Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
The following is my opinion and opinions are like arm pits - everybody usually has a couple and they tend to stink from time to time! 
. I post this as what I experienced relative to my experience, not as promotion, defense or condemnation of the VFR1200. As I always say, I like to hear from folks that have shot the gun, not read a book about shooting a gun so here it goes.
My background is 40+ years of riding on two wheels, 220,000+ miles on ST1100s, 8,000+ miles on ST1300s, and now 1,800+ miles on the new VFR1200 with the full compliment of Honda luggage including the trunk. I rode the bike in all sorts of weather - from hard crosswinds, to pouring rain, dense fog, cold, some heat - and all sorts of roads ? from piled up gravel, pot hole havens, butter smooth motorways, twisty single lanes (yes single lanes!). I did two days of two up, loaded as heavy as you can get it with a big tank bag, then 8 days of solo. I did solo riding, small group riding and larger group riding. And there was a serious tip over involved, so I even know how much that costs and what damage can occur. So the VFR1200 and I experienced in 10 days just about all the stuff most folks would encounter in their riding except for doing basic maintenance. So here?s my story and I?m sticking to it!
The short version is this ? I like the bike and feel like Honda fixed more than they ?broke? when compared to the ST1100. If they ?stretched? it about 6 more inches so they could enlarge the panniers, put a windshield on it (that piece of plastic on the front looks like one but it is not), lower the foot pegs a smidge (making them adjustable would be nice), raise the handlebars about 2 inches (or at least make them adjustable upward), and enlarge the fuel tank, they would have one incredible touring machine. I found it to be a very ?livable? and enjoyable ride on the road for 1 up touring and a real ?hooligan? machine when you felt like it. And when you stop to think what most folks do to their ST1100s & ST1300, they change the windshield, adjust the handlebars (usually risers), and put a different seat on it.
The engine is wonderful ? smooth with a guttural sound especially when a certain RPM range is reached. If you are one to blip the throttle, it has a really nice growl to it. Once the engine hits the range of 5,000-6,000 RPM, it seems as if the jet boost kicks in. On the motorway where I was doing an over take, a friend behind on an ST1100 decide he would try to stay with me. He gave up in short order once the ?boost? happened. This is not a ?mechanical boost? like the old VTEC, just a power band phenomenon that is pretty amazing. I experienced no heat problems or the ?notchy? throttle that I have lived through on the ST1300s. The engine is an A+ in my book ? Honda did their homework.
The transmission, a six speed with gear indicator, is a lovely work of art. Shifts are smooth and easy with none of the clunking that sometimes accompanies shifting on the ST1100 or ST1300. And it will easy shift upwards without the clutch if need be. Neutral can be a little hard to find because it shifts so easy, so this does take a little getting used to. Again, the transmisson is an A+ in my book ? Honda did their homework.
Handling is excellent and you can adjust to your heart?s content. Rear reload is an easy to reach knob on the left hand side and it appears that the preload on the front is adjustable also, though I never touched it. I just dialed up the rear since we were doing two up and left it at that. Although the reduction in weight from the STs is not large, it is very noticeable when in parking lots, twisties, and putting her up on the center stand. Sometimes it felt like I was riding a powered bicycle it was so well balanced and light. The VFR has much more ?lean? in it than I do. Again, another A+ for Honda.
The luggage holds about 2/3 of the stuff that you can pack on an ST1100 or ST1300. Although the panniers are deeper, they have curved the front insides to accommodate the legs of the pillion, thus losing valuable space. And the bottoms are curved to make clearance for the drive shaft and silencer. They have the same dreaded ?too long a key? design that the ST1300 has (easy to bend and break if you are not careful) and the ?must be locked to get the key out? feature. Obviously whoever came up with that last idea has never packed a bike for touring where you have all the luggage open and are sorting out just where to place various items. There is a nice feature that when you unlock the pannier and lift the release, the lid opens but catches before it falls open. A gentle further lift on the release opens the lid. There is one retaining strap that has a fastex clip so that you can limit how far open the lid comes also. The trunk is nicely shaped for the pillion for a backrest (but no pad was on this trunk), but a larger GIVI would probably the best solution at this point ? assuming you could work out the mounting of it. Honda only gets a C because of the capacity on this item.
