Road Test Honda VFR800DLX 2015

Sadly, many magazine road tests of new motorcycles are written after one day on a track at an exotic location and a street ride at hyper speeds through roads the testers don’t know. Unless you are testing a sport bike, I am not sure how valid that kind of test is going to be. I wish someone would send me on one of those all-expense paid test “junkets”. This is not one of that kind of tests.

Honda Canada graciously loaned me, at very short notice, (on behalf of Eat Sleep Ride), a new Honda VFR800 DLX to ride for a week of back road riding. I loaded up and immediately took it to my favourite back road riding area in north central Pennsylvania. I put about 300 km per day on the VFR over a full week of riding. I got to know the bike very well.

I want to start by describing the bike. The Honda VFR800 was re-introduced in 2014, after being out of production for a few years. The previous generations were loved by many riders and the new version was expected to be popular. The 2015 version is the same bike as the 2014. Honda Canada at this time advertise having some 2014’s left (available at a healthy discount).

The VFR800 is a mid-size sport touring bike. The class used to be very popular with bikes from Triumph, BMW and Ducati competing for our dollars. The only bikes left in the mid-size sport touring class with full fairings are now the BMW (F800GT) and the VFR800. Everyone else has either shifted to bigger (displacement and overall size) bikes or to Adventure Touring (or Adventure Touring look) bikes.

Honda have a base model and a loaded model (the DLX). The DLX comes with most of the stuff people might want to add. My VFR demo came with hard bags, heated grips (multi-level), self-cancelling signals, ABS brakes and traction control.

The nice looking hard saddle bags use one lever to open, close and remove them from the bike. The traction control does have an off/on switch, but I never found a normal riding surface that I needed to turn them off. The heated grips have multi levels of heat. Every motorcycle should have heated grips!

The Honda VFR800 is a really great looking bike. My white “demo” bike got “thumbs up” from almost everyone who saw it. Even some of the Harley riders commented on how impressive it looked. The new VFR800 has a more angular look than the previous generations and looks modern. One of the first things I noticed is that the headlights don’t have conventional bulbs in them. The new VFR has LED lights, a first for me.

The VFR800 is powered by a liquid cooled V4 engine with Honda’s VTEC valve actuation system. Previous VFR generations were criticized for the VTEC power spike affecting throttle response. Not on the new VFR800! The power is progressive and rarely ever needs to be rev’d higher than 6000 rpm. This V4 motor is so smooth! Riding the twisty back roads of north central Pennsylvania showed just how perfect the power delivery was. Honda have been building motorcycles with V4 engines since the 1980s. They have perfected the power delivery of this engine configuration.

Traction Control is relatively new to motorcycles and the VFR’s main competitor (BMW F800GT) doesn’t have it! Traction control allows you to dial on a little more power coming out of tight corners without fear of the rear wheel stepping out. Traction control gives peace of mind on wet or slick roads too. Honda’s version just works! The VFR also has great brakes and sophisticated ABS. No worrying about panic stops (like when I found 6 deer huddled in the middle of Hwy. 249) or stopping on gravel kicked onto the road by an errant truck. The Traction Control and ABS come on seamlessly. No drama stopping with the VFR. I guess building world class electronics for their GP bikes really does trickle down to Honda street bikes.

Riding position is on the sporty side of sport touring. The bars are perfect for 3-4 hours of blitzing the back roads. After 6 hours, the wrists were a bit sore. The seat is a gem; wide and supportive. The dash showed all scales, speed, etc. in gold colour. Really neat looking and easy to read in bright sunlight. The VFR has a single sided swing arm which looks good and makes changing wheels and adjusting the chain easier. The bike comes with both side and center stands.

So if you loved your previous generation Honda VFR or Ducati ST2, Triumph Sprint ST, you will love the 2014 and 2015 VFR800. It looks great, handles well and is comfortable. Vibration coming through the pegs and handlebars is next to nil certainly compared to the BMW F800GT.

However, the Honda VFR800 does have some flaws. I appreciated the heated grips in the morning, however the add-on DLX heated grip control switch is really Mickey Mouse. The switch just seems to be a “tacked on” afterthought. Sure, it worked, but why not a button as part of the switch cluster?

One of the switches you use all the time is the signal light switch. If it isn’t right, it becomes apparent right off. The VFR has self-cancelling signal lights. Unfortunately, they seem to cancel a bit too soon and the button needs to be easier to reach. The horn and 4 way flasher switches are nice and big with a perfect shape.

All hard bags should have a flat bottom inside. The VFR800 bags don’t! So stuff falls out when you open them. I guess the optional bag liner set at $130.00 would cure this.

The VFR800 seems to like to warm up before moving off. Idle at start-up was 2100 – 2300 rpm instead of the normal 1200 rpm on a cool morning. A bit ‘off putting’ as it pulls away quicker than expected when cold. Yes, little things I know, but this is a thirteen and half thousand dollar bike!

So how does the Honda VFR800 stack up against its competitors? The Yamaha FJ09 isn’t exactly a traditional mid-sized sport touring bike but most buyers will look at the FJ when considering buying a VFR. The FJ09 is about $1800 cheaper at $12,675 with bags and heated grips. It is also about 80 lbs lighter. The BMW F800 GT is $13,600 without bags and about 65 lbs lighter. The Honda’s claimed weight is 534 lbs. Other than price, I consider the weight of the bike because you still have to push it in and out of your garage. Lighter weight being better than heavy.

I rode the VFR800DLX every day for a week on the twisty 2 lane back roads. After the first day, I was completely comfortable throwing the VFR into tight corners, riding some gravel or broken up pavement and doing some “droning on” a few multi-lane highways.

Would I trade my BMW for a VFR800? I was tempted.

Post Script; I visited two of my local Honda Motorcycle dealers who cleared up some confusion for me. Apparently, the DLX is not an 'official' Honda Canada model. It is a US model. Canada only gets the VFR800F. The bags, heated grips, center stand are all options. The good guys at Sturgess Cycle in Hamilton Ontario have access to a more detailed Honda web site than the rest of us. They also suggested that I should mention the optional tail trunk and mounting rack. My personal opinion is that I don't like tail trunks. When fully loaded, they throw off the balance of a bike. Hanging anything at the furthest point from a motorcycle's center of balance is bound to affect handling. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it. Sure a tail trunk can be convenient but not on my bike.

The trunk Honda sell for the VFR800 is a pretty neat unit. It is colour matched to the bike and mounted on a sturdy mount that can also double as a spot to mount a small tail bag. Just like the bike, it looks good and fits the look of the rest of the bike. It isn't huge so it can only hold one helmet.

As of October 2015, Honda is doing a $1500.00 factory rebate on 2014 versions. Both of my local dealers have VFR800s in stock to sell.