It is going on two weeks now and between personal obligations and weather I have managed to clock 500 miles on my new ride. 2016 VFR1200x manual. Bike was bought used with 4900 miles on the speedo.
Is this bike heavy? It looks heavy. Interesting it is only 19 pound more than the VFR 1200F. That is equal to stuff in one side bag. Coming from an ST1300 it is light, by 112 pounds. I can move the VFR around my garage very easily when not running. The ST is a beast when you are not moving. Now compare it to a Gen6 VFR800, Yep it is big and heavy. I can attest. It sits right next to my wife's 2008 VFR800. About 90 pounds difference. But since I move both bikes around my garage it is not bad.
Is it tall? Yep it is, but I am 5' 10" with a 30" inseam and I can flat foot it. It is very well balanced. Standing alongside, the handle bars are up in the air a bit. Compared to my wife's which has the LSL Spiegler (super bike) bars, bar end to bar end the VFR1200X is about 7" higher from the ground. And if I remember correctly the LSL bars are about 6" higher than stock bars on her VFR. And yes this makes it look really big. Swinging a leg over the seat is a trick. For me there is no swing, the leg goes straight across the seat. Although standing on the foot peg works well too.
Now when you ride this bike it does not feel huge and it has enough pep to scoot down the road at a good clip. I hit triple digits without knowing it. I will say that the weather here has turned since I got the bike so I have only clocked about 500 miles, but I have no regrets about getting rid of the ST although it is a great bike. I don't do well on my wife's VFR, I can easily do 200 to 250 miles and then I am done for a while.
This bike will not be for everyone but I find it a great replacement for the ST although they are two completely different bike types/styles.
This was bought used and after a 150 plus miles I was not happy with the suspension. I went to the owner's manual and set the suspension, for lack of a better term to a neutral setting. What the manual states for the manual version. Put on another couple hundred miles and things improved dramatically. Whoever owned the bike had different settings on each fork tube and had things all jacked up on the rear shock settings.
Now let's get to other stuff. First these are basic bikes not a lot of frills on them. No heated grips (although available), no cruise, add-ons, etc. A basic bike that I am fine with. My ST was the same way, a basic no frills bike. Things that would be nice, Honda needs to move FCD, Total Trip and Torque Control (TC) buttons from the dash board to the left hand control. It is a long reach for me to the dash board. Now Honda may say that you should be stopped to adjust and that is why it is not on the left hand control. I agree to disagree.
On roads that I have ridden for years that are near my house (two lanes with big curves, twisties, two lane dirt and interstates) I find that I am riding faster than the ST1300. Not intentionally mind you, the bike just feels right and just goes effortlessly. The height of the bike does not seem to impede me and my riding style in any way. No chicken strips on these tires. The second day I did some 40 to 60 mph winds and I will say that the VFR did not move around nearly as much as the ST in high winds. Plus dirty air and that buffeting (the weave) is not there as well. Since we are on wind, the wind protection is not as good as the ST but I am very surprised at how well the little adjustable windscreen works. Dead simple to operate and very functional. Time will tell if there is an upgrade for that in the future.
The power that the motor delivers is exceptional, smooth, good torque in all gears and across the RPM's. Although it does not seem to have the torque grunt that the ST has, it still pulls very strong. The TC does work as I found when the front end lifted and the TC shut that down very smoothly. I am still trying to do the first gear to second gear shift without a clunk. Preloading the shifter does help. Other gears are fine; in fact I find clutchless shifting very nice on this bike both up and down in the gears. Common sense does play a factor with clutchless down shifting, but it is like the transmission was really made to do this. I have gone first to second a few times without the clutch and there was no clunk, but I have not gone from second to first without, that common sense thing plays in here. I have done clutchless shifting on all my bikes over the years, typically just up shifting. Even on my 41 year old CB750F that is in my garage.
Low speed maneuvering is very easy and effortless, but I am still trying to get used to the launch control. I think that will be very useful in low speed maneuvers when I have more time to work on it. Launch control is very subtle. When stopped in first gear, (I have not done second gear starts yet) when the clutch is slightly engaging the rpm's raise a few hundred rpm. If you are used to just giving it gas and going it will not be noticed. This may be very useful in slow traffic situations, more familiarity is needed here. I have not found this feature outlined in the owner's manual either.
