Artfulkatana Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 So I bought my 2010 used from my local Honda Powersports. It was owned by one previous and maintained by the man like no other. He owns the local car industry where I live (Chrysler all the way through Mitsubishi, one of the largest in the Northwest). Hew maintained it like no other. Had just under 13,000 miles on it, heated grips, saddlebags with liners, and the tires were sitting at 95 miles fresh. Picked it up for $10,000. My motorcycle history begins with a 1995 Rebel 250, then a 1985 VF500F Interceptor, then to my 1981 CB750F SS. I'm an aviation mechanic, and because of that I liked to tinker with what I have. The Rebel I never touched, to this day it has been the best bike I've ever owned. Hands down. The Interceptor was an absolute brute. Even standing at 6'3" and 200lbs, that bike would take me places. Best handling bike ever, I'm always on the look out for another. The 750 I did EXTENSIVE work on. Changed handlebars, electronics, ignition, cam shafts, added Goldwing Saddlebags, swabbed front end, swapped rear shocks, jetted it with pod filters (I think I'm one of a handful that made that mod work for those STUPID vacuum carbs). I know my way around. I was looking for a new bike and always had that in the back of my mind, along with the 1300 Sabre, Triumph Thunderbird, and a few others. So I saw this 1200 at the dealership and decided to go for a test ride. It was immaculate. It handled almost exactly as my Interceptor, which was a jewel of a feeling again. A bit more top heaving for cornering, but I could take it further to the ground (still haven't found the max lean of the thing!) and the power is unspeakable. I've ridden PLENTY of other bikes, Harley, Ducati, Suzi's, Kawasaki (The Concours was very disappointing) etc. But the VFR just had everything I needed. Riding position put strain on my right wrist and lower back, my wrist worked itself out but I'm still working on my lower back. I'm 21 and I have these issues...I digress. Like almost all, complaints are the 1st and 2nd gear limiter and gas tank size. Seat is an issue, but I look past that by how frequently I have to fuel up which makes me ignore it by how many times I get up. I can manage (with my 125lbs girlfriend) about 125 miles on a tank and about 140-50 with just me. Bags, so far as I can tell, haven't made a difference. I bought the Bazazz Z-Bomb and immediately had to relearn the bike. It was absolutely brutal! Thing wants to murder me! Totally manageable though, I just have to control myself. The bike will take that wind at freeway speeds and just shove you down. Oddly, I think it's more comfortable going 80mph on the freeway than 50 at the back roads on the island I reside, but then again the back roads have a lot more issues with the pavement. Not the bikes fault, and the adjustable suspension makes up for it easily enough. Handling is odd, it doesn't quite want to lean for the first 10 degrees or so, but when it gets past that mark it throws itself down until you decide otherwise. I kind of like that, it's almost ask permission to chase the tennis ball before going at it, and when I finally say yes, it and I are having the time of our lives. Brakes are too good, and I'm being serious. With just me on it, I can keep myself back, but with my girlfriend, I even tap the brakes and I'm half way up the tank and she's in my seat! The owner did put on ceramic composite pads on, but the calipers are doing all that work. Zero torque pull from the shaft rotation, I know that was a problem for the earlier cruisers of Big Red and some BMW's. I was concerned about that, but my concerns were not justified. I feel like Honda could have done better with fuel efficiency, the first Gen VF's were marvelous, I've heard all the way up the chain they have been in this regard. I wonder why not this go around. Freeway is nice though, around 60mpg, but around town maybe 42-45. oddly though, If I'm heavy on it just shy of 40. I'm typically on it since it doesn't effect gas mileage enough for me to care. So it does around what my 09 Lancer does for mileage. All in all, astounding bike. I just wish there were more options for rear luggage or backrests for my girlfriend (soon to be wife!! :-D ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer EhViffer Posted May 2, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 2, 2015 Welcome. An excellent and comprehensive post. You need to post a pic of the bike though as many on this site are visual bike voyeurs. Sent from my cerebellum using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weven Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Welcome to the VFR owners, great post. Handling is odd, it doesn't quite want to lean for the first 10 degrees or so, but when it gets past that mark it throws itself down until you decide otherwise. I kind of like that, it's almost ask permission to chase the tennis ball before going at it, and when I finally say yes, it and I are having the time of our lives. Mine does that when the tires are low... Min 36F38R ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marsman99 Posted May 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 3, 2015 Congratulations, you'll like the big VFR. Must be something wrong with my 2010 1200, I can only eke out a mere 42 mpg at highway speeds. If you're getting 60, that is impressive. If you get the top case, there is a back cushion for the pillion to lean on. However, the OEM seat is slippery and is tilted forward - doubt she'll spend much time leaning against it. Mostly she'll be on your back. I'd recommend seat work