American Honda officially unveiled the VFR1200F motorcycle today at its Torrance headquarters, although since news on the bike was leaked back in June (check out our spy shots here), Honda had no choice but to begin leaking information on the bike as time went by (Honda Europe had a teaser website up with little sound bites a week after the spy photos surfaced, and then the Honda corporate site posted info on the optional semi-automatic transmission back in September). Thus, the unveiling was kind of anti-climactic, as it was mostly a confirmation of what was already known. Still, plenty of interesting details about the bike surfaced at the introduction.
The new VFR1200F is powered by a 1237cc, 76-degree V-four, with the two rear cylinders located on the inner portion of the crankshaft and the two front cylinders framing them on each side—this narrows the middle of the bike between the rider’s knees. Because of the unusual cylinder location, the crankpin phasing is offset by 28 degrees in order to eliminate primary engine vibration in conjunction with the 76-degree Vee angle. Assymetrical exhaust header lengths work with the cylinder phasing to help tune power characteristics. The 44mm throttle bodies are controlled by a ride-by-wire engine management system, a first for Honda.
Borrowing technology from its motocross/off-road brethren, the VFR1200F engine uses the same Unicam setup for the top end valve actuation. Instead of two camshafts separately operating the intake and exhaust valves, the Unicam system uses a single overhead camshaft that drives both sets of valves via rocker arms. This allows the cylinder heads to be significantly smaller.
As we stated back in September, the VFR will be available in a version with the Dual Clutch automatic six-speed transmission as an option. By using a pair of clutches (one operating 1st, 3rd, and 5th gear, with the other operating 2nd, 4th, and 6th gear), the next gear can be already “pre-engaged”, allowing no cut-off in power and seamless gearshifts. For an explanation of how the Dual Clutch transmission works, click here. There will be a fully automatic mode (with two sub-modes, one for economy and the other for sport), and a semi-automatic mode that allows the rider to shift via paddles on the left handlebar. The manual shift version of the VFR will come equipped with a slipper clutch to ease downshifts. The Dual Clutch transmission adds 22 pounds to the bike, with that version weighing 613 pounds full of fuel ready to ride.
Prices had not been set at post time.
Specifications
- Engine Type: 1237cc liquid-cooled 76° V-4
- Bore and Stroke: 81mm x 60mm
- Compression ratio: 12.0:1
- Valve Train: SOHC; four valves per cylinder
- Induction: PGM-FI with automatic enrichment circuit, 44mm throttle bodies and 12-hole injectors
- Ignition: Digital transistorized with electronic advance
- Transmission: Six-speed (VFR1200F) / Six-speed automatic with two modes and manual mode (VFR1200F with Dual Clutch Automatic Transmission)
- Final Drive: Shaft
- Suspension
Front: 43mm cartridge fork with spring preload adjustability; 4.7 inches travel
Rear: Pro Arm single-side swingarm with Pro-Link® single gas-charged shock with remote spring preload adjustability and rebound damping adjustability; 5.1 inches travel - Brakes
Front: Dual full-floating 320mm discs with CBS six-piston calipers with ABS
Rear: Single 276mm disc with CBS two-piston caliper with ABS - Tires
Front: 120/70 ZR17 radial
Rear: 190/55 ZR17 radial - Wheelbase: 60.8 inches (1545mm)
- Rake: 25°30’
Trail: 101.0mm (4.0 inches) - Seat Height: 32.1 inches (815mm)
- Fuel Capacity: 4.9 gallons
- Color: Candy Red
- Curb Weight (all fluids including fuel, ready to ride): 591 pounds (VFR1200F) / 613 pounds (VFR1200F with Dual Clutch Automatic Transmission)
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