New Owner, First Impressions..

Hi All,

New member to the forum.. just bought my new VFR1200F here in the UK to add to my stable of other bikes..

Thought I'd make this a brief intro with some comments on my first few hundred miles with the 1200.

Good Points:

Comfortable, quick, sure-handling, great gearbox and awesome brakes

Bad Points:

Horrendous wind noise, very slippery seat, pathetic low-down power, awful tank range and even worse fuelling

I have ordered up some aftermarket screens, will re-cover the seat and look forward to a solution to the power and fuelling issues.

I have already removed the exhaust 'flap', and that has improved things a little, but in my opinion, the bike really falls very short of the mark!

So, altogether, I'm not stunned with the bike so far, and if I hadn't committed such a large amount of money to it, I certainly wouldn't keep it!!

But I have, and I will (have to)..

Seriously? You stopped by a VFR forum to bash the VFR??

I'm sorry you're not happy with your new bike and think you overpaid for it. Please feel free to list if for sale for what you think it's actually worth. I'm sure you'll find plenty of interested buyers right here on this very forum.

I think he stopped in to give an honest opinion of the bike. he did give some good points too. I personally wouldn't have made that purchase without a serious test ride, but he's not me. Its starting to seem commonplace for people to be unimpressed with the 1200.

[image: View Post]spassrader, on 29 April 2011 - 10:18 AM, said:

Seriously? You stopped by a VFR forum to bash the VFR??

I'm sorry you're not happy with your new bike and think you overpaid for it. Please feel free to list if for sale for what you think it's actually worth. I'm sure you'll find plenty of interested buyers right here on this very forum.



I didn't do that at all.. maybe you need to re-read my post?

I'm just being honest.. no point in saying how great something is when its clearly massively flawed, is there??

I'll be looking to solve the issues I find with my new 1200 and will gladly share them with the rest of the 1200 owners on here as and when I do.. isn't that the point of a forum?

Do you find your 1200 to be perfect?

[image: View Post]ibrakeformoose, on 29 April 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

Hi All,

New member to the forum.. just bought my new VFR1200F here in the UK to add to my stable of other bikes..

Thought I'd make this a brief intro with some comments on my first few hundred miles with the 1200.

Good Points:

Comfortable, quick, sure-handling, great gearbox and awesome brakes

Bad Points:

Horrendous wind noise, very slippery seat, pathetic low-down power, awful tank range and even worse fuelling

I have ordered up some aftermarket screens, will re-cover the seat and look forward to a solution to the power and fuelling issues.

I have already removed the exhaust 'flap', and that has improved things a little, but in my opinion, the bike really falls very short of the mark!

So, altogether, I'm not stunned with the bike so far, and if I hadn't committed such a large amount of money to it, I certainly wouldn't keep it!!

But I have, and I will (have to)..


From what I have read, your 'bad points' are all fixable except the tank range. There is a bypass for the power reduction in 1st & 2nd, Powercommander for the fueling, after maket seats and windscreens, not to mention exhaust without the 'flap'. Fix the 1st/2nd gear power limitation and I bet most of the other points will be forgiven.

Brian

All opinions are welcome here. If not for constructive criticism, we'd still be riding horses.

The only thing that surprises me is having to brake for moose in the UK.
Didn't know there were mooseses there.

[image: View Post]Rice, on 29 April 2011 - 12:03 PM, said:

All opinions are welcome here. If not for constructive criticism, we'd still be riding horses.

The only thing that surprises me is having to brake for moose in the UK.
Didn't know there were mooseses there.


I'm surprised by "pathetic low down power" I haven't ridden one, so my comments are worthless, but from every dyno chart I've seen the opposite seems to be true.

Hi Welcome to the Forum but as always the rules clearly state that you officially don't have a VFR with out a photo of said bike and stable mates.

:worthlesswithoutpics:

:fing02:

Welcome ....And feel free to comment as you see it, that's what we're here for.
I don't know anything about the 1200, but if I'm not mistaken I think I've heard similar comments and write ups.

You describe a completely different motorcycle then the VFR 1200 I rode. I felt that the exceleration through first, second, and third gear just about pulled my arms off. The wind noise was considerable less than on my 07 RWB. I did not notice if the seat was slippery or not. I know my Sergeant seat is pretty slippery, but it does not bother me. I agree with you on the brakes. They were night and day compared to my 07. Tank range is not a huge deal for myself. I'm ready to get off and take a break around 180 miles anyway. But if your a long distance tourer that is interested in covering as miles a day as you can then I can see how the milage would be a disappointment.