The instrumentation has a large analog tachometer in the middle of the setup, with a digital speedometer and fuel gauge on the left side, and engine temperature gauge, an ambient temperature reading, very visible gear indicator, clock and odometer on the right side. By pressing the two buttons at the bottom of the gauges, you can access two trip meters which display in place of the odometer in order of selection and access other settings. All of the instrumentation is clearly visible in all sorts of lighting conditions and does not ?wash out? with sunglasses or poor light like I have experienced on the ST1300. I have to give Honda only an A due to the non intuitive buttons on the bottom that access the features such as clock setting, trip meter use, etc.
The mirrors are rock steady but are only good for looking at your elbows. My elbows were position directly in the center of the mirrors regardless of how much I attempted to adjust them or adjust my riding position. This was a major safety issue for me and I found them virtually useless. They have a wide range of adjustment and pivot on the mount if the bike tips over (I?ll talk about that later) but they need to be in a lower spot like the ST1100s to be of any practical use. This is a dismal F for Mr. Honda and would be lower if there was something lower than an F!
This bike came with the Honda Heated Grips which are well thought out. The small lighted off/on button was build into the left grip shoulder. You just keep pushing the button to increase the heat ? and they could get pretty hot, press and hold to turn off. The front brake and the clutch levers are both adjustable which is a really nice touch. The turn signal switch is below the horn button, so you find yourself beeping the anemic horn (sounds a little bit like the Road Runner) especially when trying to cancel the turn signals. But you do actually get used to it after a while. A B+ for Honda on this area.
The riding position on the VFR is much more ?aggressive? than that of either of the STs. The rider and pillion?s foot pegs are higher than the STs and little tough on long legged, older riders like me ? but not unbearable. The handlebars are lower which was of a great concern to me since I have had major wrist surgery and cannot bend my wrists very far. But I found it manageable even on a 500+ mile day though my wrists were a little sore at the end of that ride. I did notice when I got back on my ST1100s at home and went for a ride (my ST1100 bars are raised about 1 inch above stock), it felt like I was riding a bike with ape hanger handlebars! The current incarnation of the VFR with these ergonomics make it a sport bike, not a sport touring bike. Honda gets a C in this area.
I am used to riding on a Russell Daylong on my ST1100 (I also have a Travelcade Gel and have used the Spencer mod on the ST1300), so I have a little experience with seats and distances. The stock seat on the VFR1200 looks pretty pitiful when you see it, but it is actually not bad. I found it much more comfortable that the stock seat on the ST1100 or ST1300 and I could do about 200-300 miles before I found myself squirming. For the pillion, it is absolutely worthless because it is slanted down and my wife kept finding herself sliding into me regardless of how much she tried to stay back. I have give Honda a B for the good rider seat, but no credit for the pillion seat.
The windshield is non-existent even though they have a piece of clear plastic mounted in that position. The air stream blasting away at you is clean, but above 70 mph the force of the wind blasting the bottom of your helmet puts a lot of strain on your neck. At triple digits, it?s just like sitting in a tornado and trying to hold on unless you tuck way in by trying to lay down on the tank. I made the mistake of leaving my Aerostich Darien jacket unzipped from the top a bit before I took off on a motorway and it opened up like a parachute. It was all I could do to slow down until I could zip it up. My wife said that she did experience much more wind that she does on my ST1100s, but that is probably because I was catching it all for her! I did find that Honda already has windshield extension for the bike for about $200 USD and a fellow rider said it did help. A ?double bubble? windshield would probably be the ticket or maybe a Laminar lip. Like the mirrors, this is a dismal F for Mr. Honda and would be lower if there was something lower than an F!
