Test; Honda VFR1200F

It’s easy to knock Honda for making slightly soulless bikes; a completely unjustified criticism if to be as near perfect as possible is seen as a bad thing or that anything other than perfect is somehow a good thing when it comes to a machine as potentially dangerous as a bike. Not everyone wants to have to change their underwear after every ride.

I try never to be judgemental with regard to a manufacturer; doesn’t always work, mind! Whether you are partisan to a particular make is up to the individual, but to criticise another make just because it’s not a favourite is to be blindfolded to potentially brilliant machines. And this Honda is brilliant. Not only that, but it does have soul!

I have to admit that when I arrived home to find the VFR1200 parked in my driveway (Honda very kindly deliver bikes for test) I was blown away by its looks. The deep red paint covering the remarkably smooth and uncluttered fairing was stunning and I had the initial impression was that here was the best-looking bike I had seen for a long time. Again, that’s a subjective view, but there is no denying that it looks fabulous.

It’s not perfect; the positioning of the headlight makes the front seem a little squashed-in and the standard silencer is hardly a thing of beauty; but, then again, which current bike straight off the showroom floor is any better in that latter department? But the way Honda have hidden all the fairing fixings is very clever and allows for a really smooth appearance. The fairing is actually a double-skinned job; the outer skin channels cool air to the legs whilst the inner skin channels hot engine air around and out through the bottom of the fairing.

The VFR can be bought with Double Clutch Transmission (automatic to you and me) but, whilst that is a novelty, I tested the manual version. The double clutch arrangement is fairly common on cars but Honda is the first bike manufacturer to develop a system small enough for a bike. In essence, gears 1, 3 and 5 have one clutch; gears 2, 4 and 6 another. So, whilst you are in an odd gear the next even gear is engaged but the clutch isn’t. A flick of the handlebar-mounted paddle merely switches the clutches and, hey presto, next gear engaged. It can also be run in fully automatic mode.

The engine is a beauty, too. A 76 degree V-Four, it is cleverly designed so the rear pair of cylinders run inside the front pair on the crankshaft, which means it is narrower at the back than at the front, allowing for a narrow cockpit; you don’t feel like you are straddling a pregnant horse. If it feels a bit uninspired under 5,500 rpm, that’s because the exhaust-mounted power valve has not been actuated. Go above this and all hell breaks loose!

Gone is the familiar V-Four rumble, however. Whereas the old VFR800 had a 180 degree crank, the new 1237cc motor has crankpins that are offset 28 degrees, which, combined with the cylinder angle, gives the motor perfect primary balance, thus negating the need for a balancer shaft, but also changes the sound completely; it sounds much harder and more metallic and not at all like a Vee engine. But it’s still a great sound.

The big news doesn’t stop there. Shaft drive is a first for Honda on a sporting bike, with all the attendant benefits of that arrangement. And then there are the brakes. I found them to be the most reassuring and massively powerful brakes I have encountered on a bike. ABS is fitted, naturally, but the rear brake is linked to two of the six pistons on only one of the front brake rotors. However, it works only from rear to front and pulling the front brake lever won’t actuate the rear brake.

This HAS to go!

Handling is predictably fantastic, or at least it was at the normal speeds I was achieving. The bike feels really planted and secure and no doubt could be made to feel even more so if the full adjustment of the Showa suspension was taken advantage of. It just inspired confidence no matter what the riding conditions.

Riding position is quite aggressive for a supposed sports-tourer, with a lot of weight thrust onto the wrists by the low mounted bars, but seat comfort was good and the overall position was roomy. And, for once on a Honda, the seat covering was not too slippery!






If you’re looking to spend in the region of R170,000 on a bike you really should take a look at this. Maybe Honda has its fair share of detractors, but for once the usual engineering quality has produced a bike that moves away from the dull, super-competent image and adds a good dash of spice to the mix.