. Production of the VFR1200F began in October 2009 and first models were delivered in early 2010.
Design The VFR1200F was primarily designed in Honda's Italian and German design studios under the supervision of Spanish designer Teofilo Plaza. The exterior features a variety of aerodynamic enhancements taken from the Honda MotoGP bike including a dual-layered
fairing designed to pull heat away from the rider and an X-shaped bulbous front nose to keep the vehicle stable at high speeds as well as increase turn-in handling. While the new design was viewed with mixed to negative reactions by the general public and press, Plaza was supported by other designers who felt the VFR represented a new design trend where the function is the primary design goal with aesthetics used to complement the aerodynamic profile of the motorcycle.
Engine The new engine incorporates the
single overhead camshaft distribution system called "
Unicam" which was tested on Honda's offroad machines. This compact system reduces engine size, allowing it to be placed further forward in the frame while lowering the bike's
center of gravity. This allows for better front-wheel traction when
cornering. A 28° positioning of
crank pins and a specific firing order of the cylinders (1&4 and 2&3 layout instead of the regular 1&3 and 2&4) resulted in an engine with perfect
primary balance. Because of this, there is no
balance shaft, further lightening the engine. Instead of conventional direct mechanical connection from the rider's
twistgrip to the throttle,
electronic throttle control ("throttle by wire") commands the
engine control unit to modulate engine power output. The configuration of the cylinders is also unusual. The V4 has the rear bank of cylinders paired closely together, with the big ends of their
connecting rods on the inner sides of the
crank journals. The forward bank of cylinders is conversely set outboard of the rear bank, with the big end journals mounted on the outer sides of the crank journals. This design allows for a much narrower engine at the rear, which makes the bike slimmer where it contacts the rider and allows an easier reach to the ground from the seat.
Transmission The VFR1200F is available with either a conventional constant-mesh
manual transmission, with
shaft-drive, or an
automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT). The DCT version, known in North America as the VFR1200A or in other markets as the VFR1200D, has dual clutches, one operating 1st, 3rd and 5th gears, the other operating 2nd, 4th, and 6th gears. The dual clutches are able to switch quickly between gears and can operate in one of three modes: 'D', which is a fuel-efficient fully automatic mode; 'S', a sports automatic mode, which changes gear at higher engine speeds; and manual mode, in which the rider changes gear using paddles fitted to the handlebars. This gearbox was the first of its type fitted to a large capacity motorcycle, although dual-clutch transmissions were already used in a number of automobiles. The DCT gearbox retains characteristics of a conventional manual transmission like
engine braking and clutch engagement as the internal components are very similar except the clutch operation is controlled by an electric motor and computer rather than the rider.
Brakes The VFR1200F incorporates the C-ABS
combined braking system sourced from the
CBR600RR and
CBR1000RR sportbikes. C-ABS distributes the braking forces completely electronically sending information from the brake lever into a separate braking computer before the system applies hydraulic pressure to the brakes.
Anti-lock brakes (ABS) now as standard equipment rather than optional equipment as they were in the previous generation. During front brake lever activation, all the right-side caliper pistons are applied, along with four of the pistons on the left side. When the rear brake is applied, the other two left-side pistons are actuated. To maintain equal braking force when using just the front brake, the right-side pistons are slightly smaller than the left-side pistons. ==Reception==