Honda VFR1200 - any owners?
Discussion
I've been looking over used bikes these last couple of days and I keep coming back to the Hayabusa and the VFR1200.
They'd both be impractical and over-powered bikes for a B road rider like me but I love that blend of power and relative comfort.
I know the Suzuki has a well documented history with plenty of owners here. The VFR1200 is less recorded and I suppose, and is something of the niche choice alongside the Hayabusa, the ZZR1400 and the K1300S.
Has anyone here owned or rode one, and if so, what did you think of it? I'd love a shaft drive machine one day. And yes, I know they really need an aftermarket can on them.
They'd both be impractical and over-powered bikes for a B road rider like me but I love that blend of power and relative comfort.
I know the Suzuki has a well documented history with plenty of owners here. The VFR1200 is less recorded and I suppose, and is something of the niche choice alongside the Hayabusa, the ZZR1400 and the K1300S.
Has anyone here owned or rode one, and if so, what did you think of it? I'd love a shaft drive machine one day. And yes, I know they really need an aftermarket can on them.
I had one for three years.
Pros
Its fast, with a decent step up at 6k rpm where everything goes backwards
With a decent end can (I used DAM) they sound epic
Comfortable enough for decent days, and I can't do sportbikes because I don't fit
Nicely built, fastners are hidden etc
Handles well, it's heavy but if you can muscle it about a bit the suspension copes with everything
Great wind protection, probably the best I've had. They obviously spent a lot of time on it.
Brakes are great and you can't tell they're linked.
Headlights and mirrors are good
Shaft drive is unobtrusive, you really wouldn't know.
Cons
I got rid of mine because I couldn't ride it like a sensible person, really easy to speed on and the suspension/wind protection hides speed well
Vibrates a bit, not offensively but it annoys some people
18l tank so you'll be filling up with the sportbikes, mine was about equal with a fireblade on a German holiday
Panniers are a joke, they're tiny, heavy and expensive. A tail bag is a far better option.
It's not as mental as the ZZR or hayabusa.
1st and 2nd are restricted, then it goes whoosh about 6k rpm, so they're hard to ride smoothly on small roads, Apparently the later bikes with traction control are better because they're not restriced
Overall I loved mine. I had to get rid because the worry about getting caught was too much at the end up, normal limits are boring and it just trundles along so I ended up doing daft stuff everywhere.
It's a bike that feels like every tiny part has been carefully considered though. More so than most bikes.
Did 3k miles through 9 countries (mainly Germany) in 8 days, raced fast cars and blasted around the highlands. It's utterly capable but felt a bit too much for the single track stuff on the west coast so I ended up constantly trying to reign it in.
I'd have another one.
Even got some pics in the garage
Pros
Its fast, with a decent step up at 6k rpm where everything goes backwards
With a decent end can (I used DAM) they sound epic
Comfortable enough for decent days, and I can't do sportbikes because I don't fit
Nicely built, fastners are hidden etc
Handles well, it's heavy but if you can muscle it about a bit the suspension copes with everything
Great wind protection, probably the best I've had. They obviously spent a lot of time on it.
Brakes are great and you can't tell they're linked.
Headlights and mirrors are good
Shaft drive is unobtrusive, you really wouldn't know.
Cons
I got rid of mine because I couldn't ride it like a sensible person, really easy to speed on and the suspension/wind protection hides speed well
Vibrates a bit, not offensively but it annoys some people
18l tank so you'll be filling up with the sportbikes, mine was about equal with a fireblade on a German holiday
Panniers are a joke, they're tiny, heavy and expensive. A tail bag is a far better option.
It's not as mental as the ZZR or hayabusa.
1st and 2nd are restricted, then it goes whoosh about 6k rpm, so they're hard to ride smoothly on small roads, Apparently the later bikes with traction control are better because they're not restriced
Overall I loved mine. I had to get rid because the worry about getting caught was too much at the end up, normal limits are boring and it just trundles along so I ended up doing daft stuff everywhere.
It's a bike that feels like every tiny part has been carefully considered though. More so than most bikes.
