VFR1200 Upgrades

I am just curious if you had the cash and the time to change the new vfr1200 what upgrades would you do?

What? No Torocharger option?   :warranty:

Having always had hard bags on previous VFRs, luggage would be the 1st thing I made sure this bike had.

VFRMike.

My first thought was "Nothing - I've spent too much time/money/sweat feedleen around with my current VFR!"
But then I had another look at your list, and decided that despite it never really getting very cold here, I love my heated grips, as they allow me to wear thin gloves year round.
Trouble is, I think that might just be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, and once the farkling started, I'd be on a slippery slope to doom. :warranty:

However - it ain't gonna happen. They're NZ$28K here, so it's well out of my budget.

EXHAUST.

voted bigger gas tank.

The first thing i would do is raise the tank and see how much space is under that hump, and then look at larger tanks to fit under the skin.

Tank.....280km just does not cut it for me. I hate stopping for gas, its bad enought now I have to get fuel everyday when riding to work in the nice weather. But having to stop once I get to work, because the range is short and I can't make a round trip for work adn get home on one tank is a show stopper for me. And that fact my 07VFR is still doing what I need it to do, I think I'll stick with it for a few more years :)

1-- I'd go with exhaust too. I'd hope Remus would make an under tail dual exhaust like on the 6th Gen. That would be sweet. If not an aftermarket can on the side.

2-- Center stand, it should come stock, they left it off to keep weight down a little. Center stands are very handy to have.

3-- The next thing would be for a flat black color to match my 2004.

4-- Changing to a larger tank sounds good, but I doubt anybody is making an aftermarket tank so a change seems out of the question for now.

I think I'd wait to see what the touring version (if any) looks like.
:comp13:

Definitely the larger fuel tank. A major component of Sport Touring is, obviously, the touring. The greater the range the better.

And while I'm not a big fan of the aesthetics of that can hanging off the right side, exhaust would be secondary to a greater fuel supply.

I didn't vote because I wanted to select 7 out of the ten options....I sat on one in Chicago this weekend at the Cycle World show, and I just DO NOT like it....plus it's way too expensive.  If I had the $16k to spend on a sport touring bike...the Kaw concours 14 would be my preference.  You just get MORE for the money!...   :comp13:

I like the bike in general and not looking for a sports touring bike however if I happened upon one the exhaust can is so repulsive it would be in the trash by sunset.
Does it have a rear cowl?The seat looks like a after market might be a good choice.All in all I like it. Posted Image

If I had the $16k to spend on a sport touring bike...the Kaw concours 14 would be my preference. You just get MORE for the money!... :comp13:

False economy in my view. You'd still have a Kawasaki. :ph34r:


I chose the exhaust also. I don't think it looks that bad but it could look better. A different tank is pie in the sky as it's just not possible i.e. a different one doesn't exist to upgrade to, and everything else on the list you could buy with the bike if you wanted to. That's my reasoning!

Everything else on the list you could buy with the bike if you wanted to.

Honda sells an alternate headlight and upper cowl for it ? :fing02:

If it has a 360 degree crank I would change it out for a 180 degree crank, since we're inventing stuff to do to it.

I still can't believe a group of engineers would build a 'touring' bike and give it a range of under 300 kilometres - that just makes no sense at all.
Bigger fuel tank. Otherwise, I really like the bike.

oh by ..this is easy! the whole freaking body and exhaust!!!!!
then the shocks..and...
i would find out who make the stunning rc45 carbon body and add it the 1200
oh wait.. just give me the motor....

I would turn it into a 6th gen. Black.

Screw it - I'd just save the money required to upgrade and buy a Bimota DB7 Oronero Drooooolll... :rolleyes:

Dear Honda,

A BIGGER FUEL TANK, YOU MUPPETS.

I feel much better now, Doctor.

Weight reduction therapy. :rolleyes:

If I owned one, the first thing I'd upgrade is the Tank. I say that because I'd make sure it came with heated grips, luggage, and pretty much all the other available options. That is of course if I had a spare $30K to spend on a bike(Canadian, and tax).

