VFR1200F at Long Beach Show

I just walked through the Long Beach show while they were setting up. I paid special attention to Honda and observed that the VFR1200 is on the floor and not surrounded by ropes. They also have an 09 set up right next to it so you could compare if you wanted to.

It's very nice but a little big in my opinion. The bike, not the price tag..... :goofy:

I will have to do that then...

... that is to say "sit on the bike"

Didn't someone else start a thread for the Long Beach show? Where did it go? I didn't see it in the "USA West" forum.

[image: View Post]JTG, on 04 December 2009 - 04:31 PM, said:

I will have to do that then...

... that is to say "sit on the bike"

Didn't someone else start a thread for the Long Beach show? Where did it go? I didn't see it in the "USA West" forum.


I remeber seeing that thread as well but was unable to find it in the planning section. If a moderator wants to move this one to a more appropriate area, that's fine with me.

I can not help myself ------------ leaving from the Park and Ride just West of the 805 off Governor at 8:00am Saturday. :wheel: :wheel:

Some of the guys on another forum I'm on are meeting early tomorrow just to demo some bikes. Prolly about 8am. I'll be riding my VFR down there. Then Sunday morning I'll be going to the show. If anyone wants to meet up down there just PM me your number.

I wasn't planning the 6 hour ride down but awe jeebers..

http://www.motorcycl...ategoryId=37889

(& $1K less than the VFR!!)

Yes My butt was on a 2010 VFR last night. It is very nice looking in person. Maybe the classiest looking bike ever. It looks physically big. It looks long as well. It looks and feels sort of like it was carved out of a solid hunk of steel. Ergo's as you would expect are much like the current VFR. I liked it more than I expected. YMMV

[image: View Post]keepergale, on 05 December 2009 - 09:24 AM, said:

Yes My butt was on a 2010 VFR last night. It is very nice looking in person. Maybe the classiest looking bike ever. It looks physically big. It looks long as well. It looks and feels sort of like it was carved out of a solid hunk of steel. Ergo's as you would expect are much like the current VFR. I liked it more than I expected. YMMV


I too sat on the new VFR today. Very nice looking bike, but still not a fan of the color. Ergonomics are great, very familiar feeling(I ride a 5th gen), bike doesn't seem much bigger once you're on it, in fact it actually seemed to sit a little lower than my stock bike. It was noticeably narrower too.

One thing I did notice is that the bike felt light, or at least not top heavy like my 5th gen. I promptly went over to the BMW booth and sat on the K1300S, similar ergos, maybe slightly more aggressive, and the seat was a bit more comfortable. I think the K1300S still looks kind of awkward in person compared to the VFR. If the VFR looks long, the K1300S looks like a limo.

I have to say I like the new Viffer quite a lot. On the ride home I wondered what another 60 hp would be like...

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 05 December 2009 - 01:53 AM, said:

I wasn't planning the 6 hour ride down but awe jeebers..

http://www.motorcycl...ategoryId=37889

(& $1K less than the VFR!!)


Man that's a nice bike!

I did not sit on the new VFR1200. There were just too many people surrounding the bike. Went back three times and crowd just got bigger. There's a lot of interest in this bike and from the looks of the crowd mostly 40 somethings (give or take)they seem to be the sort of people with money to buy a bike like this. As opposed to the shorts and sandal post teenager types more interested in the newest fastest sportiest bike they can't ride.

I think they have taken refinement to the next level as far as looks fit and finish. I think some people are going to be very happy with this bike. For the record, I did sit on the new Aprilia RSV torture rack. Good luck with that one. :goofy: The new R1 is more comfortable. I just don't see VFR riders migrating toward the Aprilia unless it's the Tuono V4.