Did 3k miles through 9 countries (mainly Germany) in 8 days, raced fast cars and blasted around the highlands. It's utterly capable but felt a bit too much for the single track stuff on the west coast so I ended up constantly trying to reign it in.
I'd have another one.
Even got some pics in the garage
Edited by Speed addicted on Sunday 8th April 12:52
I've ridden a few (both normal & DCT versions) & know people who've owned one. Good build quality, smooth powerful engine, but not a light bike or easy in tight twisty roads. It's forte being open fast sweeping roads. Not a lot to dislike though. Not big fuel range (doesn't matter to me I like to leg stretch & fuel between 100/125 miles) & luggage the opposite of the TARDIS being large on the outside, small on the inside.
Overall underrated.
I just personally prefer other bikes in the sector, but I still enjoyed riding the VFR.
Overall underrated.
I just personally prefer other bikes in the sector, but I still enjoyed riding the VFR.
I test rode a couple and wanted one to replace the Blackbird I had at the time. It seemed to have similar power/acceleration to the Blackbird but as someone has already said, it made it in a different way.
What I really didn’t like was the slower speed handling. It seemed to have an odd feeling at roundabouts. You seemed to have to fight a gyroscopic effect to get it to turn in.
Regards, doggydog.
What I really didn’t like was the slower speed handling. It seemed to have an odd feeling at roundabouts. You seemed to have to fight a gyroscopic effect to get it to turn in.
Regards, doggydog.
I so wanted to like these when they were first launched. I wanted a VFR800 with shaft drive and more power but the VFR1200 didn’t deliver. It’s a good enough bike and the ones I’ve test ridden are quick, comfortable and well put together but, by just about every yardstick I measured it by, there’s was a better option out there. For me, the VFR1200 offered nothing the K1300S didn’t offer equally as well (accept the DCT but I didn’t want that) while the K1300S offered a little more of just about everything, especially tank range.
As a second hand buy, the VFR1200 is good value for money but there is a good reason why they are relatively cheap and there are not that many of them!
As a second hand buy, the VFR1200 is good value for money but there is a good reason why they are relatively cheap and there are not that many of them!
Rode both last year when trying to decide between the VFR1200 and the K1300S to replace my Blackbird.
I bought the K1300S.
VFR1200 engine is brilliant, apart from the slight vibration others noted, it was as quick as the K1300 when rolling around. It was comfy, much more so than the Blackbird, plenty of room to adjust yourself (I'm 6' 3" and chunky with it). Build quality is great, having built in panniers would have been an advantage. I chose the K1300S precisely for its B-road manners when compared the VFR. The VFR was a bit of a pain to turn in at times (especially slower speeds) and the anti dive of the K1300 just makes it more comfortable to make progress on, or even to bimble, especially in Comfort mode on the ESC.
That's not in any way me saying the VFR1200 is a bad bike. I very nearly chose it, but the reason above is what tipped me towards the K1300 in the end. 3000 miles round Europe with GIVI panniers bolted on, proved its comfort on the longer runs, zero aches or pains at the end of a day, plus > 200 mile between fills was possible (56mpg overall).
I bought the K1300S.
VFR1200 engine is brilliant, apart from the slight vibration others noted, it was as quick as the K1300 when rolling around. It was comfy, much more so than the Blackbird, plenty of room to adjust yourself (I'm 6' 3" and chunky with it). Build quality is great, having built in panniers would have been an advantage. I chose the K1300S precisely for its B-road manners when compared the VFR. The VFR was a bit of a pain to turn in at times (especially slower speeds) and the anti dive of the K1300 just makes it more comfortable to make progress on, or even to bimble, especially in Comfort mode on the ESC.
That's not in any way me saying the VFR1200 is a bad bike. I very nearly chose it, but the reason above is what tipped me towards the K1300 in the end. 3000 miles round Europe with GIVI panniers bolted on, proved its comfort on the longer runs, zero aches or pains at the end of a day, plus > 200 mile between fills was possible (56mpg overall).
I'm on my second VFR 1200 F and I really love these bikes.
