Road – 2012 VFR1200F test: give more while costing less! – What changes on the VFR1200F in 2012

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2012 VFR1200F test: give more at less cost !

Road - 2012 VFR1200F test: give more while costing less! - What changes on the VFR1200F in 2012

Two years after its launch, the Honda VFR1200F undergoes its first update and notably includes a traction control system for 2012. Other points are also improved while, at the same time, its price is lowered ! First try.

What changes on the VFR1200F in 2012

It was in 2010 that the sixth generation of the VFR dynasty landed: equipped with a new, very compact 1200 cc V4 (its angle is closed at 76 ° and its cylinder head benefits from Unicam technology, read), equipped with a limited slip clutch, combined ABS and majestic fairing "multilayer", the VFR1200F also inaugurated a brand new dual-clutch transmission (read).

Two years later, the observation is obvious to Honda: the VFR1200F has not really convinced the French, despite being great VFR enthusiasts in the past. "We expected 1,500 sales in the first year, and we achieved 1,077", tells us precisely Sebastien Pernel press manager at Honda France.

Last year, the number of "large" VFR registrations fell to 583 units. So much so that Honda France does not plan to sell more than 600 models in 2012, despite its update! Because if the VFR1200F evolves in 2012, we know by browsing its technical sheet that two of its main faults remain relevant…

On the one hand, the "twelve hundred" still shows a full weight on the scale of 267 kg, even 277 kg in its famous DCT version (Dual Clutch Transmission). Although the dynamic "felt" weight seems lower, this value cools many riders looking for an easy-going motorcycle..

On the other hand, the VFR1200F does not have a sufficiently large autonomy to satisfy backpackers. However, the latter do not risk being coaxed by the additional half-liter of the tank (i.e. 19 liters in all on the new 2012 version)…

"This is the maximum capacity we could get without having to change the tank mold.", specifies the Honda team."At the same time, our engineers revised the injection and ignition maps and succeeded in reducing the engine’s consumption.".

Clever – and knowledgeable – as they are, haven’t the Japanese just adjusted their mill to the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) standard? Site will try to monitor consumption – the real one! – of the new VFR during its presentation to the French press…

A third negative point, independent of Honda and any other manufacturer for that matter, concerns the maximum power of the machine: 83 kW, such is the value not to be exceeded in France on a motorcycle equipped with a final drive shaft ( 78 kW for a less energy-consuming chain drive). That’s 100 horsepower at the rear wheel, and not one more !

However in "normal" configuration, the VFR1200F enjoys a maximum power of 173 horses … An impressive value which did not go without its counterpart: in this case timid low revs for a 1200 cc. In France therefore, the V4 of the VFR1200F loses much of its appeal.

With a drop in the maximum torque of 2 Nm, however, the scientists of Tokyo would have succeeded in filling for 2012 the low observed between 2000 and 4000 rpm: "thanks to new maps and the increase in the diameter of the rear exhaust manifold, the torque is improved ", assures us Sebastien Pernel.

Another sensitive subject was dealt with by Honda: the price! The VFR1200F goes from € 15,390 (end of December 2011) to € 14,990 … "This is a promo price (the same as when it was launched in 2010, Editor’s note) that we want to keep as long as possible", specifies our interlocutor.

Better still, the DCT costs "only" € 1000 extra, thus placing Honda’s sport-GT automatic at € 15,990, while its official price communicated by Honda France (still at the end of 2011) was € 16,790…

"Around one in five VFR1200Fs is sold in France with the double clutch", reveals to us occasionally the press manager of Honda France. Here again the performance disappoints, but the Japanese are certainly not giving up their efforts.

"Management software has been improved", warns us the manufacturer: the gear changes would be faster and smoother, the D (Drive) mode more intelligent by taking into account the driving rhythm and by having a kind of sports" sub-mapping "different from the mode S purely sporty…

As on the new Crosstourer (read our), the automatic return function in D and S mode is added: the pilot can temporarily switch to manual mode using the triggers "+" and "-" to overtake or approach a tight turn by example, then the system returns to automatic mode. The previous version required pulling the right trigger to iron – "manually"! – in automatic mode D or S.

Similarly, the instrumentation benefits from an update of its "software": the flag bearer of the winged brand finally deigns to indicate its instantaneous and average consumption (on the three trips, including two partial), as well as the autonomy and the remaining gasoline once the reserve is reached !

On the "Hardware" side, however, the VFR1200F retains its austere dashboard … but now at least complete !

Honda finally informs us of the adoption of an LED rear light (9 diodes in all), of a new saddle covering "for improved comfort"and a new rim finish … that only experts – from Tokyo, not Manhattan – will appreciate…

Motorcycle press experts, for their part, were able to test on the small roads connecting Marseille to Lake Sainte-Croix. In the saddle !

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