Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Posted on by admin

Menus

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT
Honda

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

12th photos

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

1/12
Top brakes: radially screwed six-piston stoppers, ABS and integral actuation.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

2/12
Builds compact and very narrow: the two rear cylinders sit between the two front ones.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

3/12
The preload of the lever-operated shock absorber can be adjusted to the load in no time using a practical handwheel.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

4/12
Safe: LEDs in the mirrors increase visibility.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT
Drawing: archive

5/12
Tight 76 degree cylinder angles make the 1200 shorter and higher than the 90 ° -V4 of the 800.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

6/12
Checking the tire pressure at the front is difficult, depending on the tester, because of the large brake discs and the non-cranked valve.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

7/12
Humpback whale: The 18.5 liter steel tank (black) is flanked by red plastic panels.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

8/12
Horn and turn signal switches have swapped their usual positions, so the driver, who has been conditioned for years, first honks his horn when turning.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

9/12
Infotainment: dominant rev counter and gear indicator, but no consumption indicator.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT
Drawing: fact

10/12
Head work: The cylinder banks each carry an overhead camshaft with roller rocker arms and bucket tappets.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

11/12
Passable place: The triangular pillion seat is tightly padded and is rather narrow for wide rear parts.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

12/12
One sign: the first cardan on a VFR. Easy to care for and cleverly designed even without torque support. The continuous swing axis above the cardan tunnel brings stability, a constant velocity joint ensures length compensation.

Driving report and price information for the dual clutch transmission

Sport touring bike Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

+++ UPDATE: Honda announces prices for the VFR with dual clutch transmission. The surcharge for the 14,900 euros basic version is 1,300 euros. The VFR 1200 F DCT will arrive at authorized dealers in June and will be ready for test drives. +++

Honda is launching the VFR 1200 F in a version with a dual clutch transmission. Without clutch and gear lever, because the clutch is automatically engaged, the gears change either automatically or at the push of a button. MOTORRAD ventured into the newly designed control center.

Buy complete article

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Driving report and price information for the dual clutch transmission
Sport touring bike Honda VFR 1200 F DCT


Honda

The left switch unit from the driver’s perspective. The thumb has a lot of work to do as it flashes and downshifts, and also has to operate the horn and high beam when necessary.

Before the first red light, the left hand involuntarily reaches into the void, and that might happen one or two more times during a day of driving, but the tight turn right at the beginning was successful as a confidence-building measure. What the two clutches of the DCT (double clutch transmission) do, computer-controlled and oil-pressure operated, that’s okay. The driver can and should – in the case of the author, after 33 years of clutch work – devote himself entirely to learning new finger games, i.e. the intuitive operation of the innovative transmission.

In addition to the manual mode, in which the index finger of the left hand is switched up – and the left thumb down – it offers two automatic modes, namely D and S. They are selected with the right thumb and differ in their switching behavior. In D mode, the electronics shift up as early as possible in order to lower the engine speed and save fuel.

When decelerating, the system switches back correspondingly late. In S mode, the electronics only select the next gear at higher engine speeds and shift down earlier when decelerating, thus supporting a sporty driving style. Thanks to self-learning software, the thresholds are not rigid, but also take the driver’s behavior into account.

The more throttle he gives, the higher the system turns off the engine, even in D mode. At full throttle the engine is turned to the red area in both modes. If the sixth gear has already been engaged, the electronics first allow you to shift down a gear, wait briefly, and if the flaps are still fully open, shift down again until the gear is reached that enables full acceleration at the current speed. Comparable to the kickdown of conventional automatic transmissions.

Driving report: Honda VFR 1200 F DCT

Tourer


Driving report Honda VFR 1200 F (2010)

Test drive with dual clutch transmission

read more

The DCT


Honda

Use the rocker switch to engage first gear and neutral (N) and select the automatic mode D or S..

The Honda-DCT has the ease of use and the jerk-free shift work in common with them, but not the indirect reaction to accelerating. At its core, DCT is actually a mechanical gear with perfect adhesion. Just with two input shafts running into one another for the odd and even gears and one clutch each. When changing gears, the next gear is engaged on the shaft that is currently inactive, then one clutch disengages and the other engages. When the driver steps on the accelerator, things move forward immediately, with no more delay than the backlash of a few tenths of a millimeter in the drive train and the elasticity of the cardan shaft.

Which of course also means that you still have to carefully dose the gas yourself in order to create a smooth load change. The DCT opens up all of its advantages to those who have learned to switch between the three operating modes with ease. Something like this: well-developed country road, permitted speeds 70 or 100 km / h, automatic mode D, sixth gear. Behind a knoll is a truck that is slowly accelerating. The VFR pilot taps the minus button three times with his left thumb, the system immediately switches to manual mode and switches back three times.

After a quick overtaking curtain, he briefly pulls the MT / AT selector lever with his right index finger and reactivates the automatic mode D, which immediately shifts back up to sixth.

Here is the video of the presentation of the new VFR:

Limitations of the DCT


Honda

The right cover shows where the oil flows for clutch actuation run. The two pumps on the right of the engine build up the necessary pressure.

The only restriction: It is not possible to downshift with three very fast button pushes, as demonstrated by the Formula 1 drivers in impressive on-board recordings. The system always needs half a second for one downshift plus engagement of the clutch, and this deadline must also be observed in manual operation, otherwise the shift command will be ignored. Nevertheless, the process is faster than with a conventional transmission. Last but not least, the DCT brings a major safety gain when downshifting and at the same time turning in, because automatically activated double-declutching and the gentle clutch actuation prevent the sudden onset of the engine braking torque on the rear wheel and thus prevent slipping. It also doesn’t allow you to accidentally downshift too far, i.e. directly to the rev limiter.


Honda

The cockpit of the new VFR.

The innovative transmission offers a lot of advantages, be it in terms of comfort on long or short journeys, be it in terms of safety or sporty driving. Around 1300 euros extra (the exact amount has not yet been determined) and ten kilograms more weight are also not serious disadvantages in view of what a standard VFR costs and weighs. There was no noticeable handling disadvantage of the DCT version, and since the gross vehicle weight has been increased, even the payload is retained.

Technical specifications

engine
Water-cooled four-cylinder, four-stroke 76-degree V-engine, one overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, roller rocker arm and bucket tappet, wet sump lubrication, injection, Ø 44 mm, regulated catalytic converter, alternator 570 W, battery 12 V / 12 Ah , Double clutch, six-speed gearbox, cardan, secondary ratio 2.699.

Bore x stroke 81.0 x 60.0 mm
Cubic capacity 1237 cm³
rated capacity 127.0 kW (173 hp) at 10,000 rpm
Max. Torque 129 Nm at 8750 rpm

landing gear
Bridge frame made of aluminum, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, single-sided swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, six-piston fixed caliper, disc brake at the rear, Ø 276 mm, Double-piston floating caliper, partially integral brake system with ABS.

Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 6.00 x 17
Tires 120/70 ZR 17; 190/55 ZR 17

Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1545 mm, steering head angle 64.5 degrees, caster 101 mm, spring travel f / r 120/130 mm, seat height 815 mm, weight with a full tank approx. 278 kg, payload 195 kg, tank capacity 18.5 liters.

guarantee three years
Colours Red, silver, white
price including utilities around 17,900 euros
 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *