New Vfr800's Not Selling Very Well

[cavman69]

I am wondering why this great bike is not selling very well. there are 189 '14's on cycletrader, not to mention the '15's.

[Hawkeye Driver]

Just my opinion but VFRs have never been big sellers in the US. Seems most buyers want a cruiser or traditional I4 (CBR, GSXR, R1/R6, etc). That makes the VFR a niche. Incidentally, that is why I bought one 13 years ago - I wanted something different. On top of that the VFR pricing doesn't help. I think the 8th gen is likely a fantastic machine and would fit my needs and wants perfectly but unfortunately, it isn't much different than my 2002 so I see no sense in trading 'up' to the 8th gen, even if deeply discounted. All that said, I do hope lackluster sales do not spell the end of the VFR for good - would be a shame.

[V4 Rosso]

Past week I've seen more than a dozen, out on the street.

[VFR4Lee]

All that said, I do hope lackluster sales do not spell the end of the VFR for good - would be a shame.

Agreed.

But the price is rather high, and right there with a new aprilia Tuono V4.

I haven't tried one myself, yet. But the older V twin models are ripping great machines.

There's plenty of other competition too.

But, I still plan to ride the VFR cross country this year.

I suspect in this country at least, more people are riding relatively short rides for fun,

than longer rides for travel, or also just fun. Hence the popularity of gixxers and the like.

Cheap, fast, fun, torture rack.

[timmythecop]

Maybe most buyers are waiting for a 1000cc v4?

[marriedman]

Well, it is just a redressed 6th gen for a hell of a lot more money. I don't blame people for not buying it in droves. That engine was designed in the late 90's, same with the frame. I mean, there are somethings you are allowed to reuse but that is going to far. I bet if someone found an 8th gen that was rearended, they could pick it up cheap and swap over everything onto their 6th gen. Boom, instant 8 gen update.

Don't get me wrong, I think they are beautiful bikes. But this is a parts bin bike and people know it.

[KevCarver]

Past week I've seen more than a dozen, out on the street.

I've still not seen one, and that includes TMac! The US is a totally different market than Europe.

I'm surprised to see any Gen out on the street, really.

[timmythecop]

Past week I've seen more than a dozen, out on the street.

I've still not seen one, and that includes TMac! The US is a totally different market than Europe.

I'm surprised to see any Gen out on the street, really.

Ditto. Never seen one in person.

[Allyance]

Seen several around my area in both red & white. Sure do get a lot of good comments and looks when parked.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Maybe because it isn't new and different enough from the old VTEC 800?

Same engine and frame from 13 years ago.

And I'm still waiting for them to make an all-new geardrive 1000, 505 Lbs wet weight, 140 HP

Ain't gonna happen, so that's why I still have my old bike........

[Cogswell]

I've seen just one in the wild, and that was the '14 Honda demo bike at the PNW Oregon Trail meet last year.

[The Phantom]

I've seen a handful of 8th Gens, meanwhile I've still only ever seen one 7th Gen... and it's been on sale here more than twice as long as the 8th.

[V4 Rosso]

To get an idea of what model VFR is the most common over here, here is an album with pics taken of VFRs passing by a petrol station after the Assen TT. I have no idea how long the photografpher has been sitting at that petrol station so no idea if this data can reliably used in a statistical analysis

[Burns]

my local dealer has 2 on floor.. nice looking, but pricey for a re-dressed vtec

[marriedman]

I have seen the 8th gens for sale as cheap as $9,000 here in Ohio. I've seen only 2 in person. The red and white are pretty. But I think the black one loses too many subtle details. At least in the pictures I've seen.

Oddly enough, I have seen 2 other 7th gens recently. I never saw one around here until I bought mine and believe me, I was looking!

[zupatun]

Yamaha FZ-09 is selling WELL...that might be the reason...

[timmythecop]

I rode an mt09 last year in europe. Its motor really rivals the vfr for flexibility, AND has much better top end. Sad really, that Honda is still pushing a damn near 20 year old motor.

[windyrun]

It would be interesting to see Honda put the 1200 v4 into the 8th gen chassis. The 1200cc v4 engine is physically smaller than the 800 VTEC as I understand it and honda would certainly have the engineering prowess to make it happen.

Win win--the new motor with the good looking 8th GEN bike

Maybe House could do it as part of modithon version 3 :)

[Carlosfandango]

I bought mine for 8500 English Pounds, it was less than 6 months old with one owner and 300 miles, that is a saving of over 2000 pounds from new, equivalent to nearly 7 pounds a mile, that is over 10 U.S. dollars a mile it cost him! That tells me they are over priced from new. It is a good bike, we need more on the road please! C'mon Honda!

However as it is such a good bike, perhaps in years to come it will be a classic, this one may be a keeper..........

[barrypz]

I've seen a few in my travels, including showing up at my dealer's for service. I bought it to do distance and I am not disappointed.

[VFR4Lee]

The 1200cc v4 engine is physically smaller than the 800 VTEC as I understand it

How is that even possible?

