Honda’s spree of launching new products at EICMA continues with the new VFR800F. The VFR seems to a very important model in the Honda lineup as we can see a lot of Honda first items being thrown in it. The styling has changed and is more sleeker and less bulbous. Touring is the new mantra in India and around the world, hence riders need reliable and affordable higher capacity motorcycles for the job. So to cater to the riders, here comes a revised version of the VFR800F.
The 2014 Honda VFR800F will be powered by the same 781cc, V4 engine which should produce around 120 BHP of power and 85 Nm of torque. The VFR800F is lighter by 10 kgs. On the mechanical front, the VFR800F gets a single sided swing-arm with revised Pro-Link rear suspension which is adjustable for pre-load and rebound. The rear sub-frame is lighter by 3 kgs thanks to the use of aluminium.
Brakes have seen a massive step up too. 310 mm dual floating disc at the front from the 280 mm which was seen on the previous model. The brakes are radially mounted on the 2014 VFR800F. The under seat exhaust makes way for a single end can on the motorcycle. Traction control makes its way on the VFR800F too. This Honda can deliver 18 km/l if you can maintain sane riding speeds.
Practicality has been massively important on VFR bikes. The motorcycle gets a 21.5 litre fuel tank and LED headlights. The seat height is adjustable thanks to a tool which will be a Honda genuine accessory and adjustable handle bar height. Five stage heated grip and full digital dash is now made available as standard on the motorcycle. A quick shifter is also being made available as an option on the Honda VFR800F.
An India launch is likely due to the high demand of these kind of motorcycles in our market. Honda should at least take the CKD/SKD route for the VFR800F and they could see themselves selling good numbers in this untapped middle-weight segment.