Gas mileage was not as bad as I thought it would be, considering how much freight I was hauling and the speeds at which I was proceeding. I found I could do about 100 miles on the first half of the tank and was looking for fuel after about 50-70 miles on the second half (the last bar on the fuel gauge blinks when reached and I did not want to find out how far you can go once you are on reserve!). I did not track my specific mileage because I was more interested in the range than the mileage. I paid no attention to the grade of fuel, but just used whatever was at the pump. The bike never complained or pinged and ran fine regardless of what I fed it even when I did a few high passes in Ireland. The fuel lid is pretty much the same as on the ST1300 and not very ?friendly? if you are using a tank bag. A D+ to Honda for the range.
For those of you who use tank bags, the tank is part metal and part plastic. I brought a Nelson-Riggs tank bag that could go either way and ended up not being able to use the magnetic attachments. There is a bar at the front of the seat that makes for a nice attachment point for a tank bag strap, but I could find nothing for the front. I just looped the front strap through the triple tree and that worked fine for the entire trip. A C+ for use with a tank bag to Honda.
This is definitely not a ?two person? motorcycle ? unless you are both the size of toothpicks! The pillion has a hard climb to get up ? especially if they are vertically challenged. My wife had to climb on using the front pegs and then try to slide to the back position. She never felt comfortable or secure on the back of the bike due to the narrowness of the seat and the high foot pegs. In her words ?whoever designed the bike gave no thought to the passenger at all?. With the pillion seat angled down, the reduced luggage capacity, and the high foot pegs for the pillion, they had better love you a lot before they ride on the back of this bike! Since it is possible but not practical to do 2-up, Honda gets a F+ in this area.
The position of the side stand is a bit ?different? but okay once you get used to it. It sits in front of the shifter instead of behind the shifter as it does on the STs. I spent a bit of time the first time I stopped on trying to figure out where the side stand was and how to get it down. This VFR had the ?optional? center stand, and the bike swings easily up on the center stand by grabbing the left handlebar grip and the left pillion grab handle and pulling backwards. There is no swing out handle like on the STs and no need for one. I?ll have to give Honda a B+ on this area.
I found the bike to be very stable in serious crosswinds and in heavy truck traffic. Honda did their work on the aerodynamics on this bike. There was no ?weave? at sustained triple digit speeds as I encountered on a ST1300 on the German autobahn. Once again, Honda got it right and they get an A+ on this one.
There are no front fairing pockets like I have been accustomed to on the STs ? and they were sorely missed! But that is part of bike design, so it is not fair to rate Honda on this since many of the new bikes do not have them.
If you remove the seat which unlocks from the back of the bike, the battery, the fuse block, and the rear master cylinder are all easily accessible without removing any bodywork. There was even a real tool kit stuck in there. You could easily change the battery by just removing the seat from what I could tell. Hat?s off to Honda for finally getting this right! Another A+ for the Honda engineer that actually thought about people who need access to this stuff.
I, unfortunately, know how much a tip over costs also. While at a petrol station, my wife was sitting on the VFR on the side stand with the bike in gear. I went in to pay for the petrol and when I came out, the bike fell off the side stand and on the right side with my wife laying on the ground. She fractured her right shoulder and has had a partial shoulder replacement as a result (and that in itself is a long story). The damaged parts included a ?curled? front brake lever, a scratched right mirror housing (the mirror did not break as it is designed to swing out of the way), a scratched lower right cowling, a scratched lower right engine/transmission housing, and a busted right saddlebag lid. The total from Mother Honda was a little over $1,800 ? yes that is $1,800 ? for parts and labor. And by the way, the old baking soda and super glue repair works very well on the new VFR1200! I repaired the saddle bag and was able to continue the ride after I got my poor wife flown back to the States with no help from Continental Airlines (with who we had originally booked) and little help from American Airlines (treated like a piece of meat on a conveyor line in Dublin). A big whopping F for Honda on not thinking out the process and at least providing some protection with tip over wings like the STs or at least frame sliders to save part of the damage.
I personally don?t care for the looks of the bike, but I got a lot of compliments from non-riders on it. I personally think that the platform will make an excellent basis for a serious ST replacement with the above mentioned fixes. Most of them (with the exception of the fuel tank and the small panniers) you could do yourself, but at the price point it sells for, they should come with the bike. And as I said, that?s my story and I?m sticking with it!
