Ask any motorcycle aficionado, who dwells in South Africa, to name a big capacity Adventure bike and the reply will be obvious. BMW GS, KTM anything and perhaps the odd mention of Yamaha’s Super Tenere, right? But I doubt very much that anyone will talk about the bike we have here, well maybe a few, which is a little sad to say the least.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with Honda’s VFR1200X Crosstourer except for its class rivals that are imprinted into the Adventure rider’s mind, here in SA. Honda actually calls their bike an Adventure Tourer, which is a bit of a vague description. However, after a few weeks with the big VFR I can see where they’re coming from.
It’s not really a hard-core Adventure bike like a KTM 1190R for example but instead fits into the garage alongside the BMW XR1000, Ducati Multistrada, Triumph Tiger, Suzuki V-Strom and the like; all Adventure Tourers if you adopt that designation.
Now I’ve always been a huge fan of Honda’s VFR range since the 1980’s, especially the early RC-30/45s from the 90’s and indeed the whole range of their sporty models wearing that proud label, but I can’t help wishing that more ‘VFR’ heritage would have washed across to their VFR1200X.
You see Honda has taken their 1,237cc. 76-degree V4 engine from their 2010 VFR1200 and detuned in the quest for more torque and mid-range, as everyone seems to do. But in the process it’s gone, or dropped, from 170hp to 127hp when bikes like the BMW and Ducati all claim around 160hp, so I would have left the engine alone, wouldn’t you, and kept it in ‘real’ VFR sporty mode?
While I’m moaning, whatever happened to those gorgeous VRF colour schemes? This plain old silver is a bit bland to say the least. I mean, check out how cool the Africa Twin looks in its HRC livery. Also, moan, moan, no one knows what this bike is besides the Crosstourer sticker on the side of the fairing. Don’t you think it would have a much bigger presence in Repsol colours with a big 1200X V4 emblazoned on the sides, or is that just me?
Anyway all of those issues aside it is one highly respectable touring bike in anyone’s mind. A big motor with a low revving nature is the perfect recipe to eat away the kilometers and, this is what the VRF1200X does best. The adjustable screen is highly effective as speeds increase and the plush saddle keeps the rider happy and content for many hours. Around town though I did find the gearbox a bit clunky at low rpm as it transmitted power to that huge shaft-drive assembly acting as a single-sided swing-arm, which turns those gorgeous crossover spoked wheels, very classy indeed, as is the whole bike really.
If you’re not a fan of the electronics found on the ‘others’ then you’ll like the 1200X. Three levels of traction control and that’s it, besides of course all the on-board computer stuff normally found on a digital instrument display like this.
I was a fan though of how good the VRF1200X is regarding fuel consumption. I’m not sure about the figures but I was quite surprised by how far the bike would go on a mere R100, when you consider it weighs in at 275kg. So perhaps the engine detune was a good thing as far as gas guzzling goes and the 21.5 litre tank will take you way into the distance before a refill that’s for sure.
Even though this big machine weighs 275kg it’s fun and agile when you arrive at entertaining corners but we do have very good Showa components here, so I’m not really surprised. I’m not really surprised either about the R195,000 price tag because this is a quality Honda motorcycle for sure and V4s are expensive to produce. But the sales aren’t that great and Honda is the only ones to blame in my mind. Why? Well it’s called the CRF1000 Africa Twin, which is a bit cheaper and everyone prefers to ride one of those regarding Honda Adventure bikes instead.
Go to www.honda.co.za to explore the new 2017 range of models and to find your closest dealer.