I'll have to get a sit on the new bigger Viffer.
Check out the RSV4 a little better, didn't want to touch the 2 I saw at the Rock Store.
Glad to hear Aprilia is there. :fing02:

Should be there close to the 9:30 show opening Sunday.
Prior to that there's a little matter of Chicken and Waffles. :cool:

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 05 December 2009 - 09:28 PM, said:

I'll have to get a sit on the new bigger Viffer.
Check out the RSV4 a little better, didn't want to touch the 2 I saw at the Rock Store.
Glad to hear Aprilia is there. :fing02:

Should be there close to the 9:30 show opening Sunday.
Prior to that there's a little matter of Chicken and Waffles. :cool:

I'm gonna try to make it to Roscoes tomorrow then maybe demo a bike or two.

Went to the show today;

VFR1200F: meh, I don't think it looks nearly as good in person as I was hoping. I'll reserve judgment until I can actually ride one, sitting on the thing doesn't actually reveal that much.

BMW S1000RR: MUCH better looking in person than I had expected, and if I were in the market for a more than I can handle over the top liter bike, I would have to seriously consider this one... but I'm not so it doesn't matter.

Aprilia RSV4: Gorgeous bike, looks even smaller in person than I was expecting.

Norton Commando 961 SE: In my opinion? Dead Sexy!! I want one :biggrin:

It was cool to see Rossi and Spies Yamahas sitting next to each other, there were a few electric race bikes which was fun, the usual assortment of stupid chromed, slammed, stretched, and air brushed Hayabusas, the stunt show was good, and the food was terrible. Typical bike show :rolleyes:

I took some pictures, and I may try to post them later if the gallery post tool is working yet.

Thanks for the report. It is true, isn't it, that just sitting on a bike doesn't really tell you that much. Animated objects need to be animated for the true impression to be had.

Having said that, I've sat on the RSV and was amazed at how comfortable the ergos were considering how tiny the damn thing is. Now, I wonder if we can get Aprilia to do a S/T version of THAT????

I blasted up on my Wing for the show on Saturday. Cold for us San Diego folks....in the fifties.

The Honda Tent was at the front like you would expect. Of course I muscled my way into the VFR section. The 2010 VFR area was packed all the time! I liked the 1200 more in person. The front end is much nicer with the "dual fairing" disguising the RAM air. You really can not see it in photos. Cool. I thought the seating position was very similar to my stock 5th gen...maybe a touch more relaxed. Seat seems better/more comfortable too but I have not ridden it 300 miles either which was my crossover point for the OEM seat on my 99. It is easier to get a foot over as the Ass is not as high. No bags on the floor model but it looks like the bag attachment setup will be very clean ...not even noticeable. I jumped over to the black 6th gen nearbye to test...........yea about the same. At rest, the bike felt lighter than my 5th and the floor 6th gen but obviously both show bikes did not have gas in them.

[image: Posted Image]

[image: Posted Image]

I would say the ergos are better than the K1300S that I also eyed and threw a leg over.

The ST1300 was not on the floor which says to me that we may be seeing a 1200T version sooner than I anticipated.

Fastest V4 at the show indeed anywhere on earth............makes you want to 69.
[image: Posted Image]

I thought the new VFR1200 looked better in person than in pics.
Although the air intakes (?) on either side of the headlight look like they could swallow a small bird. It definitely attracted a lot of interest.

As far as the weight, just sitting on it and picking it up off the side stand, it didn't feel any heavier than my 5th gen bike. Of course I didn't roll it across the floor, or drop it on it's side and have to pick it up. The seat seemed a little lower, I could put both feet flat on the floor, which I can't do with my bike. Seemed pretty comfortable, based on a 45 second sit. I'd love a test ride, but for $16,000 plus tax etc for the manual trans model, it will be waiting a while. :comp13:

Also had a sit on the VMax. Now that's a heavy beast, and wide too.
I'd be walking bowlegged if I rode that very far. :goofy:

Of course my crazy friends are all going Brumrumrurmrumrum in the Harley section. :laugh:

Here are the scoops.

