The engine is more tractable in the mid- range than ever and there's a definite kick in the pants at 7000rpm when the VTEC system alters key valvetrain parameters to change the engine’s state of tune from favourable for mid- range torque to favourable for top end power.
The handling has also been improved without compromising the old model’s user-friendliness, the styling has been brought bang up to date and the linked brake system has been revised for the better too.
If you like the current VFR, you’ll like the new one even more. Even the briefest of rides shows Honda has addressed what it needed to with the VFR without upsetting the qualities thousands of riders love.
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The new model is much tauter and sportier than the previous bike. It's a much more involving ride than the old bike. The steering is still neutral, it turns with the slightest of bar pressure and requires no body English histrionics to encourage the turn but it feels stable and secure. The front end provides enough feedback to let you know what is going on, and in this respect it's much better. This improvement has been achieved without having to make any significant compromises in the plush ride quality for which VFRs are renowned.
Honda's VFRs have always been capable of producing astonishing performance and the new bike is no exception. Riders of 'proper' sportsbikes might look down their noses, but the fact is that 95 percent of the time they could ride the VFR faster and better than the bikes they are on now. The new bike is, in a sense, a return to the form of the last of the 750s, with a broader spread of power and more sporting bias. It offers 155mph performance, neutral handling and reassuring feel along with a centrestand, pillion seat and all day comfort. We don't deserve it.