When I'm touring I seem to keep reeling in around 375KM/tank on the 02. 400+ on several occasions (with some VTEC use too). Cutting that in half, I would have to stop twice getting to my cottage and back. And that's like 10 minutes of inconvenience! :rolleyes:






:angry:

But seriously, a bigger tank couldn't be a bad thing. Other than the Center of Gravity... Shouldn't make that much of a difference though. http://www.vfrdiscus...tyle_emoticons/default/wink.gif

I'm hoping that Honda makes an upgrade in the near future.

I don't understand why they gave this otherwise technologically advanced specimen such lame brakes. Why didn't they equip the VFR1200 with the same finely-tuned system found on their newer sportbikes?

1) Convert it to belt drive...

2) Marchesini magnesium wheels...

3) BrakeTech Ceramic Comsposite Rotors...

4) Brembo billet calipers...

5) Brembo radial master cylinders...

6) Quick throttle...

7) Radar Detector...

8) Satellite radio...

9) Pireilli Super Corsa SP...

10) Temper Foam Seat...

11) Titanium exhaust with carbon can...

12) Ohlins forks and shock...

EXHAUST.

http://www.vfrdiscus...tyle_emoticons/default/+1.gif the OEM can is so ugly it would make children in the street weep!

If I keep my choices realistic - then I'd go for Honda's low seat option. I liked the shape better when I sat on it at the NYC show.

After that, I'd be testing out the reach of the peg feelers, so making sure the suspension is tuned for me would be next, along with a nice set of tires. Then ride the thing and figure what to do next, cuz ya know, it never ends... !

I don't understand why they gave this otherwise technologically advanced specimen such lame brakes. Why didn't they equip the VFR1200 with the same finely-tuned system found on their newer sportbikes?

Huh?
Are you talking about the bike featuring a manual DCBS system instead of the latest ECBS+ABS system? I believe that was to keep the price down. As for the performance, reviewers have said that it's pretty good, and it has radial brake calipers on the front, so you can't complain about that.

I don't understand why they gave this otherwise technologically advanced specimen such lame brakes. Why didn't they equip the VFR1200 with the same finely-tuned system found on their newer sportbikes?

Huh?
Are you talking about the bike featuring a manual DCBS system instead of the latest ECBS+ABS system? I believe that was to keep the price down. As for the performance, reviewers have said that it's pretty good, and it has radial brake calipers on the front, so you can't complain about that.

Keep the price DOWN?? Yeah, THAT worked. :fing02:

Keep the price DOWN?? Yeah, THAT worked. :fing02:

Oh, c'mon! It's only 50% dearer than the VFR800 (here it's NZ$29k versus the 800's NZ$19k...) :fing02:

EXHAUST.

:fing02: the OEM can is so ugly it would make children in the street weep!

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Wow I'm the only one who'd work on suspension first? It's the first thing you should do as almost nobody can set sag correctly on a Japanese bike. Guess we have a bunch of squids as members or old guys who are just going to superslab it :D

Wow I'm the only one who'd work on suspension first? It's the first thing you should do as almost nobody can set sag correctly on a Japanese bike. Guess we have a bunch of squids as members or old guys who are just going to superslab it :D

All of the above Posted Image

Is it the look of the exhaust or (lack of) sounds that bothers 40% of people voted here? :huh:

Personally I got bored years ago to listen too loud sounds. :mad:
After a couple of hours riding it actually started to feel very irritating.

Btw, police raids OEM exhaust in some European countries.
I would not want to take the risk I'm halted 1500 km away from home and the (only) option could be to leave bike there and find some other way to continue.

Heated grips are the absolutely must at least here in the northern Europe. :unsure:

-J-

According to the article in Motorcyclist the range should be in the area of 200-210 miles on a tank. Just curious how many on here ride 200 straight miles without getting off their ride. I can tell you that I sure as hell don't even when riding for distance a stop every 100-150 miles is about tops for me and my ass. I don't care how comfy the seat is, its still a motorcycle seat. I kind of think the distance thing is just something to complain about for some. Of course the more range the better if you are out in the middle of no-where but how often is that. Anyway that is my 2 cents and no disrespect meant to anyone who feels it needs a bigger tank, I just don't get it really I guess. The article I read also stated the factory seat was the best motorcycle seat they had ever ridden on including aftermarket brands. That is a pretty big claim, I guess we will eventually find out once more and more get on the road.