Storage capabilities on the bike without the luggage are zero. Really no place for tools, paperwork, etc., my ST I did have a full tool kit under the seat and the side compartments for extra stuff, paperwork, extra key for the wife's bike, one of those kick stand things that prevents the bike from sinking in dirt, etc. And if like on the ST you have made those extra keys to unlock your side bags I don't think that will be an option on this bike due to the key design.
So would I keep it? Yep, no turning back. Is it prefect? No bike is prefect as we are all so different. What would I change or add? Although I have never had them on a bike, heated grips and electronic cruise control. This bike is “fly by wire†even though there are cables at the throttle. There is an electronic cruise control available from Europe that is very straightforward to install and not horribly priced but not cheap either. Tweak the suspension a bit more, get my SatNav connected and I think that is it for now.
One last note and then some final thoughts, my speedo is dead on with my SatNav. Now the Crosstourer Forum states that there is a 10% error in the speedo. So I am curious as to why mine is dead on. Which I think is great. But I am thinking that hidden under the covers somewhere a SpeedoHealer is sitting. But since I got the bike through a dealer I have no PO contact info.
I have not owned 30, 40 or more bikes in my lifetime, maybe 15, and I am just kind of a simple guy when it comes down to it. Does it work, or does it not work? Is it good enough for me? Everyone has an opinion, and it is because we are all so different. I don't get hung up and things like “I wouldn't buy it if it did not have ABSâ€, or “it doesn't have this or thatâ€. For me, this is a great bike. It fits my needs, although it could have a couple have wants. Fuel range could be better, but I am getting 46 mpg on my first couple of fills which is the same as my ST. So at 200 miles you better be looking for gas, there is only 1.4 gallons left at that point. The jury is out on the seat, so far it has been fine, but it has not been hot and I have not had high mileage days. Overall ergonomics are great, more upright that the OEM ST, leg position is comfortable and not crowded, the standard hand controls are what one would expect from Honda, simple and functional.
That's it for now, maybe more after a few thousand miles.
Is this bike heavy? It looks heavy. Interesting it is only 19 pound more than the VFR 1200F. That is equal to stuff in one side bag. Coming from an ST1300 it is light, by 112 pounds. I can move the VFR around my garage very easily when not running. The ST is a beast when you are not moving. Now compare it to a Gen6 VFR800, Yep it is big and heavy. I can attest. It sits right next to my wife's 2008 VFR800. About 90 pounds difference. But since I move both bikes around my garage it is not bad.
Is it tall? Yep it is, but I am 5' 10" with a 30" inseam and I can flat foot it. It is very well balanced. Standing alongside, the handle bars are up in the air a bit. Compared to my wife's which has the LSL Spiegler (super bike) bars, bar end to bar end the VFR1200X is about 7" higher from the ground. And if I remember correctly the LSL bars are about 6" higher than stock bars on her VFR. And yes this makes it look really big. Swinging a leg over the seat is a trick. For me there is no swing, the leg goes straight across the seat. Although standing on the foot peg works well too.
Now when you ride this bike it does not feel huge and it has enough pep to scoot down the road at a good clip. I hit triple digits without knowing it. I will say that the weather here has turned since I got the bike so I have only clocked about 500 miles, but I have no regrets about getting rid of the ST although it is a great bike. I don't do well on my wife's VFR, I can easily do 200 to 250 miles and then I am done for a while.
This bike will not be for everyone but I find it a great replacement for the ST although they are two completely different bike types/styles.
This was bought used and after a 150 plus miles I was not happy with the suspension. I went to the owner's manual and set the suspension, for lack of a better term to a neutral setting. What the manual states for the manual version. Put on another couple hundred miles and things improved dramatically. Whoever owned the bike had different settings on each fork tube and had things all jacked up on the rear shock settings.
