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Honda VTR top test 1000 F

SILENT STAR

The VTR 1000 F prefers to leave appearances in the glaring limelight to others, instead promising unexcited driving fun away from the superlatives that require special effects. Can the Honda still pop the corks in the top test?

Champagne tastes delicious, and Honda’s VTR 1000 F deserves a sip. On the one hand, the admittedly very distantly related SP-2 managed to beat the Italo clan in the Superbike World Championship, on the other hand it has been roaring inconspicuously through the country for five years now. Just put in a sparkling clean MOTORRAD long-distance test over 50,000 kilometers and casually bagged the V2 competition from Aprilia, Ducati and Voxan in the comparison test.
The Honda got their 2001 facelift. Until then, even rural road freaks who enjoyed taking a break struggled with the extremely short range of the Bollermann. Anyone who consistently set the two huge 48er Keihins on through-draft could see the reserve light glowing after around 110 kilometers – and push it shortly afterwards. Which, contrary to the popular saying, was detrimental to the love of the moped. Especially since the tank held only 15.2 liters instead of the proclaimed 16 liters and thus callous fuel stop strategists unexpectedly left it dry. When the fox and the rabbit say goodnight, this very last sip of reserve can be decisive. Especially since it is precisely there, in the hinterland, away from the tarred multi-lane belts and infrastructural strongholds, that the VTR’s living room is.
In order to make the stay in remote areas more carefree, Honda increased the tank volume by three to 19 liters and tried to wean the 90-degree V2 from drinking with has different set-up. It did a little bit, even throttle bullies warned the flashing reserve LCD after 150 kilometers at the earliest. around four liters remain until the tide goes out. Always enough to fill up a gas tank. Calm natures can travel around 300 kilometers from the outset with a country road consumption of six liters.
The slowed-down consumer appetite from model year 2001 onwards comes at the price of somewhat poorer pollutant values? Thanks to two unregulated catalytic converters and a secondary air system, it is still enough for Euro 2. At least in the German version, abroad, the VTR pulls free of any catalytic converter and with an open power of 110 hp around the houses frankly.
In this country there are 98, on the MOTORRAD test bench even 102 HP, which willingly throw themselves into the stuff? after they are soulfully awakened. Engineers watch out: With Honda’s V2 classic you can still feel like one, bend down meaningfully before starting and be in control of the warm-up phase with the choke located at the level of the carburettor. Which is overcome quickly, after a short curling phase the two slipper pistons keep the beat lively, vibrate exactly in the rhythm that twin freaks love ?? Not too much and not too little. Over the entire speed range, the load-bearing motor installed in the aluminum bridge frame shows that it has the swing, but is acoustically restrained. Perhaps a tad too posh for friends of explosive eruptions. In any case, no comparison to the ruthless Desmo tubes or wild TL-1000 throbbing – despite the same construction principle, even the same dimensions of bore and stroke, the 996 cubic V2 from Ducati and Suzuki trumpet a much more impressive airbox and silencer, as does the Rotax? ? s 60-degree V2 of the Aprilia.
Don’t be sad, the Honda Twin is always nice to listen to. And, in contrast to the competition, was brought up very impeccably. Because of the harsh rumbling in the speed cellar, sudden death or unmotivated gossip. None of it. And constant travel jerks, the specter of large-volume two-cylinder engines? Zero, nada. Even notorious twin haters can sneak around with the gas minimally open until Santa Never’s Day without anything jerking or jerking.
How did the Honda people do it? Well, intake manifolds of different lengths as well as differing cam profiles on the front and rear cylinders both intentionally run somewhat asynchronously. That works great, as does the response to gas commands. Neither sluggish nor hyperactive and always with the right amount of spontaneity. Only a little play in the drive train can be felt. Honda prudently placed the shock absorbers in the rear wheel on the test motorcycle with aluminum plates ?? and was caught promptly. Well Nevertheless, even after removing this "tuning measure", some believers in progress could ponder the smooth load changes. Instead of relying on bits and bytes as well as additional flaps in the intake ducts, the VTR prepares its mixture conventionally. In other words, throttle valves, vacuum-controlled slide, needles and nozzles. Tasty tasty ?? albeit pretty boozy.
Sponge over it – fuel skimmers should stop driving TDI. If, on the other hand, you want to have fun on the country road, you can climb the Firestorm. Not because she is particularly wild, on the contrary, for a thousand she looks very shy on the outside. Proven to be a comfortable, trustworthy partner for large and small country road scrapers. After Honda has trimmed the height and bend of the handlebar stub more towards comfort, there is nothing to complain about in the restrained sporty seating position.
The cockpit design, on the other hand, is a matter of taste. Completely electronically controlled, a display provides information on the fuel level, time and so on, but analog fans still mourn the classic temperature display. In addition, the speedometer is difficult to read because of the unfamiliar scale arrangement. In contrast to the lavishly dimensioned tachometer, whose needle flips back and forth between three and seven thousand on the country road. This is where the music plays, and the 222-kilogram twin fires forward, lively. Not even the long selected translation can slow down the urge to move noticeably, but it is more tempting to swing casually than to hectic whirling. The connections of the six-speed box fit, and apart from between the first and second, the gears always lock exactly and over a short distance.
From 8000 rpm, the ability to turn decreases somewhat as a result of the 98 PS throttling, the V2 seems to shout to its driver: "Shift up, throw yourself into the curves, surf the tar, drive yourself dizzy!" It doesn’t matter whether you are trialing at walking pace, hair-sharp switchbacks or flowing bows over land? the Honda can do it, the Honda can do it. Steer evenly and stick to every chosen line without being stubbornly insist. Among other things, thanks to the first Dunlop D 204 K tires, which ensure homogeneous driving behavior. What can be dramatized significantly with more sporty tires, such as the Dunlop D 207 RR: more light-footed turning, less erecting moment, further increased grip contrasts with a more nervous front and slight shimmy.
With the D 204 K there is nothing of this to be felt, but there is a tendency for the handlebars to flap when recklessly accelerating on poor slopes and light sugars when driving over bridges at high speed. Otherwise, the spring elements, which can be adjusted in the spring base and rebound stage, are master of the situation even on lousy stretches, provide a successful compromise between sufficiently tight coordination and pleasant comfort and only become disturbed during extremely sporty maneuvers. The front brake system is clearly harmless in nature: high manual forces and gentle response make it insensitive to overbraking, but the Nissins should still be more biting for crisp stops. And behind? Quite tepid, goal enough to help.
AT.The stiff breeze that throws the pilot around at high speed is anything but mild. Well below the top speed of 241 kilometers per hour, the motto is: full cover behind the tightly cut half fairing. It is different at a leisurely pace, where, with a little good will, day trips without complaints are possible even for two. The undercarriage reserves are completely sufficient for this, the spring base can be quickly adjusted using a hook wrench, as is the beam range of the wide-beam open-space headlamp, the adjustment screw of which is easily accessible. Oil and coolant are just as quickly checked or topped up? typical silent star.

