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New Vfr800's Not Selling Very Well


cavman69

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I have just got back from a 3,400 mile summer road trip, and thought about selling the Viffer because it is down on power compared to other bikes like the Tuono and ZX-10 and so on.

In the three weeks I did probably four long days on European motorways at actual (as opposed to indicated) 80 mph legal limits (plus a little margin for error ! ).

Anyway this is the bit that got me doubting the Viffer - being passed effortlessly by a little pack of sports bikes, and ZZR 1400 (two up !).

On my viffer I was at mostly 6,000 rpm in top gear, and it got me thinking I need mor GG's, more horses. But on reflection the Viffer does the job very well, so I shall not be selling it. It is still valid for what I bought it for. It still did the job of carting stuff all over Europe, over mountains and open plains - hot and rain.

Getting attached to that Viffer.

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I don't have the bike and I do like the looks of it. If I could only have one bike I would choose the new vfr over anything other else. I still think the v4 is the best engine, but would want rock solid reliability which is something I am not sure about with the Tuano.

I have had plenty of inline 4's and the high horsepower varieties does not always make up for the lack of character. I think Honda needs to lower the MSRP by 2-3k and I think they have a winner there.

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I currently have only one bike, and it IS the new VFR! However, I'm starting to wonder if the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure might also be a good candidate for a "one bike" garage. But I still love my VFR, so I really need a "two bike" garage :491:

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I currently have only one bike, and it IS the new VFR! However, I'm starting to wonder if the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure might also be a good candidate for a "one bike" garage. But I still love my VFR, so I really need a "two bike" garage :491:

smugshot_8434948-X2.jpg

One bike garage??? :unsure:

The SA is quite a beast.

Rob

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I don't have the bike and I do like the looks of it. If I could only have one bike I would choose the new vfr over anything other else. I still think the v4 is the best engine, but would want rock solid reliability which is something I am not sure about with the Tuano.

I have had plenty of inline 4's and the high horsepower varieties does not always make up for the lack of character. I think Honda needs to lower the MSRP by 2-3k and I think they have a winner there.

That's gonna happen , Honda will lower the price.

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While the VFR can't be considered slow, the new competition (FJ, Ninja 1000) are way faster...and much lower MSRP. As a result, VFRs are being ridiculously discounted. But now it's too late -- the potential buyers have gone elsewhere. On top of that, it seems here in the US the Sport-Touring segment has partly migrated to ADV style of bikes.

I have not seen a single '14+ on the street here in the Chicago area...

The primary reason I'm thinking about a new VFR is the beautiful V4 sound and the prices have come down so much. The other features it has are only adequate. But market leader in any category? I don't see it.

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" On top of that, it seems here in the US the Sport-Touring segment has partly migrated to ADV style of bikes."

Not just here Euro also .

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Looking at a GSX R750 this weekend. They have some interest free deals going on, and a deposit of £1 ($1.50 or whatever the FX rate is).

Anyway looking at the GSXR I can see why they are cheap ! It has not got the same class as the Viffer.

Talking of the Euro market changing. What I did notice al lot of on my trip to Europe a few weeks ago, was Yamaha FJR 1300's, I saw loads of them. Maybe they are former GS owners that have bought them !

Anyway, who really wants a hoofing great Adventure Bike - the new GS 1200 Adventure is a completely ridiculous looking thing (IMHO !) - all that metal and plastic and still only two little contact patches or tyre rubber with the road.

Also, with Adventure Bikes I do not like the amount of cockpit that is "in your face". With the Viffer all the clocks and bodywork are out of field of vision (mostly) and you have a clear field of view. But with the Adventure Bikes you have all this stuff right in front of your line of sight - might be god for standing on the pegs off road.

I think pure Adventure Bikes will pass, as the memory of the Long Way Round fades. There are some hot sports bikes out there, but they are just so quick - custodial sentence quick - but with the Viffer you can make it bark nicely, and not get into that much trouble !

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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........

100% on the mark. Hello Honda!

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While the VFR can't be considered slow, the new competition (FJ, Ninja 1000) are way faster...and much lower MSRP. As a result, VFRs are being ridiculously discounted. But now it's too late -- the potential buyers have gone elsewhere. On top of that, it seems here in the US the Sport-Touring segment has partly migrated to ADV style of bikes.

