Honda VFR800 V-Tec (2001-current)

In my opinion, I can't fault it. Got a back full of rods and screws and find it most comfortable. Must add that I had to get a Sergeant seat, Vario screen and Heli-bars to make it this comfy. Stock seat and handlebars are too low and too hard. That said, went France last year and did a 450 mile day to get to Caen and was surprised that I had no ill effects. I can't fault the running or handling of the bike as I don't need it to get round corners on the hero studs, though I don't doubt it's capable, though I'm probably not. It is heavy to get on to the centre stand, particularly with the luggage on. Can't say any different from a lot of the other comments and reviews. Would like to change up to a newer one, but can't justify the money when there is no problem with mine and don't know what I would replace it with to get a different bike, though CBF1000 would be a strong contender.

Some one else here also commented that they traded their CBR600 on the VFR, same here. I have owned the VFR since last June & at 1st I was a bit overwhelmed by its techno complexity compared to my previous carbed in line 4. Their has been a lot of negative things written about it here & on forums & I was worried about how much it was going to cost for servicing & what would be the 1st thing to cr*p itself, I happy to say that I think its all BS. I fitted an aftermarket rack, bag(s) & a wool seat cover and its now the perfect long distance hauler. The motor has freed up beautifully & since its 1st service, runs cooler with an adjustment of the throttle cable getting rid of the low speed throttle snatch. After my last bike, its taken a while to get used to the handling differences & some of the quirks of a V4 motor. That said, it holds its line & rock steady in corners. It maybe a fat b*stard at over 200kg wet, but it disappears when your moving, although you will pop a hernia trying to put it on it's center stand. I asked my mechanic how much the 1st service will cost (non Honda) & since they have never had one where the valves needed adjusting! about a 3rd of what a Honda dealer will quote. I've grown to love this bike, it took a few good rides, have had no problems. It's not a sports bike, its a bike to let loose on over week end away, but your not going to be to far behind & your not the one that will be complaining about a sore back & wrists. Buy one

Traded in my Versys for another VFR, should never have sold my last one. These bikes are superb, if you want a bike that will stonk along fully loaded two up safely for miles, this is still the best out there by miles. I spend a lot of time on the A1 and I don't think another bike would do the job any better, fast, safe, versatile, and still has curb appeal, it may be a tad heavy but I love it. Don't understand some of the comments. These are superb handling bikes and despite what is written will still mix it up when you want to. If they are that poor why do they cost so much!!!

I absolutely adore my VFR. The engine is smooth, the VTEC provides a good woop of power and the suspension (once fiddled with a bit) is firm enough to be sporty whilst comfortable for cruising. That being said there are a couple of niggles. 1) I struggle to do more than about 200 miles a day on it. Sore bum and bars a bit low so wrists start to hurt. 2) Standard screen means the wind hits me right in the neck, so long motorway journeys at speed can be a bit tiring. Really those are the only negatives. Would strongly recommend this bike.

Following on from my previous review 'not a bike you'll love' it has gone from bad to worse. This bike is awful it has not cost me nearly £2000 in just over a year just to keep it on the road. There is now a horrible noise coming from the clutch and I can't give a good reason for this because it has had regular dealership services. It is just an allround terrible machine. The point when the vtec kicks in I had previously stated that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as other people had suggested well it is now very noticeable to the point of making the rear wheel skip out on bends, dangerous and not necessary. Aviod.

I purchased my first VFR a special edition 2007 that was setup for touring (panniers, trunk, GPS, Givi screen) used as an upgrade to a Yamaha 2008 FZ6 fazer. I love the looks, comfort, fuel tank size/range, suspension, transmission and Honda quality. The VTEC transition is not abrupt, but is noticeable and the bike acquires quite the kick to it. I have ridden two up in comfort as well as done some sport oriented touring. It is a little on the heavy side, so walking pace is noticeable. I wish the 800CC engine had even more torque down in the low end(noticeably less than it's ST1050 and F800ST rivals). Overall, love the bike and plan to keep it for a long time.

I'm on my second VFR, this one an 05 vtec, previously an 01 gear driven cams engine. The older one had much more charecter, but decided to get the 05 bike when I saw a bargain for sale. It's when you first get to the big service and the shop says it'll take 2 days to do the valve clearances! It ain't cheap, and still has a 4kmiles service interval - even ducati beat that! My other problem is that I now mostly just tour, been down to italy this year, sweden last year, spain/france before that. It does the job but everytime I've got home I tell myself - I should get a BMW for all this. But I never have done. So all in all, it's done everything I ask of it, but probably cost me more in ownership than I really anticipated. It's this all things to all men thing that I think is the achilles heal. It's too uncomfortable after a while for all day motorway trips, yet too heavy when you arrive at the mountains (it's about the same wieght as an RT!). For me I need to decide which I like best - going places, or riding the bike when I get there. Leaning towards the former right now.....

Had my '03 VFR for just over a year now and covered over 7000 miles. I do an 80 mile ride four times a week, the trip has a bit of everything so I can safely say I've covered all types of riding on it. At first I really enjoyed the bike having had an XJ6 before, it was a totally different experience. The VTEC is nowhere near as bad as people make out it is more of an irritation than anything and you can just adapt the way you ride to deal with it. Over the past year I've slowly realised that this bike isn't anything you can really enjoy, it's too heavy to flick around, the servicings are expensive and after an hour the riding the position just starts to make me ache (6'1" 16 stone maybe I'm just too big). I'll keep it for about six more months then getting rid of it and getting something that's fun, doesn't weigh the same as a morbidly obese american, got plenty of torque and will remind me of why I loved biking in the first place.

Long haul bike and simply easy to command. The engine growls at me! New Cross South London to Bromyard Herefordshire M40,A44,with this bike is a frill. 205 plus miles from a full tank with the VTEC on for rocket fun. Love this bike !

A once superb bike, but just stayed around too long. The engine sounds horrid, prefer a straight 4 or triple even. Lacks torque low down, but once stirred it handles, sure footed and safe, not comfortable, bars are too low, and it feels top heavy and has the turning circle of an oil tanker. As a toy, yes it will do for touring, the chain adjustment and lubing is a pain, wish I'd stuck with my K1200RS or got a GT, which suffer none of the above. It is what it is, a bike for those that set their expectations low, and don't know how good it can be. The Ford Focus, an ST model maybe, but no M3.