[image: Posted Image]

It is beginning to grow on me..............except for the tank size.
[image: Posted Image]

Maybe somebody will............Tourtech has a neat 5 gallon add on tank for the GS800. Really fits well and only costs....$$$$$$ 1900 :goofy:

I checked out all Big Sport tourers at the show.

I jumped on the K1300GT, 2010 new DOHC 1200RT, C14....and the winner so far is the Connie. THe bike looks cleaner to me than before and has a host of improvements after only a few years of production. The FJR was at the show but unchanged since the last refit.

Quote

Here are the scoops.

I swear I took that exact picture today. :biggrin:

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 06 December 2009 - 07:31 PM, said:

Quote

Here are the scoops.

I swear I took that exact picture today. :biggrin:


Reset your passwords and run a scan :goofy:

There was an X taped on the floor for your knee.
Bow down, all praise Honda here. :laugh:

It was just an angle I hadn't seen before in photos. :fing02:

And I'm just noticing a bit of a demon face in the headlights frontal view. :goofy:

Another shot from the front....frankly it was tough to get good shots with swarming crowds...........everybody wanted on.

[image: Posted Image]

Bad picture from the rear.
[image: Posted Image]

Quote

Bad picture from the rear.

Agreed. Makes its butt look fat. ;p

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 06 December 2009 - 08:25 PM, said:

Quote

Bad picture from the rear.

Agreed. Makes its butt look fat. ;p


But I think it has more of a shape of a Sargent which could save us some money.

I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned yet that we've only ever seen the bike in one colour, either in pictures or in real life. Surely there must be others?

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 06 December 2009 - 06:38 PM, said:

Of course I didn't roll it across the floor, or drop it on it's side and have to pick it up.

And why not? Someone's got to be the first to drop it and doing it to someone elses bike on carpet has got to be the cheapest way... :biggrin:

Quote

I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned yet that we've only ever seen the bike in one colour, either in pictures or in real life. Surely there must be others?

Yes Grasshopper... but not in the United States :ph34r:

Some good angles in those pics that I haven't seen before, thanks, and the comments regarding it not 'feeling' heavier than current VFRs are also good to see. There's got to be a 5kg potential reduction in that exhaust alone...

Anyone see the new Multistrada? Was it there?

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 06 December 2009 - 08:15 PM, said:

And I'm just noticing a bit of a demon face in the headlights frontal view. :goofy:


Looks more like a Pokemon to me?

[image: View Post]rc36Honda, on 07 December 2009 - 12:42 AM, said:

I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned yet that we've only ever seen the bike in one colour, either in pictures or in real life. Surely there must be others?


One of the articles, I don't recall which, claimed that when the dual-clutch model arrives it's going to be gray dressed up with a fancy name. Yawn.

I'm actually kinda suprised we are getting the red first. I thought there was a law that said all new shaft drive sport tourers have to wear gray paint when introduced.

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 07 December 2009 - 02:55 AM, said:

Anyone see the new Multistrada? Was it there?


Yes. The other bike I was focused on at the show.
[image: Posted Image]

This is a compelling package with a lot of gizmos and options. Probably will have 135 Hp at the rear wheel and tip the scales street ready at about 450 lbs. With the hardbags it well could be a very cool tour package. I liked the upright riding position which makes it especially handy for traffic and for rapid turn initiation. The old Multistrada was a hoot to ride and this one will be better....much better.

[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on 07 December 2009 - 06:45 AM, said:

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 06 December 2009 - 08:15 PM, said:

And I'm just noticing a bit of a demon face in the headlights frontal view. :goofy:


Looks more like a Pokemon to me?


That's my reflection!

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 07 December 2009 - 02:55 AM, said:

Anyone see the new Multistrada? Was it there?


