SHvar Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 dfh. The standard is only available in the USA, it has no adjustments to the forks, no ABS, no traction control, no heated grips, no center stand, and no remote preload adjustment to the rear shock. For the extra $1000 its worth it to get the deluxe model. There are a few who bought the standard and complained about the forks riding very harsh with no way to change that. The normal settings from Honda on the deluxe forks feel and handle great, also you can set them the way you want them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted August 10, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2014 I think all some people are saying is they wish they could get gear driven cam or at least not vtec and some cool looking USD forks. Is that so unreasonable? Its really just asking for the old motor in the new bike..and maybe some bling? I think this is really rooted in the vtec engine that no one asked for that is still around. I mean this is the type of thing some manufacturers pay for---customer feedback/market research on what they would like. I don't think anyone would complain if they got their old gear driven cam back. Just to set the tone quickly, I just got an 8th Gen. It's in the corner of the showroom floor with the DON'T SIT sign on it. As soon as the side cases and hugger reach the shop I'm picking it up. Haven't even ridden it yet. The purchase of the 8th Gen was sort of forced, since a dickhead in a U-Haul truck ran over my 4th Gen while parked. Anyway... If you look at the other threads about what a VFR is, etc. or see the whing, er, discussions on the old VFR listserv (the one that moved from wisc.edu to Google Groups), it's all over the map. It's also interesting to see the motorcycle magazine articles the last couple months. They have gone back over the history of the VFR and how it affected the market overall. Great stuff. Personally, I miss the gear-driven cams. The sounds of the machine are a big part of the visceral appeal of motorcycles to many people. That said, I am watching the electric moto market with great curiosity to see how the sound issues unfold there. I'm gonna really miss the 4th Gen styling, with the silly vents and ducts. The 8th Gen is relatively slab-sided. Anyone can do USD forks. Nothing special. Maybe important if you're racing. How many of us are using VFRs to compete for trophies and sponsorship? Seriously. OK, I get the curb appeal. I'd sooner see the money spent on better valving. It's important to note how suspension knowledge has evolved over the last few decades. Stiffness is great for a penis (if it lasts more than four hours see a doctor!) but for a motorcycle frame, it's not the wonder-drug we thought it was when superbikes were wobbling all over the tracks thirty years ago. VTEC, though hated by so many, is one of those things that make the VFR what many think it to be, which is a tech showcase. That's nice but it doesn't impress me. My Accord has VTEC and it's almost fifteen years old now. In the end I just bought a bike that weighs more and makes the same peak HP and torque as a bike from seventeen years ago, which seems a little retarded when I consider that this years Accord with a 2.4l four-banger makes almost as much power as my current 3.0l V-6. The 7th Gen was a showroom bomb. Honda was stupid enough to listen to the people who wanted to see the VFR become an option versus an FJR, gave it all the whiz-bang stuff, priced it through the roof and nobody bought it. Yeah, I never saw that coming. Frankly I'm tired of mission creep. It happens with everything. Everyone clamors for bigger and better and suddenly the machine ends up completely outside the original concept. Look at a Civic now and twenty years ago. Hell, look at the CBR-250. That's right - it's no longer a 250! That was quick, eh? It's good to be fliexible and adaptable and move with the market but losing sight of the mission is a disaster. So the market spoke and Honda listened, and turned back the clock a bit. And judging by the showroom activity here, it looks like that was a wise move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogman Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 I think that the gear driven cam thing is over romanticised a bit, I owned a 5th gen and currently have a 4th gen as well, and from what I remember from 2001-2002, the 5th gen gear driven cam engine could not pass the Euro standards for mechanical noise and that was the excuse for going to a chain drive in 2002, although manufacturing costs were probably another strong factor. I remember my 5th gen engine used to howl at about 4000RPM, it was significantly noisier than the 4th gen is Dont forget also a gear cam drive is not as simple as it looks since provision mut be made to take the gear backlash out of the system. hands up anyone that has actually worn out a modern cam chain drive, (CCT failures aside). Dont get me wrong, I think the gear driven cam engine is a work of art, but chains work OK as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoufhakam Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 While i havent tried 6th or 8 th gen to understand why people hate VTEC, i kinda understand why people miss 5th gne's gear driven chain which was something kinda unique to VFRs, but as honda's tech showcase, they had to come up with something new that no one else is making, this time its VTEC. While i do like the sound and unique design of gear driven cams in my 5th gen, all the other bikes i've ever owned we chain driven cams which i never had a problem with amd would have still probably bought the VFR if it had a chain driven cams as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morph3us Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Chain driven VTEC is so good they put on the 1200 Oh wait... The reason I prefer gear driven is I owned a Gen 1 back in 83. Gears don't stretch, don't need adjusting or tensioning, and sound great. VTEC is technology for the sake of technology and brings no useful benefit other than an interesting transition. It was added to solve a problem that never existed. It adds complication. I prefer simplicity. Not the least for servicing costs. Having said that, I would buy a 2014 model in a heartbeat if I could get it past my financial controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted August 10, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2014 VTEC