VFR12000F in the flesh

Well not wishing to hi-jack any other thread I thought I'd let you know I went to the VFR1200 launch tonight to check it out 'in the flesh'.

A horrible night of freezing rain and fog but I enjoyed it thoroughly (although I was the only one that turned up on a bike) :dry:

My very 1st initial thought was, wow this bike looks A LOT smaller than the photo's, further inspection revealed the impeccable build quality and alluring paint, finish and how beautifully well made the fairing all fits together. They had one all kitted out with luggage which to me, looked fantastic but the side cases didn't seem quite as well made and pretty small.

Overall? This thing is GORGEOUS and I WANT ONE! (But not yet) :wub:

Then I had a nice long sit on the thing, as others have said she feels very light, flicking the bike with your knees pressed on the tank actually felt lighter than my VFR800!! The seat is harder, the pegs felt slightly further back and the reach to the bars just slightly further... all in all I'd say my current VFR is more comfortable but only a long test ride will tell...

I've got one booked for next Tuesday so I'll give more info then. I'll also test pillion comfort, handling.

Interestingly there is quite a number of Fireblade owners that have placed orders for the 1200

Here are a few pics from my camera phone...

Just look at her, Beeeautiful!!

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I couldn't resist, my girl after one of the many snowy commutes home this past month :biggrin:
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Very nice Steve, love the white one

[image: View Post]Dutchy, on 12 February 2010 - 06:11 PM, said:

Very nice Steve, love the white one


Cheers Dutchy, honestly I'm really liking it even more now, I think it has a lot to do with size, because it's no bigger than the 800.

From where I am sitting the finish on those looks absolutely mega.

Were you at Jack Machin's on Carholme Steve? My Blackbird came from there.

The white I agree was superb. It's a deep sparkling white that sets off the rest of the bike beautifully. I wasn't too fussed about the silver although it was stylish and subtle.

Luggage was small wasn't it? And the fixing points weren't as solid as I expected. It is very VFR though - I think from a rider's perspective they have tried to carry through a lot of the characteristics of previous models.

[image: View Post]swimmer, on 12 February 2010 - 06:50 PM, said:

From where I am sitting the finish on those looks absolutely mega.


Like it or loathe it, you can't argue about the build quality. It is tremendous.

I LOVE the black one. What?? it's not a 1200??

[image: View Post]Cynic, on 12 February 2010 - 06:55 PM, said:

Were you at Jack Machin's on Carholme Steve? My Blackbird came from there.

The white I agree was superb. It's a deep sparkling white that sets off the rest of the bike beautifully. I wasn't too fussed about the silver although it was stylish and subtle.

Luggage was small wasn't it? And the fixing points weren't as solid as I expected. It is very VFR though - I think from a rider's perspective they have tried to carry through a lot of the characteristics of previous models.


I went to the Grantham invite (I wouldn't touch Jack Machin in Lincoln with a barge pole, what a....) :rolleyes:

Yes the white looked very pretty, I think I would go for the silver myself but the red is gorgeous too. Yes the fixing points are clever but felt just a little flimsy which I wasn't expecting, still, it's far better than the Triumph Sprint ST luggage aghh.

But as you say, Honda suggest this is a completely new bread of bike, yes maybe, but even just sitting on it felt very much like a VFR to me. I can't wait for a test ride and of course to meet you when the weather gets better! 5th gen on steroids huh? Sounds perfect to me!
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