Moving on.........

Hi Ian

Enjoy the new bike and keep posting pictures of your travels.
Steve (Sven) also moved on this year from GS to RT, bumped into him at the Sunderland Airshow on Saturday.

As you know many ex VFR owners from the BO VFR forum have moved into the BMW camp and very few seem to have gone back to Honda over the past few years. Perhaps Honda have eventually made a bike that will tempt some people back.
Will be interested in your thoughts after a few months ownership.

Hopefully bump into you at the Manx again at some point.

Mick
Yes, you're right where once Honda ruled the roost, there seems to be much less brand loyalty these days. That 1200 V4 is superb, though!

MGP: Are you going this year? I'm going, 1130 from Liverpool on Sat 25 August and back at 1630 on Sat 1 September.
 
Yes, you're right where once Honda ruled the roost, there seems to be much less brand loyalty these days. That 1200 V4 is superb, though!

MGP: Are you going this year? I'm going, 1130 from Liverpool on Sat 25 August and back at 1630 on Sat 1 September.

Hi Ian

Not this year we put our France tour back to August due to John (Guy you met with the Blackbird) injuring his back.
Should be back in the groove next year hopefully.

Mick
 
Hi Ian
Should be back in the groove next year hopefully.
If there's a groove to be back in next year, if IOM government have their way, it might be a very different shaped groove.
 
You never know it just might be an 'improved' groove.
Certainly like the idea of it finishing on the August Bank Holiday (selfish reasons)

Mick

PS:
We were up on the Outer Hebrides (1st time on the motorbike) same time you were on Shetland. Same sort of 'breezy' sunny and cool weather.
 
I love the look of these :thumb2
Very interested to hear your thoughts on it as the miles pile on!
I have a demo booked on the smaller version on Friday.
 
No, IL4's have no soul.

:bow V4's on the other hand.........:nod

Health to enjoy, Ian.

Old inline 4s had charachter! :rob

I had a CB1300 a few years ago and MCN summed it up as "Bland, rapid forward motion" harsh but true!

A truly fantastic bike that just lacked something? :(

I tried the VFR1200 and thought it was just more of the same - Totally brilliant piece of Honda engineering that just didn't stir anything inside.

Even the salesman at my local Honda said the range lacked soul.

Seems to me that blandness is a bi-product of perfection.

I had a VF750 many moons ago, it wasn't perfect but it oozed charachter! :bow
 
I am glad you like it :thumb

I waited for this bike hoping I would love it, but it was not to be.

Great engine, deceptively fast (probably too fast as I always seemed to be doing 3 figures whenever I glanced down on the straights) and a terrific nuetral feel to the Handling.

Basically it is a Honda and nothing wrong with that.

Personally I did not like the riding position and thought the luggage was a bit naff, but it just did not do enough and with the luggage and grips was a large chunk of Wonga - especially as nobody wanted to do a deal.

Can see it being an amazing distance bike and eating up foreign motorways far better than the soulful twins.

Enjoy :D
 
It is indeed one very rapid motorcycle, and the engine’s so smooth and quiet that the speed builds up without you really noticing – which is a contrast to the boxer which makes just a little more mechanical fuss about it :augie

As to luggage, the Honda kit isn’t anywhere near as good as the BMW varios and the top box’s zip is just asking to be a target for theft. So I opted for Givi – half the price, but aftermarket kit always looks aftermarket whereas the Honda boxes do sit much tighter in to the bike. Compromises, I guess.

I can see what folks mean about Hondas being bland, the build quality is superb and it does do exactly what it says on the tin without any fuss, with 3 years warranty and with a 3 year service package at roughly half the price of buying them separately. Given a decent trade in on the GS, and a bit of discount on list price, I’d have been a fool not to.

I’ve been out again tonight, on a lovely evening, so 500 miles is up and I’m still enjoying it. The photos are Monsal Head.
 

Attachments

  • 1004.jpg
    1004.jpg
    76.8 KB · Views: 305
  • 1009.jpg
    1009.jpg
    70.3 KB · Views: 496
  • 1011.jpg
    1011.jpg
    60.5 KB · Views: 305
  • 1016.jpg
    1016.jpg
    61.5 KB · Views: 308
It is indeed one very rapid motorcycle, and the engine’s so smooth and quiet that the speed builds up without you really noticing – which is a contrast to the boxer which makes just a little more mechanical fuss about it.

I rest my case :augie

Seriously though nice bike , have fun with it :beerjug:
 
I rest my case :augie
Wrong! As has been said before, V4 engines have soul, power, torque and smoothness in one superb package. I don't expect it'll use any oil either :blagblah
 
APE stop trying to piss on Ian's fireworks. :tosser

How about being happy for him? as he is obviously very happy with his new bike :nenau
 


Back
Top Bottom