Best bike I've ever owned in 53 years of riding

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Date Purchased: Apr 2016



Best Bike I've Ever Owned - In 53 Years Of Riding.







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5 out of 5, reviewed on Aug 05, 2017, viewed 4046 times



I was lucky enough to pick up a black 2013 VFR120...0f in 2016 with only 1500 miles on it. (the odometer now reads over 12,000) Yes, it was a bit pricy ($12,000) but there won't be many more chances for me to do this sort of thing - I've been riding for 53 years, and you have to be thrifty on Social Security. At first I wondered what might be wrong with the bike, since the owner sold it so soon. Well, I've discovered - there's NOTHING wrong with this bike. This is the best bike I've ever owned, and I've owned a few. The previous owner had already installed the Heli bars, and the carbon fiber bits, and a raw-sounding Two Brothers carbon fiber muffler. The TB muffler was quickly replaced by a Delkevic, which sounds great - and I can get out of the neighborhood without everybody knowing about it. I don't drag my knees, so a Corban seat was next, and I softened the suspension a couple notches. The Michelin PR4's were next, and what a difference they made! Total confidence in the curves! Honda and I have a disagreement about color schemes - even in black I felt like I was in a carnival, so the swingarm and inner fairing are now flat black. The bike looks SO bad. With the (expensive, optional) center stand and flat black case sliders (for insurance and great looks) I'm about done. You wonder, how can something this beautiful be so fast! The marvel of an engine lets you lead a happy life between 2500 and 4000 rpms, (90% of the 90 ft-lbs of torque is available at 4000 r's) and 5,000 to 10,000 r's is a whole other universe completely, with the engine pulling harder and harder right to redline. Pure joy. The problem is that the touring crowd puts it down for being so small (585 lbs) and the sporty crowd puts it down for being so big. I guess it's kind of like me, defying categories and the status quo. I think this is the new UJM - the universal Japanese Motorcycle. Kudos, Honda ! I feel like a kid again.

June 6th 2018 Update: Two years, 25,000 miles, and still on the honeymoon.

You can't help but notice that everyone who reviews the VFR1200f gives it five-stars. The bike earns them. But in my (so far) two years and 25,000 miles, I have yet to see another VFR1200 on the road - That makes it kind of exclusive, I guess. I like that. No, it's not the fastest bike around. It's not a Hayabusa (thank God - what an ugly bike) or a Duck or that nasty BMW, but it's got nothing to be ashamed of: Torque in any gear is fabulous. Power is incredible from three grand to redline. The brakes are marvelous. Nothing else is as pretty. Nothing else sounds like it. And it'll go faster, lean farther and stop quicker than you'll ever need to. Except for a couple of nails in my tires, it's needed only scheduled maintenance - changes of liquids, inspection of brakes, etc. It's been about perfect. I guess I could complain about the capacity of the fuel tank, but still, gas mileage is the same as my Hyundai. Can't knock that. I will never sell this bike Read Full Review

Great Sport/Great Tourer

I have owned the VFR 1200F for over three years and love it. It is comfortable , fast , handles well, has great breaks and shaft drive with a V-four that is amazing. They are very popular in Europe, but rare in the US and therefore You can buy them new (if you can still find one) below MSRP by appr...ox. 25% so the value is great!!! Read Full Review