Test Drive of the new VFR

The new VFR is getting some good reviews, like this one in the Toronto Star...

Kingston-It's sunny, the temperature display shows 7C and an icy wind is blowing off Lake Ontario but I don't care. I've been allotted 20 minutes on Honda's technological showcase, the 2010 VFR1200, and I'm making the best of it.

Approaching the VFR, I note it's much better looking in person than in pictures. My eyes are drawn to the shapes, angles, contours, paintwork and interesting use of metal accents. It's unique, I'll give it that. The red and black paint reminds me of a first-year CBX and the overall fit and finish is the best I've ever seen on a motorcycle - and this was a pre-production model.

At press time, pricing hadn't been set but Honda expects it to be in the high teens, low 20s (about the same as the ST1300) and availability will be limited: fewer than 200 units will be coming to the Great White North.

The VFR1200 is a sport-touring motorcycle and more likely to go against the Suzuki Hayabusa, Kawasaki ZX14 and BMW K1300S rather than the sport-touring Yamaha FJR1300, BMW K1300GT and Honda's own ST1300.

The motor pumps out a claimed 172 hp - not class leading, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. It's quality horsepower too, not living way up in the powerband's stratosphere. The 92 lb.-ft. of torque make for a surprisingly strong mid-range once you're over 3000 r.p.m.

The muffler has an internal servo valve emitting a rather uninspiring tone at idle that morphs into that famous Honda V4 drone as the revs rise.

Production VFR1200s will have an automatic transmission option (actually an electronically shifted, dual-clutch six-speed), but the unit I rode had a standard six-speed manual box. I thought the hydraulic clutch felt a bit on the stiff side - not the light, silky-smooth unit I've come to expect on the VFR800, but the transmission itself shifted positively, although the throw was a bit on the long side.

Instead of traditional double overhead cams, the 1,237 cc, V4 engine goes with Uni-cams first found on Honda's four-stroke motocrossers. The cam sits directly over the intake valves (which are larger and heavier) while the exhaust valves are activated by a rocker system. This reduces reciprocating mass as well as removing some fairly heavy components from the far reaches of the engine.

The VFR1200 motor is not only lighter than the 800 version; it's physically smaller, allowing for optimal engine placement within the frame. The rear cylinders are narrower than the front, so sitting astride the motorcycle it's remarkably wasp-waisted.

Once underway, the throttle response was linear and consistent. The 76-degree V of the new engine, combined with offset crankpins allow the engine to function without the weight and complexity of any sort of counter-balancers. Just enough "character" seeps through the bars, pegs and seat so the rider knows he's not aboard a refrigerator.

The pegs and bar placement seemed pretty close to the VFR800, which is on the sporty side rather than the "sit up and beg" riding position of the more touring-oriented ST1300.

A blast up through the gears was a real eye opener. Once the tach hits 3000 r.p.m. and up, it's got retina-flattening acceleration. But the VFR is so refined, it feels as if it's just loafing.

The legal cruising speed of 100 km/h comes up at 3500 r.p.m. in sixth so the VFR1200 will be an effective touring bike, although the 18.5 L tank will mean a fairly limited cruising range.

Wind protection from the double-skinned fairing seemed good, although more time at freeway speeds would be required to fully evaluate the "fatigue factor."

Curb weight with a full tank and all fluids is a reasonable 268 kg only 18 kg more than the VFR800. Once underway, it feels like a 600, proving that mass centralization really works. The steering is light and neutral, and even the turning radius is quite reasonable as pulling feet-up U-turns on two-lane roads was no problem.

It seemed odd that even with the ambient temperature in the single digits, if the bike idled for a moment, the fan came on.

Even odder was that the turn-signal switch and horn-button positions were reversed on the left grip. Every time I signaled a lane change or a turn, I beeped the horn.

Riding the VFR1200 back to back with the VFR800 was a real eye-opener. Honda's VFR800, one of the most sophisticated and technologically advanced motorcycles on the planet, comes off as being coarse and even somewhat raucous (especially when the V-Tec boost hits).

But in reality, it is none of the above. The VFR1200 is simply much more refined.

After 20 minutes aboard, my overwhelming impression was that the VFR1200 is extremely solid and a remarkable blend of performance with sophistication.