The Duncan Domain

I upgraded to the 2002 VFR from my '97 VFR750 and I'm very satisfied in all categories as follows:

Item	VFR750 (1997)	VFR800fi (2002)
Suspension	Too soft for my size (240 lbs.) and riding style; I upgraded the fork springs to get the right feel and reduce the dive effect	Much stiffer; beefier fork tubes (43 mm); works great except on bad city streets
Handling	Utterly neutral but the front end needed more weight on it as it would feel a bit vague at times	Spot on, very sharp and confidence inspiring; the rider sits further forward
Ergonomics	Sporty but comfortable	Like the 98-01 model and comfortable
Engine	Very smooth, linear power plus gear driven cams that make beautiful music	Very smooth, utterly silent (no gear driven cams) plus VTEC (v-twin-like power under 7,000 RPMs due to 2 valve mode); a lot more character over the '94-'97 engine; revs effortlessly
Brakes	Fine	Linked brakes plus ABS; excellent, controlled stopping power
Luggage	None except 3rd party: Givi top box and Givi Wingrack for side bags	Givi racks & custom bags from Honda (July '02)
Styling	I liked it a lot as it was pretty distinctive	Sharper, more radical plus the dual underseat exhaust is very trick; needs a few V4 decals
Mirrors	Great view of armpits plus bogus mirror condoms; I upgraded to the 2000 mirrors and added extenders	Perfect
Fuel system	4 carbs; very smooth	Fuel injection; very smooth and ultra precise; in first gear, the rider must be very smooth on throttle inputs
Lighting	Not quite enough for dark country roads	4 lamps give excellent coverage
Exhaust	Stock aluminum; nice, quiet sound	Dual, underseat stainless pipes that sound great

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." -- Jessica Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

That sums up this bike. She may look very naughty but underneath that tight, red dress, she's very refined and elegant.

This bike's engine is amazingly controversial. While many of us were hoping for a 1000 cc V4 in 2002 or in other words, a comfortable liter class bike, Honda went a different direction and introduced their VTEC system to the existing 781 cc engine. This 2 valve / 4 valve system results in greater gas mileage, flattens the torque curve and exceeds the 2008 California emissions standards but this latter distinction is largely wasted on the power hungry American market.

The VFR has consistently sold 10 to 1 in Europe over the US and while the American bike press has largely panned the engine, it's getting good reviews in the UK. With the addition of factory hard bags, Honda has squarely placed this bike in the sport touring category.

On a twisty, two lane country road, I've found this bike to be an absolute delight to ride and that's exactly what it's made for. It was either this bike or Honda's CBR1100XX as an upgrade from my '97 VFR. If I had owned a '98-'01 VFR, there would have been little reason to upgrade but compared to my '97, it's been a superb move up and I'm very pleased with my decision.

Reviews

Full Report on the New VFR - Motorcycle News (UK); 21-Nov-2001: a sport tourer shoot-out with the Aprilia Futura and the Triumph ST
The new VFR is ahead....just - Motorcycle News (UK); 17-May-2002: a excellent comparison between the 2002 and the '98-'01 model
Motorcycle Daily's Ride Review - Part 1; 13-Dec-2001
Motorcycle Daily's Ride Review - Part 2; 10-Jan-2002
More than a hint of jazz and razzmatazz - Motoring.Telegraph.co.uk; 20-Oct-2001

Links

Honda's 2002 Interceptor web page

Photos

coming soon!