Member Contributer Skids Posted March 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 22, 2015 The May 2015 issue of Bike magazine (a UK mag) has a 6-page, 5000 mile report on a the VFR800F. They like it....not perfect as a bike but the perfect sports tourer. Sorry I can't scan & upload it.....against the law over here. Verdict The VFR has something over all its potential opposition. It's a proper sports tourer......It's superb in tricky conditions. It's nimble & quick and inspiring enough for any road, and supplies effortless all-day swinging at six-tenths.......Honda have nailed garage appeal too, the 800 full of VFR and V4 heritage yet feeling entirely modern.....You need to keep it clean and embrace anti-corrosion spray......But at its core the VFR is refined, elegant and highly capable, feeling every bit a ten grand bike. It's a quality device. Power: 98.2bhp @ 10,000rpm Torque: 53.8lb @ 8500rpm 0-60: 3.51s 1/4 mile: 11.51s @117mph Top speed: 141mph 40-120 top gear roll-on: 19.9s Braking 70-0mph: 52.5m Average fuel consumption 45mpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer windyrun Posted March 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2015 In light of Vtwindr's brake wear experience I have to ask: what do they mean by "keep it clean and embrace anti-corrosion spray"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Egg on Leggs Posted March 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2015 In light of Vtwindr's brake wear experience I have to ask: what do they mean by "keep it clean and embrace anti-corrosion spray"? It has been noted that along with other manufacturers Honda's quality of finish has fallen. The bike was used during the winter, the roads are salt/gritted with a formula that include urea and molasses, horrible sticky and corrosive stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtwindr Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 ACF50 on the brakes ain't the best idea though is it? Other than this the bike is shaping up well. odd slight furring on teh brake lines which seems to be cleaning off reasonably well and some slight rusting on the inners of the discs (nowhere near as bad as my previous Versys 1000) and the downpipes are a little dull though what I could reach through the panels polished up OK and i'd imagine would be getting something like back to new if I took the panels off and did it properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Egg on Leggs Posted March 23, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 23, 2015 ACF50 on the brakes ain't the best idea though is it? Other than this the bike is shaping up well. odd slight furring on teh brake lines which seems to be cleaning off reasonably well and some slight rusting on the inners of the discs (nowhere near as bad as my previous Versys 1000) and the downpipes are a little dull though what I could reach through the panels polished up OK and i'd imagine would be getting something like back to new if I took the panels off and did it properly ACF is ok if used wisely. A wipe of the exposed piston are with a damped tissue is fine. I regularly apply it to the disc bolts on my CBF 125 with a paint brush and there is no sign of migration. I will be stripping the brakes down of my '03 VTEC at the end of this year, might go for stainless steel pistons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjb1019 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 some slight rusting on the inners of the discs I've applied ACF50 to the inners of the discs (had some slight rusting too) using an old cloth and have no braking issues to speak of. Never thought of using a paintbrush to apply it before... That's GENIUS! Will definitely be doing it that way next time - I never have any gloves around and I hate having the stuff all over my hands when applying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Egg on Leggs Posted March 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted March 24, 2015 Art shops seem to have more suitable brushes compared to hardware stores, Short bristles are best as they don't carry too much ACF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinigami Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I read the Bike article. Yawn. Boring. Sorry I spent the money on the subscription. Is this a British magazine thing? Shallow and superficial writing? (I do write regularly for another British specialty magazine in my sport, and find it to be largely the same mind you) You must be using some terribly corrosive crap on those British roadways. I've been riding mine all winter (bought Aug 20) except for a month in Europe and Japan, now at 6900 miles, on my third set of tires, so not gently, and not a speck of corrosion. Anywhere. Mind you it's the weirdest winter here (mountain west USA) in a hundred years, hardly earned the name. Temps in the teens C all of January and most of February. Our roadways are brined instead of gritted, and I avoid letting salt sit on the bike. In fact while the shop had both wheels off today for the third set of tires, I went in behind the forks, calipers and swing arm with a white shop rag and found.... Nothing. I have wet washed the bike twice since acquisition, been caught in rain four times, waxed once and I clean after ever ride with Meguiars detail spray. Paintwork still looks like it came off the showroom floor. I do use 2" wide thin wet-applied clear vinyl strips to line the contact points of the tank where my leathers would rub, works great. Running Honda full synthetic since the 600 mile service, bike has used 100 cc of oil, chain has not needed adjustment yet (clean and lube every 200 mi), I've found exactly one false neutral (lazy shift toe), and that's it. Brake pads look great. Will be changing the filter & oil this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted April 4, 2015 Author Member Contributer Share Posted April 4, 2015 Unfortunately, the crap they put on the roads in the UK is particularly bad for bikes. It's a combination of rock salt, grit and molasses sugar as necessary depending upon the conditions. The use of molasses sugar is worst because it makes the salt stick a lot longer, and it hides in the gulleys of the tarmac until the next rainfall bringing the salt back up. Not only does the salt corrode but the molasses is very slippery, for bikes anyway. I always pressure wash the bike after a wet winter ride, but even so, there are still signs of corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01ragtop Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I read the article as well, and for the most part it isn't too bad as far as motorcycle rag articles go. However, there is one line about it's weight I find totally laughable. "...It's horrible to push or paddle around when you're only 5'9"." I am 5'8" myself, and I have no idea what he is talking about. I understand there is a lot of grumbling about the VFR's need to lose some weight, but I find this bike feels much lighter than it's curb weight suggests. Granted it's no Daytona 675R, but I find the VFR surprisingly easy to ride, period, but even at speed in the mountains, it is a joy to ride and easy to ride fast. Perhaps they are speaking of track speeds, and I can see the bike being difficult to throw around at 100+ mph, but on the street, at stay out of jail speeds, it is far from horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrypz Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 5'8" also, and I find this not much different than anything esle, and easier than most because I can flatfoot it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatshoutybloke Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Agree with the previous posts, I'm 5'9" too and I can get both feet down flat which I couldn't on my 6th gen, one of the first things I noticed on my test ride. It's a long way from horrible to move this bike about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cug Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 "...It's horrible to push or paddle around when you're only 5'9"." When I read stuff like that, I can only shake my head. If you are small, weak, strong, big, old, short legged, long legged, wide, narrow, big butt, small butt - don't frigging blame it on the bike. Get over that it doesn't fit you like you'd get over a pair of pants in the wrong size not fitting. Review comments like that are completely useless in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rectaltronics Posted April 6, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted April 6, 2015 Yeah that's weird. Haven't actually seen the article yet. Have to find a copy of the mag somewhere. I find the 8th gen easier to push around than the 4th gen. Maybe the review bike has a knackered chain or rubbing pads or something. Or maybe the writer has sand in his vag. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allyance Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 RE: Comment on #3 by 'Egg', to the contrary, I find the fit & finish on my '14, much better than on my previous '03. Having lived in Upstate NY for many years where they used salt extensively, I can tell you it is highly corrosive on any vehicle, my '02 GMC Envoy is a prime example, nobody is immune. If you ride in salt, whether in the winter or on a beach, take the necessary precautions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.