I have not seen a single '14+ on the street here in the Chicago area...

The primary reason I'm thinking about a new VFR is the beautiful V4 sound and the prices have come down so much. The other features it has are only adequate. But market leader in any category? I don't see it.

actually, i just bought a '14 VFR over the Ninja 1000. While the ninja 1000 is probably a good deal faster, there are a couple other things to consider:

1 - honda allowed me to test ride, the other shop didn't. that was HUGE.

2 - insurance!!! full coverage on the ninja 1000 was going to be something like 1,400/year, vs ~600/year for the VFR

3 - price, i got a '14 vfr deluxe new for 10k out the door. the ninja 1000 new was going to be closer to 12k out the door.

so yea, the ninja 1000 was a tempting bike, but that insurance was killer (also, my vfr came w/ heated grips, traction control, abs, etc)...

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While the VFR can't be considered slow, the new competition (FJ, Ninja 1000) are way faster...and much lower MSRP. As a result, VFRs are being ridiculously discounted. But now it's too late -- the potential buyers have gone elsewhere. On top of that, it seems here in the US the Sport-Touring segment has partly migrated to ADV style of bikes.

I have not seen a single '14+ on the street here in the Chicago area...

The primary reason I'm thinking about a new VFR is the beautiful V4 sound and the prices have come down so much. The other features it has are only adequate. But market leader in any category? I don't see it.

actually, i just bought a '14 VFR over the Ninja 1000. While the ninja 1000 is probably a good deal faster, there are a couple other things to consider:

1 - honda allowed me to test ride, the other shop didn't. that was HUGE.

2 - insurance!!! full coverage on the ninja 1000 was going to be something like 1,400/year, vs ~600/year for the VFR

3 - price, i got a '14 vfr deluxe new for 10k out the door. the ninja 1000 new was going to be closer to 12k out the door.

so yea, the ninja 1000 was a tempting bike, but that insurance was killer (also, my vfr came w/ heated grips, traction control, abs, etc)...

So what swung the deal for you in favor of the VFR was that the Kawasaki has a list price much closer to what they actually sell for?

The Honda appears to be close to $5,000 discounted when taxes, freight, assembly and all of the other nickels and dimes are added to get an out the door price that is $3,500 below list is pretty insightful. It is also what many on this forum thought the VFR should have listed for when it was resurrected last year.

I applaud you for your buying skills but I am sure those who paid close to list (or above out the door) do not want to see the KBB value of their bikes in the coming months as these discounts on new bikes become more prevalent.

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There are deals to be had (or were at least, now that Spring is over the prices may be back up). I began my search for a leftover 2014 in earnest back in late-April and finally bought one in mid-May. My search included cycletrader, craigslist, checking dealership websites and/or calling dealerships in my area. As far as I can recall, the best deals I found were 1) just under $10k list price for a Red Deluxe in Arkansas (I really wanted a white model though, so I kept looking as I didn't want to compromise on this), 2) a White Deluxe for $10.5k in Minnesota (was strongly considering a fly-and-ride), and finally 3) another White Deluxe in Oklahoma City, OK area that I ended up buying as it was within driving distance.

Note that the internet price originally listed for my bike was $12k, but I called the dealership and was quoted $10.5k (thankfully the guy on the phone couldn't see my jaw hit the floor), so it pays to speak to someone, don't just assume the internet prices (good or bad) are accurate.

I do agree, though, that perhaps these aren't selling real well. For instance, I was in Colorado on a road trip after I got mine and had a need for some parts, so I called the dealership in Durango, CO. The manager told me not only did they not carry any parts for my bike but that they'd never sold one because they'd never had one allocated as part of their inventory.

It's rather odd, really, because although I've only owned my bike for roughly 2.5 months, I've lost count of the number of people who have approached me to ask about it. Every single person has loved its styling... and every single one of them (including quite a few who ride) had no clue what it was or that Honda made such a bike. I can't say if it is a marketing, pricing or perception issue, but there's definitely something odd there.

