Review of Honda's 8th Gen (2014) VFR-800 from the point of view of someone who has owned and ridden '96/'97 VFRs just about since they came out.
http://bytebrothers.org/vfr800.htm
I don't have any pictures up yet but the text is pretty much all of what it will be.
Commentary welcome.
Enjoy!
PS: Does anyone know if Honda has finally gone to MOSFET R/R units in the new VFR?
Excellent overall review.
A few comments:
1. VFR 6th gen had 4-way flashers from about 04 onward, if I am not mistaken (mine was an 03 and did not have them)
2. If the TC kicks on, the TC light will come on. If it does come on, you can't miss it.
3. The mirror "stylization" actually keeps some sun from bouncing back at you from behind your shoulder, late in the day.
4. Somewhat counter intuitively, increasing rear preload (say, 2-3 full turns) has dramatically settled my bike over high-frequency bumps. YMMV.
5. The '14 wants to stand up in mid-curve braking compared to the 6th gen. Solution is to apply a bit (only a little) of rear brake at the same time as the front.
6. 20-foot turn radius? Only if duck-footing. I can turn mine in about 11-12 feet on a clean surface with standard counterbalancing/clutch slipping.
7. The pannier reflectors normally come uninstalled. Your dealer must have put them on.
8. The Dunlop 222's are grippy enough, but may be shagged by around 3000 miles depending on where and how you ride.
9. RE: Your reference to 143 mph top speed, and how your old bike was 5 mph faster, doesn't mention altitude. The 143 was recorded at 8300', costing something on the order of 15 HP.
10. The only reference I have found to bent wheels was on this site and seems to have "been resolved". It's pretty clearly not an issue or we would have see a slew of these by now.
11. Like you, I have yet to touch a peg feeler, but I have certainly used all of my rear tire.
Thanks for the input Shinigami
Re the 4-ways, like the title says, this was a 4th-Gen perspective.
If the traction control light comes on I'm thinking my attention might not be on the dash. Just sayin' ;-) And I don't normally keep me helmet cam tilted down that far so it's hard to confirm.
Actually I've found the little parts of the mirror jutting in to be a good way of making sure I still have elbows but the mirrors are still much more useful than some others I've seen.
I will have to play with the preload. Thanks for the advice. I would love to get this more settled. Will front preload help the front as well? Both ends really quite taut over surface irregularities.
Yep, the dealer installation of those dastardly reflectors was confirmed in another thread here. Bastards! It's the drilled holes that really kills me.
Thanks for mentioning the altitude of the top speed test. That definitely deserves a footnote. Doing that right now. My run was at about 3500'.
I seem to recall one of the moto mag journalists also mentioning the wheel durability issues so I thought it deserved mention. Am I nuts? Could be.
Glad to hear someone with more balls than I hasn't yet touched down the feelers either. Which reminds me, someone on this board whose handle I don't recall expressed some worry about the panniers re potential lean angles. I really can't envision that being an issue either.
11-12' turn radius? Put in on YouTube please...
Seriously? I've seen 120-lb Japanese motorcycle cops turn gen 5 VFR's with full panniers, crash bars and god knows what else within 8-10 feet.
Remarkable to watch. Here you go.
http://m.youtube.com...h?v=qgt3GVugB2A
Videos of someone else don't cut it. :wink:
Yeah, you know they don't show you all the instances where those guys fall. But hey, if I had big chrome crash bars I'd be more inclined to try that too.
Here, watch this: [video: https://youtube.com/embed/GxMnFoGBSAk?html5=1&fs=1]
We have motorcycle gymkhana competitions at Floyd Bennett field here. It's mighty impressive to see. I could post pics and vids but I'm at the office right now. But since not everyone here is a moto gymkhana pro, I'm inclined to stick by my duck-paddle numbers. And duck-paddling or not, either way it's got nearly half the maneuverability of the loaner Yamaha Radian I was riding briefly before I took delivery of the new VFR. Likewise a BMW F800GS I've ridden a few times.
well, I agree, videos of someone else don't cut it ;) However it's really hard to hold a camera and control the throttle and feather the clutch all at the same time.
