When IOL originally reviewed the Honda VFR800 V-Tec in February 2002 our time with the test bike was limited and we concentrated on throwing Honda's big V-four at the horizon, scarcely stopping to draw breath – I didn't even take time to photograph it and we used Honda's own publicity shots for the article.
Feeling that we had possibly done Honda's technological flagship something of an injustice, when we needed a fast tourer for the 2500km trip to Phakisa and back to cover the recent SA motorcycle GP I saw it as an opportunity to get to know the VFR800 really well, out on the long, long highways of the big country we live in.
Continues Below ↓
Mekor Cape Town kindly obliged with a demo VFR800 and well before dawn on a chilly Wednesday morning I threw my luggage into the back of the Killarney marshals' bakkie and set off into the sunrise, cruising at around 130km/h until we got well clear of the urban sprawl.
After the first stop at Worcester, around 130km from Cape Town, we picked up the pace a little; the weather remained bitterly cold all day and I soon discovered one of the Honda's little foibles. Like most of Soichiro's children it's over-cooled and takes longer than expected to get back up to operating temperature after even a short stop.
At just under 7000rpm the air box lets rip with a brassy howl and the bike leaps forward. When the engine is cold the V-Tec mechanism won't work; whether or not this is deliberate (to protect the cold motor from being worked hard) I don't know, but it lops the top 20% off the power curve, leaving you with a very flat 781cc street bike until it has warmed up properly.
Only once was I caught out by this, when trying to overtake a long truck just after our coffee-break at Laingsburg, but it's something VFR owners should bear in mind.
Once hot to trot, the Honda's "Jekyll and Hyde" powerband returns; just under 7000rpm (152km/h in top, if you must know) the second inlet valve in each cylinder suddenly starts working, the air box lets rip with a brassy howl and the bike leaps forward, making overtaking a joy and a pleasure.
The Honda remained surefooted, without any squirming around or changes of attitude.
Continues...
|
