thumperjdm
Naty Von Ozirisz 1997-2011
So I go for a ride today on the ST, and while at the gas station I see the front Roadsmart is down to the wear bars. Hmmm, might as well just ride over to the Honda dealer to see if he has one in stock.
Get to the dealer and while walking through the service entrance I see a VFR1200 sitting there. I think nothing of it, because the sales manager called me about 4 weeks ago when the regular transmission VFR arrived, and said I should come down and see it (I've spent alot of money at this dealership--see bikes below
). I figured this was the same red bike.
So they've got a front Roadsmart in stock, and yes they can get it installed while I wait. I then see the sales manager and he makes a beeline for me. He looks at the VFR (which I never bothered to look at) and says, "You've got to ride that--it's the automatic." I think to myself, "well, the ST is busy for about an hour--why not?"
We have to top-off the gas tank as the sales manager has put about 50 miles on it. I'm now test rider #2. The store owner has come out at this point, and he directs me to ride it upstairs (the service area) to top off the tank. I ask the owner, "Where do you want me to take it?" He answers, "Wherever you want." My day is getting better by the minute!
I had just returned from my favorite mountain ride, and I know the road is clean. I tell the owner I'll go about half way up the mountain (20 miles) and back. He's unconcerned and tells me to go for it.
Transmission: Like any Honda, this motorcycle is easy to get on and immediately feel like you've known her all your life. Even the DCT transmission is very intuitive to use. Select auto (either "D"rive or "S"port), or manual shifting. Even though there's no shift lever or clutch lever, for some reason it didn't seem odd. I took off in automatic "D" until I got a few of miles of familiarization under my butt. The transmission shifts very, very (did I mention very?) smoothly. Watch the Honda video on Youtube. The shifting of the transmission barely effects the motorcycle's chassis. The Youtube video isn't lying when it shows almost no shaft jacking while the DCT bike goes through the gears--whether shifting manually or automatically.
After getting to the curves (about 10 miles of getting out of town), I decide to put it into automatic "S"port mode. I romp the throttle coming out of a slow curve and the bike had me in 4th gear (digital display of gear whether manual mode or automatic). I expected a downshift, but it never came. This bike is no match for the ferocious thrust of my CBR1000RR, but it gets to boogeying down the road better than the ST. Even in auto "S", it seems like the engineers (maybe the lawyers?)have somewhat "watered down" the delivery of thrust. The best thrust comes through manually rowing the paddle shifters.
This bike liked to hold 4th gear (which after returning to the dealership, the sales manager had the same observation from his ride). When in 4th, and romping the throttle in auto "S" mode, I expected a downshift to 3rd, or possibly 2nd based on how far and fast I cracked the throttle. It just remained in 4th to redline, and then shifted to 5th. Later, on the return trip, the bike was in 5th when I again romped the throttle. This time the bike jumped down to 4th (the proper gear for my speed), and accelerated like an ST on steroids. The bike then continued to hold 4th, even when I let off the throttle. With the bike now spinning near 10,000 rpm, it wasn't until a slight decline in the roadway that the bike smoothly shifted to 5th (I don't know if this is one of those "smart" transmissions that likes to "learn" the rider's riding style or not).
You can switch to manual, or back to automatic on the move, whenever you like. Switching to manual merely requires you to hit one of the paddle shifters, putting the bike into a different gear. All gear shifts are seemless, and hardly (read: a negligible amount) effect the chassis. Even while pushing the bike (hope the sales manager doesn't see the scrubbing to the tires edges), a manual downshift into a hot corner has less effect on the chassis than a downshift on my slipper-clutch equipped CBR1000RR.
I'd bet the farm that we'll see this transmission on the next Goldwing.
Chassis: Like a Goldwing 1800, it seems like Honda found the Center of Gravity (CoG) of this VFR, and then built the bike around that spot. It carries its' weight very low and stable. It handles just like you'd expect--a bike that's about 125 lbs less than a top-heavy ST13. Again, it's no CBR1000RR, but it's more of a long, heavy sportbike than it is a sport tourer.
The chassis is so stable that while coming back into town, I was in traffic at less than 1mph and didn't have to put my foot down once. This long, stable bike would make you a "Slow Ride" king in a motorcycle rodeo!
Final thoughts: The dash of this bike reminds me of my CBR600RR--there's some good info there in the LCD's, but it's not a wealth of information or new technology. I'd expect at least the same info as an ST13 (average fuel, instant fuel, etc.)
The bike just isn't enough of a "wow" for me to trade my ST for it. Its' looks are growing on me, but I'm not ready to give up my 7.7 gallon gas tank, the electric windshield, the saddlebags, or the tip-over protectors of the ST.
Maybe the rumored replacement of the ST will use a DCT transmission on a chassis that sports less weight and more electronic goodies that we'd like.