Look where you want to go, use the rear brake, get the weight on the outside, and you may surprise yourself.
Excellent write up.... well written and easy to follow... pics would be great too... you may want to try 3M dual lock (velcro on steroids) for mounting Zumo/Eazy pass or Ram mount combination.... Perkins drive is familiar territory :cool:
I had a 4th Gen many moons ago and loved it too. The 5th Gen is even better. Good to hear you're enjoying her. :beer:
Thanks, I've been slowly re-ordering a paragraph here and there to make more sense. I'll try to get some pics into the review in a few days. I've had four 4th Gens. I miss 'em dearly. And until the damn carb breather filter clogged one day I even still liked carburetors. But the 8th Gen really is growing on me.
I love 3M's Dual-Lock. I keep rolls of the stuff. That's what I initially used for both the E-Z Pass (which is what the toll authority supplies anyway) and for the Zumo. More than adequate on the 4th Gen wind screen (photo of an old setup) but not on the 8th Gen. Zumo is a helluva lot heavier than the toll transponder and that screen flexes too much, so the Dual-Lock separates when you start hitting bumps. The resulting changes in screen shape as it dips and recovers, focuses the tension in different places and promotes separation (not of the adhesive but the attachment). Then with VHB the bond held up but the material itself did not. For now the Zumo is on Garmin's included RAM mount using the steering stem ball kit from here, so now I'm deciding on a new location for the Powerlet I had. I'm pretty sure I'd have to drill the 8th Gen's wind screen to reliably fasten a GPS receiver to it. And then I'd still be concerned about long-term durability of the wind screen itself so I'd be thinking about reinforcing it somehow.
FYI VHB is the stuff supplied with helmet cams and the like. Also incredible stuff.
well, I agree, videos of someone else don't cut it ;) However it's really hard to hold a camera and control the throttle and feather the clutch all at the same time.
Look where you want to go, use the rear brake, get the weight on the outside, and you may surprise yourself.
What, you can't get someone to stand there with a smartphone and record it? :unsure:
This kinda' reminds me of when the manufacturers were all trying to get "Pee Wee" Gleason to do all their 1/4 mile test runs.
Thanks for the fantastic review, definitely the most thorough and insightful I've read so far. Some thoughts...
1. Interesting to note the 8th gen is still snatchy at low speeds. I thought Honda would have sorted that out by now. The off-idle snatch on my 6th gen definitely make riding in tight NYC streets more exciting. Would be interesting if you could try an experiment: at a stop see if you can rev the engine to a steady 3000RPM and then try to raise it to a steady 4000RPM without overshooting. You can't do it easily on a 6th gen. I doubt the snatchiness is a feature that you need to get used to after riding your properly jetted "antique" as much as it's a lingering problem with FI.
2. Looks like Honda did some cost cutting with the incandescent turn signals/license plate light. Easily fixed with aftermarket bulbs. That LED headlight is pretty trick but if it ever fails or gets damaged, it's a $1000+ part.
3. I wonder if Honda upgraded the charging system on the 8th gen or if the same problems are going to happen. I don't think anybody's posted about the charging system yet.
4. I zip-tied the E-ZPass to the front fairing stay inside the nose of the VFR to tuck it away. The 8th gen might have a similar spot.
5. Very encouraging to hear the 8th gen will hold its line on the offramp moghuls.
Thanks for the kudos. At a stop I have fairly good control over the throttle. It goes pear-shaped when I'm very close to the idle transition when in motion. There's a discussion about this in another thread here. It helps a lot to focus on good technique in general, but it's still touchy. Compounding the issue is that my throttle control has never been particularly wonderful. For a very long time now I've been compensating with clutch use and using higher gears.
I've asked about the R/R in the 8th Gen but nobody has answered. I've yet to see a schematic much less a service manual. Has anyone bought one yet?
I'm spray-painting my E-Z Pass flat black tonight. It's dead center on the wind screen, as low as possible without banging into the instrument cluster.
