Any ideas: why did Honda discontinue the VFR800?

Discussion in 'General VFR Discussions' started by svtkarma, Oct 3, 2017.

  1. Thomas Gessner

    Thomas Gessner New Member

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    The VFR800 continues to be sold here in Germany, too. On Honda Germany's website, it is listed as the sole entry in the Sports Tourer category. That in itself provides for a partial answer to the initial question, I think.
     
  2. GatorGreg

    GatorGreg Honda Fanboy/LitiGator

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    Lack of sales obviously - there are still discounted 2014's languishing in showrooms. I'm happy sales are low as it makes our bikes a rare sight - I've never seen more than three at a time and that was at organized get togethers.

    IMG_2704.JPG IMG_1805.JPG
     
  3. James Bond

    James Bond Member

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    Nobody in the U. S. wants a VFR when priced a little over or near the price of RR bikes yet when clearance prices appear near $5 to 7K, a small demand suddenly appears with a few people clamoring for them and posting up where in the entire country they can save a thousand dollars. It's amazing people pay anything at all for the very bike that is heavily criticized on forums for, example, not having a liter displacement engine or being too heavy. Americans don't put much monetary value at all on VFR's. If you were Honda would you continue selling motorcycles in a country that is essentially saying we won't pay much for them so you don't make a profit or lose money on them? Honda is smart for not offering us the VFR and clearing out the old unsold ones.
     
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  4. Ohlias

    Ohlias New Member

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    Basically, it's that for the price, it's not "elite" or "premium" enough/ Don't get me wrong, it's a great bike with an excellent fit & finish and some very decent features. But Nobody know's what they are, it doesn't "wow" anyone over here and I figure it's due to the performance, combination of weight and you can't say it's a 1000, 1100 or 1200....

    That being said, how did the VFR1200 do?
     
  5. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Personally, I think the only reason it does not sell well here in North America is the price. We here in Canada and USA like our toys and most of us have many. But our pockets are only so deep, and we have to be selective on where we spend our money. Some of us want motorcycle. Some of us want snowmobiles, boats, personal watercraft, a car for every legal aged person in the house, sometime even more. Huge RVs, houses that are averaging 3,000 square foot with yards that take an hour to just cut, never mind trim and weed gardens. I don't think others world wide are as lavish as we are. For those of you over in Europe, I am not colouring this. So many of us here just have to have all this shit in out arsenal of pleasure. I am some what to admit, I tend to be that way too. We here are wasteful and full of entitlement.

    So, even though I want and might consider myself in need of a new VFR, I have to wait. I can't hep but remember a trip to the UK and seeing all those very old and beautiful houses and shops that are probably a couple hundred years old and still occupied and fully functional. Buildings here are build to be torn down in 60-100 years if that.
     
  6. Nelix

    Nelix New Member

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    Could have just typed "Yanks"
     
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  7. Ridem32

    Ridem32 New Member

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    Southern USA here (REDNECKS)


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    We Canajuns have a hard enough time as it is trying to convince the rest of the world that WE AIN"T NO FUKKEN YANKS! Remember 1812 when we marched down there to the Whitehouse, drank your beer and whiskey then burned it down?
     
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  9. Nelix

    Nelix New Member

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    Canadians and Scots lucked out geographically, you guys have yanks for neighbors, we have the English.
     
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  10. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    I'm a Canadian Scott of all things. We won't tell anyone this but there is some Irish in the mix. Shhhh!
     
  11. fink

    fink Member

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    No you a Canadian Scot. Scott is a name.
     
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  12. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Yes it is. As in my middle be sooooo, technically, I am still correct....yes?
     
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  13. TexArmageddon

    TexArmageddon New Member

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    Now I don't talk for everyone, but in all honesty I believe a lot of it has to do with Pricing and poor marketing. In all honesty, I believe the motorcycle industry as a whole has come to rely too heavily upon the internet and word of mouth to circulate attention. As a owner of 2 VFR800s and VFR1200 it's disheartening at 27 to go to motorcycle meets repeatedly to hear what bike is that? When the 1200 came out the loyal 800 hated it( myself included). Yet, in person I always get compliments from people who are just stuck in the ZX14/supersport mentality, but never knew about the bike.

    Pricing wise... The VFR800 just became too expensive compared to the competition. My first pick over the remodeled VFR800 would have been the Ninja 1000 almost immediately. Sure, it's ugly as all hell and has less attention to detail, but it was more bang for your buck. Then came the GSX-S1000F for $1,000 more than the base model VFR800. Lastly, came the Ducati SS rolling in with a Full Ohlins setup and all the standard affair electronics for $2,000 more than the Deluxe model VFR800. IMO, even if the VFR800 was a popular bike here in the states, I couldn't see it for much longer after thorough research of what's on the market. Even the expensive high end bikes such as Ducati and BMW made the VFR800 look overpriced.

    Either way I'm on my last VFR ever to own. I'll probably fix up the VFR800 and sell her after a few seasons along with my 1200 and look for a superduke GT or S1000XR. I'm already sold on the Ducati SS as my daily work bike.
     
