2013 Honda Vfr 1200F

[SumetCycle]

Got a call from Big Wing Bangkok. My new VFR is ready for delivery. I'll be picking it up tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve right now.

[taninthai]

this is becoming a bit regular congratulations on yet another new machine,you was talking about they offered you trade in for your cbr just wondering if you took their offer and do you know what will happen to the cbr ,will they sell it 2nd hand in their shop or off load it somewhere else just curious thats all

[loserlazer]

wow, brian, that is great man, i will come to your shop once you receive it and i am sure you will go to the motor show with it?

it is a dream touring bike of mine Brian, cannot imagine the pulling power of 1200 cc v four from 1500 RPM.

happy rides with it and keep the distance.

[loserlazer]

yeah how much do they ask for your cbr1000 Brian?

maybe interested.

[SumetCycle]

this is becoming a bit regular congratulations on yet another new machine,you was talking about they offered you trade in for your cbr just wondering if you took their offer and do you know what will happen to the cbr ,will they sell it 2nd hand in their shop or off load it somewhere else just curious thats all

I heard that they may use them as rental bikes. I guess it will give people a chance for a proper test ride before they buy. They said 650,000 at first, but then some higher up changed it to 600,000. I managed to get 625,000 for the bike in stock form though. I can probably get another 30,000 for all the after market stuff I installed. I also get 25,000 off of the price of the VFR, as this is my second Big Wing Bike.

[SumetCycle]

wow, brian, that is great man, i will come to your shop once you receive it and i am sure you will go to the motor show with it?

it is a dream touring bike of mine Brian, cannot imagine the pulling power of 1200 cc v four from 1500 RPM.

happy rides with it and keep the distance.

It should be here at the shop tomorrow afternoon and I'll be taking it to the motor show for sure. I can't wait to ride it. It has even better acceleration than the CBR 1000. Tops out at only 250km/h though. 555

[loserlazer]

this is becoming a bit regular congratulations on yet another new machine,you was talking about they offered you trade in for your cbr just wondering if you took their offer and do you know what will happen to the cbr ,will they sell it 2nd hand in their shop or off load it somewhere else just curious thats all

I heard that they may use them as rental bikes. I guess it will give people a chance for a proper test ride before they buy. They said 650,000 at first, but then some higher up changed it to 600,000. I managed to get 625,000 for the bike in stock form though. I can probably get another 30,000 for all the after market stuff I installed. I also get 25,000 off of the price of the VFR, as this is my second Big Wing Bike.

I am envious for your new bike brian, do not forget to visit the temple for blessing.

do they still keep your cbr1000? 600 k is not bad but it is Japanese spec tops out at 190 kmh but you solved that problem i remembered by some aftermarket parts, right?

[SumetCycle]

this is becoming a bit regular congratulations on yet another new machine,you was talking about they offered you trade in for your cbr just wondering if you took their offer and do you know what will happen to the cbr ,will they sell it 2nd hand in their shop or off load it somewhere else just curious thats all

I heard that they may use them as rental bikes. I guess it will give people a chance for a proper test ride before they buy. They said 650,000 at first, but then some higher up changed it to 600,000. I managed to get 625,000 for the bike in stock form though. I can probably get another 30,000 for all the after market stuff I installed. I also get 25,000 off of the price of the VFR, as this is my second Big Wing Bike.

I am envious for your new bike brian, do not forget to visit the temple for blessing.

do they still keep your cbr1000? 600 k is not bad but it is Japanese spec tops out at 190 kmh but you solved that problem i remembered by some aftermarket parts, right?

Thanks, 625 k actually. I can live with that sale price. A friend of mine who has a Japanese spec is going to buy all of my extras and derestrict his.

[SumetCycle]

^

Yes, Big Wing has my 1000 now.

[Beardog]

Now that is a sweet looking ride with plenty of whoop ass! I bet it is comfortable to be on doing a long distance trip!

[eezergood]

^

Yes, Big Wing has my 1000 now.

When do you hold the mother of all garage sales?

[prestburypark]

Congrats, sweet bike.

[mania]

I heard that they may use them as rental bikes. I guess it will give people a chance for a proper test ride before they buy.

I just had a mental image of CBR1000's turning up at track days

Imagine the look on the renters face when they see the tires when they come back yet the guy only racked up

1-200km

[BSJ]

It's an interesting bike. When if first came out Jeffery Honda, not far from where I lived in Oz, rang me to say come and have a test ride. When I got there I though it to be technically interesting but visually unappealing. Then I saw one again at the Bug Wing opening in Pattaya and thought it is still technically interesting, and in all black some may consider it to be an attractive bike.

