The Modern VFRs
Honda's VFR goes high-tech: VTEC on the 2002 VFR800, a 1,237cc V4 with a dual-clutch gearbox on the VFR1200F, and the lighter 2014 VFR800F. What changed, what riders loved and hated, and what to check when you buy parts.
Menu Book No. 3 · Honda V4s
Menu Book No. 1 ended with the 1998–2001 VFR800 and its gear-driven cams, the bike plenty of riders still call the purist's VFR. This book is what came next. Honda spent the following decade loading the VFR up with new technology, and not every idea landed the way it hoped.
The theme: the VFR goes high-tech
For 2002 Honda traded the VFR's famous gear-driven cams for chains and added VTEC. In 2010 it went big with a 1,237cc V4, shaft drive and a dual-clutch gearbox. Then in 2014 it went back to an 800 and refined everything it had learned. Three bikes, three very different answers to the same question: what should a VFR be?
Honda VFR800 VTEC, 6th Generation
- Engine
- 781cc V4
- VTEC comes in
- ~6,800 rpm
- Cam drive
- Chain
Jon's 2003 VFR800, restored in our shop. Photo: JTL Powersports
The 2002 VFR800 was a clean-sheet redesign. The sharp new bodywork carried dual underseat exhausts, and the 781cc V4 got Honda's VTEC system. Below roughly 6,800 rpm it ran on two valves per cylinder for low-speed manners. Above that, all four valves came in for top-end pull. The gear-driven cams were gone too, replaced by cam chains. ABS was optional, and the brakes were linked front to rear.
Riders didn't love the VTEC handover. The jump from two valves to four could be abrupt, especially mid-corner. For 2006 Honda answered with a remapped ECU, an earlier engagement point around 6,400 rpm, and a smoother transition. The same update upgraded the wiring to deal with charging-system complaints and added a white-faced tach and clear turn signals.
In the U.S. the VFR800 was dropped after 2009, when the VFR1200F arrived. Other markets kept selling it for several more years.
Owner's notes: The charging system is the thing to check, especially on 2002–2005 bikes. Look at the regulator/rectifier, the stator and the connectors between them. The 2006–2009 bikes have the smoother VTEC and the wiring fixes, so many riders treat them as the ones to buy. The underseat exhaust and the bodywork are specific to this generation, so confirm the year before ordering.
Watch it
2002 Honda VFR800 Interceptor review, VTEC and all. Video: Drive315 on YouTube
A full owner’s review of a 6th-generation VFR800 Interceptor. Video: Pegasus Motorcycle Tours & Consulting on YouTube
Honda VFR1200F
- Engine
- 1,237cc V4
- Gearbox
- Manual or DCT
- Final drive
- Shaft
Honda showed the production VFR1200F at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and started deliveries in early 2010. It was a big swing. The 1,237cc V4 sat at 76 degrees, used Honda's compact Unicam single-cam heads, and drove the rear wheel through a shaft. The throttle was ride-by-wire, with no cable between the grip and the engine.
The headline was the optional dual-clutch transmission. One clutch handled first, third and fifth, the other second, fourth and sixth, so shifts happened with no gap in power. It could run fully automatic or shift by buttons on the bar. Honda billed it as the first dual-clutch transmission on a motorcycle, and versions of it now show up across Honda's lineup.
The criticism was about the practical stuff. The tank shrank to about 18.5 liters, down from 22 on the VFR800, and testers complained about range. At roughly 589 lb wet, it was heavy, and the styling split opinion. Honda built it through 2017, when tighter emissions and noise rules caught up with it. The VFR1200X Crosstourer adventure bike used a de-tuned version of the same engine and gearbox.
Owner's notes: Find out whether you have a manual or a DCT bike before you order drivetrain or control parts, because they are very different underneath. Crosstourer engine parts may cross over, but always match the part number.
Watch it
An owner’s full review of the VFR1200F. Video: Pegasus Motorcycle Tours & Consulting on YouTube
Honda’s dual-clutch transmission road tested on the VFR1200F, Crosstourer and more. Video: iMotorcycle Video on YouTube
Honda VFR800F Interceptor
- Engine
- 781cc V4
- Weight saved
- ~10 kg
- U.S. trims
- Standard, Deluxe
Shown at the 2013 EICMA show in Milan, the VFR800F brought the 800 back. It kept the refined 2006-style VTEC and the single-sided swingarm, but dropped the underseat exhausts for a side-mounted can. Lighter wheels and other changes took about 10 kg out of it. It also got LED lighting, new instruments, and front-mounted radiators in place of the side-mounted ones.
In the U.S. it was sold as the Interceptor in Standard and Deluxe trims. The Deluxe added ABS, traction control, heated grips, a center stand and self-canceling turn signals. It wasn't sold here for long, which makes clean examples worth hanging on to.
Owner's notes: Check whether you're working on a Standard or a Deluxe, because the electronics differ. The exhaust and the radiators don't swap with 6th-generation parts, and it runs a 525 drive chain.
Watch it
The 2014 VFR800F at its launch test. Video: iMotorcycle Video on YouTube
A 2014/2015 VFR800F Interceptor on the highway. Video: Gator Greg on YouTube
Honda V4 parts at JTL Powersports
We part out real donor bikes and list the parts as they come off, so every listing tells you exactly what bike it came from. Browse our Honda parts to see what's listed today. Want the earlier history? Start with Menu Book No. 1 and Menu Book No. 2.