Honda VFR 800 V-TEC RC 46 II 2007 — Specifications

What remains when a legend hesitates? In 2006, Honda introduced the new VFR 800, and the first feeling that grips the enthusiast is a strange perplexity. After the stylistic and mechanical upheaval of the 2002 version, with its thunderous V-TEC and sharp lines, one expected consolidation, a response. What is discovered is a motorcycle almost identical to the naked eye. One must be an initiate to point out the new tinted windshield glass or the crystal-white turn signals. The design department seems to have been on sabbatical for four years, a luxury few manufacturers allow themselves.

However, do not be fooled. The real evolution, the only one that truly matters to Honda, is nestled in the beating heart of the machine: its mythical V4. The 781 cm3 engine, still as compact, sees its V-TEC system reworked in depth. The engagement threshold rises to 6600 rpm, gaining 200 precious revolutions in the low-mid range. The objective is clear: to soften this transition formerly a little brutal, this characteristic “clack” that divided the purists. The result is there, more linear, without however muffling the raw sound and the frank arrival of power at high rpm, which peak at 106 horsepower. It is a more refined engine, but one that has lost nothing of its soul.

On the rest, Honda touches nothing, and that is all the better. The chassis was already of exemplary maturity. The CBS combined braking system and adjustable suspensions offer an almost perfect balance for the sporty traveler. With its 256 kg fully fueled and its 22-liter tank, the VFR 800 devours the kilometers with astonishing ease, while still being able to make you smile in a succession of curves. It is not a track beast, but a superlative road companion, precise and reassuring.

So, is this timidity a defect? For a young track rider seeking raw sensations, perhaps. Faced with more radical competitors, the VFR may seem wise. But that is precisely its philosophy: a road perfection, a heritage of mechanical refinement. Honda has chosen to refine a proven formula rather than revolutionize everything. The target audience, the demanding traveler or the expert seeking a versatile and reliable machine, will find their account. At 12,800 euros, it is an investment for the years, for the kilometers. It does not seek to dazzle you, but to never disappoint you. And in that, despite appearances, it remains deeply VFR.