lazyfish Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 I am looking to replace my current bike (NC750X DCT) with something a bit more sporty and capable. I really like Honda's DCT system and therefore consider getting a VFR1200F with DCT fitted. Now what's really holding me back is the driveshaft issue that has been subject to the recall. I've looked at several bikes locally but none of them had the recall done. Worse still, there's no way to get the recall taken care of as there's zero support from Honda in my country. Looking at current local second hand prices, having a new driveshaft imported and installed would total the bike in case it would fail. How long could an original driveshaft realistically last? Should I expect that it just fails randomly or is there a pattern to it (for example any obvious wear indicators)? I once had a BMW driveshaft fail on me and it was pretty frighting to completely lose power when doing 100mph with traffic coming up from behind. Now that one could be fixed relatively cheaply but after that the bike never felt right again. I don't want risk the same with the VFR. Alternatively I'm considering the 8th generation VFR800F or Kawasaki Z1000SX (Ninja 1000). I absolutely love the looks of the VFR800F and if it came with DCT I wouldn't even consider the VFR1200F. The Kawasaki is more comfortable but it just feels a bit less well put together which I feel would annoy me over the long run. Would love to hear your input on the driveshaft. Is it worth the gamble or should I just forget about the VFR1200F? Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted November 22, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 22, 2021 That's a heck of a jump from a NC750X to a VFR1200 but you would love it. I can't answer the question regarding the shaft and I'm not sure anyone really could, other than Honda. It's such a shame there is no support from them there. How do folk BUY a Honda in HK if there is no support? Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted November 22, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 22, 2021 What if you bought the VFR1200 and say in 2 years time, the shaft does fail beyond econimic repair Will a bailiff evict you from your apartment for rental arrears? Will your kids grow hungry? Is the Pope muslim? If the answers on the above are no, go buy the VFR and enjoy the ride. I recently bought a MV Agusta of which a mere 1991 were produced. Any significant engine failure will result in a economic write-off. So be it.... Sometime, people are scared for no reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted November 22, 2021 Member Contributer Share Posted November 22, 2021 3 hours ago, Dutchy said: What if you bought the VFR1200 and say in 2 years time, the shaft does fail beyond econimic repair Will a bailiff evict you from your apartment for rental arrears? Will your kids grow hungry? Is the Pope muslim? If the answers on the above are no, go buy the VFR and enjoy the ride. I recently bought a MV Agusta of which a mere 1991 were produced. Any significant engine failure will result in a economic write-off. So be it.... Sometime, people are scared for no reason. I suspect he's a bit more concerned if it fails whilst he's at speed (easy on the VFR12), as opposed to your points, to which I find myself increasingly drawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyfish Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 4 hours ago, Skids said: How do folk BUY a Honda in HK if there is no support? Honda bikes are definitely supported and a good amount of them are even produced locally. Just not the VFR1200F... A couple were imported officially but most of them are grey imports from Japan, US and Europe. Except for basic parts such as air filters you're completely on your own. 4 hours ago, Dutchy said: What if you bought the VFR1200 and say in 2 years time, the shaft does fail beyond econimic repair Will a bailiff evict you from your apartment for rental arrears? Will your kids grow hungry? Is the Pope muslim? If the answers on the above are no, go buy the VFR and enjoy the ride. Answers are indeed no, so I guess I should get the VFR then. 😁 I just don't want it to fail in a couple of months and waste 5000USD without getting a good riding season out of the bike. My NC750X has been completely solid without any issues which really has been a breath of fresh air compared to my previous BMW (driveshaft failure) and Yamaha (cylinder scoring). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunde Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 4 hours ago, lazyfish said: Honda bikes are definitely supported and a good amount of them are even produced locally. Just not the VFR1200F... A couple were imported officially but most of them are grey imports from Japan, US and Europe. Except for basic parts such as air filters you're completely on your own. Answers are indeed no, so I guess I should get the VFR then. 😁 I just don't want it to fail in a couple of months and waste 5000USD without getting a good riding season out of the bike. My NC750X has been completely solid without any issues which really has been a breath of fresh air compared to my previous BMW (driveshaft failure) and Yamaha (cylinder scoring). Are you getting one thats brand new (0 mies) or has it done some distance? If its not brand new then i think you are safe, the driveshaft failures usually occured relativly quicky as far as i know? Even if you were to be unlucky, i think the odds of a catastrophic / total failure is very low. You'd likely know something was wrong before things turned severely sour. And the driveshaft is ofc a replaceable unit, not cheap but doable. I'd say go for it. Mine is the best bike i'v ever ridden, and by far the easiest to own so far, fucking dope bike 🙂 Here is a pic of mine after i had just finished around 4.000 kilomters in 4 days of riding + going to the Nüburgring I did 15.000km's this season, not much by any stretch, but got a good feel for it now, simply superb is all i can say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyfish Posted December 7, 2021 Author Share Posted December 7, 2021 Thanks everybody for the responses. I decided to go with a 2014 VFR800F in white with 10k miles on the clock. It had been sitting for 2 years and the owner agreed to let it go for 3200USD. To be honest at this price it seemed like a no-brainer as the alternatives are way more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunde Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 9 hours ago, lazyfish said: Thanks everybody for the responses. I decided to go with a 2014 VFR800F in white with 10k miles on the clock. It had been sitting for 2 years and the owner agreed to let it go for 3200USD. To be honest at this price it seemed like a no-brainer as the alternatives are way more expensive. Congratz! I owned a 2016 VFR 800F before my 1200 Great bike 🙂 Love it in white! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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