Advice On Purchasing A Vfr1200 Dct

I would really appreciate some advice from owners of the VFR1200 to help me in my purchasing decision. I have read countless blogs, reviews, and watched too much You Tube about this bike. But, I really would like to hear advice about my situation.

Let me share a bit about my situation and why I would like your advice. I am 47 and live in Japan, 6 ft tall, 225 lbs, 32 in inseam. I was intimate with my old CB400T Hawk for 3 years, but that was nearly 25 years ago. I recently took training and got my license to let me drive here in Japan. I think the training is probably very similar to the motorcycle safety course run in many countries. For me it was about 34 hours of riding on a course: S-turn, slalom, crank, balance, emergency braking, etc. without going faster than 25 mph (40 km/h). I love motorcycles and riding, but circumstances kept me from riding for such a long gap. I recognize my inexperience and wanted advice from you all.

I bought a Burgman 650 and am generally happy with it except for the seat.

• I thought an upright riding position would be comfortable, but it is not on this bike. My knees are basically too high, putting quite a bit of pressure on my butt, painful after 30 min of riding.
• The bike is a scooter meaning turning becomes less controlled and not extremely quick. I feel like I am steering a boat rather than riding a bike.
• Going over speed bumps and the like is painful because I cannot stand up on the floorboards.
• Acceleration for this 52 hp machine is marginally adequate, but I want more when I am on the highway for passing, and would not mind a quicker run between stop lights.
• Automatic transmission is convenient, although I have no issue with shifting. 
• I love the storage on the bike. I can fit my full riding gear under the seat.
• I can thread through traffic most of the time, although the bike's size suggests prudence is required.
• I like the windscreen for the highway, but hate it in town -- it obscures my view and, in summer, I really want the wind to hit me because it is just too hot at slow speeds!
• The bike has seat heaters and grip heaters as standard. A first for me, and they were convenient in the winter.

My wife just took her motorcycle license. She has never driven a bike before except for the course described above. She is 5'1", 100 lb or less. Ideally I would love to get a bike that she could also ride, but I do not plan to buy two bikes.

Most of my riding is commuting to work. This is a 6 mile journey one way that takes about 30 mins due to traffic and the number of stop lights. It is all on two lane roads (one in each direction). Occasionally I take the bike out for a longer ride that would involve some highway driving, busy four lane roads, and some quiet two lane roads. The speed limits here are around 50 mph on the highway, but it is usual to get to 70 mph or so without too much fear of a ticket. Passing power is helpful.

I absolutely love the looks of the VFR1200, particularly the cleanliness of the back end with its shaft drive. I am attracted to the DCT partly for me due to all the stop-and-go traffic I face, and particularly for my wife because it will make it safer for her to drive due to her lack of experience with shifting. The technology deployed in the bike is really incredible. The bike costs a fortune here and few are on the used market. I basically have two options in my purchase of a VFR1200 DCT. A 2010 US spec with ~170 hp, and a 2014 Japan spec with ~112 hp. I cannot get a test drive of the bike easily (if at all), but can sit on one. Before I buy, I wanted advice.

That's the background, here are my questions!

• I think the 2014 has the drive mode setting to reduce torque response. Is my wife going to make me a widower quickly if she slightly mishandles the throttle? is this bike going to try and kill her?
• Am I correct in that the 2010 does not have the separate drive / sports mode? Or does it have it?
• Is this bike likely to be better than my Burgman 650 for lane splitting, curb-hugging under-taking, and jack-rabbiting to stop lights, or is it just not responsive enough in its steering, size, etc. for this kind of duty?
• Is my wife too small to feel comfortable on the bike? Or should I expect her to drop it many times and run up excessive repair bills to repair the fairing / mirrors / whatever? Would a woman her size be able to control it well enough in your opinion with her experience?
• is 112 hp enough headroom in a bike with my weight for passing cars, i.e going from 40 mph to 80 mph quickly?
• Is 173 hp probably too much for this old, somewhat cautious, somewhat adventurous driver? 
• Am I really going to miss the luggage space, or would a top-box be just fine for storing my helmet?
• I like the idea of traction control for my wife to make sure she does not flip the bike up on end. Am I making the right assumption that she cannot wheelie the bike with TC on?
• Am I likely to find the VFR1200 comfortable enough? I am used to bicycling (road and mountain), so I do not mind having my bulk partly supported by my legs and hands to save my butt. I know comfort is in the rider, but I think you probably have some advice to offer for someone my size (personal or through friends).
• Is the 2014 model a better choice for me based on my situation with its features, or is the 2010 (also new) sufficient?