[image: View Post]NakedViffer, on 29 April 2011 - 11:13 AM, said:

Its starting to seem commonplace for people to be unimpressed with the 1200.


Really?

Hi,welcome to the forum,i appreciate your comments,just wish i could afford the 12oo vfr. :fing02:

Hey, please allow me to apologize. I did that all wrong. Starting over....

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your purchase. It's unfortunate that you're not entirely happy with the bike yet, but I think there are ways to get you to where you want to be with the VFR.

This bike seems to polarize riders. Some love it, and some hate it. It seems like there's no middle ground. I'm curious about the wind noise comment. Are you unusually tall? To what are you comparing the amount of wind noise? Surely not your collection of unfaired bikes, but if you're comparing the VFR to its competitors and you don't like the VFR then why did you buy it?

I'm personally not a fan of the VFR1200 saddle either I could tell that the first time I ever looked at it, and riding the bike did nothing to change my mind. Saddles are a highly personal fit though. What works for one may not work for another, and if you're seated properly in the saddle then you're not going to slide around in it no matter how slippery the covering is. Maybe you need a saddle with a different shape?

The tank range and power characteristics have been well documented by motorcycle journalists and forums such as this one. I don't know what to tell you about that. The information is readily available and easily discoverable on a test ride (maybe you weren't able to get a test ride?), but you bought the bike anyway and then began calling it "massively flawed" after the fact. I know it's no fun to spend that kinda scratch and not be happy with what you end up with, but most folks would at least know something about the bike before writing the check.

I hope you get the flaws worked out to your satisfaction and end up enjoying the bike. Everybody here would like to the ranks of happy VFR owners expanding.

My impression (after 15000 km) of your bad points.

Horrendous wind noise
The wind screen is a lot better than the previous 800 (both FI and Vtec). I'm 1.82 m

very slippery seat
It depends on your clothing; I always use leather trousers and I do not have problems.

pathetic low-down power
Pathetic is a little too much ... "not so strong as you can expect from a 1200 cc" sounds better.
The low power under 3500-4000 rpm is very good when driving with rain.

awful tank range
Not the best of the bike, but 220-240 km before the last bar starts to flash is sufficient for me.

worse fuelling
the fueling is one of the best thing of the bike: pratically perfect.

For me there are other points that are not adequate to the price (like the paint quality), but you need more km to discover them.
Please make 10000 km and then come back with the defects, few hundreds miles for me are not sufficient.

:fing02: Welcome aboard the board....

[image: View Post]Rice, on 29 April 2011 - 12:03 PM, said:

All opinions are welcome here. If not for constructive criticism, we'd still be riding horses.

The only thing that surprises me is having to brake for moose in the UK.
Didn't know there were mooseses there.


Ah! One question worthwhile of a investigating. I was wondering just that myself... So?? Are there rally moose out there?? Living ones????

Welcome. We do like pics.
Sorry about your tank range, you can carry fuel bottles but it is a PITA. The rest seems ... easy to fix maybe? I have an 800, so I don't know about the 1200.

Good luck, I hope your end up liking your bike (and let us know about the moose...)

C

[image: View Post]ibrakeformoose, on 29 April 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

Bad Points:

Horrendous wind noise, very slippery seat, pathetic low-down power, awful tank range and even worse fuelling

I have ordered up some aftermarket screens, will re-cover the seat and look forward to a solution to the power and fuelling issues.

I have already removed the exhaust 'flap', and that has improved things a little, but in my opinion, the bike really falls very short of the mark!

So, altogether, I'm not stunned with the bike so far, and if I hadn't committed such a large amount of money to it, I certainly wouldn't keep it!!

But I have, and I will (have to)..


Wind noise: I have zero issues with wind noise myself as it seems pretty much identical to my 4th and 5th generation VFRs (all with the stock screen) but I'm 6' tall. If you're taller or shorter you might just land in a buffeting wind zone, which would be unfortunate. Thankfully, as you mentioned, there are already after-market windshields available that throw a different air pattern around/over the rider.

Seats are HIGHLY personal as to fit. The stock seat actually is quite comfortable for me up to 500 or so miles; longer if I can make the bulk of that twisty roads vs. slab. It is a little slippery, but then I like to be able to move around on the seat, so it doesn't bother me much. Previous VFR saddles have NOT been usable by me, I've had to go after-market on every bike I've ever owned up until now; yet some of those seats seem perfect to other riders. ...go figure.

The flap is on the exhaust to help with torque at lower RPMs so I don't know that removing it will make the bike more ridable, but if it helped, than good. I have the Akropovic exhaust on mine and love the sound, but it also has the flap, and I don't know if it made a big difference in power delivery or not.

The fueling issues, at least in 1st and 2nd, I TOTALLY agree with you. It's a well known issue, and I think Honda ought to be ashamed for releasing a bike with such a huge handicap in 1st and 2nd gears. There is a known hack to work around it, but Bazzaz is working on a plug in solution that requires no messing with your wiring harness, that should be available shortly.

As for power down low. ...I think you should reserve judgement until after your bike is broken in. Mine woke up significantly after 2500 miles and even with the handicapped 1st & 2nd gears, it will power wheelie if I'm not overly cautious.

Aside from the fueling issue in the first 2 gears, the only other "real" issue for me is the range, which is more of a nuisance than anything. I can get as little as 14 miles on a tank, and just this weekend hit my personal best of 165 miles on a tank (only to find that there was still .9 gallons left in the tank at fill up).

I hope you learn to work around the shortcomings, because the more I ride the bike, the more I love it. Once I get Bazzaz' Z-Bomb (de-restrict 1st & 2nd gears) I will be truly happy with the performance.

...it really is a wonderful machine once you get to know it. :fing02:

[image: View Post]Rice, on 29 April 2011 - 12:03 PM, said:

All opinions are welcome here. If not for constructive criticism, we'd still be riding horses.

The only thing that surprises me is having to brake for moose in the UK.
Didn't know there were mooseses there.


Uh, Rice, I like to ride horses and have the luxury of riding my choice of a few of the best Tenn. Walkers in the country without having to own, feed, and haul the things around with a big azz truck and trailer. :laughing6-hehe:

Oh, the new VFR.....uh, well, nevermind. :bliss:

[image: View Post]ZenMoto, on 29 April 2011 - 03:55 PM, said:

Aside from the fueling issue in the first 2 gears, the only other "real" issue for me is the range, which is more of a nuisance than anything. I can get as little as 14 miles on a tank, and just this weekend hit my personal best of 165 miles on a tank (only to find that there was still .9 gallons left in the tank at fill up).

Damn, I was just heading down to my local Honda dealer with cash in hand to buy new 1200 VFR until I saw that it can get as little as 14 miles to a tank. I need to rethink this purchase. Oh, you must have meant 140.

[image: View Post]choco, on 29 April 2011 - 05:46 PM, said:

[image: View Post]ZenMoto, on 29 April 2011 - 03:55 PM, said:

Aside from the fueling issue in the first 2 gears, the only other "real" issue for me is the range, which is more of a nuisance than anything. I can get as little as 14 miles on a tank, and just this weekend hit my personal best of 165 miles on a tank (only to find that there was still .9 gallons left in the tank at fill up).

Damn, I was just heading down to my local Honda dealer with cash in hand to buy new 1200 VFR until I saw that it can get as little as 14 miles to a tank. I need to rethink this purchase. Oh, you must have meant 140.


Haha, yes 140. I think I would be hard pressed to less than that on a tank. My worst mileage to date was, I think, 33 mpg, and that was tearing up canyons for the entire tank.

The range isn't ideal, but it's not horrible. ...of course you wouldn't want to enter an iron butt with it!

[image: View Post]Bent, on 29 April 2011 - 05:20 PM, said:

[image: View Post]Rice, on 29 April 2011 - 12:03 PM, said:

All opinions are welcome here. If not for constructive criticism, we'd still be riding horses.

The only thing that surprises me is having to brake for moose in the UK.
Didn't know there were mooseses there.


Uh, Rice, I like to ride horses and have the luxury of riding my choice of a few of the best Tenn. Walkers in the country without having to own, feed, and haul the things around with a big azz truck and trailer. :laughing6-hehe:

Oh, the new VFR.....uh, well, nevermind. :bliss:

Horses and other people's kids. Love playing with them. Mintenance, not so much.

Welcome to VFRD but uhh......... without a picture you donot exist :biggrin:


:beer:

[image: View Post]Coastie, on 29 April 2011 - 12:42 PM, said:

I felt that the exceleration through first, second, and third gear just about pulled my arms off.



