Despite its unimpeachable credentials and racing pedigree, directly derived from the RC30 and RC45 World Superbike racers, Honda has always presented its high-tech V4 street bikes as all-rounders – sport bikes, tourers and commuters all rolled into one sophisticated, incredibly complex, technological tour de force.
It’s part of Soichiro Honda’s legacy, the corporate perception that Honda motorcycles must be all things to all riders, and it speaks volumes about the company that it so very nearly succeeds.
The VFR was really spawned by an engineering disaster. The 1983 VF750F, a hastily produced, Euro-styled V4 that had a habit of chewing up its camshafts and cam chains at very low mileages due to tolerance problems on the cylinder heads. Heads rolled at Honda R&D and the bike was re-engineered as a sort of Swiss watch on two wheels, expensively over-engineered with superb materials and ultra-costly, gear-driven camshafts.
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The Japanese concept of "face" demanded that Honda prove it could build a successful V4, so the bike was created as a showcase for what was possible in a production motorcycle, given the right motivation.
| 'Face' demanded that Honda prove it could build a V4. |
The result has been nearly two decades of superbly crafted sports tourers, always featuring the latest technical gimmicks and which, despite their intimidating complexity, have earned an enviable reputation for toughness and reliability.
As its technology flag-waver, the VFR also taught Honda how to produce world-class levels of fit and finish. In 1998 the V4 gained fuel injection and went up to 781cc; for 2002 Honda has finally laid the camshaft spectre to rest and the VFR800 V-Tec goes back to quieter, more compact, chain-driven camshafts.
It’s also the first bike marketed by Honda outside Japan to be fitted with Honda’s V-TEC variable valve timing. The system is derived from that used on Honda’s car engines for some years now and was first seen on the Japan-only CBR400 Project 1 in 1998. At low revs the V4, quad-valve motor uses only two valves per cylinder for more torque and better scavenging of burnt gases, but at 6800rpm the oil pressure in the motor’s lubrication system operates sliding pins on the valve stems to bring all 16 valves into play.
It’s not true variable cam timing like BMW’s VANOS system, which is too bulky to use on a motorcycle engine; rather it’s an on-off switch that gives the bike something it’s never had before – a power band.
Not only does the performance envelope of Honda’s class-leading all-rounder move sharply towards the sporting end of the spectrum but the bike has also developed a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Below 7000 revs it’s docile, mechanically very quiet and actually produces slightly less power than its predecessor.
| It's the first Honda outside Japan to have V-TEC valve timing. |
Then, quite suddenly, a brassy blare bursts out from the air box under the fuel tank and the bike takes a giant leap at the horizon. It’s an exciting, intense riding experience and the adrenalin rush is strongly addictive; it encourages you to be very naughty – you’ll find yourself using a gear too low so that you can hit the magic seven even when overtaking a milk float.
For the record, the bike tops out at a true 228km/h, just two kays faster than the 1999 VFR800 it replaces, but it makes getting there a whole lot more fun. Earlier VFRs were a little bland; this one certainly isn’t. The old farts won’t like it, but it will win over a whole group of new riders who would not previously have considered an all-rounder.
The rest of the drive train is the mixture as before; pure Honda, with a bomb-proof, slightly grabby, clutch and a noisy gearbox that’s notchy at low revs but much slicker when you’re in a hurry. There’s a superb cush drive built into the rear wheel carrier of the single sided swing-arm and drive-line lash is almost undetectable.
The frame benefits from an additional gusset here and there, notably one cast in behind the steering head for more torsional rigidity, while the walls of some of the members are a millimetre or two thicker. Honda has also added an external brace around the swing-arm pivot, as on the latest CBR900 Fireblade.
The Showa forks, adjustable for preload only, are up from 41mm to 43mm and the rear monoshock, from the same maker, is tuneable for everything except ride height.
After numerous complaints about the CBS-linked brakes, Honda has revised the system yet again to give the rider some control over which lever operates which brakes. Each floating calliper has three pistons; the foot brake lever operates the outer two pots on the rear wheel and the centre piston on the left front calliper. The front brake brings in all three pistons on the right front disc and the outer two on the left. Which leaves the centre piston on the rear brake; that’s operated by a tiny master cylinder mounted on the left front calliper – it’s actually applied by the torque induced by the rotation of the disc.
It’s a fiendishly complex system with five times as much plumbing as a conventional set-up (please don’t ask me to bleed the VFR’s brakes) but it’s almost imperceptible in operation. The front brake gives you a 7:1 front/rear split, close to the ideal 9:1 ratio as recommended by Mr M Doohan and Signor V I Rossi. As you’d expect, it’s immensely powerful, but with accurate feedback making accurate modulation easy.
Despite the bike’s high centre of effort it’s reassuringly stable under braking and will tolerate being turned in with the brakes still on. The rear brake, predictably, feels like a Guzzi’s: totally lacking in feel, it just makes the bike squat evenly at both ends. Works well in the wet, though.
The latest VFR is visually a lot sharper, starting with the four headlights, a pair each side of the blacked-out centre fairing panel. The front end is crisply tailored but the styling seems to have fragmented in the middle, with too many separate small panels.
The rear section is dominated by two high-rise stainless-steel silencers; the rear subframe is built around a large central square-section steel tube to allow space for the tailpipes. An interesting side benefit is that the passenger footpegs can now be mounted 10mm lower without fouling the exhausts.
The fascia reflects the bells-and-whistles design philosophy of the VFR, with a black-faced central rev-counter between two LCD screens. The left side shows a digital speedo and the ambient air temperature (handy if you're likely to encounter black ice on European roads) while the right displays a bar-graph fuel gauge, the time and two trip meters.
The HISS security ignition lock sits below the tacho, reminding you (and affirmative shoppers) that you need a degree in electronic engineering to hot-wire this thing.
Riding the VFR800 for the first time is a pleasant surprise. It's no lightweight at 213kg but, thanks to the bulky V4 motor, the weight is concentrated fairly high up and the wheelbase is compact at 1460mm so the bike is unexpectedly nimble. It’s not a race-replica and the initial turn-in is a little lazy, but it soon tightens up and it’s rock-steady on long sweeps, the kind of confidence-inspiring behaviour we used to look for in road bikes before World Superbikes made twitchy, ultra-quick handling not only acceptable but desirable.
The steering isn’t as precise as (say) the CBR600F4i but is more than precise enough for a big street bike. It’s good enough to let you trickle through the traffic at little more than walking pace so the VFR800 is a very effective commuter.
The ergonomics are superb; the seating positions for rider and pillion are roomy and relaxed - this is a big bike, Cyril – but neatly balanced between upright touring and a sports crouch. After more than two hours in the saddle, I was fresh and ready for more.
Wide-awake readers will have noticed that the pictures accompanying this road review are the same Honda publicity shots that we put up with the initial launch report. My time with the VFR was limited and I concentrated on just enjoying Honda’s unexpectedly naughty all-rounder - I didn’t want to waste riding time taking pictures.
The VFR800 is still one of the world’s great all-rounders, comparing well with the Triumph Sprint RS and Ducati’s ST4. This latest edition, however, is harder-edged, visually and performance-wise, with an more edgy character that will appeal to riders looking for a sports bike that’s comfortable all day rather than a quicker tourer.
Thanks to Brian Hoskins at Mekor Honda, Cape Town for the loan of the test bike. The VFR800i costs R108 075.
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