if you plan to a lot of two-up riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12bravo Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Im with weven, typically I just run 40 psi frt and rr to keep it simple for my old memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted May 3, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 3, 2015 Congratulations, you'll like the big VFR. Must be something wrong with my 2010 1200, I can only eke out a mere 42 mpg at highway speeds. If you're getting 60, that is impressive. If you get the top case, there is a back cushion for the pillion to lean on. However, the OEM seat is slippery and is tilted forward - doubt she'll spend much time leaning against it. Mostly she'll be on your back. I'd recommend seat work if you plan to a lot of two-up riding. He's not getting 60mpg on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydy Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 So I saw this 1200 at the dealership and decided to go for a test ride. It was immaculate. It handled almost exactly as my Interceptor, which was a jewel of a feeling again. A bit more top heaving for cornering, but I could take it further to the ground (still haven't found the max lean of the thing!) and the power is unspeakable. I bought a 2010 DCT Ex Honda demo bike just over a year ago with 6,000 miles totally immaculate. I found it to be far more stable at high speed and less susceptible to crosswinds than the 50th Anniversary 800Fi I also owned at that time. It is definitely more top heavy and requires a bit of a effort to change direction and the performance whilst not intergalactic (like a ZZR1400) is more than enough for the road. I love the MENACING change in exhaust note (standard silencer) as the revs climb past 5K. Riding position put strain on my right wrist and lower back, my wrist worked itself out but I'm still working on my lower back. I am 5'9" and found the reach to the bars a little less aggressive than my VFR800 but also suffer with lower back ache after 100 mile rides. It seems the rider footpegs are higher up than the earlier 5th Gen but I can live with the reach to the bars. On my previous VFR, I had to fit bar risers almost immediately to take the strain off my wrists. Like almost all, complaints are the 1st and 2nd gear limiter and gas tank size. Seat is an issue, but I look past that by how frequently I have to fuel up which makes me ignore it by how many times I get up. I can manage (with my 125lbs girlfriend) about 125 miles on a tank and about 140-50 with just me. Bags, so far as I can tell, haven't made a difference. At launch, I had always wanted a VFR1200 because of the DCT option. I did not look beyond that so ignored the reported shortcomings until actually spending my own money on one. Initially the 1st and 2nd gear limitations really surprised me when pulling away. My previous VFR would wheelie in 1st and 2nd if you cracked the throttle open and sometimes it would catch me out if accelerating rapidly nipping in and out of heavy traffic. Having ridden the 1200 now for over a year, I think the power limitation in the first 2 gears is like a safety feature preventing the likelihood of wheelspin or an uncontrollable wheel lift. My all time best fuel tank distance has been 170 miles and that was when I first got the 1200 (motorway miles). Commuting in rush hour London traffic; I kid you not, the fuel warning can start flashing at 75 miles!!!!. I bought the Bazazz Z-Bomb and immediately had to relearn the bike. It was absolutely brutal! Thing wants to murder me! Totally manageable though, I just have to control myself. The bike will take that wind at freeway speeds and just shove you down. Having gotten a bit more used to my 1200, occasionally, I think it would be nice to have a bit more low down urgency and have toyed with the idea of having the ECU re-flashed or some other mod applied. THAT IS until I pin the throttle back and wait for the 5K sudden rush in power and run out of road or hit irresponsible speeds... Handling is odd, it doesn't quite want to lean for the first 10 degrees or so, but when it gets past that mark it throws itself down until you decide otherwise. I kind of like that, it's almost ask permission to chase the tennis ball before going at it, and when I finally say yes, it and I are having the time of our lives. I began my biking career in the late 1970's. With the exception of Italian exotica, very few 1970's/80's 'big' bikes stood out for their handling ability due to the rubbish tyres, brakes and frames of that era. I have owned many bikes that had power far exceeding contemporary frame and tyre technology and that riding 'experience' has stayed with me until recently. The VFR1200 is the first bike I have owned that is so stable at high speed (as long as the tyre pressures are correct and suspension set up properly). When I fitted Bridgestone T30GT's I found that initially it did not want to turn into corners and once it did there was no hint of understeer. That said, my VFR1200 does need a certain degree of effort to change direction compared to my previous VFR. Brakes are too good, and I'm being serious. With just me on it, I can keep myself back, but with my girlfriend, I even tap the brakes and I'm half way up the tank and she's in my seat! 100% agree. The brakes are awesome, totally confidence inspiring as long as the callipers do not seize up through zero maintenance. At first I found the ABS plain weird. I had never had ABS on any previous bike and even now I still find it hard to have total faith. The few times it has really come into its own, I have appreciated the