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The wife and I went to the local Honda demo days after work yesterday to check the new bikes out.
Tracy really wanted to see the new VFR1200 and signed up to ride it, so I decided to give the new CBR1000 a ride. (We only made it in time to make the last demo ride of the day, other wise we would have ridden more bikes)
Impressions of the VFR1200:
She liked it, liked it a lot actually, but still preferred the 06 VFR800 which she rides now. The position on the new VFR is more upright than hers, and while she said it handled very well, she still found her old VFR more comfortable and easier to flick around. She did comment on the linear power, (that their was obviuosly more power across the line), but the one thing she really likes about her 06 VFR800 is the abrupt "attitude change" when the VTEC kicks in......which she said is far more sudbued and not so noticeable on the newer bike. (again, though it has more power, it seems more linear across the whole range). She like the back end of the bike, but didn't care for the front end too much.
In summations, she decided that while she loves her 06 VFR800...when it comes time for an ew bike, it probably won't be the new VFR1200, she may have to look for something a little more "sporty".
Impressions on the CBR1000:
The thing feels like it's made of carbon fiber for crying out loud. It is so light, I felt like I was riding a bicycle. The riding position was actually (and surprisingly) quite comfortable. The bars are set a lot higher than I would have expected, and while the c0ckpit is cramped...it bares little resemblance to the riding position on a 600cc sportbike. The power was pretty decent, and very usable across the board. It was far from the on-off throttle experiances of the old GSXR's I used to ride.
The handling (from what I could glean) was fantastic. It was as if it it had ESP and knew where the corners where before they arrived. The coolest thing about the bike, IMO, was the slipper clutch. It's the first I've tried and I love it. (wish the ZX14 had one)
All in all, I couldn't see it as a replacement for my ZX14, but if a bundle of cash fell in my pocket I could definatly see one parked beside the 14 in the garage.
Can't really complain about getting to spend a late afternoon riding new bikes for kicks.
Tracy really wanted to see the new VFR1200 and signed up to ride it, so I decided to give the new CBR1000 a ride. (We only made it in time to make the last demo ride of the day, other wise we would have ridden more bikes)
Impressions of the VFR1200:
She liked it, liked it a lot actually, but still preferred the 06 VFR800 which she rides now. The position on the new VFR is more upright than hers, and while she said it handled very well, she still found her old VFR more comfortable and easier to flick around. She did comment on the linear power, (that their was obviuosly more power across the line), but the one thing she really likes about her 06 VFR800 is the abrupt "attitude change" when the VTEC kicks in......which she said is far more sudbued and not so noticeable on the newer bike. (again, though it has more power, it seems more linear across the whole range). She like the back end of the bike, but didn't care for the front end too much.
In summations, she decided that while she loves her 06 VFR800...when it comes time for an ew bike, it probably won't be the new VFR1200, she may have to look for something a little more "sporty".
Impressions on the CBR1000:
The thing feels like it's made of carbon fiber for crying out loud. It is so light, I felt like I was riding a bicycle. The riding position was actually (and surprisingly) quite comfortable. The bars are set a lot higher than I would have expected, and while the c0ckpit is cramped...it bares little resemblance to the riding position on a 600cc sportbike. The power was pretty decent, and very usable across the board. It was far from the on-off throttle experiances of the old GSXR's I used to ride.
The handling (from what I could glean) was fantastic. It was as if it it had ESP and knew where the corners where before they arrived. The coolest thing about the bike, IMO, was the slipper clutch. It's the first I've tried and I love it. (wish the ZX14 had one)
All in all, I couldn't see it as a replacement for my ZX14, but if a bundle of cash fell in my pocket I could definatly see one parked beside the 14 in the garage.
Can't really complain about getting to spend a late afternoon riding new bikes for kicks.
).
