Honda VFR800F 2016 — Specifications

Can a blue-blooded sportbike still surprise us when it has sported the same architecture for nearly three decades? The Honda VFR800F, this icon of sport touring, answers with a subtle but effective renewal in 2014, proving that a legend knows how to rejuvenate without denying its essence. Beneath this redesigned bodywork, the heart remains that famous 782 cm3 V4 engine, a powerplant that doesn't need a bloated spec sheet to assert its character. With 106 horsepower at 10,250 rpm and 75 Nm of torque, it doesn't seek war against super-sportbikes, but rather offers a musicality and progressivity that are part of its DNA. The VTEC system tuning on this generation aims to smooth the transition between valve modes, an adjustment that soothes what could have been a point of tension for some riders.

Honda’s real work on this VFR800F RC79 was to make it lose weight and embellish it. By eliminating the CBS system and adopting a more conventional side-mounted muffler, the machine sheds 7 kg, a welcome slimming cure for a vehicle that weighs 239 kg fully fueled. The pivotless aluminum frame, a monument of the era, remains unchanged, but the rear end benefits from a new Pro-Arm and an aluminum swingarm. At the front, the 43 mm HMAS fork now features radial four-piston calipers and 310 mm discs, while ABS and a now-disconnectable traction control system complete the safety arsenal. One might perhaps regret the absence of an inverted fork, but the whole offers a precision and stability that are the hallmark of the VFR.

Who is it for? This Honda VFR800F doesn't target the novice intimidated by its size, nor the track rider seeking raw numbers. It speaks to those who seek a complete machine, capable of transforming a long day on the road into a fatigue-free journey, while retaining the necessary aggression to liven up a winding mountain pass. Its 805 mm seat height and 22-liter fuel tank are concrete arguments for this role. At a price of around €12,500, it positions itself against competitors such as the Yamaha Tracer 900 or the Suzuki V-Strom 1000, but surpasses them with its mechanical refinement and heritage. It is the sport touring machine that never lets you down, whose V4 engine sings in your ear, and whose chassis seems to read the road before you.

What some expect is a revolution: a 1000 cm3 V4 stripped of VTEC, unleashing 140 horsepower without complexification. But this 2016 Honda VFR800F, and even in the spirit of a hypothetical 2025 Honda VFR800F Honda 800 VFR, shows that the path of constant evolution can be just as valid. It modernizes its equipment with heated grips and automatic turn signal reminders, refines its handling, and retains this unparalleled homogeneity that means that after twenty years, no other machine has managed to take its title of the most versatile and charismatic sport-GT on the market. It is not the most radical, but it is perhaps the most intelligent.