Any ideas: why did Honda discontinue the VFR800?

I just posted a prior thread asking about differences in 2014 and 2015 VFR 800's. I have another question: does anyone have any ideas as to why Honda discontinued the VFR 800, after a two year run on the Gen 8? Or has Honda only discontinued selling them in USA? A knowledgeable person at a dealership told me that Honda just could not sell enough of them in the USA, but they sold really well in Europe. Personally, I love the entire VFR lineage, and I had a new 1993 and still own a 2007. From another source, "There could be as few as 200o total 8th Gen's sold in USA." Thanks.

 

I would hope it's more than that. But they have had to discount them in a pretty big way.
Business tends to run on cold hard beans, especially big companies.
If they don't sell enough VFR widgets and bring in enough beans to make the bean counters happy,
no more VFR widgets get made. Period. The enthusiasts in the company are not usually the decision makers.

 

OMG! If they can't fix mine, I wanted to get a brand new white 8th gen. What now?

 

What happened to yours??? Did I miss something?

 

I can confirm that that vfr800 as well as the vfr1200 are still sold in the UK.

 

Its in the shop Been there over a week now. Can't figure out yet what the problem is. Went in today, and the tech has a couple other things he will try. Honda Canada has no solution either. He will be logging into this thread and consider our members opinions for this repair. If it can't be fixed, I need a new ride

.http://vfrworld.com/threads/sudden-high-revs-when-cold-starting-in-traffic.54261/

 

They are still for sale in the rest of the world.

 

I don't think they are available in Canada either. Short of what is sitting on the floors now.

 

Sorry to hear that, Randy. I'll visit the other thread.

Glenn

 

James is right - at least for now 800 and 1200 VFRs are still listed in the 2017 UK sales catalogue.

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles.html


BUT according to several dealers in France for 2018 it seems that both the 1200f and 800f VFR models are being dropped from the European catalogue - so they have been told to stop taking new orders. I suspect there are still quite a lot of both models collecting dust in showrooms and the dealer network will earn their keep by shuffling stock around. Apparently the more recently launched adventure " x models" may survive for a few more years as that seems what the market favours at the moment and that production line is still operating.

There is of course loads of speculation about precisely why these bikes are being dropped especially as the 800F model was already certified as Euro 4 compliant so it could in theory still be sold exactly as is well into 2020.

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles.html

I suspect there are a number of factors at play here with profit margins being the most significant, but closely followed by serious production capacity issues.

You may recall the main factory where the bigger bikes (so not just VFRs) was pretty much flattened by a massive earthquake. The photos at the time showed the place had been pretty much nuked! Whilst doubtless Honda managed to pull some kit from the rubble, that plant is not going to be churning out anything like the past volume of big bikes for quite a while.

I guess with a massive factory rebuild cost to fund (even if its partly covered by insurance) Honda will sensibly focus its available funds on getting production going on those models which sell best and make the best profit. So in Europe we have seen loads of revamped mid market bikes launched recently which are ideal for the new rider market whilst the only large capacity model they have launched since the earthquake has been the new Fireblade model.

Sadly with further emission requirements now being touted in Europe it just may not make financial sense for Honda to try and reinstate the VFR lines especially in the short term, as they were fairly slow moving and hence an expensive item for dealers to keep in inventory. I rather doubt Honda will permanently abandon the sport touring market, although for a while we may only be offered the adventure variants.

Sorry Randy how about an VFR800X?


SkiMad

 

In discussions with my dealer friend, two parts of the conversation stand out: 1) the VFR's are far more appreciated in the UK and mainland Europe than in the USA. Why? Who knows. Different cultures, different roads, different riding opportunities? However, I did not know that the VFR's would be discontinued in Europe until I read it in this thread. And 2) my friend suggested that the VFR's are not understood in the USA. Are they sport-tourers, street bikes, or sport bikes, or what? In each of these segments, there is distinct and exceptional competition across all brands. And, added to the issue, is the price. VFR's are not cheap. My friend also joked that most of the VFR's sold in USA went to people working at the Honda dealerships, . . . because they know the quality and performance, . . . unlike the general public. Thanks for the comments.

 

Bad Honda US marketing, over-expensive pricing, and the US market's shift to adventure styled bikes meant the new VFR never had much of a chance on US soil. VFR owners were also too quick to dismiss the refresh and clung on to their older bikes. Sad, really, as I think my 8th gen is probably even better than my 5th.

 

My take, the 800 is in a weird position now.

You in the market for a sportbike?
-Honda has lighter, more powerful sport bikes.

You want to tour?
-Honda has much more comfortable touring rigs.

 

St1300 hasn't been updated for over a decade and is soooooooooo far behind everything else available on the market ,still an outstanding bike tho, the goldwing is out on its own.

Nothing else on Hondas touring board. Vfr12 doesn't count

 

My dealer told me that every ware house in the USA had many many VFR 800 in them. Mostly 14 models some 15 models. Some dealerships have them listed for $5999 plus tax and freight. One dealer in North Dakota has them listed for $6,300 OTD for out of state buyers and they will ship anywhere in the USA from $300 to $550. Not a bad deal. Just keep in mind that one dealer can sell a new 2014 model for $6,300. Any dealer can and still make money. Only other expenses would be your state taxes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

You are correct. There are lots of 2015's starting as low as $5900, and bunched up in the $6999 price range all over the USA. DLX's, though, are much rarer, and much less discounted. Prices for new 2014/2015 DLX's range from $9k to 11k+. The base models are an amazing deal, and, I suppose, so are the DLX's, when compared to original retail. As a comparison, a new 2017 CBR500, made in Thailand, is non-discounted $6599, and, IMO, it is a fraction of the bike that a VFR 800 is.

 

Wow, those crazy low prices make me think of doing crazy things, like buying another bike.

 

I'm drinking the same Kool-aid "New VFR--get one while they last".

 

We don't regret buying our two!

 

Comfort wise, the NC700X is a barcalounger compared to the VFR.