I love that it is semi-aggressive too , they just do not build them like that anymore . Now it is just adventure and sitting upright on sport tourers =(
I always thought It was pretty funny when I let my friends that ride Harleys try my sport bikes, they are always amazed about how good the bikes are. It is like giving a big mac to a person that have not eaten for 4 days, It is the best thing they ever had.
I just completed a track day at Circuit of The Americas last month on my 2010 VFR1200F. I must say she's a heavy bike in the corners, but had no problem destroying other bikes in the straights. So much power throughout the powerband. Coming off of a Night Rod onto VFR1200F is quite an awakening. I know that feeling as well. Sold my V-Rod Muscle for the VFR1200. Now I actually have fun when I ride. There isn't a Harley made that compares to this bike.
Fine review for a first ride. I own this bike since summer 2010, 70.000 km and some today. I totally love it still, did some big tours on it, a few very fast rides (the bike with upgraded suspensions seems to have no limit but weight and my skill). In Italy this bike has been largely overlooked and badly promoted/assisted by the mefua snd (im my own experuence) honda dealers. Still, a keeper for me; awesome machine
I wish they would bring this thing back to the US though, we have the engine detuned in an adventure bike and that is it.... They could have made an amazing line and kept them all with the cruiser version, a new Magna, then the adventure, and then the Sport/Touring type as well. All could be had by this one amazing engine. Keep hold of yours.
Rabid Hedgehog thank you, I totally agree with you about this great engine and its worth upgrades. My exact thought, I am trying to keep mine the best I can. Another owner in a forum speculated that VFRs always had a better model since the "80s every 7- 10 years. We could start hearing of a new model in 2018. I will definitely wait that, if a new Vfr1200f will ever came
I'm always amazed at people that I can on a first time ride analyze a bike as well as you do my friend. I don't own a night rod but I do own a V Rod muscle and I also own a Vfr1200 F part of the reason I do is like you said comfort performance balance is perfect the torque is superior to any liter bike and yet has a lot of horsepower and comfort you nailed it on the head I guess that's why you're such a popular vlogger and I'm not LOL
I have one and yep - you're right.... To pep it up, I went Akrapovic exhaust, power commander and de restricted it in 1st and 2nd (do you know that Honda reduce power in 1st and 2nd by giving you around 70% throttle when you ask for 100% via the ride by wire throttle / sensors etc?). End result is its become even better!
I have a 2012 Honda VFR 1200f. I recently did some roll ons against my friends K1300S and pulled away from him each time. My friends K21300S was covered in carbon fiber. My VFR 1200 had stock saddlebags and top case.
Just got mine two day’s ago and thinking of adding a second already to the collection. One of, if not the best bike I’ve ever drove and they are a pretty rare site to see.
As a VFR1200F owner, I have to say it is amazing how people trash talk this bike so much, except for the people that actually ride them. I know the weaknesses of the bike, and accept fair criticism, but I think too many people try to look at it as a Super Sport, which it isn't. If you want to really transform these into what they should have been, there are two things that need to be done. Have the suspension tuned by Daugherty Motorsports (Forks and rear shock) and have the ECU flash tuned by Guhl. That's about $1000 to do both things, but it will make the bike everything it should have been.
I had this bike for about 10.000 miles after Don Guhl ECU reflash, however there was no "excitement" riding it at all, so that maybe my fault and not the bikes. At 590 lbs little heavy in the corners which is understandable.
The suspension really needs to be dialed in for the bike to truly handle the way it should. It suffers from a very typical Honda problem of being under dampened and under sprung. Get the suspension sorted out properly and it is a completely different bike.
@@OddBallPerformance ECU is behind the right side fairing near the instrument cluster correct? I'm planning on getting the H2SX and I may or may not delegate the 1200 as my back up bike
I was really worried when I sold my GSXR750 to buy this bike that I would miss how sporty that bike was. I have to say, I don’t miss it. This bike with a tune and exhaust is an absolute beast. Sound, power, looks, and handling. Not to mention what a deal it was. Over all it’s the perfect bike for me for this point in my life where I want to do canyon runs at high speeds, but also take some short 4-6 hour trips out of town. Definitely recommend a real touring bike if you’re logging many miles in one day, but this bike will get you there with ok comfort. Definitely more of a Super Sport that you can also tour with a little.
