Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'history'.
-
File Name: Motor Cyclist September 2015 Circa 1983 The Story of Honda's Amazing V45 Interceptor.pdf File Submitter: Rectaltronics File Submitted: 02 Oct 2015 File Category: Article Scans Motor Cyclist Magazine, September 2015 issue Article "Circa 1983: The Story of Honda's Amazing V45 Interceptor" Click here to download this file
- 8 replies
-
- v45
- interceptor
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
The first VFR I ever owned was the 1200 and I have found it to be a great bike. It has also awakened my interest in other VFRs and the general history of Honda V4s. Now also as an owner of an earlier VFR, I know the 1200 deserves and is a good chapter in a proud VFR story. So it is interesting to see forum posters concerned about the poor sales rate of the VFR1200 in the USA and more recently no new model years. This is simply part of the VFR tradition going all the way back to 1986. The 1200 is a quality well designed road sport machine that was designed in its own tradition, not following the market trend. The original VFR750 was not a major market success in the US either but still became a cult bike that people hold on to for many years. Greg Pullen in the history of the Honda V4 notes that despite the Honda VFR750F "... winning the Best 750cc sportsbike award from Cycle World an accolade it would win again and again ... the VFR did not live up to sales expectations in the US market. Indeed, some 1986 models were still available after the 1987 versions had arrived ... For 1987 only, the 700 version was imported to the US, but no VFRs at all came into the USA during 1988 and 1989". Sound familiar? Honda generally back themselves with their innovation ie the VFR, the ST and the Goldwing. None of these bikes were market followers, they created new niches which are still here today. They are often highly refined, quality items with good reputations for reliability. So I would not be too worried by its lack of sale's success. We are just experiencing a reasonably predictable part of the Honda story. Critically the VFR1200 is generally highly acclaimed, not unlike the original VFR. See UK Bike magazine rating the 1200 as 5 stars, and it prevailed in the original Motorcycle USA comparison with the BMW K1300S which is a similar design brief. I think in the end it will become acknowledged as a special bike but it will take a long long time, just as it still is for the original VFR750 which many classic bike magazines are only just beginning to acknowledge. In the end the original CB750 became a classic and so has the originally maligned and very poor selling CBX1000. So in the meantime, until I am proved right, I will just have keep clocking up many enjoyable miles on the big beast, maybe using the money I save from not having to upgrade to buy one of those very original 1986 Interceptors, in red, white and blue of course!
-
File Name: MCN - Honda V4 30 Year Special (16 May 2012) File Submitter: fabio222 File Submitted: 20 Jan 2015 File Category: Article Scans A comprehensive look at V4 Honda's over the last 30 years by British weekly magazine, Motorcycle News. This was published in May 2012. This was scanned with a camera phone and then converted into a PDF. Most of the pages are of decent, readable, quality. Click here to download this file
-
Don't know if anyone's seen and/or posted this... if so, please wipe this thread and accept my apologies... The Honda Force V4 Story 1978 - 2012 The V4 Engine Story - 35 years of technological evolution and challenge. http://world.honda.com/V4-story/08/ PS: Can't see the 4th gen Dutchy...
-
http://world.honda.com/V4-story/ Currently only about the 0X engine. New chapters including one on the RC45 will be added at a later date.