[windyrun]

This from cycle world 2010 issue:

"The press materials make much of the new engine, from itsCRF450R-inspired sohc heads (for compactness) to pairing the rear cylinders, and therefore their rod journals,betweenthose of the front on the crankshaft, making the engine more narrow between the rider’s legs and eliminating the vibration-producing right/left rocking couple of a conventional V-Four crank layout.

But while the 1237cc engine is claimed by Honda to be more compact than the previous 781cc version, it fits into a spacious, full-size sporting motorcycle that is a definite step up in scale from the Interceptor 800 but still a bit more compact feeling than its bag-equipped sporting competition.

The unusual crankpin and Vee arrangement are said to “essentially” negate primary engine vibration. There is plenty going on at most rpm in terms of the engine communicating its existence to you. Mostly, it’s just a minor and interesting reminder through the handgrips that this is not last year’s V-Four. At cruise speeds, it’s all-day smooth, and about the only time engine vibration truly gets noticeable is on closed-throttle deceleration, when the fuel tank transmits an excited, coarse buzz."

And from wikipedia:

"

Engine[edit]

The new engine incorporates the single overhead camshaft distribution system called "Unicam" which was tested on Honda's offroad machines. This compact system reduces engine size, allowing it to be placed further forward in the frame while lowering the bike's center of gravity. This allows for better front wheel traction when cornering. A 28° positioning of crank pins and a specific ^{[clarification needed]} firing order of the cylinders resulted in an engine with perfect primary balance. Because of this, there is no balance shaft, further lightening the engine.^[14]

Instead of conventional direct mechanical connection from the rider's twistgrip to the throttle, electronic throttle control ("throttle by wire") commands the engine control unit to modulate engine power output.

The configuration of the cylinders is also unusual. The V4 has the rear bank of cylinders paired closely together, with the big ends of their connecting rods on the inner sides of the crank journals. The forward bank of cylinders is conversely set outboard of the rear bank, with the big end journals mounted on the outer sides of the crank journals. This design allows for a much narrower engine at the rear, which makes the bike slimmer where it contacts the rider, and allows an easier reach to the ground from the seat."

[01ragtop]

Personally, I love having a bike not all that many people have. I get comments from those who don't know: "What is that anyway." And from those that do, "I like those VFRs, you can do anything on one of those." And I get compliments on it all the time. On more than one occasion, while stopped at a red light, I've had people give me a compliment as they are walking across the street in front of me. One guy stopped to talk to me about while he was crossing the intersection. I've come out of the gas station/restaurant/local bike hang to find a group of guys checking it out. No offense to the Gixxer/CBR/Ninja riding members, but everyone has seen one of those before. A new VFR...its like riding an exotic on a budget.

[vanion2]

Keep in mind I love my 6th gen but I wouldn't go out and buy an 8th gen because the VTEC engine isn't all that impressive to me and it's heavy. I had to invest a lot of money to make it more comfortable for longer rides and if it tips over it is almost impossible for me to lift it by myself.

Still love my 6th gen though and in no hurry to replace as it does everything I want and need. But if I were looking to replace it I would seriously consider a Ninja 1000 because the ergonomics are perfect for me right out of the crate, it's lighter, more powerful, and I can put a Givi rack on it and use all my hard cases. It even has an adjustable windscreen and I could pick up a new 2013 ABS model for just under 8k. No it's not a V4 but when you are 5'7" and weight 145 lbs the VFR requires very careful handling at slow speeds.

[NZCam]

Keep in mind I love my 6th gen but I wouldn't go out and buy an 8th gen because the VTEC engine isn't all that impressive to me and it's heavy. I had to invest a lot of money to make it more comfortable for longer rides and if it tips over it is almost impossible for me to lift it by myself.

Still love my 6th gen though and in no hurry to replace as it does everything I want and need. But if I were looking to replace it I would seriously consider a Ninja 1000 because the ergonomics are perfect for me right out of the crate, it's lighter, more powerful, and I can put a Givi rack on it and use all my hard cases. It even has an adjustable windscreen and I could pick up a new 2013 ABS model for just under 8k. No it's not a V4 but when you are 5'7" and weight 145 lbs the VFR requires very careful handling at slow speeds.

I've owned and daily-ridden the 5th, 6th, and now 8th Gens, and I can say without shadow of a doubt that the 2014 model is an order of magnitude more maneuverable in low-speed traffic than its' predecessors. Anyone who doubts the veracity of the latest VFR clearly hasn't used it as an every-dayer yet.

Just for comparison (and because my family has a long connection with the marque), I took an Indian Scout out for a test ride on the weekend. I absolutely loved it for what it is, and whilst I'd dearly love to add one to the garage, I'd have to sell something else first to make room. My 2014 VFR can do everything a Scout would (posing for cruiser magazines and turning up to club meets withstanding), where as the Indian wouldn't make nearly as good a commuter & traffic-beater.