HONDA VFR1200F (2012 - 2015) Review

Ride on original suspension will be getting soft now. New Nitron R1 shock and front internals bring the ride bang upto date. Pillion is barely noticed on such a stable bike. DCT removes the jerkiness on a clutch gear change. No head butting!

170bhp V4. What's not to like. Thirsty if pushed. The torque allows for lazy early changes but holding on to a gear opens up a surge of acceleration that belongs on track. Some chat on forums about snatchy 1/2 gear throttle response. I'm not aware of this. Perhaps it's a manual problem.

It's a cliche but Honda quality IS alive and well in the VFR1200. Paint is wonderful. Fit and finish way ahead of rivals. Center stand rusted badly though. The only rust on what is a 12 year old bike.Preload adjuster seized. Common issue.

Oil changes and filters on the DCT are easy and accessible. Air filter also. All diy. Brakes are also easy.MPG can vary from high 30s to 48. Average is around 42/43. Tank range 170/180.

No denying the equipment was poor out of the box. That said, if you've ridden bikes for their own sake through the w who cares for traction control, rider modes etcThe Honda luggage is beautiful quality if a little tight. Rare as rocking horse poo now so buy a bike with them if touring.Heated grips a big plus. Wind protection is OK. Double bubble fixed it for me (6'). I bought the bike with a raised bar kit. I changed back to the original clip ons. Suits the bike better imo.I also changed the dustbin exhaust for a DAM slip on. Plays a fine tune.

Great all round bike. Runs like a dream.Wife falls asleep on the backSeat can chafe in the heat after a few hoursBrakes could be stronger

Delivers power very quickly. Can go from 70 to 80 to overtake with a quick twist of the throttle

Starting to see corrosion in several places

New tyres are expensive

Recommend hand guards

Flexibility of the engine. Brakes are more than enough for the road. Tank range at 160 miles gives usually up to 2-3 hours before a break is needed.

That v4 sound especially with an akrapovic end can is just so addictive. Real world grunt every time you need it.

No parts failed nor any corrosion in 9 years - easy to keep clean and the build quality is Honda at its best.

The annual service is not too bad, the 24000 mile service is not cheap at £600 especially if brake pads have worn. The cbs system means an uneven wear rate but it’s the price you pay for the braking performance.

Honda heated grips were a must for all year comfort. Genuine panniers offer more than enough space for a week to ten days away for solo riding and don’t affect handling at all.

Unbelievable V4 engine and shaft drive. You can lose your licence coming off any roundabout but the Nisin brakes are almost as responsive as the engine. Suspension is the Achilles heel of this otherwise perfect sports-tourer.

The V4 in the VFR is the best motorcycle engine I have ever experienced. I had to buy one after a pillion ride around Silverstone on the Panigale V4S in 2018 with Glenn Irwin, the fastest Irishman in the world!

It’s the highest paint quality I’ve ever seen and there’s no corrosion anywhere, unlike all of my BMW motorbikes.

Unreasonable charges from dealer, my wife’s Mercedes costs less than the VFR for routine servicing!

Great touring luggage but no electronic aids, just perfect power and imperfect suspension

Suspension now at 25k miles is getting soft but great riding solo. Brakes are superb!!

I vote 10 for this engine it is fantastic. ONLY problem is the heat she generates when the weather is hot.

Typical Honda quality up there with the best. The fit and finish of the fairing is TOP. Zero corrosion so far except that the wheels need a repaint.

Just oil and filters, the big valve service was done before I bought her. Fuel consumption is heavy is you ride very fast!

Not much but ABS and Traction Control are both great.

A little cramped for me being 6.4.But I could still go anywhere on a full tank for about 180 miles.

What a brilliant engine with power and talk all the way through the rev counter. Pure quality.

Excellent build quality. I have had no problems with my bike.

Sutton motorcycles are very helpful and friendly and have done an excellent service. Good value for the money service.

I love the traction control and brakes.Very easy bike to get used to. Very hard to find extras for the bike.

Comfortable to ride. A good few hours before a break required. Great all round bike

Love the instant power even at high speed

Never fails and always feels the same

No mechanical issues. Tyres are the only thing that needs changing

Good windscreen and seat. Need decent panniers with waterproof bags (givi)

Smooth and locked on in fast sweepers. Need to guide her in to bends with nice flowing counter steering but it is a big sport tourer. Not super pacey through alpine twisties but low vibes and comfortable from takful to thankful. Excellent for pillion with plenty room, well placed handles and doesn't notice additional weight

The best feature. Creative engineering, thin waist, torqey, quick, relentless power and lovely sound when asked - what more do ya want?

No corrosion. Looks new. Great paintwork and love the double skin fairing. Some don't like the nose on view. I like it's modernity and slight break with tradition. Does not look like 2010 design. Completely reliable. Engineering is fault free. When you ride another bike then get back on your Viffer it just oozes quality

Low costs for me. I do about 8000 miles a year now having stopped working. Commuted until 2018 and did 15000 pa. It never missed a beat

Only gers 4 because the 'market' gives more. For me though I don't care for millions of gizmos. How many bikers do you know that actually mess with their suspension fir a B road rather than a motorway? Anyway, it has everything you need

Excellent brakes the best I’ve owned sharp good feel and have never faded. It’s a lovely bike to ride and gets lots of admiring looks and comments. Have done 500+ mile days and been relarively ok at the end. Doesn’t particularly like bumpy roads but good A roads etc it just devours distance.

If I could score 6 I would as it’s marvellous and effortless. The centre piece of a very good bike.

Beautifully built and ease of keeping clean as no exposed oil pipes and casings, compared to 800 vtec, make corrosion problems with simple cleaning schedule a thing of the past. Rear shaft drive replaced under factory recall. Otherwise faultless.

After three year warranty I serviced myself. So costs excluding replacing tyres £80 however the 16000 service is looming and although I will not use Honda (silly money) a good independent will still be expensive. Fuel costs not unreasonable as long as not ridden hard. Due to the sheer power and sumptuous delivery of that power I have never seen the need to thrash it as it’s very fast.

I bought mine with less than 600 miles for £3500 off what the first owner paid and it had full luggage heated grips and centre stand. Clocks are very well shielded I never get glare but omission of cruise control and traction control only being an after thought two years into production was a big own goal for what was an expensive bike. I changed the small 31litre top box for a 45litre added Honda wind deflectors for my hands and a better screen. Tyres the Dunlop’s it came with were done 3500, the metzler z8 nearly five but Michelin Pilot 4s are at at 4000 and look fantastic plus feel more confident inspiring in the wet. The Dunlop’s definitely didn’t.

The dual-linked ABS Brakes on this beast are phenomenal! have had over 50 bikes and this is better than the brilliant blue spot calliper brakes from Yamaha! The rear is just as good as the front grab wise and very little fade no matter what your speed.

Takes some getting used to coming from an inline 4, but what a peach! Smooth and 'grunty' torque throughout the rev range, all of these people I read about wanting to do the timing retard mod in 1st and 2nd, and also derestrict the top end??? You have to be a track queen to want more from this bike day-to-day unless it is for bragging rights. You get to triple digits on the speedo with a simple twist of the wrist from 50mph and comments from guys behind me (on an H2 Kawasaki, Fazer 1000 and a K1300S): "Bloody hell, the VFR goes well mate!!!" enough said!

lovely quality Honda finish, 29k miles on the clock and the bike (in red) looks as clean as it did 6 years ago.

I do my own servicing so get your manual out and get to know your bike, even if it is oil and filter you will save yourself £100 each time.

Mine came with touring kit from PO, luggage quality and fitting is fantastic but a tad small for real touring as top box is 31 litres and panniers 29 litres, so you have to get creative for a 2 week run. Heated grips are really good and the seat is really nice and comfy too, the screen is a vario and works well, but at 29k miles is looking tired (and boring) so ordered a Puig jet stream in black.

Suspension may be a little soft for some, steering a tad heavy & slow if your used to a sportsbike. The upside to this is a plush ride that soaks up all the bumps - effortless high speed mile munching. Brakes 9 tenths as good as any current Brembos. Leg position slightly cramped, but hours in the saddle a lush experience overall.

Lovely low down torque with an addictive to end rush, a licence loser in the right hands. Tank range is sport bike territory. Gearbox is slightly geared high for the tight twisties , upside relaxed ride & carries speed remarkably well - akin to the ZZR1400. Gearchange is like a well oiled rifle bolt.

Quality is almost up to the standard of Honda's of old, a few year old bike can still look new. No problems to date after 8000 miles.

With current electronics & gadgets comes the price tag, the VFR is largely old school engineering & could well outlast modern bikes in terms of durability. Would be 5 stars but best to buy 2/3 year old low miler to avoid the worst depreciation.

This bike didn't break new ground in terms of active suspension, gadgets & gizmos but the fact is when the package works this well - do you really need them?

Neutral position for 178 cm/90 kg, long rides are suitable for it. Good ride stability, not very nimble on twisty roads, some effort is needed. Exceptional combined brakes, far much better than many other sport-bikes. Both front and rear brake should be used for heavy breaking (watch carefully for others behind you).

Flawless! High low grunt, fast enough, combined with traction control you have everything you need on tarmac, outside the track.

Over 55000 km, no faults so far.

Little thirsty for dynamic riders (about 7 l/100 km).

ABS, traction control, good instrumentation. However the suspensions are a little at the soft end, without electronic control. Traction control and throttle response are not configurable (not a must, but other sport-tourers offers nowadays).

Those radial brakes are awesome. They do need a annual clean though. But don't they all.

Power is higher up the rev range than BMW, but that typical of many Japanese engines, but that bark is addictive when the top section of the exhaust flap opens

Having swapped from a k1300s to the VFR the weight difference was immediately noticeable. Whilst this has benefits in its stability, it's hard work doing the car park/garage shuffle

So far, other than the shafts recall it has been totally reliable. I have done a couple of jobs on it and once you watch the you tube video on how to remove the fairing it's all been fairly straight forward .. ?.😘

Self canceling indicators would have been nice. The shock and forks need winding up, but good when set up right. I have also had a replacement rear shock fitted under warranty. Turn the adjuster knob regularly or it seizes. I fitted a charger plug into the inner fairing this powers the sat navigation and gives me a charging point. Changed the OEM tyres to Michelin Pilot Road 4s, what a difference.

Rode from San Diego to Seattle and never ever felt uncomfortable or tired. No back pain either.

smooth shifting DCT and Fast when you need it

could use an adjustable higher windshield

Braking is hardcore compared to most other bikes I have ridden.

Strength of the platform - smooth at lower end and hardcore at higher end - it can go...

No issues outside of the recall... and that was smooth.

Costs are very reasonable - outside of some of the additions like Honda OEM accessories.

It is just average in this area - missing keyless, missing cruse control and other niceties - you can add most of these items - but standard could have been better (the 2013 was much better than the pre 2012 items)

had bike now for 3 years,no problem with bike,but after small scrape in garage left hand pannier lid needed replacing. Haitain blue cost £100 . o e m item on honda site. after three years honda don't do a replacement lid .every other bit of bike is done. they don't even do a replacement pannier in the colour, i find this unacceptable in a three year old model,been with honda over forty years,whats up with their after sales spares?

Superb brakes and very good ride quality from the off. After 30k starting to go a little soggy. £1,000 of Maxton suspension and it handles superbly.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Definitely the best bit about this bike. When it comes to overtaking I've developed a little catchphrase ... "There's always room on the VFR!"

35k, nothing has gone wrong and it still looks virtually new.

£200 at up to 5k a year; more like £300 at the miles I do. A bit expensive to buy, but then again, quality costs!

Very good for what I want. Does it have tyre pressure sensors ... no, but I believe you should check them at least once a week anyway. Does it have "riding modes" ... no, but everyone I know who's bike does, doesn't use them anyway. I've got a perfectly good right hand thank you.