What the VFR should have been......

[shah269]

OK this doesn't really belong in the Honda section because it's an article about Aprilia.
But you have to admit, isn't this what we all really want?
A bike smart enough to be safe but tricked out enough to be fun?
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/10/a-carbon-bodied-rsv4-factory-and-aprilia-performance-ride-control-explained/

Aprilia Traction Control is an eight-position, rider-switchable system that proprietary to and patented by the Italian performance bike manufacturer. Focussed on adding performance rather than safety like the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R’s S-KTRC, ATC also recognizes that under some conditions, such as exiting a corner, some wheel slip is actually needed to achieve maximum acceleration and only gently reduces torque to keep that slide from getting out of control. In addition to the rider-selected levels of sensitivity, ATC is also self-adjusting to accommodate for different tire sizes, profiles and levels of grip. To achieve this, the rider activates a learning program which enables the on board computer to determine the tire’s characteristics.

Hitherto the preserve of high-dollar race systems, the APRC package also inclued Aprilia Wheelie Control. Using the gyroscopes and accelerometers, the computer is able to detect when the front wheel leaves the ground, gently reducing torque to return that front wheel to the road. The system is tailored to delivery maximum acceleration, not simply to keep the front wheel down. Like the other components of APRC, AWC is individually adjustable and activated.

Right engine......right brain....right gear box and how what...a little cheaper than the VFR?
It's amazing? Some times you just have to kick the engineers out of the room and say NO! Technology is a a means to and end not an end to it self!

[Kootenanny]

Some times you just have to kick the engineers out of the room and say NO! Technology is a a means to and end not an end to it self!

Hah!  Waay too f'n true!




(says the engineering technologist... )

[shah269]

Oh no it's OK.
There are two kinds of engineers  those who see technology as a means to an end.....and others who see technology as a means to it self.
The guys at Honda....love technology for technology and think we do to.
But we just want a bike that can be comfortable for a 150 mile ride where by 40 of those miles are ridden in some sort of sporting fashion.
And if you look at it...these guys at Aprila seem to have figured it out.
A few little changes here and there and well it would be one hell of an ST bike!
Good roads bad roads all good!

[crispiegee1]

I opened this thread expecting to see a picture of the Triumph Sprint GT.




 

[birdrunner]

I opened this thread expecting to see a picture of the Triumph Sprint GT.




 

KTM990 SMT.

[sammyseaman]

I opened this thread expecting to see a picture of the Triumph Sprint GT.




 

 

[Lawn Dart]

I opened this thread expecting to see a picture of the Triumph Sprint GT.




 

Nah.  BMW made the "next Gen" VFR back in 2005 with the release of the K1200S.  Hate all you want, BMW got it right and Honda biffed it.

[Sarchi]

Nice RSV but the VFR's a street bike, I don't really see how they relate.  

Yeah, BMW, Triumph and Ducati have already out-VFR'ed Honda.  

[veefer800canuck]

Nice RSV but the VFR's a street bike, I don't really see how they relate.  

Yeah, BMW, Triumph and Ducati have already out-VFR'ed Honda.  

And now Kawasaki too.

That's why I'm keeping my '99......

[chornbe]

The VFR was never really designed or meant to be "just another bike", at least in the later gens. But even the earliest model was designed with some stand-apart ideals. What we came to know and love in the VFR was Honda's showcase for the future. A kind of a rolling monument to what could be. Love or hate V-TEC, it was unique. The single sided swing arm, the linked brakes, etc., etc., etc... for a time were rather unique or at least unusual in the extreme.

In that mindset, the VFR did its job very well and in many ways remains a unique entry in the market place.

If there is anything else in the market place that's TRULY VFR-comparable, then... congratulations go to Honda for showing us what could be...

Other bikes now have linked brakes, single-sided swing arms, V4s, high-tech designs, etc. Racing may be the impetus and proving grounds for much of that, but to ignore the VFR as a major player in speculative bike design is rather silly.

[fastdadio]

Not one to be wowed by tech simply for techs sake. I've always been a fan of the VFR. At least up until v-tech came along. Now with the new model VFR, I ask what is the difference between it and the ST 1300? 100cc is about all I can see. So now Honda has two spot-tourers in the line up. 100cc apart and a big hole where their middle weight used to be. Somehow I just dont see the NT700 filling the void.

[Rincewind]

This is like saying that a potato should be more like a tomato.     

No the new VFR should not be like a carbon-bodied race-rep (even though it's nearly as expensive!).  It should be more like a BMW F800ST.   But it's not like either one.  So what.

Honda's new VFR800X Crossover FTW??

[Sarchi]

The VFR was never really designed or meant to be "just another bike", at least in the later gens. But even the earliest model was designed with some stand-apart ideals. What we came to know and love in the VFR was Honda's showcase for the future. A kind of a rolling monument to what could be. Love or hate V-TEC, it was unique. The single sided swing arm, the linked brakes, etc., etc., etc... for a time were rather unique or at least unusual in the extreme.

In that mindset, the VFR did its job very well and in many ways remains a unique entry in the market place.

If there is anything else in the market place that's TRULY VFR-comparable, then... congratulations go to Honda for showing us what could be...

Other bikes now have linked brakes, single-sided swing arms, V4s, high-tech designs, etc. Racing may be the impetus and proving grounds for much of that, but to ignore the VFR as a major player in speculative bike design is rather silly.

All great points and well taken, Chris.  I also forgot that the RSV4 has....a V4 motor!  D'oh.

Plus, there may have been a tinge of sarcasm in shah's post title that flew over most of our heads.  lol

[scottzilla]

I've come to realize if the STN membership was given a team of designers and engineers with carte blanche to create the ultimate motorcycle, it would suck.  Furthermore, none of you would buy it.

[rajflyboy]

Shah

You finally F in made a good damn f in post after all these damn years !!!

Keep up with the good work.

 

[chornbe]

Shah

You finally F in made a good damn f in post after all these damn years !!!

Keep up with the good work.

 

So sayeth the pot to the kettle

[chornbe]

I've come to realize if the STN membership was given a team of designers and engineers with carte blanche to create the ultimate motorcycle, it would suck.  Furthermore, none of you would buy it.

troof

[DogBoy]

I've come to realize if the STN membership was given a team of designers and engineers with carte blanche to create the ultimate motorcycle, it would suck.  Furthermore, none of you would buy it.

 

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,13501.msg720587.html#msg720587

[rajflyboy]

So sayeth the pot to the kettle

I see that you still have a "Cherry Bomb" stuck up "Thee" Ass

[shah269]

Thank you!
OK take this bike, take off it's carbon fiber skin and give it something more down to earth.
Adjust the seating position maybe remap the injectors for more torque. Maybe a slightly larger fuel tank and well.......
It's the right engine? It's the right amount of technology and it would look good as well.
Heck for those of us who love odd things take out the timing chain and slap in some gears in there.
This bike could have been and should have been the new VFR.
And with Honda you know it would have come in cheaper and with more available parts.
A bike you could ride to work every day and still make you scream "WOOOO HOOOOO" in your lid come saturday and sunday.
i.e. the perfect woman