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Top test Honda VTR 1000 F

SILENT STAR

What else caught my eye

Plus shock absorber well protected against dirt from the rear wheelSimple lamp replacement at the front and rearSimple refilling of oil and coolant. on, spring base four rings visible Spring strut: rebound 1/2 turn on, spring base level two (values ​​for comfortable country road use)

This is how MOTORRAD tests – starting

MOTORRAD explains the individual criteria of the 1000-point evaluation (part 7)

A car that doesn’t drive is only worth half, as Fredl Fesl once wrote. This also applies to a motorcycle. Test machines start up reliably in most cases, but operation and cold-running properties are very different. It is ideal if the machine always starts spontaneously without a choke, even in a cold state, then runs smoothly immediately without greatly increased idle gas and willingly accepts gas from the start without hiccups. Nowadays, good injection systems do this in an exemplary manner, carburetor models are practically always at a disadvantage here, if only because they require a choke. In addition to functioning properly, such a start-up aid should of course be easy to use and easy to dose. The duration of the warm-up phase is also assessed, with a maximum of ten points for starting behavior, but only for electric start machines. A kick starter, which today is only common in sports enduro bikes, is automatically penalized with at least three points. And if the motorcycle doesn’t start at all, you won’t get half the points, but none at all.

Conclusion

From the beginning, the VTR 1000 F was a great country road burner ?? except for the ridiculously small range. After the 2001 facelift, this horse’s foot is also history, and there is actually no longer any reason not to resort to a V-Twin that is solid through and through. Even if he still leaves the big appearance in front of the street cafe to others.

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