Seems like for the price they're asking, everything on the list should already be included. Posted Image

What? No Torocharger option? :goofy:

I'm still waiting on the official 6th gen option.

BTW - I'm in need of an excuse to Justify getting a Toro charger when the kit is officially launched to give my wife. Oh, and she's an ASE cert. gear head who also rides, so BS about it saving fuel and the rain forest won't work. maybe the best option is to hide money, and install it when she's not home, but she'll notice it when her bike is no longer faster than mine.

It's more than just how long one can go in a single sitting (no pun intended)... It's also about how often one has to get gas during the week while they're commuting, etc. Most importantly, it's about at least having the choice to go "the distance." If Honda had built in a larger tank, people who didn't need a 200-mile range could've still filled up every 100 miles if they wanted. But currently, there is no option for the people who desire to go that far. Honda had a choice of crippling the iron-butts, or saddling everybody else with the weight and styling of a bigger tank. They may have made the right decision for the majority, but I still see it as a shortcoming (especially since I'm not sure a bigger tank would've made the styling any worse). If the market really demands a bigger tank, it'll be rectified long before I'm ready to buy one, anyway. Ah well... :goofy:

According to the article in Motorcyclist the range should be in the area of 200-210 miles on a tank. Just curious how many on here ride 200 straight miles without getting off their ride. I can tell you that I sure as hell don't even when riding for distance a stop every 100-150 miles is about tops for me and my ass. I don't care how comfy the seat is, its still a motorcycle seat. I kind of think the distance thing is just something to complain about for some. Of course the more range the better if you are out in the middle of no-where but how often is that. Anyway that is my 2 cents and no disrespect meant to anyone who feels it needs a bigger tank, I just don't get it really I guess. The article I read also stated the factory seat was the best motorcycle seat they had ever ridden on including aftermarket brands. That is a pretty big claim, I guess we will eventually find out once more and more get on the road.

After adding the OEM hard bags to my '04 last year, I can say without a doubt that if a bike had optional matching hard bags I would buy them right away. So that's my vote. :goofy:

I would mod a few of the other items as I went, including suspension, tank size and seat - tho I've heard so far that the stock seat is pretty good, so maybe it won't be necessary to upgrade it at all.

Go for the luggage first. Its a sport tourer.

This bike is aimed at the 30s-50s guys that would otherwise buy a busa, a ZX-14, or a K1300S. Its that simple.

I sat on the bike at the Greenville SC Cycle world show a couple months back. Nice machine....but waaaay over market on price. Especially in current economic times.

Id go for a Duc Streetfighter, Multistrada, or BMW K1300S at the current price point. Waaay overboard on the paddleshift trans...trying to make it a specialty bike like the Rune. They're obviosly not after high unit sales with the bike when you consider the competition in that price range. Everyone remember to hit me back on this if I buy one. :unsure:

As for the performance, reviewers have said that it's pretty good, and it has radial brake calipers on the front, so you can't complain about that.

People can always complain. Not that it does any good!

Usually I start by installing a centerstand, luggage, and heated grips. But that's because I don't buy anything with such terrible tank range. So in this case I voted for the tank.

And as a matter of fact I *do* ride 200+ miles without stopping. But the main reason I'm concerned about tank range, is not so much so I can ride 200 miles without stopping. It's so I can ride in isolated areas without having to worry about being able to make it to the next gas station. There are areas where you can't leave the slab, if your range is too short. Sure, I may only visit those places once in a while, but I work hard to get to those places, I only have so much vacation, and just giving them up is giving up the high point of a vacation that will not come again soon.

According to the article in Motorcyclist the range should be in the area of 200-210 miles on a tank. Just curious how many on here ride 200 straight miles without getting off their ride.

It's more a matter of needing to refuel more often, and to avoid needing to go somewhere in a hurry and being worried about hitting the reserve. I commute to work, which is an 80km round trip and many days I'm just too knackered to do anything except go straight home. This current mentality means I fill up once a week on average and I'm able to do so on the way to work rather than the way home. Also I get a call to go and see a customer in a location off my normal work-home route then it's nice to have the gas to make it and get home without refilling.