Hi Henk, i am looking at getting a 2011 bike soon, but the stock seat first of all fits poorly (gap between the tank and the seat) and its just super slippery. Have you changed the seat on yours?
@@Surpriseify Hi Sunde, I have not changed my seat but my seat is also not slippery. I heard about this from other riders as well and perhaps Honda changed the seats a bit but my seat shows enough friction and I find it comfortable enough. I can ride longer than my ST1100 from seat perspective. The VFR wants to have a fuel refill much sooner :)
Too many people judge them on other peoples reviews and the spec sheet. If you're in the market for a fast bike that can tour and you want to use every day, just ride it and then make your mind up
I agree seats crap and it doesnt like going under 30mph but apart from that its brilliant and well built bike would give my old hayabusa a run for its money and corners better than my old vfr 800
Just baught a 2010 DCT. Tricked out. Faaaaarken fantastic. Do it. Wind? Puig racing screen. Smooth as. Must have. DCT is something else. If you buy this bike you MUST BUY DCT! goes together like cheese & salami. We've all got multiple bikes. Want to clutch shift ride one of your other bikes. VFR, DCT is the go. Doubt I'll ever sell mine. Oh.... And red. It's gotta be red❤️❤️❤️😁
Great review it’s funny I own a 2016 Vrod Muscle and 2010 Honda VFR1200f and enjoy both bikes very much. The Honda I fell in love with after my first ride and picked it up used for about $8k and until someone makes a bike that does so much so well I’m keeping it.
@@Paul_Zernick I did a review on my Vfr1200f which a lot of people liked as well. Vfr1200f A Full Comprehensive Review At 25k Miles ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cOnzerUIhls.html
@@paulkmaster3231 seen it. Seen every VFR1200F vid. Twice. SRK cycles about 1m times. His vid got me onto bikesales.com.au. Baught mine sight unseen interstate within 48hrs of watching. 2 bikes in 2 weeks. Fuck you youtube! 😂😂🇦🇺💪 Wasn't 1 shit review of the the 1200f from anyone who owned one. Even alot of the reviewers gave it a thumbs up. No brainier. Got 2 V4s now. CTX1300 aswell. Both red ofcourse ❤️❤️❤️
Brand new 2013 model at my dealer right now. Quoted me $12K. Going to take a look today. Found this video while checking out reviews. So many choices out there.
I did like the bike but may go a different route. My son wants to get his cycle endorsement. I may buy something like a CB500X for him to learn on. Then later trade my 1200 Bandit and the CB500 for something like a pair of KLR650s and tackle the Trans America Trail. Who would pass up the chance to do that with their kid? Then who knows, maybe the Pan American Highway!
Much much faster, more aggressive, faster turning. This bike is more sport that touring while the bandit is more touring and less sport. Comfort wise the Bandit wins.
Out of curiosity, how big are your feet? As a fellow large-footer with a line on a used model of this bike (out of my local area so a "quick" test ride is out) I'd like to know it this will be a deal breaker for me. Also, how tall are you? I'm a long-torso 6'2" and buffeting is a problem on my current bike.
I am at 6 feet even at my last doc's appointment about a month ago, and my feet are a size 14 4E width. I would say the feet would not be much issue, but the buffet might still exist.
I will say this positive about this1200 - It's a beautiful bike in every respect, save one: PRICE. Honda, when they first came out with this bike, media blitzed this bike. To all of us VFR800 owners we were very hopeful. But as a VFR800 previous owner (2006) the first thing I said was that it is an over-priced turd in the toilet (meaning it's going to die on the sales floor). MSRP of $14,999, it's touted as a sport touted yet doesn't come with side cases or heated grips? Well, I was right. Two years later, here in the Cocoa Beach area, I see two sitting side by side still in the dealer's showroom for $10,999 and STILL not out the door at that price? Had I been in the market at that time I'd have snatched one up for that price. The VFR800 is still over-priced to this day, not even giving you a center stand anymore! And I liked the side air coolers and undertail exhaust. The VFR badge is cursed, with over-pricing. The used market is where these belong. That's the only way I'd buy one of these two bikes, and the only way to get one at its actual worth. And WTF possessed you to buy a Honda Rebel 500 over the SV650?.
The demon of budget as the SV is about 2K more expensive for what I picked up the Reb for. VFRs are wonderful motorcycles that do need to come back with a bit of a price chop for sure. I have a friend that had both the 800 and this one. I never got to film the 800 but it was a blast. He bought them both used for sure and this 1200 was a steal for him. I hope they decide to release them with some better tech to raise the economy but keep the incredible power of these machines.