Take care,
Brad
I bought this service manual a couple weeks ago... http://www.service-s...-repair-manual/
It appears that they scanned an original factory Honda manual and made perfect copies, and then rebound it. Basically, other than the binding, you would never know the difference. At less than $40, you can't go wrong and I'm very happy I got one. I will take an actual book over a CD or PDF manual anyday!
I bought this service manual a couple weeks ago... http://www.service-s...-repair-manual/
It appears that they scanned an original factory Honda manual and made perfect copies, and then rebound it. Basically, other than the binding, you would never know the difference. At less than $40, you can't go wrong and I'm very happy I got one. I will take an actual book over a CD or PDF manual anyday!
Seems like a decent deal. Pretty brazen of them. And if I want to PDF the thing - which of course I would never considering sharing :wink: - that binding is a snap to un-do and I think we have a machine here at office that can re-do it.
Their spiel is funny, about how "no video screen will give a view larger than 8.5 X 11." I have a 27" LED screen here. Even my laptop is a 17". :laughing6-hehe:
At a stop I have fairly good control over the throttle. It goes pear-shaped when I'm very close to the idle transition when in motion.
Ah, now I understand why you feel the way you do about short-radius turns.
Ah, now I understand why you feel the way you do about short-radius turns.
:fing02:
I'm a 5th gen owner. While my bike was getting it's MOT (inspection) I test drove a nice black one today. I would say the following:
- The low end throttle feels like 1990's fuel injection. It's manageable but it is worse than my 5th gen.
- The engine definitely has an odd sound. Down low it sounds like a tractor or old VW bug. VTEC sounds like the 6th gen VTEC at higher revs. Overall though it is a quiet bike when cruising. I can hear my 5th gen while cruising but not much of this bike. Also, the 5th gen has more power down low and feels like it has more toque as well.
- Brakes are great.
- It tracks very well. I would agree though that it does want to sit upright when under heavy braking in a turn but a lot of bikes do that. Metzler came out with their zero degree radius ply tire for this reason. It did fix that but was it also jumped around mid-corner over bumps. Bumps don't affect this VFR in turns. Very confidence inspiring and much better than my 5th gen.
- Suspension is definitely an improvement over my 5th gen. Best thing they've done to the bike.
- Fit and finish is excellent. It's a good looking bike. My test ride had the Akro exhaust on but I could hear it doing very tiny backfires while reving the engine at a standstill. Probably needs an map adjustment or something.
- It feels small compared to the 5th gen but handles well and is very flickable.
I wouldn't trade in my ride for it but I will say that after seeing it again and test riding the bike I would say if I was in the market for a sport tourer it is worth more of a look than I previously thought. The price is really what it comes down to and whether or not it is worth it for some.
Hmm. My low end throttle is very well behaved indeed. I wonder if there's an adjustment that needs to be done on those bikes people are having issues with?
At any rate it's a LOT better than my '03, which was touchy as hell at low throttle settings. Maybe that has me trained ;)
I'm a 5th gen owner. While my bike was getting it's MOT (inspection) I test drove a nice black one today. I would say the following:
- The engine definitely has an odd sound. Down low it sounds like a tractor or old VW bug. VTEC sounds like the 6th gen VTEC at higher revs. Overall though it is a quiet
[...] My test ride had the Akro exhaust on but I could hear it doing very tiny backfires while reving the engine at a standstill. Probably needs an map adjustment or something.
It sounds as if the Akropovic doesn't sound a whole lot different than the stock pipe.
As the bike breaks in it begins to sound less like a tractor and more like a bike but it still has some odd notes to it.
Tiny backfires while revving? Sure that's not something resonating? Weird...
By the way, those of you with the VFR800FD, have a look at the plumbing here...
[image: VFR800-Plumbing_1.jpg]
This is looking down the left side of the steering neck, from the cockpit. Anyone else think it's strange to have all those cables outside the opening where everything else goes in??
If one thinks the Akra sounds like the stock can, try it without the baffle. Your point of view will quickly be adjusted.
Any idiot can run without baffles. Just takes a little time and some determination.
If y'all just wanna make more noise then save yourselves $800 or whatever and rip the baffle out of the stock can. Geeez...