The smaller fuel tank means I'll be having to fill up twice a week at minimum, and probably also when I head off to customer jobs. Very annoying.

....But the main reason I'm concerned about tank range, is not so much so I can ride 200 miles without stopping. It's so I can ride in isolated areas without having to worry about being able to make it to the next gas station.....

not only that but many gas stations close early on weekends and may not even open on Sundays; case in point Tottenham NSW

i arrive there around 4pm on Saturday to discover the gas station had closed (midday) for the day and wasnt open on Sunday

good thing i've got 22 litres that is able to do 350k's

This thing doesn't come with a center stand from the factory? The tank size is fine, the mileage is poor, work that out somehow...

If I somehow owned one it wouldn't be by my own dollar, so I'd happily sell it and try out the Bandit 1250, or find a left over 919 and start hitting the catalogs for farkles. I've also wondered about a ZRX1100, a microsquirt, and the required injection bits from a GSX-R1000 or similar. It'd be one heck of a project but if the thing could come together right...

I realize there are other reasons to have a larger tank but I guess my point, if there was one is that 90% of buyers won't give a hoot about only having 200-210 miles because almost no one ever rides that distance without stopping. I have a little 1/2 gallon container that I use for extra gas when needed just in case. My ST4 only gets about 175 per tank so maybe its just that I am used to limited mileage.

As for mods, I think I would look at anything needed for touring duty. Bags, heated grips etc. For the price that should all be included IMHO.

Exhaust has to weigh 30lbs. :biggrin:

Usually I start by installing a centerstand, luggage, and heated grips. But that's because I don't buy anything with such terrible tank range. So in this case I voted for the tank.

And as a matter of fact I *do* ride 200+ miles without stopping. But the main reason I'm concerned about tank range, is not so much so I can ride 200 miles without stopping. It's so I can ride in isolated areas without having to worry about being able to make it to the next gas station. There are areas where you can't leave the slab, if your range is too short. Sure, I may only visit those places once in a while, but I work hard to get to those places, I only have so much vacation, and just giving them up is giving up the high point of a vacation that will not come again soon.

I agree on all points with the range issue. I look forward to eventually riding the new 1200, but unless they can magically extend the range to 200+ miles there is no way I'd trade down.

Option 11 should be....sell it and buy a CBR 1000 RR! How can bike like this get under 200 miles out of a tank of gas. I think my bike gets better than that even riding it at lets say faster than the legal speed limit. Its pretty weird that Honda can build such a great liter sports bike but not a great VFR. Is it just me or is the jump from 800cc to 1200cc a little bit to much? Will the next 8th GEN VFR be a 1500cc? Just seems like something isn't right with this bike with all its fancy transmission choices and modes. I always likes bikes because of the simplicity of them...this bike seems to be something that NASA would have come with!

I would love a 6 gallon tank but not willing to pay $1000 for it. Have not seen one yet........make take a lot of engineering. Touratech makes nice tanks for BMWs..........but up to 2K for the extra gas! Best to wait to see if there is really a ST version and see if that tank is compatible.

I like at least a 200 mile range to give you the option of touring off the beaten path out west. Recently I saw a 217 mile stretch in West Texas without gas. The thought of stopping for gas after 25 miles just to top off would drive me crazy.

I would get bags first ...then grips!

I would add VTEC.

*ducks machined cam lobe*

Er....actually, I think it's farcical that the thing has such a small tank, given it's marked touring intentions. I'd want about 220 miles, max - without thrashing the throttle but not riding like a fearful, noobzorz blastula, either.

I would add VTEC.

*ducks machined cam lobe*

Er....actually, I think it's farcical that the thing has such a small tank, given it's marked touring intentions. I'd want about 220 miles, max - without thrashing the throttle but not riding like a fearful, noobzorz blastula, either.

Hell Yeah!! I'd look into swapping the motor out for a VTEC one... :cheerleader:

Hell Yeah!! I'd look into swapping the motor out for a VTEC one... :unsure:

I prefer the license plate swap myself. :cheerleader: Throw everything attached to it away and swap out a Gen5.

