Exotic Bike for the Common Man – The Honda VFR750F Review

"Peter Monshizadeh" (practicalenthusiast) 12/04/2015 at 11:05 • Filed to: Honda, VFR, Interceptor, 750, 750F, RC36, Modern Classic, Motorcycles, Sport Touring, Lanesplitter, Two Wheels Good, Used Bike Reviews

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Alright, so the VFR750F isn’t exotic. It’s not expensive, it’s not particularly rare, and it’s not expressly “sporty”. But perhaps that is exactly what makes it so great.

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Honda was an innovator in the motorcycle world. They produced exotic high performance machines such as the RC30, RC40, and RC45. All of these incorporated 750cc V-four engines, single sided swing arms and ground breaking design. They got it all right.

The downside? They were priced outside the financial realm of the typical rider.

Born out of all this excitement Honda blessed us with a bike that incorporated many of the exotic and fashionable designs that the flagship machines had, yet at a fraction of the cost. The third generation VFR, branded as the RC36, was the result. It was designed to be a sport touring motorcycle that would put the rest of the contemporary offerings to shame – and that it did.

Check out the review at the top to learn more about this modern classic. You might just find yourself wanting to pick up one of these bargain-basement Honda exotics.

BringBackTheCommodore > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:31

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Let’s see, I perused Google, and came across these stats:

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Looks exotic enough to me. Not many cars in that price range can hit that performance level.

Zip-McBump > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:32

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I have always wanted a VFR/Interceptor. It seems like the perfect balance between a sport and touring bike. They’re really comfy.

Plus, V4. I mean, come on. They sound incredible.

Peter Monshizadeh > BringBackTheCommodore 12/04/2015 at 11:34

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Those are pretty good numbers, even for today.

Peter Monshizadeh > Zip-McBump 12/04/2015 at 11:36

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Agreed! More things need V4.

dumpsterfire! > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:36

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agreed. especially the unicorn status of the pearl white bodywork replacements.

Peter Monshizadeh > dumpsterfire! 12/04/2015 at 11:41

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Ooooo...yours?

BringBackTheCommodore > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:43

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Precisely. That’s why the older V4 bikes have held up quite well. Something like the R36 could be modified with Ohlins shocks, high performance calipers, and the addition of some lightness, and it still holds its own against the more modern literbikes. Per the link, it weighed in at 236 kg, or 520 lbs, and that could be reduced to below 500 with the right know-how. An aftermarket exhaust would be a good start.

WiscoProud > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:53

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I had a VFR700 as my first bike. I loved it. I stupidly sold it to buy a Katana 750, while more powerful, wasn't nearly as interesting or fun.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 11:58

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I always kinda wondered why they didn’t build these with the V65 engine. You could get a Sabre or Magna with the bigger V4, but not the sportier bikes. A VFR1100R would have been kinda sick.

Peter Monshizadeh > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 12/04/2015 at 12:05

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I never thought of that - it would have been pretty cool to have a liter version of the RC36. They made a VF1000R in the 80’s which was along the lines of this but it was missing a lot of the other neat design features. Honda needs to make another high performance bike with a V4.

BobintheMtns > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 12:13

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I love those bikes just for that gorgeous back wheel...... coupled with the single-sided swingarm— it’s just too sexy.....

dumpsterfire! > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 14:37

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yeppers. best eBay sight unseen purchase ever.

Manny05x > Peter Monshizadeh 12/04/2015 at 18:38

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i couldnt get pass the fake walking in the begining.

Max > Peter Monshizadeh 03/22/2016 at 13:21

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Had a ‘92 (black) and an ‘01 (red) Nothing like the whine of this V4 with gear driven cams. On my ‘92, I took off the rear turn signals, and re-routed the sockets to exit through the dummy holes(used for US) on the tail section. Made the rear end look really clean. I ran a high mount Staintune exhaust on my ‘01, sounded like a small block Chevy with a lopey cam in it. Both really great bikes.