Let me know if you have any specific questions about the bike. My ride was only about 50 miles of "moderately brisk" and "WFO" twisty roads pace, so my ability to answer questions about the bike is limited to that exposure.
Get to the dealer and while walking through the service entrance I see a VFR1200 sitting there. I think nothing of it, because the sales manager called me about 4 weeks ago when the regular transmission VFR arrived, and said I should come down and see it (I've spent alot of money at this dealership--see bikes below
). I figured this was the same red bike.So they've got a front Roadsmart in stock, and yes they can get it installed while I wait. I then see the sales manager and he makes a beeline for me. He looks at the VFR (which I never bothered to look at) and says, "You've got to ride that--it's the automatic." I think to myself, "well, the ST is busy for about an hour--why not?"
We have to top-off the gas tank as the sales manager has put about 50 miles on it. I'm now test rider #2. The store owner has come out at this point, and he directs me to ride it upstairs (the service area) to top off the tank. I ask the owner, "Where do you want me to take it?" He answers, "Wherever you want." My day is getting better by the minute!
I had just returned from my favorite mountain ride, and I know the road is clean. I tell the owner I'll go about half way up the mountain (20 miles) and back. He's unconcerned and tells me to go for it.
Transmission: Like any Honda, this motorcycle is easy to get on and immediately feel like you've known her all your life. Even the DCT transmission is very intuitive to use. Select auto (either "D"rive or "S"port), or manual shifting. Even though there's no shift lever or clutch lever, for some reason it didn't seem odd. I took off in automatic "D" until I got a few of miles of familiarization under my butt. The transmission shifts very, very (did I mention very?) smoothly. Watch the Honda video on Youtube. The shifting of the transmission barely effects the motorcycle's chassis. The Youtube video isn't lying when it shows almost no shaft jacking while the DCT bike goes through the gears--whether shifting manually or automatically.
After getting to the curves (about 10 miles of getting out of town), I decide to put it into automatic "S"port mode. I romp the throttle coming out of a slow curve and the bike had me in 4th gear (digital display of gear whether manual mode or automatic). I expected a downshift, but it never came. This bike is no match for the ferocious thrust of my CBR1000RR, but it gets to boogeying down the road better than the ST. Even in auto "S", it seems like the engineers (maybe the lawyers?)have somewhat "watered down" the delivery of thrust. The best thrust comes through manually rowing the paddle shifters.
This bike liked to hold 4th gear (which after returning to the dealership, the sales manager had the same observation from his ride). When in 4th, and romping the throttle in auto "S" mode, I expected a downshift to 3rd, or possibly 2nd based on how far and fast I cracked the throttle. It just remained in 4th to redline, and then shifted to 5th. Later, on the return trip, the bike was in 5th when I again romped the throttle. This time the bike jumped down to 4th (the proper gear for my speed), and accelerated like an ST on steroids. The bike then continued to hold 4th, even when I let off the throttle. With the bike now spinning near 10,000 rpm, it wasn't until a slight decline in the roadway that the bike smoothly shifted to 5th (I don't know if this is one of those "smart" transmissions that likes to "learn" the rider's riding style or not).
You can switch to manual, or back to automatic on the move, whenever you like. Switching to manual merely requires you to hit one of the paddle shifters, putting the bike into a different gear. All gear shifts are seemless, and hardly (read: a negligible amount) effect the chassis. Even while pushing the bike (hope the sales manager doesn't see the scrubbing to the tires edges
), a manual downshift into a hot corner has less effect on the chassis than a downshift on my slipper-clutch equipped CBR1000RR. I'd bet the farm that we'll see this transmission on the next Goldwing.
Chassis: Like a Goldwing 1800, it seems like Honda found the Center of Gravity (CoG) of this VFR, and then built the bike around that spot. It carries its' weight very low and stable. It handles just like you'd expect--a bike that's about 125 lbs less than a top-heavy ST13. Again, it's no CBR1000RR, but it's more of a long, heavy sportbike than it is a sport tourer.
The chassis is so stable that while coming back into town, I was in traffic at less than 1mph and didn't have to put my foot down once. This long, stable bike would make you a "Slow Ride" king in a motorcycle rodeo!
Final thoughts: The dash of this bike reminds me of my CBR600RR--there's some good info there in the LCD's, but it's not a wealth of information or new technology. I'd expect at least the same info as an ST13 (average fuel, instant fuel, etc.)
The bike just isn't enough of a "wow" for me to trade my ST for it. Its' looks are growing on me, but I'm not ready to give up my 7.7 gallon gas tank, the electric windshield, the saddlebags, or the tip-over protectors of the ST.
Maybe the rumored replacement of the ST will use a DCT transmission on a chassis that sports less weight and more electronic goodies that we'd like.
Let me know if you have any specific questions about the bike. My ride was only about 50 miles of "moderately brisk" and "WFO" twisty roads pace, so my ability to answer questions about the bike is limited to that exposure.