Done! :biggrin:

First for me would be bump that exhaust,

And this is coming from they guy with stock can on his 01.
Its just to hideous to look at.

Id go for the aftermarket fuel tanks that fit on in the same place as the paniers.
Honda say they give a 1000km range and you can jettison them on the move too.

Yeah not really.

As the 1200 motor is smaller Id like to know whose going to be the first to
shoehorn a 1200 into an earlier gen.

Exhaust is my answer.

Staintune anyone?

As the 1200 motor is smaller Id like to know whose going to be the first to
shoehorn a 1200 into an earlier gen.

Will anyone be stupid enough to attempt it?

voted bigger gas tank.

The first thing i would do is raise the tank and see how much space is under that hump, and then look at larger tanks to fit under the skin.

Need a form fitting aux tank underneath the seat. :fing02: To be honest I'd opt for hard cases, heated grips and the aux tank.

Of course, the exhaust!

I didn't even ride my off of the showroom floor before getting that started. Two Brother Racing picked it up for me and is fabricating a full exhaust with a CF muffler. Should get it back later this week :goofy: They'll start selling the system they come up with, so I'll post pics for everyone's opinions.

Nice one. Interested to see what they come up with. I bet an aftermarket system will unleash a lot of ponies..

Well, based on the 530 or so miles I have on mine in 2 days of riding.... See ride report post

#1 SEAT! SEAT SEAT SEAT, get a seat that's worth a Sh*it....where are you Sargents???

#2 Helibars

#3 would be the can.....Akropvic low mount slip-on, on order now!

#4 would be a MRA type windscreen, because I like them!

The rest, TBD.

Okay, here it is.

Two Brothers Racing really hooked it up! The exhaust note is sweet and throaty but still legal (>98dB.) I might take out the insert to see if it is even better.

The exhaust lost 8 lbs. and it puts out 5 more horses through the middle.

Next is the fuel controller they're working on. Should be a couple of weeks and that'll be installed. Gonna CF a bunch of the flimsy panels covering the sides and bottom. I think it needs a hugger and an undertail to get rid of that nasty fender, too.

Thanks to the guys at Two Brothers - Joel is the MAN!

http://www.twobros.c...1200_SO_10.html

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I hav voted for aa bigger tank. That is - If I really would change anything. Mine is with a ready-to-go kit som i have heated grips and all that jazz. The exhaust I actually like. Honestly - I'm 55 years old and I stop every one or two hours anyway and then I might as well fill the tank.

The seat however is slippery. Its not so bad in the riders seat but the passenger seat is very bad. I have helped it guite a lot with a "Tribo-seat cover" a very effecient and cheap solution. I do wonder why someone would spand this amount of money and time on develiping such a powerful thing without considering the safety og the passenger

I have fitted an ohlins shock en cartriges. Best money spended ever. The dealer flashed the ecu. I have updated the firmware of the PC-v and put some new maps in it. The VFR1200 is more fuel efficient now. from 13,5 km/L to 15km/l 

I have fitted S20 tires on the bike. Makes the steering much quik. Rear tire S20 is wearing too fast so gone fit a Bt016 pro on the rear. 

So what is the best mod: 

1st  beter quality suspension espessialy when riding fast on  twisty roads. 

2nd ecu update in combination with new maps

3rd Akrapovic exhaust for more grunt and a beter sound

4th removal of the 1st and 2nd gear restrictions. 

First thing I got was the SW Motech top rack, so I can carry a top case.  Other farkles are great, but without hard luggage, to me, a bike is not much more than a Sunday joyride machine.

a bike is not much more than a Sunday joyride machine.

That's its' main purpose here.  To break the law in the country turn after turn after turn :D

Put on a set of the Knight Designs footpegs, lowered the brake pedal as much as the adjusting nut would allow (enough)...

Removed the little 'retaining rings' on the upper fork tubes, and raised the clip-ons about 1/2", so the clip-on top is about 1/8" above the top of the fork.

Made a little, but noticeable difference.

Ordered a Corbin with a slightly raised seat pocket - though it's mostly to have the Ovalbak backrest for when the wife is along.

She doesn't ride with me often, but we'll do one or two long trips a year together, and I want her to be comfortable for a couple weeks and 5k miles at a time.