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There are alot of people (motorcycle riders and non riders) that compliment the styling and appearance of the bike when they see it in person, and very few have ever heard of a Honda VFR or Interceptor. When mentioning the full sticker price most people comment that the price does not seem high for what you get compared to other bikes on the market.

In my area there are 2 dealers that have stocked the 8th gen VFR, one had a standard model they never sold, and the other has had 3 Deluxe models 2 of them sold right away, the 3rd is a new 2015 that they got a few weeks back.

Over the years Ive looked at VFR800s from 1998 through the current model, the 8th gen seems to have sold 2 local dealers better than any of the older models have. From 2001 through 2003 there were still leftover 1998s and 1999s sitting on showrooms. The 6th gen model was not kept in stock by many local dealers at all (from 2002 to 2009 I only ever saw a few in 2-3 dealerships ever). When I was looking for a 2014 all but two dealers told me they wont stock a VFR because they cant sell them (especially after the 7th gen model). 2 of those dealers who stock single VFRs told me that only certain customers buy them, and those customers keep them for a long time.

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2 of those dealers who stock single VFRs told me that only certain customers buy them, and those customers keep them for a long time.

That's me. I bought my '99 new and the dealer hasn't seen me in 15 years!

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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.

Now that is a bike that would love to ride! But I am betting that the 1200 engine torque would warp and twist the 6th/8th gen frame.

Maybe so, but I would love to try to do it! :wheel:

BTW I don't think any VFR has every sold well in the USA! The rest of the World seems to have a smarter buying public!

​Just came across a new 2014 on ebay for $8647.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Interceptor-/391209408801?forcerrptr=true&hash=item5b15e5d921&item=391209408801

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Looking at a GSX R750 this weekend. They have some interest free deals going on, and a deposit of £1 ($1.50 or whatever the FX rate is).

Anyway looking at the GSXR I can see why they are cheap ! It has not got the same class as the Viffer.

Talking of the Euro market changing. What I did notice al lot of on my trip to Europe a few weeks ago, was Yamaha FJR 1300's, I saw loads of them. Maybe they are former GS owners that have bought them !

Anyway, who really wants a hoofing great Adventure Bike - the new GS 1200 Adventure is a completely ridiculous looking thing (IMHO !) - all that metal and plastic and still only two little contact patches or tyre rubber with the road.

Also, with Adventure Bikes I do not like the amount of cockpit that is "in your face". With the Viffer all the clocks and bodywork are out of field of vision (mostly) and you have a clear field of view. But with the Adventure Bikes you have all this stuff right in front of your line of sight - might be god for standing on the pegs off road.

I think pure Adventure Bikes will pass, as the memory of the Long Way Round fades. There are some hot sports bikes out there, but they are just so quick - custodial sentence quick - but with the Viffer you can make it bark nicely, and not get into that much trouble !

Not all the adventure bikes have in-your-face cockpits but it's not difficult to deal with.

I think it's a bit absurd to have such big, heavy "adventure" bikes but I don't think the category is going away any time soon. I think an adventure bike is an ideal urban assault vehicle. Looks fine coated in filth, able to handle huge potholes comfortably, handles motorists' braille parking more gracefully, offers a slightly higher POV in traffic, etc.

Last two times I was in Wisconsin I think I saw three sportbikes.

And eight frickin' thousand H-Ds.

Just sayin'...

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2 of those dealers who stock single VFRs told me that only certain customers buy them, and those customers keep them for a long time.

That's me. I bought my '99 new and the dealer hasn't seen me in 15 years!

Thats me also, over 14 years with my CBR before trading it in, I searched and found my current 2014 VFR800 weeks before it came in and dont plan on getting rid of it, I love this bike.

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I'll either be buying a DLX or VFR1200 in about 6 months. In CA the best I can do is 13,000 OTD. Of course our taxes and registration is high. One problem I'm having is finding a 1200 to test ride.

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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

Agree completely. I was stoked when the 8th gen was announced but floored at the $$. Its not that far off my 1997 in specs and it was asking BMW S1000 pricing.

1997 VFR750F: http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_vfr_750_f_1997.php

2014 VFR800F: http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/07/16/2014-honda-vfr800f-interceptor-sportbike-motorcycle-review-photos-specifications-performance-numbers/2/

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