Or, if you want to do your little part to help eff up the environment on top of angering your neighbors and every single other person you pass on the way to and fro', then go the whole way and yank the catalytic converter while you're at it too! Think of all the bench races you can win with all that extra torque and horsepower!! Think of all the lives you can save with your loud pipes!!!
It'll be epic!
:wacko:
I choose not to hear an un-baffled anything unless I'm at a race track and wearing hearing protection, thanks.
Nice segue. ;-)
The leaf peepers can be a pain in the tush actually.
I may have to take an impromptu ride to Binghamton NY this weekend for a funeral. I was thinking about the Catskills ride that's being organized but my work schedule is awful and has me working 12-hour overnight shifts starting Sundays at the stroke of midnight. In fact I narrowly escaped having to work 530a-430p on Wednesday then come back for 12a-8a immediately after, then doing a 3a-11a the following Sunday.
In need to get a Powerlet installed for my electric clothing ASAP.
I had the baffle out of my delkevic for one trip to and from work, I reinstalled it as soon as I pulled into the garage upon returning home that night. This thing is too LOUD without the baffle, and I wear earplugs when I ride.
Great post. I've had a 4th gen ('95), 5th gen ('99), 6th gen ('03) and now an 8th gen and as much as I love the new one if I had room in my garage for a clean 4th gen, it would be there along side the new one. I was never comfortable with the looks of the 5th gen and the FI was really notchy (mostly cured in the 8th gen). I loved the 6th gen and after the VFR1200 came out (too ugly even for consideration), I figured the '03 was my keeper. I was curious about the new bike and the looks of the pearlescent white won me over. After a month I'm really happy with it, but certainly remember fondly the velvety smoothness of the carbureted 4th gen and the whine of the gear-driven cams. I also have to admit the styling of the 4th gen makes it one of my favorite Hondas, period.
Like others, I find the new bike a little stiff over the bumps, but certainly prefer the handling. I suspect that the 10 kg drop in weight has helped a great deal. Thanks again for a great post!
I'm a 5th gen owner. While my bike was getting it's MOT (inspection) I test drove a nice black one today. I would say the following:
- The engine definitely has an odd sound. Down low it sounds like a tractor or old VW bug. VTEC sounds like the 6th gen VTEC at higher revs. Overall though it is a quiet
[...] My test ride had the Akro exhaust on but I could hear it doing very tiny backfires while reving the engine at a standstill. Probably needs an map adjustment or something.
It sounds as if the Akropovic doesn't sound a whole lot different than the stock pipe.
As the bike breaks in it begins to sound less like a tractor and more like a bike but it still has some odd notes to it.
Tiny backfires while revving? Sure that's not something resonating? Weird...
As Shinigami stated, the baffle was probably in.
Good to know it will sound less like a tractor after breaking it in but this one already had 4000 miles on it so I wonder.
It was definitely backfiring. Rev it and it would backfire a few times. Not huge ones, just small ones that you could hear at a standstill. I tried to rev it up while riding and engine breaking but I never heard it there. It's definitely fixable.
I forgot to mention the dash looks great but there is a little issue with glare as it is not protected from the sun or overcast at all. Not sure what the riders in sunny climates will experience with the dash.
If one thinks the Akra sounds like the stock can, try it without the baffle. Your point of view will quickly be adjusted.
It very well may have had the baffle in....in fact, I'm sure it did because I could not hear it while on the bike.
Nice segue. ;-)
The leaf peepers can be a pain in the tush actually.
I may have to take an impromptu ride to Binghamton NY this weekend for a funeral. I was thinking about the Catskills ride that's being organized but my work schedule is awful and has me working 12-hour overnight shifts starting Sundays at the stroke of midnight. In fact I narrowly escaped having to work 530a-430p on Wednesday then come back for 12a-8a immediately after, then doing a 3a-11a the following Sunday.
In need to get a Powerlet installed for my electric clothing ASAP.
What on earth do you do for a crust?!!! In my little corner of the world it would be illegal for an employer to schedule that way AND illegal for you to turn up & do them.
It was definitely backfiring. Rev it and it would backfire a few times. Not huge ones, just small ones that you could hear at a standstill. I tried to rev it up while riding and engine breaking but I never heard it there. It's definitely fixable.
Whats to fix? Revving an engine unloaded is a pointless, if occasionally fun, activity. Give it a blip on the throttle with the engine unloaded & it will spool up fast'n'rich. Chop the throttle, fuel injection cuts off on engine decel, fresh air enters exhaust/cat & unburnt fuel pops off on warm cat. Best fix? Don't do it.
Good to know it will sound less like a tractor after breaking it in but this one already had 4000 miles on it so I wonder. [...]
I forgot to mention the dash looks great but there is a little issue with glare as it is not protected from the sun or overcast at all. Not sure what the riders in sunny climates will experience with the dash.
1100 miles + and mine still reminds me of a Jetsons car. I said it was "less" like a tractor, etc. Never said it was 100%!!!
in my experience the brighter the sun, the more contrasty and readable the cluster becomes. I haven't experienced glare yet and I've ridden through a number of perfectly sunny as well as lightly overcast days. Apparently YMMV.
What on earth do you do for a crust?!!! In my little corner of the world it would be illegal for an employer to schedule that way AND illegal for you to turn up & do them.
"There's no business like show business.."
I'm a broadcast TV studio engineer. I work for a daytime ABC show most days and some weekends and/or evenings I work in the studios that produce the network news programming out of NYC. The latter is a 24x7 hot studio floor and staffed 24x7.
I've worked the IT side of TV for three decades so being "on" all the time is not new to me.
Interesting to see how folks in different lands see life differently though.
The good news is that it's union work so for OT and crazy hours I get time and a half, night differentials, meal compensation, short turnaround bonuses, extra compensation for short notice changes, etc. versus traditional IT work here where you get paid the same regardless of the torture you endure.
Oh, and in traditional IT you owned the problem until it was solved. The daytime show is like that for me but for network news, I can hand stuff off to the next shift and walk out with a clear head.
Good to know it will sound less like a tractor after breaking it in but this one already had 4000 miles on it so I wonder. [...]
I forgot to mention the dash looks great but there is a little issue with glare as it is not protected from the sun or overcast at all. Not sure what the riders in sunny climates will experience with the dash.
1100 miles + and mine still reminds me of a Jetsons car. I said it was "less" like a tractor, etc. Never said it was 100%!!!
in my experience the brighter the sun, the more contrasty and readable the cluster becomes. I haven't experienced glare yet and I've ridden through a number of perfectly sunny as well as lightly overcast days. Apparently YMMV.
I've experienced several occaisions riding in late morning with the sun behind me where it reflects perfectly off the cluster and into my face. I have to move my head around to get it to shade the part of the cluster where the sun is reflecting, if I want to actually see it. It's certainly not a "deal breaker", but it is a bit annoying.
nearfreezings comment ' re the 8th gen still being snatchy at low speed is spot on. A pain. Remarkable that it has not been sorted (I have just taken delivery of one an am really surprised at how snatchy it is; unfortunately did not notice the problem on the demonstrator.
Well this was quick, wasn't it... :unsure:
So... remember how much I detest the reflectors on the panniers?
Looks like I'll get my wish.
I got car-door'd last night going cross-town by a passenger getting out of a taxicab. I thought I swung wide enough to clear the door but, those damn wide bags, apparently not quite wide enough. Left case ripped off and went flying, I went down lightly on the right and the right case got scraped up from the pavement.
The woman was forthcoming about the fact that she didn't look and didn't wait for the cab to pull over. We gave up on waiting for the NYPD to show up, I ordered a new set of cases on my phone, showed her the amount and she wrote me a check on the spot. I should have new cases in a few days, no reflectors. Oh, and no boot marks. :wink:
Moar pics! I've added lots of pics. Will be adding more. Stay tuned!
Hi Brad, sorry to hear about the dooring but sounds like it worked out as well as it could have.
Great review. This VFR is interesting me a lot more than any others have since 1998...
![[image: VFR800-Plumbing_1.jpg]](http://bytebrothers.net/images/VFR800-Plumbing_1.jpg){kind=link}