She loved the Guzzi Stelvio as a place to take a road trip, and the ST1300 with topbox. 

This is a "me" bike, not an "us" bike....so I'm doing my best to make it something she likes.

As it is, I think the stock seat is very comfortable, and would not have replaced it except to get a backrest for her.

I'm not a big fan of top boxes, so didn't go the SW-Motech way.

I ordered the SW Motech rack, and a tank protector, knee pads since I am already noticing micro-scratches where my "non-abrasive" jacket is rubbing on the tank.

Just installed my ALU-RACK. Just as an FYI, be careful when inserting the plastic caps (you will know what I mean when you look at the directions). My rack seemed to have an extra coat of powder coat... This made the caps very difficult to install... I got one in and broke 3. Still need to source some spares.

Also, before installing the rack on your bike, check the threaded holes. Mine all had powder coating on the threads and ALL needed to be re-taped. Looks great installed but SW Motech's QA I'd crap.

Sent from my SAMSUNG Galaxy SIII using Tapatalk 2

Just installed my ALU-RACK. Just as an FYI, be careful when inserting the plastic caps (you will know what I mean when you look at the directions). My rack seemed to have an extra coat of powder coat... This made the caps very difficult to install... I got one in and broke 3. Still need to source some spares.

Yap.  Broken one when I installed an ALU rack on a Sprint ST 1050.  It works a lot better if you lube the inside of the tube as well as the "splines" on the cap.  Might sound disgusting, but spit works great.  Slick as, uh... spit, and water-based, so it dries without residue.

Hmm Motech racks are apparently on backorder until June 28 from Twisted Throttle. So won't get mine until July sometime!

@HispanicSlammer: Have you thought about doing something with the heel guards on your bike?  That wear is the worst I've seen.  I had an HTC G2 that did something similar on the back cover (seem image below) and it was just a coating that was wearing off.  An hour or so of wet sanding and it was like new... I wonder if the same will apply here.  A sanded (read brushed) aluminum look here may look better than that.

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No not until I get new riding boots the boots do that.

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I am disappointed to hear about the bell pegs, I have new ones in the package I was going to try. I assume the Knight pegs have the same issues?

Have replaced the seat with a Russell Day Long sport seat (comfortable, but a bit bulky), helibars, throttlemeister cruise control, shorty levers, new Knight Design lower pegs with the rubber insert (absolutely a wonderful modification), Givi windscreen, 3-M clear protection, and factory bags.  

All that is left to do is the exhaust.  

@JED13

Do you have pictures of that seat?

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I WILL REPLACE TO A DAM LATTER ON RIGHT NOW I DID CUT THE ORIGINAL CAN OPEN REMOVE THE TINY PIPE WITH A 2 INCH BY 3 PIPE MOLDED TO FIT THE LOWER OPENING ALSO DISCONECT THE FLAPPER CABLE SOUNDS GREAT MY MAIN CONCERN IS 1st AND 2nd DELAY WICH BY THE WAY IT OVERRUNS WHEN YOU HIT 6000rpm IN CASE SOMEONE DIDN'T NOTICE BUT MY DCT TAKES VALUABLE TIME AND I HATE THE REV. LIMITER MY BIRD ACTS DIFFERETLY BY LIMITING SPEED NOT RPM PLEASE TELL ME WHO CAN FIX MY COMPUTER!!!!

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EVERYBODY, LET'S YELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The obvious answer is 11.  Make it just like the 800 it replaced.

Pictures of upgrades that make my VFR1200 an excellent sport tourer.  

Ok I have had my 2013 for 6 days . First impression was brakes were very good, handling was better than I expected, power was underwhelming particularly 1st & 2nd gear. Installed Zbomb after the first 100 miles, big improvement in the 1st & 2nd gear power. Ordered and recieved PC 5 weeks ago but have not installed yet. Same with Heli Bars. Have Akra high mount slip on ordered but delivery is about a month from now. Ordered DJ autotune module yesterday as well as higher output Phillips H7 headlight bulbs.

I want to get some baseline dyno numbers with & without the Zbomb before installing the PC 5, DJ auto tune module & slip on.

Overall I like the bike more the more I ride it.