. I post this as what I experienced relative to my experience, not as promotion, defense or condemnation of the VFR1200. As I always say, I like to hear from folks that have shot the gun, not read a book about shooting a gun so here it goes. My background is 40+ years of riding on two wheels, 220,000+ miles on ST1100s, 8,000+ miles on ST1300s, and now 1,800+ miles on the new VFR1200 with the full compliment of Honda luggage including the trunk. I rode the bike in all sorts of weather - from hard crosswinds, to pouring rain, dense fog, cold, some heat - and all sorts of roads ? from piled up gravel, pot hole havens, butter smooth motorways, twisty single lanes (yes single lanes!). I did two days of two up, loaded as heavy as you can get it with a big tank bag, then 8 days of solo. I did solo riding, small group riding and larger group riding. And there was a serious tip over involved, so I even know how much that costs and what damage can occur. So the VFR1200 and I experienced in 10 days just about all the stuff most folks would encounter in their riding except for doing basic maintenance. So here?s my story and I?m sticking to it!
The short version is this ? I like the bike and feel like Honda fixed more than they ?broke? when compared to the ST1100. If they ?stretched? it about 6 more inches so they could enlarge the panniers, put a windshield on it (that piece of plastic on the front looks like one but it is not), lower the foot pegs a smidge (making them adjustable would be nice), raise the handlebars about 2 inches (or at least make them adjustable upward), and enlarge the fuel tank, they would have one incredible touring machine. I found it to be a very ?livable? and enjoyable ride on the road for 1 up touring and a real ?hooligan? machine when you felt like it. And when you stop to think what most folks do to their ST1100s & ST1300, they change the windshield, adjust the handlebars (usually risers), and put a different seat on it.
The engine is wonderful ? smooth with a guttural sound especially when a certain RPM range is reached. If you are one to blip the throttle, it has a really nice growl to it. Once the engine hits the range of 5,000-6,000 RPM, it seems as if the jet boost kicks in. On the motorway where I was doing an over take, a friend behind on an ST1100 decide he would try to stay with me. He gave up in short order once the ?boost? happened. This is not a ?mechanical boost? like the old VTEC, just a power band phenomenon that is pretty amazing. I experienced no heat problems or the ?notchy? throttle that I have lived through on the ST1300s. The engine is an A+ in my book ? Honda did their homework.
The transmission, a six speed with gear indicator, is a lovely work of art. Shifts are smooth and easy with none of the clunking that sometimes accompanies shifting on the ST1100 or ST1300. And it will easy shift upwards without the clutch if need be. Neutral can be a little hard to find because it shifts so easy, so this does take a little getting used to. Again, the transmisson is an A+ in my book ? Honda did their homework.
Handling is excellent and you can adjust to your heart?s content. Rear reload is an easy to reach knob on the left hand side and it appears that the preload on the front is adjustable also, though I never touched it. I just dialed up the rear since we were doing two up and left it at that. Although the reduction in weight from the STs is not large, it is very noticeable when in parking lots, twisties, and putting her up on the center stand. Sometimes it felt like I was riding a powered bicycle it was so well balanced and light. The VFR has much more ?lean? in it than I do. Again, another A+ for Honda.
The luggage holds about 2/3 of the stuff that you can pack on an ST1100 or ST1300. Although the panniers are deeper, they have curved the front insides to accommodate the legs of the pillion, thus losing valuable space. And the bottoms are curved to make clearance for the drive shaft and silencer. They have the same dreaded ?too long a key? design that the ST1300 has (easy to bend and break if you are not careful) and the ?must be locked to get the key out? feature. Obviously whoever came up with that last idea has never packed a bike for touring where you have all the luggage open and are sorting out just where to place various items. There is a nice feature that when you unlock the pannier and lift the release, the lid opens but catches before it falls open. A gentle further lift on the release opens the lid. There is one retaining strap that has a fastex clip so that you can limit how far open the lid comes also. The trunk is nicely shaped for the pillion for a backrest (but no pad was on this trunk), but a larger GIVI would probably the best solution at this point ? assuming you could work out the mounting of it. Honda only gets a C because of the capacity on this item.