Honda is always a premium price for a Japanese bike. Just the fact that you’re getting a v4 makes it 2x worthy of $$ than any equivalent bike. I’ve seen these bikes with 180k mi and not a hiccup. You get what you pay for.
This bike was a massive flop. I wanted a new VFR at the time, and Honda failed...hard. Primarily be changing the classic V4 firing order. Whoever decided that should be collecting unemployment.
Its funny the media can destroy a bike from a ride then everyone believes what is said about it first thing is have you ridden one? If not you should it was slated about its tank size but who doesn't want to get off after 150miles this bike goes like stink just got rid of a bussa for one vfr has more usable power low down than the busa and handles better at 6000rpm the exhaust flap opens then you can here the v4 i also had the vfr800 as well as the busa
@@RabidHedgehog The weight is not an issue at all, easy to move about and on the go it holds it line so well I bet a competent rider would be able to ride this bike very fast across some twisty roads. Not much is gonna get away from this bike.
The bike is rated at 170HP at the crank (which is why I stated near 200) and at the rear wheel yes 145HP due to the 30% or so parasitic drag on the horsepower from the shaft drive. It is a potent machine and I recommend you give one a try.
A typical VFR1200 puts down around 142-147 (145 as Rabid said) bone stock on an average day. With a slip on and flash tune by Guhl will put down 165 whp - around 190 crank. One person has the bike decatted with a dyno tune done at Guhl and it made 188whp. There is a lot left in that motor. Call it weak if you want, but it was only 0.1 seconds slower in the quarter mile than the Hayabusa of the same year as ridden by the same test rider on the same day at the same track, both bikes stock. Also It has a fairly efficient shaft drive system, but it is still a shaft drive, and shaft drives eat more power than a chain drive. Hence why the 170hp engine puts down 145ish wheel hp. Lastly, stop focusing so much on just horsepower, which believe me this bike has more than plenty of. Let's talk torque, since that is what moves a bike. 95ft-lbs @8750rpm stock, and with 90% of that torque available at just 4000rpm all the way to 10,000rpm. This bike pulls hard in any gear from almost any RPM point above 3000. There is no waiting for power to come on. It's just there.
@@OddBallPerformance Mine has an Akrapovic system, power commander (which did a huge improvement fixing the little hiccup in power delivery around 4000rpm from standard that no one seems to talk about?) - and the biggest difference was derestricting it in 1st and 2nd. (Honda only give about 70% in 1st/ 2nd when you ask for 100%) via ride by wire. A US gadget simply fits in line at the gear sensor and tricks the bike into thinking its in 3rd. It was about here that I wish mine had traction control - and it certainly aint slow now.... but the best thing about it is that sweet V4 midrange - anyone that bags one should ride (a modded) one first. Long live V4's
@@anthonyspanjich2772 - and mine has a Coffman's shorty, high flow filter, and a full Guhl ECU flash for 91 octane. This includes removal of all gear restrictions in first, second, and 6th, exhaust valve deactivation at the ECU, DBW remap for the throttle, and the tune itself. A corrected hp dyno session showed 167hp at the rear wheel. All low RPM fueling issues are gone, and the power below and up to 4000rpm is seamless, predictable and smooth. All while retaining full functionality of other systems - like the shift indicator. I still find no need for traction control even in first, although it sure does love to pull the front wheel up.
@@OddBallPerformance cool - enjoy! I'm a Honda V twin and 4 diehard. If you think the VFR1200 loves pulling the front wheel up, try a humble Vtr1000f out! Best wheelie machine I've ever had (wish the brakes didn't fade though). Out of all the Honda's I had (Vf750f, 2 x Vtr1000f's, an SP2 and finally Vfr1200f, my 1200 is the best.... BUT ALAS!!!!!! Honda is abandoning V twins and fours..... aggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! And I got ripped off paying $24k Aus for it - only to see huge price drops a few years later? Oh - although not at all embarrassed at track days.... I've noticed that when pushing hard (quick direction changes), the front copes better than the back suspension and it "pogo sticks" from the rear a bit coming out of bends. I suspect its just the mass of the shaft drive Cf the lighter front end.... Have you managed to make your rear end behave a bit better? I followed the usual suspension tuning rituals, but just never succeeded dialling this trait out