Spy Shots: New Honda V4 motorcycle caught testing
2010 Honda VFR1200 leaked photos - Click above for high-res image gallery
Late last year at the Intermot show in Germany, Honda pulled the covers off a radical concept motorcycle it promised would soon enter production powered by a powerful new V4 engine. The new bike's introduction is obviously close at hand as a new series of spy photos clearly shows the bike testing on the street.
Shortly before the bike was spied out and about in the real world, Motorcycle News in the U.K. managed to acquire a series of leaked images of the new bike in what appears to be production-ready form. From these shots, we can tell that the new Honda will feature relaxed sportbike geometry with an upright seating position, a single-sided shaft-drive swingarm and a Cylon-like single front headlamp flanked by twin ram air ducts.
Current speculation is that this new bike will be known as the VFR1200 and be equipped a new V4 engine that will put out close to 200 horsepower. That powerplant will supposedly feature Variable Cylinder Management, which will be capable of running on two of the four cylinders in order to save fuel when maximum power isn't necessary. It seems likely that Honda will officially debut the bike later this year with sales planned for early 2010.
Gallery: Honda VFR1200 leaked images
[Source: Motorcycle News via Hell For Leather]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andrew L 2:01PM (6/26/2009)
V4!?!?
Interesting...
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mstockmyer 2:19PM (6/26/2009)
V4's are nothing new in motorcycles. My current gen VFR800 Interceptor (that this VFR1200 will probably replace) has a 127 HP V4. The revolutionary part is the cylinder shutdown mechanism.
mstockmyer 2:21PM (6/26/2009)
Errrrr, 107 HP V4. I get it confused with my Civic's engine.
A-style 2:30PM (6/26/2009)
The Honda ST1300 is also a V4
Redline 2:35PM (6/26/2009)
Yes, that's why it's called a VFR. ?
MikeW 3:15PM (6/26/2009)
Will it be a 180 degree crank V4, or 360?
chconline 3:14PM (6/26/2009)
"Errrrr, 107 HP V4. I get it confused with my Civic's engine."
All Civics has I4's.
Gator 5:12PM (6/26/2009)
"All Civics has I4's."
He meant horsepower numbers, I assume
Clay Garland 4:04AM (6/27/2009)
This will look nice next to my VF1000R.
Antoni 2:12PM (6/26/2009)
200 HP ? That is a monster , the only faster bike I can think of is the Hayabusa or the Desmosedici
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Redline 2:38PM (6/26/2009)
Or the ZX-14 or the K1300S/R or the B-King or perhaps all the Liter Superbikes seeing as this has shaft drive...
ale 3:28PM (6/26/2009)
well we wont know how fast it is yet... too early to say that its in busa territory
Archane 6:52PM (6/26/2009)
yamaha v-max is a 1600cc v4 with exactly 200ps at the crank. its a beast.
EXP Jawa 2:17PM (6/26/2009)
So the Interceptor is getting an engine to bring it back toward being a superbike? Or will continue to be more of a sport tourer?
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 2:21PM (6/26/2009)
EXP Jawa - probably something in between a true superbike and a sport tourer. Think along the lines of the Kawasaki Concours 1400... the 200 horsepower spec is so far just a rumor.
Redline 2:39PM (6/26/2009)
I agree with Jeremy, the VFR is suppose to be a hyper tourer, NOT a superbike. I'm going to say this again, it has a shaft... How many bikes are there in MotoGP or SBK with shaft drive?
Keith 2:20PM (6/26/2009)
v-4 & single side swing arm - thats hot.
Is that a shaft drive?
A little bulky on the fairing for my tastes tho.
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Lister 2:23PM (6/26/2009)
I'm glad Honda stuck to their philosophy of design.
In a world where design studios "borrow" more and more from each other, it's refreshing to see something that is uniquely Honda. Regardless of where this was penned - Japan, Europe, or the US - you can definitely see a hint of manga in the headlight housing; very Masimune Shirow.
All that being said, while the rear-end looks very much like the current CBR1000 from behind, the side view is very, very busy, and looks very BMW-ish. As does the swingarm.
The Ducatisti, and those like them, will undoubtedly bash anything that isn't Italian.
Anyway, a great departure from the dual cat-eye headlamps that were the rage for so many years. Change is good!
And that V4 has got to be a stonking powerplant. Wow.
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usingthelou 2:24PM (6/26/2009)
the very definition of crotch-rocket
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Redline 2:57PM (6/26/2009)
Not really, that will probably be a Desmosedici RR or a MV Agusta F4 R 312