marriedman Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I was reading several articles lately about sport touring and one thing that kept coming up was the weight of the bike. I know that a often voiced desire for the VFR is losing weight. But in the article that I was reading, the weight of the bike was vital for the thing not to get blown around on the highway or on country roads. There are heavier bikes than the VFR and of course lighter, but I am beginning to really think that Honda is trying to keep the balance of "not so light that the bike gets blown around" and "not so heavy that it's a pregnant sow at low speeds". The only time I really think about the bike being lighter is if I am going to have to manhandle it, never while I am on it. Are the people that want the bike to be lighter just the aggressive sport riders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer FJ12Ryder Posted February 22, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted February 22, 2014 IMO based on many years of traveling on a bike, the shape and amount of fairing/body cover has more to do with the way the bike is affected by wind than the weight. I've ridden bikes that weigh around 300 lbs. that weren't bothered by the wind, and I've ridden 700 lb. bikes that got blown around a lot. I think most modern bikes are bothered more by the wind because the central part of the bike is almost solid due to water cooled engine and air boxes. Some of the old bikes were pretty open in the center and offered less of the "sail" affect. That's what I think anyway. But I think Honda makes their bikes heavier as part of the ease/cost of manufacturing. Japanese bikes have leaned towards the heavy from their inception, and it always been a commenting point by the journos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Weight is only part of the equation of "being blown around on the highway." Fairing shape, side profile, windscreen height, rider size, presence or absence of saddlebags, and then there are the wheels. Ride a Harley with solid disc wheels. No spokes. Heavy, and gets blown around a lot. So it's a number of things really. I'd be happy with 1000cc's geardrive cams, 150hp and 499lbs wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'd be happy with 1000cc's geardrive cams, 150hp and 499lbs wet. With a larger displacement and the return to GDC would come more weight, true? Where would the weight savings be made up? It would have to be made up in the general robustness of the build I would think. A pure sport bike can sacrifice the thickness of frame or plush seat, but the touring bike would need the reinforced frame for the added weight of a passenger and luggage. This is the crux of what I talking about. The weight as a result of feature design may be a necessary "evil". Also, do you think that the GDC will ever come back on a streetbike? I thought the entire reason Honda went to them was for noise reduction in the EU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MBrane Posted February 24, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted February 24, 2014 I'd be happy with 1000cc's geardrive cams, 150hp and 499lbs wet. Honda could build that bike, but not at a price point at which it would sell enough to make a profit so they give us the 8th gen. An RSV4 is likely in my future unless the world economy suddenly improves dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veefer800Canuck Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Oh I know it's not gonna happen, and I'm aware of the noise regulations. My 800 was something like 515 Lbs. With a little time on the Cad/Cam machines, some lighter materials, I'm sure they could carve off 16 Lbs off the bike in total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Now that is totally realistic. I got the feeling that some people thought that a 400lbs wet weight was possible for a do-it-all V4 liter bike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keny Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 I remeber Kawasaki actually didn´t low the weight to mutch on its mid 90 ZX7RR as a street version, becorse it behaves better on the road whit a bit more weight they clamed. What "behaves better" stands for is a mystery thro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer MBrane Posted February 27, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted February 27, 2014 I remeber Kawasaki actually didn´t low the weight to mutch on its mid 90 ZX7RR as a street version, becorse it behaves better on the road whit a bit more weight they clamed. What "behaves better" stands for is a mystery thro. Go back, and find some reviews of the last generation ZX9. The very things that made it a good streetbike were the things that made it "inferior" to the other litre sportbikes of the day. As someone who has followed a skilled rider on a ZX9 through some very goaty roads I can assure you the bike is much more capable than the average rider. There have been many more occasions I have enjoyed the extra weight of my VFR rather than lamented it. It's a road bike. Use it accordingly, and it will bring you great happiness with a bit of effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted February 27, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted February 27, 2014 I'd be happy with 1000cc's geardrive cams, 150hp and 499lbs wet. Honda could build that bike, but not at a price point at which it would sell enough to make a profit so they give us the 8th gen. An RSV4 is likely in my future unless the world economy suddenly improves dramatically. The more I think about it the more I think that's not entirely true. Aprilia can sell their RSV4 for $2k more than what the current VFR sells, and that's with a brand new engine, fully adjustable suspension, ABS, other electronic aids, and 410lbs weight. The Tuono, which is probably closer to what some of us would want, is $1k less than the RSV4. Honda could give us what we want, but the growth isn't there, and now they have Aprilia to compete against, and that's probably not going to go over well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 If I were made of money, I wouldn't mind a Futura! I think they are beautiful bikes. It's a twin and not a V4, but it's better than a I4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 The heavy old school Honda quality construction is a big reason I have been a fan of the vfr. Yes, give me that heavy mainframe, centerstand, over engineered vtec, twin radiators, thick plastics, big headlight etc. It all works for me, I've never felt the bike needed to lose any weight. I have owned a '06 cbr1000rr so I've had experience with a lighter more powerful bike but for all around usability on the street the vfr for me wins hands down. As for what bike is best in a strong gusting cross winds the low slung long wheelbase vtwin cruisers seem to be the most stable. I also find my heavier, 60 inch wheelbase bking to be steadier than the vfr in gusting crosswinds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiKenG Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Also, do you think that the GDC will ever come back on a streetbike? I thought the entire reason Honda went to them was for noise reduction in the EU? The reason Honda moved the GDC was to quash finally, once and for all, the old bugbear of cam chain problems. The original VFR was a loss leader, introduced to help win back customers' confidence after many problems with the earlier V Fours and also the CX500 of the same period. The new VFR just HAD to get it right and NOT suffer any of those previous problems. GDC is also better for racing, but they introduced the RC30 some time later and the engine was quite different from the first VFR. GDC was introduced purely for reliability and is absolutely nothing to do with EU noise laws. Cam drive noise is not really an issue there. Once the exhaust is suitably muffled and with engine noise generally kept in check by water cooling, the big issues are tyre and drive chain noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.