The instrumentation has a large analog tachometer in the middle of the setup, with a digital speedometer and fuel gauge on the left side, and engine temperature gauge, an ambient temperature reading, very visible gear indicator, clock and odometer on the right side. By pressing the two buttons at the bottom of the gauges, you can access two trip meters which display in place of the odometer in order of selection and access other settings. All of the instrumentation is clearly visible in all sorts of lighting conditions and does not ?wash out? with sunglasses or poor light like I have experienced on the ST1300. I have to give Honda only an A due to the non intuitive buttons on the bottom that access the features such as clock setting, trip meter use, etc.
The mirrors are rock steady but are only good for looking at your elbows. My elbows were position directly in the center of the mirrors regardless of how much I attempted to adjust them or adjust my riding position. This was a major safety issue for me and I found them virtually useless. They have a wide range of adjustment and pivot on the mount if the bike tips over (I?ll talk about that later) but they need to be in a lower spot like the ST1100s to be of any practical use. This is a dismal F for Mr. Honda and would be lower if there was something lower than an F!
This bike came with the Honda Heated Grips which are well thought out. The small lighted off/on button was build into the left grip shoulder. You just keep pushing the button to increase the heat ? and they could get pretty hot, press and hold to turn off. The front brake and the clutch levers are both adjustable which is a really nice touch. The turn signal switch is below the horn button, so you find yourself beeping the anemic horn (sounds a little bit like the Road Runner) especially when trying to cancel the turn signals. But you do actually get used to it after a while. A B+ for Honda on this area.
The riding position on the VFR is much more ?aggressive? than that of either of the STs. The rider and pillion?s foot pegs are higher than the STs and little tough on long legged, older riders like me ? but not unbearable. The handlebars are lower which was of a great concern to me since I have had major wrist surgery and cannot bend my wrists very far. But I found it manageable even on a 500+ mile day though my wrists were a little sore at the end of that ride. I did notice when I got back on my ST1100s at home and went for a ride (my ST1100 bars are raised about 1 inch above stock), it felt like I was riding a bike with ape hanger handlebars! The current incarnation of the VFR with these ergonomics make it a sport bike, not a sport touring bike. Honda gets a C in this area.
I am used to riding on a Russell Daylong on my ST1100 (I also have a Travelcade Gel and have used the Spencer mod on the ST1300), so I have a little experience with seats and distances. The stock seat on the VFR1200 looks pretty pitiful when you see it, but it is actually not bad. I found it much more comfortable that the stock seat on the ST1100 or ST1300 and I could do about 200-300 miles before I found myself squirming. For the pillion, it is absolutely worthless because it is slanted down and my wife kept finding herself sliding into me regardless of how much she tried to stay back. I have give Honda a B for the good rider seat, but no credit for the pillion seat.
The windshield is non-existent even though they have a piece of clear plastic mounted in that position. The air stream blasting away at you is clean, but above 70 mph the force of the wind blasting the bottom of your helmet puts a lot of strain on your neck. At triple digits, it?s just like sitting in a tornado and trying to hold on unless you tuck way in by trying to lay down on the tank. I made the mistake of leaving my Aerostich Darien jacket unzipped from the top a bit before I took off on a motorway and it opened up like a parachute. It was all I could do to slow down until I could zip it up. My wife said that she did experience much more wind that she does on my ST1100s, but that is probably because I was catching it all for her! I did find that Honda already has windshield extension for the bike for about $200 USD and a fellow rider said it did help. A ?double bubble? windshield would probably be the ticket or maybe a Laminar lip. Like the mirrors, this is a dismal F for Mr. Honda and would be lower if there was something lower than an F!
Gas mileage was not as bad as I thought it would be, considering how much freight I was hauling and the speeds at which I was proceeding. I found I could do about 100 miles on the first half of the tank and was looking for fuel after about 50-70 miles on the second half (the last bar on the fuel gauge blinks when reached and I did not want to find out how far you can go once you are on reserve!). I did not track my specific mileage because I was more interested in the range than the mileage. I paid no attention to the grade of fuel, but just used whatever was at the pump. The bike never complained or pinged and ran fine regardless of what I fed it even when I did a few high passes in Ireland. The fuel lid is pretty much the same as on the ST1300 and not very ?friendly? if you are using a tank bag. A D+ to Honda for the range.
