Honda VFR800

It was while howling through a racetrack-smooth set of sweepers, somewhere to the south of the biking Mecca which is the Snowy Mountains, the thought hit me - just how damn good is this motorcycle!

I'd just traversed some 100-odd-kilometres of dirt through Kosciusko National Park, which Honda's new VFR800 had handled with aplomb, and now here I was slicing through a seemingly never-ending series of bends, pegs on the deck, with the sure-footedness of your average Tibetan alpaca.

I'd been enjoying a high level of comfort all the while since departing the New South Wales township of Dalgety some 200-plus kilometres ago (yes, the annual CHUMPS bike hack piss up - err, conference), while the LCD fuel gauge slowly dropped at an impressively modest rate.

Virtual sportsbike performance, with comfort, economy and the real-world practicality to manage just about any role you throw at it - it's no surprise the VFR800 was Australia's top-selling sportstourer in 2001, and with lineage that's impressed through the past decade(s).

PERENNIAL FAVOURITE
That's right, Big Red's sporty mile-eater has seen action in various guises across three decades, with the evergreen machine first appearing way back in 1986.

Going on sale for $6750 - now don't you feel old - the founding VFR750FG was an instant hit with the motorcycling public, offering superb performance in a user-friendly package, with Honda's usual high level of finish to boot.

The model has retained all these hallmarks throughout the years - it's just this year's update packs even better performance, in an even more user-friendly package, and the high level of finish remains. It's the march of progress alright, and to date the VFR's never been one to get left behind.

Updates were minimal in the early years - a 17-inch front wheel replaced the 16-inch item in '88, while the 750 continued relatively unchanged until 1998, when the model's first big update was ushered in with the VFR800.

Apart from the new bodywork, styling and greater engine capacity, the first VFR800 also featured an all-new chassis, Honda's Dual Combined Braking System (DCBS), PGM-F1 electronic fuel injection and side-mounted radiators, with appropriately boosted performance reflecting the changes.

CUTTING EDGE
Now, in 2002, the very latest incarnation has hit the streets, and is as jam-packed with cutting-edge technology as any production motorcycle you'd ever care to mention, including Honda's patent VTEC system.

In the VFR800, the VTEC essentially means the engine transforms from a eight-valve to a 16-valve unit, depending on whether it's below or above 7000rpm, and offering a choice between maximum power or maximum economy. Throw in the latest generation DCBS, fuel injection and Honda's HISS security ignition, and it's easy to see this is truly a motorcycle of the 21st century. But what's all this wizz-bang gadgetry amount to in the real world?

Firstly, the engine is a cracker. With a maximum of 97ps available, it's not going to take your head off under hard acceleration, but most importantly you can use all of what it's got.

Cruising along the open road, the bike easily settles into a relaxed lope, while there's plenty of mumbo left for highway overtaking, albeit with a quick downshift should a fast manoeuvre be the order of the day.

But when it comes time to eat some curves, there's plenty of grunt right where you need it most to rocket you along in an eminently satisfying manner. It truly is a wonderfully flexible powerplant, and will pull from way down low in the rev-range with ease, even in higher gears.

DIRTY DEEDS
This point made itself clear while meandering through the 100km dirt section of the Barry Way, which snakes its way along the Snowy River through some incredibly spectacular country.

It's largely a high-quality bit of road, but in places is very tight, with blind corners and hairpins more the rule than the exception. But the Viffer proved incredibly easy to manage, the V-four pulling out of these tight spots in gears that would see other bikes coughing and spluttering or just plain stalling. No wheelspin, no fuss - just the right level of punch put down to the ground effectively.

The fuel-injection is magic, affording excellent throttle response without requiring the concentration of a brain surgeon to keep things smooth around town - just what you want in a sportstourer.

When the dirt finally makes way for the tar, the scenery remains easy on the eye - the rugged beauty of the bush replaced with rolling green countryside. Not that I had much of a chance to appreciate it, given the smorgasbord of fast, sweeping corners which lay before me.

The VFR excels in a sporting role, its moderate (at least when compared to sharper-edged fare) power output complemented perfectly by nimble, agile steering, and bloody decent suspenders.

The springy bits mightn't be top-spec gear (the forks sport spring preload adjustment only, the rear shock preload and rebound damping), but they offer a wonderfully compliant ride which strikes a perfect compromise between comfort and agility.

NIMBLE PERFORMER
The Viffer will readily flick from side to side through chicanes, care of a relatively low C of G, while its ample ground clearance should be enough to satisfy even the sportiest end of the sportstouring spectrum. If it doesn't, you've ploughed your bucks into the wrong class of motorcycle...

One point worthy of mention is the momentary 'step' in power delivery when you sweep through that 7000rpm mark and the VTEC kicks in. The transition in the lower three of its gears is quite smooth - unnoticeable bar the extra surge of power and deepening of its throaty V-four rumble.

But in the upper gears, particularly fourth, there is a slight kick as the engine's extra valves chime in - a fact displayed quite openly by that dip in the bike's dyno charts (see page 33).

It's something I'm sure an owner would get used to, but I found it a little off-putting, particularly if I was already cranked over in a corner.

This point aside, the VFR impressed the hell out of me - its balance as a total package really is spot on, the sum of its parts most definitely adding up to a greater whole.

Light, positive controls add to the enjoyment of the riding experience, with the clutch, gearbox, brakes and throttle all letting me know I was on a refined machine.

OVER ENGINEERING?
The latest generation of DCBS anchors pull the Viffer up well with plenty of power and weight, although I still believe the system is a case of over-engineering for engineering's sake. In this guise, the various pressures have been modified to make the system even more like conventional brakes - so what's wrong with conventional brakes in the first place?

On the road, I barely noticed the DCBS, but there were times I noticed it when I certainly didn't want to - like dabbing on the rear brake because I had gone into a corner too hot, only to find the bike wanted to stand up and run wide because the front stoppers had come into play.

And while we're on the subject of these hi-tech departures from the mainstream, let's take a look at the dyno charts. Now bear in mind we've compared the new VFR with a 2000-spec machine (which remained unchanged in 2001) we had on test for our annual Tour of Duty (Vol 50 No 12), and although they were both tested on Dynojet-brand dynos, there will be some variance.

But the fact remains, power and torque remain largely the same for both models, while average fuel economy is pretty much on par too, the 2000-spec model returning 14.45km/lt, compared with the new model's 14.60km/lt. So in the real world, is VTEC worthy of the fanfare it's been given? I think we need a little more proof...

SEAMLESSLY SMOOTH
It's a joy to ride around town too, where it's seamlessly smooth and incredibly easy to get on with, its clear and largely vibe-free mirrors allowing it to slice through traffic snarls with a minimum of hassle.

I saw our test Viffer see over 300km tick over on its classy and easy-to-read instrumentation before needing to refuel while in touring mode - a distance befitting its broad comfortable perch (for both pillion and rider) and excellent weather protection.

Finish still exudes that typically high Honda quality, and I love the new styling. It seems most either love it or hate it, so it's good to see a new model from Big Red polarising opinion for a change.

Tying down gear is a cinch care of ocky mounting points and great pillion grabrails, with a factory pannier kit available for the VFR800 by mid-April.

At $17,490 (plus ORC), the new VFR800 is at the pricier end of the sportstouring scale, above Ducati's $15,995 ST2 and Triumph's $15,990 Sprint ST, but a shade under BMW's $17,820 R1100 S. You get a helluva lot of technical wizardry for your bucks, and a successor truly worthy of continuing the VFR800's praise-laden lineage - the longstanding Viffer's last chapter is far from being written yet...