The legendary Honda VFR800FI (FI-fuel injection) is widely regarded by many bikers as one of the best motorcycles ever put into production. Back in 1998, the bike changed the motorcycle world forever with its class leading blend of performance, build quality and all round ability. But there is another darker side to the bike; one that is hardly ever spoken about. This article looks at the reality behind the myth.

Good Things About the VFR800

The Honda VFR800 boasts an intoxicating mixture of qualities. First of all, there’s the breath taking V4 engine to consider. Then, there’s the bike’s astounding craftsmanship to look at. And, the bike has more than enough performance on offer for most riders to deal with.

Bad Things About the VFR800

However, the Honda VFR800 has some serious character defects worth knowing about. Most importantly, the riding position is criminal. The bike’s linked braking system is annoying and flawed. And the tank range is poor, at best.

The Truth Behind the Honda VFR800

As with all legends, there’s a lot of hype surrounding the actual event. It’s no different for the VFR800. Tales abound in the biking media and by word of mouth concerning the bike’s real world road riding prowess, utter reliability and easy to live with nature. So is any of this hype true? In short, sort of. The bike does have a great deal to offer. But this is balanced by some rarely spoken about flaws.

The Honda VFR800 is billed as a sports touring machine. Ride fast on track and cover loads of miles on the road. On the face of it, this sounds like the perfect mixture, right? Wrong. This bike tries to be two things at once, which let’s face it, isn’t an easy thing to do – even if this machine is designed and built by Honda. Sadly, the VFR800 is filled by compromises to such an extent that it’s good at neither track day antics or continent covering.

VFR800 Basics

Let’s get one thing straight here. Just for a moment, forget all the hysteria and propaganda surrounding the VFR800. This bike is dominated by one thing and one thing only. Its V4 engine. When new, Honda claimed 110bhp, which was good for around 150mph. Even now, this bike can really move. So what?

It’s the way it moves the rider that counts. The engine wails and howls like a drunken banshee – it’s the sort of sound that will leave any rider shaking. No other motorcycle sounds like this. In any gear, at nearly any revs, the power delivery is rapid, yet smooth. Even though the engine is stupidly complex – with overhead cams and a host of other internal trickery – this Honda heart will probably never stop beating.

So apart from an amazing engine, what else makes the VFR800 special? That would have to be the nearly indestructible nature of the beast. Many owners report covering 50,000 miles without any major work being done. Some even say as much as 100,000 miles can be ridden before major workshop time needs to be booked. Build quality like this is hard to fault. If there is a weak point in the build quality – it’s the regulator unit. By now, most VFR800s will have had the original unit replaced by one that actually works. Make sure it’s done though; the old regulator will fail.

Performance wise, the bike has more than enough for most real life, everyday road situations. With so much power on tap, any rider can get to where they are going very quickly indeed. The bike responds in the bends superbly too – in a way that inspires confidence from the outset. Away from normal road riding, the bike will make track days interesting, but don’t expect to be able to compete against any rival motorcycle that isn’t at least ten years old.

Major Problems with the VFR800

With all this on offer from the VFR800, shouldn’t every biker want one? Well, no. The biggest problem with the bike is the riding position. Now, a bike that is labelled as a sports touring bike is going to have to be at least a little comfortable to allow the rider to complete long haul trips. Otherwise, it’s just a sports bike in disguise. Here’s the truth; for any rider of average height (6’1in) or above, riding a VFR800 for any amount of time is very, very uncomfortable. After only an hour, the dull aches in the wrists and lower back will have grown into full blown agony.

There isn’t any way around this pain either (some owners fit bar risers, but the problem is inherent to the design.) The rider can’t lean back or take the weight of their wrists by moving around in the saddle. The riding position naturally pitches the rider over – near to a head down, bottom up position. For tracks, this sort of huddled crouch is great, as it allows for maximum control and performance. But, and this is a massive but, the sort of discomfort this position causes to the rider makes long distance riding all but impossible. So that means no touring.

And it’s not just this stupidly harsh riding style that spoils the VFR800. Another of the bike’s quirks is just as annoying. The VFR800 was one of the first bikes to be fitted as standard with a pair of linked brakes. In theory, this system allows for effortless braking by combining the brakes together in one fluid action.

If the rider uses either the front or rear brake, the other brake comes on automatically. Even if the rider doesn’t want it to. At the time, this system was a bright idea. In reality, however, the linked braking system is bordering on madness. All in all, the brakes feel condescending and vague. That’s not to say they don’t work; they do. It’s just they don’t feel quite right.

Lastly, we come to another serious drawback to the VFR800. For all the roaring of the glorious V4 engine – the bike pays a huge price. Operational range, even when the bike is ridden sedately, is never more than 150 miles per 21 litre tank. For a supposed touring motorcycle, that’s just not good enough. In a way, this is a mute point as many riders will have been – by this time – forced to take a break from the exhausting riding position before they run out of fuel. But this poor mileage shows the VFR800 for what it really is; a mix mash of half thought out ideas combined in a bike that has a split personality.

The Last Word

The VFR800 is a legend among bikers. It’s a machine that isn’t like any other motorcycle from that era. Many riders love the bike – regardless of its issues. There’s a huge following for the VFR breed all over the world. That’s why Honda has just released their latest version – the VFR1200. However, the original VFR800 is not a mythical super bike that can go anywhere and do anything. The bike is flawed, and seriously so. Please, remember that if you’re ever tempted to buy one.