I know that many of the answers have so many dependent variables, but I hope I provided enough background on me to help you give me some kind advice. I probably missed asking a couple of pertinent questions, so feel free to answer what I should have asked!

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this long post. 

Hi Maiku and welcome to the forum.

Without wishing to presume too much & bearing in mind I know almost nothing about riding in Japan, the jump from a 650 Burgman to a 1200 VFR is huge, really really huge, especially for such a short commute. Also I suspect it will be physically too big for your wife to even hold upright when she's sat on it, despite the fact that it carries its weight very well.

Although I don't own a 1200, I have test ridden both the 1200F & Crosstourer DCT and have several riding buddies with 1200s.

Have you considered the NC750X with DCT? It has internal storage, is an ideal & frugal (70mpg+) commuter and is much lighter & physically smaller so it may suit your wife much better. It is built in Japan so the the build quality is well up to traditional Honda standards too and may suit your needs much more. Another alternative may be the new 2014 VFR800F model.

The 1200 is an awesome bike and may well be my next purchase but from what you've described above, I would suggest it may not be best suited to yours.

Just my humble opinions m8 and whatever you decide, there's loads of valuable info on here and some very helpful folk too. Best of luck.

Welcome to the forum. I am a few years older than you 6 ft tall, 217 lbs, 32 in inseam. I also had not been on a motorcycle since I was a teenager and bought a demo 2010 VFR 1200 DCT as my first bike - no regrets, the BMW dealer where we were also shopping flat out told us we were crazy to get on such a powerful bike as our first. I disagreed as I found the bike so well balanced and at my age felt I could control my wrist as necessary. My wife is 5 ft 9, 150 pounds and very strong and fit and also a first time rider. She also wanted a bike and heeded his advice buying 2009 BMW F800 ST.
We were planning a big first trip across Canada only a few weeks after we bought the bikes so had to get acclimated quickly. She liked her BMW but found the balance point on the bike quite high up - felt top heavy. Anyway after riding around Toronto and area for a week I had her ride mine and she was hooked. We traded in the BMW for a a new 2012 Honda VFR 1200 DCT and have never looked back. It's been two years and we have put over 25,000 km on each bike.
As to your questions;
First off Skids advice on the NC750 with DCT is good if both of you plan to use the bike. At your wife's size a 600 pound plus bike is pretty heavy if it starts going over. I'll complete my post in a minute as Tapatalk just fired off my unfinished reply.


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As I was writing......

Your questions;
* Look under the 7 th generation discussion thread on throttle response and you'll see in fact there is a ECU induced retarding in the throttle through the early gears. I have found the bike will react very predictably.
* The 2010 has everything the 2012 has except Traction Control switch. Also they smoothed out throttle response on the 2012 so the DCT version shifts smoother.
* We have found the bikes great in the hairy Toronto city traffic - no issues
* My opinion at your wife's height and the weight is that bike may be too heavy.
* I can only speak to the 173 hp versions - it's all in the wrist - gobs of power when you need it and quite docile when you don't
* Luggage options are plentiful. I have OEM luggage setup for 2010 and wife has Kappa on hers - both work just fine.
* Again the bike is not so jumpy is easily lifts the front wheel. Our 2012 has TC but did manage to slightly lift the front wheel when my wife was feeling her oats - nothing dramatic.
*As I mentioned we have put quite a few km's in two years and found the bikes comfortable. The only must do for me was changing out the seat on the 2010 to Sargent seat. The OEM seat was torture. The OEM seat on the 2012 was much better and in fact it just swaps over between bikes if you don't want a custom seat made.
* We bought both used (2010) and new (2012) and have been happy with both. You can look at our signature line to see the things we did to both bikes.