is technology for the sake of technology and brings no useful benefit other than an interesting transition. It was added to solve a problem that never existed. It adds complication. I prefer simplicity. Not the least for servicing costs. Having said that, I would buy a 2014 model in a heartbeat if I could get it past my financial controller. My controller didn't give me any crap. She knows how raggy I get when I'm bike-less. To be fair, saying VTEC is technology just for the sake of technology is a bit like saying fuel injection is technology for the sake of technology. It all depends on how you look at what a "problem" is, to say whether a problem ever existed. I've felt the benefits of things like RPVS on Yamaha's two-strokes, then EXUP on their four-strokes. Unfortunately the former was a maintenance issue due to direct contact with very dirty exhaust gases right at the chamber. The latter as well, but to a lesser degree. Many complained about the additional weight of the latter and thought they gained power by disabling it. All they did was put more of a ramp on the torque curve, which makes your ass believe there's more power. But ask any IFR pilot how reliable a gauge your ass is. VTEC is supposed to flatten the torque curve (which it does, but at the cost of that dip just before the other valves kick in). While your ass might not be impressed, a flatter torque curve makes a bike's power more usable. It is also meant to improve fuel efficiency at lower RPMs. That might not matter to a lot of you boy racers who think you need USD forks but it might just work out well for someone like me who spends most of his time under 7000 RPM. And something y'all probably aren't even considering for a microsecond is that it likely helps with exhaust emissions compliance as well. Not important to you as an individual perhaps, but important nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoufhakam Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 VTEC is technology for the sake of technology and brings no useful benefit other than an interesting transition. It was added to solve a problem that never existed. It adds complication. I prefer simplicity. Not the least for servicing costs. but the word "VTEC" sounds cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
house Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Another member that liked the 8th gen suspension. http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/78745-checked-out-the-8th-gen-today-and/?p=962089 Starting to wonder if those of us that don't dig it 100% got sub-standard techs putting the bike together. Mine is at Traxxion now. The AK20's should be done tomorrow or Thursday. Tomorrow I find out if the Ohlins for the 6th gen fits (and if they changed out the spring or not.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I've owned a 5th, 6th, 7th and now 8th gen VFR and of the four, the new one is hands-down the best handling of the bunch. I really liked all of the previous rides, although the looks of the 6th gen never grew on me. The 8th gen is just subtly better all around. The brakes are better, the throttle response is improved, the off-pillion seat storage is appreciated, I'm sure I'll enjoy the heated grips in the winter, the brakes are better. No big SHAZAM, but just feels like a more competent bike all around. The exhaust note is a little limp (particularly compared to the nice burble of the Remus on my '03), and the handling comes at a slight expense of the ride. Oh, and the wheels are more fussy to clean than my earlier bikes, but look good enough I won't complain. I've got about 600 miles on it and look forward to owning it for a long time. The stock muffler looks a little large, but I'll decide on a change after it runs a couple thousand miles or so, or until I hear an aftermarket pipe that hits the right note. After four V4 Hondas I'm certainly biased, but I think they hit this one right on the head. It's just a beautifully balanced motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted August 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 26, 2014 Another member that liked the 8th gen suspension. http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/78745-checked-out-the-8th-gen-today-and/?p=962089 Starting to wonder if those of us that don't dig it 100% got sub-standard techs putting the bike together. I can't see how a substandard assembly tech would make a difference in characteristics that are largely dependent on spring rates and valving. I find the ride to be an odd mix of both more and less comfortable and all the settings and pressures right out of the dealer are all in perfect accord with the manual. Maybe it's a plot to give more business to Traxxion and RaceTech. It's bizarre how a bike can feel better on cobblestone yet be less comfy over the usual roadway fissures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfh Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Another member that liked the 8th gen suspension. http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/78745-checked-out-the-8th-gen-today-and/?p=962089 Starting to wonder if those of us that don't dig it 100% got sub-standard techs putting the bike together. It's bizarre how a bike can feel better on cobblestone yet be less comfy over the usual roadway fissures. Thats "stiction"… will get better as the forks bed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinigami Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 If you see how these bikes are assembled, the notion that any "assembly tech" can cause a unit to unit variation seems quite unlikely. Honda engineers the human element out of the process to an extraordinary degree. Spec the parts, put them together at the spec values, and you will have an envelope of performance with minimal variation. These aren't individually hand built machines like in a motogp paddock- the assembly start to finish takes about an hour, total. Sure, there could be minor differences from unit to unit, but "flyers" are nearly impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted August 27, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 27, 2014 It's bizarre how a bike can feel better on cobblestone yet be less comfy over the usual roadway fissures. Thats "stiction"… will get better as the forks bed in. In the front, sure. In the back, not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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