Somebody's yet to pop their liter cherry, huh?

When people say their saddle is slippery, I'm thinking that the only way it would be a negitive is for braking(and acceleration?), as the side effect would have no relevance. Maybe for some peeps that hang off may feel like they're going to drag-a-cheek if they slide to far.
I wouldn't mind hearing about views from knee draggers.

I was similarly unhappy with the fueling when I bought my bike. I just didn't think I need to insist on test riding a Honda given the reputation of the company. Lesson learned.

I highly recommend you get the Powercommander. It does not fix the power metering in 1st and 2nd gear, but it does make the bike drivable in traffic and without it, traffic was a pain.

[image: View Post]ibrakeformoose, on 29 April 2011 - 09:16 AM, said:

Hi All,

New member to the forum.. just bought my new VFR1200F here in the UK to add to my stable of other bikes..

Thought I'd make this a brief intro with some comments on my first few hundred miles with the 1200.

Good Points:

Comfortable, quick, sure-handling, great gearbox and awesome brakes

Bad Points:

Horrendous wind noise, very slippery seat, pathetic low-down power, awful tank range and even worse fuelling

I have ordered up some aftermarket screens, will re-cover the seat and look forward to a solution to the power and fuelling issues.

I have already removed the exhaust 'flap', and that has improved things a little, but in my opinion, the bike really falls very short of the mark!

So, altogether, I'm not stunned with the bike so far, and if I hadn't committed such a large amount of money to it, I certainly wouldn't keep it!!

But I have, and I will (have to)..

[image: View Post]Monk, on 30 April 2011 - 11:52 AM, said:

When people say their saddle is slippery, I'm thinking that the only way it would be a negitive is for braking(and acceleration?), as the side effect would have no relevance. Maybe for some peeps that hang off may feel like they're going to drag-a-cheek if they slide to far.
I wouldn't mind hearing about views from knee draggers.


I just read on another discussion forum that leather pants "stick to the new VFR seat like glue" - I would be curious if anybody else here has found that. My nylon pants and my wife's rainsuit are very slippery on it which, when making a relatively quick stop, caused me to say to her "see, I told you this bike was a chick magnet..." :)

Leather pants is simply perfect with VFR seat, a little bit more slippery than the VFR 800.

Concerning the fueling, I think it is important to clarify the meaning (I'm Italian, could be that you use different words).
Poor Fueling is when the engine does not go smoothly, is rattling and trying to died opening the gas.
My VFR is nothing of that from 1000 to 10000 rpm
It has a reduced power in 1st and 2nd gear up to 6000 rpm (not a big deal except when you go very fast) and a torque hole between 3000-3500 rpm on all other gear.
But it is always smooth, a lot more than my old 800 (that I still use in parallel with the 1200).

[quote name='deklund' timestamp='1304189396' post='775649']
I was similarly unhappy with the fueling when I bought my bike. I just didn't think I need to insist on test riding a Honda given the reputation of the company. Lesson learned.

I highly recommend you get the Powercommander. It does not fix the power metering in 1st and 2nd gear, but it does make the bike drivable in traffic and without it, traffic was a pain.



Hi,

I have just ordered a PC 5, so I'll see how that goes..

I hear REALLY bad things about Autotune, so I'll give that a miss though!

I'll probably de-restrict in 2nd gear only, just to see 'what's what' once the PC5 is fitted, a restriction in 1st doesn't really worry me..

I'm getting used to (but not liking) keeping the bike in a lower gear and maintaining revs above 3.5 to 4k, as that eliminates most of the lash in 2nd and third.. seems a bit crap to have to do that on a 150+bhp 1200cc motorcycle though.. would be okay on a 600!

Maybe those who have done the de-restriction could post where they spliced the loom and put the switch/switches? I'd like to keep it all nearer the GPS than the ECU, personally..

Thanks!

Splice the loom near the GPS sensor. schematic is already on this forum. I have used 2 switches so i can derestriced 1st and / or / 2nd gear. It is not difficult. If you need help send me a PB.

I wonder if the fueling issues with the 1200 will turn out to be much like the fueling issues reported with the 800...so many have complained about it and used various methods of curing it and others (like myself) have 800's that are perfect in this regard from day one.

It's also funny that someone would complain about the paint on a VFR not being good enough...every 1200 that I have seen has had superb paint on it...better than any other production bike I have personally seen. And quite a bit better than the likewise superb paint that came on my 800...



