60 plated VFR1200 anyone ????

[100milesaway]

not at all bitter then 

No not really. I had  57 plate CBF1000, and from brand new I rode it about 300 yards, and then took it back. Riding in a straight line the handlebars were crancked over to the right, it was like riding one of those comedy circus bikes. Honda had known about that problem for 2 years, which was incorrect assembly of the yokes, and had chose to do nothing about it. I had to threaten Honda with legal action before they reacted. So after my 300 yards old bike came back to me, steering nice and straight, I thought I'll go for a spin, to be greated by a horrible clonking noise from the rear shock. It turned out that the top bolt fastening the shock had all but fallen out, I dread to think what would have happened if it had. So by now It's done 42 miles and is back at the dealers again. On its return, I noticed paint falling off the fairing, then the the footrest rubbers fell off, then when we were due to set off on our holidays, it refused to start. Various electrical components later including a battery, and more no start problems, I had reached my wits end, and it was GONE. So am I bitter ? ye just a bit          Honda build quality   bah humbug

[O.C.]

For me the first visual impression of any bike is ALL important, I have rarely bought a bike which wasn't visually attractive (except the GS  )
So when I first clapped eyes on the VFR 1200 I immediately thought "my god but that's an ugly bugger" and for a "touring" bike the pillion seat/arrangement looks more like a sports bike. I still think its one of the most unnatractive bikes on the market, and I think I'm right in saying that it hasn't exactly been a roaring sales success for Honda, I wonder why ?

A pal of mine has a Honda Fireblade which he bought new in 2010, when the paint fell off the exhaust system he was told that it was a problem that only applied to machines within a certain chassis range, and that his machine was outside that range !....Honda insisted that they wouldn't fix the problem as his bike was outside their parameters, and anyway it was normal wear and tear.

He's NOT the kind of guy to take that for an answer, and so he rang them and rang them and e-mailed them over and over again until they admitted that it wasn't due to normal wear and tear (he's now done a massive 3000 miles only on the bike BTW  )

They eventually, begrudgingly replaced the exhaust system..

He's now looking at a Kawasaki SX1000 

[slane]

mmm Honda what can i say ....... Love em ,love em , love em , specially the Vfr and even more so my 1997 Vfr750 fv in my opinion the last of the great VFRs ,and one of best bikes built in last 25yrs,(or more) in the 14 years i owned it ,its given me far less problems than the Gtr has and if i had to get rid of one of the bikes the Gtr would go in a heart beat , i prob my own on this but my blinkers are off where this bike is concerned. any way  enough of a rant it to early in morning. 

[O.C.]

mmm Honda what can i say ....... Love em ,love em , love em , specially the Vfr and even more so my 1997 Vfr750 fv in my opinion the last of the great VFRs ,and one of best bikes built in last 25yrs,(or more) in the 14 years i owned it ,its given me far less problems than the Gtr has and if i had to get rid of one of the bikes the Gtr would go in a heart beat , i prob my own on this but my blinkers are off where this bike is concerned. any way  enough of a rant it to early in morning.

Steve, I don't think that you are being unreasonable with your comments, which are based on your own personal experiences.

However your VFR was built 15 years ago at a time when bikes were built up to a quality not down to a price, as they are today.

We live in a 'chuck away' society nowadays

Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn..

[Mogster]

I had a long chat a couple of years ago at the BSB award dinner with the UK sales manager for Yamaha, he was on our table, and I mentioned various problems with bikes i had ridden in the past, and he although he did hold his hand up to some problems he also laid a lot of the blame on the doorstep of the dealer.
It seems that the dealers are supposed to check the bikes over prior to assembley to ensure there are no problems, especierly corrosion that have occured during tranist.... this it seems, for a lot of 'em is too much trouble, also problems occur when the bikes are assembled poorly, well we know that one.

Every bike has it's problems, take the GS i had, in 5 months of ownership, 3 replacement fuel gauge sensors, aparently these don't work for long  also the gearbox seals went and i had difficulty engaging first from rest, i'd have to get it moving before it would go in... this was btw a new bike.

Smarty has got the VFR not on it's looks and not on any rubbish written by jurnos, but how it feels to ride and the fact it satisfieds the need she has for a bike..... a comfortable, fast bike, that is stable, not to heavy, will handle enough luggage for one person for a two week tour, but can then remove the luggage and go on track days...
It was the only one that answered all the questions.

she loved the GTR but it does have it's limits, which is why i have 2 bikes, one fer touring one fer hooning.

what about the Kawasaki 1000 sx  i hear you cry... ridden it, and it feels like a green version of her bandit, poor chassis and cheap suspension pakage, that and the fact it looks ridiculous with the hard luggage on and you can't have a top box and the side pods.

There are problems with all bikes nowadays as they are built to a budget, on the the whole the dealers employee poorly trained spanner monkeys and most of 'em could care less about your bike,

I'm not one of these people who are blind to the brand, i do my research, wiegh up the pros and cons and go on test rides, but even then you can STILL get it wrong........ my GS for example.... hatefull nasty piece of german crap.

[Rusty]

Interesting stuff chaps ... especially about the build quality not being what it used to be .... I had a CB125, a CX500.. the plastic pigs ... a VFR800 ( pre V Tec ) and then a CB1300 ... and I couldn't fault any of them .. the build quality and paint finish was very good indeed, but clearly that is no longer the case, which is a shame ... My VFR did 36000 commuting miles in 6 years and never missed a beat .. when I came to sell it the buyer walked into my garage took one look and said " I'll have it " ! It looked like it had just come out the crate ... yes down to me keeping it clean but also the original standard of finish which just shone through.
The new VFR is indeed a funny looking "blob" but I quite like that ... light and quick, very quick and as Smarty knows it has all that she needs for a couple of weeks away. I didn't buy one only because I fancied a change and had already fallen in love with the Gtr .....

[slane]

Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn..  

Ahhh im feeling a bit more composed now , not quite as grumpy as i was , me and mornings have never got on very well     

[Kwikasfuki]

I must confess I do like the new Honda Crosstourer though

[Mogster]

I must confess I do like the new Honda Crosstourer though

ah but could you own a bike that is mostly known as the Honda 'Crossdresser' 

[Rusty]

Perhaps Honda are embracing the wider more diverse community within the biking world !

[Boomer]

My Honda hatred is all aimed at the CB750F2.
I bought one brand new in 1983 based on a recommendation in BIKE.
I didn't test ride it (more fool me!) and after 2 months of torture I chopped it in on a new Z1300/6.

Torture??
It was comfy enough, fast enough, handled adequately, the fairing was OK, build quality was good,..... but it was totally and completely SOUL-LESS! It was so unbelievably bland that it might as well have been a car.

Now the Z1300 was more comfy, smooth as silk, had gobs of torque at all rpm, and boy was it quick (for the era).
But it didn't handle very well, the fairing was non-existent (I fitted a Krauser), it GUZZLED fuel (22Mpg), and scared me silly at least once per day. It had character in gobs and oodles.

How many CB750F2s do ya see at classic bike shows?
How many Z1300s?
Only bikes with character survive. The rest just rust into oblivion.

In the many years since then I have ridden a fair few Hondas.
Most I found to be bland but competent.
Only a few had any real character, like the Superdreams, the GL1100/1200, VFR750/800 and the Blackbird.

[Mogster]

Ah... the CB's.....I had 2 CB900's, went everywhere on 'em and did everything, back in an age where bikes where simple and so were the owners,
Did my first South of france trip on me CB 900 ... we camped, my now ex -wife used to fall asleep on the back    , we nearly got arrested, we did get lost and it was the best trip ever. 

[O.C.]

ah but could you own a bike that is mostly known as the Honda 'Crossdresser' 

I beleive it has an AC/DC electric system 

[100milesaway]

Steve, I don't think that you are being unreasonable with your comments, which are based on your own personal experiences.

However your VFR was built 15 years ago at a time when bikes were built up to a quality not down to a price, as they are today.

We live in a 'chuck away' society nowadays

Nice to see you posting this early in the morning.....yawn..

Some good points there Roger. 15 years ago I would think that all Japanese bikes were built in Japan and they built there reputation on build quality, reliability,and value for money. Todays bikes (even Triumph) could have been built anywhere in the world. My CBF was built in Italy, and the quality of that build was truly shocking. And I honestly dont believe that Hondas are  any better, or worse than any other Japanese or european manufacturer at this moment in time 

[Rusty]

What a sad reflection isn't it ?
As you say the bikes of today could be built anywhere in the world and that in itself would take away any national pride that you would have for building a machine that could have only come from ONE place and that was, for example, the HONDA factory where you work .. so if the bike build is shite then the world will think you and the company are shite ... that never used to happen but now clearly it does and when workers and or the company don't care then its all too late .....