system's presence but it can be disconcerting at first because the braking distance can suddenly increase!!! when the ABS kicks in. On my 2010 model, the seat is slippery unless you are wearing leathers so expect to become 'intimate' with the fuel tank under heavy braking with a pillion onboard. The last 2 sets of front disc pads have lasted 8,000 miles apeice in my case and that was letting them wear right down to the wear indicators (as advised by my Honda dealer). Zero torque pull from the shaft rotation, I know that was a problem for the earlier cruisers of Big Red and some BMW's. I was concerned about that, but my concerns were not justified. The shaft drive was the other reason I wanted the 1200 and the system is good IMHO. On my DCT there is a tiny degree of drive lash at low speeds when you first pull away or try to ride at speeds less than 16MPH which makes it feel like the bike actually has chain drive!!! I feel like Honda could have done better with fuel efficiency, the first Gen VF's were marvelous, I've heard all the way up the chain they have been in this regard. I wonder why not this go around. Freeway is nice though, around 60mpg, but around town maybe 42-45. oddly though, If I'm heavy on it just shy of 40. Considering the increase in engine capacity over the 800, I don't find the fuel economy to be much worse than my previous Honda V4's. My 5th Gen tended to achieve 35MPG around town up to 42MPG on motorways which is not that different from the mileage I get out of my 1200. I think the fuel tank capacity is the main issue with this bike. Nearly every Japanese bike I have owned could exceed 120 miles on a tank-full even when pushing hard. On my 1200 if I ride it really hard, it is not too difficult to be running on petrol fumes before 120 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artfulkatana Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Congratulations, you'll like the big VFR. Must be something wrong with my 2010 1200, I can only eke out a mere 42 mpg at highway speeds. If you're getting 60, that is impressive. If you get the top case, there is a back cushion for the pillion to lean on. However, the OEM seat is slippery and is tilted forward - doubt she'll spend much time leaning against it. Mostly she'll be on your back. I'd recommend seat work if you plan to a lot of two-up riding. He's not getting 60mpg on the highway. I am getting 60MPG, roughly. My drive from Oak Harbor to Arlington Municipal airport is what gets me that range. I do it frequently enough and fill up enough to know where I'm getting. Around town, I'm happy to see 40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 must be all downhill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer swimmer Posted May 11, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 11, 2015 must be all downhill With a strong tailwind following a semi. Not trying to be argumentative but no one is seeing 60mpg for a full tank with the VFR1200 outside of some on-off type situations like a massive tailwind and/or where 80% + of your tank is done on a big downhill. No one even comes close to my fuelly numbers and I've never seen above 53mpg for a tank. If he had a 2012+ and could see his instant mpg readout he'd know 60mpg is not happening. It would take a long downhill run to make 60mpg happen. Sorry, but I've have to witness this first hand to believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshark Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 my fuelly app stopped working last season...idk what happened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volfy Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 my fuelly app stopped working last season...idk what happened You hit 60mpg, which triggered an exception in the app, from which it cannot recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam2 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 60? Man I wish! If I hit 40 on a tank I'm happy. I'm normally around 36-38mpg. Good write up by the way. I had the same feelings when I rode my 1200 home the first time. It is nice to hop on that bike and smile...EVERY time I ride it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted May 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 22, 2015 Considering the increase in engine capacity over the 800, I don't find the fuel economy to be much worse than my previous Honda V4's. My 5th Gen tended to achieve 35MPG around town up to 42MPG on motorways which is not that different from the mileage I get out of my 1200. I think the fuel tank capacity is the main issue with this bike. Nearly every Japanese bike I have owned could exceed 120 miles on a tank-full even when pushing hard. On my 1200 if I ride it really hard, it is not too difficult to be running on petrol fumes before 120 miles Floydy, don't forget most of the posters on here are from the US so unless you've converted it, our mpg isn't the same as their mpg (Imperial Gallons vs US Gallons). My 1200 is as frugal as my 08 800 on my daily commute up the A1 at around 45mpg. But it goes down to around 36 on rideouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer luvtoleanit Posted May 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 22, 2015 Damn skids, way to quote the entire thread in one post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted May 22, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted May 22, 2015 Damn skids, way to quote the entire thread in one post Lol. I wish you could selective quote. I'll edit it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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