Go figure.

The poor fueling is a serious issue for me. I just about got rear ended a couple of days ago. I was going around a slow 90 degree right hand corner at an intersection in first gear with a car in front of me and a car behind. Around the corner, I could go no faster than the car in front of me. Once around the corner and feeding in the power, nothing happened (power wise) for about 3 seconds. Gently feed in some more throttle - nothing. Some more throttle - nothing. Check the mirror and the car behind me is RIGHT THERE. So I aim the bike for the right side of the road to get out of the way (I'm going about 10 km/hr at this point). Suddenly, BANG, here comes that throttle I was asking for. My neck snaps WAAY back and I'm about to climb the curb. I got things under control and all ended OK, but I was sure upset and the air around me was blue with my curses. This was the worst of at least 5 of these incidents. I was at the dealer the day before this happened for the first oil change and when I complained about the fueling he rode it around the block then told me that I wasn't keeping the revs high enough. I don't think I'll pay him a second visit.

Other than that, I love the bike!

Here's a cell phone pic of the VFR at Porteau Cove on the Sea To Sky highway.
[image: Attached Image: PCove.JPG]

[image: View Post]BrandX, on 04 May 2011 - 11:18 PM, said:

The poor fueling is a serious issue for me. I just about got rear ended a couple of days ago. I was going around a slow 90 degree right hand corner at an intersection in first gear with a car in front of me and a car behind. Around the corner, I could go no faster than the car in front of me. Once around the corner and feeding in the power, nothing happened (power wise) for about 3 seconds. Gently feed in some more throttle - nothing. Some more throttle - nothing. Check the mirror and the car behind me is RIGHT THERE. So I aim the bike for the right side of the road to get out of the way (I'm going about 10 km/hr at this point). Suddenly, BANG, here comes that throttle I was asking for. My neck snaps WAAY back and I'm about to climb the curb. I got things under control and all ended OK, but I was sure upset and the air around me was blue with my curses. This was the worst of at least 5 of these incidents. I was at the dealer the day before this happened for the first oil change and when I complained about the fueling he rode it around the block then told me that I wasn't keeping the revs high enough. I don't think I'll pay him a second visit.

Other than that, I love the bike!

Here's a cell phone pic of the VFR at Porteau Cove on the Sea To Sky highway.
[image: attachicon.gif] PCove.JPG


Go for a PC-V and your are done !! maybe your dealer will pay for that :biggrin:

I know your aggravation. I am very happy with the improvement after installing the PC-V. Had mine run the way it does now when I bought it, I would have been a much happier Honda customer.

[image: View Post]BrandX, on 04 May 2011 - 11:18 PM, said:

The poor fueling is a serious issue for me. I just about got rear ended a couple of days ago. I was going around a slow 90 degree right hand corner at an intersection in first gear with a car in front of me and a car behind. Around the corner, I could go no faster than the car in front of me. Once around the corner and feeding in the power, nothing happened (power wise) for about 3 seconds. Gently feed in some more throttle - nothing. Some more throttle - nothing. Check the mirror and the car behind me is RIGHT THERE. So I aim the bike for the right side of the road to get out of the way (I'm going about 10 km/hr at this point). Suddenly, BANG, here comes that throttle I was asking for. My neck snaps WAAY back and I'm about to climb the curb. I got things under control and all ended OK, but I was sure upset and the air around me was blue with my curses. This was the worst of at least 5 of these incidents. I was at the dealer the day before this happened for the first oil change and when I complained about the fueling he rode it around the block then told me that I wasn't keeping the revs high enough. I don't think I'll pay him a second visit.

Other than that, I love the bike!

Here's a cell phone pic of the VFR at Porteau Cove on the Sea To Sky highway.
[image: attachicon.gif] PCove.JPG

Little did you realize that you have not been riding your motorcycles properly for the last several decades.... :mellow:

[image: View Post]BrandX, on 04 May 2011 - 11:18 PM, said:

I was at the dealer the day before this happened for the first oil change and when I complained about the fueling he rode it around the block then told me that I wasn't keeping the revs high enough. I don't think I'll pay him a second visit.

[image: View Post]deklund, on 05 May 2011 - 10:00 AM, said:

Little did you realize that you have not been riding your motorcycles properly for the last several decades.... :mellow:



Kind of him to fill me in Posted Image

Looks like a PCV is in my immediate future