Now let's get to other stuff. First these are basic bikes not a lot of frills on them. No heated grips (although available), no cruise, add-ons, etc. A basic bike that I am fine with. My ST was the same way, a basic no frills bike. Things that would be nice, Honda needs to move FCD, Total Trip and Torque Control (TC) buttons from the dash board to the left hand control. It is a long reach for me to the dash board. Now Honda may say that you should be stopped to adjust and that is why it is not on the left hand control. I agree to disagree.
On roads that I have ridden for years that are near my house (two lanes with big curves, twisties, two lane dirt and interstates) I find that I am riding faster than the ST1300. Not intentionally mind you, the bike just feels right and just goes effortlessly. The height of the bike does not seem to impede me and my riding style in any way. No chicken strips on these tires. The second day I did some 40 to 60 mph winds and I will say that the VFR did not move around nearly as much as the ST in high winds. Plus dirty air and that buffeting (the weave) is not there as well. Since we are on wind, the wind protection is not as good as the ST but I am very surprised at how well the little adjustable windscreen works. Dead simple to operate and very functional. Time will tell if there is an upgrade for that in the future.
The power that the motor delivers is exceptional, smooth, good torque in all gears and across the RPM's. Although it does not seem to have the torque grunt that the ST has, it still pulls very strong. The TC does work as I found when the front end lifted and the TC shut that down very smoothly. I am still trying to do the first gear to second gear shift without a clunk. Preloading the shifter does help. Other gears are fine; in fact I find clutchless shifting very nice on this bike both up and down in the gears. Common sense does play a factor with clutchless down shifting, but it is like the transmission was really made to do this. I have gone first to second a few times without the clutch and there was no clunk, but I have not gone from second to first without, that common sense thing plays in here. I have done clutchless shifting on all my bikes over the years, typically just up shifting. Even on my 41 year old CB750F that is in my garage.
Low speed maneuvering is very easy and effortless, but I am still trying to get used to the launch control. I think that will be very useful in low speed maneuvers when I have more time to work on it. Launch control is very subtle. When stopped in first gear, (I have not done second gear starts yet) when the clutch is slightly engaging the rpm's raise a few hundred rpm. If you are used to just giving it gas and going it will not be noticed. This may be very useful in slow traffic situations, more familiarity is needed here. I have not found this feature outlined in the owner's manual either.
Storage capabilities on the bike without the luggage are zero. Really no place for tools, paperwork, etc., my ST I did have a full tool kit under the seat and the side compartments for extra stuff, paperwork, extra key for the wife's bike, one of those kick stand things that prevents the bike from sinking in dirt, etc. And if like on the ST you have made those extra keys to unlock your side bags I don't think that will be an option on this bike due to the key design.
So would I keep it? Yep, no turning back. Is it prefect? No bike is prefect as we are all so different. What would I change or add? Although I have never had them on a bike, heated grips and electronic cruise control. This bike is “fly by wire†even though there are cables at the throttle. There is an electronic cruise control available from Europe that is very straightforward to install and not horribly priced but not cheap either. Tweak the suspension a bit more, get my SatNav connected and I think that is it for now.
One last note and then some final thoughts, my speedo is dead on with my SatNav. Now the Crosstourer Forum states that there is a 10% error in the speedo. So I am curious as to why mine is dead on. Which I think is great. But I am thinking that hidden under the covers somewhere a SpeedoHealer is sitting. But since I got the bike through a dealer I have no PO contact info.
I have not owned 30, 40 or more bikes in my lifetime, maybe 15, and I am just kind of a simple guy when it comes down to it. Does it work, or does it not work? Is it good enough for me? Everyone has an opinion, and it is because we are all so different. I don't get hung up and things like “I wouldn't buy it if it did not have ABSâ€, or “it doesn't have this or thatâ€. For me, this is a great bike. It fits my needs, although it could have a couple have wants. Fuel range could be better, but I am getting 46 mpg on my first couple of fills which is the same as my ST. So at 200 miles you better be looking for gas, there is only 1.4 gallons left at that point. The jury is out on the seat, so far it has been fine, but it has not been hot and I have not had high mileage days. Overall ergonomics are great, more upright that the OEM ST, leg position is comfortable and not crowded, the standard hand controls are what one would expect from Honda, simple and functional.
That's it for now, maybe more after a few thousand miles.