Hope this helps a little, for us it's been a great ride!


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she's about Marc Marquez' size !!!!!

Re-visit the weight of that bike.  There is no way that your wife will be safe riding or stopping it. Period.  Don't let the glow of a great looking bike, with an especially attractive accessory (DCT), overwhelm the serious thought that must go into a motorcycle purchase.  To paraphrase what was mentioned earlier:  It's an enormous leap from any sized scooter to a 1200cc sport touring motorcycle.  DCT or not, both you and your wife, 2 up or not, will be spending a lot of time stopping and starting.  That means getting both feet down on a solid, level  surface.  You will not always have the benefit of a solid, level surface.  If that mc goes 5 or 10 degrees past vertical your wife will not be able to stop it from falling.  YOU may have a difficult time stopping its fall.  You will not like the results, especially if your wife gets hurt.  A 6 mile commute under the circumstance you describe would be better accomplished on pedal bike; likely in the same amount of time.  I don't want to insult you or burst your dreams.  I do want you both to be safe. 

  Good fortune,  R3~ 

Re-visit the weight of that bike.  There is no way that your wife will be safe riding or stopping it. Period.  Don't let the glow of a great looking bike, with an especially attractive accessory (DCT), overwhelm the serious thought that must go into a motorcycle purchase.  To paraphrase what was mentioned earlier:  It's an enormous leap from any sized scooter to a 1200cc sport touring motorcycle.  DCT or not, both you and your wife, 2 up or not, will be spending a lot of time stopping and starting.  That means getting both feet down on a solid, level  surface.  You will not always have the benefit of a solid, level surface.  If that mc goes 5 or 10 degrees past vertical your wife will not be able to stop it from falling.  YOU may have a difficult time stopping its fall.  You will not like the results, especially if your wife gets hurt.  A 6 mile commute under the circumstance you describe would be better accomplished on pedal bike; likely in the same amount of time.  I don't want to insult you or burst your dreams.  I do want you both to be safe. 

  Good fortune,  R3~ 

^ that about covers it.  Due to the weight, no way.  I'd be looking at different bikes.  SV650 comes to mind.

Have you checked into how much it might cost you to insure a VFR1200 in Japan? I seem to recall reading that even more so than in the states, insurance rates can increase exponentially there with increasing engine displacement.

Based on your description of how you (and perhaps your wife) would be using the motorcycle, I agree w/the others that a VFR 1200 would be way heavier and more powerful than you would need. Also, even the neutered Japanese version of the 1200 will produce way more performance than your Burghman.

I'm a pretty big guy... 6' even, 265 lbs and even with that the 1200 is a pain in heavy traffic.

My vote as well would be something more manageable for your situation.  Yes, the 1200 is a great machine IMO, but I'm on 2-lane backroads primarily.  I lived without a car for 8 months that I've owned it and I found myself annoyed with the size/weight in stop and go traffic.

Whatever you decide, best of luck!  I hear there is fantastic riding there in Japan.

I echo all that has been said here, but can give factual testimony on the wife sitch. My wife is exactly the same size and weight as yours and there is no way she could handle my DCT. She barely touches on tip toes and couldn't support the bike if it deviated but a few degrees off-center. No way she could maneuver or support this bike.

I've been to Japan several times and can't see me ever wanting to ride a bike this big in any city there. In fact, I can't see taking anything but cabs and trains there. :-)