I clocked up 30,000 miles on my original bike which was 2012 registered bike but it was the original 2010 model. I had no problems with it at all and found it really great on performance/speed, not bad on handling and I would have quite happily kept it much longer. The only reason I part exchanged it on a new one was because Honda announced they had stopped producing them, so I wanted to get one of the last bikes on the basis that I will probably keep it for a very long time.
My latest version is a 2015 registered bike which already has 12,000 miles on it. Both of my vfr1200's have had the extended touring screen which I would recommend and the latest one has the DAM aftermarket exhaust which is a bit prettier than the standard dustbin size affair but to be honest I was quite happy with the original one on my first bike.
The factory fitted heated grips are renowned for being a bit flaky and the switches have a tendency to disintegrate apparently, but I've never had a problem with mine and they certainly seem to do the job when they are working.
The real strength of the bike as everybody is saying is the engine - it has a lot of power and performs really well. This is the first bike I've ever owned with shaft drive and ideally I wouldn't like to go back to a chain drive if I could avoid it. Shaft drive is pretty much maintenance free and I've never found it to be detrimental to the performance.
Quite a few people have reported problems with the brakes dragging/locking up as a result of salty wet weather causing corrosion on the discs I think, but I only really use my bikes in good weather, so have never experienced a problem.
I've always found the handling pretty good on the standard suspension but have read a lot of reports from people that a good aftermarket set up makes it even better, so I might invest in this area as I plan to keep the bike for quite a while. The bike is a bit heavy compared to sports bikes (my previous bikes were R1's) , but carries its weight quite well and handles nicely on flowing A roads. You do have to muscle it around a bit on tight bends and in slow-moving town traffic, but it's really a pretty good compromise given the size of the thing.
I would heartily recommend the DCT version. I actually paid extra on my latest bike to get the foot gear change (an option for DCT bikes) thinking it might be nice to manually control the gear changes from time to time like I used to on my previous bikes. But it was probably a waste of money because I just keep it in auto sport mode most of the time and frankly the computer is far better at judging the gear changes and leaves you free to concentrate on throttle control, road position and lean angle. I know a lot of people will pour scorn on this, but only somebody who has had DCT and used it quite a while will appreciate just how great these systems are.
My regular biking buddy has a BMW K 1300 S and it seems like the two bikes are pretty similar in terms of performance. Having ridden both bikes, I'd say the BMW is more sporty in riding ergonomics, whereas the vfr is a bit more touring. One thing that is very clear is that the tank range on the BMW is much better than the Honda but I can ride the vfr for a good two hours in a spirited fashion before I need to refill - probably 130-150 miles I guess. It's a poor tank range for a tourer , but I can live with that.
Both of my bikes had the standard factory fitted panniers which are not huge, but they do hold a reasonable amount of stuff and you can get a full face helmet in each side once you know how to fit them in. My latest white bike also has the double size top box as well and I think the top box with two panniers are more than adequate for a trip away and they are easily removable once you reach a destination if you don't like having them on the bike.
I have added photos of my current white vfr1200 and my previous red one alongside my mates K 1300 below.
Anyway, good luck with your bike choice but clearly the VFR1200F gets my vote in DCT or manual mode. They really are amazing value for money.
Edited by A993LAD on Monday 9th April 11:58
Edited by A993LAD on Monday 9th April 12:08
Edited by A993LAD on Monday 9th April 12:11
Edited by A993LAD on Wednesday 2nd January 09:14
Great write up A993 LAD
I always get drawn to these but always get something different. Perhaps I’ll get one sooner rather than later as I miss shaft drive. A shame they’ve stopped producing them but there’s a few 2016 reg bikes for sale on the web with less than 5,000 miles.
I think they’re great looking machines. Stunning value for money if you’re after one.
I always get drawn to these but always get something different. Perhaps I’ll get one sooner rather than later as I miss shaft drive. A shame they’ve stopped producing them but there’s a few 2016 reg bikes for sale on the web with less than 5,000 miles.
I think they’re great looking machines. Stunning value for money if you’re after one.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff