Honda VFR1200F: First Ride

  • Oct 19, 2010
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The Honda VFR1200F DCT blends performance with luxury in a unique way that opens new avenues in the world of sport-riding and sport-touring. Varad More reports his thoughts on the motorcycle that promises to change the way we ride

Everyone who has heard about Honda's VFR1200F motorcycle and its Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) wants to know how efficiently the system works and how it benefits the rider. After spending a day aboard this technological innovation from Honda at the MMST race-track near Chennai, I got answers to the above queries and some more. Firstly, the DCT is not an automatic gearbox. The system employs a conventional 6-speed transmission equipped with two independent clutches that engage and disengage for seamless and rapid shifts based on data gathered by four sensors, front and rear wheel speed, throttle position and crank position, which determines when to shift and what the rider is intending to do. The Dual Clutch queues up two gears simultaneously, one odd and one even, with only one gear actually engaged at any given time so that when a shift is initiated the gear-swap happens almost instantly.

During the day long stint astride the VFR, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the twisty circuit of MMST near Chennai without having to bother about matching the revs and smooth gear-shifting without upsetting the bike going into corners. The VFR1200F is not a race-bike like its younger sibling, the CBR1000RR Fireblade. The VFR is what Honda calls as, a road-sport machine, a new segment that combines sport riding and sport-touring in a very practical yet enjoyable manner. The DCT unit on the VFR1200F offers three different modes to choose from and each one of them is suitable for different riding styles. The fully automatic 'D' (Drive) mode is for leisurely slow-paced and laid-back riding, wherein the transmission goes through the cogs as quickly as possible with ultra-smooth shifts taking place under 2,500 rpm. So by the time it reaches the 70km/h mark, the transmission has already slotted into sixth gear for effortless cruising. However, the gearshifts are mildly perceptible in the 'D' mode.

But a race-track is not exactly a place to ride a bike at a leisurely place. It is an environment built specifically for speed. And for that all you need to do is gently dab onto the right-handlebar-mounted switch to shift into the 'S' (Sport) mode, on the fly. Once in Sport mode, there are two options to use the DCT. In the Sport auto-mode (AT) the transmission will shift gears automatically albeit at a higher rpm than in the 'D' mode depending upon the data gathered from the throttle position and other sensors. With throttle pinned to stop, the DCT shifts into higher gears just shy of the 10,200rpm redline. Gear shifts in 'S' mode happen with blistering pace (under 0.5 seconds) and are also a lot quieter than in 'D' mode, this is chiefly because the additional mechanical inertia helps in high-rpm gear shifts when the 'S' mode is engaged.

For those who like to take matters in their own hands, there is an option to slot the transmission into the Manual (MT) mode, where the rider can change gears via paddle-shifters. Yes, just like Formula 1 racecars! Going up the gearbox is taken care by the left-index-finger trigger placed on the switchgear unit while to drop gears, one needs to simply use the left thumb on the trigger located where usually the horn button is. Although more fun, the MT mode will be best suited to seasoned riders as it takes a little experience and deep understanding about the shift-points on the VFR1200F if one wants to go fast while riding with the manual setup.

Riding around the MMST circuit, the most preferred and enjoyable experience was in the Sport mode, where the DCT effortlessly changed into the right gear depending upon whether I was entering a corner or exiting it. Nor once did the bike did any upsetting maneuver and even mid-corners no matter how much I modulated the throttle, the DCT made sure it remained in the right gear and that power was always handy. Honda has trashed the clutch and gear-shift lever on the DCT-equipped VFR1200F, which means that there is almost zero rider inputs necessary in the gear-shifting process. This allows the rider to completely focus on braking and corner exits. But this is largely possible due to the marvelously smooth shifting gearbox mechanism that has zero or minimal effect on the chassis setup.

The bike remains planted even as one rides it hard in any of the two sporty transmission modes (Sport/MT) without the chassis bucking between the shifts. This trait particularly helps in keeping the bike stable even as one shifts down aggressively in the sport mode before entering the corner. With downshifting manually thrown entirely out of the window in this mode, the rider can fully concentrate on other riding fundamentals like braking, corner-lines and exits. Although, I felt that the engine braking could have been more efficient as the DCT-monitored controlling unit only went down one gear on certain corners where I would have liked it to drop another gear for harder engine braking.

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There is a lot more to the new VFR than just the advanced transmission. Honda's V4 engines were introduced to triumph at the race-track and they have done a splendid job at it and continue to doing so even today. Powering the new VFR is a 1,273cc liquid cooled 76-degree V4 engine that takes a lot of cues from Honda's MotoGP V4 race-bike, the RC212V and Honda's 27-year long V4 heritage behind it. The front two cylinder banks are spread wider than the rear two cylinders in order to keep the engine narrower at the rear. This allows the bike to be slimmer at the waist and also more comfortable for the rider. Tipping the scales at 278kg, the VFR1200F is a heavy motorcycle but efficient mass-centralization and lower centre of gravity hugely changes the way the bike feels when riding around twisty corners. The rolling chassis of the VFR1200F centers on a lightweight and rigid four-piece aluminum twin-spar diamond-configuration frame.

Apart from the DCT, another first from Honda on the VFR1200F is the Throttle by Wire (TBW) technology for higher degree of control and feedback. The TBW system has been around for quite sometime but it chiefly featured on litre-class flagships built for world-class racing. This is one of the rare occasions that a sport-touring motorcycle (apart from the new Ducati Multistrada1200S) has been employed with a Throttle by Wire mechanism for precise throttle response and superior throttle control. Paving the way for technologies developed in motorcycle racing and adapting them in production motorcycles for real-world riding.

As mentioned earlier, the new VFR is not a trackday motorcycle but a sport-touring machine, purpose-built for the street. Fast, composed and luxurious, the new VFR is an ideal tool to go weekend sport-riding for a day or two with your mates. Anything further away and one will be forced to reconsider his options as the rather undersized 18-litres of fuel tank would play spoilsport for long-distance riding. That said, the VFR1200F is an eclectic mix between the legendary Honda VFR800 Interceptor and the Honda 1100XX Super Blackbird hyper-performance tourer. Bringing performance and luxury within the bounds of tender-footed motorcyclists as well as trained right wrists, the new VFR1200F is indeed a different breed in itself which is a lot of things to a lot of riders, whether it is fast-paced travel, laidback commuting or spirited cornering on a Sunday morning. It does all of it and more. Well done, Honda!

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