Bigger V4 sends the VFR nuclear

If you must have a Honda in your life, PAUL OWEN says it should be the VFR1200.

Judged solely on its performance, the new 1200cc V4 in the midst of Honda's latest sports-touring flagship isn't a bike engine, it's more a thermo-nuclear reactor. With such a rocket-like propellant to drive it, the new VFR1200F is a bike that so pushes boundaries it almost creates a new market segment: super sports tourer.

Not only is the VFR impressively quick, the V4 engine delivers its performance with the same effortlessness as a Bentley Turbo V8, chucking out huge gobs of Newton- metres in the middle of the rev range and responding to any decent twist of the throttle with unruffled alacrity. This beefy bike might be a mountain to the Fireblade sportbike's molehill, but it has God's own motor to move it. A single word to sum up the VFR1200 would be THRUST, such is this bike's mid-range ascendency over larger-capacity competition such as the BMW K1300S and the Kawasaki ZX-14.

Describing the sound of the 76-degree V4, especially when the Ferrari-like exhaust flap opens at 5500rpm, is not quite so easy. For it sounds like almost nothing else heard in the two-wheeled world since Fast Fred Merkel's Honda RC30 racebike won the inaugural World Superbike Championship back in the late 1980s. The droning sound effects are shared by both Honda V4s due to the 360-degree crankshafts and the evenly spaced firing orders of their cylinders.

Contrast this with the 180-degree crank of the existing VFR800 V4, where the pistons of each bank of cylinders move in opposite directions instead of the more harmonious movements of the 1200's slugs. Where the 800 fires off its cylinders in an uneven syncopated salute to dance to a beat shared by most V8s, the 1200 spaces the explosions in its combustion chambers with precision.

Both the even firing order of 1200, and the offset crankpins that promote smoothness and negate the need for balance shafts, increase the efficiency of the engine through reduced pumping losses. Hence the newer Honda's unique sound, and a level of performance that surpasses the larger inline fours from Kawasaki and BMW.

The success of the VFR1200's engine is that it generates similar power to its more highly strung competition with less CCs. The 170-bhp peak arrives at 10,000rpm, following on from the arrival of 129Nm of torque at 7800, and both are right on the numbers generated by the most ballistic Beemer and quickest Kawasaki. Yet, impressive as these on-paper engine outputs are, they give no hint of the VFRs extra muscle at lower engine speeds.

Judged on the throttle response from 3500rpm upward, the V4 could be four CRF250 cylinders that have each been bored out by another 50cc then joined to a common crankcase. Honda's CRF family of four-stroke dirt warriors donated the top-end architecture of the sports-tourer, where single overhead cams work directly on the inlet valves and operate the opening and closing of the exhaust ports via rocker arms.

According to Honda, using the unicam top end not only saved 300g of reciprocating mass, it reduced the height and length of the engine by 200mm. The result is a victory for packaging that allows the mass of the engine to be brought closer to the centre of the bike.

You feel this optimisation of mass any time you have to heave the VFR from one side to the other. Along with the reduced steering inertia that the shorter crankshaft of a V4 allows, this is the key to the 1200's ability to feel like a far lighter machine any time the bike's speed is above 5km/h. Flicking the VFR from full lean on one side to the other is child's play. While the rate of rotation is slower than the more biddable Fireblades, the Honda changes direction with more ease and speed than its direct competition.

The VFR's suspension might appear unremarkable in specification, but the way it performs on our bumps, dips, potholes and corrugations is worthy of the highest praise. My only want was for a little more rebound in the rear shock. The Honda also supplies on-the-move spring preload adjustment via a handwheel.

So what didn't I like? The styling? Many admired it, others hated it, so let's leave that to your own opinion. The parsimonious 18-litre tank? Here's an easy target, although Honda says the range is good for 300km on a full tank.

HONDA VFR1200F

* Engine: 1237cc liquid-cooled fuel-injected V4 developing 127kW (170bhp) of power and 129Nm of torque

* Transmission: Six-speed sequential gearbox, shaft drive.

* Chassis: Aluminium twin-spar frame with single-sided swingarm, 43mm inverted front forks and rear monoshock, both adjustable for preload and rebound

* Price: $28,999

* Hot: F model will be followed by a sportier R version

* Not: Won't do Hokitika-Wanaka on a single tank

- © Fairfax NZ News