MechaMike > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 03/22/2016 at 13:50

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You mean like the VF1100R? https://www.google.se/search?q=vf110…

MechaMike > Peter Monshizadeh 03/22/2016 at 13:54

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Lovely engine on these. No matter what the revs, it just felt relaxed. I tried on on a track back in 1992 - came through a curve into the straight, twisted full throttle and nothing happened! It just lost breath. Turned out I had held 11000 rpms through the curve without noticing.

Wife had a VF750S for a while, or “V45 Sabre” as they were called in the US. It was an amicable hog, and the engine was likewise a pleasant thing. Got something to do with the cross-plane 90° V configuration.

Bloop > Peter Monshizadeh 03/22/2016 at 14:25

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Um - VFR1200 anyone? Expensive, heavy, etc. But "cool", I guess.

Bloop > Peter Monshizadeh 03/22/2016 at 14:31

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Functionally, the way a rider wil use the bike and experience the bike, I think the VFR is sort of like the Ninja 650R. it is approximately the same size. the VFR has a bit more power, but it is heavier. The VFR eats more gas and costs more. I would ride a 650R, given the choice. I don't see the reason for the VFR's existence.

Peter Monshizadeh > Bloop 03/22/2016 at 14:36

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Oh yeah. That. Its styling is certainly interesting.

clydefrancis > dumpsterfire! 03/22/2016 at 20:11

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Hell yeah Bear Mountain! ;)

Wheelz > Peter Monshizadeh 03/22/2016 at 20:45

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Former tech from the early 90's, here. I only had the opportunity to work on the 1st gen VF Interceptor bikes, then the VFR 700, then the RC36 version in this video. There are very few bikes that I like loud pipes on. ANY of Honda’s V-Fours I give as many thumbs up as I can rally (unfortunately am limited to only two). Another bike I can’t get enough of, aurally, is Ducati’s Supermono, but that’s something else.

Of the bikes I’ve ridden, the VFR700 is actually the nicest sounding. The previous VF iteration is outdated and much too heavy, the RC36 is also very portly.

One ownership problem with the RC36 is that it didn’t come with a centerstand. The following ‘94 on up model (I believe that’s when the next gen came out, the Wiki page is a bit lacking) did.

I recently got a bike after a 10-year-hiatus, and I went with an SV650 for the weight. If I could own multiple bikes a VFR would surely be one of them. It is indeed about the ride experience. There is a lot more than the numbers going on when it comes to the pleasure of riding a VFR.

Wheelz > Bloop 03/22/2016 at 20:53

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The only way you could say this is from not having ridden both bikes. The Ninja 650 has a 180 deg. crank, same as the Ninja 500 I formerly owned. One of the most incredibly boring power outputs and exhaust notes. The 650 has more power and isn’t one iota more exciting than the 500. The VFR is anything but. Please tell me you haven’t actually ridden both the 650 and the VFR, cuz if you have, there’s something missing between the the earlobes.

rocknroll_jeph > Peter Monshizadeh 03/23/2016 at 01:35

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I am so happy to see the VFR/ RVF getting recognition and love! I have a 1988 VFR-400 that even though hasn’t run in years I will never get rid of and had a 1996~ RVF-400 that is one of the prettiest bikes I have ever owned. Very solid, fun to ride, easy to fix and maintain and my wife says more comfortable than my Ducati to be a passenger.

Peter Monshizadeh > rocknroll_jeph 03/23/2016 at 06:58

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I wish the USA got the RVF 400, but alas, it was too cool for us. Excellent choice!

VFRpete > Peter Monshizadeh 03/23/2016 at 21:52

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Yes! I have owned my 1990 VFR750F for 19 years and it’s a beautiful machine. The combined sounds of the gear whine and the V4 rumbling through a high mount carbon is sure to make me smile. One thing you didn’t mention is the right leg roast which comes as a standard feature on this bike, due to exhaust routing. Thanks for posting this!

Mathnerd > Peter Monshizadeh 03/24/2016 at 14:21

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Had a white ‘93 with the left side TBR pipe. Sounded orgasmic and showed off the fact that it had a single sided swingarm.