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  14. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    I also think that Honda didn't know what a VFR was. It wasn't a sport bike, the lack of graphic proved that but where were the sport touring accouterments? Honda just built it and dumped it on the dealers like they do a lot of their products.
     
  15. Bubba Utah

    Bubba Utah Member

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    The only thing I worry about is part availability for the bike. Even though there are loads out there waiting to be bought Honda will shut down part manufacturing like we have seen with the center stand and so on...! I loved the discounted price at the time I purchased at $7500 instead of $12,999 F model, I would have liked to get it cheaper like it is now. But It's my bike now. Side benefit may be discounted accessories to clear them out in the short term. I would love to get a set of hard bags around $400 instead of $900.

    Every bike I have owned has been a great bike that was under rated by press and purchase volume and paid thousands less than MSPR the year it came out. Every one was a great deal due to this! 1995 Kawasaki GPz100 (at the time you wanted the contour if you toured and the Ninja if you didn't), 2003 Suzuki SV1000s (its predecessor had so many issues that it hurt the Vtwin revamp in 2003 and was a classed as a "streetfighter" but you could have bought like a full factory fairings and many accessories) The Suzuki was in MC world as the best under valued bike in 2004 and It had 113hp and dry weight around 434lbs . And now the 2014 Honda VFR 800! I fucking love it that manufactures make amazing bikes that we can buy a little later and save buko bucks and be kinda elite due to the limited amounts on the road.
     
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  16. thtanner

    thtanner New Member

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    I'll just stop you there and remind you it's sold throughout the world, so parts will not be a problem.

    Honda did not shut down manufacturing of any parts. The center stands are still made and purchasable via their standalone part #. Center stand kits that were US market only are one thing, but actual components of the bike will not be harder to source than any other bike. Worst case you buy direct from JP.
     
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  17. OCLandspeeder

    OCLandspeeder New Member

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    I think at its peak, Honda never really sold more than 1,000 VFR's per year in the US. I remember reading this in Cycle World way back in 2003 or so.

    That of course is meaningless unless compared to other models. Back then the most popular sportbike was the Suzuki Hayabusa, which Suzuki consistently sold 10,000 units per year all the way to 2006! So that gives you an idea of how limited the VFR's buyers are in the US!

    It's only gotten worse since 2006 to the point where Honda had leftover VFR800's in 2007 - 2009. In 2012, Honda dealerships were still trying to move 2010 VFR1200! Sound familiar?

    These bikes do NOT sell well because the MC market is an emotional one dominated by me-too fads. Always has always will. Right now, the only market that is smoking hot is the ADV, and the naked sportbike. Back in the late 1990's VFR's were VERY popular and one would find a bunch of them out and about on weekends about as often as one will find ADV bikes today. Even Kawasaki has a hard time selling the Z1000S. BMW can't even give away their F800GT! Triumph gave up on their Sprints. What would be interesting is how successful Ducati will be with their SS....AFTER they sell to everyone who wants one. Once that market is saturated, how many more SS will Ducati sell? It could meet with the same fate as the Ducati Scrambler and smaller Monsters....once their target audience is saturated, how many more sales can they make? I believe Ducati's little Monsters and Scramblers aren't selling so well now.

    So nothing wrong with the 8th Gen VFR800. Just a motorcycle without much of a market.
     
  18. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    I bought my 8th gen slightly used at the local Honda/Kaw/Suzuki, I think that is the only one I have ever seen there! There are wall to wall bikes in there, but never any VFR's.
     
  19. TexArmageddon

    TexArmageddon New Member

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    There was everything wrong with the VFR800... With what was on the market when it came out... I wasn't going to spend my money on the VFR800 and especially now. It's saving grace was Fuel economy and attention to detail in looks.... Otherwise, it had smaller luggage, less touring amenities, worse suspension, less power, more weight, less tech, and a higher price. I honestly don't think the market is dead or at least they certainly don't think so. Not when everyone is throwing in releasing bikes such as the 1200RS, Superduke GT, Ducati SS, GSX-S1000F( Standard), ninja 1000, Stradale 800, Motus MST.. IF there is a market that I feel has died... it's the big Sport/touring bikes that people once viewed as sport touring.

    Trophy- Dead
    ZX14- No known updates worldwide ( rumored to be replaced by a S/C Spot touring bike)
    Hyabusa- same as ZX14( minus the S/C thing)
    Concours 14- Rumored to be replaced by the same S/C bike.. I can't see it's replacement being nearly as big or heavy with the SDGT hitting 170hp/520lbs
    St1300-Dead
    VFR1200-Dead
    FJR1300- Did this meet new Euro Emissions? I've gotten a lot of conflicting info on this one.
    1200RT- No longer marketed as Sport Touring in the slightest.
    K1600- I've never considered this sport touring, but BMW makes sure you know it's not on their site.
    K1300s- Dead


    It basically boils down to this in the big sport bike style touring segment.... Goldwing, BMW, FJR, and Connie Replacement if it stays big. This market looks far worse than what the VFR800 was in.
     
  20. fink

    fink Member

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    Only in USA as far as I know not the rest of the world
     
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