‘adventure’ spec GS dived in like a tramp on chips. They made it! Us two remaining landlubbers meandered round and found them outside a rather grandiose church (not depicted in these images but you can google it if truly curious).



Following that, we stopped for a short break in Fordingbridge — the local bakery had just popped some cheese and bacon turnovers out of the oven, so we swiped the lot and munched happily whilst giggling at the boating expedition.

On we proceeded, admiring our leaders ability to locate the goat tracks on any landmass — much as he did back in France for our absolutely sodden and knackering (but enjoyable!) ride down to Aigle in Normandy, back in 2022. One highlight was [utl]zig zag hill|https://maps.app.goo.gl/gMFVbx59AhqRi5rr8?g_st=ic [/url] , which we approached from the east, evidently. A fast sweeping road with splendid views which of course, were glimpsed at whilst trying to keep pace.

The next few giggles came from yet another ford, this time forewarned with a red sign stating ‘NOT SUITABLE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES’. Of course, the warning was as alluring as honey to a bear, so off we plodded — tentatively.

Messrs GS were the proverbial pigs in mud



Your intrepid correspondent found it quite slippery



Whilst Mr XR just thought ’bks to that, I’ll take the footbridge’!

There was also some wild garlic growing, one of my favourite leaves on which to chew… just don’t overdo it!

After filling up with fuel — 14L for me — and checking in to the charming Haselbury Mill, we headed off for our tour of Ariel Motor Co — started from a shed around twenty years ago, they’ve got three models — in addition

Ariel Atom



The now discontinued Ariel Ace, which uses the same VFR1200F engine as in my bike but with a different ECU



they’re making the final two Ariel Black edition at the moment



and the awesome Ariel Nomad



One of the cool things about this tour is that the techs are happy to chat — I managed to blag myself one of their plaques, it’s one man per vehicle.








Immediately after the tour, the guys from SAM were waiting to lead us to ‘Leather and Lace’ in Chilton Polden for a delightful dinner of a bap filled with shredded roast pork, stuffing, apple sauce and crackling. Lush.

It’s quite an interesting place! Songbirds everywhere, too.





Before heading back, I filled up ready for an early start… I set my alarm for 4.30am and my eyes opened at 4.28am! Got changed in the dark so as to not wake my roommates and tip toed out — I was on the bike by 5am and took the precaution of wearing my Scott waterproof over jacket for both protection against the cold morning wind for a temperature of around 5°C and it was damp, having rained overnight. However, once I jumped on the bike it did seem a little breezier than anticipated… oh yeah, that’s because my helmet was on the ground! Oops!

At 5.04am I set off and ventured with trepidation onto the damp and dark rural A356 with some very tight bends around fields and not so inviting with cold tyres. But on we plodded and onto the A303 with its long roadworks and unnecessary (for 5am) average speed cameras — 50, 30, 50, 30…. 30mph on the empty road at that time is risible. Onwards, the road unfolded as dawn threatened to break — there was drizzle forming but with the excellent Scott jacket, three layers of merino (thanks Aldi!) and my ancient Rukka drop liner gear, I was cosy and focused… so on we pressed.

Harder the rain fell, daylight broke and visibility increased just as the rainfall was trying to deny me a clear view of the road ahead, still we kept going — as Stonehenge rose imperiously from my near side, the conditions became torrential. The Michelin Pilot Sport 5 were very stable and refused to aquaplane, the VFR was running true, the riding position comfortable and the engine was on song — so I opened the throttle a little wider and mile by mile we were soon flying; by the time we entered the M3 normal speeds seemed too slow and I was eyeing up the time — 6.30am and twenty miles to go until the M25… I probably had time to go home for a quick change and jump in the car before heading to the airport!

As I approached home and spotted the petrol station, it reminded me to glance at the fuel gauge — it was flashing on empty after only 140 miles!



I arrived home at 6.54am



when I filled up… probably the most that I’ve ever put in!





I’d calculated that with this rate of consumption had I not looked down at my fuel gauge and carried onto Gatwick beyond Cobham Services, a real possibility as I was so focused on timing, I would’ve run out of fuel somewhere on the M25… there were a theoretical 2.41 miles remaining!

At the time, I was wondering what the hell I was doing on the bike at 5am… in hindsight, having the road to myself on the fabulous A303 was just so gratifying, not all the best experiences on the bike are in perfect conditions! Oh and as a bonus, the rear mudguard is still in situ.

My consumption is typically 10 miles per litre.

My typical runs are fast back road blasts on Sunday mornings that consume one tank and the consumption hitherto has been quite regular. There was strong wind, prolonged WOT and I was carrying the panniers, too -- along with my windproof Scott jacket that is quite incredible.