I take my hat off to Brian or anyone else who buys one.

[taninthai]

If and a big if the kawasaki z800 is unveiled at the motorshow next week I predict our mr Sumet cycle may well be trading in his versys for z800....lol

[eezergood]

I predict we wont here from him today as he has a new toy

[Almera]

Nice one Brian.

A smooth-ass powerband all the way up to 140+HP

[moe666]

Met a guy here in Chiang Mai and he is thinking about getting rid of his as only functional on the major highways. As he said take it to Pai and you can still only go 80

[Almera]

^ Northern Thai mountains, sure.

Roads going up around the 3 pagoda pass, all over Isaan, down South, fantastic. For a BKK based rider/tourer it must be great.

[BSJ]

It was touted as the panacea for all the woos of the ST, but a lot of the ST owners in Oz, including myself, weren't ready for it. So, we put up with the heavier than most bikes steering, slow in the twisties handling, slightly better than average brakes and 25 year old technology.

We loved our ST's so much we ignored the bad stuff! If I had of stayed in Oz I would have bought another one just for touring and modded the old one for around the city.

But with a bigger screen, some Zenon HID spotties, a top box and some hard bags on the side....and a rider and pillion backrest it could be the best bike for touring Thailand.

Lets wait a while for Brian to confirm or deny that.

[loserlazer]

Yesterday went for bigwing and they were preparing a blaxk vfr1200f just out of the crate.

I think that was biran's bike.

Black looks much more better than boring cbr250 red imo.

[JonnyF]

Nice bike, look forward to a ride report...

[SumetCycle]

Thanks, everybody. I didn't actually get the bike until Sunday. I had to go to a Yamaha Fino release party and didn't have time to wait while they unpacked and checked the VFR. They agreed to deliver it to my house on Sunday morning. Slept in Sunday morning and missed their call. They ended up delivering it to my shop instead.

I was really nervous leaving the shop with it. You always think of those Youtubevideos of guys dropping their superbikes right after leaving the dealership. Got stuck for a bit in the traffic in front of the Mall Ngamwongwan, but so were the smaller bikes. Going through the gridlock in auto made things quite simple. It is very balanced for such a heavy bike and the throttle response is very smooth. Hardly any vibration either. Traffic eased up a bit were I could split lanes. Popped the mirrors up and got though without any problems. I then took it for a few runs up and down Ratchapruek Rd., but too much traffic to have any real fun. The bike does pull very hard even in the standard auto mode, but the shifts come very early. There is also a sport auto mode where the shifts come in a bit later. The manual mode involves shifting gears by pressing buttons on the left side of the handle bars. There is no clutch or gear lever. I kept reaching for a clutch lever that wasn't there. At the red lights I would go to put the bike in neutral only to realize that the bike had done it for me.

Overall, I am very happy with this bike. It is so easy to ride and nimble that it is hard to believe it is a 1200cc. The only thing I don't like is the kickstand. It is a bit tricky to get down. It also looks kind of thin and flimsy for such a heavy bike. I guess I'll have to be extra careful when parking to avoid any drops.

I still need to take it out for a proper ride, but yesterday, I was happy just to get her home shiny side up.

[eezergood]

congrats man

[JonnyF]

Cool, I can't imagine having a bike with that much power and no clutch or gear lever but it sounds like it works well. I guess it will be fantastic on long tours. Looks nice in black, good choice.

[mania]

That business side of the swingarm looks hyper sanitary all closed up like that.

Congrats on the new ride.

Your like a kid in a candy shop

I once managed a Suzuki shop in the US for a couple of years

and was the same way

[taninthai]

Do you have to drop the revs before you push the button to change gear then or you just push the button no matter the revs,that must feel so strange as jonny f says I can't imagine riding a bike with no clutch or gear lever

[loserlazer]

congrats brian, yeah i think that was the one i saw at bigwing last Saturday late afternoon.

great bike man.

[SumetCycle]

Do you have to drop the revs before you push the button to change gear then or you just push the button no matter the revs,that must feel so strange as jonny f says I can't imagine riding a bike with no clutch or gear lever

I believe you just hit the button. I actually kept in auto yesterday. I still need to do some experimentation with the manual mode. It is strange not having a gear and clutch lever. More than one way to skin a cat, I guess. I imagine shifts will be faster and smoother with this DCT system. Here is a video that explains how it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=didcKpf12VA

[SumetCycle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_CCHJq-LVo