Motorcycle.com

Crossing the nation via VRF1200

Irecently purcahsed a new VFR in Russellville, AR. I drove my VFR800 in from Greenville, AL and made the trade. I had nearly 16k miles on the 6th gen and had almost every up grade on it. Even with all the mods to the 800, the 1200 is alreay there and much more in comparasion.From Arkansas, I continu...ed to my destination in Grand Forks,ND. Of all the reviews good and bad that I read, I must say this machine is plenty capable to tour or sport ride. I Left AR on Friday and did the 600 mile oil change the next day in Council Bluff,Iowa. I changed oil in the parking lot of Advanced Auto. It was a snap compared to the 800 oil change. Later that day just north of Souix Falls, SD, I was able to test weather protection as I encounterd a severe, rain storm, only thing wet was my gloves, they were not water proof. Stability did not change in the wind and water. Hills were like they did not exsist. Gas mileage ranged between 42-45 mpg and my speed was 80-90 mph. This things pulls so effortless that I had to constantly tell myself to back down boy. The sound of the machined when I changed oil to honda pro 10-40, the book says 10-30. So far I have seen speeds of 158mph. I think it may do a little better with more break in. Currently I hane 2945 miles on this bike in my first week. Some reports say there are flat spots in the power band and backlash between 1st and 2nd gear change. I have not experienced either. In fact the more miles I get, the smoother it gets. If the auto version can shift smoother than this one then it really is somethig special. I highly recommend the VFR1200. I am 5'9" large build and there was no wind buffetting. Oh yea, wind it up a little in 1st and give it goose it will raise up easily if you desire. It will dispatch traffic in a blink regardless of what gear or what speed. I made my cross country tour in five days averageing 500 miles a day. Thumbs up to Honda on this one.

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after one year

I bought my VFR1200 15 months ago, trading my 600CBF. The difference, obviously, huge. My only complaint is that when I go to work everyday, it is hard to keep the engine sounding nice when your below 3500 RPM. Maybe this bike is not supposed to take me to work, but I expected Honda to be able to wo...rk it out. I don´t have any trouble finding my way between cars, although she´s big. Breaks are incredible. Once your out of heavy traffic, it´s beautiful, even if you drive just above the speed limit. I have to see if there´s any change with the "automatic" gearbox, but I wouldn´t expect it to make any difference...worse maybe, since you don´t have a clutch to pull when you feel she´ll start stalling. Read Full Review

VFR 1200

I traded a Harley 2008 Electra Glide in on the VFR 1200 and I couldn't be more happy. The VFR is pure joy in any riding situation. I recommend changing the stock grips on day one as this greatly reduced vibration. I do miss the cruise control i had on the Harley so I have a throttlemeister on the... way. After this I see nothing else needed for this bike unless you want the matching hard shell luggage. The riding position is more comfortable than the Harley. I'm 46 and have lower back issues and leaning forward takes the pressure off my lower back. I also like having my feet under me so I can take some pressure off the seat when going over bumps. I've had the VFR for one week and have put 700 miles on it. I can't ride it enough and I don't want to give it up next week for it's initial oil change / inspection. Read Full Review