For those of you who use tank bags, the tank is part metal and part plastic. I brought a Nelson-Riggs tank bag that could go either way and ended up not being able to use the magnetic attachments. There is a bar at the front of the seat that makes for a nice attachment point for a tank bag strap, but I could find nothing for the front. I just looped the front strap through the triple tree and that worked fine for the entire trip. A C+ for use with a tank bag to Honda.
This is definitely not a ?two person? motorcycle ? unless you are both the size of toothpicks! The pillion has a hard climb to get up ? especially if they are vertically challenged. My wife had to climb on using the front pegs and then try to slide to the back position. She never felt comfortable or secure on the back of the bike due to the narrowness of the seat and the high foot pegs. In her words ?whoever designed the bike gave no thought to the passenger at all?. With the pillion seat angled down, the reduced luggage capacity, and the high foot pegs for the pillion, they had better love you a lot before they ride on the back of this bike! Since it is possible but not practical to do 2-up, Honda gets a F+ in this area.
The position of the side stand is a bit ?different? but okay once you get used to it. It sits in front of the shifter instead of behind the shifter as it does on the STs. I spent a bit of time the first time I stopped on trying to figure out where the side stand was and how to get it down. This VFR had the ?optional? center stand, and the bike swings easily up on the center stand by grabbing the left handlebar grip and the left pillion grab handle and pulling backwards. There is no swing out handle like on the STs and no need for one. I?ll have to give Honda a B+ on this area.
I found the bike to be very stable in serious crosswinds and in heavy truck traffic. Honda did their work on the aerodynamics on this bike. There was no ?weave? at sustained triple digit speeds as I encountered on a ST1300 on the German autobahn. Once again, Honda got it right and they get an A+ on this one.
There are no front fairing pockets like I have been accustomed to on the STs ? and they were sorely missed! But that is part of bike design, so it is not fair to rate Honda on this since many of the new bikes do not have them.
If you remove the seat which unlocks from the back of the bike, the battery, the fuse block, and the rear master cylinder are all easily accessible without removing any bodywork. There was even a real tool kit stuck in there. You could easily change the battery by just removing the seat from what I could tell. Hat?s off to Honda for finally getting this right! Another A+ for the Honda engineer that actually thought about people who need access to this stuff.
I, unfortunately, know how much a tip over costs also. While at a petrol station, my wife was sitting on the VFR on the side stand with the bike in gear. I went in to pay for the petrol and when I came out, the bike fell off the side stand and on the right side with my wife laying on the ground. She fractured her right shoulder and has had a partial shoulder replacement as a result (and that in itself is a long story). The damaged parts included a ?curled? front brake lever, a scratched right mirror housing (the mirror did not break as it is designed to swing out of the way), a scratched lower right cowling, a scratched lower right engine/transmission housing, and a busted right saddlebag lid. The total from Mother Honda was a little over $1,800 ? yes that is $1,800 ? for parts and labor. And by the way, the old baking soda and super glue repair works very well on the new VFR1200! I repaired the saddle bag and was able to continue the ride after I got my poor wife flown back to the States with no help from Continental Airlines (with who we had originally booked) and little help from American Airlines (treated like a piece of meat on a conveyor line in Dublin). A big whopping F for Honda on not thinking out the process and at least providing some protection with tip over wings like the STs or at least frame sliders to save part of the damage.
I personally don?t care for the looks of the bike, but I got a lot of compliments from non-riders on it. I personally think that the platform will make an excellent basis for a serious ST replacement with the above mentioned fixes. Most of them (with the exception of the fuel tank and the small panniers) you could do yourself, but at the price point it sells for, they should come with the bike. And as I said, that?s my story and I?m sticking with it!
for awhile yet. I don't do riding with my head resting on the handlebars...