Yes, and there was quite the crowd around it as well. The display was deceiving being up "on stage" like that it makes it look as though you can't sit on it... but there were steps leading up to the platform so I walked up and sat on it :biggrin: Nobody seemed to mind. As I said earlier sitting on a bike reveals very little but it was nice to see it in person and I think this is the first Ducati I would even consider buying.

However between the "Pug" face of the VFR and the "Pinocchio" face of the Multisrada I prefer... something else :dry:

I will try to get a test ride on the new Multi....even if it has a beak that only a mother would love.

[image: Posted Image]

Note the tracks for moving the windshield!

Most everything else in the Ducati booth is beautiful.........has the best booth babes toooooo...................
[image: Posted Image]

I sat on a 1198S.....it is a torture rack.

69 bike is fast
[image: Posted Image]

[image: Posted Image]

Glad to hear people are able to take a seat on the new VFR. :fing02:

What the heck was the Duc Multistrada's designer thinking of with those weird intakes? :huh: Kind of looks like a giant insect proboscis. :( Otherwise it looks terrific to me.

Dude, wth, it was up on a roped off turntable in Dallas. I feel cheated.

[image: View Post]BonusVFR, on 07 December 2009 - 12:42 PM, said:

I will try to get a test ride on the new Multi....even if it has a beak that only a mother would love.

Looks good, I'd like to see both of them in person & up close.

Dunno about that beak, I'd like to see what Aprilia is going to do with the new Tuono.

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 08 December 2009 - 01:41 AM, said:

[image: View Post]BonusVFR, on 07 December 2009 - 12:42 PM, said:

I will try to get a test ride on the new Multi....even if it has a beak that only a mother would love.

Looks good, I'd like to see both of them in person & up close.

Dunno about that beak, I'd like to see what Aprilia is going to do with the new Tuono.



I like the Multi because of its tour and rough road capabilities. Aprilia and KTM were both no shows. A couple of the dealers had the RSV4, which I sat on. Tiny bike .....like a 600! :biggrin: The most extreme riding position was the 1198S Duc.

Did not poke around the Yamaha tent much as I have ridden the latest FJR version......but it is kind of hard to argue with this display. Good lesson here ....is it the bike or the rider??

[image: Posted Image]

[image: View Post]rc36Honda, on 07 December 2009 - 12:42 AM, said:

I'm a little surprised that no-one has mentioned yet that we've only ever seen the bike in one colour, either in pictures or in real life. Surely there must be others?

The feelvfr website has pics of all available colours in the download section. Also some of the (magazine) road tests had additional pictures like this one taken in Spain:
[image: Posted Image]

Well, that distinguishes the silver and the white much better than the Honda promo shots do. Thanks.

I'll take a silver with the larger tank option.

I would choose the white but they haven't made it available in Canada. 6-speeds are offered only in bass boat red and DCTs are offered only in grey.

I don't mind the grey but I can't understand why they made that top fairing piece black, rather than match it to the rest of the bike like on the other colours.

I might end up with a grey one... depends how much they want to charge for the sissy automatic.

[image: View Post]BonusVFR, on 08 December 2009 - 03:19 PM, said:

I'll take a silver with the larger tank option.


No, you're getting RED...and you're gonna LIKE it mister! :goofy:

[image: View Post]UFO, on 08 December 2009 - 06:15 PM, said:

[image: View Post]BonusVFR, on 08 December 2009 - 03:19 PM, said:

I'll take a silver with the larger tank option.


No, you're getting RED...and you're gonna LIKE it mister! :goofy:



But but but I have too too two many Red Hondas.

[image: Posted Image]

You can never have too many red Hondas.
Or too many motorcycles for that matter. :beer:

Well, assuming you can afford them. :wheel:

[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on 08 December 2009 - 11:30 PM, said:

You can never have too many red Hondas.
Or too many motorcycles for that matter. :beer:

Well, assuming you can afford them. :wheel:


Judging by the list under the avatar, I'm guessing that might not be an issue. But, then again, I'm just jealous!! :goofy: